Scratch the surface of any city, and you’ll discover a secret history packed with fascinating stories, remarkable
characters, and surprising twists. And more often than not, it’s right there in plain sight, if we only knew where to look.
In SEARCHING FOR SECRETS (Mondays at 8pm from 14 June on Smithsonian), a cast of local guides, bloggers and historians takes us on an extraordinary journey around some of the world’s most iconic cities, from the eerie catacombs of Paris to the hustle and bustle of London’s West End; from New York’s iconic Statue of Liberty, to the graffiti-covered remains of the Berlin Wall. With the help of intriguing clues and objects, we journey back in time to
reveal the secret history of the cities we know and love, and shine new light on the exciting and often surprising stories that helped shape them. In San Francisco, we discover the unlikely connection between the CIA, mind control, and the legendary ‘Summer of Love’. In London, we get to learn how the famous black cab got its unusual shape. We travel to Singapore to find out how a toilet helped the city get rich. And in Berlin, we discover how the city’s favourite street snack has its roots in the Cold War. Bringing these stories to life, with immersive 2.5D historical reconstruction, cutting-edge graphics, rare period archive and stunning aerial photography, SEARCHING FOR SECRETS is a fast-paced, unforgettable journey, that guarantees you’ll never look at a city in quite the same way again!