SATURDAY 22 MARCH 2008

SAT 19:00 Sacred Music (b03d09b3)
Series 1

The Gothic Revolution

Documentary series in which actor and former chorister Simon Russell Beale explores the flowering of Western sacred music.

He begins his journey at Notre Dame in Paris, where an enigmatic medieval music manuscript provides the key to the early development of polyphony - music of 'many voices'. Featuring music performed by members of the award-winning choir The Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.


SAT 20:00 Emma (b009lsr8)
Episode 5

1972 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. Mr Elton returns to Highbury with his bride, whom Emma dislikes. Mr Knightley and Emma disagree about Jane, who has been been taken up by Mrs Elton.


SAT 20:45 10 Days to War (b009rcsm)
Episodes 1-4

First four episodes of a series of short dramas marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War.

Tony Blair is given a TV grilling by a group of anti-war women.

The hills of Northern Iraq host a coalition of religious, political and military leaders discussing how they will run the country in the aftermath of war.

The British deputy at the US led Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Aid in Washington fears a disaster is looming in post-war Iraq.

The British and American governments lobby for a second resolution that will authorise war.


SAT 21:35 The Hard Sell (b009hff5)
Toys

Phill Jupitus narrates a series looking at 50 years of British TV advertising. Britain's food and drink adverts have fed our minds, filled our bellies and quenched our thirst. The perfect adland recipe includes entertainment, persuasion and manipulation to steer Britain through home cooking and happy families to single living and tv dinners. Contributors include filmmaker Alan Parker, broadcaster Gregg Wallace, writer Joanna Blythman and Juan Cabral, the adman behind the Cadbury's Gorilla.


SAT 22:05 Selling Power: Admen and No 10 (b009hf6j)
Documentary which looks at how Britain's biggest advertising companies promoted the most unattractive product on earth - politicians. From the groundbreaking and controversial 'Yesterday's Men' through to the infamous Tony Blair 'Demon Eyes' campaign, it explores how best to sell power to a cynical public and is told by those who devised the memorable slogans, promotional films and negative adverts that won elections, changed the course of democracy and made their agencies fortunes.


SAT 23:05 Mad Men (b009364t)
Series 1

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. Top executive Don Draper's position is under threat from his competitors. An assignment to sell cigarettes after a medical report about their dangers has just been published doesn't help.


SAT 23:55 Mad Men (b0094yyp)
Series 1

Ladies Room

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. Don has to find the answer to the question of what women want, and find it quickly. Betty consults a specialist about her health issues. Don is pressured to help with Nixon's presidential campaign. Peggy fends off the advances of one of the copy writers.


SAT 00:40 Mad Men (b009hf6l)
Series 1

Marriage of Figaro

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. When Pete returns from honeymoon how will Peggy react? Don gets closer to Rachel and is troubled by a chance encounter on a train. There's a party for Don's daughter, and the wives are feeling threatened by the new, divorced, girl on the block.


SAT 01:25 Selling Power: Admen and No 10 (b009hf6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:05 today]


SAT 02:25 The Hard Sell (b009hff5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:35 today]


SAT 02:55 Selling Power: Admen and No 10 (b009hf6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:05 today]



SUNDAY 23 MARCH 2008

SUN 19:00 Dear Television (b009lt24)
Episode 7

Letters cataloguing the preoccupations and passions of television viewers over the last five decades.


SUN 19:10 Hamish Macbeth (b009lt26)
Series 1

Wee Jock's Lament

Drama series about a young policeman whose beat is a seemingly sleepy Highland village. A mysterious woman appears on the outskirts of Lochdubh, and Hamish goes into the hills on the trail of two escaped convicts who have brought tragedy to the village.


SUN 20:00 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
Sunday Night

Hamish Macbeth

Series which unearths the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama looks at Scottish cop series Hamish Macbeth.

The Sunday night schedules had never seen anything like it, and a dope-smoking cop living in a Scottish village with palm trees was only the beginning of the oddness. Developed from a series of novels that weren't even published in the UK, the Hamish of the books was a strapping six-footer with ginger hair and a mongrel dog. So how did he become Robert Carlyle?

If Hamish was a renegade cop, then Hamish Macbeth was a suitably subversive production. There were fraught discussions with BBC management about the drug-taking of the policeman and the doctor. There were concerns about the writers killing off the fluffy white dog. And the idea of putting the dead dog in the freezer provided a particularly strong reaction. But the production team generally got their own way. And they were proved to be right when the viewing figures regularly topped 10 million.

Interviewees include Duncan Duff, Ralph Riach, Valerie Gogan, Brian Pettifer, executive producers Scott Meek and Andrea Calderwood, producer Deirdre Keir, writer Danny Boyle and script editor Dominic Minghe.


SUN 20:30 Sacred Music (b009lt2b)
Series 1

An Easter Celebration

Simon Russell Beale presents a special concert for Easter from LSO St Luke's in London, performed by the award-winning choir The Sixteen, conducted by founder Harry Christophers. The music takes us on a journey of over a thousand years, from haunting plainchant through to the celebrated music of JS Bach. Highlights include Palestrina's motet Assumpta Est Maria, and Allegri's Miserere.


SUN 22:00 Mad Men (b009lt2d)
Series 1

New Amsterdam

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. Don teaches Pete a lesson when he oversteps his authority while dealing with a valuable client. At home, Pete is pressured by his new bride to buy their own apartment unit. Betty has a strange babysitting experience.


SUN 22:45 The Curse of Steptoe (b009hp17)
Drama telling the moving story of life behind the scenes of Steptoe and Son. Two actors find themselves trapped together on the celebrated long-running sitcom.


SUN 23:50 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b009hp1c)
Galton and Simpson

Galton and Simpson talk about their famous creations Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe and Son, how they met each other in hospital, and why they stopped working together.


SUN 00:50 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 01:20 The Late Edition (b009hp19)
Series 4

Episode 19

Satirical comedy show, with host Marcus Brigstocke and guests.


SUN 01:50 Sacred Music (b009lt2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


SUN 03:20 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



MONDAY 24 MARCH 2008

MON 19:00 Face to Face (b0074m34)
Tony Hancock

Tony Hancock was the vulnerable clown who became a household name with Hancock's Half Hour. John Freeman cross-examined leading personalities of the day. At the time Freeman's interview was heavily criticised. He was considered too brusque, almost ruthless in his technique. But the two became close friends and it is an interview many remember. (1960)


MON 19:30 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


MON 20:00 Up Pompeii (b009ppdl)
Series 1

Vestal Virgins

Frankie Howerd plays Lurcio the slave in mid 70s BC Pompeii, in the first programme of this classic series. Lurcio has to help his master Ludicrus Sextus find a virgin for the annual vestal virgin festival.


MON 20:30 The Book Quiz (b009mfdp)
Series 2

Episode 1

Kirsty Wark presents as writers Miranda Sawyer and Anthony Horowitz do battle against authors Wendy Holden and Giles Coren for a place in the semi-finals of the literary panel game.


MON 21:00 The Frost Report Is Back! (b009lt9r)
A celebration of the satirical comedy sketch series The Frost Report, which won the prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux in the 1960s.

Hosted by Sir David Frost, it was highly influential and proved to be the launch pad for the likes of Ronnie Barker, Ronnie Corbett, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle, Graham Chapman and Sheila Steafel.

Featuring rare archive skits, interviews with many of the old team and a complete showing of the award-winning show Frost Over England.


MON 23:00 The Book Quiz (b009mfdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 23:30 Arena (b0074prh)
Ken Dodd's Happiness

A tribute to Liverpudlian comic Ken Dodd, in which he discusses his career and the influences of his comedy style.

Features film clips of his early performances and footage of him on tour in more recent times.


MON 00:30 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


MON 01:00 The Frost Report Is Back! (b009lt9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 03:00 The Cult of... (b009lt28)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 The Book Quiz (b009mfdp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



TUESDAY 25 MARCH 2008

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b009lv1r)
The latest news from around the world.


TUE 19:30 Pop Go the Sixties (b008791b)
Series 1

Marmalade

A colourful nugget of pop by Marmalade, mined from the BBC's archive.


TUE 19:35 Batman (b009ntjz)
Series 2

The Clock King's Crazy Crimes

Fantasy adventure series. The dastardly Clock King is stealing art with every passing minute. Will the dynamic duo manage to thwart him in time?


TUE 20:00 Around the World in 80 Treasures (b0078w84)
Series 1

Turkey to Germany

In the penultimate stage of Dan Cruickshank’s gargantuan journey around the world, we find the intrepid explorer floating above Turkey in a hot air balloon! Below lie miles of a subterranean city where across the centuries peoples hid from warring factions from the east and west. Once in the caves - dark and sinister as they are - Dan uncovers an ingenious means of defence before stumbling on the weirdest treasure of his trip - a cavern full of golden locks - of hair! It reminds him he needs a haircut - possibly the least wise decision of his trip. Recovered from his singeing experience over supper in downtown Istanbul, the mother of all domes at Hagia Sophia raises his spirits as he climbs to the very top.

In Russia's St Petersburg, Dan casts himself in the guise of Peter the Great, who planned an imperial city from a simple shack before heading north toward the Arctic Circle and the remote Monastery of Solovki, where Russia's epic and often violent history has left its mark. Even now it is one of the bleakest places he has encountered so far.

Poland is a destination with personal echoes - as he reveals, he grew up there - a visit to the local salt mine with its miraculous salt carvings - beautifully detailed figures carved by the miners as altar pieces to petition God for their safety - transports him back to his lost childhood. Shadows of 20th-century history crowd in as Dan lands in Berlin where he determines he must salvage something from the wreckage of Nazi Germany. His choice: a chair and a beetle.


TUE 21:00 The Top of the Form Story (b0074sfx)
Dave Gorman traces the history of the BBC's long-running quiz show for schoolchildren. The programme includes interviews with original quizmasters as well as the now grown-up boys and girls who engaged in the weekly battle of wits.


TUE 22:00 Goodness Gracious Me (b007492k)
Series 2

Episode 6

British-Asian comedy sketch show. This programme features Britain's No 1 kabaddi star, and a special edition of 'Asian Gladiators'.


TUE 22:30 The Hard Sell (b009lv1t)
House and Home

Phill Jupitus narrates a series exploring 50 years of British TV advertising. In the world of advertising few items are given a harder sell than household products. The liquids, soaps, sprays and powders on which a multi-million pound industry has been built have revolutionised domestic life and the marketing of these labour-saving devices was the foundation on which the whole industry was created. Contributors include Tim Bell, Sam Delaney, Nicola Mendelsohn, Rula Lenska, Tamara Ingram and Dave Prowse.


TUE 23:00 Up Pompeii (b009ppgx)
Series 1

The Ides of March

Frankie Howerd plays Lurcio the slave in mid 70s BC Pompeii, in the classic series. Lurcio has been ordered by his master to assassinate Caesar, but are we seeing double?


TUE 23:30 A Year in Tibet (b009hp6b)
Faith, Hope and Charity

Documentary series following a year in the life of the society living in and around the Tibetan town of Gyantse.

The monks begin preparations for New Year, one of Tibet's biggest festivals. Lhakpa, a local rickshaw driver, struggles to earn money as winter approaches. He embarks on a scheme to buy and sell puppies, with disastrous consequences.

Hotel owner Jianzang gets involved in a court case which has a surprising outcome. In Tangmai, the doctor cannot cure Lhamo's crippling stomach pains.


TUE 00:30 The Top of the Form Story (b0074sfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 01:30 BBC Proms (b007xlmz)
2007

Bluebeard's Castle - Prom 48

Verity Sharp introduces Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra in a new orchestral suite from Thomas Ades' opera Powder Her Face, based on the life and disgrace of Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. This is followed by Bartok's darkly psychological opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle, sung by Charlotte Hellekant and Falk Struckmann.


TUE 03:25 The Top of the Form Story (b0074sfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 26 MARCH 2008

WED 19:00 World News Today (b009lv9g)
The latest news from around the world.


WED 19:30 Pop Go the Sixties (b0088xv2)
Series 1

Helen Shapiro

A colourful nugget of pop mined from the BBC's archive, as Helen Shapiro performs Walking Back to Happiness.


WED 19:35 Batman (b009nthx)
Series 2

The Clock King Gets Crowned

Fantasy adventure series about a caped crusader and his sidekick. The Dynamic Duo rope in Aunt Harriet in a race against time with the Clock King.


WED 20:00 Legends (b0074svr)
Joyce Grenfell - Comedy with Breeding

In many ways Joyce Grenfell was the pioneer of British female comedy. Through her radio broadcasts, her St Trinian's films, and her regular appearances on BBC TV's Face the Music, Joyce was one of the most popular and enduring performers of her generation. But who was Joyce Grenfell and what was she really like?

Clive James, Maureen Lipman and Dillie Keane join a host of Joyce's friends and colleagues to paint a candid and affectionate portrait of this great British star.

Narrated by Cass Allen.


WED 21:00 Hancock and Joan (b009lv9j)
Drama which tells the story of comedian Tony Hancock's love affair with his friend's wife, and her fight to save the man and his career. Only months into her marriage to John Le Mesurier, Joan fell in love with Tony, who, despite his struggles with drink, remained charismatic and funny. They embarked on a passionate affair, but Tony's demons were never far away, and after months of turmoil Joan gave him an ultimatum: If he made a go of a new series in Australia and stayed sober, she would leave John for good. Tony left, determined to succeed.


WED 22:30 The Late Edition (b009lv9l)
Series 4

Episode 20

Satirical comedy show, with host Marcus Brigstocke and guests.


WED 23:00 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b009lv9n)
George Cole

Actor George Cole, best known as Arthur Daley in the long-running TV series Minder, in conversation with Mark Lawson.


WED 00:00 Hancock and Joan (b009lv9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 01:25 The Late Edition (b009lv9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


WED 01:55 Legends (b0074svr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:55 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b009lv9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]



THURSDAY 27 MARCH 2008

THU 19:00 World News Today (b009lvdw)
The latest news from around the world.


THU 19:30 Up Pompeii (b009ppk0)
Series 1

The Senator and the Asp

Frankie Howerd plays Lurcio the slave in mid 70s BC Pompeii, in the classic series. Lurcio has to help his mistress get rid of an unwanted lover, but has he got rid of the wrong man?


THU 20:00 Himalaya with Michael Palin (b0074qpt)
Annapurna to Everest

Michael Palin continues his Himalayan trek. During a Gurkha recruitment Palin is disturbed by Maoist insurgents, but survives to suffer as he climbs to 15,000 feet and sees the majesty of Annapurna Sanctuary. In Kathmandu he is blessed by the Nepalese king before meeting some holy men. Crossing into Tibet he meets his first yaks at the highest monastery in the world before heading up the Rongbuk glacier towards the summit of Everest.


THU 21:00 A Year in Tibet (b009lvdy)
Monks Behaving Badly

Documentary series following a year in the life of the society living in and around the Tibetan town of Gyantse. In the Pel Kor monastery, the director Choephel discovers that some irreplaceable statues have been stolen and the theft gives the local Communist Party an excuse to put in a government 'work team' to weed out monks they think are behaving badly. Lhakpa heads north in search of a lucrative job on a building site, and Butri gets an unpleasant surprise as she approaches her retirement.


THU 22:00 Ashes to Ashes (b009ny70)
Series 1

Episode 7

Drama series following the exploits of Life on Mars DCI Gene Hunt. Thousands of pounds collected for charity have been stolen, and the only lead is Gil Hollis, the man who raised it. Alex is sure that Gil knows more than he realises and that she can coax it out of him. But when Gene is humiliated on a TV appeal, he resorts to his 'fists first, questions later' method. Can Alex prevent Gene going off the rails just when she needs to stay in control?


THU 23:00 Mad Men (b009lt2d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Sunday]


THU 23:45 Auntie's War on Smut (b009hff3)
Tongue-in-cheek journey through 20 years of censorship from the BBC after it issued a book of guidelines that would define its role and values for postwar Britain in 1948. Known by the colour of its cover, the 'Green Book' would keep a generation of errant writers and performers in check with bans on jokes about honeymoon couples, fig leaves and animal habits among others. Featuring contributions from writers and performers like Denis Norden, Nicholas Parsons, David Frost and Jonathan Miller.


THU 00:45 A Year in Tibet (b009lvdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 01:45 Everest: Getting to the Bottom of the Mountain (b0074nz8)
A look at the world's highest mountain in its various guises - Mother Goddess, symbol of human achievement, ruthless killer and latter-day tourist attraction. Contributors include Chris Bonington, Rheinhold Messner and Doug Scott.


THU 02:45 Auntie's War on Smut (b009hff3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:45 today]


THU 03:45 A Year in Tibet (b009lvdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 28 MARCH 2008

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b009lvpj)
The latest news from around the world.


FRI 19:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b0080w4g)
Series 3

Episode 4

Folk musicians come together in what have been called 'the greatest backporch shows ever'. Iris DeMent and Phil Cunningham are among the performers. There is also a piping duet from Scotland's Fred Morrison and Ireland's Michael McGoldrick with backing from Donal Lunny.


FRI 20:00 Sacred Music (b009lvpl)
Series 1

Palestrina and the Popes

Documentary series in which actor and former chorister Simon Russell Beale explores the flowering of Western sacred music.

He uncovers the links between the papal intrigues of Renaissance Rome and the music of the enigmatic Palestrina, whose work is considered by many to be unsurpassed in its spiritual perfection. The art and architecture of the Italian High Renaissance are accompanied by a performance from the award-winning choir The Sixteen, conducted by founder Harry Christophers.


FRI 21:00 Omnibus (b009lvpn)
Through Many Dangers - The Story of Gospel Music

Documentary on the history of gospel church music from its West African slave roots to its widespread influence on popular music across the world today. The story of the music's evolution is recounted by historians and writers and features performances from Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Aretha Franklin and many others.


FRI 22:30 Hancock and Joan (b009lv9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 23:55 Batman (b009ntjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:35 on Tuesday]


FRI 00:20 Batman (b009nthx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:35 on Wednesday]


FRI 00:45 Transatlantic Sessions (b0080w4g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:15 Sacred Music (b009lvpl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


FRI 02:15 Hancock and Joan (b009lv9j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]