SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 2010

SAT 19:00 The Scarlet Pimpernel (b00q0h8q)
Series 2

Friends and Enemies

When brilliant French scientist, Antoine Picard, is coerced into producing a revolutionary bomb for Citizen Robespierre, only the Scarlet Pimpernel, aided by Picard's beautiful sister Francoise, can rescue him from the guillotine.


SAT 20:30 The Secret Life of Chaos (b00pv1c3)
Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand.

It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here?

In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder?

It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern.

And the best thing is that one doesn't need to be a scientist to understand it. The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again.


SAT 21:30 Timeshift (b00pht5s)
Series 9

Clement Freud: In His Own Words

When Clement Freud died in April 2009, Britain lost not only one of its best-loved broadcasters but also one of its last great polymaths - a man whose long and varied career encompassed being a Liberal MP, cookery expert, newspaper columnist and author.

Freud's lugubrious expression and distinctive voice launched him as a TV personality in the 1960s with a series of dog food commercials, but his early life was just as colourful - the grandson of Sigmund Freud, he was a commis chef at the Dorchester Hotel and a liaison officer at the Nuremberg war crimes trials of 1946.

This documentary draws together interviews with Freud from across four decades, including previously unaired material, to allow him to tell the story of his remarkable life in his own inimitable way.


SAT 22:30 Nurse Jackie (b00q05nc)
Series 1

Tiny Bubbles

Drama series about Jackie Peyton, a no-nonsense emergency room nurse based in New York.

A fellow nurse and old friend of Jackie's checks into the hospital with terminal lung cancer, and asks Jackie to help end her life. Dr Cooper's mother is admitted with a gall bladder attack and reveals a family secret about her son's upbringing.


SAT 23:00 The Armstrong and Miller Show (b0085c04)
Series 1

Episode 2

Beneath the veneer of po-faced respectability lies a wealth of great characters in Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller's sketch show.

Divorced dad and his young son bond over a cup of tea, and the conversation turns to frank discussions about why Granny died - possibly something to do with an imperial gallon of Tia Maria. A pair of builders decide pretending to be Polish will give them an easier life at work; while a guest at a medieval feast just can't get into the swing of the merry-making thanks to a long list of food intolerances. Russian boss Dimitri and unsuspecting manager Tony snuggle up in front of an episode of Property Ladder; while a busy CEO's loyal aides keep him posted with up-to-the-minute news - Hitler didn't like his nose and crisp packets shrink in the oven. And there's more...


SAT 23:30 The Thick of It (b00npkc9)
Series 3

Episode 1

Armando Iannucci's award-winning political comedy.

Reshuffle day at Number 10. Nicola Murray is so far down the list of prospective ministers that Malcolm Tucker does not even have a file on her. But when the job at the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship is turned down by everybody else, there is no option but to promote her to the Cabinet.

The downside is that Nicola is very keen. And she has got expensive ideas and ideals. And she has got a husband who works for a company that has government contracts. And she has got an 11-year-old about to go to a private school. And she is about to face the media at a crucial by-election poster launch. Suddenly, Malcolm has got a file that is getting a bit too big for comfort. Something will have to be done.


SAT 00:00 BBC Proms (b00ml7p3)
2009

Prom 40: Beethoven's 9th Symphony

Charles Hazlewood introduces the annual Proms performance of Beethoven's 9th, his life-affirming choral symphony, recorded earlier in the season with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, soloists Rebecca Evans, Caitlin Hulcup, Anthony Dean Griffey and James Rutherford, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus conducted by Ilan Volkov.

Stravinsky's ballet music Orpheus opens the programme.


SAT 02:00 Timeshift (b00pht5s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


SAT 03:00 The Secret Life of Chaos (b00pv1c3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



SUNDAY 17 JANUARY 2010

SUN 19:00 Dear Diary (b00pws9f)
Mariella Frostrup

Mariella Frostrup asks what it takes to write a compelling diary. She discovers more about the diaries of Virginia Woolf, Anne Frank and Adrian Mole through meeting Virginia Nicholson, Jacqueline Wilson and Sue Townsend.

In seeking to find out what separates a simply dedicated diarist from a great one Mariella travels to Charleston to meet Virginia Nicholson, the grandniece of her favourite diarist, Virginia Woolf. Despite leading inexorably towards her taking her own life, Woolf's diaries are surprisingly funny, and their immediacy and humanity pulls us into her world.

Teenage is a time when many commit their most intimate thoughts to their diary, though few continue into adulthood. Mariella visits Jacqueline Wilson to talk about the teenage diary - often silly, full of self-obsession and lacking in irony. In fact, the former children's laureate describes her own teenage diary as written by 'such an idiot'. But Jacqueline is in awe of the skilled teenage writers who use their diary as confidante to create something resonant and lasting and admits to a lifelong obsession with Anne Frank. Anne Frank couldn't possibly know the end to her story as she wrote. But is there a reader who comes to her diaries without the added poignancy of the tragic end colouring how they respond to every entry?

The importance of a diary's detail and honesty come to dominate Mariella's trip to Leicester to see Sue Townsend. They discuss whether a fictional diary can possibly be entirely fictional, and Sue confesses that there are more similarities between her and her diary-keeping creation, Adrian Mole, than one might imagine.

Contributors include Eileen Atkins, Hermione Lee, Deborah Bull, Kathy Lette, Gyles Brandreth, Ellie Kendrick, Simon Brett, John Lahr and Simon Garfield.


SUN 20:00 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00pzc1l)
Series 1

Ethiopia

Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.

The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth.

But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades, researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.

The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.

When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the Ethiopian military in 1974, an ancient kingdom came to an end. According to tradition, the imperial dynasty stretched back virtually unbroken to 950 BC and its origins had links to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

The legitimacy of Haile Selassie and the foundations of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church rested on this claim, but was it true?

Casely-Hayford searches for the evidence and discovers why faith in the legend has lasted for centuries. He traces Ethiopia's heritage back in time, investigating its astonishing secrets and legends.


SUN 21:00 Aristotle's Lagoon (b00q0hh2)
In the 4th century BC the Greek philosopher Aristotle travelled to Lesvos, an island in the Aegean teeming, then as now, with wildlife. His fascination with what he found there, and his painstaking study of it, led to the birth of a new science - biology. Professor Armand Leroi follows in Aristotle's footsteps to discover the creatures, places and ideas that inspired the philosopher in his pioneering work.


SUN 22:00 My Family and Other Animals (b0074sfs)
An adaptation by Simon Nye of Gerald Durrell's autobiography. The eccentric and bohemian Durrell family uproot themselves from 1930s England and settle on the Greek island of Corfu, where the young Gerald experiences a new life of freedom and adventure and has the chance to observe the animal kingdom.


SUN 23:30 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00p50nr)
Imelda Staunton

Imelda Staunton began her stage career playing the likes of St Joan and Piaf in repertory theatre. More recently she has starred as Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, busy-body Miss Pole in Cranford, and the eponymous back street abortionist in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake.

She talks to Mark Lawson about her life and career, from her early ambitions to become an actress to her recent role on the West End stage in Entertaining Mr Sloane, as well as various experiences along the way: working on a Steven Seagal film; auditioning for Cats at Andrew Lloyd Webber's house and her Oscars experience when she was nominated for Best Actress for Vera Drake.


SUN 00:30 Aristotle's Lagoon (b00q0hh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 01:30 Dear Diary (b00pws9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 02:30 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00pzc1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 03:30 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00p50nr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]



MONDAY 18 JANUARY 2010

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00q0hpv)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Legends (b00pv1l3)
Neil Sedaka: That's When the Music Takes Me

Documentary telling the story of songwriter and performer Neil Sedaka, the man behind some of the biggest smash hits in history, including Oh Carol, Is This the Way to Amarillo, Solitaire, Breaking up is Hard to Do, and Love Will Keep Us Together.

Sedaka was destined for life as a classical pianist when he was seduced by the raw sounds of rock 'n' roll. In the early sixties he recorded a string of teenage anthems such as Calendar Girl, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and Breaking up is Hard to Do.

The arrival of the Beatles on the musical landscape signalled the end of Sedaka's singing career and he turned to writing songs for other artists such as the Monkees, Tom Jones and Tony Christie. But a move to England in the early 1970s was the launch pad for a remarkable comeback. He recorded with British band 10cc in Stockport before returning to the top of the American charts with Laughter in the Rain and Bad Blood.

In 2009, at the age of 70, Sedaka still has a huge following. He toured the UK to packed houses and released a new album, The Music of My Life. Singers Tony Christie and Connie Francis, musicians Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Jay Siegel of the Tokens, and Brill Building songwriting colleagues Don Kirshner and Carol Bayer Sager are among those paying tribute to the 'king of doobie-dos'.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b00q0hpx)
Series 3

Choir Boys v Brasenose Postgrads

Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital.

Three members of the Brighton and Hove (Actually) Gay Men's Chorus square up to a trio of postgraduates of Brasenose College, Oxford.

They compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random.


MON 21:00 Dear Diary (b00q0hpz)
Rory Bremner

Rory Bremner asks what diaries can offer to history.

What makes a diary almost as famous as the events it describes? Rory takes polar explorer Pen Hadow to see the extraordinary last diary of Captain Scott, an emotional experience for the adventurer.

A boat trip on the Thames reveals Edwina Currie's passion for another former MP, Samuel Pepys. He wrote in secret and in shorthand, seemingly to prevent anyone ever reading his now-famous journal, but who better than Edwina to appreciate the impact of a political diarist with a colourful private life?

A trip to Kent to visit Jane Clark at Saltwood Castle sees Rory get an exclusive peek at the original Alan Clark diaries.

There's more rummaging through the archives in Sussex when Rory spends time at the biggest collective diary project ever undertaken. Victoria Wood, who he meets there, was inspired by one of the wartime Mass-Observation diarists, Nella Last, to create the Bafta-winning Housewife 49.

Contributors include Claire Tomalin, Craig Brown, Tony Benn, Jonathan Aitken, Ben Saunders, Ion Trewin, Simon Garfield and Gyles Brandreth.


MON 22:00 Mr Pepys's Diary (b0074ppl)
Clarissa Dickson Wright, Tony Benn and Sir Richard Eyre join Claire Tomalin and other Pepys devotees to bring you the sensuous and extraordinary world of his diaries. Gourmet tastes mingle with adulterous liaisons, naval bureaucracy and the Great Fire, as Pepys records his detailed observations of London society. The documentary explores how this first great English diary continues to chime with modern readers' lives.


MON 23:00 The Secrets of the Black Diaries (b0074mqz)
Are the so-called Black Diaries forgeries by MI5 to ensure the execution of a British traitor? Or are they the genuine and lurid homosexual accounts of an Irish hero and fearless campaigner for human rights?

In 1916, Sir Roger Casement was sentenced to be hanged for trying to enlist German help in the Easter Rising. A powerful lobby of writers such as George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Conan Doyle appealed for leniency because of his humanitarian work against the evils of colonialism. Then MI5 circulated the Black Diaries and Casement went to the gallows in disgrace.

Ever since, Irish Nationalists have claimed the diaries were forged by British Intelligence and until recently the Home Office kept them under lock and key. Now the truth is out. The Black Diaries have been submitted to forensic tests and the findings are revealed.


MON 00:00 Dear Diary (b00q0hpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 01:00 Legends (b00pv1l3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 02:00 Neil Sedaka Says: All You Need Is the Music (b00pwstt)
During a career which was originally designed to make him a classical pianist, the musical achievements and statistics of singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka have made him a compelling figure in contemporary music, with 600 songs written and 20 million records sold. The hits from his early rock 'n' roll days to his later, more lyrical age are all included in this special one-man show from the 1980s.


MON 02:45 Only Connect (b00q0hpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 03:15 Dear Diary (b00q0hpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 2010

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00q0hvj)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 The Diary of Anne Frank (b00gnv10)
Series 1

Episode 3

Amsterdam, November 1942. The routine in the annex is now very established. Otto tries to keep up with company business by lying on the floor and listening to meetings downstairs, and he is shocked to discover that the building has had to be sold. They fear that the new owner will demand access to the annex and they will be discovered, but Mr Kleiman tells the owner that he has left the key at home. The lease won't be exchanged for months yet, and the war might be over by then, so for now the threat is over.

When Miep arrives she tells them their friendly grocer has gone missing, and they fear he might betray them to the Nazis as he has been providing extra supplies for the annex, but Miep trusts him. Miep also gives Mr Dussel the latest letter and food parcel from his fiance, which annoys Anne as she thinks he is putting them at greater risk with his letter exchanges. Her parents agree but do not want to say anything to him.

That evening Anne helps to wash her mother's hair and for once they are close, talking about how tiring she was as a small baby. It is Hanukkah and everyone in the annex gathers for the ceremony around the dinner table. But when drips start falling from the ceiling onto the food Peter dashes off to the attic, followed by Anne, where he admits that he forgot to put out the cat's litter tray. Anne is convinced he is a fool and teases him.

Food shortages are getting worse and Bep from the office now comes up to the annex for lunch every day. Anne asks Mr Dussel to let her use their shared bedroom for the agreed time but he isn't ready to give up the desk and they row. Otto talks to Dussel and persuades him how important writing is to Anne.


TUE 20:00 Sahara with Michael Palin (b0074p58)
Absolute Desert

Michael reaches Timbuktu along with a camel train carrying the giant salt blocks that made the city one of the greatest centres of Islamic learning up until the 16th century. He wanders through the rubble that is 21st-century Timbuktu to find the Imam who shows him original astronomical textbooks that predate Galileo's discoveries by 200 years.

Leaving one of Timbuktu's most famous addresses, the house of Alexander Laing, the Scottish explorer who had his thoat slit for not converting to Islam, Michael heads east to the land of the Wodaabe. These nomadic herders are some of the last true pastoralists of the African continent - famous as much for their male beauty pageant as their stylish cattle. Living in the bush with them, Michael watches the complex rituals surrounding this extraordinary annual pagaent, the 'Gerewol', where the girls get to choose the prettiest boy.

It is the season after the rains, a time of relative plenty for the nomads, and Michael's Wodaabe family, led by the English-speaking Doulla, travel to Ingall for the Cure Salee - a gathering of clans that takes place every year. Amidst the chaos of camel races, shopping and general mayhem, Michael meets up with a group of Tuareg for the next leg of his journey, a camel train across the Tenere desert to Algeria.

Omar introduces him to the delights and vicissitudes of life on the move in the most desolate landscape on the planet. Walking 12 hours a day, eating the odd sheep and learning the rudiments of Tamashek, the language of the Tuareg, Michael finally gets to grips with the heart and soul of the desert. The going is tough, but the sense of comradeship with both the other cameleers and the camels, who are their lifeline, is palpable.


TUE 21:00 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00q0hvl)
Series 1

Great Zimbabwe

Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.

The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth.

But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades, researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.

The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.

In 1871, European explorers stumbled across an astonishing ruined city deep in the African interior. Great Zimbabwe has been a source of fascination and controversy ever since, a symbol of African genius and a fascinating insight into the empires which once dominated southern Africa.

Casely-Hayford goes in search of the roots of this immense kingdom. He traces the trade in gold and precious goods that sustained it and uncovers the kingdoms that grew up around it.


TUE 21:50 Around the World in 80 Treasures (b00qg3b0)
Series 1

Ethiopia

Dan Cruickshank visits Ethiopia in search of the Ark of the Covenant.


TUE 22:00 We Need Answers (b00q0hvn)
Series 2

Medicine

Anarchic comedy game show in which celebrity guests answer questions set by the public.

Mark Watson hosts, Tim Key is in the questionmaster's chair and Alex Horne provides expert analysis from a booth as two celebrities battle it out to be crowned the winner and avoid the shame of donning 'The Clogs of Defeat'.

Comedienne and broadcaster Sue Perkins competes against television doctor Phil Hammond.

The rules are simple - contestants must match their answer to the one given by a text answering service. Questions can range from 'Name the seven different ways to cook an egg?' to 'What would happen if I bellyflopped off Dartmouth Bridge?'.

In the cunning physical challenge which pits the contestants against each other, Sue and Phil find out if it's possible to eat, think and move at the same time - cue spinning chairs, yoghurt and a word search.


TUE 22:30 Newswipe (b00q9ypy)
Series 2

Episode 1

Charlie Brooker returns to wring more laughs from a hilariously troubled world, looking at some of the scariest news stories ever, and some jokes.


TUE 23:00 Dear Diary (b00q0hpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


TUE 00:00 The Man Who Shot the 60s (b00pwsns)
A tribute to Brian Duffy, who passed away in May 2010. Duffy was one of the greatest photographers of his generation. Along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan he defined the image of the 1960s and was as famous as the stars he photographed. In the 1970s he suddenly disappeared from view and burned all his negatives. Filmed on the eve of the first-ever exhibition of his work, Duffy agrees to talk about his life, his work and why he made it all go up in flames.


TUE 01:00 Storyville (b00pzcc0)
Cage Fighting Women

From the acclaimed BBC Storyville strand, an eye-opening look at the brutal world of women's cage fighting.

Cage Fighting Women follows the fortunes of two British female cage fighters - Rosi Sexton and Lisa Higo, a mother of two married to her trainer John - as they travel to America for the biggest bouts of their lives. Inside the cage, punching, kneeing, kicking, elbowing and choking are all allowed - in fact, very little isn't.

Both women have their own reasons for stepping into the cage and both are prepared to lay their safety on the line in search of success. Fight nights and family life are explored in this in-depth portrait of the women who have decided to enter the ring of this extreme sport.


TUE 02:00 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00q0hvl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:55 We Need Answers (b00q0hvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 03:25 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00q0hvl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 20 JANUARY 2010

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00q2m3f)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Diary of Anne Frank (b00gnws1)
Series 1

Episode 4

Anne is having a birthday party. She is blowing out the candles on her magnificent chocolate cake, surrounded by friends. Suddenly she wakes up and remembers she is in the annexe, and her 14th birthday will be a much more modest affair. Her family give her whatever they can, but the only present that really excites her is the bar of chocolate she is given.

Anne is growing into a young woman and is amazed by the changes happening to her body and emotions. Her periods have started and she is becoming aware of her sexuality. She has even started to look differently at Peter, especially when he passes her on the stairs, wearing just a towel. Otto measures Anne and Margot against the wall and finds that Anne has grown three inches in the last year.

The families are growing out of their clothes and don't have the money to replace them. In fact, the Van Daans have little money left and row furiously about whether they should sell Mrs Van Daan's fur coat. When Anne walks in on their argument, Mrs Van Daan turns on her and Anne goes up to the attic to sulk.

When Peter comes up to the attic she tells him that she sees him differently now and apologises for having teased him in the past. She asks him if he finds Margot attractive and he says he's never noticed. She invites herself to accompany him down to the warehouse to collect the potatoes.


WED 20:00 The Children Who Fought Hitler (b00ntqq3)
Documentary telling the forgotten story of a heroic battle fought by the children of the British Memorial School to help liberate Europe from the Nazis.

The school served a unique horticultural community of ex-First World War soldiers and their families living in Ypres in Belgium who lovingly tended the war graves. Steeped in ideals of patriotic service and sacrifice, many pupils and ex-pupils refused to surrender to the invading Nazi forces.

Three surviving school pupils tell their extraordinary stories of resistance, illustrated with rare archive film. Elaine Madden dramatically escaped to England where she joined the Special Operations Executive and was dropped into Belgium to work as a spy and saboteur. Jerry Eaton joined the RAF taking on especially dangerous missions over Europe and would later become a wing commander. Stephen Grady joined the French resistance where, as a young teenager, he became adept in sabotage and secret attacks on German troops.

The film is a much deserved tribute to the courage, sacrifice and heroism of the Memorial School children.


WED 21:00 Shooting the War (b00pv0nh)
Men

Remarkably, some soldiers took their amateur film cameras to the front lines and filmed the everyday life of the soldier and airman in battle. In Britain the practice was discouraged, but German soldiers were encouraged to film the impending triumphs of the Third Reich.

This programme features the home movies of four fighting men: Britons Derek Brown and Leslie Fowler, and Germans Paul Kellermann and Klaus Eismann. Brown took his camera into the Burma campaign while Fowler filmed from the ship he was commanding on the morning of D-Day.

Eismann, a member of the Luftwaffe, filmed as the Germans overran Poland in the first days of war. Kellermann used his camera as the Wehrmacht occupied Paris and later in the drive across Russia and into Stalingrad, where, though he died, his films survived.

Others recorded the reality of war. Luftwaffe member Karl Plote filmed the preparation and execution of bombing raids on south-west England and in Naumburg; fireman Hans Brunswig filmed the aerial bombardment on his city.

Through these films the experiences of men in the heart of war are relived. Kellermann filmed both his domestic life and his experiences as a soldier in a reconnaissance unit on the Western and Eastern fronts. He had a sharp eye for detail and the ability to get in close, and provides a detailed look at the life of his family before and during the war. His niece is still alive and remembers many of the people that feature.

The picture that he portrays of soldiers' lives is stunning. Somehow he managed to capture the humanity of the people he filmed - comrades as well as POWs - in situations of extreme inhumanity. He was killed on the Eastern front in February 1942 but he left behind vivid letters describing his experiences, written to his family.


WED 22:00 Flight of the Conchords (b008h4bv)
Series 1

The Third Concord

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in New York. Murray adds a new band member, the bongo-playing Todd. Bret and Jemaine are unhappy, but the fans seem to love Todd's bongo grooves. Divisions in the band lead to a split and Bret forms The Original Flight of the Conchords. Features the song The Doggy Bounce.


WED 22:30 We Need Answers (b00q0hvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


WED 23:00 Overlord (b00cjznj)
British wartime drama sprinkled with newsreel footage. Typical 18-year-old Tom (Brian Stirner) enters into military service early in 1944 and goes through the rigours of training and the tragic shock of his first battle on D-Day.


WED 00:20 Shooting the War (b00pv0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 01:20 We Need Answers (b00q0hvn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:50 The Children Who Fought Hitler (b00ntqq3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:50 Shooting the War (b00pv0nh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 21 JANUARY 2010

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00q2mk3)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Only Connect (b00q0hpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


THU 20:00 Time (b0074s9q)
Earth Time

How much time can you imagine? A hundred years? A thousand? Even a million? Just how far does time stretch back? And where do we fit in? These are the questions Michio Kaku asks in this episode of his series about the nature of time.

From the calculations of a 17th-century Irish bishop to the secrets of meteorites, Michio finds out how vast Earth time really is. It is a journey that takes him to the Grand Canyon, the Arizona Meteor Crater and the most active volcano in the world in Hawaii.

Things we see as constant are really changing through time - our planet, life, and even us. These time spans reveal just how insignificant and transient we are. But Michio looks to our own journey to suggest that there might be hope for future of humanity after all.


THU 21:00 Chemistry: A Volatile History (b00q2mk5)
Discovering the Elements

The explosive story of chemistry is the story of the building blocks that make up our entire world - the elements. From fiery phosphorous to the pure untarnished lustre of gold and the dazzle of violent, violet potassium, everything is made of elements - the earth we walk on, the air we breathe, even us. Yet for centuries this world was largely unknown, and completely misunderstood.

In this three-part series, professor of theoretical physics Jim Al-Khalili traces the extraordinary story of how the elements were discovered and mapped. He follows in the footsteps of the pioneers who cracked their secrets and created a new science, propelling us into the modern age.

Just 92 elements made up the world, but the belief that there were only four - earth, fire, air and water - persisted until the 19th century. Professor Al-Khalili retraces the footsteps of the alchemists who first began to question the notion of the elements in their search for the secret of everlasting life.

He reveals the red herrings and rivalries which dogged scientific progress, and explores how new approaches to splitting matter brought us both remarkable elements and the new science of chemistry.


THU 22:00 Newswipe (b00q9ypy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Tuesday]


THU 22:30 Aristotle's Lagoon (b00q0hh2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


THU 23:30 My Family and Other Animals (b0074sfs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Sunday]


THU 01:00 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00p50nr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 on Sunday]


THU 02:00 Newswipe (b00q9ypy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Tuesday]


THU 02:30 Time (b0074s9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 03:30 Chemistry: A Volatile History (b00q2mk5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 22 JANUARY 2010

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00q2n4t)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Jean Sibelius (b00q9p2y)
The Early Years

In the first of two films exploring the life and music of Jean Sibelius, celebrated filmmaker Christopher Nupen looks at the Finnish composer's development from his beginnings to the time of his third symphony.

At the peak of his career Sibelius was hailed by almost every leading critic and composer in England as the greatest symphonist of the twentieth century. The Americans went even further, with a survey by the New York Philharmonic Society in 1935 showing his music to be more popular with their concert-goers than that of any other composer in the history of music - a degree of recognition in his own lifetime unequalled in Western music.

The film offers an intimate account, using archive footage and Sibelius's music and words, of a great artist's struggle with his medium, with the world and with himself.


FRI 20:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b00pdwyl)
Series 2

Episode 1

Folk musicians come together to make music in what have been called 'the greatest backporch shows ever'.


FRI 21:00 Arena (b00q9xqk)
Brian Eno - Another Green World

Brian Eno first starred as the feather-crested electronic keyboard genius of Roxy Music forty years ago. Since then he has been hailed as a pioneer, with his revolutionary experiments in ambient music and audio visual art and as featured producer on benchmark albums by David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2 and Coldplay.

Eno has given Arena unprecedented access to observe him working in his studio and talking with friends and colleagues. The master of reinvention engages with fellow influential minds, including Richard Dawkins, Malcolm Gladwell, David Whittaker and Steve Lillywhite, in a series of conversations on science, art, systems analysis, producing and cybernetics.


FRI 22:00 Brian Eno: Hits, Classics and Tracks (b00q9xqm)
The music Brian Eno has been involved in making ranges from the experimental to the massively popular. Paul Morley talks about some of Eno's hit tracks, including Heroes, Once in a Lifetime, With or Without You and Viva La Vida.


FRI 23:00 The Roxy Music Story (b00djn0s)
Profile of the 1970s glam band Roxy Music, who reformed after 25 years to make a new album. The film traces the musical development of the group from 1972 up to the present day, as we discover how they influenced a generation of musicians such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Duran Duran and U2 and why they are still a musical force to be reckoned with today.

Featuring interviews with band members Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, Paul Thomson, Eddie Jobson and Gary Tibbs, plus fans including Bono, Siouxsie Sioux, Nile Rodgers of Chic, John Taylor of Duran Duran and Alison Goldfrapp.


FRI 23:55 For All Mankind (b00lkvtr)
In July 1969, the space race ended when Apollo 11 fulfilled President Kennedy's challenge of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to earth. No-one who witnessed the lunar landing will ever forget it. Breathtaking both in the scope of its vision and the exhilaration of the human emotions it captures, Al Reinert's classic 1989 documentary is the story of 24 men who travelled to the moon, told in their words, in their voices and using the images of their experiences.


FRI 01:10 Arena (b00q9xqk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:10 Brian Eno: Hits, Classics and Tracks (b00q9xqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 03:10 The Roxy Music Story (b00djn0s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]