SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER 2015

SAT 19:00 Timewatch (b00jcgpm)
2008-2009

Captain Cook: The Man Behind the Legend

In the late 18th century, Captain James Cook led three great voyages of discovery which pushed the borders of the British Empire to the ends of the earth. In just over a decade, his ability as a navigator and chartmaker would add one-third to the map of the known world. For many he was the greatest explorer in history, but for others he was a ruthless conqueror.

While the exploits of Captain Cook are well documented, much less is known about James Cook the man. Presenter Vanessa Collingridge sets out on her own voyage of discovery - travelling in his footsteps to uncover the forces that drove him to success, and ultimately to his own death.


SAT 20:00 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04j8st0)
The People Who Greeted Columbus

The Taino people of the Caribbean were the first people of the Americas to greet Christopher Columbus. But, as Dr Jago Cooper reveals, they had a multicultural society complete with drug-infused rituals, strange skulls and amazing navigation. In deep caverns and turquoise seas, Jago uncovers their hidden history.


SAT 21:00 Arne Dahl (b054ggng)
Series 2

Requiem: Part One

Kerstin is caught up in a murderous bank robbery by two Russians, but a third man's participation proves puzzling, and the A Unit investigation suggests a Cold War connection.

In Swedish, Russian and English, with English subtitles.


SAT 22:00 Arne Dahl (b054qwvx)
Series 2

Requiem: Part Two

Past secrets worth killing for are revealed as team members pursue the elusive men behind the crime.

In Swedish, Russian and English, with English subtitles.


SAT 23:00 Psychedelic Britannia (b06jp24b)
Documentary exploring the rise and fall of the most visionary period in British music history: five kaleidoscopic years between 1965 and 1970 when a handful of dreamers reimagined pop music.

When a generation of British R&B bands discovered LSD, conventions were questioned. From out of the bohemian underground and into the pop mainstream, the psychedelic era produced some of the most groundbreaking music ever made, pioneered by young improvising bands like Soft Machine and Pink Floyd, then quickly taken to the charts by the likes of The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Small Faces and The Moody Blues, even while being reimagined in the country by bucolic, folk-based artists like The Incredible String Band and Vashti Bunyan.

The film is narrated by Nigel Planer, with contributions and performances from artists who lived and breathed the psych revolution - Paul McCartney, Ginger Baker, Robert Wyatt, Roy Wood, The Zombies, Mike Heron, Vashti Bunyan, Joe Boyd, Gary Brooker, Arthur Brown, Kenney Jones, Barry Miles, The Pretty Things and The Moody Blues.


SAT 00:00 Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC (b06jp24d)
A compilation from the depths of the BBC archive of the creme de la creme of 1960s British psychedelic rock from programmes such as Colour Me Pop, How It Is, Top of the Pops and Once More with Felix.

Featuring pre-rocker era Status Quo, a rustic-looking Incredible String Band, a youthful Donovan, a suitably eccentric performance from The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, a trippy routine from Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity, a groovy tune from The Moody Blues, a raucous rendition by Joe Cocker of his version of With a Little Help From My Friends and some pre-Wizzard Roy Wood with The Move.

Plus classic performances from the likes of Procol Harum, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and The Who.


SAT 01:00 Arena (b01nd5qd)
The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour

Magical Mystery Tour Revisited

Arena presents the greatest Beatles story never told - the making of Magical Mystery Tour - full of fabulous Beatles archive material never shown before anywhere in the world.

Songs you will never forget, the film you have never seen and a story that has never been heard. In 1967, in the wake of the extraordinary impact of Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles made a film - a dreamlike story of a coach daytrip, a magical mystery tour. It was seen by a third of the nation, at 8.35pm on BBC1 on Boxing Day - an expectant public, hoping for some light entertainment for a family audience.

However, Magical Mystery Tour was greeted with outrage and derision by middle England and the establishment media.

'How dare they', they cried. 'They're not film directors. Who do they think they are?' they howled. Where were the four lovable moptops of Help! and A Hard Day's Night?

What propelled The Beatles to make this surreal, startling and - at the time - utterly misunderstood film?

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour!


SAT 01:00 Top of the Pops (b06jp0zn)
Tommy Vance introduces the pop chart programme, including performances from Showaddywaddy, Adam & the Ants, Matchbox, the Police, Madness and George Benson. Plus, a chart rundown and a performance from Legs & Co. Guest appearances from Suzi Quatro, Dollar and Michael Palin.


SAT 01:35 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04j8st0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER 2015

SUN 19:00 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
Series 15

The People's Liners - Britain's Lost Pleasure Fleets

Timeshift casts off for a colourful voyage of 'high teas on the high seas' in the company of passengers and crew of the vintage steamers which were once a common sight on the rivers and coastal waters around Britain.

Far more than a means of transport, these steamers attracted a devoted following, treating their passengers, whatever their pocket, to the adventure and trappings of an ocean voyage whilst actually rarely venturing out of sight of land. A highlight of the great British seaside holiday from the 1820s until the early 1960s - and open to all - they were 'the people's liners'.


SUN 20:00 The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars (b01skvnh)
Beneath the Somme battlefield lies one of the great secrets of the First World War, a recently-discovered network of deep tunnels thought to extend over several kilometres. This lost underground battlefield, centred on the small French village of La Boisselle in Picardy, was constructed largely by British troops between 1914 and 1916. Over 120 men died here in ongoing attempts to undermine the nearby German lines and these galleries still serve as a tomb for many of those men.

This documentary follows historian Peter Barton and a team of archaeologists as they become the first people in nearly a hundred years to enter this hidden, and still dangerous, labyrinth.

Military mines were the original weapons of shock and awe - with nowhere to hide from a mine explosion, these huge explosive charges could destroy a heavily-fortified trench in an instant. In order to get under the German lines to plant their mines, British tunnellers had to play a terrifying game of subterranean cat and mouse - constantly listening out for enemy digging and trying to intercept the German tunnels without being detected. To lose this game probably meant death.

As well uncovering the grim reality of this strange underground war, Peter discovers the story of the men who served here, including the tunnelling companies' special military units made up of ordinary civillian sewer workers and miners. He reveals their top secret mission that launched the Battle of the Somme's first day and discovers why British high command failed to capitalise on a crucial tactical advantage they had been given by the tunnellers.


SUN 21:00 Every Breath We Take: Understanding Our Atmosphere (b04bdqsz)
The air around us is not just empty space; it is an integral part of the chemistry of life. Plants are made from carbon dioxide, nitrogen nourishes the soil and oxygen gives us the energy we need to keep our hearts pumping and our brains alive. But how did we come to understand what air is made of? How did we come to know that this invisible stuff around us contains anything at all?

Gabrielle Walker tells the remarkable story of the quest to understand the air. It's a tale of heroes and underdogs, chance encounters and sheer blind luck that spans the entire history of science. It began as a simple desire to further our knowledge of the natural world, but it ended up uncovering raw materials that have shaped our modern world, unravelling the secrets of our own physiology and revealing why we are here at all.


SUN 22:00 False Trail (b01mk41w)
Swedish crime thriller. An experienced cop is asked to return to his home town to solve a brutal murder. Although hesitant to go back due to unfavourable memories of the town, he accepts, but finding an answer to the murder proves a complex task.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


SUN 00:05 The End of the World? A Horizon Guide to Armageddon (b00zj1c2)
Our understanding of the world around us is better now than ever before. But are we any closer to knowing how it is all going to end?

Dallas Campbell delves into the Horizon archive to discover how scientists have tried to predict an impending apocalypse - from natural disaster to killer disease to asteroid impact - and to ask: when Armageddon arrives, will science be able to save us?


SUN 01:05 Timeshift (b01p96ly)
Series 12

When Wrestling was Golden: Grapples, Grunts and Grannies

Timeshift turns back the clock to a time when villains wore silver capes, grannies swooned at the sight of bulky men in latex and the most masculine man in the country was called Shirley. In its heyday, British professional wrestling attracted huge TV audiences and made household names of generations of wrestlers from Mick McManus and Jackie 'Mr TV' Pallo to Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy. With contributions from inside the world of wrestling and surprising fans such as artist Peter Blake, this is an affectionate and lively portrait of a lost era of simpler pleasures, both in and out of the ring.


SUN 02:05 Timeshift (b0135kkp)
Series 11

When the Circus Comes to Town

Roll up! Roll up! Join Timeshift under the big top for unique access to the University of Sheffield's National Fairground Archive which tells the story of the circus. From Billy Smart to Gerry Cottle and Archaos to Cirque du Soleil, the documentary captures the appeal of this enduring mass entertainment. Find out what a josser is, discover why clowns are one of the few acts to achieve lasting celebrity and marvel at the sheer spectacle of some of the biggest circuses of all time.

In an age when almost every form of popular entertainment owes something to the circus, this is a nostalgic journey into the origins of one of the ultimate expressions of human athleticism and showmanship.


SUN 03:05 Britain on Film (b033664h)
Series 2

Road, Rail and Runways

Throughout the 1960s, the Rank Organisation produced hundreds of short colour films on almost every aspect of British life. In a series reworking the best of this material to offer fascinating and often surprising insights into a transformative period of recent British history, this episode concentrates on the unprecedented upheavals in Britain's transport systems during a period when the popularity of air travel soared, rail networks were comprehensively dismantled and towns and cities were being reshaped to accommodate the unstoppable rise of the motor car.



MONDAY 26 OCTOBER 2015

MON 19:00 World News Today (b06kwmyn)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Refugees of the Lost Rainforest (b0379479)
John Nettles explores the late naturalist Gerald Durrell's legacy through the work of a small group of people trying to save endangered orangutans on two contrasting islands, Jersey and Sumatra.


MON 20:00 The Secret Life of Books (b06kxw9l)
Series 2

The Mill on the Floss

Multi-award-winning actor and director Fiona Shaw explores the genesis of her all-time favourite book, The Mill on the Floss, and discovers how the scandal that caused George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans) to take a male pen name was also played out in the plot of her classic novel about a woman's thwarted intellectual ambitions and conflicting sexual desires.


MON 20:30 Britain on Film (b036f8nw)
Series 2

Messing About in Boats

Throughout the 1960s, the short film series Look at Life captured almost every aspect of British society and culture, but its producers had a special fascination for one aspect in particular - our inordinate fondness for boats. This episode examines the films that documented a period that saw a raft of British sailors seeking endurance world records; boatmen and women striving to halt the decline of our rivers and canals; and high tension on the high seas, as disputes over fishing rights prompted the government to send gunboats to escort our trawlers.


MON 21:00 The Great British Year (p01dflmb)
Original Series

Autumn

The fading sun brings an energy change to Britain - a time of storms and unpredictable weather. The trees go dormant, but not before a final fling of colour. For animals, the shortening days are a cue to prepare, hibernating and hoarding for the dark times ahead. For some, its still a time to breed - deer rut, seals give birth and the Atlantic salmon leaps waterfalls in order to lay its eggs. Beneath the fallen leaves, slime moulds, earthworms and fungi take advantage of autumn's spoils.


MON 22:00 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04j8st0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 23:00 Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs (b01nd1w5)
No Going Back

Dr Pamela Cox explores how the 20th century dealt a hammer blow to domestic service as we knew it. It's the story of how, the moment they had a choice, servants left domestic service, leaving the master-servant relationship spiralling into decline.

The Great War dealt the first blow, as menservants enlisted and women stepped in to fill their roles, both in stately homes and factories. Having had a taste of better working conditions, women were reluctant to return to service, with its hated, now old-fashioned starched cap and apron. Mistresses tried to tempt women back with prettier uniforms and even a Masters & Servants' Ball. Yet radical change came from suburban housewives in a new type of house springing up in the 1930s: the semi-detached home. Here new 'daily' servants used novel technologies like the vacuum cleaner - but still had to use the outside toilet.

Women after World War II opted for jobs in offices, shops and the new NHS. Finally, typists and clerks overtook servants as the largest category of female employment and servants' quarters in stately homes were transformed into visitor attractions. Today, the rich still have staff and many of the middle classes now rely on cleaners and nannies, but the 'servant class' has long since disappeared.


MON 00:00 Natural World (b01nmdh3)
2012-2013

A Wolf Called Storm

Storm is an extraordinary wolf - the head of a pack in Canada's frozen north that hunts the giant buffalo herds. This pack came to fame in Frozen Planet, and now cameraman Jeff Turner spends a year with Storm and his wolf family, learning how they survive in this harsh wilderness and whether Storm can pass his hunting skills on to the new generation of wolf cubs.


MON 01:00 Can Eating Insects Save the World? (p01599yk)
How would you feel about eating deep fried locusts, ant egg salad or barbequed tarantulas? This documentary sees presenter and food writer Stefan Gates immerse himself in the extraordinary world of hardcore insect-eating in a bid to conquer his lingering revulsion of bugs and discover if they really could save the planet.

With 40 tonnes of insects to every human, perhaps insects could offer a real solution to the global food crisis - where billions go hungry every day whilst the meat consumption of the rich draws vast amounts of grain out of the global food chain.

Stefan's on a mission to meet the people in Thailand and Cambodia that hunt, eat and sell edible insects for a living. But nothing quite prepares him for bug farming on this terrifying scale, from stalking grasshoppers at night to catching fiercely biting ants. And it's not just insects on the menu. Stefan also goes hunting for the hairiest, scariest spider on the planet - the tarantula. Stefan asks if the solution is for everyone - the British included - to start eating insects too.


MON 02:00 Every Breath We Take: Understanding Our Atmosphere (b04bdqsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


MON 03:00 Horizon (b019h7t0)
The Hunt for the Higgs: A Horizon Special

Horizon goes behind the scenes at CERN to follow one of the most epic and expensive scientific quests of all time: the search for the Higgs particle, believed to give mass to everything in our universe.

However, the hunt for Higgs is part of a much grander search for how the universe works. It promises to help answer questions like why we exist and is a vital part of a Grand Unified Theory of nature. At the heart of the pursuit of the elusive particle is the same feature that makes snowflakes beautiful and human faces attractive: the simple and enchanting idea of symmetry.



TUESDAY 27 OCTOBER 2015

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b06kwmzd)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 An Island Parish (b05p6gj6)
Series 9 - Falklands

In the Beginning

The first in a series following the community on the Falkland Islands, a British territory 8,000 miles south of the UK in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean.

It is November, the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere and the Rev Richard Hines has flown out to far-flung Pebble Island to visit Irina and bring back some fresh eggs for her mum Clara, who lives in Stanley. Famer Andrez is busy with lambing and governor Nigel Haywood leads the islanders in a Remembrance Sunday service to honour all fallen soldiers, especially those who gave their lives so that the Falklands could remain British.


TUE 20:00 Terry Wogan's Ireland (b00ycvqy)
Episode 2

Terry Wogan reaches the halfway mark in the odyssey around his homeland. He has travelled the southern half of the Republic, from Dublin round to Limerick, where he grew up. Now it's the turn of the north, much of which is quite literally a different country. After sharing memories of his buttoned-up childhood holidays in Galway and witnessing a seismic shift in Catholic prudery when 180 Irish ladies throw off all their clothes and take a 'Dip in the Nip' for charity, Terry heads for the border.

As he crosses into Northern Ireland he recalls the watchtowers and armed security. Now all that gives the border away is a subtle change in the texture of the road surface. More than a decade after the Peace Agreement, Terry finds reasons to be cheerful here, with football replacing fighting in the notorious Creggan housing estate, a Peace Bridge hoping to bring Protestants and Catholics together in Derry and a London Docklands-style transformation of the famous shipyards in Belfast where the Titanic was built.

Back in Dublin, Terry remembers the intermission act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest - the now global Riverdance phenomenon. 1994 also marked the beginning of the Celtic Tiger, an unprecedented economic boom which the Irish thought would never end. Instead, the world-wide economic collapse has dealt Ireland a body blow.


TUE 21:00 The Stuarts in Exile (b06bflr4)
Episode 1

In 1715, the Old Pretender James Francis Stuart launched one of British history's most audacious and longest running rebellions to reclaim his throne from the Hanoverian king George I.

In this two-part 300th-anniversary special, Dr Clare Jackson tells the story of The Stuarts in Exile and sheds new light on the political, military and cultural threat the Jacobites posed to the embryonic British state. Although the '15' ultimately failed, it crystallized the stark choice facing those living in early 18th-century Britain.

Are you for the Stuarts or are you for Hanoverians?


TUE 22:00 Close to the Edge (b06l0v9g)
Series 1

Episode 6

Scripted documentary series following a group of friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s based in Bournemouth.

Mixing elements of story-telling techniques from drama and documentary in a bold new form, the series explores the full range of issues faced by people over 65. With the cast devising and improvising many of the scenes themselves, the series captures the romance and real-life drama of their everyday lives - the business entrepreneur, a comedian dating again for the first time in 40 years, and a political activist are just some of the real-life characters living their life to the full.

This frank, funny and warm series follows the diverse group of friends grappling with the issues that face us all - finding love, re-starting your career, friendships and rivalries - as well as frankly exploring the challenges of getting older - coping with illness, feelings of loneliness and preparing for the end that will eventually greet us all.

John considers selling his house and moving into a care home, whilst all eyes are on the bowls club where Chris is holding an open day and has invited both Babs and Vanessa along.


TUE 22:30 Close to the Edge (b06mtckg)
Life Begins at 65

Scripted documentary series following a group of friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s based in Bournemouth.

Mixing elements of story-telling techniques from drama and documentary in a bold new form, the series explores the full range of issues faced by people over 65. With the cast devising and improvising many of the scenes themselves, the series captures the romance and real-life drama of their everyday lives - the business entrepreneur, a comedian dating again for the first time in 40 years, and a political activist are just some of the real-life characters living their life to the full.

This frank, funny and warm series follows the diverse group of friends grappling with the issues that face us all - finding love, re-starting your career, friendships and rivalries - as well as frankly exploring the challenges of getting older - coping with illness, feelings of loneliness and preparing for the end that will eventually greet us all.

This one-off documentary featuring the cast sees them talk candidly about the radical changes they have witnessed over their lifetimes. They talk openly about issues ranging from the changing role of women through to attitudes towards sexuality, education and divorce.


TUE 23:00 Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess (b01pjn8h)
Documentary about Clara Bow, a cinema sensation who broke box office records and became one of the greatest stars of the silent screen. Amid scandal and ill health, she retired for good at the age of just 28. Once the Queen of Hollywood, now largely forgotten - whatever happened to Clara Bow?


TUE 00:00 The Wonder of Weeds (b01224kv)
Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins celebrates the humble and sometimes hated plants we call weeds. He discovers that there is no such thing as a weed, botanically speaking, and that in fact what we call a weed has changed again and again over the last three hundred years. Chris uncovers the story of our changing relationship with weeds - in reality, the story of the battle between wilderness and civilisation. He finds out how weeds have been seen as beautiful and useful in the past, and sees how their secrets are being unlocked today in order to transform our crops.

Finally, Chris asks whether, in our quest to eliminate Japanese Knotweed or Rhododendron Ponticum, we are really engaged in an arms race we can never win. We remove weeds from our fields and gardens at our peril.


TUE 01:00 Nigel Slater's Great British Biscuit (b03lyy33)
Nigel Slater takes us on a nostalgic, funny and heart-warming journey back in time - through the biscuit tins of mum and dad, the doilies and saucers of aunties and grannies, the lunch boxes of friends and siblings. Nigel charts the origins of the humble biscuit, from its vital contribution to Britain's nautical dominance of the globe, through to the biscuit tin becoming that most ubiquitous of household items. He explores the history of our most famous brands, uncovering the Georgian and Quaker origins of the biscuits we love and eat today, meeting eccentric biscuit anoraks who have dedicated their lives to a love of these simple baked treats and meeting scientists who squash, dunk and ignite biscuits for research purposes.

Nigel recalls the biscuits he found in his lunch box, the ones he cherished and the ones that would shape his formative years.

He asks why it is, that of all the treats we indulge in on a regular basis, the biscuit has become such a dependable culinary companion. What makes Britain a nation of ardent biscuit eaters like no other in the world, with a £2.3 billion industry to match?


TUE 02:00 The Pendle Witch Child (b013fj47)
Simon Armitage presents the extraordinary story of the most disturbing witch trial in British history and the key role played in it by one nine-year-old girl. Jennet Device, a beggar-girl from Pendle in Lancashire, was the star witness in the trial in 1612 of her own mother, her brother, her sister and many of her neighbours and, thanks to her chilling testimony, they were all hanged.

Armitage explores the lethal power and influence of one child's words - a story of fear, magic and demonic pacts retold partly with vivid and innovative hand-drawn animation. He discovers how Jennet's appearance in the witness box cast its shadow way beyond Lancashire, impressing lawyers, politicians, clerics and even King James I himself, and setting a dark precedent for child testimony in witch trials as far away as America. Finally, in a dramatic twist to the tale, he reveals how, 22 years after the original trial, Jennet's own words were very nearly the death of her - when she herself was put on trial, accused of being a witch by a 10-year-old boy.

With the help of historians Malcolm Gaskill, Diane Purkiss and Ronald Hutton, Armitage attempts to get inside Jennet's head and understand how the illegitimate and illiterate youngest child of a family of beggars could become both pawn and player in a much bigger story of 17th-century religion, power, law, science and the monarchy.

What made Jennet speak out so everyone she knew would die? And how did the courts decide to admit her evidence and allow her example to create a precedent for accepting the testimony of other child witnesses who wanted to send their neighbours to the gallows?

Although the events in this film may date back 400 years, its issues resonate today as much as ever - when to believe our children, how the police and the court system should handle child witnesses and above all how, in times of crisis, fear of evil can easily lead us to behave in ways which may corrode the very values that we most wish to protect.


TUE 03:00 The Stuarts in Exile (b06bflr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2015

WED 19:00 World News Today (b06kwmzk)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 An Island Parish (b05q11ms)
Series 9 - Falklands

West Is Best

The festive season is upon us, but over at the military base, padre Al Nicoll dons a safety suit to go up against a new recruit, army guard dog Ali, as he volunteers to help out with a bit of basic training. The Rev Richard flies over to the West Island for a carol service in one of the more remote settlements. In Stanley, Steve and Jodie tie the knot in the wedding of the year in Christchurch Cathedral, and the whole community comes together to celebrate two of the oldest families on the Falklands being joined together.


WED 20:00 Premium Bond with Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet (p02sx893)
In impeccable evening dress, Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet ponder the Bonds we've seen on screen since Dr No in 1962 and ask - which 007 is the best? To date, six actors have portrayed British Secret Service agent James Bond. Was Sean Connery impossible to surpass? Was George Lazenby really that bad? Was Live and Let Die really a blaxploitation movie in disguise? Gatiss and Sweet consider these and many other questions, and raise a martini in honour of their premium Bond.


WED 21:00 Timeshift (b06l0v9d)
Series 15

Looking for Mr Bond: 007 at the BBC

After more than 60 years tracking James Bond in print and on screen, the BBC opens up its vaults to reveal the forgotten files on the world's most famous secret agent. Featuring rare and candid interviews with all six actors to play 007, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, this is James Bond unguarded, unrestricted and unseen.


WED 22:00 ... Sings Bond (b01p97hr)
The BBC archive uncovers performances of some of the finest Bond theme tunes from its top secret vaults and pays a TV tribute to a classic British icon.

Prepare to be shaken and stirred by Tina Turner and her GoldenEye, Dame Shirley Bassey with her Diamonds, Tom Jones rampaging with Thunderball, Matt Monro romancing in Russia, The Fun Lovin' Criminals taking all the time in the world, Adele's sky-high contribution to 007 and much more from Sheena Easton, Garbage, A-ha and others, from all manner of BBC shows.

Sit back and marvel at our selection of the greatest Bond songs in history - a tuxedo and a dry vodka martini is optional.


WED 23:00 The Great British Year (p01dflmb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


WED 00:00 The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars (b01skvnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


WED 01:00 Timeshift (b01nj3xx)
Series 12

The British Army of the Rhine

The affectionate story of British servicemen and their families who had to make Germany a home from home in the decades after the Second World War. For nearly 70 years, generations would grow up on bases with special schools, shops, housing and even their own radio station, as parts of the Rhineland became little bubbles of Britishness.

Featuring a nostalgic soundtrack of German language versions of period pop hits and contributions from military historians such as Max Hastings and former BBC sports commentator Barry Davies - himself a former British Army of the Rhine soldier - as well as those of military wives and children.

Once the front line in the Cold War, the BAOR is now being called home as the Ministry of Defence begins preparations to finally pull British forces out.


WED 02:00 Premium Bond with Mark Gatiss and Matthew Sweet (p02sx893)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:55 Timeshift (b06l0v9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 29 OCTOBER 2015

THU 19:00 World News Today (b06kwmzx)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b06l51y2)
Peter Powell introduces the pop chart programme, including performances from Adam and the Ants, Odyssey, Bad Manners, Sheena Easton, Showaddywaddy and Barbra Streisand.


THU 20:00 Digging for Britain (b051htk1)
Series 3

East

Professor Alice Roberts and archaeologist Matt Williams present 2014's most outstanding archaeology.

In the summer, archaeologists have been unearthing our history in hundreds of digs across Britain. They have gone to extraordinary lengths to uncover long lost treasures - retelling our story in a way only archaeology can.

With unique access to some of the country's best digs, our teams have been self-shooting their excavations to make sure the audience is there for every moment of discovery.

In this episode, we're in the east of Britain, and the archaeologists join us back in the Norwich Castle Museum to look at the new finds and what they mean. Sites include:

Must Farm: The Cambridgeshire site is called the Pompeii of the Bronze Age and gives an unparalleled glimpse of life 3,000 years ago.

Colchester: Roman treasure hidden as Queen Boudicca rampaged through the town.

Oakington: Burial rituals revealing the secrets of Anglo-Saxon childbirth.

Lyminge: Investigating a mysterious Anglo-Saxon royal hall.

Basing House: Examining the final days of this 16th-century Tudor complex.

Silchester: Important Roman finds from the longest-running archaeological dig in the country tell of the Emperor Nero's personal involvement.


THU 21:00 The Mystery of Rome's X Tomb (b037vywt)
Historian Dr Michael Scott unlocks the secrets of a mysterious tomb recently discovered in one of Rome's famous catacombs. Found by accident following a roof collapse, the tombs contained over 2,000 skeletons piled on top of each other. This was quite unlike any other underground tomb seen in Rome. They are located in an area of the catacombs marked as 'X' in the Vatican's underground mapping system - hence the name The X Tombs.

Scott joins Profs Dominique Castex and Philippe Blanchard, head of a team of French archaeologists with experience of investigating mass grave sites. Carbon dating the bodies suggest they died from the late 1st century AD to the early 3rd century AD, which would mean these people lived and died during Rome's golden age.

The remains of an early medieval fresco were found on the wall sealing the tomb suggesting this could be the last resting place of a group of unknown Christian martyrs. But the bones don't show the signs of physical trauma you would expect after a violent death.

The bodies were a mixture of men and women, most of them late teenagers and young adults. They were placed in the tombs with great care, packed in head to foot. Further clues suggest they were laid to rest after a series of mass death events. This raises the idea they may have died from disease.

The streets of ancient Rome were like an open sewer and the famous roman baths were also a breeding ground for infection. DNA expert and palaeogeneticist Johannes Krause is called in to try to identify what disease may have killed them.

Meanwhile, the French team uncover further clues to the identity of the people. They find cultural connections with northern Africa. Was this a wealthy immigrant community? Or a select group of ancient Rome's elite?


THU 22:00 Detectorists (b06l11tj)
Series 2

Episode 1

Andy's been thinking about internet dating. Not for him, but for his friend Lance who's still not over the departure of his ex-wife. A mysterious stranger arrives to tempt the Danebury Metal Detecting Club in more ways than one.


THU 22:30 Brian Pern (b04v65kw)
Brian Pern: A Life in Rock

Episode 1

Brian Pern is an ageing rock star and former frontman of the progressive rock group Thotch. He and his bandmates reunite to discuss the making of their first ever jukebox musical, Stowe Boys. This is not easy as they hate each other.

Not only that, on the opening night of the musical, Brian is unexpectedly arrested by officers from Operation Bad Apples for a crime he doesn't know he has committed. Will he make the second half?


THU 23:00 Norman Wisdom: His Story (b00vhmqq)
From street urchin to knight of the realm - the story of Norman Wisdom, who used to be one of the biggest film stars in the UK, portraying a man who rarely stepped out of character in public, and whose highly individual comic style hid the private tragedy of his early life.

The actor's life story is told through the people who knew him well - his son and daughter Nick and Jacqui Wisdom, his daughter-in-law Kim, film director Stephen Frears, actors Ricky Tomlinson, Leslie Phillips and Honor Blackman, and singer Dame Vera Lynn.


THU 00:00 Timeshift (p0287mq6)
Series 14

Bullseyes and Beer: When Darts Hit Britain

Timeshift tells the story of how a traditional working-class pub game became a national obsession during the 1970s and 80s, and looks at the key role television played in elevating its larger-than-life players into household names.

Siobhan Finneran narrates a documentary which charts the game's surprising history, its cross-class and cross-gender appeal, and the star players that, for two decades, transformed a pub pastime into a sporting spectacle like no other.

Featuring legendary names such as Alan Evans and Jocky Wilson and including contributions from Eric Bristow, Bobby George, John Lowe and Phil Taylor.


THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b06l51y2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 01:35 Detectorists (b06l11tj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


THU 02:05 Brian Pern (b04v65kw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


THU 02:35 Norman Wisdom: His Story (b00vhmqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]



FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2015

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b06kwn0g)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01glwkz)
Arthouse Glam - Get in the Swing

Performances from The Kinks, Roxy Music, Elton John, New York Dolls, Queen, Sparks, Rod Stewart and the rediscovered David Bowie performance of The Jean Genie from January 1973.

Welcome to gender-bending, boys getting in the swing and girls who would be boys and boys who would be girls in this mixed-up, shook-up 70s world.


FRI 20:00 BalletBoyz at the Roundhouse (b06l17fl)
BalletBoyz (winners of 2013 National Dance Award for Best Independent Company) is a ten-strong, all male, world class modern dance troupe currently touring sell-out shows throughout the UK and internationally.

July 2014 saw their tour culminate in a special one-off performance at London's iconic Roundhouse featuring, for the first time, live music. Michael Nunn and William Trevitt (creators of award-winning programmes BalletBoyz/Strictly Bolshoi/BalletBoyz: The Rite of Spring) present backstage interviews with the dancers during the show, studio documentary footage of the creation, and brief insights into the evening's many collaborators.

The performance includes Liam Scarlett's work Serpent with Max Richter's music, and Russell Maliphant's award-winning work Fallen with music by Armand Amar, with both pieces performed to live music played by the BBC Concert Orchestra.


FRI 21:00 Play it Loud: The Story of the Marshall Amp (b04c3l7j)
One iconic black box has probably more than anything else come to define the sound of rock - the Marshall amplifier. It has been, quite literally, behind some of the greatest names in modern music.

It all started in 1962 when drum shop owner Jim Marshall discovered the distinctive growl that gave the electric guitar an exciting new voice. Music got a whole lot louder as young musicians like Clapton, Townshend and Hendrix adopted the revolutionary 'Marshall Sound'. The electric guitar now spoke for a new generation and the genre of rock was born.

Soon Marshall stacks and walls were an essential backdrop of rock 'n' roll. The excesses of rock machismo were gloriously lampooned in the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap. In an extraordinary piece of reverse irony, it was this comic exposure that rescued the company from financial meltdown.

With contributions from rock legends like Pete Townshend, Lemmy and Slash, plus an interview with the 'Father of Loud' Jim Marshall, this documentary cruises down the rock ages with all the dials set to 'eleven'.


FRI 22:00 Girl in a Band: Tales from the Rock 'n' Roll Front Line (b06l17fn)
All too often, every great female rock musician has to answer a predictable question - what is it like being a girl in a band?

For many, the sight of a girl shredding a guitar or laying into the drums is still a bit of a novelty. As soon as women started forming their own bands they were given labels - the rock chick, the girl band or one half of the rock 'n' roll couple.

Kate Mossman aims to look beyond the cliches of fallen angels, grunge babes and rock chicks as she gets the untold stories from rock's frontline to discover if it has always been different for the girl in a band.


FRI 23:00 Girls in Bands at the BBC (b06mxpjc)
Compilation celebrating some guitar band performances at the BBC that feature some of the best female musicians in rock. Beginning with the oft-forgotten American group Fanny performing You're the One, it's a journey along rock's spectrum from the 1970s to now.

The selection includes the powerful vocals of Elkie Brooks on Vinegar Joe's Proud to Be a Honky Woman, the mesmerising poetry of Patti Smith's Horses and the upbeat energy of The Go-Go's on We Got the Beat.

Mighty basslines come courtesy of Tina Weymouth on Psycho Killer and Kim Gordon on Sugar Kane, whilst we trace the line of indie rock from the Au Pairs through Lush, Elastica and Garbage to current band Savages.


FRI 00:00 ... Sings Bond (b01p97hr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 01:00 Play it Loud: The Story of the Marshall Amp (b04c3l7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:00 Girl in a Band: Tales from the Rock 'n' Roll Front Line (b06l17fn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 03:00 Girls in Bands at the BBC (b06mxpjc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]