SATURDAY 23 JUNE 2018

SAT 19:00 Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People (b07gxpd7)
Documentary telling the extraordinary story of Koko, the only 'talking' gorilla in the world, and her lifelong relationship with Penny Patterson.

Project Koko started as a PhD project to teach sign language to a baby gorilla, but as Koko began to communicate with Penny, an intense bond formed between them. Penny has now been with Koko for over 40 years and claims Koko can reveal fresh insights into the workings of an animal's mind.

Koko's unique life with Penny has been filmed every step of the way. Over 2,000 hours of footage chart the most dramatic moments - Penny's battle to keep Koko from being taken back to the zoo in which she was born, Penny's clash with academic critics who doubted her claims and the image of Koko mourning the death of her kitten. Penny believes that Koko has moved beyond simple language to express complex emotions - such as a longing for a baby gorilla of her own, and that the empathy she evokes in people changes their attitudes to all animals.

This film explores what we can really learn from this extraordinary science experiment turned love affair. Does it tell us more about animal emotions or our own?


SAT 20:00 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qnw1f)
Episode 1

Simon King, wildlife cameraman and Springwatch presenter, sets off on an adventure to live on the Shetland Islands with his family through the changing seasons. Simon has travelled the world for 30 years, but his boyhood dream was to visit Shetland. Now he has the chance to film some of the remarkable wildlife and experience the beauty and the wild weather of Britain's most northerly isles.

Simon captures footage of killer whales coming in to kill a seal, an Arctic tern colony attacked by a bonxie, and a shy otter family. Simon, his wife Marguerite and two-year-old daughter Savannah settle into a remote cottage, but the winter weather and winds of over 100mph make life tough for them.

To celebrate winter, Simon joins the local Shetlanders in their Viking Up Helly Aa festivals, but there is a surprise for him: he is asked to come in drag, dressed as fellow Springwatch presenter Kate Humble. This doesn't stop him enjoying himself or helping to set light to a Viking boat in a genuine Shetland experience.


SAT 21:00 Hidden (b0b6tgcv)
Series 1

Episode 3

The police investigation enters a new phase when DI Cadi John and DS Owen Vaughan are called to the scene of a potential kidnapping in the middle of the night, and their concerns that a serial kidnapper is on the loose are confirmed, but a shocked Lowri Driscoll isn't able to offer any information about the identity of her attacker

Dylan Harris has an explosive outburst at Carn Ddu quarry after he is sacked, which leaves his boss Delyth Hughes worried about his mental health. And two worlds collide when Cadi's sister Elin treats Dylan's wound in the hospital.

Student Megan Ruddock also struggles with mental health issues, and when a seemingly inconsequential incident tips her into panic, she makes a fateful decision which changes her life forever.


SAT 22:00 The League of Gentlemen (p008wmwp)
Series 2

Anarchy in Royston Vasey

Award-winning black comedy series set in a remote town which is populated by a range of odd characters. Tubbs and Edward leave the sanctuary of the local shop on a bizarre search. Les McQueen is astounded to find that Creme Brulee have reformed without him.


SAT 22:30 The League of Gentlemen (p008wmy9)
Series 2

Royston Vasey and the Monster from Hell

Award-winning black comedy series set in a remote town populated by a range of bizarre characters.
The nosebleed epidemic claims a distinguished victim, and the Legz Akimbo Theatre Company misjudge the public mood.


SAT 23:00 Frank Skinner on George Formby (b016fpz0)
George Formby was a huge star of stage and film. In his heyday he was as big as The Beatles, earning vast sums of money on stage and starring in films which broke box office records. Formby's trademark ukulele still inspires millions of dedicated fans, including comedian and performer Frank Skinner, who believes Formby was the greatest entertainer of his time.

Playing the ukulele and performing the songs that keep the Formby legend alive today, Skinner follows the music hall star's extraordinary rise to fame and fortune, explores his worldwide popularity and reveals the ruthless exploitation that surrounded his sudden and tragic death.


SAT 00:00 Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies (b03b45h4)
The Big Score

In a series celebrating the art of the cinema soundtrack, Neil Brand explores the work of the great movie composers and demonstrates their techniques. Neil begins by looking at how the classic orchestral film score emerged and why it's still going strong today.

Neil traces how in the 1930s, European-born composers such as Max Steiner and Erich Wolfgang Korngold brought their Viennese training to play in stirring, romantic scores for Hollywood masterpieces like King Kong and The Adventures of Robin Hood. But it took a home-grown American talent, Bernard Herrmann, to bring a darker, more modern sound to some of cinema's finest films, with his scores for Citizen Kane, Psycho and Taxi Driver.

Among those Neil meets are leading film-makers and composers who discuss their work, including Martin Scorsese and Hans Zimmer, composer of blockbusters like Gladiator and Inception.


SAT 01:00 Unsung Heroines: Danielle de Niese on the Lost World of Female Composers (b0b6znwz)
Danielle de Niese explores the lives and works of five female composers - from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century - who were famous in their lifetimes, but whose work was then forgotten.

Western classical music has traditionally been seen as a procession of male geniuses, but the truth is that women have always composed. Hildegard of Bingen, Francesca Caccini, Clara Schumann, Florence Price and Elizabeth Maconchy - all these women battled to fulfil their ambitions and overcome the obstacles that society placed in their way. They then disappeared into obscurity, and only some have found recognition again.


SAT 02:00 Timeshift (b019327k)
Series 11

The Smoking Years

Timeshift reveals the story of the creature that is 'the smoker'. How did this species arrive on our shores? Why did it become so sexy - and so dominant in our lives? Was there really a time when everywhere people could be found shrouded in a thick blue cloud?

Enlisting the help of Barry Cryer, Stuart Maconie and others, The Smoking Years tells the unnatural history of a quite remarkable - and now threatened - creature. Warning: smoke-filled nostalgia may damage your health.


SAT 03:00 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qnw1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 24 JUNE 2018

SUN 19:00 Biggest Weekend (b0b7srxf)
Nigel Kennedy plays Bach & Gershwin

Nigel Kennedy's headline set from BBC Biggest Weekend in Scone Palace Perth, featuring his characteristically personal take on Bach concertos and Gershwin standards. With members of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Kennedy Band.


SUN 20:00 Cruel Sea: The Penlee Lifeboat Disaster (b00794gz)
In December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat was called out to help a stricken coaster off the coast of Cornwall. In hurricane winds and sixty foot waves, the crew of the Solomon Browne made a heroic attempt to rescue those on board the ill-fated Union Star. Using actual radio footage, eyewitness testimony and memories of bereaved family members, this film tells the story of that tragic night.

Originally shown in 2006 to mark the 25th anniversary of the disaster.


SUN 21:00 A Timewatch Guide (b071gx2c)
Series 2

World War Two

Professor Saul David uses the BBC archive to chart the history of the world's most destructive war, by chronicling how the story of the battle has changed. As new information has come to light, and forgotten stories are remembered, the history of World War Two evolves. The BBC has followed that evolution, and this programme examines the most important stories, and how our understanding of them has been re-defined since the war ended over 70 years ago.


SUN 22:00 Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered (b04n6scp)
What killed King Tutankhamun? Ever since his spectacular tomb was discovered, the boy king has been the most famous pharaoh of all ancient Egypt. But his mysterious death, at just 19 years old, has never been explained.

Dallas Campbell reports on new scientific research being carried out on his fragile remains in an attempt to get to the truth. Using CT scan data, the programme creates the first scientifically accurate image of the king's corpse. DNA analysis uncovers a secret about Tutankhamun's family background, and the genetic trail of clues leads to a new theory to explain his death.

This is an epic detective story that uncovers the extraordinary truth of the boy behind the golden mask.


SUN 23:00 Night on Film: An A-Z of the Dark (b018jl97)
An alphabetical look at the dark, featuring everything from bats to vampires. The night comes alive in this unusual mixture of music and archive.


SUN 00:00 Art of Scandinavia (b073mp87)
Dark Night of the Soul

Scandinavia - a land of extremes, on the edge of Europe. Andrew Graham-Dixon explores the extraordinary art to come out of the dark Norwegian soul, most famous for producing The Scream by Edvard Munch.


SUN 01:00 David Starkey's Music and Monarchy (p018rffp)
Crown and Choir

Dr David Starkey reveals how the story of British music was shaped by its monarchy. In this first episode he begins with kings who were also composers - Henry V and Henry VIII - and the golden age of English music they presided over. He discovers how the military and religious ambitions of England's monarchy made its music the envy of Europe - and then brought it to the brink of destruction - and why British music still owes a huge debt to Queen Elizabeth I.

Featuring specially recorded music performances from King's College Cambridge, Canterbury Cathedral and Eton College, and early music ensemble Alamire, and the music of Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, John Dunstable and John Dowland.

Dr Starkey reveals why Henry V took a choir with him to the Battle of Agincourt, and hears the music the king wrote to keep God on-side in his crusade against the French - rarely performed in the centuries since, and now sung by the choir at Canterbury Cathedral. He visits Eton College, founded by Henry VI, where today's choristers sing from a hand-illuminated choir book which would have been used by their 16th-century predecessors, King's College, Cambridge, built by successive generations of monarchs and still world-famous for its choir, and the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace, where Henry VIII and Elizabeth I heard works created especially for their worship by some of the greatest composers in British history.


SUN 02:00 Classic Quartets at the BBC (b08jq8ll)
Clemency Burton-Hill celebrates the rich and ravishing world of the string quartet in a journey through 50 years of BBC archive. Some of the world's greatest ensembles including the Amadeus, Chilingirian, Borodin and Kronos quartets perform in myriad styles and settings, from stately homes to helicopters. Music ranges from Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert to Steve Reich, Elvis Costello and Pete Townshend, in a tradition which stretches back to Haydn in the 18th century.


SUN 03:00 Cruel Sea: The Penlee Lifeboat Disaster (b00794gz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



MONDAY 25 JUNE 2018

MON 19:00 Match of the Day Live (b0b8h2ht)
MOTD 2018 World Cup

Spain v Morocco

Reshmin Chowdhury presents live coverage of the final round of matches in Group B, with 2010 champions Spain taking on Morocco in Kaliningrad.

Spain won three successive international tournaments from 2008 to 2012 but will be hoping for a return to form after disappointing showings at the 2014 World Cup and at Euro 2016. Spain boast a formidable array of outfield options plus Manchester United's David de Gea, who is one of the world's best goalkeepers. Morocco, meanwhile, will hope for a commanding performance from their captain, Juventus centre-back Medhi Benatia, as they hope to reach the knock-out stage for only the second time in their history.

Commentary comes from Steve Wilson and Martin Keown.


MON 21:10 Nature's Turtle Nursery: Secrets from the Nest (b0b7st0z)
Nature's Turtle Nursery: Secrets from the Nest features the extraordinary natural history event of an 'arribada' - the mass nesting phenomenon of olive ridley sea turtles in Costa Rica, Central America.

Dr George McGavin joins a team of international scientists as they investigate the complete story from the moment the female turtles gather offshore, then lay their eggs, to when the next generation are born.

The programme embraces the larger conservation story of these ancient mariners and how they're adapting to our ever-changing world. And in a scientific first, the complete story inside a single turtle nest is revealed, using recent scientific discoveries and the latest technological advances. An egg-to-egg turtle talk is listened in on, adult females on their migration are tracked, and behaviour under the waves is analysed with a turtle shell-mounted camera. How tiny turtles behave as they hatch out of their shells and work together to dig upwards is also revealed.


MON 22:40 Fair Isle: Living on the Edge (b083xzhb)
Episode 1

Fair Isle is Britain's most remote inhabited island, situated halfway between the Shetland and Orkney Islands. It's an extraordinary place to live. There's no power at night, no pub and it can be cut off for days at any time of the year. Once home to nearly 400 people, today Fair Isle's population is just 55 - a perilously low number on an island where all essential jobs are carried out by the hard-working community, who are doing everything they can to increase their population and ensure the island's survival.

This intimate two-part series begins with the arrival of a new couple and follows them as they settle in and adapt to island life, and follows a family whose 11-year-old son has to leave home to board at secondary school on mainland Shetland.


MON 23:40 Genius of the Modern World (b07gpdbx)
Marx

Bettany Hughes investigates the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. Born to an affluent Prussian family, Marx became an angry, idealistic radical, constantly on the run for his political agitating and incendiary writing. In Paris, he first formulated his explosive analysis of capitalism and its corrosive effects on human nature. In Brussels, he co-authored the Communist Manifesto with Frederick Engels. In London, his obsessive theorizing dragged his family into poverty and tragedy.

Marx's masterpiece Das Capital was largely overlooked in his lifetime, and only 11 people attended his funeral. Yet his ideas would generate one of the most influential, and divisive, ideologies in history. Drawing on expert opinion and new evidence, Bettany reveals the flesh-and-blood man and his groundbreaking ideas.


MON 00:40 The Secret Life of Waves (b00y5jhx)
Documentary maker David Malone delves into the secrets of ocean waves. In an elegant and original film, he finds that waves are not made of water, that some waves travel sideways, and that the sound of the ocean comes not from water but from bubbles. Waves are not only beautiful but also profoundly important, and there is a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and the life of human beings.


MON 01:40 Britain in Focus: A Photographic History (b08h95jk)
Series 1

Episode 1

Series in which Eamonn McCabe celebrates Britain's greatest photographers, sees how science allowed their art to develop, and explores how they have captured our changing lives and country.

In the first of three programmes, Eamonn goes back to the 19th century to trace the astonishingly rapid rise of the photograph in British life. Eamonn explores the science behind early photography, and shows how innovative photographic techniques made possible the careers of pioneers like Roger Fenton and Julia Margaret Cameron. He sees how great figures of the age such as Queen Victoria and Isambard Kingdom Brunel were captured on camera, and revisits the Victorians' sense of wonder about the 'natural magic' of photography and the role it played in their lives.


MON 02:40 Michael Palin's Quest for Artemisia (b06t3w73)
Curious about a powerful but violent painting that caught his eye, Michael Palin sets off on a quest to discover the astonishing story of the forgotten female artist who painted it over 400 years ago. Travelling to Italy in search of Artemisia Gentileschi's tale, Michael encounters her work in Florence, Rome and Naples.

Michael unearths not only her paintings but a complex life which included her rape as a teenager and the ensuing indignity of a full trial, her life as a working mother and her ultimate success against all odds as one of the greatest painters of the Baroque age who transformed the way women were depicted in art and who was sought after in many courts across 17th-century Europe.



TUESDAY 26 JUNE 2018

TUE 19:00 Match of the Day Live (b0b8h4kt)
MOTD 2018 World Cup

Iceland v Croatia

Reshmin Chowdhury presents live coverage as World Cup debutants Iceland face Croatia in their final game of Group D.

Iceland are the smallest nation to ever compete at a World Cup finals with a population of just over 330,000. They shocked and delighted the footballing world with their exploits at Euro 2016 where they not only qualified for the knockout stage, but beat England in the last 16 before being eliminated by hosts France.

They will be hoping for a repeat performance in Russia and take on a Croatia side that are perennially labelled as 'dark horses'. Boasting the likes of Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic and Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic they are littered with outstanding talent.

Commentary comes from Simon Brotherton and Danny Murphy.


TUE 21:10 Africa (b01qb062)
Cape

Southern Africa is a riot of life and colour because of two great ocean currents that sweep around the continent's Cape. To the east, the warm Agulhas current, generating clouds that roll inland to the wettest place in southern Africa. To the west is the cold Benguela current, home to more great white sharks than anywhere else. Moisture-laden fog rolls inland, supporting wonderful desert garden. And where the two currents meet, the clash of warm and cold water creates one of the world's most fabulous natural spectacles: South Africa's sardine run. This is the greatest gathering of predators on the planet, including Africa's largest, the brydes whale.


TUE 22:10 Africa's Great Civilisations (b0b873nn)
Series 1

Cities

The award-winning film-maker and academic Henry Louis Gates Jr travels the length and breadth of Africa to explore the continent's epic history.

This episode shines a light on the powerful, cosmopolitan cities that dotted Africa at the time when Europe was in its Middle Ages. From 1000 to 1600, commerce, wealth and prosperity expanded across Africa, building new cities and founding new powerful states that mark this golden age.


TUE 23:05 She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (b01dc66v)
Isabella and Margaret

In the medieval and Tudor world there was no question in people's minds about the order of God's creation - men ruled and women didn't. A king was a warrior who literally fought to win power then battled to keep it. Yet despite everything that stood in their way, a handful of extraordinary women did attempt to rule medieval and Tudor England. In this series, historian Dr Helen Castor explores seven queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she wolves' was deserved.

In 1308 a 12-year-old girl, Isabella of France, became queen of England when she married the English king. A century later another young French girl, Margaret of Anjou, followed in her footsteps. Both these women were thrust into a violent and dysfunctional England and both felt driven to take control of the kingdom themselves. Isabella would be accused of murder and Margaret of destructive ambition - it was Margaret who Shakespeare named the She Wolf. But as Helen reveals, their self-assertion that would have seemed natural in a man was deemed unnatural, even monstrous in a woman.


TUE 00:05 Storyville (b04ndsb3)
Exposed: Magicians, Psychics and Frauds

Renowned magician James 'The Amazing' Randi has been wowing audiences with his jaw-dropping illusions, escapes and sleight of hand for over 50 years. When he began seeing his cherished art form co-opted by all manner of con artists, he made it his mission to expose the simple tricks charlatans have borrowed from magicians to swindle the masses.

This entertaining film chronicles Randi's best debunkings of faith healers, fortune tellers and psychics. It documents his rivalry with famed spoon-bender Uri Geller, whom Randi eventually foiled on a high-profile television appearance. Another target was evangelist Peter Popoff, whose tent-show miracles and audience mind-reading were exposed as chicanery when Randi revealed a recording of Popoff's wife feeding him information through a radio-transmitter earpiece.

In telling Randi's strange, funny and fascinating life story, the film shows how we are all vulnerable to deception - even, in a surprising twist, 'The Amazing' Randi himself.

This documentary is part of Louis Theroux: Docs That Made Me, a collection of his favourite documentaries.
As someone who interviewed Uri Geller a number of times and came close to making a film about him, it's easy to see why this Storyville film grabbed Louis Theroux. The themes of 'fakery and quackery' and the charismatic figure of arch skeptic James Randi make this an entertaining look into how we separate fact from fiction.

Exposed: Magicians, Psychics & Frauds is the winner of multiple awards... The Audience Award (AFI Docs Festival, 2014), Jury Award (Dallas Video Festival, 2014), Best Documentary (Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, 2014), Jury Prize (Key West Film Festival, 2014), Jury Award (Napa Valley Film Festival, 2014), Jury Award (Newport Beach Film Festival, 2014).


TUE 01:25 Africa (b01qb062)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:10 today]


TUE 02:25 Nature's Turtle Nursery: Secrets from the Nest (b0b7st0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:10 on Monday]



WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE 2018

WED 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (b0b7spj8)
Series 1

27/06/2018

Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London return to report on the events that are shaping the world.


WED 19:30 The Cult of... (b009099z)
Sunday Night

Poldark

Archaeology series unearthing the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama series looks at Poldark. The programme reveals how rows about the adaption of Winston Graham's Poldark novels dogged the production behind the scenes. The author attempted to block production and the show ended after just two series with his refusal to allow the producers to create new storylines. Poldark was nonetheless a smash hit and its two main stars, Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees became known as TV's sexiest couple.


WED 20:00 Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter (b048sd4l)
Revolution on the Floor

In the second episode of this series about the history of Britain's shopgirls, Dr Pamela Cox reveals how the lives of shopgirls and the stores they worked in were revolutionised in the early 20th century.

Venturing behind the scenes of some of our most iconic department stores and high street chains, Pamela reveals how feisty shopgirls rebelled against their poor working conditions and started to demand more from their jobs. No longer content to just be servants on the shop floor, they were becoming a respected workforce - professional young women at the heart of the nation's blossoming love affair with shopping.

Pamela learns about shopgirl Margaret Bondfield who, in the late 1890s, went undercover in shops to reveal the harshness of life behind the counter before rising to become Britain's first woman cabinet minister.

Larger-than-life proprietor Harry Gordon Selfridge set out to train his shop assistants to be modern businesswomen, while the First World War gave women the opportunity to step into shopwork like never before, including at Harrods.

In the turmoil of post-war, John Lewis shopworkers went on strike, while the founder's son, Spedon Lewis, honed his plans for a revolutionary idea in which staff would become partners in the business. By the 1930s, the boom in chain stores gave rise to a new type of shopgirl with a new shopping concept: to hang back and let the customer 'browse'.


WED 21:00 This World (b03cwn1m)
Dan Snow's History of Congo

Dan Snow travels to Congo - one of the wildest, most colourful and anarchic places on our planet - to reveal how its troubled history of slavery, colonialism, corruption and war have turned one of the world's potentially richest countries into one of its poorest.

Dan's journey takes him to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth, where he discovers how Congo's resources and people helped make Britain rich through the centuries and win two world wars.


WED 22:00 Storyville (b0b7srxh)
This is Congo

A Storyville documentary. A raw and unfiltered insight into the bloodiest conflict since the Second World War. Over the last two decades, the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo has witnessed over five million conflict-related deaths, multiple regime changes and the impoverishment of its people.

Following the lives of four diverse characters - a government whistleblower, a patriotic military commander, a mineral dealer and a displaced tailor - this programme offers a visceral, yet intimate insight into a nation caught between the foreign-backed M23 rebels and the government ruled by president Joseph Kabila, who cancels elections and refuses to relinquish power. As the conflict resonates through their lives, the film reveals the insidious legacy of colonialism, resource exploitation and the genocidal wars that has created a never-ending cycle of violence.


WED 23:25 The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank (b036f9vc)
Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions.

In this documentary, Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.


WED 00:25 The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook (b07n7gtn)
The Sound of the Crowd

Sandbrook takes a fresh look at a dynamic decade. 1980s Britain changed in everything from politics and sport to fashion and popular culture.

In the opening years of the 1980s, the powerful new forces of choice and consumerism were radically reshaping British life. The first episode looks at how the early 80s saw the powerful new forces of choice and consumerism radically reshape British life, tearing down existing ways of doing things and ripping up the rule book of British politics. This new culture of consumer-driven populism propelled Margaret Thatcher to victory. For the first time, 'who we were' became a question less about the fixed identities of region and class, and much more about the choices we made, from where we shopped to how we cooked, to what we wore. Thatcher may have embodied this change - but she didn't drive it.

This episode takes in everything from the popularity of Delia Smith to affordable fashions on the high street, from the subcultures of Britain's youth to the crisis of identity that rocked and splintered the political left. But it also shows how the mood of aspiration that swept the nation left certain sections of society adrift and alienated, from the hollowed out industrial heartlands of the Midlands to the inner city communities of south London and Liverpool.


WED 01:25 Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter (b048sd4l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:25 Dan Cruickshank and the Family that Built Gothic Britain (b04m3ljr)
As good as any Dickens novel, this is the triumphant and tragic story of the greatest architectural dynasty of the 19th century. Dan Cruickshank charts the rise of Sir George Gilbert Scott to the very heights of success, the fall of his son George Junior and the rise again of his grandson Giles. It is a story of architects bent on a mission to rebuild Britain. From the Romantic heights of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras station to the modern image of Bankside power station (now Tate Modern), this is the story of a family that shaped the Victorian age and left a giant legacy.


WED 03:25 The Cult of... (b009099z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



THURSDAY 28 JUNE 2018

THU 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (b0b7spjm)
Series 1

28/06/2018

The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b0b8hjp0)
Peter Powell and Dixie Peach present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 28 November 1985. Featuring David Grant and Jaki Graham, Whitney Houston, Prefab Sprout, Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin, and Wham!.


THU 20:00 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (p01wq65t)
Episode 1

In 1714, to prevent the crown falling into the hands of a Catholic, Britain shipped in a ready-made royal family from the small German state of Hanover. To understand this risky experiment, presenter Dr Lucy Worsley has been given access to treasures from the Royal Collection as they are prepared for a new exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace - providing a rare and personal insight into George I and his feuding dynasty.

The Hanoverians arrived at a moment when Britain was changing fast. Satirists were free to mock the powerful, including the new royals. The Hanoverians themselves were busy early adopters of Neo-Palladian architecture, defining the whole look of the Georgian era. When the French philosopher Voltaire visited, he found a 'land of liberty' unlike anything in Europe - Britain was embracing freedom of speech and modern cabinet government.


THU 21:00 Napoleon (b05yxzlj)
Episode 1

The first of three documentaries telling the story of Napoleon. With access to a unique archive of Napoleon's personal letters, many of which have never been published before, historian Andrew Roberts journeys through the history and geography of Europe to bring this story vividly to life as he retraces the footsteps of the legendary leader himself. The films shed new light on Napoleon as an extraordinarily gifted military commander, a mesmeric leader whose private life was, contrary to popular belief, littered with disappointments and betrayals.

From lowly Corsican Army officer to first consul of France, this episode charts the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to leader of the French nation in the late 1790s. It tells of Napoleon's military triumphs in Italy, Egypt and against anti-revolutionaries on the streets of Paris, his marriage to Josephine Beauharnais and leadership of the military coup of 1799 that swept him into power.

It shares in his ambition as an army officer and his highly progressive modernisation of the country during the early years of his dictatorship, but then also an acute sensitivity in the man, a personality trait that in later years would prove to be an Achilles heel to his power.

The film is presented by British historian Andrew Roberts, and shot on location in St Helena, France and Italy.


THU 22:00 Generation '66 (b07myxld)
The defining moment of 1966 may have been England winning the World Cup, but what about the other 364 days of the year? A revealing portrait of '66 told by the generation that shaped it. Featuring Michael Palin, Janet Street-Porter, Peter Stringfellow, Nina Baden-Semper and Geno Washington.


THU 23:00 Horizon (b00vv0w8)
2010-2011

Asteroids - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Famed for their ability to inflict Armageddon from outer space, asteroids are now revealing the secrets of how they are responsible for both life and death on our planet.

Armed with an array of powerful telescopes, scientists are finding up to 3,000 new asteroids every night. And some are heading our way.

But astronomers have discovered that it's not the giant rocks that are the greatest danger - it's the small asteroids that pose a more immediate threat to Earth.

Researchers have explained the photon propulsion that send these rocks across space, and have discovered that some asteroids are carrying a mysterious cargo of frost and ice across the solar system that could have helped start life on Earth.


THU 00:00 Top of the Pops (b0b8hjp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 00:30 Sound Waves: The Symphony of Physics (b08h06tq)
Series 1

Making Sound

Dr Helen Czerski investigates the extraordinary science behind the sounds we're familiar with and the sounds that we normally can't hear.

She begins by exploring the simplest of ideas: what is a sound? At the Palace of Westminster, Helen teams up with scientists from the University of Leicester to carry out state-of-the-art measurements using lasers to reveal how the most famous bell in the world - Big Ben - vibrates to create pressure waves in the air at particular frequencies. This is how Big Ben produces its distinct sound. It's the first time that these laser measurements have been done on Big Ben.

With soprano singer Lesley Garrett CBE, Helen explores the science of the singing voice - revealing in intimate detail its inner workings and how it produces sound. Lesley undergoes a laryngoscopy to show the vocal folds of her larynx. At University College London, Lesley sings I Dreamed a Dream inside an MRI scanner to reveal how her vocal tract acts as a 'resonator', amplifying and shaping the sound from her larynx.

Having explored the world of sounds with which we are familiar, Helen discovers the hidden world of sounds that lie beyond the range of human hearing. At the summit of Stromboli, one of Europe's most active volcanoes, Helen and volcanologist Dr Jeffrey Johnson use a special microphone to record the extraordinary deep tone produced by the volcano as it explodes - a frequency far too low for the human ear to detect. Helen reveals how the volcano produces sound in a similar way to a musical instrument - with the volcano vent acting as a 'sound resonator'.

Finally, at the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, Helen meets a scientist who has discovered evidence of sound waves in space, created by a giant black hole. These sounds are one million billion times lower than the limit of human hearing and could be the key in figuring out how galaxy clusters, the largest structures in the universe, grow.


THU 01:30 Sound Waves: The Symphony of Physics (b08h9ctd)
Series 1

Using Sound

Dr Helen Czerski examines the extraordinary messages sound waves carry and how they help us understand the world around us.

Visiting a hidden location buried beneath the hills of Scotland, Helen experiences some of the most extreme acoustics in the world. Here she learns just how much information can be carried by sound. She discovers how sound has driven the evolution of truly incredible biological systems and complex relationships between creatures that exploit sound for hunting - and escaping from predators. Helen demonstrates how sound waves diffract (bend around objects) and in doing so help us sense danger and locate it.

Through the story of a cochlea implant patient Helen explores the complicated way our ears can translate sound waves - a physical vibration in the air - into an electrical signal our brain can understand.

Helen explains how we are not limited to passively detecting sound waves, we can also use them to actively probe the world. From detecting submarines to uncovering the secrets of our planet, sound waves are instrumental in revealing things hidden from the world of light. On the cold North Sea, Helen investigates how marine archaeologists are using sound waves to uncover the remarkable human stories buried beneath the sea. Yet we are not limited to using sound waves here on Earth, as Helen explains how sound has been used to better understand distant, alien worlds in the outer solar system.


THU 02:30 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (p01wq65t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



FRIDAY 29 JUNE 2018

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b0b7spjy)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (b0b8kv3f)
Gary Davies and Janice Long present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 12 December 1985.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (b07g9rc4)
1982 - Big Hits

The Top of the Pops vaults are opened once more, this time to celebrate the mega-hits of 1982.

A new pop sound had arrived, shattering the chart domination of mainstream pop-rock, which in turn coincides with a second British invasion of the US charts. Step forward Adam Ant, Yazoo, Wham, ABC and The Associates, all breakthrough acts in a golden year for British pop.

Madness provide a little two-step with their ska revival, and Junior and Patrice Rushen's R&B tracks pack a punch. Pop-infused reggae beats are provided by Culture Club and Musical Youth, while the mods get a nod from The Jam. And did we mention Tight Fit?


FRI 21:00 Duran Duran: There's Something You Should Know (b0b7szrg)
With exclusive access, the band open up about their extraordinary career and talk candidly about the highs and lows they have endured together over four long decades. This is the band at their most relaxed, intimate and honest. We spend time with John at his LA home, Simon pays a visit to his former choir master, Roger goes back to where it all started in Birmingham, and Nick dusts off some of the 10,000 fashion items that the band have meticulously catalogued and collected over the course of their career. Joining the conversation is fellow new romantic and singer Boy George, lifelong fan and record producer Mark Ronson, friend, fan and supermodel Cindy Crawford, and Highlander film director Russell Mulcahy.

Charting their trajectory over four decades, the story is told through seven of their albums. Each record uncovers a compelling chapter in the band’s journey - the fame, the fortune, the melt downs, the hits, the flops, the exotic videos, the tours, the fans, the partying and the supermodels.


FRI 22:00 Duran Duran: A Night In (b0b7szrj)
A celebration of one of the UK's most enduring pop bands of all time, Duran Duran. The programme joins Simon, John, Roger and Nick as they sit back, relax, watch and talk through personally selected clips of archive television, music shows, movies, performances, adverts and children's shows that have inspired them across their career spanning four decades.

In this exclusive hour-long special, they discuss their influences from the worlds of music, film, TV and art. From The Beatles and Sex Pistols to Top of the Pops, Tomorrow's World and the Apollo 11 moon landing, A Night In is a trip down memory lane with the band as they remember the shows that capture a particular moment in their creative lives.


FRI 23:00 Duran Duran: Unstaged (b0b8ctk8)
Film showcasing Duran Duran's concert at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, which was part of the All You Need Is Now world tour in 2011. Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor all feature, alongside special guests Gerard Way, Beth Ditto, Kelis and Mark Ronson. Award-winning filmmaker David Lynch captures the event, layering animation, special effects and pre-recorded live-action footage on top of the band's live performance footage to create a unique visual experience.


FRI 00:45 Top of the Pops (b07g9rc4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


FRI 01:45 Duran Duran: There's Something You Should Know (b0b7szrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:45 TOTP2 (b00slpb6)
Duran Duran Special

Mark Radcliffe takes us on a memorable look back at some classic Duran Duran Top of the Pops performances.