SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2020

SAT 19:00 Rick Stein's Long Weekends (b083bzx2)
Copenhagen

This week, Rick Stein visits the home of new Nordic cuisine - Copenhagen - where groundbreaking chefs create artful dishes and religiously stick to seasonal Danish ingredients.

Rick goes foraging for rosehip, learns about the art of pickling buds, bark and flowers and how to create razor clam shells from dough. But he is cheered to also find plenty of traditional favourites, like the city's famous Smorrebrod open sandwiches on rye bread, delicious poached turbot with cabbage and lemon butter sauce and of course the ubiquitous Danish pastry or two!

At home, he cooks fried pork belly with lovage potatoes and parsley sauce - voted Denmark's favourite dish.


SAT 20:00 South Pacific (b00l5jl0)
Strange Islands

Flightless parrots, burrowing bats, giant skinks and kangaroos in trees; on the isolated islands of the South Pacific, the wildlife has evolved in extraordinary ways. But island living can carry a high price, for when new species arrive all hell breaks loose. And there lies a puzzle - why do animals perfectly adapted to island life simply give up the ghost? The answer is revealed by the remarkable stories of some unlikely animals that survived on tiny islands off the coast of New Zealand. The human history of the region is further evidence that, however idyllic it may appear, life on a South Pacific island may never be very far from catastrophe.


SAT 21:00 Hidden (m000gb7b)
Series 2

Episode 5

DCI John is informed that a body has been found at a remote petrol station outside Blaenau Ffestiniog. Suspecting the worst, Cadi issues a warrant for Mia's arrest, but all efforts to trace her fail.


SAT 22:00 Clive James (m000gfy6)
Postcard from Bombay

Clive James visits the bustling city of Bombay. Pursued by beggars, he makes his escape to Bollywood, where he finds stunt work in a costume epic. He also watches a street dentist and visits a roadside astrologer.


SAT 22:50 Lost Sitcoms (b07tczcn)
Till Death Us Do Part

Series which recreates three British classic lost sitcoms with a stellar new cast. In this episode of Till Death Us Do Part originally broadcast in 1967, Alf arrives home to find that a burnt supper is the least of his worries.


SAT 23:15 Saturday Night Fever - The Ultimate Disco Movie (b09jxjxs)
John Travolta and Barry Gibb star in Saturday Night Fever - The Ultimate Disco Movie, with Bruno Tonioli. This documentary celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1977 blockbuster dance movie, and sees Strictly Come Dancing's Bruno, who was a young dancer in New York in 1977, walk us through the steps that made the movie legendary. He also revisit the streets of New York where the film was shot and looks back at the success of a film that gave everyone disco fever.

Travolta, Gibb and other members of the cast and crew give gripping accounts of supreme success against a backdrop of setbacks and unexpected twists and turns. Bruno unpacks the skill, athleticism and dedication of Travolta, whose incandescent performance prompted a disco dance craze. We also hear about the potent influence of impresario Robert Stigwood, whose faith in Travolta, and a group who had hit a glitch in their career - The BeeGees, proved visionary.

With clips from the original movie, as well as astonishing access to those involved and rarely seen on-location archive, this programme retells the nail-biting evolution of a groundbreaking US film that originated in the work of a British journalist, saw a director fired, suffered mafia threats, filmed guerrilla style on the streets of Brooklyn, had a newcomer cast, benefited from disco hits written in a weekend and delivered a white suit and a performance from the man who wore it that have gone down in history.

Other interviewees include actors Karen Lynn Gorney, Donna Pesco, Joseph Cali and Paul Pape, producer Kevin McCormick, former head of RSO records Bill Oakes, writer Nik Cohn, director John Badham, dance instructor Denney Terrio, costume designer Patricia von Brandenstein and location manager Lloyd Kaufman.


SAT 00:25 Top of the Pops (m000g6lj)
Andy Crane and Jenny Powell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 4 May 1989 and featuring Edelweiss, Midnight Oil, Debbie Gibson, Bon Jovi, Roxette, Kylie Minogue, Poison, Live Report, Bangles and Chaka Khan.


SAT 00:55 Top of the Pops (m000g6ll)
Bruno Brookes presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 11 May 1989 and featuring Swing Out Sister, Chaka Khan, Yazz, Queen, Hue and Cry, Natalie Cole, Stevie Nicks, London Boys, Kylie Minogue and Stefan Dennis.


SAT 01:25 Slipknot Unmasked: All Out Life (m000g6ln)
A unique and fascinating insight into the career and controversies of one of the most successful and contentious heavy metal bands of all time: Slipknot. The film combines new interviews, backstage access and an exclusive live session from the nine-piece group, performing six career-defining tracks at the legendary Maida Vale Studios in front of an intimate audience.

The six tracks, one from each of the band’s albums, transport the group, acknowledged by many as one of the most extreme live acts ever, from their usual arena-sized shows to a uniquely intimate and intense setting. The film highlights the group’s phenomenal 25-year career, revealing how one of the most relentless and intense-sounding groups ever have struggled with drink, drugs, depression and the death of a band member, topped the charts, outsold their peers and picked up a Grammy along the way, whilst staying as bold, fearless and exhilarating as ever.


SAT 02:25 Rick Stein's Long Weekends (b083bzx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 15 MARCH 2020

SUN 19:00 Natural World (b04c9rt1)
2014-2015

Beavers Behaving Badly

Who are you going to call when beavers are behaving badly? Well, if you live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Drew Reed is the go-to 'beaver buster'.

Drew works as a wetland conservationist, helping to keep the peace between beavers and people. These busy rodents are incredibly industrious - felling trees and building dams are two of their favourite occupations. This can be good news in the wild, helping create rich habitats for a variety of wildlife, but in back yards it can spell disaster. A beaver is more than capable of bringing down a tree large enough to damage property, and their dam building can result in flooded homes.

Drew must do what he can to steer beavers away from trouble and stop their so-called bad behaviour.


SUN 20:00 Cake Bakers and Trouble Makers (b063f2m0)
In celebration of the WI's centenary, Lucy Worsley goes beyond the stereotypes of jam and Jerusalem to reveal the surprisingly radical side of this Great British Institution.

Beginning on the Welsh island of Anglesey, where the WI's first meeting was held in a garden shed in 1915, Lucy discovers that its humble origins were no bar to the movement's grand ambitions. Some of the institute's founding members were suffragettes and it saw itself as a campaigning organisation, engaged in the fight for women's rights. Lucy explores some of the WI's most important campaigns, like its 1918 crusade for decent housing and its remarkably radical fight for equal pay in 1943.

Lucy uncovers the crucial role the WI played on the home front during both world wars. In the Second World War, the institute's 350,000 members took a leading role in feeding a hungry nation. With the help of some modern WI ladies, Lucy recreates a wartime institute jam factory, thousands of which were set up by branches up and down the country to produce hundreds of tonnes of jam.

When she traces the story of the WI into the post-war period, Lucy discovers that membership began to decline as the institute struggled to cope with the social revolution of the 1960s. To find out how the WI reinvented itself for the 21st century, Lucy meets some of the members who combatted the WI's staid and stodgy image by stripping naked for a charity calendar in 2000. She also joins a protest alongside the Shoreditch Sisters, one of a number of recently formed new-wave WIs whose proudly feminist stance is attracting a new generation of younger members.


SUN 21:00 The Royal Ballet: Mayerling (m000gg21)
Darcey Bussell and Ore Oduba introduce Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling from the Royal Ballet. Based on the true story of the death of Crown Prince Rudolf and his young mistress Mary Vetsera in 1889, Steven McRae and Sarah Lamb take on these challenging roles in a dark and intense ballet.

Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary is emotionally unstable and haunted by his obsession with death. He is forced to marry Princess Stephanie. Soon afterwards, his former lover, Marie Larisch, introduces him to a new mistress, Mary Vetsera, a young woman who shares his morbid fascination.

At his hunting lodge in the village of Mayerling, Rudolf and Mary form a suicide pact. They make love before Rudolf first shoots Mary and then himself. The royal family desperately covers up the tragedy.

Since its premiere in 1978, Mayerling has been one of the most technically and emotionally demanding roles for male dancers, with choreography that pushes the boundaries of classical ballet.


SUN 23:15 Darcey's Ballet Heroes (b06t3n0h)
Former Royal Ballet prima ballerina and latterly Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell celebrates male ballet dancing with the help of some its greatest exponents, including Arthur Mitchell (founder of the Dance Theatre of Harlem), Anthony Dowell, Peter Schaufuss, Irek Mukhamedov and Carlos Acosta.

In the 19th century, male dancers were overshadowed by newly arrived prima ballerinas, but since then they have made a spectacular comeback. With archive footage and personal anecdotes, unique access backstage and visits to rehearsal studios in London, Copenhagen, New York and beyond, Darcey Bussell hears the story of male ballet from dancers who have dedicated their lives to ballet and transformed the art of dance.


SUN 00:15 Ballet's Dark Knight: Sir Kenneth MacMillan (b0b2gjbl)
Film exploring the life and work of celebrated yet controversial choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan whose pioneering creativity unleashed over sixty new ballets that changed the dance landscape forever. Weaving together stunning specially shot performance footage, never-before-seen family super 8 home movies and MacMillan's own voice from the archives, alongside those who were closest to him, the documentary reveals MacMillan to have been a complex figure who lit up the ballet world with his bold choreographic genius while struggling privately with alcoholism, anxiety, and depression.

Packed full of extraordinary ballet excerpts showcasing a wide range of MacMillan's work including Romeo and Juliet, Manon and Mayerling, the programme also offers a surprisingly moving and intimate portrait of a true giant of 20th-century culture.


SUN 01:15 Mary Magdalene: Art's Scarlet Woman (b08ljvt7)
Waldemar Januszczak explores the impact of Mary Magdalene's myth on art and artists. All saints in art are inventions, but no saint in art has been invented quite as furiously as Mary Magdalene. For a thousand years, artists have been throwing themselves at the task of describing her and telling her story, from Caravaggio to Cezanne, Rubens to Rembrandt, Titian to van Gogh.

Her identity has evolved from being the close follower of Jesus who was the first witness to his resurrection, to one of a prostitute and sinner who escaped from persecution in the Holy Land by fleeing across the Mediterranean to end up living in a cave as a hermit in the south of France, enjoying ecstatic experiences with Christ.


SUN 02:15 Discovering... (b0bs67c1)
Series 1

Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (1924) is a landmark in 20th-century music. Gershwin drew upon the jazz music enveloping New York City in the 1920s to create the 'American Sound', which would inspire generations of composers in years to come.

Josie D'Arby presents the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with pianist Marc Andre Hamelin, conducted by Thomas Dausgaard, performing the piece in full from Glasgow's City Halls.

Through conversations with the Dausgaard, Hamelin and members of the orchestra, and interviews with jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph and broadcaster, critic and biographer David Benedict, the programme delves deep into Gershwin's swinging salute to the city that never sleeps, exploring the composer's desire to be taken seriously beyond Broadway, and the improvisational approach which drew together so many different musical influences to create this iconic and and much-loved piece of music.



MONDAY 16 MARCH 2020

MON 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000gg2f)
Series 1

16/03/2020

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


MON 19:30 Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage (b00cwkbc)
Crete

Francesco da Mosto continues his sea tour around the Mediterranean. The stormy seas of the Cyclades take a turn for the worse as Francesco approaches Crete, the biggest of the Greek islands. As the storm passes, his first stop is the beautiful but abandoned island of Spinalonga - just off the coast of Crete. It is an island haunted by sadness and tragedy.

Docking at Iraklion, capital of Crete, Francesco sets off for the deep underground caves where Zeus, king of the gods, is reputed to have been born. Just down the road lies the immense palace of Knossus - excavated by an Englishman - reputedly the home to King Minos and the legendary Minotaur. There, he tries his hand at the ancient Cretan art of pot-making.

At the beautiful monastery of Arkadhi he stands in the very spot Cretan independence fighters blew themselves up with gunpowder rather than be captured. Their skulls, together with the remains of their enemies, are stacked on shelves in the monastery.

Then a surprise for Francesco - an invitation to a Cretan wedding - but first he must help prepare the wedding feast. With 1,500 guests invited, the task is enormous: 150 sheep make up the main course alone. Francesco dances until dawn and the boat has left Crete before he even knows it.


MON 20:00 Dynasties (p06mvqjc)
Series 1

Emperor

A colony of emperor penguins gather in Atka Bay, on the coast of Antarctica, after three months of feeding at sea. They arrive as the water freezes over and all the other Antarctic animals have left the continent for the relative safety of the sea. The penguins have come here to raise the next generation in their emperor's dynasty. But to do so they will have to work together to keep themselves and their chicks alive through the coming winter - the coldest and cruellest on earth.


MON 21:00 Age of the Image (m000gg2h)
Series 1

Seductive Dreams

James Fox tells the story of how, in the second half of the 20th century, artists, advertisers and film-makers used the power of images to sell us dreams. From the influence of Kodak on our family photos to psychologists persuading us what to buy, he explores how images seduced us with fantasies of a better life.

It’s a journey that takes us from the early days of the Marlboro Man to the radical feminist art of Judy Chicago and the reaction to male-dominated visual culture. Along the way, he celebrates Fellini’s mastery of cinematic fantasy, David Hockney’s subversive visions of male desire and Madonna’s groundbreaking music videos.


MON 22:00 England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey (b09lv17g)
Series 1

Episode 1

In this first episode, Helen Castor reveals an incendiary document, written in Edward's spidery handwriting on his deathbed, which cuts his sister Mary out of the line of succession and leaves the throne to his cousin Jane. It forms the basis of a constitutional crisis that dragged the country to the edge of civil war.

But was it Edward's idea? Or was the boy king manipulated by sinister forces behind the throne? Fearing a return to Catholicism, a cabal of rich and powerful men led by the Duke of Northumberland - the 'Wicked Duke' - covered up the king's death for several days and staged a coup, placing Lady Jane Grey on the throne without even telling her.

Within a day of Jane being told she is to be queen, she is entering the Tower of London, whilst Mary goes on the run to avoid capture and plan her revenge.


MON 23:00 Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau (b01dprb6)
Paris

The delicious objects of Parisian Art Nouveau are explored by cultural correspondent Stephen Smith. Uncovering how the luscious decorative style first erupted into the cityscape, Stephen delves into the city's bohemian past to learn how some of the 19th century's most glamorous and controversial figures inspired this extraordinary movement.

Revealing the story behind Alphonse Mucha's sensual posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt, looking at the exquisite jewellery designer Renee Lalique and visiting iconic art nouveau locations such the famous Maxim's restaurant, the programme builds a picture of fin-de-siecle Paris.

But Smith also reveals that the style is more than just veneer deep. Looking further into the work of glassmaker Emile Galle and architect Hector Guimard, he sees how some of art nouveau's stars risked their reputation to give meaning and purpose to work they thought could affect social change.


MON 00:00 The Making of King Arthur (b00tg2q2)
Poet Simon Armitage traces the evolution of the Arthurian legend through the literature of the medieval age and reveals that King Arthur is not the great national hero he is usually considered to be. He's a fickle and transitory character who was appropriated by the Normans to justify their conquest, he was cuckolded when French writers began adapting the story, and it took Thomas Malory's masterpiece of English literature, Le Mort d'Arthur, to restore his dignity and reclaim him as the national hero we know today.


MON 01:00 The Secret Life of Books (b06j76l4)
Series 2

The Faerie Queene

Dr Janina Ramirez unravels Edmund Spenser's Elizabethan epic The Faerie Queene to reveal how this fantasy world of elves, nymphs and questing knights was written in the midst of the brutal Tudor occupation of Ireland, and how the writer's growing disillusionment with the conflict was coded into the poem's restless verse.


MON 01:30 France 1939: One Last Summer (m0009dkm)
Gustave Folcher, a French farmer, wrote in his 1939 diary that the summer had been long and hot. He was not alone. Many other anonymous French men and women wrote of the beauty and warmth of those summer months and how threats of war were far from their minds.

Through home movies, diaries and letters, One Last Summer describes the final weeks of peace in France and the mix of blindness, denial and prophetic clear-sightedness of those facing the war that was about to unfold.


MON 02:30 Age of the Image (m000gg2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2020

TUE 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000gg24)
Series 1

17/03/2020

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


TUE 19:30 Gareth Edwards’ Great Welsh Adventure (m0009q7k)
Series 1

Episode 2

Gareth Edwards, once voted the greatest rugby player of all time, is not quite so coordinated when put in charge of a seventy-foot narrowboat. Stress levels are running high from the off when Gareth and his wife, childhood sweetheart Maureen, face their first lock on the Montgomery Canal. Gareth assumes the role of captain, while Maureen takes charge of the heavy lifting.
The intrepid canal explorers discover the incredible story of the narrowboat Cressy as they pass the place it was built. Use of the canals for the transporting of goods was dying out in the latter half of the 20th century. But the writer LTC Rolt took Cressy along the overgrown canal system and wrote the bestselling book Narrow Boat. It's credited with inspiring interest in canals for pleasure not industry, kick-starting the canal leisure industry and saving many old waterways from being lost forever.
Gareth and Maureen get a lift on a horse-drawn narrowboat, finally experiencing the tranquillity of near silence drifting through a pristine landscape without a roaring engine. At a section of canal that is still impassable, they learn of plans underway to restore the canal back to its former glory.
Gareth also manages to hitch a lift on a barge taking schoolchildren deep into the countryside to experience life on the canal. Finally, Gareth is asked to fire the starting gun at a triathlon in which people cycle, run and row the entire length of the canal to raise money to help fund the restoration. The journey along the Montgomery canal with two of Wales' most loved figures delivers plenty of humour and a heart-warming celebration of some of the best landscape the country has to offer.


TUE 20:00 Digging for Britain (m000gg26)
The Greatest Discoveries

Episode 1

Professor Alice Roberts re-examines key archaeological sites of prehistoric Britain, from the arrival of the earliest humans to mysterious ceremonies at Stonehenge.


TUE 20:30 The Art Mysteries with Waldemar Januszczak (m000gg29)
Series 1

Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear

Painted soon after he cut off his ear with a razor, Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear is one of his most celebrated works. But how much do we really know about it?

In a far-ranging investigation, Waldemar Januszczak delves into the clues hidden in the painting. The result is a tale of geishas, brothels, bullfights, love affairs, suffering and a fiery relationship with Gauguin. Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear has a powerful secret message, if you know what to look for.


TUE 21:00 Ian Hislop's Olden Days (b041dqp3)
Forward into the Past

Ian Hislop travels back to the era of the Industrial Revolution and Victorian Britain. This was a time of some of the greatest progress and modernisation the country had ever seen - and yet, throughout these decades, writers, artists and politicians were trying to make sense of this new world by retreating into a very old world indeed: the Middle Ages.

The medieval revival had a huge impact on the country as it faced enormous upheaval. The novelist Walter Scott became a bestseller with his books Waverley and Ivanhoe, tales of gallant heroes and knights in armour. A dissatisfied workforce, faced with the threat of job losses from industrialisation, formed an ancient-style band of brothers to protest, calling themselves the Luddites. The Houses of Parliament were rebuilt in a medieval gothic style. And prime minister Benjamin Disraeli led a government that improved living and working conditions for millions by looking back to the values of the olden days.

With rich storytelling, fascinating anecdotes and a wry sense of humour, Ian explains how the Middle Ages actually made Britain modern.


TUE 22:00 Lost Sitcoms (b07tq1kv)
Hancock's Half Hour

Series which recreates three classic lost British sitcoms with a stellar new cast. In this episode of Hancock's Half Hour originally broadcast in 1956, Tony has a new neighbour whose behaviour is very, very suspicious.


TUE 22:30 Timeshift (b08lkx0y)
Series 17

Roof Racks and Hatchbacks: The Family Car

The family car. We grow up in the back seat - and before we know it, we find ourselves in the driving seat...

Timeshift explores the British experience of the family car, from the groundbreaking Morris Minor to the ubiquitous Ford Cortina, the Range Rover to the new Jaguar F-Pace - not to mention their imported rivals, such as the Volkswagen Golf and the Volvo estate.

Despite its reputation for being practical and sensible, designers have long endeavoured to make the family car attractive, even exciting, and to keep pace as the family and its requirements have evolved over the decades. Can a family vehicle be small - like the Mini? Or fast - like the Golf GTi? And what's the real reason why so many of today's family cars seem so enormous?

But the story of the family car isn't just about design. It's about the joy and frustration of parents and kids being cooped up on the road together. A saga of continental road trips and games of I-spy, backseat squabbles and impromptu toilet breaks. For better or worse, the car is one of the few remaining places where families still get to be a family.

Contributors include motoring journalists Richard Porter and Zog Ziegler, author Ben Hatch and leading car designer Ian Callum.


TUE 23:30 TOTP2 (b0074820)
St Patrick's Day Special

Steve Wright introduces music from The Boomtown Rats, The Corrs, Enya, Shane McGowan and Johnny Depp, Stiff Little Fingers, Thin Lizzy, Sinead O'Connor and U2.


TUE 00:15 James Galway at the BBC (m000c5xp)
Dazzling entertainment from the Man with the Golden Flute as Sir James Galway reflects on a television career spanning over 40 years. Following an extraordinary journey from the Belfast docks to principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Galway went on to cross all musical boundaries in the late 1970s to become a BBC TV superstar.

From Val Doonican to Top of the Pops, Wogan to Celebrity Proms, and Parkinson to Songs of Praise, Galway brought the sound of the flute to audiences of millions. With stunning performances of the great classics and iconic TV moments on piccolo, mouth organ and tin whistle, this is a journey full of fun and surprises.

The Chieftains, Cleo Laine and The Cambridge Buskers are just some of the musicians who feature in a wealth of BBC archive paying tribute to one of the best-loved entertainers of his generation on his 80th birthday.


TUE 01:15 The Art Mysteries with Waldemar Januszczak (m000gg29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


TUE 01:45 Digging for Britain (m000gg26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 02:15 Ian Hislop's Olden Days (b041dqp3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2020

WED 19:00 BBC World News (m000gx2g)
The latest international news from the BBC.


WED 19:30 Handmade on the Silk Road (b079zyb8)
The Wood Carver

Shavkat Jumanijozov has been working with wood for over 30 years. In his workshop in Khiva in Uzbekistan, he makes doors, chests and impressive wooden columns. Trained by the grandson of a famous 19th-century carver, Shavkat is a proud master of his craft and oversees a team of brothers, sons and nephews, passing on his expertise to the next generation.

In this beautifully filmed portrait of a traditional craftsman at work, we follow the painstaking carving of a wooden pillar, from the first cuts into the wood to its sanding, shaping and varnishing, each stage captured in absorbing detail.


WED 20:00 The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (b0c0zhc0)
Series 1

Episode 3

Anita Rani is joined by internationally renowned potter Keith Brymer Jones and arts and crafts expert and dealer Patch Rogers as the six 21st-century crafters are faced with a new challenge as they restore their home for the month, room by room.

This week the crafters tackle the massive dining room in their creative communal home. Leaving behind their 21st-century tools and techniques they are set to craft from scratch a set of decorative Tondino plates with a particularly tricky glaze, a complete set of curtains and a pair of ornamental fire dogs to sit in the hearth. All big crafting projects with just a week to make each one. However, the arts and crafts communal working philosophies of John Ruskin and William Morris are beginning to have an effect on their 21st-century ideals and they are pairing up to work together - some more successfully than others - as they begin to better understand the depth and scale of the arts and crafts movement both as a power for artistic and social change. But it isn't all work as the crafters also find time to stage their own very unique performance of a much-loved nursery rhyme and take part in some very Victorian exercise. Anita Rani is joined by internationally renowned potter
Keith Brymer Jones and arts and crafts expert and dealer Patch Rogers who pick their favourite object from the finished room.


WED 21:00 Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans (m000gg35)
Gripping documentary that goes on a nerve-tingling ride with one of the greatest film stars of all time.

In 1970, Steve McQueen set out to make ‘the ultimate racing movie’. It would be called Le Mans. He would lose his marriage, close friendships and control of his film, and risk lives in the process.

This is a story of obsession, betrayal and vindication, as a superstar risked everything in the pursuit of his dream.


WED 22:35 Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals (b0377tb1)
The victory duel for the 1976 Formula 1 Championship has become the stuff of legend. The spectacular battle for supremacy that raged all season between Austrian Niki Lauda and 'True Brit' James Hunt has never been equalled. Could swashbuckling Hunt catch the scientific Lauda? Could Niki overcome an appalling crash to come back from the dead and fight James all the way to the last race of the season?

This powerful story captures the heart of the 1970s - told through unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who were really there - the team managers, families, journalists and friends who were in the front row of the season that changed Formula 1 forever.


WED 23:25 Sir Chris Hoy: 200mph at Le Mans (b07z7yfh)
After London 2012, having become the first British Olympian to win six gold medals, track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy retired. But having spent 20 years at the top of his sport, Chris isn't about to settle for a quiet life. Instead, he swaps two wheels for four to pursue his boyhood dream of competing in the world's toughest endurance motor race, the Le Mans 24 Hours.

We follow Chris as he attempts to prove himself on the race track as he has in the velodrome. By early 2016, he is poised to join the highly successful Le Mans race team - Greaves Motorsport. But Chris's hopes of a podium finish are crushed when the team has to withdraw their car. With less than three months until race day, he finds a seat with a rookie team who have never raced at Le Mans before. Chris has to learn a new car, battle with its teething troubles and work with a team whose operation is a world away from British cycling's obsessive attention to detail.

As Le Mans 2016 begins in torrential rain, competitors are reminded of the danger - 22 drivers have died since it began in 1923 and cars crash out with frightening regularity. Can Chris's team even make it through the 24 hours? And when technical troubles flare less than an hour into the race, there is a good chance that he won't even get on the track. Will Chris and his team fail the ultimate test of man and machine?


WED 00:25 Sword, Musket & Machine Gun: Britain's Armed History (b087llsj)
Cut & Thrust

In the first of this three-part series, Dr Sam Willis charts the evolution of weaponry in Britain throughout the Middle Ages.

Beginning with the Battle of Ethandun in 878, when the future of Anglo-Saxon England lay in the balance, Sam examines the weapons and tactics used by King Alfred to keep the Viking raiders at bay, and gets hands-on experience as he joins re-enactors behind a shield-wall, used by the Anglo-Saxons en masse as an attacking weapon to drive back and defeat the Vikings.

Sam travels to France to examine the famous Bayeux Tapestry, with its depiction of the huge arsenal massed by William the Conqueror for his invasion of England in 1066. With the Norman mounted knight came innovations in weapon technology, chiefly stronger and lighter swords, and Sam is given a lesson in swordsmanship using the earliest known combat manual.

Sam also visits the Chateaux de Tancarville in Normandy to tell the story of William Marshal, said to be the greatest knight who ever lived, and how he forged his reputation using a new weapon - the lance - in the extreme sport of its day, the tourney. To get a real sense of the tourney, Sam watches a display of its later incarnation - the joust.

The increasing number of castles and sieges brought with it a new age of projectile missile weaponry, principally the crossbow. Holed up in a castle tower, Sam gets to test-fire different crossbows and discovers why they became outlawed by the pope as instruments of the devil. Visiting the battlefield sites of Halidon Hill in Northumberland and Crecy in northern France, and again getting hands-on with the weapon in question, Sam examines how King Edward III strategically deployed the traditional longbow in vast numbers to devastating effect against the Scots and the French, and as such how it came to be regarded as the chief weapon of the Middle Ages.


WED 01:25 Virago: Changing the World One Page at a Time (b0817n9n)
Despite the 1960s free-love and alternative culture, many women found that their lives and expectations had barely altered. But by the 1970s, the Women's Liberation Movement was causing seismic shifts in the march of the world's events, and women's creativity and political consciousness was soon to transform everything - including the face of publishing and literature.

In 1973 a group of women got together and formed Virago Press - an imprint, they said, for 52 per cent of the population. These women were determined to make change - and they would start by giving women a voice, by giving them back their history and reclaiming women's literature.

Patronized and welcomed, criticized and praised, these women published books that showed the world how they saw it. They took out loans and invested their own money into the company, trusting and believing they could change lives through books - novels, nonfiction and polemics.

It is a story that continues today, over 40 years later, as a new generation of young feminists find their voice. This is the account of a determined group of women from 1973 to today - writers and readers who fuelled a revolution in how the world sees women and how women see themselves.


WED 02:25 The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (b0c0zhc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2020

THU 19:00 BBC World News (m000h2y0)
The latest international news from the BBC.


THU 19:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04dzrtp)
Bears

Bears can live in practically every habitat on Earth, from tropical jungles to the Arctic Ocean. Wherever they are found, they are capable of surviving extreme conditions and extracting the highest-quality food.

Detailing the latest research, Chris Packham explores the specialised adaptations that have enabled bears to thrive, including how a polar bear's hollow fur allows it to feed throughout the gruelling Arctic winter, whilst a state of 'walking hibernation' sees it through the summer months.


THU 20:00 Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History (b03l7kj8)
A World Turned Upside Down

Shipwrecks are the nightmare we have forgotten - the price Britain paid for ruling the waves from an island surrounded by treacherous rocks. The result is a coastline that is home to the world's highest concentration of sunken ships. But shipwrecks also changed the course of British history, helped shape our national character and drove innovations in seafaring technology, as well as gripping our imagination.

Mutiny, murder and mayhem on the high seas as Sam Willis takes the story of shipwrecks into the Georgian age when Britain first began to rule the waves. But with maritime trade driving the whole enterprise, disasters at sea imperilled all this. As key colonies were established and new territories conquered, the great sailing ships became symbols of the power of the Georgian state - and the shipwreck was to be its Achilles' heel. By literally turning this world upside down, mutinous sailors, rebellious slaves and murderous wreckers threatened to undermine Britain's ambitions and jeopardise its imperial venture.


THU 21:00 Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema (m000gg30)
Series 2

Superheroes

From flying saviour figures in primary-coloured costumes to brooding nocturnal vigilantes, the superhero movie has spawned many record-breaking global hits. It has also provoked a backlash from some leading film-makers, yet superheroes have had a relationship with cinema that stretches back to the first half of the 20th century, and the genre taps deeply into timeless themes and storytelling traditions.

Drawing on a range of films, past and present, Mark Kermode explores the key elements of superhero movies, including origins, superpowers, costumes, secret identities, villains and sacrifice, to show why they resonate with audiences across the world. Mark also addresses criticisms of the genre, and offers his own thoughts on how superhero movies must adapt for the future.


THU 22:00 BBC Proms (b08ympvh)
2017

John Williams Film Prom

The BBC Proms celebrates the 85th birthday of the world's favourite film composer, John Williams. The BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Keith Lockhart perform some of the best-loved music in cinema history, including movie magic from Star Wars, Harry Potter, ET and Indiana Jones as well as lesser-known gems from John Williams's extraordinary back catalogue. Presented by Katie Derham.


THU 00:00 An Art Lovers' Guide (b09zgt0x)
Series 2

Beirut

Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke explore Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. This fascinating crossroads between east and west has a rich history, and a troubled recent past. It's the most diverse city in the Arab world, with 18 recognised religious sects. Its French influence gave it the reputation as the Paris of the east during the mid 20th century. But this diversity turned to division in 1975 when the city became embroiled in a 15-year civil war.

In a place of so many identities and memories, art plays a unique role - as Janina and Alastair discover at the start of their journey, taking a cable car to the mountains that ring the city. Here, a stunning brutalist Christian cathedral of the Maronite Church overlooks the city's suburbs. It's an impressive expression of both the city's unique demographic mix, and of the identity of the Maronite community - one of Beirut's biggest minorities.

On their travels around the city they discover how art - and architecture - is confronting the past but also embracing the future. While Nina discovers how a bullet-ridden house has been transformed into an emotionally powerful war memorial, Alastair meets Bernard Khoury, the Middle East's most controversial architect, whose visionary buildings are designed to improve the social fabric of Beirut.

At the National Museum, they discover an incredible array of Phoenician and Roman artefacts, revealing Beirut's earliest origins. In a basement room full of sarcophagi, Nina discovers the final resting place for several Phoenician nobles, evidence that Beirut has long been an intersection of cultures, combining classical Greek sculptural details with ancient Egyptian designs.

Alastair also encounters a street artist paying tribute to an actress who united the city in times of trouble, and Nina takes tea with an elderly Armenian couple who reflect on the city's immigrant experience. And together, they experience the hedonistic Beirut nightlife that is drawing increasing numbers of visitors from around the world.

At this fascinating crossroads between east and west, Ramirez and Sooke discover a city whose cultural life and riches offer an essential way to understand the city's complex history and identity.


THU 01:00 Our Classical Century (m0002dx7)
Series 1

1936 - 1953

Suzy Klein and John Simpson explore the power of classical music between the coronations of George VI and Elizabeth II, through WWII and into peacetime, to console, unite and inspire the nation.

Our Classical Century brings together the greatest moments in classical music in Britain over the last 100 years in a four-part series celebrating extraordinary pieces of music and performance, revealing how music has provided a unifying soundtrack when national identity and destiny are at stake.

In this episode presenter Suzy Klein is joined by music lover and BBC world affairs editor John Simpson to explore how classical music underscored the coronations of George VI and Elizabeth II, how it provided succour and inspiration during WWII and how it responded to social change as we emerged into peace. They explain how William Walton, creator of the radical, witty piece Facade with Edith Sitwell in the 1920s, composed Crown Imperial for George VI’s coronation, full of Elgarian pomp and circumstance. With the outbreak of war, Suzy investigates the remarkable legacy of pianist Myra Hess, her signature tune, Bach’s Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, and how Kenneth Clark encouraged her to create a series of morale-boosting lunchtime concerts at the National Gallery in the heart of war-torn London. An audience member remembers the moving and inspiring impact of Myra’s music on those enduring the Blitz. From the tragic destruction of Queen’s Hall, traditional home to the Proms, the episode charts the triumph of the first Prom in its new home, the Royal Albert Hall. John talks about the remarkable reception that greeted one of the pieces played at the prom, the first performance of Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony, the Leningrad. Written under siege, the piece only arrived in Britain after the score was elaborately smuggled on film out of Russia via Iran to London. Paul Patrick, the BBC Philharmonic’s principal percussionist, tells how he prepares for the demanding task of recreating the sound of war in the symphony.

The war over, our presenters chart the emergence of our love of classical music in peacetime, with the unexpected success of young composer Benjamin Britten’s complex opera Peter Grimes and its hugely popular performance at Sadler's Wells. Tenor Stuart Skelton performs excerpts and reflects on why it struck such a chord. A new Labour government believed music should be part of everyone’s experience and the 1944 Butler Education Act helped put music on the school curriculum for the very first time. Our presenters explore the creation of Britten’s classic The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in 1945, and Malcolm Sargent’s film of it, unforgettably introducing classical music to generations of children. Through the Festival of Britain, which brought music to the heart of the nation, this episode arrives at the 1953 Coronation. By then two and a half million homes had TVs and, with an audience of 20 million, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II became a showcase of our best classical music for its biggest audience ever: Elgar, Holst, Vaughn Williams, Purcell, Handel’s Zadok the Priest, and the whole event crowned by William Walton’s Orb and Sceptre, a fresh youthful-sounding coronation march for a young queen.

Between the coronations of Elizabeth II and her father, the nation had undergone immense trauma, social and political change. This programme charts the role classical music played in sustaining our cultural life and responding to the challenges of a new era.


THU 02:00 Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema (m000gg30)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 03:00 Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History (b03l7kj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



FRIDAY 20 MARCH 2020

FRI 19:00 BBC World News (m000h2xy)
The latest international news from the BBC.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m000gg2n)
Anthea Turner and Mark Goodier present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 18 May 1989 and featuring Shakin' Stevens, Deacon Blue and Neneh Cherry.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m000gg2q)
Simon Mayo presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 May 1989 and featuring Lynne Hamilton, Donna Summer and Edelweiss.


FRI 20:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qcb)
Original Series

The Singer and the Song

Rock, pop and R'n'B performances from the BBC archives, with Sandie Shaw, Dusty Springfield, Long John Baldry, Lulu, Tom Jones, Brenton Wood, Cliff Richard, Cilla Black and Peter Sarstedt.


FRI 21:00 The Story of Ready Steady Go! (m000gg2t)
The story of Britain’s iconic 1960s music show, Ready Steady Go! The programme revolutionised television ‘for the kids’ and coincided with the tremendous explosion of British pop talent that took the world by storm. It championed emerging talent like The Beatles, The Who, Sandie Shaw, Cilla Black, Otis Redding and The Rolling Stones.

This definitive documentary covers every aspect of a pioneering show. Its style rewrote the rulebook for music programmes, with its intoxicating blend of performance, celebrity interviews and items on fashion. It often featured cameras in shot, live mishaps and the young audience interacting with their pop star heroes.

We go behind the scenes and speak to the people who made it all happen, including original producer Vicki Wickham and the programme’s pioneering director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Plus further contributions from Annie Nightingale, Eric Burdon, Chris Farlowe, Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves, Paul Jones, Gerry Marsden and Jools Holland.


FRI 22:00 The Best of Ready Steady Go! (m000gg2w)
Archive clips of the very best moments from Britain’s first authentic 1960s pop show, Ready Steady Go! The iconic programme was an exciting combination of music performances, fashion commentary, celebrity interviews and mime competitions – all of which kids were thrilled to watch.

Kicking off in 1963, for over three years music fans around the country would religiously tune in to watch unmissable performances from some of the top recording artists of the time. Each week, the line-up offered an evocative snapshot of the British pop scene.

This priceless archive has rarely been seen and includes some of the most memorable performances from the greatest stars of the day. Tune in to see The Beatles perform Twist and Shout on a moving stage, The Rolling Stones presenting their very own episode, and Otis Redding’s sensational duet with Chris Farlowe and Eric Burdon. Other acts include Cilla Black, Lulu, and Martha and the Vandellas. Dusty Springfield also takes centre stage.


FRI 23:00 Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones (b06t3vb9)
Biography of iconic rock balladeer Roy Orbison told through his own voice, casting new light on the triumphs and tragedies that beset his career. Using previously unseen performances, home movies and interviews with many who have never spoken before, the film reveals Orbison's remote Texas childhood, his battles to get his voice heard, and how he created lasting hits like Only the Lonely and Crying.

The film follows Roy's rollercoaster life, often reflected in the dark lyrics of his songs, from success to rejection to rediscovery in the 80s with The Traveling Wilburys supergroup. It uncovers the man behind the shades, including interviews with his sons, many close friends and collaborators like Jeff Lynne, T Bone Burnett, Bobby Goldsboro and Marianne Faithfull.


FRI 00:00 Irish Rock at the BBC (b0556qc9)
A whistle-stop tour of rock from over the water, taking in some of the finest Irish rock offerings from the early 70s to the present day, as captured on a variety of BBC shows from The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops to Later... with Jools Holland.

Kicking off with Thin Lizzy's 1973 debut hit Whiskey in the Jar, the programme traces Irish rock's unfolding lineage. Performances from guitar maestro Rory Gallagher, Celtic rock godfathers Horslips and John Peel favourites The Undertones feature alongside rivals Stiff Little Fingers, with their Top of the Pops performance of Nobody's Hero, followed by post-punk U2's 1981 debut UK performance of I Will Follow from The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Then there is Sinead O'Connor's debut single performance of Mandinka, and The Pogues play the Ewan MacColl classic Dirty Old Town from 1986. Into the 90s, there is The Frank and Walters and Therapy? on Top of the Pops, along with early performances on Later... with Jools Holland from Ash and The Divine Comedy.

There is rockabilly with Imelda May's debut hit Johnny Got a Boom Boom, and then more recently Cavan's The Strypes and Hozier, whose Take Me to Church completes this hit-driven tour through Irish rock.


FRI 01:00 Hits, Hype & Hustle: An Insider's Guide to the Music Business (b09p6stj)
Series 1

On the Road

Music promoter John Giddings takes us on an entertaining ride behind the stage lights to tell the story of how live performance has become a billion-pound industry.

As the founder and promoter of the modern Isle of Wight festival and one of the world's biggest live promoters, John knows more than most how to put a show on the road. And how the world of live performance has changed.

Where once bands would tour to promote an album, in the age of downloads and disappearing record sales, the live arena is a huge business. Bigger than ever before.

For a genuine behind-the-scenes insight into the scale and logistics of the modern mega-tour, John takes us backstage at U2's latest stadium spectacular. We also join John behind the scenes at Isle of Wight 2017, the festival he runs and where Rod Stewart and Run DMC are among the big names on the line-up.

But we also travel back to tell the story of the original Isle of Wight Festival, where a bunch of young promoters with big ideas persuaded Bob Dylan, The Who and Leonard Cohen to perform. A tale of unpaid artists, frantic last-minute negotiations and general mayhem, it was an event that transformed the music industry. And for a young John Giddings, who was in the audience, it was the beginning of a whole career.

Along the way, some of the biggest names in rock and pop share their insights from life on the road and how the world of live performance has changed.

Phil Collins reminisces about his youthful trips to the Marquee Club. Earth, Wind & Fire reveal the extraordinary planning that went into their theatrical stage shows. Stewart Copeland recalls The Police's pioneering international tours, including a memorable visit to India at the invitation of a local women's organisation, The Time and Talents Club. Melanie C talks of her nerves taking to the road with the Spice Girls, who unlike most touring bands had no real experience of live performance. And Alex James remembers the thrill of live performance but also the reality behind some of their tours... not just to please the fans but to pay the taxman.


FRI 02:00 The Story of Ready Steady Go! (m000gg2t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 03:00 The Best of Ready Steady Go! (m000gg2w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]