The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on BBC 4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC FOUR
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 23 JULY 2022

SAT 19:00 Genius of the Ancient World (b065gv2m)
Socrates

Historian Bettany Hughes is in Greece, on the trail of the hugely influential maverick thinker Socrates, who was executed for his beliefs.


SAT 20:00 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qsc2h)
Episode 2

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

Spring arrives in Shetland, bringing with it an influx of wildlife from all over the world. Simon dives in the sea and discovers starfish, dead man's fingers and moon jellyfish. He also gets very close to a seal.

Simon follows the heartrending struggle at a wildlife sanctuary to teach Kirikoo, an injured baby otter, to use her back legs.

And with a little help and hindrance from his two-year-old daughter Savannah, he sets up a hide and gives her a lesson in birdwatching.


SAT 21:00 Trom (p0cfklh0)
Series 1

Follow the River

With the help of Sonja’s friend Jenny, Hannis sets out a new plan to blow the police investigation wide open. At the same time, Karla finally makes a breakthrough in the case, which could change everything. With Jenny at risk, Hannis sees no choice but to go after Sonja’s supposed target himself.

In Faroese and Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 21:40 Trom (p0cfkq5v)
Series 1

Give and Take

Following Ragna’s final warning and attack on Hannis, a new discovery resets everything back to the beginning and reveals who the true culprit might be. But without enough evidence to support his theory, Hannis takes drastic measures to get to Sonja’s killer – with Karla desperately trying to catch up.

In Faroese and Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:25 The Hector: From Scotland to Nova Scotia (b08ww3gh)
Neil Oliver recounts the story of the 1773 highland migrants who left Scotland to settle in Nova Scotia. He uncovers their terrifying journey on a filthy disease-ridden ship - the Hector. Neil describes how the migrants were deceived by speculators and goes on to meet their descendants. For some in Nova Scotia, the Hector has become little short of a Canadian 'Mayflower'.


SAT 23:25 Face to Face (m000qpfq)
Dame Diana Rigg

Sir Jeremy Isaacs talks to actress Dame Diana Rigg, who became an overnight success when she starred as Avengers girl Emma Peel in the 1960s, and went on to award-winning lead roles in Medea, Mother Courage and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?


SAT 00:00 Ever Decreasing Circles (b007bn62)
Series 2

The Cricket Match

Sitcom about domestic disharmony in suburbia. Martin's not happy when Paul asks if he can join him in the local cricket team.


SAT 00:30 Keeping Up Appearances (b007brrq)
Series 4

Please Mind Your Head

Domestic sitcom. Hyacinth and Richard have finally moved into their 'country retreat'. Although Hyacinth views the flat as 'old world bijou', Richard finds it anything but.


SAT 01:00 The Cruise (m000x8pj)
Life's a Beach

The ship sails into the western Caribbean. Mrs Goodman, angry about being on the wrong cruise, demands compensation. Scotty drags
Jane up a waterfall in Jamaica. When they return to the ship,
Jane is given her first audience ratings, and Scotty receives some shattering news.


SAT 01:30 Genius of the Ancient World (b065gv2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 02:30 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qsc2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 24 JULY 2022

SUN 19:00 Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music (b0992l4j)
Lucy Worsley investigates the story of the most remarkable creation from the tumultuous and violent era known as the Reformation - choral evensong.

Henry VIII loved religious music, but he loved power more - when he instigated his English Reformation he dramatically split from the ancient Catholic church that controlled much of his country. But in doing so set into motion changes that would fundamentally transform the religious music he loved.

Following Elizabeth I's personal story, Lucy recounts how she and her two siblings were shaped by the changes their father instigated. Elizabeth witnessed both her radically puritan brother Edward bring church music to the very brink of destruction and the terrifying reversals made by her sister Mary - which saw her thrown in the Tower of London forced to beg for her life.

When Elizabeth finally took power she was determined to find a religious compromise - she resurrected the Protestant religion of her brother, but kept the music of her beloved father - music that she too adored. And it was in the evocative service of choral evensong that her ideas about religious music found their ultimate expression.


SUN 20:00 BBC Proms (m0019mb8)
2022

A Royal Music Celebration

The Royal Albert Hall is in a particularly regal mood, as Clive Myrie, with special guests, presents a Prom of music written for royal occasions in honour of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

Conductor Barry Wordsworth leads the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers in a varied programme featuring works by the very best British composers from across the last 500 years. Expect triumphant trumpet fanfares, soaring choruses and glorious organ playing, with particular highlights including Handel’s ever-popular coronation anthem Zadok the Priest, Parry’s I Was Glad, which ushered the Duchess of Cambridge down the aisle, and even a song written by Henry VIII.


SUN 22:00 Janet Baker - In Her Own Words (m00048q7)
In her first documentary for more than 35 years, great, British classical singer Dame Janet Baker talks more openly and emotionally than ever before about her career and her life today. With excerpts of her greatest stage roles (as Dido, Mary Stuart, Julius Caesar and Orpheus), as well as of her appearances in the concert hall and recording studio (works by Handel, Berlioz, Schubert, Elgar, Britten and Mahler), she looks back at the excitements and pitfalls of public performance.

She tells the film-maker John Bridcut about the traumatic loss of her elder brother when she was only ten years old, and how that experience coloured her voice and her artistry. She explains why she felt the need to retire early some 30 years ago and discusses the challenges she and her husband have to face in old age. She also gives tantalizing clues to the question her many fans often ask: does she still sing today at the age of 85?

Among the other contributors to the film are conductors Raymond Leppard, Jane Glover and André Previn (in one of his last interviews before his death in March), the singers Joyce DiDonato and Dame Felicity Lott, the opera producer John Copley, the pianist Imogen Cooper, and the actress Dame Patricia Routledge.

This feature-length film is a Crux production for the BBC, following the award-winning ‘Colin Davis - in His Own Words’ in 2013. John Bridcut has also made film profiles of Herbert von Karajan, Mstislav Rostropovich, Rudolf Nureyev and Jonas Kaufmann, as well as ‘Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70’ for BBC One in November 2018.


SUN 23:30 Dame Janet Baker Sings (m0019mbb)
Mary Marquis introduces a concert recorded in the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh in 1981 with Dame Janet Baker. She performs Mendelssohn's concert aria Infelice and Handel's dramatic solo cantata Lucrezia with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.


SUN 00:15 Benjamin Britten on Camera (b03j42wt)
Documentary exploring the dynamic relationship that developed between British composer Benjamin Britten and the BBC as they worked together to broadcast modern classical music further and wider. Through this collaboration, Britten's music reached television audiences, from elaborately staged studio operas, intimate duets featuring his partner Peter Pears, to the massive Proms performance of his War Requiem. The programme features interviews with Britten's collaborators and singers as well as those working behind the scenes including Michael Crawford, David Attenborough, Humphrey Burton and soprano April Cantelo. James Naughtie narrates.


SUN 01:15 The Cruise (m000xh4p)
Double or Quits

Classic docusoap with Jane McDonald. A couple, who have run away to sea, work to try to save money for a new home, while a professional gambler plans to take the casino by storm.


SUN 01:45 Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music (b0992l4j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 02:45 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf12)
Series 1

Episode 2

January, 1649.

On Tuesday 9 January 1649, crowds gather in Cheapside, London as a proclamation is read out. King Charles I will be put on public trial at Westminster Hall in ten days’ time. It sends shockwaves through the city.

The next day, commissioners - senior judges from around the country - gather to prepare for the unprecedented trial of the king. Their meeting is recorded in surviving transcripts. Words like ‘wicked’, ‘tyrannical’ and ‘cruel’ are all used to describe the monarch. Although the consensus is that Charles is a tyrant, only half of the commissioners appointed actually attend the meetings at Westminster Palace, in fear of being indicted as traitors. Support is on thin ice and many parliamentarians are uneasy about the process of a treason trial, for the outcome is plain for all to see. Lord Fairfax, the lord general of the New Model Army, is representative of the view of many parliamentarians. He believes a compromise should be made and declares he will have no part in the King’s trial. However, Fairfax’s counterpart - Oliver Cromwell is going full steam ahead. He allegedly states, ‘We will cut off his head with the crown upon it!’

Up and down the country, printing presses are in overdrive. A wave of pamphleteering discusses the topic of the day - Crown verses Parliament. However, one printed text has not been cleared for circulation. On 14 January, the first edition of Eikon Basilike (Royal Portrait), a spiritual autobiography of the king, is destroyed before it can leave the print house.

Parliament cannot risk the release of powerful royalist propaganda as they struggle to build a case against the king. They are already hamstrung by the existing law, which has been written by the monarchy. In less than a week they need to create a watertight charge that will see Charles brought to justice for his crimes against a devastated country. The trial will essentially accuse the king of war crimes.

On 20 January, the first day of the trial, Westminster Hall is packed. People hang off balconies to watch as the king is made to answer to the common man. The charge is delivered - ‘tyrant, traitor, murderer' - but no-one could have predicted what was to happen next. Charles will not acknowledge the court, a court he deems illegitimate. If the king will not plead guilty, or not guilty, there is little trial to be had.

Over the next three days, the king and the lord president, John Bradshaw, become embroiled in a battle of wills. Is it Charles’s arrogance that leads him to refuse to accept the authority of the court, or is it a cunning and politically astute method to defend his crown and his life? With only days left to try the king, Parliament have to move fast. Otherwise, they will end up on the scaffold.



MONDAY 25 JULY 2022

MON 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09qmf9g)
Series 3

Toronto

Michael Portillo's railway journey across eastern Canada concludes in the nation's largest metropolis, Toronto. He begins his Toronto tour at Union Station. Now busier than the city's international airport, Michael is shown the ambitious engineering works underground to support the growing number of commuters.

From the dig down, he boldly goes to the dizzying heights at the CN Tower for an extreme outdoor experience at the top of the structure. Nerves are calmed at the Royal York Hotel, one of a network of luxury hotels built by the railway known as the 'castles of the north'.

Catching the street car, Michael finds out how Toronto made itself a magnet for money after it set up its own stock exchange, but not before he presses the button to open the day's trading.

Ending his time in the city's High Park, he seeks out the origins of a celebrated Canadian song that helped to shape the maple leaf as the country's national symbol.


MON 19:30 Digging for Britain (m000h3dr)
The Greatest Discoveries

Episode 4

Professor Alice Roberts re-examines the key archaeological sites of Anglo-Saxon Britain and finds the evidence of a warrior culture and the enormous wealth of their aristocracy.


MON 20:00 Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth (p02wnhfh)
Mountains of the Deep

In the vast South Atlantic, huge pods of dolphins, massive penguin colonies and the largest gathering of marine mammals on earth pack chains of extraordinary islands, created by powerful volcanic forces far below them. Nutrient-rich upwellings create profusions of life in some areas, whilst extreme isolation and abyssal depths host a world of bizarre creatures in others.


MON 21:00 Arena (m0019mbl)
River

River takes its audience on a journey through space and time spanning six continents, showing rivers on a scale and from perspectives never seen before.


MON 22:10 The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay (m0006gz1)
Writer and naturalist Helen Macdonald traces the dramatic journey of Britain’s greatest river, the Tay, over an entire year. Mixing natural history, cutting-edge science and historical biography with a spectacular travelogue, the film is a celebration of our largest river as it transforms from melting Highland snow to a vast torrent flowing into the cold North Sea.

Following the river’s course from Ben Lui in the west to Dundee in the east, Helen explores the Tay’s magical landscapes, encounters its rare and beautiful wildlife and traces the epic lifecycle of its iconic Salmon population across four spectacular seasons. Spring’s mountain glens reveal hardy lifeforms, honed for life in rushing water, from the Dipper, the world’s only swimming songbird, to a mayfly nymph that mimics the shape of a racing car’s aerofoil to withstand fast-flowing streams.

Helen continues her travels with a visit to the remote Tay tributary, whose riverbed rocks led to an 18th-century man of science, James Hutton, becoming the first person to fully grasp the Earth’s true age, sparking the ‘heretical’ concept of deep time. As spring moves into summer, Helen studies a newly introduced wild Beaver colony to see how this controversial returnee is transforming the Tay’s landscape. She also takes a fascinating look at the microscopic life that fills the sun-drenched waters in a lab where these tiny green algae are helping to answer one of life’s great questions: how multicellular bodies like ours first evolved.

Autumn’s cooling air creates darker, richer waters as the Tay’s riverside trees shed millions of leaves. This huge influx of nutrients threatens to upset the delicate balance of the river’s ecosystem. But Helen meets an unlikely saviour: the unassuming freshwater pearl mussel. As winter starts to grip, Helen’s journey reaches Perth, the point where the river begins to mingle with the sea. In the brackish water downstream lies the UK’s largest reed bed, a sanctuary for one of our rarest birds, the bearded tit, a wonderful example of man and nature working together to support each other. As the river finally becomes the North Sea beyond Dundee, Helen reflects on the extraordinary legacy of local polymath D’Arcy Thompson, whose insights a century ago revealed how simple mathematical rules can explain the complex beauty of the natural world.

Interwoven with Helen’s journey downstream is the story of the Tay’s most iconic species: Atlantic salmon. The majestic king of Fish has suffered a rapid decline in recent decades. Helen will meet the river guardians striving to save these wonderful creatures, and the scientists using new technology to solve the mystery of why they are disappearing. More than just the Tay’s stunning natural and geographical highlights, Helen also seeks to understand how rivers enter our imaginations. The story of the Tay interweaves history and nature, human endeavour and misadventure, and ultimately captures how the fine balance of our complex lives is reflected in its constant winding silver thread.


MON 23:40 Britain's Lost Waterlands: Escape to Swallows and Amazons Country (b07k18jf)
Documentary which follows presenters Dick Strawbridge and Alice Roberts as they explore the spectacular British landscapes that inspired children's author Arthur Ransome to write his series Swallows and Amazons.

The landscapes he depicted are based on three iconic British waterlands. The beauty and drama of the Lake District shaped by ancient glaciers and rich in wildlife and natural resources, the shallow man-made waterways of the Norfolk broads so crucial to farming and reed production, and the coastal estuaries and deep-water harbours of the Suffolk coastline shaped by ferocious tides and crucial to trade.

Engineer and keen sailor Dick uses vintage boats to explore the landscapes and meet people whose lives are shaped by the water, while wildlife enthusiast Alice explores the rich shorelines, interrogating the underlying geography and meeting the wildlife. Together they evoke the nostalgia of Ransome's writing and a bygone era of childhood freedom and adventure, but they also explore the economic significance of these special locations and the ways in which water was harnessed to change the course of British history.


MON 00:40 The Cruise (m000xh51)
Stormin' Norman

Professional gambler Norman crosses swords with the ship's casino, while casino workers Dale and Mary embark on a perilous jet-skiing trip in Jamaica. Jane is still seeking that elusive standing ovation.


MON 01:10 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09qmf9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 01:40 Digging for Britain (m000h3dr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 02:10 Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth (p02wnhfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



TUESDAY 26 JULY 2022

TUE 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhs33)
Series 3

Reno, Nevada, to Colfax, California

Led by his late 19th-century Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo sets off on a 1,000-mile American adventure to discover how the railroad conquered the wild landscapes of the West and transformed California into America's wealthiest region, one which has
revolutionised the world.

Beginning in the Silver State of Nevada, Michael takes to the skies over the dramatic Sierra Nevada mountain range. At Lake Tahoe, he hears of the first white explorer, dubbed 'The Pathfinder', who learnt the lay of the foreboding land and paved the way for the first settlers to arrive. Travelling on the historic Virginia and Truckee heritage line, Michael heads for the vast deposits of silver and gold ore that built Virginia City, once dubbed the richest place on earth. At Chollar Mine he explores the short-lived mining boom and meets a pistol packin' preacher when he swings by the Silver Queen saloon.

Crossing the border into the Golden State of California, he ascends the 7,000ft granite cliffs to the Donner Pass where ambitious plans to plough a rail route through the rugged terrain were made a reality by Chinese labourers, at huge human cost. In the spirit of Western horsemanship, Michael ends this leg in Colfax and gets in the saddle for a spot of cowboy dressage.


TUE 19:30 Walking With... (m00111h4)
Series 1

Walking with Nick Grimshaw

Famous for waking up the nation on Radio One and his afternoon drive-time show, DJ and presenter Nick Grimshaw heads to the north east of England for a stroll through a fascinating landscape. Exploring historic areas of Warkworth and Amble in Northumberland, Nick begins his walk at first light, dipping his toes in the sea for a refreshing wake-me-up along the beach.

Crossing sand dunes and an ancient river, Nick heads for the streets of Warkworth and reflects on the importance of family life, including the positive influence of his late father. Nick talks about recognising his sexuality as he was growing up - including questioning what ‘being gay’ would actually mean.

Taking the short boat crossing to the extraordinary Warkworth Hermitage - a retreat carved from a sandstone cliff - Nick talks about the benefits meditation has brought to his life. As Nick approaches the end of his walk, the conversation turns to the future. He talks passionately about his desire to start his own family with his partner. Revitalised after his seven-mile walk, Nick enjoys the sunset at Amble pier and vows to return to Northumberland.


TUE 20:00 Keeping Up Appearances (b007brs2)
Series 4

Let There Be Light

Sitcom. Hyacinth volunteers Richard to fix the church hall electrics. Richard gamely embarks on this feat, with interesting consequences...


TUE 20:30 Ever Decreasing Circles (b036d6l1)
Series 2

A Married Man

Ann and Martin invite Paul and his girlfriend to dinner, but things don't go as smoothly as they'd planned.


TUE 21:00 Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (m000frf0)
Series 1

The Spanish Armada

Lucy Worsley discovers how the history of the Spanish Armada has been manipulated and mythologised by politicians and artists for generations.

This is an inspiring tale of an underdog English navy defeating an ‘invincible’ Spanish fleet, the moment that set England on the path to imperial glory. Tales of Sir Francis Drake calmly finishing his game of bowls and Elizabeth I rousing her troops at Tilbury with the ‘heart and stomach of a king’ have become iconic. This, however, is a story full of fibs.

Lucy explores how Elizabethan propaganda spun this as a victory for the Protestant Virgin Queen. She then finds out how the Victorians celebrated it as the start of the British Empire, the point in time when Britain truly began to rule the waves.

Right up to the present day, the defeat of the Spanish Armada has been told and retold to show Britain as an island nation destined for greatness. But what if the story of that victory is built on sand?


TUE 22:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf0z)
Series 1

Episode 3

On 23 January 1649, the third day of the king’s trial, Charles continues to publicly dispute the High Court’s legitimacy. There is no choice other than to move forward and enforce the charge against him. After two days of hearing witness testimonies concerning the king’s presence in battle, the evidence against him is overwhelming.

On 27 January, the king walks into the courtroom for the final time. He has come prepared to compromise, but it is too late for that now. John Bradshaw delivers an epic oration. He draws on constitutional history, including Magna Carta, and accuses the king of breaking his oath. Bradshaw states that the king was appointed by the people and it is the people who can remove him from power. ‘Farewell, sovereignty.'

Sentence is passed - Charles will be executed. Utterly beguiled, the king is removed from the courtroom, and over the next three days he prepares for death. Although the verdict has been delivered, Parliament’s cause is still fragile. Charles’s son, Prince Charles, is in The Hague mustering support for the crown. Invasion plans are already underway, and the clock is ticking, Parliament must get the king to the scaffold and put an end to the monarchy they believe has torn the country apart.

Despite the king’s strength, determination and vigour in the courtroom, he begins to accept his fate and spends most of his time in prayer. He says an emotional goodbye to his two children who remain in England, Elizabeth and Henry. Their likeness from this time is captured in an exquisite portrait miniature. Princess Elizabeth never recovered from the trauma of parting with her father. She records an account of their last, devastating moments together.

As the king gathers his affairs and his state of mind, the death warrant is hurriedly drawn up and signatories - some say under duress from Cromwell - are gathered. Cromwell’s determination comes from his belief that he is enacting God’s will and delivering justice for the people who suffered at the hands of the feckless King. His mind is set. The execution must be carried out.

On a freezing morning on Saturday 30 January 1649, Charles I wakes up at 5am and puts on two thick shirts to offer him some protection from the blistering cold. Determined not to appear afraid, he must not shiver. As the king prepares for death, Parliament are appalled to discover there is no act that prevents succession. In haste they pass the act as a legal emergency.

Finally, shortly before 2pm, the king is led through Banqueting House. He may have looked up at the Rubens ceiling that depicts his father ascending to the side of God as is his divine right. He makes his way through a window and onto the scaffold to deliver his final speech to the people, now inked into the pages of history. Lying down at the low block, he says ‘Wait for the sign’ before he stretches his arms aside and his head is struck off.

People flock to the scaffold to dip their rags and kerchiefs in the blood of the king. Hair is cut from his severed head, to be preserved as relics, and the little pearl earring that delicately hung from his ear is carefully removed and remains preserved to this day.

On a freezing, bleak January day, King Charles I was killed and a republic was born. But did he die as a murderer or as a martyr?


TUE 23:00 The Stuarts (b03tv7f2)
A King without a Crown

This three-part series argues that the Stuarts, more than any other, were Britain's defining royal family.

After Charles I's disastrous attempt to militarily impose political and religious uniformity throughout his kingdoms, both the Stuart dynasty and its three kingdoms fell into an abyss. Charles lost his head and his family fled into exile.

In this second episode, Dr Clare Jackson reveals how the unprecedented religious violence of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms shaped the very DNA of British political culture and how the trauma suffered shaped subsequent constitutional crises in the years to come.


TUE 00:00 The Stuarts (b03vhjm8)
A Family at War

The final, dramatic act of the Stuart century saw the Stuarts fatally divided by religion: brother versus brother, and two daughters supporting the overthrow of their father. After Charles II's brother, the Catholic James VII and II, was deposed by protestant William of Orange in 1688, Britain became a constitutional monarchy.

However, the so-called 1688 'Glorious Revolution' came at a price, as Scotland lost her sovereignty and became part of Great Britain in 1707, whilst Ireland had been reduced from a kingdom to a colony. The politics of resentment has continued to trouble Ireland until the present day.


TUE 01:00 Secret Knowledge (b036qfcy)
Walter Scott's Castle

Novelist, poet and all-round cultural impresario Sir Walter Scott is renowned for inventing many of the myths of Scotland that still dominate how the country is imagined. His home in the Scottish Borders, Abbotsford House, brilliantly brings to life his romantic views of Scotland.

In the run-up to the reopening of Abbotsford House Scott-fan Stuart Kelly gets exclusive behind-the-scenes access as over 13,000 treasures are moved back into the strange and wonderful building. Exploring some newly discovered secret corners Stuart finds out just how controversial the bizarre building and the man who built it remain.


TUE 01:30 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhs33)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 02:00 Walking With... (m00111h4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 02:30 Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (m000frf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 27 JULY 2022

WED 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhs6l)
Series 3

Sacramento to Napa Valley

Continuing his epic Californian rail journey, Michael Portillo begins this leg at the very spot that triggered the 1848 gold rush. He finds out how California's mineral treasures and population swell helped fast-track the region's statehood, with significant political consequences for the national slavery battle. Michael pans for gold in the clear waters of the American River, and delights in a titillating spectacle at California's first public theatre.

Venturing underground, he discovers how the streets of Sacramento were raised following the Great Flood of 1862 and visits the newly
constructed $900 million dam to improve the city's flood defences. It is a first for Michael in the kaleidoscopic sweet factory of an iconic American confectionary brand that can trace its roots back to the 19th century. And, taking a cue from his guidebook, he explores the fruits of the Napa Valley enjoying a gourmet lunch on board the Napa Valley wine train before joining the harvest of the state's distinctive Zinfandel grape.


WED 19:30 Walking With... (m00111gr)
Series 1

Walking with Monica Galetti

Celebrity chef Monica Galetti walks through the open landscapes of the North York Moors. Along the way she meets residents and samples local produce. Starting off with a glorious view over the frost-covered valley, Monica drops down into the historic village of Rosedale Abbey.

Following the course of a stream up Rosedale, she climbs towards the heather, passing a fell runner on the way. On top of the moors she
experiences the open expanse before her. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city gives Monica the chance to reflect and find peace. As her senses tune in to the birdsong around her, she reminisces about her homeland of Samoa and resolves to spend more time out in nature.

Crossing over to Farndale, she walks the quiet lanes and enjoys her escape from the heat of the kitchen, before ending with a well-deserved drink in the hamlet of Church Houses.


WED 20:00 Rise of the Continents (b0368kb2)
The Americas

Professor Iain Stewart uncovers clues hidden within the New York skyline, the anatomy of American alligators and inside Bolivian silver mines, to reconstruct how North and South America were created. We call these two continents the New World, and in a geological sense they are indeed new worlds, torn from the heart of an ancient supercontinent - the Old World of Pangaea.

Iain starts in New York, where the layout of the city's skyscrapers provide a link to a long-lost world. Deep within their foundations is evidence that 300 million years ago New York was at the heart of a huge mountain range - part of the vast supercontinent called Pangaea.

Trekking into the Grand Canyon, Iain uncovers a layer of sandstone from Pangaean times that shows there was a vast desert either side of the mountains. Footprints in the rocks of the Grand Canyon reveal that there was only one type of animal that could thrive here - a newly evolved group called the reptiles. Iain meets the closest living relative of those early reptiles - the alligator.

Two hundred million years ago, Pangea underwent a transformation. North and South America were carved from Pangaea, and pushed westwards as separate island continents. To see how this westward movement shaped South America's often bloody human history, Iain travels to Potosi in Bolivia. Cerro Rico is one of the most dangerous mines in human history. Iain goes to the heart of this extinct volcano to reveal the process that has shaped South America - subduction.

Subduction has also created the longest continual mountain range in the world - the Andes. At its heart lies the stunning ethereal landscape of the Salar de Uyuni, a vast salt flat where a lake has been uplifted thousands of metres above sea level. The lithium found here may be a new source of mineral wealth for Bolivia, for use in mobile phones.

The last chapter in the story of the Americas is told through that most typically Andean animal, the llama. But like much of South America's wildlife it originated in North America, and only came south when the two island continents of North and South America joined three million years ago.

Since that momentous joining the story of the Americas has been a shared one. Together they continue their westward drift away from the Old World. However, on a cultural and economic level you could argue that the opposite is the case. In our new global economy the Americas are at the very heart of our connected world.


WED 21:00 Great British Photography Challenge (m000wvlc)
Series 1

Episode 3

The search for an exciting new name in British photography continues. This week sees the six photographers challenged to capture the character of flowers in rural Herefordshire and the adrenalin of urban free running, and impress Rankin with a brand advertising assignment. The pressure is on!


WED 22:00 Colin Baker Remembers... The Roads to Freedom (m0019m8l)
Colin Baker looks back on one of his earliest TV roles and discusses the significance of acclaimed 13-part drama series 'The Roads to Freedom', which is being shown on television for the first time since 1977 as part of the BBC’s centenary celebrations.

Based on the novels by Jean-Paul Sartre and set in Nazi-occupied France, it has been described as an amazing, potent and subversive viewing experience, that saw taboos broken with every weekly broadcast. That assessment can now be tested by first-time viewers, as well those who saw it at the time and who have long campaigned for the BBC to screen it again.


WED 22:05 The Roads to Freedom (m0019m8n)
Series 1

Episode 1

Adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's trilogy. Paris, 1938. A city famous for its 'characters', a city between the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Hitler, a city where Mathieu and Marcelle live.


WED 22:50 The Roads to Freedom (m0019m8s)
Series 1

Episode 2

Mathieu tries to arrange an abortion for his mistress Marcelle, and needs money fast. Then he takes Ivich to an art exhibition and kisses her for the first time.


WED 23:35 The Roads to Freedom (m0019m8v)
Series 1

Episode 3

Mathieu fails to borrow the money he needs to help Marcelle. He arranges a meeting with Ivich and Boris to hear Lola sing, while Daniel visits Mathieu's mistress.


WED 00:20 The Roads to Freedom (m0019m8x)
Series 1

Episode 4

Ivich and Mathieu seal their relationship with a blood bond. They arrange to meet at 10 o'clock, but before then, Mathieu has to give Brunet an answer.


WED 01:05 Secret Knowledge (b053pzmb)
Wondrous Obsessions: The Cabinet of Curiosities

As the popularity of collecting fairs and Pinterest would attest, we are a nation of magpie obsessions. Renaissance expert Professor Nandini Das reveals the story behind the Cabinet of Curiosities - the original collecting craze that began in Renaissance Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, and which is experiencing a surprising revival in the work of contemporary artists today.


WED 01:35 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhs6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 02:05 Walking With... (m00111gr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 02:35 Rise of the Continents (b0368kb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



THURSDAY 28 JULY 2022

THU 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhtr8)
Series 3

San Francisco to Sausalito, California

Armed with his trusty Appleton's Guide, Michael Portillo's rail journey through California takes him to the commercial metropolis of San Francisco. Riding through the vibrant streets by cable car, Michael finds out how 19th-century engineering overcame the challenge of scaling the city's steep hills and gets behind the scenes with the 144-year-old engines driving the cables.

In the Presidio neighbourhood, Michael discovers San Francisco's long tradition for fine printing and learns the historic hand-crafted techniques before his treasured guidebook is evaluated by the experts. Hitching a ride on a hippy 'love bus' to the heart of the gay district, Michael traces the roots of the city's LGBTQ scene back to the era of the gold rush and is invited to a fund-raising 'drag brunch'. He stops off at the marina to tuck into a local seafood speciality brought to the city by Italian immigrants. And, heading across the bay to Sausalito, he boards a schooner to hear the story of Matthew Turner, the most prolific ship builder of his time.


THU 19:30 Rise of the Continents (b036ks6f)
Eurasia

Two hundred million years ago the continent we know as Eurasia - the vast swathe of land that extends from Europe in the west to Asia in the east - didn't exist.

To reveal Eurasia's origins, Professor Iain Stewart climbs up to the 'eternal flames' of Mount Chimera in southern Turkey, blazing natural gas that seeps out of the rock. Formed on the seafloor, it shows that where the south of Eurasia is today, there was once a 90-million-square-kilometre ocean known as the Tethys. It is the destruction of the Tethys Ocean that holds the key to Eurasia's formation.

In the backwaters of Kerala in southern India, he finds evidence of how that happened, in the most unlikely of places: the bones of the local fishermen's catch. The freshwater fish called karimeen shares anatomical features with another group of fish that live in Madagascar, evidence that India and Madagascar were joined. India was once 4,000 kilometres south of its current position on the other side of the Tethys.

As it moved north, the ocean in front of it closed. And as it collided with the rest of Eurasia the impact built the Himalayas, the greatest mountain range on Earth. Professor Stewart reveals how the mountains aren't simply pieces of the land pushed upwards. In fact the rock that forms them was once the floor of the Tethys Ocean.

As Eurasia assembled, Arabia, Greece and Italy too moved north, completing the continent we know today and creating a mountain chain that spans the continent. And it was in the shadow of these mountains that the continent's first civilisations rose.

But the formation of Eurasia is just the beginning, because the process that formed it is still active today. On the island of Stromboli, Italy's most continually active volcano, the spectacular eruptions show that the ocean floor is being pulled beneath Eurasia. It is this process that closed the Tethys, and today is closing the Mediterranean, revealing Eurasia's future. 250 million years in the future all of the continents will collide together once more, forming a new Pangea, with Eurasia at its heart.


THU 20:30 Talking Pictures (b09kl57n)
Bette and Joan

Sylvia Syms looks through the BBC archives to tell the story of one of Hollywood's greatest ever feuds - the rivalry between legendary actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Interviews from the 1960s and 70s reveal the mutual loathing that came to a head when, against all expectations, they starred together in the classic psychological thriller Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?.

The programme looks in detail at the making of the film, examines the fallout when Bette and not Joan received an Oscar nomination for her performance, and shows how, despite the hatred, the pair had more in common than audiences appreciated.


THU 21:00 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (b007bfnt)
Terrifying gothic chiller about two sisters, Blanche and 'Baby Jane' Hudson - ageing former movie stars who live together in a decaying Hollywood mansion. When the last of their domestic staff is finally dismissed, Blanche is left at the mercy of the alcoholic, increasingly demented and sadistic Jane.


THU 23:10 Clive James (m000dt85)
Postcard from LA

Clive James explores how to succeed in Los Angeles by learning the secret of the film business from Hollywood experts, advisers to the stars and the celebrities themselves.


THU 00:00 Great British Photography Challenge (m000wvlc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]


THU 01:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b09rhtr8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


THU 01:30 Rise of the Continents (b036ks6f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:30 The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay (m0006gz1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:10 on Monday]



FRIDAY 29 JULY 2022

FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m0019mbn)
Mark Franklin presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 15 April 1993 and featuring East 17, Dr. Alban, Duran Duran, Cappella, Terence Trent D’Arby, Sonia, World Party and The Bluebells.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m0019mbq)
Tony Dortie presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 April 1993 and featuring Voice of the Beehive ft Jimmy Somerville, Whitney Houston, New Order, Sub Sub ft Melanie Williams, Deacon Blue, Janet Jackson and The Bluebells.


FRI 20:00 BBC Proms (m0019mbv)
2022

Vaughan Williams’s Sea Symphony

Andrew Manze conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in a Prom with an atmospheric nautical theme.

Doreen Carwithen’s powerful and vivid overture depicts the harsh, cold Atlantic waters battering Bishop Rock, 30 miles off Land’s End. Its lighthouse is a seafarer’s last sighting of terra firma as they head west.

Grace Williams’s Sea Sketches, inspired by her home town of Barry in south Wales, capture the sea’s effervescent personality.

Vaughan Williams’s majestic A Sea Symphony, featuring multiple choirs, together with soloists Elizabeth Llewellyn and Jacques Imbrailo, rounds off the evening.

Georgia Mann presents alongside special guests.


FRI 22:00 The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne (m000qsp6)
For more than five decades, Ozzy Osbourne has personified rock 'n' roll rebellion. Like a cat, he has had many lives, always landing on his feet and propelling himself towards greater success - and almost dying several times along the way.

The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne follows Ozzy’s journey from his poor childhood and time spent in prison, to fronting metal band Black Sabbath and a successful solo career, to becoming rock’s elder statesman and a lovable 21st-century TV dad. As Ozzy turns 70, he reflects on his extraordinary life, revealing intimate details of his successes, failures and unique ability for survival and reinvention.


FRI 23:20 Sight and Sound in Concert (m0019mc1)
Joan Armatrading

Alan Black introduces Joan Armatrading in concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1977.


FRI 00:20 Sight and Sound in Concert (m0019mc4)
UB40

Mark Ellen introduces UB40 on stage at the Regal Theatre, Hitchin in 1983.


FRI 00:50 Top of the Pops (m0019mbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


FRI 01:20 Top of the Pops (m0019mbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:50 The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne (m000qsp6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

Arena 21:00 MON (m0019mbl)

Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth 20:00 MON (p02wnhfh)

Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth 02:10 MON (p02wnhfh)

BBC Proms 20:00 SUN (m0019mb8)

BBC Proms 20:00 FRI (m0019mbv)

Benjamin Britten on Camera 00:15 SUN (b03j42wt)

Britain's Lost Waterlands: Escape to Swallows and Amazons Country 23:40 MON (b07k18jf)

Charles I: Killing a King 02:45 SUN (m000cf12)

Charles I: Killing a King 22:00 TUE (m000cf0z)

Clive James 23:10 THU (m000dt85)

Colin Baker Remembers... The Roads to Freedom 22:00 WED (m0019m8l)

Dame Janet Baker Sings 23:30 SUN (m0019mbb)

Digging for Britain 19:30 MON (m000h3dr)

Digging for Britain 01:40 MON (m000h3dr)

Ever Decreasing Circles 00:00 SAT (b007bn62)

Ever Decreasing Circles 20:30 TUE (b036d6l1)

Face to Face 23:25 SAT (m000qpfq)

Genius of the Ancient World 19:00 SAT (b065gv2m)

Genius of the Ancient World 01:30 SAT (b065gv2m)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 MON (b09qmf9g)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:10 MON (b09qmf9g)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 TUE (b09rhs33)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:30 TUE (b09rhs33)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 WED (b09rhs6l)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:35 WED (b09rhs6l)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 THU (b09rhtr8)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:00 THU (b09rhtr8)

Great British Photography Challenge 21:00 WED (m000wvlc)

Great British Photography Challenge 00:00 THU (m000wvlc)

Janet Baker - In Her Own Words 22:00 SUN (m00048q7)

Keeping Up Appearances 00:30 SAT (b007brrq)

Keeping Up Appearances 20:00 TUE (b007brs2)

Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music 19:00 SUN (b0992l4j)

Lucy Worsley: Elizabeth I's Battle for God's Music 01:45 SUN (b0992l4j)

Rise of the Continents 20:00 WED (b0368kb2)

Rise of the Continents 02:35 WED (b0368kb2)

Rise of the Continents 19:30 THU (b036ks6f)

Rise of the Continents 01:30 THU (b036ks6f)

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley 21:00 TUE (m000frf0)

Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley 02:30 TUE (m000frf0)

Secret Knowledge 01:00 TUE (b036qfcy)

Secret Knowledge 01:05 WED (b053pzmb)

Sight and Sound in Concert 23:20 FRI (m0019mc1)

Sight and Sound in Concert 00:20 FRI (m0019mc4)

Simon King's Shetland Adventure 20:00 SAT (b00qsc2h)

Simon King's Shetland Adventure 02:30 SAT (b00qsc2h)

Talking Pictures 20:30 THU (b09kl57n)

The Cruise 01:00 SAT (m000x8pj)

The Cruise 01:15 SUN (m000xh4p)

The Cruise 00:40 MON (m000xh51)

The Hector: From Scotland to Nova Scotia 22:25 SAT (b08ww3gh)

The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne 22:00 FRI (m000qsp6)

The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne 01:50 FRI (m000qsp6)

The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay 22:10 MON (m0006gz1)

The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay 02:30 THU (m0006gz1)

The Roads to Freedom 22:05 WED (m0019m8n)

The Roads to Freedom 22:50 WED (m0019m8s)

The Roads to Freedom 23:35 WED (m0019m8v)

The Roads to Freedom 00:20 WED (m0019m8x)

The Stuarts 23:00 TUE (b03tv7f2)

The Stuarts 00:00 TUE (b03vhjm8)

Top of the Pops 19:00 FRI (m0019mbn)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (m0019mbq)

Top of the Pops 00:50 FRI (m0019mbn)

Top of the Pops 01:20 FRI (m0019mbq)

Trom 21:00 SAT (p0cfklh0)

Trom 21:40 SAT (p0cfkq5v)

Walking With... 19:30 TUE (m00111h4)

Walking With... 02:00 TUE (m00111h4)

Walking With... 19:30 WED (m00111gr)

Walking With... 02:05 WED (m00111gr)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 21:00 THU (b007bfnt)