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 06 SEPTEMBER 2008

SAT 19:00 Clarissa and the King's Cookbook (b00b6vl6)
We Brits love our cookbooks - every year we buy millions of them and treat our celebrity chefs like royalty. But where did it all begin? Self-confessed medieval foodie Clarissa Dickson Wright tracks down Britain's oldest known cookbook, The Forme of Cury. This 700-year-old scroll was written during the reign of King Richard II from recipes created by the king's master chefs. How this ancient manuscript influenced the way people eat today? On her culinary journey through medieval history she reawakens recipes that have lain dormant for centuries and discovers dishes that are still prepared now.


SAT 19:30 Lost Horizons: The Big Bang (b00dcbqm)
Professor Jim Al Khalili delves into over 50 years of the BBC science archive to tell the story behind the emergence of one of the greatest theories of modern science, the Big Bang.

The remarkable idea that our universe simply began from nothing has not always been accepted with the conviction it is today and, from fiercely disputed leftfield beginnings, took the best part of the 20th century to emerge as the triumphant explanation of how the universe began. Using curious horn-shaped antennas, U-2 spy planes, satellites and particle accelerators, scientists have slowly pieced together the cosmological jigsaw, and this documentary charts the overwhelming evidence for a universe created by a Big Bang.


SAT 20:30 The Big Bang Machine (b00dccnr)
Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around Cern's Large Hadron Collider before this vast, 27km long machine is sealed off and a simulation experiment begins to try and create the conditions that existed just a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Cox joins the scientists who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early universe and solve some of its mysteries.


SAT 21:30 Fossil Detectives (b00d9f9g)
West and Wales

Series in which Open University associate lecturer Dr Hermione Cockburn leads a team of fossil experts and geologists around different regions of Britain to search for its best fossil treasures and mysteries, in an effort to uncover and make sense of our ancient past.

The team visits Wales to bring dinosaurs back to life using evolutionary robotics and we follow the intriguing story of the fossils at the Ford engine plant in Bridgend.

On the outskirts of Liverpool, Hermione follows in the footsteps of our ancestors to discover trace fossils of human beings which are still soft to the touch.

Plus, why fossils were thought to be food for the dead, and the team come face to face with a prehistoric skeleton with a dark secret

Fossil Detectives would like to thank:

Cadw
National Museum Wales
Ford Motor Company Limited
The Lapworth Museum, University of Birmingham
British Institute for Geological Conservation

Executive Producer for The Open University: Catherine McCarthy
Academic Consultant for The Open University: Dr Peter Sheldon
Learning Consultant for The Open University: Dr Janet Sumner
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Elloway
Production Manager: Sue Loder
Colourist: Tim Bolt
Post Production Sound: Neil Hipkiss & Matt Coster
Online: Fred Tay
Sound Recordist: Andy Hawley
Graphics: Jelly Television
Composer: David Lowe
Aerial Photography: Flying TV
Photography: Mark McCauley
Editing: Judith Robson
Executive Producer: Fiona Pitcher
Assistant Producers: Gavin Boyland & Amanda Kear
Series Producer: Kerensa Jennings.


SAT 22:00 Takin' Over the Asylum (b00dcy40)
Rainy Night in Georgia

Six part drama set in a psychiatric hospital. Buoyed by his accidental sales triumph at Twinview Windows, and with professional radio beckoning, Eddie's relationship with Francine starts to develop.


SAT 22:50 Takin' Over the Asylum (b00dcy42)
Let It Be

Last in the series about a psychiatric hospital. The death of the stray kittens devastates Francine, and even Eddie cannot console her. Jim is appalled by Rosalie's living conditions. Campbell's star is rising as the odds appear to be stacking up against Eddie. The radio station is in danger of closing, and he's in danger of being fired from Twinview.


SAT 23:40 Timeshift (b0074qrz)
Series 4

Hey Mr DJ: The Rise and Rise of the Disc Jockey

David Hepworth chronicles the history of the disc jockey. The DJ has often been a neglected profession but today's globe-trotting jocks enjoy superstar status. Contributors include Pete Tong, Annie Nightingale, Johnnie Walker and Ranking Miss P.


SAT 00:20 Caledonia Dreamin' (b0090cbx)
Documentary revealing the hidden history of Scottish pop music and how a small record label inspired bands like Orange Juice, Altered Images, Wet Wet Wet and Franz Ferdinand.


SAT 01:20 Fossil Detectives (b00d9f9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


SAT 01:50 Lost Horizons: The Big Bang (b00dcbqm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


SAT 02:50 The Big Bang Machine (b00dccnr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



SUNDAY 07 SEPTEMBER 2008

SUN 19:00 Coal House (b01rlxrh)
Series 1

Episode 9

Deep in the Welsh Valleys three families give up their 21st century creature comforts and time-travel back to face the hardships of life in a 1927 mining community. It's the final day for the Coal House families. Last night Ceredin upset Debra by going to the pub, the family competitiveness came out as Gwen beat her sister Kitty in their exam results and the men worked their last day in the mine. Then it was a shower and a change of clothes before the families returned to the year 2007 and reunited with their families and friends.


SUN 19:30 BBC Proms (b00dcyhk)
2008

Prom 65: Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Charles Hazlewood introduces a concert in which Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform two works central to their repertoire - Brahms's Symphony No 3, inspired by a visit to the Rhine in 1883, followed by Shostakovich's powerful 10th Symphony, written just months after the death of Stalin.


SUN 21:30 imagine... (b00bv33t)
Summer 2008

A Trip to Asia: On the Road with the Berlin Philharmonic

The musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic set off on a concert tour of Asia and, with remarkable frankness, talk about the hopes and regrets that come from a life on the road.

The players and their conductor, Sir Simon Rattle, offer their reflections on friendship and competition, the pressure to perform, the loss of technique with getting older, and that overwhelming sensation that keeps them coming back for more.


SUN 22:30 Call the Cops (b00d98t9)
Between the Lines

A look at Between the Lines, which provided compelling evidence that the cop show had finally found a way of getting to grips with the corruption scandals of the 1980s.

Cast and crew recount details of how executive producer Tony Garnett checked that women found Neil Pearson sexy before casting him, why Tom Georgeson's character smoked as often as he possibly could and what happened when Siobhan Redmond had to film her first lesbian kiss.

Interviewees include Neil Pearson, Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond, Lesley Vickerage, creator JC Wilsher, executive producer Tony Garnett and producer Peter Norris.


SUN 23:00 Between the Lines (b00dcyhm)
Series 2

Manslaughter

Drama series about internal investigations within the police force. At first sight it seems to be a straightforward murder investigation - except that the murderer is a detective superintendent and the victim is his wife.


SUN 00:05 They Came From Manchester: Five Decades of Mancunian Pop (b00d9g2x)
A compilation of BBC studio performances of some of the great Manchester bands from the 1960s to the present, including Freddie and the Dreamers, The Hollies, 10CC, the Buzzcocks, The Fall, Joy Division, James, M-People, Oasis and many more.


SUN 01:05 Factory: Manchester from Joy Division to Happy Mondays (b007zmn3)
Documentary celebrating the triumph, tragedy and human comedy that was Manchester record company, Factory. Started by the late Tony Wilson, Alan Erasmus, Peter Saville and Martin Hannett in the late 1970s, it became known as the home of Joy Divsion, New Order and Happy Mondays and for creating the Hacienda club. The label pioneered Britain's independent pop culture, creating a new Manchester and blowing a shed-load of money. Includes interviews with all the main players in the Factory story.


SUN 02:35 BBC Proms (b00dcyhk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



MONDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2008

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00dczwq)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 BBC Proms (b00dczws)
2008

Prom 71: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Charles Hazlewood introduces a welcome return to the Royal Albert Hall for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with its new principal conductor Bernard Haitink. They perform the UK premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Chicago Remains, followed by Mahler's emotional 6th Symphony.


MON 21:45 Timeshift (b0074sd0)
Series 6

Creating Life on Mars

In conversation with writer and broadcaster Andrew Collins, the creators of the time-travel cop show Life on Mars reveal the story behind the series, including their seven-year battle to bring it to the screen and how they drew inspiration from their own experiences of life in the 70s. They offer insights into the show's characters and explore how the programme has broken the mould of popular TV drama.


MON 22:05 Life on Mars (b0074sdv)
Series 1

Episode 5

Drama series about a Manchester detective who suffers a near-fatal car crash and wakes up in what seems to be 1973. The murder of a football fan results in a clash of methods as Sam and Gene go undercover in a local pub to solve the crime. As Gene looks like he's set to drink the pub dry, Sam worries about their chances of finding the killer before Saturday's big match. And his relationship with the young son of the murdered man brings Sam's memories of his own father flooding back.


MON 23:05 Sleepers (b00dh2mk)
On the Run

Post-glasnost comedy thriller. Albert makes a dash for freedom, hotly pursued by the KGB. In London, M15 and CIA take action to apprehend the suspected subversives. In Eccles, Sandra searches for her missing husband.


MON 23:59 More Dawn French's Boys Who Do: Comedy (b008h4bt)
Ken Dodd

Dawn French interviews the tattyfilarious Ken Dodd about his life in comedy.


MON 00:30 Strictly Courtroom (b00cccl0)
Actor Martin Shaw narrates a documentary which looks at how trials have been portrayed on the silver screen in the past century, from 12 Angry Men and Alfred Hitchcock's Anatomy of A Murder to A Few Good Men and George Clooney's Michael Clayton. Contributors include Geoffrey Robertson QC, OJ Simpson's defence lawyer Alan Dershowitz, author and advocate Scott Turow and death row campaigner Clive Stafford Smith.


MON 02:00 BBC Proms (b00dczws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



TUESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2008

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00dd00g)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 The Sky at Night (b06s9tl5)
Galaxy Zoo

Only a tiny fraction of the billions of galaxies in our Universe have ever been seen, yet sorting them into beautiful spirals and giant ellipticals remains a task best carried out not by computers but by the human brain.

Sir Patrick Moore looks at the results recorded by more than 150,000 volunteers who've taken part in the Galaxy Zoo project, and talks to a Dutch schoolteacher who discovered something unique.


TUE 20:00 Wild China (b00bwky1)
Tibet

Documentary capturing pioneering images to exhibit the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures that live in China's most beautiful landscapes.

The vast Tibetan Plateau is one of the world's most remote places and home to chiru antelopes, wild yaks, foxes and bears. It has a remarkable culture shaped by over one 1,000 years of Buddhism, while its mountains and glaciers provide a vital life support system for half the planet.


TUE 21:00 That Mitchell and Webb Look (b0074fx6)
Series 1

Episode 1

Robert Webb and David Mitchell invite you into their lop-sided world of sketch comedy, featuring anxious Nazis, some easily distracted snooker commentators, and the not-terribly-well-matched crime fighting duo of Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit.

Plus Numberwang, the exciting new quiz game that everyone's talking about but nobody really understands.


TUE 21:30 Flight of the Conchords (b0080l77)
Series 1

Sally

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. Jemaine pulls the most beautiful girl in the room at Dave's party, and the boys decide to make a music video.


TUE 22:00 Call the Cops (b00d635t)
The Sweeney

A look at groundbreaking 1970s police drama The Sweeney, created when writer Ian Kennedy Martin realised that the real police were not behaving quite like their TV counterparts on Z Cars and wanted a more accurate portrayal of the new breed of coppers.

Interviews with the cast and crew reveal that The Sweeney's fictional version of the Flying Squad was only slightly exaggerated. After its launch, despite the show getting no direct help from Slipper of the Yard, the Met's serious crime boys very quickly adopted the extra trappings of their screen equivalents - punch first and ask questions later, drive fast, drink hard and be the biggest, hardest gang on the block.

With lead characters Regan and Carter looking and talking just like the villains, the series was unrelentingly macho, with explicit violence, ripe language and a studiedly old-fashioned attitude towards women. However, it was massively entertaining, consciously funny and managed to attract a large number of children among its viewers.

Interviewees include creator Ian Kennedy Martin , producer Ted Childs and actors Stephanie Turner and Garfield Morgan.


TUE 22:30 A for Andromeda (b0074sc9)
Richard Fell's contemporary adaptation of Fred Hoyle and John Elliot's 1961 sci-fi classic. A radio signal from the Andromeda constellation provides instructions on how to build a computer.

In a very short period of time, the machine amasses a wealth of information about life on Earth and soon becomes more powerful than anyone could have anticipated. Using its vast intelligence, and with the connivance of the MoD, it fashions a robot from flesh and blood to carry out its wishes.


TUE 23:55 Edwardians in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn (b00dj1xn)
Original Series

The Soldiers' Story

Documentary series about Albert Kahn's photographic Archive of the Planet.

For a quarter of a century, Kahn supplied a team of photographers with the world's first colour camera system and dispatched them across the globe. Their films and 72,000 photographs offer a unique insight into the formative years of the 20th Century.

During the First World War, Kahn dispatched his photographers to the battlefields, where they recorded in remarkably intimate detail the everyday lives of French troops fighting on the Western Front. The Soldiers' Story shows the poignant images they captured as they journeyed through shattered landscapes of Eastern France. Their remarkable pictures also document the horrifyingly crude medical procedures at field hospitals; the first aeroplanes and the heavy armaments that were appearing in the war zone; the heroism of the nurses; and the endurance of an army which sustained more casualties than any other during The Great War.


TUE 00:55 Call the Cops (b00d635t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 01:25 The Sky at Night (b06s9tl5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 01:55 A for Andromeda (b0074sc9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


TUE 03:20 Flight of the Conchords (b0080l77)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


TUE 03:50 Call the Cops (b00d635t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2008

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00dd189)
The latest news from around the world.


WED 19:30 Born to Be Wild (b00cgxk8)
Bugs

Britain's green army of wildlife watchers are on the lookout for bugs. Believe it or not, there are many amateur naturalists who just love the little things in life. The great thing about studying creepy crawlies is that they are found everywhere, from back gardens to country lanes. One bug lover finds great delight in 2mm-long snails. Another has turned his whole garden into insect heaven. Yet another risks life and limb by going into a floating bog to find dragonflies. And one stalwart bug man is striving to bring back the bugs that keep our rivers alive.

Inspirational and heart-warming, this programme shows that even the least glamorous animals are essential to a healthy environment. And just taking the time to take a closer look reveals a hidden world of fascination and discovery.


WED 20:00 Life in Cold Blood (b0091tvh)
Sophisticated Serpents

David Attenborough reveals the fascinating lives of snakes, the most misunderstood group of reptiles. A CCTV stakeout of wild rattlesnakes hunting shows, for the first time, what sophisticated predators they truly are. Attenborough is also on the receiving end of a spitting cobra's chemical weapons system, while the surprisingly beautiful and tender side of snakes is displayed in the sinuous courtship of kingsnakes, and the water birth of 15 beautiful yellow anaconda babies.


WED 21:00 Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (b00dd18c)
Fixing Faces

Documentary series about the brutal, bloody and dangerous history of surgery continues with a look at the development of plastic surgery.

Thought of as a modern phenomenon, it actually started over 400 years ago with a spate of botched nose jobs. Since then, surgeons have been entranced with the idea that not only could they fix the body, but could even fix our sense of self-esteem.

Presenter Michael Mosley undergoes both 16th-century bondage and 21st-century botox in his journey of discovery.


WED 22:00 Esma's Secret (b00dh38y)
Film drama. The story of Esma, a woman from Sarajevo, and her 12-year-old daughter Sara, following their struggle to survive and make a life in war-torn Bosnia. When Sara wants to go on a school trip, Esma knows a certificate proving Sara's father is a war hero will secure her a discount on the fees.


WED 23:30 Coal House (b01rlxrh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


WED 00:00 Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (b00dd18c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 01:00 Medical Mavericks (b0074tfb)
Series 1

Diet and Disease

In the third episode of Medical Mavericks, Michael Mosley charts the extraordinary lengths doctors have gone to to uncover the connections between what we eat and what we die from.

It starts in the 18th century with 28 year-old Dr William Stark. Stark is a little-known hero of nutrition and the first doctor to systematically record the effect of different foods on his health. At the time food was seen simply as a form of fuel, it didn't really matter what you ate. To disprove this, Stark decided to live on nothing but bread and water, then slowly add new foods one at a time. He continued this punishing dietary experiment for nine long months. Tragically, just before adding fruit to his diet, he succumbed to scurvy. Stark died because he didn't know about vitamins and was unable to make the connection between his worsening health and the food he had been consuming. In fact, much of what we know today about which foods contain nutrients essential to our health is knowledge slowly and painfully acquired by self-experimenters.

Men like Dr Joseph Goldberger who, through eating a dying patient's excrement, found the true cause of a dreadful epidemic and changed forever what goes into our food, or like Dr Victor Herbert who proved the health benefits of folic acid by living on thrice-boiled hamburgers, marshmallows and jelly, a diet that almost killed him.

In the programme Michael Mosley also repeats the experiment of Dr Hugh Sinclair, who lived on nothing but seal meat and fish oil for six months to demonstrate its effect on his blood.

Finally, Michael meets Dave who practises Calorie Restriction, a lifelong self-experiment with the goal of extending his lifespan by 50 years. Could diet really hold the secret of a life without the diseases of aging?


WED 02:00 Doctors to Be: 20 Years On (b0088zht)
The GP's Tale

Update on the 1980s series about a group of doctors just starting out on their careers. Will Liddell and Ese Stacey found that the life of a GP would change beyond recognition in 20 years. They thought they'd be family doctors, but instead GP practices now run as extremely successful businesses. Ese now works outside the NHS, providing private sports medicine and consultancy. Will runs one of the biggest practices in the UK, trying to prevent his role as a true family doctor from being eroded.


WED 02:30 Doctors to Be: 20 Years On (b008byc9)
The Manager's Tale

Update on the 1980s series about a group of doctors just starting out on their careers. John was already 28 and had spent more than a decade in the Navy before retraining. His wife Debbie supported him through medical school but they paid a heavy price for his success, with their marriage a casualty of his long hours as a junior doctor. After spells in many different branches of medicine, John has become interested in healthcare management. Could this be the niche he has been searching for?


WED 03:00 Medical Mavericks (b0074tfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:00 today]



THURSDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2008

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00dd7ms)
The latest news from around the world.


THU 19:30 Fossil Detectives (b00dd7mv)
North England

Series in which Open University associate lecturer Hermione Cockburn leads a team of fossil experts and geologists around different regions of Britain to search for its best fossil treasures and mysteries.

The team get a rare view of a new fossil discovery on the North East coast. Hermione abseils the cliffs of Yorkshire to find evidence of the ancient monsters that once lived there. John Lennon's link to fossils is investigated, and the truth behind the Victorians' favourite fossil in Whitby is revealed.

Fossil Detectives would like to thank:

Dr Wendy Simkiss
World Museum Liverpool
Board of Trustees, National Museums Liverpool
Dr Joe Crossley
Dr Hilary Davies
Christ Church, Higher Bebington

John Lennon photographs courtesy of Harry Goodwin
John Lennon statue courtesy of Tom Murphy

Executive Producer for The Open University: Mark Jacobs
Academic Consultant for The Open University: Dr Peter Sheldon
Learning Consultant for The Open University: Dr Janet Sumner
Production Co-ordinator: Anne Bamber
Production Manager: Sue Loder
Colourist: Tim Bolt
Post Production Sound: Ken Barton, Neil Hipkiss & Pete Howell
Online: Fred Tay
Sound Recordist: Andy Hawley
Graphics: Jelly Television
Composer: David Lowe
Aerial Photography: Flying TV
Photography: Toby Strong
Editing: Judith Robson
Executive Producer: Fiona Pitcher
Assistant Producers: Amanda Kear & Gavin Boyland
Series Producer: Kerensa Jennings.


THU 20:00 Silbury: the Heart of the Hill (b0084l01)
Documentary following the final archaeological exploration of the interior of the largest man-made mound in Europe - Silbury Hill, one of our most mysterious prehistoric landmarks. It also tells the story of the people who built Silbury, people whose beliefs drove them to sculpt the landscape of the Avebury area, leaving a legacy of great structures.

Major discoveries help us to understand the monument, revealing that it was built when prehistoric Britain was on the brink of great change.


THU 21:00 Casualty 1907 (b009r25c)
Episode 1

Drama that uses case notes, ward reports, autopsy records and diaries from 1907 to bring doctors, nurses and patients at the Royal London Hospital back to life. Nurse Ada has to decide whether or not to take the job of Ward Sister, as it threatens to spoil her engagement to Dr James. The hospital is using a radical new technique, ultra-violet light, to treat skin disease caused by unsanitary living conditions in the East End. Queen Alexandra visits to see it.


THU 22:00 Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (b00dd18c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]


THU 23:00 Maestro (b00dqfmp)
Orchestra

Clive Anderson presents the live grand final. The three remaining student conductors must conduct a concerto with world renowned soloists - violonist Tasmin Little, cellist Natalie Clein and pianist Nikolai Demidenko - as well as a piece of orchestral music of their own choosing. The judges - Sir Roger Norrington, Dominic Seldis, Zoe Martlew and guest judge international violin virtuso Maxim Vengerov - rate their performances before the BBC Concert Orchestra votes one student out. The remaining two contestants both must conduct the 1st movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.


THU 00:30 BBC Four Sessions (b00dh70d)
Kronos String Quartet In Concert

Concert performance from an ensemble synonymous with musical innovation, San Franciso's Kronos Quartet. They perform works from their 2002 recording, Nuevo, a project based entirely around Mexican composers, musical traditions and influences spanning nearly 100 years. Tracks featured include Mini Skirt by the late Juan Garcia Esquivel, whose early experimentation with stereo caused him to be dubbed the king of space-age bachelor pad music, Chavosuite, which features music from three wildly popular Mexican TV programmes and an explosive Prutsman arrangement of Silvestre Revueltas' Sensemaya. Playing with a fascinating array of samples and backing tracks which culminates in an encore of a drum-backed version of Misirlou, as featured in Pulp Fiction, this is a truly unique performance by a classically trained quartet absolutely committed to playing new music in new ways. Since its inception in 1973, Kronos has been known for its unique artistic vision and fearless dedication to experimentation. In nearly 30 years, they have assembled a body of work unparalleled in its range and scope of expression and, in the process, have captured the attention of audiences worldwide.


THU 01:30 Journeys from the Centre of the Earth (b0074qns)
Beliefs

Geologist Dr Iain Stewart presents a series showing how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped the human history of the Mediterranean. His whistle-stop tour takes in familiar tourist destinations in Greece, Italy and Portugal, but provides a unique geologist's insight which can't be found in the guidebooks.

Rocks played a crucial role in determining the beliefs of ancient civilisations, but they are also a major influence on how we understand our planet today. From the spread of Christianity to recent discoveries about the extinction of dinosaurs, geology has played a vital role.


THU 02:30 Fossil Detectives (b00dd7mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 03:00 Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery (b00dd18c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]



FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00ddwcw)
The latest news from around the world.


FRI 19:30 The Voice (b008s99k)
David Howard, professor of music technology at the University of York, presents a documentary about the human voice, explaining just how it works and why replicating it is such a challenge. Comedian Jeremy Hardy and impressionist Rory Bremner are amongst the contributors.


FRI 20:30 Cambridge Folk Festival (b00d63yy)
2008

Seth Lakeman plus Noah And The Whale

Mark Radcliffe presents coverage of the Cambridge Folk Festival, featuring the top artists from the world of folk, roots and acoustic music, either live in concert from the main stage or in exclusive backstage performances.

Featuring poster-boy Seth Lakeman and Noah and The Whale, two youthful examples of British folk. Seth is from a family of musicians who began busking for holiday money in France. His brother Sean produced his first album in their kitchen. Though uncompromisingly folk, it went onto sell 100,000 copies.

Former Mercury Prize Nominee Seth and his band are in concert on the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival, performing his own dynamic brand of contemporary folk including Solomon Browne, Poor Man's Heaven and his hit, Kitty Jay. Woven through the performances are in-depth interviews with Seth and brother Sean and an impromptu acoustic peformance of The Hurlers out amongst the festival crowd.

Noah And The Whale are a four-piece from Twickenham, West London, with infectious folk-based tunes. Their single, Five Years Time, with its whistling, violin, ukulele and dance beats, has been a chirpy summer chart hit. The programme features an exclusive acoustic performance backstage in the festival's session tent, plus an intimate interview with frontman, songwriter, and rising star, Charlie Fink.


FRI 21:00 Legends (b00ddwcy)
Humphrey Lyttelton

A profile of the late jazz musician, band leader and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton's 60-year career.

As a jazzman, 'Humph' composed and performed Bad Penny Blues - the first jazz recording to enter the charts - and was feted by no less a figure than Louis Armstrong, who described him as Britain's top trumpeter.

For more than 40 years, he hosted some of the BBC's most successful radio shows, including Radio Two's Best of Jazz and the hugely popular antidote to panel game shows, Radio 4's I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, in which Humph propelled the art of the double entendre to new heights.

His family, friends and colleagues pay tribute to this enormously popular entertainer in a documentary featuring some unseen home movie footage, archive films of his finest performances, and interviews with regular guest panellists Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, Jeremy Hardy, Rob Brydon and Sandi Toksvig, as well as Humph's son Stephen.


FRI 22:00 Humph's Last Stand (b00ddwd0)
Jazz trumpeter and raconteur Humphrey Lyttelton in a performance at the 2007 HSBC Brecon Jazz Festival, which turned out to be his last ever television recording. With an all star line-up including guest saxophonist Scott Hamilton, it is a set full of sheer wit and superb music.


FRI 22:50 Life on Mars (b0074sfg)
Series 1

Episode 6

Drama series about a Manchester detective who suffers a near-fatal car crash and wakes up in what seems to be 1973. A hostage situation becomes personal for Sam when the hostage-taker's deadline coincides with the deadline for switching off his life-support machine in 2006.


FRI 23:50 The Avengers (b0074sxw)
Series 4

The Maneater of Surrey Green

Steed and Emma arm themselves with plant killer for an unusual case.


FRI 00:40 Legends (b00ddwcy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 01:40 Humph's Last Stand (b00ddwd0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 02:30 Cambridge Folk Festival (b00d63yy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


FRI 03:00 The Voice (b008s99k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]




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

A for Andromeda 22:30 TUE (b0074sc9)

A for Andromeda 01:55 TUE (b0074sc9)

BBC Four Sessions 00:30 THU (b00dh70d)

BBC Proms 19:30 SUN (b00dcyhk)

BBC Proms 02:35 SUN (b00dcyhk)

BBC Proms 19:30 MON (b00dczws)

BBC Proms 02:00 MON (b00dczws)

Between the Lines 23:00 SUN (b00dcyhm)

Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery 21:00 WED (b00dd18c)

Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery 00:00 WED (b00dd18c)

Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery 22:00 THU (b00dd18c)

Blood and Guts: A History of Surgery 03:00 THU (b00dd18c)

Born to Be Wild 19:30 WED (b00cgxk8)

Caledonia Dreamin' 00:20 SAT (b0090cbx)

Call the Cops 22:30 SUN (b00d98t9)

Call the Cops 22:00 TUE (b00d635t)

Call the Cops 00:55 TUE (b00d635t)

Call the Cops 03:50 TUE (b00d635t)

Cambridge Folk Festival 20:30 FRI (b00d63yy)

Cambridge Folk Festival 02:30 FRI (b00d63yy)

Casualty 1907 21:00 THU (b009r25c)

Clarissa and the King's Cookbook 19:00 SAT (b00b6vl6)

Coal House 19:00 SUN (b01rlxrh)

Coal House 23:30 WED (b01rlxrh)

Doctors to Be: 20 Years On 02:00 WED (b0088zht)

Doctors to Be: 20 Years On 02:30 WED (b008byc9)

Edwardians in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn 23:55 TUE (b00dj1xn)

Esma's Secret 22:00 WED (b00dh38y)

Factory: Manchester from Joy Division to Happy Mondays 01:05 SUN (b007zmn3)

Flight of the Conchords 21:30 TUE (b0080l77)

Flight of the Conchords 03:20 TUE (b0080l77)

Fossil Detectives 21:30 SAT (b00d9f9g)

Fossil Detectives 01:20 SAT (b00d9f9g)

Fossil Detectives 19:30 THU (b00dd7mv)

Fossil Detectives 02:30 THU (b00dd7mv)

Humph's Last Stand 22:00 FRI (b00ddwd0)

Humph's Last Stand 01:40 FRI (b00ddwd0)

Journeys from the Centre of the Earth 01:30 THU (b0074qns)

Legends 21:00 FRI (b00ddwcy)

Legends 00:40 FRI (b00ddwcy)

Life in Cold Blood 20:00 WED (b0091tvh)

Life on Mars 22:05 MON (b0074sdv)

Life on Mars 22:50 FRI (b0074sfg)

Lost Horizons: The Big Bang 19:30 SAT (b00dcbqm)

Lost Horizons: The Big Bang 01:50 SAT (b00dcbqm)

Maestro 23:00 THU (b00dqfmp)

Medical Mavericks 01:00 WED (b0074tfb)

Medical Mavericks 03:00 WED (b0074tfb)

More Dawn French's Boys Who Do: Comedy 23:59 MON (b008h4bt)

Silbury: the Heart of the Hill 20:00 THU (b0084l01)

Sleepers 23:05 MON (b00dh2mk)

Strictly Courtroom 00:30 MON (b00cccl0)

Takin' Over the Asylum 22:00 SAT (b00dcy40)

Takin' Over the Asylum 22:50 SAT (b00dcy42)

That Mitchell and Webb Look 21:00 TUE (b0074fx6)

The Avengers 23:50 FRI (b0074sxw)

The Big Bang Machine 20:30 SAT (b00dccnr)

The Big Bang Machine 02:50 SAT (b00dccnr)

The Sky at Night 19:30 TUE (b06s9tl5)

The Sky at Night 01:25 TUE (b06s9tl5)

The Voice 19:30 FRI (b008s99k)

The Voice 03:00 FRI (b008s99k)

They Came From Manchester: Five Decades of Mancunian Pop 00:05 SUN (b00d9g2x)

Timeshift 23:40 SAT (b0074qrz)

Timeshift 21:45 MON (b0074sd0)

Wild China 20:00 TUE (b00bwky1)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b00dczwq)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00dd00g)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00dd189)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00dd7ms)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00ddwcw)

imagine... 21:30 SUN (b00bv33t)