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 02 MAY 2009

SAT 19:00 In Search of Speed (b0074qym)
The Battle of Bonneville

The Battle of Bonneville focuses on six dramatic years in land speed history that saw Craig Breedlove and Art Arfons go head-to-head in a death-defying land speed duel. Two men locked in a near-lethal contest which saw the 400, 500 and 600 miles per hour barriers broken. The programme features interviews with Arfons and Breedlove, friends, family and members of their teams.

Farm-boy Art Arfons was affectionately known as the Junkyard Genius. Art famously built his record breaking car from pieces of junk and stock-parts, including the powerful J-79 aircraft surplus jet engine which he bought from a scrap dealer. When he first ignited his restored J-79, Art obliterated his chicken shed. In his car The Green Monster, an angry, over-powered beast, Art captured the world record three times only to have it snatched from him on each occasion by Breedlove. In 1966, Art became the first man to survive a crash at over 600 miles an hour.

Smooth-talking Californian hot-rodder Craig Breedlove, in his cars Spirit of America and Sonic 1, was the first man to break the 400, 500 and 600mph barriers on land. At the tender age of 24, Craig Breedlove was so moved by President Kennedy's plea to 'ask what you can do for your country', he decided that his goal was to recapture the world land speed record from the British. Breedlove persuaded Shell Oil to sponsor his vision and, backed by a team of hot-rod friends, he went on to build his car Spirit of America, arguably the most beautiful land speed car ever built.

This is a story of a dramatic showdown between two land speed legends who displayed extraordinary ingenuity, ambition and bravery.


SAT 20:00 Blues at the BBC (b00k36m5)
Collection of performances by British and American blues artists on BBC programmes such as The Beat Room, A Whole Scene Going, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Late Show.

Includes the seminal slide guitar of Son House, the British R&B of The Kinks, the unmistakeable electric sound of BB King and Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and John Lee Hooker, as well as less familiar material from the likes of Delaney and Bonnie, Freddie King and Long John Baldry.


SAT 21:00 Bobby Bland: Two Steps from the Blues (b00k99g4)
Documentary telling the story of the life and music of Bobby 'Blue' Bland, one of America's classic vocalists, listed high in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 100 greatest voices and admired by Elvis Presley, Van Morrison and Mick Hucknall among others.

In 1947, Bland's mother brought her son from the country town of Rosemark to Memphis in search of a better life. A year later, Gladys Presley and her son made a similar journey from neighbouring Tupelo. At that time, Memphis was a musical melting pot and BB King reports that 'everyone who was anyone' turned up there sooner or later. Bland offered his services as a driver, but soon secured a spot singing with King's band, while the young Elvis hung around Beale Street taking it all in.

The film traces Bobby's musical path from its gospel roots, through jazz and into the blues, which he infused with a unique sophistication, becoming a major singing star in black America in the 50s and 60s. His songs were covered by the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead and many others, and drummer Jab'o Starks recalls recording classic tracks like Stormy Monday, with which Bobby achieved great chart success.

Contributors include Van Morrison, Quincy Jones, BB King, Mick Hucknall, Dan Penn and Grammy nominee Susan Tedeschi.


SAT 22:00 Later... with Jools Holland (b00k99g6)
Blues

Compilation of performances from many of the great blues artists who have featured on Later... and the Hootenanny since 1992, including BB King, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Seasick Steve, ZZ Top and many more.


SAT 23:00 Rock Family Trees (b0077g3p)
Series 1

The Fleetwood Mac Story

A series that takes a fresh look at the last 30 years of pop history, using family trees compiled by music journalist Pete Frame to explore the dramas that lie behind some of the best-known bands.

Fleetwood Mac, formed in 1967, have survived many different line-ups, but band members have paid a high price for their success. Key figures including Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Stevie Nicks tell the band's story.


SAT 23:55 Originals (b0074tld)
Long John Baldry

Documentary about the pioneering British musician.

An English gentleman, a dandy and quietly yet confidently gay, Baldry's blues enthusiasm and booming baritone voice in the late 50s and 60s inspired The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton.

Baldry discovered the young Rod Stewart, whom he chanced upon playing harmonica at a train station, and a chubby piano player named Reginald Dwight, who ended up changing his name to Elton John, partly in tribute to Baldry. Having toured and recorded right up to his death in 2005, this documentary pays tribute to the British blues legend.


SAT 00:40 John Mayall: 40 Years of the Blues (b0074tlg)
In 1966, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers were acclaimed by music critics as the most influential blues band in the western world after the release of their Beano album, featuring a guitarist with the name of Eric Clapton.

Mayall created not only a platform for megastar Clapton, but also the springboard for some of the most famous rock musicians of the 20th century, including Rolling Stone Mick Taylor and Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.

This documentary traces Mayall's colourful and highly influential career, culminating in his 70th birthday reunion concert, when he played with Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor at the Unicef concert in Liverpool, the first time in 38 years they had shared a stage.


SAT 01:40 Blues at the BBC (b00k36m5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:40 Bobby Bland: Two Steps from the Blues (b00k99g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



SUNDAY 03 MAY 2009

SUN 19:00 Cranford (b008h3r3)
Series 1

April 1843

Star-studded period drama. A maze of misunderstandings leads the ladies of Cranford astray as May Day fills hearts with hopes of love. Mrs Forrester and Miss Pole hatch a plan after the young doctor makes a puzzling purchase, whilst Miss Tompkinson's ambiguous conversation with him sets in motion a disastrous chain of events. Will the innocent doctor be able to survive the turmoil and secure the affections of the one he loves?


SUN 20:00 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00k36fg)
Swaledale Uncovered

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast.

This was Wainwright's last great venture and has become his greatest legacy - a beautifully simple proposition, linking three national parks that lie between the Irish and the North Sea.

36 years after its creation, Julia is off through sunshine, wind and rain to cross the changing landscape, understand the history and meet the people that make up almost 200 miles of northern England.

The fourth stage of Julia's journey is entirely devoted to one great valley, Swaledale in Yorkshire. Wainwright studied this 22-mile section in utmost detail, presenting a varied route of valley bottom and windswept moor top. The villages, landscape and the history are a delight, just as Wainwright predicted, with Julia learning much about the lost mining industry that was once the lifeblood of Swaledale.


SUN 20:30 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k3685)
Wheat

Documentary series about the history of 20th-century farming in Britain looks at wheat and tells how the country became self-sufficient in producing bread-making wheat after the Second World War.

Told through the working lives and home movie archives of three wheat-farming families from the east of England, it reveals how farmers went from horse power to machine power and how they used science and genetics to transform the size and yield of wheat and the rural landscape, with controversial outcomes for the countryside.


SUN 21:30 Cloudspotting (b00k99th)
Documentary bringing to life Gavin Pretor-Pinney's international bestseller, The Cloudspotter's Guide, which draws on science, meteorology and mythology for a magical journey through the world of clouds.

Presented by the obsessive and excitable Pretor-Pinney, it is no dry treatise on the science of nephology but a playful trip through the varied beauty and distinctive personalities of the ten principal cloud types.

From the ethereal cirrus to the terrifying cumulonimbus, the film tells the story of the short but eventful life of clouds and their importance to our planet. Find out how immense quantities of water can stay up in the sky for so long and how lightning and thunder are created.

Aided by his worldwide network of Cloudspotters, Pretor-Pinney also sets out to prove the existence of a new type of cloud, which results in him presenting his findings to a panel of top scientists.

Featuring stunning images filmed by the world's most experienced aerial cameraman, the film is designed to inspire, inform and challenge those who have ever wondered about the heavens above.


SUN 23:00 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.


SUN 23:30 Flight of the Conchords (b0080w4j)
Series 1

Bret Gives Up The Dream

Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. Murray tells the boys to get a job because the band has no money. But when Bret's sign-holding career gets in the way of the band, Murray fires him. Jemaine has to continue with a tape recorder. Features the songs Inner City Pressure and She's So Hot ...Boom!.


SUN 00:00 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k3685)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


SUN 01:00 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00k36fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 01:30 Cloudspotting (b00k99th)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


SUN 03:00 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k3685)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



MONDAY 04 MAY 2009

MON 19:00 The Sky at Night (b072z9cd)
Close Encounters

Every day, asteroids whizz past the Earth on their journey through space. Sir Patrick Moore discusses the chances of a close encounter with an asteroid, after telescopes recently got a unique view of an asteroid disintegrating in our atmosphere.


MON 19:30 Timeshift (b00k36fj)
Series 9

Farm to Pharma: The Rise and Rise of Food Science

Documentary which explores the history of British food science, taking a fascinating voyage through over a century of petri-dishes, vitamins and E-numbers.

The connection between food manufacturers and the white coat brigade is nothing new. One hundred and fifty years before Heston Blumenthal, Birmingham chemist Alfred Bird was reinventing custard because his wife had an allergy to eggs.

By the 1930s, George Orwell was already complaining about the chemical by-products that the British people were eating, but when war gave scientists a chance to remake the British diet the improvement in the nation's health was extraordinary.

Charting the growing role that food science has played in our daily lives, we meet Tony Blake, the food scientist who pioneered instant soup for Batchelors, and we learn about biochemist Jack Drummond, the tragic mastermind of British food in the Second World War, who died alongside his family as in a mysterious murder.

We discover how vegetarian product Quorn was invented to prevent a global food crisis and how breakthroughs in flavour chemistry helped create the day-glo processed foods of the 1970s. We recall Margaret Thatcher's early career as a food scientist and find out why there was no such thing as a free lunch when it came to the promise of fat-free snacks.


MON 20:30 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00k99tf)
William Wordsworth

Poet and author Owen Sheers presents a series in which he explores six great works of poetry set in the British landscape. Each poem explores a sense of place and identity across Britain and opens the doors to captivating stories about the places and the lives of the poets themselves. This episode features Composed upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth.

In 1802, Wordsworth, the great Romantic poet of nature and the man famous for writing about the Lake District, daffodils and clouds, penned a short but electrifying poem about the stinking, filthy, heaving city of London. In fact, the poem was a captivating, sublime portrait of the city at dawn which still has the power to catch one's breath.

Sheers investigates what Wordsworth was doing when he wrote the poem on a summer morning in 1802, and uncovers a story that involves three different women. Wordsworth lived in Grasmere in the Lake District, sharing a small cottage in an unusual domestic arrangement with his sister Dorothy. In the spring of that year he decided to marry an old schoolfriend, Mary Hutchinson. However, in order to do so he first needed to clear the air with his French ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter Caroline, a nine-year-old girl he had yet to meet.

In July 1802, William and Dorothy set out from Grasmere to Calais via London on the intriguing journey that would lead them across the bridge. Sheers follows their journey, discovers how the poem came into existence and examines exactly what Wordsworth wrote. He talks to Wordsworth fans including that epitome of Northern cool, poet Simon Armitage, the writer-in-residence at the Wordsworth Trust, Adam O'Riordan, and some of the commuters who cross Westminster Bridge every morning on their way to work.


MON 21:00 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden (b00k9cbz)
Reunion concert by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2008. The rock legends took to the stage together for just three concerts in a highly anticipated collaboration, performing a string of hits that included Blind Faith's Presence of the Lord and Can't Find My Way Home, in addition to Clapton's classic After Midnight and Winwood's Dear Mr Fantasy.

Both Winwood and Clapton have long and prestigious musical careers, with countless honours and awards to their names. Their musical paths connected in 1969 with the formation of Blind Faith, a supergroup that pioneered the fusion of rock and blues to tremendous studio and stage success.

Despite critical and popular acclaim the band was short-lived, releasing only one album and embarking on a brief 1969 tour that debuted on July 12 at Madison Square Garden and ended on August 24 in Hawaii. Since that final show, Winwood and Clapton have remained friends but had only performed an occasional song together at charity events.


MON 22:00 Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years (b0074r9l)
A journey through Eric Clapton's performing life at the BBC and elsewhere, from his 60s blues days to his noughties blues days. Clapton has been described as the best guitarist in the world and has a life story and career that would make anyone's hair curl.

By way of extensive BBC archive footage, the programme charts his varied and ever-changing career - from the beginnings with The Yardbirds until he left to join the purist blues of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, to the dynamism and musical synchronisation with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, which produced the turbulent Cream, to Clapton's collaboration with Stevie Winwood that would spawn Blind Faith, to his brief sojourn in the Plastic Ono Band and his unforgettable contribution to Lennon's heroin hell tribute Cold Turkey, to his low-profile spell with rootsy US act Delaney and Bonnie, to the band he formed with Bobby Whitlock, Derek and the Dominoes, that produced one of the most famous unrequited love songs in Layla, and on to his successful solo career since then.

Along the way Clapton has successfully survived heroin and alcohol abuse, been accused of being a racist, stolen his best friend's wife, changed bands as often as his shirt, and lost a son in the most tragic of accidents. Through it all, he has produced some of the best music of the 20th century.


MON 22:30 Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Sing the Whites? (b00kc752)
Documentary telling the story of what happened to blues music on its journey from the southern states of America to the heart of British pop and rock culture, providing an in-depth look at what this music really meant to a generation of kids desperate for an antidote to their experiences of living in post-war suburban Britain.

Narrated by Nigel Planer and structured in three parts, the first, Born Under a Bad Sign, focuses on the arrival of American blues in Britain in the late 50s and the first performances here by such legends as Muddy Waters, Sonnie Terry and Brownie McGhee.

Part two, Sittin' on Top of the World, charts the birth of the first British blues boom in the early 60s, spearheaded by the Rolling Stones and groups such as the Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, the Animals and the Pretty Things.

The final section, Crossroads, looks at the next, more hardcore British blues boom of the mid-to-late 60s, with guitarists Eric Clapton and Peter Green and the international dominance of their respective bands, Cream and Fleetwood Mac.

Featuring archive performances and interviews with Keith Richards, Paul Jones, Chris Dreja, Bill Wyman, Phil May, John Mayall, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, Ian Anderson, Tony McPhee, Mike Vernon, Tom McGuinness, Mick Abrahams, Dick Taylor, Val Wilmer, Chris Barber, Pete Brown, Bob Brunning, Dave Kelly and Phil Ryan.


MON 00:00 Flight of the Conchords (b0081m93)
Series 1

Mugged

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. The boys are mugged down a backstreet, and after an unpleasant incident with a knife Bret runs off without helping Jemaine. After Jemaine spends a night in the same cell as one of the muggers, he finds it hard to forgive. Features the songs Hiphopapotamus vs Rhymenoceros and Think About it, Think Think About it.


MON 00:30 Flight of the Conchords (b0082h74)
Series 1

Yoko

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York.

Bret's relationship with fellow sign-holder Coco causes tension in the band. When Jemaine is asked to stop joining them on their dates, he has to go with Murray on his bandstand tours. Features the songs If You're Into It and Tape of Love.


MON 00:55 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden (b00k9cbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 01:55 Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years (b0074r9l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


MON 02:25 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00k99tf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 02:55 Timeshift (b00k36fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



TUESDAY 05 MAY 2009

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00k99tb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Landscape Mysteries (b0074rfv)
Secrets of the Flood

Professor Aubrey Manning collects evidence of a flooded landscape beneath the Solent and of raised rock arches in Scotland, cut by coastal erosion, but now high above the sea.

The explanation is the land movements that have occurred since the melting of the huge layers of ice that were centred on Scotland more than 8,000 years ago. As the weight of ice over Scotland was reduced, the land rose. The UK effectively tilted and southern Britain sank slowly into the sea.

The effect is still going on and Antony Long from the Environment Research Centre is one of those involved in vital work to gauge the advancing sea levels and decide on the best response. As the sea encroaches over low lying areas of southern Britain, the main question is whether to build ever bigger barriers or simply to allow the advance to progess naturally, with the accomanying salt marsh forming its own barrier.


TUE 20:00 Inside the Medieval Mind (b009wzw3)
Sex

Leading authority on the Middle Ages, Professor Robert Bartlett presents a series which examines the way we thought during medieval times. He unearths remarkable evidence of the complex passions of medieval men and women. The Church preached hatred of the flesh, promoted the cult of virginity and condemned woman as the sinful heir to Eve. Yet this was the era that gave birth to the idea of romantic love.


TUE 21:00 Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People (b0074tcl)
Series 1

Model Flying

Comedian Marcus Brigstocke spends a weekend in the sunshine, wind and rain at the National British Model Flying Championships, held at RAF Barkston Heath.

These may only be models, but the competition is taken very seriously - wives and girlfriends are left at home as the men take to the airfield and battle it out to become the British champion.


TUE 21:30 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00k36fl)
Series 1

Esther Rantzen

Marcus Brigstocke invites his guest Esther Rantzen to step out of her comfort zone and try some new cultural experiences.


TUE 22:00 Mad Men (b00k9b41)
Series 2

Meditations in an Emergency

Against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis, the staff at Sterling Cooper ponder the meaning of a company audit. Duck tells Pete what's going on and offers him promotion. Betty receives unwanted news and has a dangerous liaison. Don returns after going AWOL and is in for a shock. Peggy tells Pete the awful truth.


TUE 22:45 Legends (b0074t5q)
Julie London - The Lady's Not a Vamp

Profile of 1950s singing sensation Julie London, the ultimate in vocal sexiness, with her hourglass figure draped across thirty hit albums.

She was a simmering stylist who phrased torch songs with impeccable jazz timing, and her anthem to female revenge, Cry Me A River, is still hugely popular.

Yet she remains a puzzle - she could be shy and introverted, and with no real confidence in her vocal talent she gave up singing in her early forties.


TUE 23:45 Flight of the Conchords (b0084lc3)
Series 1

Sally Returns

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. Bret and Jemaine's ex-girlfriend Sally returns and begins dating Jemaine again, causing tension between Bret and Coco. Features the songs Business Time and Sally.


TUE 00:15 Flight of the Conchords (b00856jj)
Series 1

Bowie

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. When Murray suggests a photoshoot Bret becomes self-conscious about his body, but David Bowie appears in his dreams with helpful advice. Featuring the songs Bowie's in Space and Bret You Got it Going On.


TUE 00:40 Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People (b007d56n)
Series 1

Bell Ringing

Comedian Marcus Brigstocke invites himself to this year's National Bell Ringing Contest to find out exactly what it takes to be a champion bell ringer. This event is being held at Worcester Cathedral where hundreds of ringers and supporters gather to listen to the bells and drink copious amounts of real ale.


TUE 01:10 Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People (b0074tbq)
Series 1

Debating

Comedian Marcus Brigstocke attends the World Youth Debating Championship in Cardiff, with the four talented youngsters from Team England the favourites to win. He wants to know if they are normal teenagers and if debating can be fun, especially when done under pressure to win.


TUE 01:40 Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People (b0074tcl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:10 Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People (b0074tdg)
Series 1

Scrabble

Comedian Marcus Brigstocke minds his Ps and Qs at the National Scrabble Championships held in London, where he finds out that Britain has some of the best competitive scrabble players in the world.

Training becomes important as tactics and word scores are analysed and no-one wants to lose. The prize money may be small, but the winner can look forward a place in scrabble history.


TUE 02:40 Legends (b0074t5q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:45 today]


TUE 03:40 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00k36fl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]



WEDNESDAY 06 MAY 2009

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00k9bmq)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00k36fg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


WED 20:00 Victorian Farm (b00hbnk6)
Episode 4

Historical observational documentary series following a team living the life of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing period clothes and using only the materials that would have been available in 1885, historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn are going back in time to relive the day-to-day life of the Victorian farmer.

The project is based on the Acton Scott estate in Shropshire - a world frozen in time, lost in Victorian rural England. Its buildings and grounds are cluttered with antique tools and machinery collected by the Acton family, who have lived on the estate since the 12th century.

Working for a full calendar year, Ruth, Alex and Peter rediscover a lost world of skills, crafts and knowledge assisted by an ever-dwindling band of experts who keep Victorian rural practices alive. Each month and season brings pressing priorities, from tending to livestock and repairing buildings to raising crops, preparing food and crafting furniture and tools. Can they make a success of farming the Victorian way?

It is spring and there are lambs and pigs to be delivered, which means Alex and Peter need to master animal midwifery. A prized ewe is in danger and a lame horse may jeopardise vital work on the farm.

The team turns to Victorian science in a bid to save their struggling crops. If they succeed, they will have something to celebrate at the May Day fair. If they fail, all their hard work will have been in vain. It is make or break time on the Victorian Farm.


WED 21:00 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k9bms)
Beef

A look at how two of our finest native breeds of cattle, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, reigned supreme before the Second World War and helped earn Britain a reputation as the 'stockyard of the world'. The programme also shows how, since then, both breeds have been transformed to a much larger size - from standing only to the stockman's waist to reaching his shoulder.


WED 22:00 All Our Working Lives (b00jwbtm)
Series 1

Working the Land

Documentary which looks at farming in England in the 20th Century, featuring an interview with a Suffolk farmworker who talks about the harsh times in the 1930s.


WED 23:00 I've Never Seen Star Wars (b00k36fl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 on Tuesday]


WED 23:30 Flight of the Conchords (b0087fs1)
Series 1

Drive By

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in New York.

Bret is upset when he and Jemaine are racially harassed by a greengrocer. After a lesson from Dave in flipping the bird, the boys decide to take drastic action.

Features the songs Mutha Uckas, Leggy Blonde and Albi the Racist Dragon.


WED 23:55 Flight of the Conchords (b0088ynb)
Series 1

Girlfriends

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big New York. Bret gets a girlfriend but doesn't want things to go too fast, while Jemaine would be only too pleased if things would get a bit faster for him. Murray gets a CD deal for the guys that seems too good to be true. Features the songs Foux Da Fa Fa and A Kiss is Not a Contract.


WED 00:25 Pop on Trial (b008s9t9)
Finale

Stuart Maconie hosts the series finale in which a jury of music experts including Paul Morley, Lauren Laverne and Noddy Holder come to a final verdict on the most influential and important decade for pop.


WED 01:55 Batman (b0082h73)
Series 1

Zelda the Great

Master escape artist Zelda the Great steals $100,000 from the First National Bank on April Fool's Day. Believing the cash to be counterfeit, she kidnaps Aunt Harriet and suspends her over a vat of boiling oil for ransom.


WED 02:15 Batman (b0082hc2)
Series 1

A Death Worse than Fate

Zelda the Great steals $100,000 from the First National Bank on April Fool's Day, and, believing the cash to be counterfeit, kidnaps Aunt Harriet and suspends her over a vat of boiling oil for ransom. Will Batman find a way to Zelda's heart and rescue Aunt Harriet?


WED 02:45 Mad Men (b00bbslg)
Series 1

Indian Summer

Drama series set in the world of advertising in 1960s New York. While Peggy is assigned to a difficult project, Don grabs an opportunity provided by Roger's latest work problems. Pete has more problems at home and at the office. Betty's frustrations lead her to seek some new relief. Peggy goes on a blind date.


WED 03:30 Mad Men (b00bfkjw)
Series 1

Nixon vs Kennedy

Drama series set in the world of advertising in 1960s New York. The staff at Sterling Cooper stay up all night to watch the Nixon/Kennedy election returns. Pete Campbell's ambitions cause him to directly challenge Don.



THURSDAY 07 MAY 2009

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00k9c1k)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:40 The New Avengers (b00kcz1f)
Series 2

K is for Kill: The Tiger Awake

In 1965, a young Russian soldier gunned down a Salvation Army Band, then fell down dead and suddenly turn into an old man.

In France, in the present (1977), another young Russian soldier attacks some Frenchmen wearing old uniforms. A Russian unit is found attacking an empty old house, and when one of the Russians dies he also ages.

Something very strange is going on and Steed and his team want to know what it is.


THU 20:30 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00k9c1m)
Mowbray and the Moors

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast .

This was Wainwright's last great venture and has become his greatest legacy - a beautifully simple proposition, linking three national parks that lie between the Irish and the North Sea.

36 years after its creation, Julia is off, through sunshine, wind and rain to cross the changing landscape, understand the history and meet the people that make up almost 200 miles of northern England.

The historic town of Richmond is the starting point for the longest section of Julia's adventure. The country-loving Wainwright unusually singled out this town as one of his highlights, insisting that followers take time to peruse its castle and medieval streets.

Miles and miles of flat walking await as Julia sets off across the broad vale between the Dales and her last National Park. The reward is the rugged escarpment of the North York Moors, offering the broadest views, and for Julia the finest weather of her entire journey.


THU 21:00 Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years (b00k9c1p)
Nation on Film documentary telling the story of youth hostelling, which was founded in 1909 in Germany and was established in Britain in 1930, through fascinating archive films discovered in a storeroom at the Youth Hostel Association's headquarters in Derbyshire.

The films chart the progress of the movement, as well as the nation's changing attitudes towards 'youth' and the countryside. The images show young people enjoying a new sense of freedom - hiking, rock climbing, folk singing and even the odd bit of skinny-dipping.

The collection includes everything from silent movies through to video, and all promote the YHA's central mission of encouraging young people to enjoy the benefits of the countryside. Most of the films have not been broadcast before, as they were originally shown in cinemas, hostels and community halls.

Contributors include Lord Puttnam, hostel workers, film-makers, actors and historians.


THU 22:00 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00k99tf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


THU 22:30 Later... with Jools Holland (b00k99g6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Saturday]


THU 23:30 Flight of the Conchords (b008bxvw)
Series 1

What Goes on Tour

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big New York. Murray tells the boys he's got them a gig in Central Park, and so begins a legendary warm-up tour of hotel lounges, featuring debauchery, leather suits and even Murray swearing. Features the song Mermaid.


THU 23:55 Flight of the Conchords (b008d37m)
Series 1

New Fans

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big New York.

When the boys do a gig at a world music club they end up getting two more fans. Mel is jealous, especially when it seems the girls are interested in more than their music.

Features the songs Ladies of the World and Pretty Prince of Parties.


THU 00:25 Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years (b00k9c1p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 01:25 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00k99tf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


THU 01:55 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00k9c1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


THU 02:25 The New Avengers (b00kcz1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:40 today]


THU 03:15 Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years (b00k9c1p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 08 MAY 2009

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00k9cbs)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Manon Starring Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta (b00k9cbv)
The Royal Ballet perform a production of Manon, starring Tamara Rojo in the title role with the world-famous dancer Carlos Acosta as her lover Des Grieux.

In decadent 18th century Paris, the young, beautiful and naive Manon is torn between a life of privilege and luxury with the wealthy Monsieur GM or love with the poor student Des Grieux.

Manon has become one the Royal Ballet's signature works since its creation by choreographer Kenneth MacMillan in 1974. This typically sumptuous production is designed by Nicholas Georgiadis and staged by Monica Mason and Monica Parker.


FRI 21:30 Peter Green: Man of the World (b00k92x1)
Legendary blues guitarist BB King named Peter Green as one of the greatest exponents of the blues, and the 'only guitar player to make me sweat'. If Green had only written Black Magic Woman, his name would still have a place in blues rock history forever.

His three short years leading Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac saw the band established as one of the biggest-selling groups of the 1960s. Yet at the height of their fame Green left the group, with his life spiralling into turmoil as drug-induced mental health issues took control. Rumours of his demise began to spread, and sightings of him became notorious.

After years battling his mental illness, Green wrote and recorded again. Featuring archive performances and interviews with Carlos Santana, Noel Gallagher, founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Green himself, this film tells the story of one of blues rock's living legends.


FRI 23:00 Mad Men (b00k9b41)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


FRI 23:45 Flight of the Conchords (b008fmyw)
Series 1

The Actor

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in New York. The boys hire an actor to cheer Murray up by pretending he's a good manager. But things get out of hand when he ends up accidentally offering Murray a non-existent record deal with Sony and Murray blows all his money on a Lord of the Rings video shoot. Features the songs Frodo and Cheer Up Murray.


FRI 00:15 Flight of the Conchords (b008h4bv)
Series 1

The Third Concord

Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in New York. Murray adds a new band member, the bongo-playing Todd. Bret and Jemaine are unhappy, but the fans seem to love Todd's bongo grooves. Divisions in the band lead to a split and Bret forms The Original Flight of the Conchords. Features the song The Doggy Bounce.


FRI 00:40 The New Avengers (b00kcz1f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:40 on Thursday]


FRI 01:35 Peter Green: Man of the World (b00k92x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


FRI 03:05 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden (b00k9cbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]




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

A Poet's Guide to Britain 20:30 MON (b00k99tf)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 02:25 MON (b00k99tf)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 22:00 THU (b00k99tf)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 01:25 THU (b00k99tf)

All Our Working Lives 22:00 WED (b00jwbtm)

Batman 01:55 WED (b0082h73)

Batman 02:15 WED (b0082hc2)

Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Sing the Whites? 22:30 MON (b00kc752)

Blues at the BBC 20:00 SAT (b00k36m5)

Blues at the BBC 01:40 SAT (b00k36m5)

Bobby Bland: Two Steps from the Blues 21:00 SAT (b00k99g4)

Bobby Bland: Two Steps from the Blues 02:40 SAT (b00k99g4)

Cloudspotting 21:30 SUN (b00k99th)

Cloudspotting 01:30 SUN (b00k99th)

Cranford 19:00 SUN (b008h3r3)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden 21:00 MON (b00k9cbz)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden 00:55 MON (b00k9cbz)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden 03:05 FRI (b00k9cbz)

Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years 22:00 MON (b0074r9l)

Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years 01:55 MON (b0074r9l)

Flight of the Conchords 23:00 SUN (b0080l77)

Flight of the Conchords 23:30 SUN (b0080w4j)

Flight of the Conchords 00:00 MON (b0081m93)

Flight of the Conchords 00:30 MON (b0082h74)

Flight of the Conchords 23:45 TUE (b0084lc3)

Flight of the Conchords 00:15 TUE (b00856jj)

Flight of the Conchords 23:30 WED (b0087fs1)

Flight of the Conchords 23:55 WED (b0088ynb)

Flight of the Conchords 23:30 THU (b008bxvw)

Flight of the Conchords 23:55 THU (b008d37m)

Flight of the Conchords 23:45 FRI (b008fmyw)

Flight of the Conchords 00:15 FRI (b008h4bv)

I've Never Seen Star Wars 21:30 TUE (b00k36fl)

I've Never Seen Star Wars 03:40 TUE (b00k36fl)

I've Never Seen Star Wars 23:00 WED (b00k36fl)

In Search of Speed 19:00 SAT (b0074qym)

Inside the Medieval Mind 20:00 TUE (b009wzw3)

John Mayall: 40 Years of the Blues 00:40 SAT (b0074tlg)

Landscape Mysteries 19:30 TUE (b0074rfv)

Later... with Jools Holland 22:00 SAT (b00k99g6)

Later... with Jools Holland 22:30 THU (b00k99g6)

Legends 22:45 TUE (b0074t5q)

Legends 02:40 TUE (b0074t5q)

Mad Men 22:00 TUE (b00k9b41)

Mad Men 02:45 WED (b00bbslg)

Mad Men 03:30 WED (b00bfkjw)

Mad Men 23:00 FRI (b00k9b41)

Manon Starring Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta 19:30 FRI (b00k9cbv)

Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People 21:00 TUE (b0074tcl)

Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People 00:40 TUE (b007d56n)

Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People 01:10 TUE (b0074tbq)

Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People 01:40 TUE (b0074tcl)

Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People 02:10 TUE (b0074tdg)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 20:30 SUN (b00k3685)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 00:00 SUN (b00k3685)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 03:00 SUN (b00k3685)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 21:00 WED (b00k9bms)

Originals 23:55 SAT (b0074tld)

Peter Green: Man of the World 21:30 FRI (b00k92x1)

Peter Green: Man of the World 01:35 FRI (b00k92x1)

Pop on Trial 00:25 WED (b008s9t9)

Rock Family Trees 23:00 SAT (b0077g3p)

The New Avengers 19:40 THU (b00kcz1f)

The New Avengers 02:25 THU (b00kcz1f)

The New Avengers 00:40 FRI (b00kcz1f)

The Sky at Night 19:00 MON (b072z9cd)

Timeshift 19:30 MON (b00k36fj)

Timeshift 02:55 MON (b00k36fj)

Victorian Farm 20:00 WED (b00hbnk6)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 20:00 SUN (b00k36fg)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 01:00 SUN (b00k36fg)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 19:30 WED (b00k36fg)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 20:30 THU (b00k9c1m)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 01:55 THU (b00k9c1m)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00k99tb)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00k9bmq)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00k9c1k)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00k9cbs)

Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years 21:00 THU (b00k9c1p)

Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years 00:25 THU (b00k9c1p)

Youth Hostelling: The First 100 Years 03:15 THU (b00k9c1p)