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 16 MAY 2009

SAT 19:00 Cobra Ferrari Wars (b0074n1j)
The date is 1959. The place is Le Mans racing circuit, France. A little known Texan racing driver, Carrol Shelby, wins the most prestigious event in motor racing at his first attempt and is universally acclaimed as one of the best drivers in the world.

But Shelby had a secret that was to prevent him ever driving again.

This is the comeback story of a man driven by the desire to beat the world on the race track, and specifically to beat the might of motor racing, Ferrari. From his base in California with only a team of hot rodders for support, in three years Shelby put together a car that would take on the world and win. The Shelby Cobra, as it was known, is still an automotive icon today.

Featuring a great 60s soundtrack and using true-to-the-period split screen effects, this film is for car fans and casual viewers alike.


SAT 20:00 Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale (b0088x0j)
Jeremy Paxman tells the tragic story of World War One poet Wilfred Owen. At a time of jingoism and wartime propaganda, one Shropshire lad was compelled to tell the truth. Jeremy Paxman travels to the battlefields of France to discover how the ugliest and most terrible arena imaginable gave birth to some of the most poignant and powerful poetry in the English language. Wilfred Owen is played by Samuel Barnett.


SAT 21:00 Arena (b0078mv0)
Dylan Thomas: From Grave to Cradle

Author and broadcaster Nigel Williams examines the work and the legend of one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas.

Born in 1914, Dylan Thomas was an unruly and undisciplined child who was interested only in English at school and was determined from childhood to become a poet. Little did he know that he would eventually become world-renowned.

Cited by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Van Morrison and other cultural icons as a profound influence, Thomas occupies the space more readily associated with the likes of James Dean and Jack Kerouac, both of whom he preceded.

But it was his death that truly made him a legend. Did Dylan Thomas really die after drinking 18 straight whiskies at The White Horse in New York? Was he a genius or a sponging, womanising drunk?

The film unravels the myth by tracing the poet's biography backwards, from his much written about, much lied about death to the heart of the Dylan Thomas story and his beginnings in a quiet street in suburban Swansea. (2003)


SAT 22:00 Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard (b00kk49c)
Ian Hislop takes an amused look at one of the most peculiar offices in the British establishment, that of Poet Laureate. Its 341-year history produces a gloriously eccentric picture of who we are, how we are ruled, what we want to say about ourselves and just how hard it is to do that in verse.

We know that Poets Laureate write about royal weddings but Hislop discovers a whole lot more, such as 534, John Masefield's brilliant poem on the launch of the Queen Mary from the Clydebank shipyards and Nicholas Rowe's New Year's Ode for 1716 dedicated to the Princess of Wales's labour pains. There was Colley Cibber, the Laureate so ashamed of his poor output he adopted a pseudonym and wrote poems attacking himself, and Alfred Tennyson, who wrote the nation's favourite laureate poem, Charge of the Light Brigade.

The film also throws light on the shadowy process by which the appointment is made. Lord Gowrie, the arts minister in Mrs Thatcher's cabinet, reveals how Ted Hughes came to be Thatcher's choice for Laureate, when many people were still hostile towards him due to his wife Sylvia Plath's suicide.

A visit to the National Archive unearths a hilarious list by C P Duff, a top civil servant, ranking the poets of the day for the benefit of one very confused prime minister, and Candida Lycett Green reveals to Ian just how much whisky it took before her father, John Betjeman, could summon up a poem to celebrate Princess Anne's wedding.

Ian gets to the bottom of the bizarre tradition of the payment in sherry (650 bottles of the stuff), and after trying a glass or two himself, poetic inspiration strikes and he concludes the film with his very own ode to Carol Ann Duffy, our newest Poet Laureate.


SAT 23:00 Carol Ann Duffy: Secular Prayers (b00kmt48)
Carol Ann Duffy, Britain's first ever woman Poet Laureate, believes that the continuance of the laureateship affirms the value of poetry in the imaginative life of the nation. This film compiles an archive anthology of her work, read by herself from the last 20 years.


SAT 23:10 Close Up (b00klcpx)
Ted Hughes: Force of Nature

Documentary examining the life and work of Poet Laureate Ted Hughes, who died in October 1998, through archive readings by the poet himself and interviews with friends, critics and fellow poets including Anne Stevenson, John Carey, Al Alvarez, and Simon Armitage.


SAT 00:00 Bookmark (b0074kcg)
Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning

Documentary about the late poet Stevie Smith, author of the famous poem Not Waving But Drowning. Friends, neighbours and writers, combined with archive footage, form a picture of how London secretary Smith took the male-dominated literary world by storm.


SAT 00:50 Monitor (b00drs8w)
Larkin and Betjeman - Down Cemetery Road

Philip Larkin talks to John Betjeman in 1964 about his life, his poetry and the city of Hull where he lived and worked as university librarian.


SAT 01:15 Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard (b00kk49c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


SAT 02:15 Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale (b0088x0j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 03:15 Cobra Ferrari Wars (b0074n1j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 17 MAY 2009

SUN 19:00 North and South (b007c8pz)
Episode 1

The first in a four-part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's feisty and passionate love story, set across the social divides in the changing world of Victorian industrial society.

19-year-old Margaret Hale and her parents are forced to leave their idyllic life in the south when Mr Hale resigns from the clergy and the family move to the northern town of Milton. Mr Hale takes work as a private tutor while Margaret and her mother struggle to adapt to their new lives in the north.

When she befriends local millworkers, Margaret's consciousness is rapidly awakened to the divisions and inequalities in society. A fiery meeting with charismatic millowner John Thornton only serves to reinforce her prejudices against him - he personifies the cruel injustice of the industrial system. Thornton however, begins to develop a rather more favourable opinion of spirited Margaret. (2004)


SUN 20:00 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00kfc8c)
The End of the Road

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.

Starting at the highest and most remote overnight spot of the whole walk, Julia sets out on the final stage. Robin Hood's Bay is the goal, but first she must complete the North York Moors and walk through Eskdale, before getting a magical first glimpse of the North Sea.

The tranquil woods of Littlebeck and the clifftop finale provide ample opportunity to reflect on a great adventure and the enduring legacy of the uniquely passionate Wainwright.


SUN 20:30 The Weather (b00jz8gj)
Rain

Documentary series about the weather. The rain is an essential part of being British, giving us the English lawn, the sliding tackle and endless grounds for complaint, but what do we really know about it?

The programme uncovers the true shape of a raindrop, shows how and why rain falls, and tells remarkable stories of how we have adapted or succumbed to this elemental force of nature, such as James Glaisher's seven-mile hot-air balloon ascent in 1862, and how Charles Macintosh invented the waterproof coat.

The Victorians believed that they could master the rain and push it aside, but today climate change threatens us with rain that is wilder and more unpredictable than ever.


SUN 21:30 Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry (b00kk499)
A behind the scenes look at the world's longest running poetry request programme, following the programme-makers, presenter Roger McGough and ordinary listeners of the Radio 4 show. Poets, actors and famous fans including Rick Stein, Kenneth Cranham, Andrew Sachs, Andrew Motion, Tim Pigott-Smith and David Blunkett also share their insights on the secret of its success.


SUN 22:00 The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words (b0074tfg)
To commemorate the centenary of the birth of one of Britain's most influential and best-loved poets, this film combines dramatisations of telling events in the life of WH Auden with interviews from the TV and radio archives and extracts from Auden's poetry, notebooks, letters and journals.


SUN 23:00 Tell Me the Truth About Love (b0074m59)
Documentary film looking at the poetry of W H Auden, revealing how it came not just from inspiration but from a rigorous scientific analysis of love itself. When he died in 1973, he left behind some of the greatest love poems of the 20th century. Most of his unpublished material was destroyed, apart from two short journals and a series of jottings, containing diagrams and notes about the nature of love.


SUN 00:00 Queens of British Pop (b00jnjfm)
Episode 1

Queens of British Pop and narrator Liza Tarbuck offer a celebration of six female pop stars, singers and icons that lit us up from the early 60s to the late 70s.

Programme one tells the story of Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush - some of the female artists that emerged alongside some of Britain's defining musical movements, from the swinging sixties through to glam rock and punk.

The programme gives an insight into the lives of these top female artists, offering first-hand or eyewitness accounts of the highs, the lows and the obstacles they had to overcome. The selected artists have pushed boundaries, played around with gender roles and had their private lives overshadow their success, but it is their experiences that have helped change the face of British pop as we know it today.

Includes new interviews with Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull, Suzi Quatro, Siouxsie Sioux and contributions from Tom Jones, Lulu, Burt Bacharach, John Lydon, Martha Reeves, Nancy Sinatra, Mark Radcliffe, Henry Winkler, Marc Almond, Peter Gabriel, Claire Grogan, Jarvis Cocker, Kiki Dee, Nigel Havers, Lily Allen and Adele, to name but a few.


SUN 01:05 Dusty (b0074q99)
Series 2

Episode 4

Vintage episode of Dusty Springfield's 1960s TV series, featuring special guest Tom Jones. Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Margaret Stredder supply the backing vocals.


SUN 01:30 Cilla (b00k35l5)
Series 2

Episode 8

Edition of Cilla Black's 1960s TV series. Cilla sings Step Inside Love and Pass Me By, and performs duets with Georgie Fame on For Once in My Life and Dusty Springfield on If You're Ever (Friendship). Dusty and Georgie also take the mic for solo numbers.

Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graham Chapman and Graeme Garden do a Top of the Form take-off and a ritual Japanese wrestling act, while comedian Tom Ward does a drunk act.


SUN 02:10 The Sandie Shaw Supplement (b00k7653)
Quicksand

1960s show in which Sandie Shaw performs music on the theme of transport and travel. She is filmed riding a horse on a Welsh beach, in a racing car, on a Marylebone station platform and in the studio, singing Route 66, Do you Know the Way to San Jose, Homeward Bound, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Girl Don't Come, Got to Go, Planes and Boats and Planes, Day Tripper and Ticket to Ride.


SUN 02:40 Lulu's Back in Town (b00k35lc)
Episode 3

Edition of Lulu's 1960s TV variety show, in which she sings solo numbers and duets with guests Les Dawson and the Everly Brothers.


SUN 03:05 The Weather (b00jz8gj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



MONDAY 18 MAY 2009

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00kk4n3)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Narnia Code (b00jz2qp)
Documentary examining claims that CS Lewis's Narnia Chronicles contain a hidden meaning.

CS Lewis wrote the Narnia Chronicles over 50 years ago, yet they are more popular today than ever. When they were first published, many critics thought them little more than childish scribblings, replete with random characters and unexplained events. Even Lewis's good friend JRR Tolkien thought them confused and misconceived.

Other scholars were sure there was something more, something hidden beneath the stories. Although many tried, none could find this secret key of Narnia - until now. Dr Michael Ward, a young academic and expert in all things Lewisian, claims he has found the answer at last: he has discovered the Narnia Code.

Using dramatisations of Lewis's early life and career, the programme travels the world, from the Mid-West of modern America to the battlefields of the First World War, meeting experts, testing evidence and uncovering surprising questions and ideas that still challenge readers today.


MON 20:30 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00kk4n5)
George Mackay Brown

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.

George Mackay Brown, who died in 1996, was the great poetic voice of the Orkneys and one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th century. Sheers travels to the place the locals call the Venice of the North, the Orkney town of Stromness, which was Mackay Brown's home and the backdrop for much of his work, including his great poem Hamnavoe.

In Hamnavoe, the Viking name for Stromness, Mackay Brown takes the reader on a nostalgic and blustery tour of the town in the footsteps of his father, the local postman. Sheers uses the poem as a tour guide to Mackay Brown's Orkney life and work, exploring the narrow streets where George was born and wrote his first poems and taking diversions to the great cathedral of St Magnus, the Norse patron saint of the islands, and the remote island of Rackwick.

The poem opens up a moving story of a father and son and showcases Mackay Brown's exquisite, concise, gem-like writing. With ravishing views of the islands in the distinctive Orcadian light, the programme is a hymn to a unique corner of Britain. It also features, among other friends and fans of Mackay Brown, the contemporary Scottish poet Don Patterson.


MON 21:00 The Great Contemporary Art Bubble Update (b00kmt51)
Art critic and film-maker Ben Lewis spent two years following the contemporary art market, from its heady peak in May 2008 until the crash and burn in October. Now, in a new and updated version of the film first broadcast in May 2009, he returns one year later, in October 2009, to discover a very different market.

The last five years had witnessed an unprecedented craze for contemporary art, in which works of art by Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko sold for record-breaking prices of 30 million pounds upwards. It all climaxed in September 2008, when Damien Hirst sold 111 million pounds' worth of his art at an unprecedented auction at Sotheby's - the very day Lehman Brothers collapsed bringing down the financial markets of the western world. The bubble did not burst the night of the Hirst sale - but it proved to be a last hurrah.

The auctions in October and November 2008 were a disaster, and Ben was there too, filming the art world in shock. By early 2009, the contemporary art auction market was down 75 per cent, auction houses had recorded record losses and were rapidly downsizing.

In October 2009, Ben returns to find out what has been happening.

In this inside eye-witness journey into the art world, Ben visits auction houses, art fairs, galleries and the homes of billionaires across the world, searching for the reasons behind the greatest rise in financial value of art in history. He interviews leading dealers, art collectors and art market analysts and discovers an extraordinary world of unusual market practices, speculation, secrecy and a passionate enthusiasm for art.


MON 22:00 Storyville (b00kld49)
The Baby and the Buddha

Nati Baratz's documentary chronicles a former disciple's search for his reincarnated Tibetan master.

After 26 years of isolated meditation in a mountain cave, Lama Konchog became one of the greatest Tibetan masters of our time. When he passed away in 2001 at 84, the Dalai Lama instructed his shy, devoted disciple Tenzin Zopa to search for his master's reincarnation. This 'unmistaken child' must be found within four years, before it becomes too difficult to remove him from his parents' care.

Tenzin entered the service of Lama Konchog at the age of seven, at his own request, and was with his master continuously for 21 years. The loss of his teacher leaves Tenzin bereft and he is further unsettled by the unexpected responsibility of carrying out the highly secretive search for his spiritual father, who is now expected to be embodied in a little boy and may be anywhere in the world.

His search crosses countries, passing through mountains and villages that appear to have remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Assisted by astrology, signs from dreams and the whispers of villagers, Tenzin travels by helicopter, mule and foot. When he comes upon an apparent contender, the documentary accompanies Tenzin and his young charge through the mysterious procedures that may confirm the reincarnation.

While the film brings to light a rarely seen aspect of the Buddhist faith, the true revelation is Tenzin's journey as a man. We come to know him as modest and shy, but with an impish sense of humour. He appears to be of another time and place, yet lives profoundly in the present. Alone on his quest, he is only able to share his thoughts and feelings with filmmaker Baratz. Tenzin's simple honesty and unselfconsciousness make the viewer a privileged partner in his passage.


MON 23:30 The Lost World of Tibet (b0093677)
Dan Cruickshank presents a documentary revealing the story of the Dalai Lama, his secret Himalayan kingdom and the story of his exile, using eyewitness accounts from Tibetans including the Dalai Lama himself and colour archive footage of Tibet from the 1930s to 50s.


MON 00:30 Queens of British Pop (b00jt56r)
Episode 2

A celebration of six queens of British pop music, and a look at their impact between 1980 and 2009.

This programme profiles Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet, Kylie Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis. These female stars take us from post-punk to The X Factor, with a slice of girl power along the way.

Narrated by Lisa Tarbuck, with contributors including Annie Lennox, Dawn French, Dave Stewart, Alison Moyet, Pete Waterman, Alexandra Burke, Leona Lewis, Lily Allen, Adele, Marc Almond and more.


MON 01:30 Kate Bush at the BBC 1979 (b00k35n4)
1979 Christmas special featuring Kate Bush. She performs Gymnopedie No 1, Symphony in Blue, Them Heavy People, Madrigal, December, Wedding List, Egypt, Ran Tan Waltz, Man with the Child in His Eyes and Don't Push Your Foot on the Heartbreak.

Guest star Peter Gabriel sings Here Comes the Flood and duets with Kate on Another Day.


MON 02:15 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00kk4n5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 02:45 The Great Contemporary Art Bubble Update (b00kmt51)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 19 MAY 2009

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00kk4qp)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Landscape Mysteries (b0074rf0)
The Abandoned Marsh

Professor Aubrey Manning traces the history of Romney Marsh in Kent, reclaimed from the sea in the 12th Century and now a landscape of abandoned buildings and tales of towns lost at sea. What happened to its communities and why is it so deserted?


TUE 20:00 Inside the Medieval Mind (b00b6w6m)
Power

Professor Robert Bartlett lays bare the brutal framework of the medieval class system, where inequality was part of the natural order, the life of serfs little better than those of animals and the knight's code of chivalry more one of caste solidarity than morality. Yet a social revolution would transform relations between those with absolute power and those with none.


TUE 21:00 The Great British Wedding (b00kk4qr)
Mark Benton narrates a step-by-step guide to how the Brits tie the knot. From the stag do to the table plan, from the rings to the first dance, this is a look at how the Brits just about manage to rise to the occasion on one of the most momentous days of our lives - the wedding day.


TUE 22:00 We Need Answers (b00hkbc6)
Series 1

Reading

Mark Watson, Tim Key and Alex Horne lead a comic quiz show with a difference, adapted from their award-winning Edinburgh show. Celebrity guests Germaine Greer and Michael Rosen take part to find out which one of them is the smartest, the funniest and the best at surreal physical challenges. All the questions come from the audience members and text-messaging services.


TUE 22:30 Flight of the Conchords (b00kld6c)
Series 2

A New Cup

After Bret spends $2.79 on a new cup the boys can't pay any of their bills and, having sold their guitars, Jemaine turns to prostitution to try and make ends meet.


TUE 23:00 The Armstrong and Miller Show (b0087fjz)
Series 1

Episode 3

Beneath the veneer of po-faced respectability lies a wealth of great characters in Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller's sketch show.


TUE 23:30 Make 'em Laugh (b00kmt5h)
Would You Hit a Guy with Glasses?: Nerds, Jerks and Oddballs

Six-part series chronicling over 100 years of American comedy, introduced by Billy Crystal and narrated by Amy Sedaris.

While America, a country of immigrants, has always championed the idea of inclusiveness, the outsider has been a source of constant amusement. Perhaps best epitomised today by characters in such blockbuster Judd Apatow comedies as The Forty Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad, this edition also looks back at the bespectacled wannabe (Harold Lloyd) and the vain coward (Bob Hope) as the outsiders of their day.

Along with pioneering women in comedy like Phyllis Diller and truly zany characters who seem to have arrived from another planet (Jonathan Winters, Andy Kaufman, Robin Williams), the great social upheaval of the 1960s and 70s introduced counter-culture favourites Cheech and Chong, as well as superstar nerds like Woody Allen and 'jerks' like Steve Martin, who ultimately became so popular that the idea of the outsider had to be re-cast.


TUE 00:25 The Great British Wedding (b00kk4qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 01:25 Storyville (b00kld49)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:55 Make 'em Laugh (b00kmt5h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]



WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00kk4tl)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast (b00kfc8c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


WED 20:00 Victorian Farm (b00hn1sf)
Episode 6

Historical observational documentary series following a team who live 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 are rediscovering 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?

The team's year on the farm is coming to an end, but first they have to bring in the wheat harvest, the most crucial part of the Victorian Farm calendar. Alex and Peter must get to grips with a contraption that was state-of-the-art technology in Victorian times, the reaper binder. Ruth explores the craft of straw plaiting and discovers the art of printing. The boys try their hand at a home brew. The team bring in the wheat harvest with the help of some extra labour, and celebrate with a raucous harvest festival.


WED 21:00 Feasts (b00kk4wc)
India

Series in which food writer and presenter Stefan Gates immerses himself in some of the most extraordinary feasts and festivals on earth. By joining ordinary people in these strange and wonderful distillations of their culture and beliefs, he hopes to gain a revelatory insight into how the world thinks and feels.

Stefan makes a journey across India to discover how feasts and celebration divide - and bring together - a turbulent nation that can be riven by religious tension and extremes of wealth.

He is shocked to see how much extravagance and social engineering there is in an expensive showpiece Rajasthani Hindu wedding, yet how little emotion is actually expressed. These events are spectacular, and the scale is terrifying for a father of two young daughters.

In Kerala, Stefan experiences the bewildering festival of Onam, a Hindu celebration that brings this massive state of millions of people together, Hindu and Christian, rich and poor alike. Over several days he joins almost all of the entire 32m population in sitting down to exactly the same meal - an 11-portion feast eaten with fingers from a banana leaf.

Stefan joins in the Pulikali, the tiger dance, and is apparently he first westerner ever to take part. It is the most physically uncomfortable, gruesome day of his life. He has his body hair shaved off with a dry razor, then spends five hours being painted with several layers of household gloss paint, holding on to two sticks to keep his arms outstretched as he dries out. He is then covered in a sweaty, sticky mask and a pair of bordello pants, and packed off into the streets to join his team in dancing like a maniac around the baking-hot streets of the city of Thrissur for four hours.


WED 22:00 The Great British Wedding (b00kk4qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 23:00 A Year in Tibet (b0094zlf)
Three Husbands and a Wedding

For twelve months, a television crew has followed a handful of ordinary Tibetan people living in and around Gyantse, Tibet's third largest town. The result is a unique and intimate portrait of life in one of the most mysterious and isolated societies on earth.

It is autumn in southern Tibet and everyone is pulling together to get in the harvest. Like all farmers, Dundan is worried most about hailstones flattening his crops. In the past his brother Tseden, the local shaman, protected the fields with his spells. Now the local government has installed guns to disperse the clouds and this has put Tseden out of a job.

In the nearby town of Gyantse, Rincheu, a local builder, struggles to find enough workers during the harvest to complete his all important first government commission.

In the monastery, the monks recover from a hectic visit by the highest ranking Buddhist Lama in Tibet. After a riotous time celebrating the success of the event, they go home to help with the harvest.

Tseden is also helping a local family to arrange their daughter's wedding. Despite months of preparation, nobody actually gets around to telling the bride she is going to be wed - nor does anybody mention that she is expected to marry her husband's brother as well.


WED 00:00 Storyville (b007tjgr)
Every Good Marriage Begins with Tears

Director Simon Chambers follows the lives of young Bengali sisters - and close personal friends of his - as they travel from London to Bangladesh to undertake the arranged marriages that have long been planned for them. Although apparently reluctant to submit to the agreed arrangements, the sisters nonetheless seem unable or unwilling to ultimately escape their traditional destiny.


WED 01:00 The Great British Wedding (b00kk4qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 Batman (b00856jh)
Series 1

The Thirteenth Hat

Using his Super Instant Mesmerizer, paroled Jervis Tetch, alias the Mad Hatter, attempts to capture every member of the jury which originally convicted him, as well as Batman.


WED 02:25 Batman (b00856lv)
Series 1

Batman Stands Pat

Batman's breathtaking escape from his plaster tomb puts him on the trail of the Mad Hatter once more. Who is the twelfth juror and why? Alfred is sent on a mission.


WED 02:50 Mad Men (b00hq329)
Series 2

Flight One

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York.

After an American Airlines air crash, Duck wants to go after their account, but he comes into conflict with Don. Pete hears some shocking news. Peggy is left holding the baby.


WED 03:35 Mad Men (b00hvx7j)
Series 2

The Benefactor

Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. On the set of a commercial, comedian Jimmy Barrett insults an important client over her weight. Harry finds out that Ken Cosgrove is earning more than him and wonders how he can get a salary increase. Don gets close to Jimmy's wife Bobbie.



THURSDAY 21 MAY 2009

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00kk5n3)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:40 The New Avengers (b00kmt73)
Series 2

Complex

Agent X41, codename Scapina, is the USSR's most effective spy. But a photograph has fallen into the hands of the Avengers which may give a clue to his identity. The trail leads the trio to Toronto.


THU 20:30 Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry (b00kk499)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 on Sunday]


THU 21:00 Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard (b00kk49c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Saturday]


THU 22:00 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00kk4n5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


THU 22:30 Feasts (b00kk4wc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]


THU 23:30 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00kf9ng)
Ian Hislop

Private Eye editor Ian Hislop discusses his role as a satirist with Mark Lawson.

He talks about how boarding school became a second home after the premature death of his father, and his own expectation of an early demise.

Christianity has been a consistent factor in his life, and he describes how he regularly flirts with doubt but always returns to faith.

He also reveals the goings on behind the scenes of Have I Got News For You? where he has been a team captain for almost 20 years, and how the long-running spat with Piers Morgan came about.


THU 00:30 Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard (b00kk49c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Saturday]


THU 01:30 Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry (b00kk499)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 on Sunday]


THU 02:00 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00kk4n5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


THU 02:30 The New Avengers (b00kmt73)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:40 today]


THU 03:20 Feasts (b00kk4wc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]



FRIDAY 22 MAY 2009

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00kk5yg)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Acis and Galatea from the Royal Opera House (b00kk5yj)
Marking the 250th anniversary of Handel's death, a new production of the opera Acis and Galatea which brings together the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet directed by Wayne McGregor, the Royal Ballet's resident choreographer.

Australian-born American soprano Danielle de Niese makes her Royal Opera debut singing the role of Galatea, America tenor Charles Workman sings the role of Acis and British bass Matthew Rose is the giant Polyphemus. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is conducted by the period instrument pioneer Christopher Hogwood.


FRI 21:15 The Night James Brown Saved Boston (b00kk5yl)
April 5th 1968, the morning after one of the most catastrophic moments in American history - the assassination of Martin Luther King. America's inner cities had begun to implode and in Boston there is a fragile peace.

The mayor of Boston is about to cancel a long-scheduled James Brown concert to avoid confrontation - a potentially incendiary move - but after warnings he has a change of heart and asks if there is 'something James Brown can do to help'.

This documentary tells the story of that amazing night and features rarely-seen footage of the Godfather of Soul's concert plus personal reminiscences from those in attendance.


FRI 22:30 BBC Four Sessions (b0074pvs)
James Brown

Series of concerts featuring musicians from around the world at LSO St Luke's in London's East End. The late James Brown, aka the Godfather of Soul, is joined by a 19-piece band including two drummers, three backing vocalists, two dancers in hot pants and a brass section.

He performs some of his most famous songs, including Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, It's a Man's Man's World, I Feel Good and Sex Machine.


FRI 23:30 Flight of the Conchords: On Air (b00kgbcv)
Behind the scenes look at the cult comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine trying to make it big in their adopted home of New York.

It follows the duo in the United States before and after the release of the first series, as they speak candidly about the road to fame, and we meet the other personalities, cast and crew that helped make their show a smash hit in America, NZ and the rest of the world.

As Bret McKenzie's long-term partner, director Hannah Clarke was in a unique position to gain access to the Conchords at their most relaxed, as well as their most frantic and exhausted, and was able to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse into this experience. Through her insider's eye we are granted an intimate look into the lives of this great comedy act and discover how they won the hearts of America.


FRI 23:55 Flight of the Conchords (b00kld6c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Tuesday]


FRI 00:20 The New Avengers (b00kmt73)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:40 on Thursday]


FRI 01:15 The Night James Brown Saved Boston (b00kk5yl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:15 today]


FRI 02:25 BBC Four Sessions (b0074pvs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 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 Poet's Guide to Britain 20:30 MON (b00kk4n5)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 02:15 MON (b00kk4n5)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 22:00 THU (b00kk4n5)

A Poet's Guide to Britain 02:00 THU (b00kk4n5)

A Year in Tibet 23:00 WED (b0094zlf)

Acis and Galatea from the Royal Opera House 19:30 FRI (b00kk5yj)

Arena 21:00 SAT (b0078mv0)

BBC Four Sessions 22:30 FRI (b0074pvs)

BBC Four Sessions 02:25 FRI (b0074pvs)

Batman 02:00 WED (b00856jh)

Batman 02:25 WED (b00856lv)

Bookmark 00:00 SAT (b0074kcg)

Carol Ann Duffy: Secular Prayers 23:00 SAT (b00kmt48)

Cilla 01:30 SUN (b00k35l5)

Close Up 23:10 SAT (b00klcpx)

Cobra Ferrari Wars 19:00 SAT (b0074n1j)

Cobra Ferrari Wars 03:15 SAT (b0074n1j)

Dusty 01:05 SUN (b0074q99)

Feasts 21:00 WED (b00kk4wc)

Feasts 22:30 THU (b00kk4wc)

Feasts 03:20 THU (b00kk4wc)

Flight of the Conchords: On Air 23:30 FRI (b00kgbcv)

Flight of the Conchords 22:30 TUE (b00kld6c)

Flight of the Conchords 23:55 FRI (b00kld6c)

Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard 22:00 SAT (b00kk49c)

Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard 01:15 SAT (b00kk49c)

Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard 21:00 THU (b00kk49c)

Ian Hislop's Changing of the Bard 00:30 THU (b00kk49c)

Inside the Medieval Mind 20:00 TUE (b00b6w6m)

Kate Bush at the BBC 1979 01:30 MON (b00k35n4)

Landscape Mysteries 19:30 TUE (b0074rf0)

Lulu's Back in Town 02:40 SUN (b00k35lc)

Mad Men 02:50 WED (b00hq329)

Mad Men 03:35 WED (b00hvx7j)

Make 'em Laugh 23:30 TUE (b00kmt5h)

Make 'em Laugh 02:55 TUE (b00kmt5h)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 23:30 THU (b00kf9ng)

Monitor 00:50 SAT (b00drs8w)

North and South 19:00 SUN (b007c8pz)

Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry 21:30 SUN (b00kk499)

Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry 20:30 THU (b00kk499)

Poetry Please: Thirty Years of the People's Poetry 01:30 THU (b00kk499)

Queens of British Pop 00:00 SUN (b00jnjfm)

Queens of British Pop 00:30 MON (b00jt56r)

Storyville 22:00 MON (b00kld49)

Storyville 01:25 TUE (b00kld49)

Storyville 00:00 WED (b007tjgr)

Tell Me the Truth About Love 23:00 SUN (b0074m59)

The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words 22:00 SUN (b0074tfg)

The Armstrong and Miller Show 23:00 TUE (b0087fjz)

The Great British Wedding 21:00 TUE (b00kk4qr)

The Great British Wedding 00:25 TUE (b00kk4qr)

The Great British Wedding 22:00 WED (b00kk4qr)

The Great British Wedding 01:00 WED (b00kk4qr)

The Great Contemporary Art Bubble Update 21:00 MON (b00kmt51)

The Great Contemporary Art Bubble Update 02:45 MON (b00kmt51)

The Lost World of Tibet 23:30 MON (b0093677)

The Narnia Code 19:30 MON (b00jz2qp)

The New Avengers 19:40 THU (b00kmt73)

The New Avengers 02:30 THU (b00kmt73)

The New Avengers 00:20 FRI (b00kmt73)

The Night James Brown Saved Boston 21:15 FRI (b00kk5yl)

The Night James Brown Saved Boston 01:15 FRI (b00kk5yl)

The Sandie Shaw Supplement 02:10 SUN (b00k7653)

The Weather 20:30 SUN (b00jz8gj)

The Weather 03:05 SUN (b00jz8gj)

Victorian Farm 20:00 WED (b00hn1sf)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 20:00 SUN (b00kfc8c)

Wainwright Walks: Coast to Coast 19:30 WED (b00kfc8c)

We Need Answers 22:00 TUE (b00hkbc6)

Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale 20:00 SAT (b0088x0j)

Wilfred Owen: A Remembrance Tale 02:15 SAT (b0088x0j)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b00kk4n3)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00kk4qp)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00kk4tl)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00kk5n3)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00kk5yg)