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 22 AUGUST 2009

SAT 19:00 Only Connect (b00m6n2p)
Series 2

Chessmen v Rugby Boys - Semi-Final

Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital.

In the second semi-final, three quietly strategic chess players pit their wits against the brawn of the Rugby Boys. Who will win the battle, as they compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random? How does Carmilla link to Neo via Lord Voldemort and Sir Leigh Teabing?


SAT 19:30 Farewell My Lovely (b008mh2l)
Film noir classic adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel of the same name.

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, embroiling the hard-boiled gumshoe in a plot which involves blackmail, murder, drugs and double cross.


SAT 21:00 The Rules of Film Noir (b00mbstz)
Bogey, Bacall and Mitchum play it tough as Matthew Sweet celebrates the hardboiled world of noir movies.


SAT 22:00 The Lady from Shanghai (b00bwrpz)
Compelling and highly stylised tale of an Irish sailor who accompanies a beautiful woman and her husband on a sea cruise, and becomes a pawn in a game of murder. Includes labyrinthine plot twists and some breathtaking cinematography - particularly in the famous Hall of Mirrors scene.


SAT 23:25 The Big Combo (b0077myx)
Stylish film noir about a police lieutenant, Leonard Diamond, who comes under pressure from a gang headed by a vicious thug. He is helped by the gangster's wife, jealous at her husband's affair with another woman, who supplies him with information to help him close the net on his foe.


SAT 00:50 The Rules of Film Noir (b00mbstz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SAT 01:50 Force of Evil (b0074q93)
Dark, brooding drama about two brothers caught up in crime and corruption. An ambitious lawyer in search of materialistic gain begins work for a New York criminal mastermind, who plans to take over New York's illegal lottery. The attorney serves his boss faithfully until he realises his own brother will fall victim to the plan. But it seems he may now be too involved to escape the gangster's violent ends.


SAT 03:05 Only Connect (b00m6n2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 03:35 The Rules of Film Noir (b00mbstz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



SUNDAY 23 AUGUST 2009

SUN 19:00 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (b00jqgd3)
Series 1

Problems in Moral Philosophy

Drama based on Alexander McCall Smith's novels.

When Mma Pekwane suspects her husband of buying a stolen car, Mma Ramotswe offers some creative advice, which involves a foray into auto theft.

Mma Makutsi - complete with fabulous new Assistant Detective hairstyle - embarks on her first case, full of undercover operations, high speed car chases and quick getaways.


SUN 20:00 Wainwright Walks (b007y8bp)
Series 2

Pillar

Series in which Julia Bradbury explores the Lake District landscape that inspired the great British fell walker and author Alfred Wainwright to produce his beautifully crafted guidebooks.

Julia faces more climbing than walking as she sets out on one of the most dramatic Lakeland routes. From the remote valley of Ennerdale, she starts the ascent to one of Wainwright's favourite fells - Pillar. The route takes her past cliffs, along ledges and over the Lake District's most famous crag, Pillar Rock.


SUN 20:30 Fossil Detectives (b00dx3p1)
South of England

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

The team finds out why southern England is the best place to go dinosaur hunting in the UK, as they excavate their own dinosaur at a secret location on the Isle of Wight. They search for the iguanodon, the discovery that made scientists realise that dinosaurs existed, while Billy Bragg and his son Jack share their best fossil finds.


SUN 21:00 Build My Gallows High (b00783dj)
Classic 1940s American film noir which tells a grim, complex tale of love and betrayal. An ex-private detective turned garage owner is hired to find the girlfirend of an old gambling associate. His journey takes him down to Acapulco, where he finds himself falling in love with the dangerous lady in question.


SUN 22:30 The Rules of Film Noir (b00mbstz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]


SUN 23:30 Stranger on the Third Floor (b0078fl3)
The testimony of an ambitious reporter helps to convict a young man of murder, but the newspaper man has second thoughts about his contribution when he finds himself in the dock while a homicidal maniac is on the loose.


SUN 00:35 Stiff at the BBC (b0074sw5)
Episode 2

Second part of a compilation of BBC performances by the original Stiff Records artists and those closely associated with the maverick label, including Madness, Ian Dury, the Pogues, Lene Lovich and Jona Lewie.


SUN 01:35 If It Ain't Stiff (b007j2hr)
Adrian Edmondson narrates a documentary chronicling the story of Stiff Records, a tiny independent that took music out of the boardroom and gave it back to the fans. Stiff's successes included Nick Lowe, the Damned, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Madness, Tracey Ullman and the Pogues. Contributors include Captain Sensible, Jonathan Ross, Suggs, Shane MacGowan and label founders Jake Riviera and Dave Robinson.


SUN 03:05 The Rules of Film Noir (b00mbstz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]



MONDAY 24 AUGUST 2009

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00mbt56)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Legends (b00fzv3y)
Roy Orbison - The 'Big O' in Britain

Roy Orbison was the best singer in the world. That's what Elvis Presley said, and he should know.

To mark the 20th anniversary of Orbison's death, this programme celebrates the extraordinary talent of 'The Big O' and his relationship with his most loyal and enduring fans, British musicians and the British public. Through a combination of interview and archive, it charts Orbison's career in Britain, from the sell-out tour with the Beatles that sky-rocketed him to international superstardom, right up to the collaboration with lifelong friend George Harrison on the Travelling Wilburys project in the late 1980s. Effortlessly cool, musically sophisticated, Orbison was a rock and roll legend, whose legacy continues to captivate both the listeners and performers of today.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b00mbt58)
Series 2

Chessman v Mathematicians - The Competition for Third Place

Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital.

Three avid chess players take on a trio unified by their love of mathematics as they compete for the glory of third place in the series, trying to draw together the connections between elements which, at first glance, seem utterly random.


MON 21:00 Wallander (b00mfbr4)
Series 1

The Container Lorry

The police launch a murder investigation after finding an abandoned lorry with a container full of dead refugees.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


MON 22:30 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.


MON 23:30 The Weather (b00jw9z6)
Snow

Documentary series about the weather. This episode looks at snow, that most fleeting and beautiful of elements which endlessly fascinates us.

Using rare footage, we journey into the microscopically small world of the snow crystal, finding out how a snowflake forms and why it is always six-sided.

The science of snow tests British Rail's claim that the snow that crippled their rolling stock in 1991 really was the 'wrong type of snow', and explains how, thanks to a scientific discovery, a British company became the world's leading producer of snow.


MON 00:30 The Weather (b00jzjhx)
Winds

Documentary series about the weather. This episode looks at wind - a phenomenon caused by the interaction of temperature, pressure and the earth's rotation, which took scientists over a thousand years to fully explain.

We witness some remarkable wind-related stories, such as the tornado that flung Dorothy Allwright and her caravan into the air, and how Scottish engineer James Blyth invented the first electricity-producing wind turbine in 1887.

Once we looked to the gods to explain the wind, until science unlocked its mysteries. Today, we may have come to understand the wind, but we have also realised that we will never master it, and that this elemental force cannot be ignored.


MON 01:30 Only Connect (b00mbt58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 02:00 Style on Trial (b00h4x56)
1980s

Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne put British style and fashion between the 1940s and the 1990s into the dock. To discuss the 1980s they are joined in the studio by former fashion editor of i-D magazine and host of The Clothes Show, Caryn Franklin; bass player from Duran Duran, John Taylor; and Stevie Stewart, a designer from Boy George's favourite fashion label of the decade, Bodymap.


MON 03:00 Style on Trial (b00h6wty)
1990s

Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne put British style and fashion between the 1940s and the 1990s into the dock. They are joined in the studio by design specialist Ben de Lisi, singer and fashion broadcaster Mica Paris and musician, model and designer Pearl Lowe to discuss whether the 90s will be remembered as the golden age of celebrity, glamour and the triumph of the high street or as a bland, joyless decade in which the globalisation led to homogeneity of style.



TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2009

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00mbtgw)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Only Connect (b00mbt58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


TUE 20:00 The Cell (b00m6nhq)
The Chemistry of Life

In a three-part series, Dr Adam Rutherford tells the extraordinary story of the scientific quest to discover the secrets of the cell and of life itself. Every living thing is made of cells, microscopic building blocks of almost unimaginable power and complexity.

This episode explores how scientists delved ever deeper into the world of the cell, seeking to reveal the magic ingredient that can spark a bundle of chemicals into life. Their discoveries have brought us to the brink of being able to create life for ourselves.


TUE 21:00 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mbtgy)
A Knight's Tale

At 67, multi-millionaire businessman John Madejski is to be knighted for a lifetime of giving. He has 250 million in the bank and gives to the arts and education, and especially to his home town of Reading.

But as the recession bites, he is not a happy man. He has fingers in eighteen pies and they are all causing him worry, but the powerlessness he feels at least means he can dedicate some thought to the Inner Man. All his life he has been troubled by the need to find out more about his origins, about the man who fathered him, and to discover the secrets and lies about his illegitimate birth.

His buildings all bear his name, but what will he call the country estate he is creating on a hillside outside Reading, his very own Shangri-La?

In this fascinating documentary, Mr Reading goes on a voyage of discovery and emerges with a new understanding of himself.


TUE 22:00 The Car Show (b00j4d3d)
Documentary which explores the ways that cars have been presented on television in the motoring programmes that have tapped into our collective subconscious.

It looks at the classic motoring magazine shows of the 1960s and 70s like Wheelbase, which showcased some of the world's latest innovations and spawned the next generation of programming such as the original Top Gear with Angela Rippon and Noel Edmonds.

The film investigates how more recent motoring programmes changed to accommodate society's view of the car. The new Top Gear and shows such as Panic Mechanics and Stars in Fast Cars reflect a shift away from the traditional car review show towards a more topical, aspirational and spectacular viewing experience.


TUE 23:00 Early Doors (b0078kfw)
Series 1

Episode 5

Comedy series set in a small Manchester public house. It is Joan and Eddie's anniversary and they plan to celebrate in style at The Grapes with a fish supper for later. Eddie's mother-in-law Nellie is causing him concern so Tommy offers the sympathetic advice of putting her in a home. Duffy involves Joe in an extramarital deception.


TUE 23:30 Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe (b00fztgk)
Series 4

Episode 4

Charlie Brooker takes an irreverent look at all aspects of life on the small screen, including capsule reviews of the week's highs and lows.

Brooker takes a scalpel to 'mission' documentaries, the shows that begin with the presenter uttering 'I am on a mission to...' only to finish with a daft gimmick. After reviewing the current crop of mission documentaries, he goes on to make his own rather unusual version of the genre, highlighting the formats and tricks of the trade along the way.


TUE 00:00 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mbtgy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 01:00 The Car Show (b00j4d3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 02:00 Only Connect (b00mbt58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]


TUE 02:30 Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe (b00fztgk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]


TUE 03:00 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mbtgy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST 2009

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00mbvff)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Once a Soldier (b007l4jp)
Series 1

Changing the Guard

Documentary series about the Chelsea Pensioners, former British soldiers who live in the Royal Hospital in Chelsea. The Hospital has been told it needs to shape up for the 21st century. From cybercafes and a gym to discussions about whether to have en-suite bathrooms in the Grade 1-listed berths, the Pensioners make their views clear to the modernising new top brass. Arnhem veteran Vic Massingham is unfazed by the upheaval, determined only to retain his bowls club crown.


WED 20:00 Casualty 1909 (b00ldhcm)
Episode 3

The strain of being 'married to the hospital' takes its toll on Sister Ada Russell, as she nears collapse. On one of the London's Jewish wards, Nurse Goodley finds herself increasingly drawn to the charismatic radical Saul Landau - but Saul has a life-threatening illness.


WED 21:00 The Cell (b00mbvfh)
The Spark of Life

In a three-part series, Dr Adam Rutherford tells the extraordinary story of the scientific quest to discover the secrets of the cell and of life itself. Every living thing is made of cells, microscopic building blocks of almost unimaginable power and complexity.

The final part reveals how our knowledge of cells has brought us to the brink of one of the most important moments in history. Scientists are close to repeating what has happened only once in four billion years - the creation of a new life form.


WED 22:00 Visions of the Future (b0088yjf)
The Biotech Revolution

Leading theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku looks at the revolution in genetics and biotechnology, which promises unprecedented health and longevity but also raises the spectre of a Frankenstein future of genetically engineered people. Will we, as transhumanists expect, evolve into a new species? Dr Kaku warns that we may end up in a world divided by genetic apartheid.


WED 23:00 Shadow of the Vampire (b00794fw)
Dramatisation of the relationship between director F W Murnau and actor Max Schreck during the filming of the 1920s silent horror classic, Nosferatu.

On location in Czechoslovakia, the film crew believes that Schreck is adopting a keen interest in his role as the vampire. However, they are unaware of the real reason behind the actor's very convincing performance which coincides with the deaths of crew members.


WED 00:20 The Cell (b00mbvfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 01:20 Visions of the Future (b0088yjf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


WED 02:20 Once a Soldier (b007l4jp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 02:50 The Cell (b00mbvfh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 2009

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00mbwb7)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 BBC Proms (b00mbwb9)
2009

Prom 56: Lang Lang Plays Chopin

Classical superstar Lang Lang returns to the Proms to play an eternal favourite, Chopin's Piano Concerto No 2 in F Minor. Also in the programme are the UK premiere of British composer Rebecca Saunders's revised work 'traces' and Richard Strauss's epic symphonic poem, the Alpine Symphony. The concert is performed by one of the world's longest-standing orchestras, the Staatskapelle Dresden, conducted by Fabio Luisi.


THU 22:00 Wallander (b00mfbr4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 23:25 Later... with Jools Holland (b00dv9jt)
Series 33

Episode 3

Jools entertains a whole host of musical talent. Kaiser Chiefs, no strangers to the Later studio, perform tracks from their upcoming third album Off With Their Heads, and The Streets return with songs from their fourth opus Everything Is Borrowed. Blues hobo-type Seasick Steve brings some of his festival-stealing magic to the studio, with tracks from his new album I Started Out With Nothin And I Still Got Most Of It Left, while New York-based fivesome and one of 21st century spook-pop's best kept secrets TV on the Radio make their UK TV debut with tracks from their critically acclaimed third album, Dear Science. Little Jackie is also in the studio performing a song or two from their album The Stoop, and the legendary Boy George pops into the studio for a chat and a song.


THU 00:25 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mbtgy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 01:25 BBC Proms (b00mbwb9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2009

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00mbwqr)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b00mbwqt)
2009

Prom 57: Tchaikovsky Night

Tchaikovsky dominates the evening, as Stephen Hough concludes his one-man piano marathon with the Concert Fantasia in G Minor for piano and orchestra. Cellist Steven Isserlis also plays Tchaikovsky, in his Variations on a Rococo Theme, followed by the tumultuous symphonic fantasy, Francesca da Rimini.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra begin the evening with Agon, one of eleven Stravinsky ballets performed at the Proms this season, under the baton of David Robertson.


FRI 21:40 Island at the BBC (b00kvd3b)
Compilation of performances from the BBC archives of top Island Records artists, including Cat Stevens's Father and Son, Roxy Music's Do the Strand and Stir It Up by Bob Marley and The Wailers, plus tracks from Steel Pulse, U2, PJ Harvey, Baaba Maal and Amy Winehouse.


FRI 22:40 Keep on Running: 50 Years of Island Records (b00kvd38)
Damian Lewis-narrated documentary telling the colourful story of Island Records, the Jamaican-founded record label built by maverick boss Chris Blackwell which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009.

The film features a rare, in-depth interview with Blackwell alongside contributions from former Island artists Grace Jones, Toots Hibbert, Amy Winehouse, Sly and Robbie, PJ Harvey, U2, Brian Eno, Spencer Davis, Yusuf Islam/Cat Stevens, the B52s, Kid Creole, Greg Lake, Ian Anderson, Trevor Horn, Paul Weller, Richard Thompson and Keane.

News archive and rare performance footage are used to tell the story of the label - its part in bringing reggae music into the world; its expansion into progressive rock in the late 1960s; the rise of Bob Marley into a global star; and the label's reputation for consistently signing, producing and championing innovative acts from the UK and all over the world.


FRI 00:10 BBC Four Sessions (b007d8r4)
Yusuf Islam

Series of unique, intimate performances by some of the greatest legends and contemporary stars around.

The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens gives his first full concert in nearly three decades, in an exclusive BBC performance at the Porchester Hall, London. In an exotic Morrocan cafe-style set, he and his band treat the audience of friends, family and fans to songs from across his career, including classic tracks like Father and Son, Peace Train, Wild World and Where Do the Children Play.


FRI 01:10 Island at the BBC (b00kvd3b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:40 today]


FRI 02:10 BBC Proms (b00mbwqt)
[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)

BBC Four Sessions 00:10 FRI (b007d8r4)

BBC Proms 19:30 THU (b00mbwb9)

BBC Proms 01:25 THU (b00mbwb9)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b00mbwqt)

BBC Proms 02:10 FRI (b00mbwqt)

Build My Gallows High 21:00 SUN (b00783dj)

Casualty 1909 20:00 WED (b00ldhcm)

Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe 23:30 TUE (b00fztgk)

Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe 02:30 TUE (b00fztgk)

Early Doors 23:00 TUE (b0078kfw)

Farewell My Lovely 19:30 SAT (b008mh2l)

Force of Evil 01:50 SAT (b0074q93)

Fossil Detectives 20:30 SUN (b00dx3p1)

If It Ain't Stiff 01:35 SUN (b007j2hr)

Island at the BBC 21:40 FRI (b00kvd3b)

Island at the BBC 01:10 FRI (b00kvd3b)

Keep on Running: 50 Years of Island Records 22:40 FRI (b00kvd38)

Later... with Jools Holland 23:25 THU (b00dv9jt)

Legends 19:30 MON (b00fzv3y)

Once a Soldier 19:30 WED (b007l4jp)

Once a Soldier 02:20 WED (b007l4jp)

Only Connect 19:00 SAT (b00m6n2p)

Only Connect 03:05 SAT (b00m6n2p)

Only Connect 20:30 MON (b00mbt58)

Only Connect 01:30 MON (b00mbt58)

Only Connect 19:30 TUE (b00mbt58)

Only Connect 02:00 TUE (b00mbt58)

Rich Man, Poor Man 21:00 TUE (b00mbtgy)

Rich Man, Poor Man 00:00 TUE (b00mbtgy)

Rich Man, Poor Man 03:00 TUE (b00mbtgy)

Rich Man, Poor Man 00:25 THU (b00mbtgy)

Shadow of the Vampire 23:00 WED (b00794fw)

Stiff at the BBC 00:35 SUN (b0074sw5)

Stranger on the Third Floor 23:30 SUN (b0078fl3)

Style on Trial 02:00 MON (b00h4x56)

Style on Trial 03:00 MON (b00h6wty)

The Big Combo 23:25 SAT (b0077myx)

The Car Show 22:00 TUE (b00j4d3d)

The Car Show 01:00 TUE (b00j4d3d)

The Cell 20:00 TUE (b00m6nhq)

The Cell 21:00 WED (b00mbvfh)

The Cell 00:20 WED (b00mbvfh)

The Cell 02:50 WED (b00mbvfh)

The Lady from Shanghai 22:00 SAT (b00bwrpz)

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 19:00 SUN (b00jqgd3)

The Rules of Film Noir 21:00 SAT (b00mbstz)

The Rules of Film Noir 00:50 SAT (b00mbstz)

The Rules of Film Noir 03:35 SAT (b00mbstz)

The Rules of Film Noir 22:30 SUN (b00mbstz)

The Rules of Film Noir 03:05 SUN (b00mbstz)

The Weather 22:30 MON (b00jz8gj)

The Weather 23:30 MON (b00jw9z6)

The Weather 00:30 MON (b00jzjhx)

Visions of the Future 22:00 WED (b0088yjf)

Visions of the Future 01:20 WED (b0088yjf)

Wainwright Walks 20:00 SUN (b007y8bp)

Wallander 21:00 MON (b00mfbr4)

Wallander 22:00 THU (b00mfbr4)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b00mbt56)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00mbtgw)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00mbvff)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00mbwb7)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00mbwqr)