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 14 NOVEMBER 2009

SAT 19:00 Art Deco Icons (b00ntrs5)
The Orient Express

David Heathcote boards the Orient Express at London's Victoria Station and heads off for Venice, first settling into his perfectly restored sleeping cabin and then exploring the decadent charm and the extraordinary history of the train.

He meets James Sherwood, the man who bought the Orient Express in the 1970s and who decided to restore the old 1930s carriages to their Art Deco glamour. At first, his wife Shirley 'thought he was mad', but she became charmed by the challenge of restoring the Decorative art of a romantic train.

After enjoying the luxury of the dining compartment, Heathcote retires to his cabin and wakes up as the train chugs through the Alps. He is joined by Bevis Hillier, the expert who coined the phrase Art Deco and who describes the remarkable spread of the movement across the world from its origins at an exhibition in France in 1925.

However, it is not all luxury - the train has no air conditioning and the washing facilities are a bit basic. So, at the end of 32 exhilarating hours immersed in Art Deco, Heathcote steps off the train at Venice and heads for a beer and a shower.


SAT 19:30 Everest ER (b0074svy)
Documentary following a team of volunteer doctors caring for the climbers and Sherpas at Everest Base Camp in Nepal. Over the ten-week Everest season, they coordinate dramatic helicopter rescues and treat hundreds of climbers for altitude sickness and frostbite.


SAT 20:30 Everest: Farther than the Eye Can See (b0074svz)
Erik Weihenmayer is a world class athlete. He's also completely blind. In one of the most daring Mount Everest expeditions ever undertaken, cameras follow Erik's ascent, capturing for the first time the scenery of this vast and stunning environment.

Diagnosed with a rare eye disease at the age of three, by thirteen Eric was totally blind. To prove himself to the world, he decided to take on one of the world's greatest physical challenges. Supported by other courageous climbers, step by excruciating step he struggles towards his goal.

Nominated for two Emmy Awards and a winner at seventeen film festivals across the globe, the film is a story of courage, humour and the triumph of the human spirit.


SAT 21:30 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00nxk26)
Ranulph Fiennes

Mark Lawson talks to explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes about his life's work. From being bullied at Eton to the death of his first wife, Fiennes reveals the ingredients behind his incredible determination and exploits.

At age 65, after a heart attack and several near-death experiences, retirement is far from his mind - 'I would find it pretty difficult if there wasn't always an expedition in the planning... it would be the beginning of a pretty quick end I think you know, as with lots of people who retire'.

He is currently looking for sponsors for his latest expedition, but remains tight-lipped as to what it might be. Like before, he wants it to be a first for England and to beat the Norwegians.


SAT 22:30 Spiral (b00mvmn6)
Series 2: Gangs of Paris

Episode 1

When a charred corpse is found in the boot of a car in the suburbs, Berthaud's police team are called to the scene along with the prosecutors Roban and Clement. So begins an investigation which forces the team into the broken, gang-ruled suburbs of Paris, and once more to the door of shady lawyer Josephine Karlsson.


SAT 23:20 Spiral (b00mwgys)
Series 2: Gangs of Paris

Episode 2

Laure is disciplined for her use of force on a suspect and comes into conflict with Clement over his compromising newspaper interview. Karlsson is taken into Szabo's pay as his accomplice in representing the drug ring. Judge Roban uses his usual cunning in investigating a strange rape allegation.


SAT 00:15 36 (b00fvgqb)
French thriller in which two policemen become embroiled in an increasingly bitter race to secure promotion. The detectives are trying to track down a violent gang of bank robbers in Paris, but their personal ambitions begin to cloud their judgement as each conspires against the other.


SAT 02:00 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00nxk26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


SAT 03:00 Everest ER (b0074svy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2009

SUN 19:00 A History of Christianity (b00ntrs7)
Catholicism: The Unpredictable Rise of Rome

Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch's grandfather was a devout pillar of the local Anglican church and felt that any dabbling in Catholicism was liable to pollute the English way of life. But now his grandfather isn't around to stop him exploring the extraordinary and unpredictable rise of the Roman Catholic church.

Over one billion Christians look to Rome, more than half of all Christians on the planet. But how did a small Jewish sect from the backwoods of 1st-century Palestine, which preached humility and the virtue of poverty, become the established religion of western Europe - wealthy, powerful and expecting unfailing obedience from the faithful?

Amongst the surprising revelations, MacCulloch tells how confession was invented by monks on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, and how the Crusades gave Britain the university system.

Above all, it is a story of what can be achieved when you have friends in high places.


SUN 20:00 Lightning: Nature Strikes Back (b0074qv2)
Documentary looking into the cause, effect and current understanding of one of nature's greatest enigmas - lightning, which is almost as old as the planet itself and will probably outlast life on Earth.

The film celebrates this maverick of nature's power and beauty, whilst exploring how man is still battling to understand it. It looks at all aspects, from its generation within storm clouds to its impact, both good and bad, on humankind.

It features first-hand accounts from survivors of lightning strikes; shows how medical research is looking into its possible effect on the human body's own electrical circuit; looks at its role as a life giver, fixing nitrogen and possibly even providing the spark of life itself; reveals the application of state-of-the-art lightning detection techniques; and shows the impact that human activity itself may have on the formation of lightning.

From triggered lightning studies in Florida and the defences at Kennedy Space Center to filming sprites in Colorado, the film discovers whether science is any closer to unlocking some of lightning's mysteries.


SUN 21:00 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
The intriguing possibility of life on Mars has fuelled man's quest to visit the Red Planet. Drawing on 45 years of Horizon archive, space expert Dr Kevin Fong presents a documentary on Earth's near neighbour.

Man's extraordinary attempts to reach Mars have pushed technological boundaries past their limit and raised the tantalising prospect of establishing human colonies beyond our own planet.

While the moon lies 240,000 miles away, Mars is at a distance of 50 million miles. Reaching the moon takes three days, but to land on Mars would take nearly eight months, and only two thirds of the missions to Mars have made it. The BBC has been analysing the highs and lows throughout - including the ill-fated British attempt, the Beagle.

Horizon has explored how scientists believe the only way to truly understand Mars is to send people there. If and when we do, it will be the most challenging trip humanity has ever undertaken.


SUN 22:00 To Mars by A-Bomb (b0074p0z)
Documentary telling the amazing true story of a top secret US government-backed attempt to build
a spaceship the size of an ocean liner and send it to Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, propelled by thousands of miniature nuclear bombs. Awesome, fantastic and possibly crazy, Project Orion employed some of the best scientists in the world, including the brilliant British mathematician and physicist Freeman Dyson.


SUN 23:00 The Sky at Night (b00p1crz)
Exploring Mars

For centuries, astronomers, writers and philosophers have speculated about life on the planet Mars, but we have learned more about our near neighbour in the last 30 years than at any time in human history. Sir Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott explore the Red Planet.


SUN 23:30 It's Only a Theory (b00ntrk1)
Episode 6

Comedians Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter host a series in which qualified professionals and experts submit their theories about life, the universe and everything for examination by a panel of Hamilton, Hunter and a guest celebrity, who then make a final decision on whether the theory is worth keeping.

The guest celebrity is Vince Cable MP and the experts are Dr David Bainbridge and Marcus Chown.


SUN 00:00 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 01:00 To Mars by A-Bomb (b0074p0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


SUN 02:00 The Sky at Night (b00p1crz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]


SUN 02:30 Lightning: Nature Strikes Back (b0074qv2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 03:30 It's Only a Theory (b00ntrk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]



MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2009

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00nxkm5)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Tales from the Green Valley (b0078yv1)
July

It's July and the team's first task is to get out into the meadow and start making hay while the sun shines. They try making their own washing liquid from wood ash to get on with the laundry and they've got to get busy harvesting some of the 17th-century crops from the garden, such as red gooseberries, and roses to lighten the mood.


MON 20:00 The Thirties in Colour (b00cp456)
Wright Around the World

Four-part series using rare, private and commercial film and photographic archives to give poignant and surprising insights into the 1930s, a decade which erupted into colour as polychromatic photographic technology came of age and three important processes - Dufaycolour, Technicolor and Kodachrome - were brought to the market.

Together with his younger brother Bolling, the American industrialist Harry Wright was wealthy enough to indulge his twin passions for travel and filmmaking. Both siblings collected and shot films that captured the world at a pivotal time in history.

They captured astonishing images acquired and filmed in the islands of the South Pacific, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, as well as South Africa, Morocco, Palestine, and several countries in Europe, including Britain. These destinations were visited during the golden age of ocean travel, when the well-off could escape the Great Depression and travel the world on luxury cruise ships.

The sea had become a playground but it would soon become a battleground, as the world lurched towards the bloodiest war in history.


MON 21:00 Enid (b00nxkm8)
Illuminating and surprising drama telling the story of arguably the most popular children's storyteller of all, Enid Blyton.

It reveals how Blyton became the writer who would capture more youthful imaginations than anyone else, following her career from ambitious, driven and as yet unpublished young woman to household name and moral guardian, while glimpsing her own childhood - a dark time, far from the carefree, happy idyll portrayed in her books.

Through marriages and children, the roles of Enid the wife (to Hugh and then Kenneth) and mother are portrayed, ones she struggled to fulfil while balancing them with her extraordinary output.

The film also uncovers a strong and resourceful woman; a woman who never really grew up; a woman who rewrote the endings of many chapters of her real life, sometimes with cruel and hurtful results; and a woman whose legacy has often been criticised but whose success cannot be argued with, who gave children the stories they wanted.


MON 22:25 Bookmark (b0074mgt)
Enid Blyton

An imaginative study of the life of Enid Blyton, combining drama, animation and documentary.


MON 23:05 Art of Eternity (b0074t92)
Painting Paradise

How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France.

In the first episode, Andrew Graham-Dixon traces the beginnings of Christian art in the declining Roman Empire, Egypt and medieval France, and reveals the ideas which lay behind the transition from classical art to the first icons.


MON 00:05 Art of Eternity (b0074t9w)
The Glory of Byzantium

How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France.

In the second of this three-part series, Andrew Graham-Dixon travels to Istanbul to immerse himself in the tumultuous world of the Byzantine Empire. He reveals the art that emerged, decodes the iconography and explains its continuing relevance to everyday people.


MON 01:00 Art of Eternity (b0074tbk)
When East Meets West

How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France.

In the final part of this series Andrew Graham-Dixon examines early Christian art and the reasons for its evolution during the Renaissance. He also reveals just how far modern artists have been influenced by the pre-perspective view of the world.


MON 02:00 Enid (b00nxkm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2009

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00nxks1)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Talking Landscapes (b0074m0f)
The Pembrokeshire Coast

Professor Aubrey Manning explores the Pembrokeshire coastline and its connections with the sea. He discovers castles and standing stones, as well as evidence of successive invaders who arrived by sea when the coastline was far from remote.


TUE 20:00 Life (b00nxks3)
Insects

There are 200 million insects for each of us. They are the most successful animal group ever. Their key is an armoured covering that takes on almost any shape.

Darwin's stag beetle fights in the tree tops with huge curved jaws. The camera flies with millions of monarch butterflies which migrate 2000 miles, navigating by the sun. Super-slow motion shows a bombardier beetle firing boiling liquid at enemies through a rotating nozzle. A honey bee army stings a raiding bear into submission. Grass cutter ants march like a Roman army, harvesting grass they cannot actually eat. They cultivate a fungus that breaks the grass down for them. Their giant colony is the closest thing in nature to the complexity of a human city.


TUE 21:00 Storyville (b00nxks5)
Hi Society - The Wonderful World of Nicky Haslam

Nicky Haslam, renowned socialite, bon viveur, wit and best friend to all is also one of the world's most respected and highly paid interior designers, whose clients include royalty, rock stars and Russians.

This documentary takes the viewer into a world to which few have access and most could hardly imagine, where apartments cost over 30 million pounds and people think nothing of spending four million to do up a house.


TUE 22:00 It's Only a Theory (b00nxks7)
Episode 7

Comedians Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter host a series in which qualified professionals and experts submit their theories about life, the universe and everything for examination by a panel of Hamilton, Hunter and a guest celebrity, who then make a final decision on whether the theory is worth keeping.

The guest celebrity is broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan and the experts are Dr George McGavin and Andrew Keen.


TUE 22:30 Beaufort (b00nxks9)
The Israeli occupation of Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon may be about to end. For the occupying soldiers, the tension mounts as they wait for the announcement, still manning their posts.


TUE 00:35 Classic Albums (b00nts6z)
Duran Duran: Rio

In 1981, Duran Duran leapt into the limelight with two hit singles and their first album, but it was the follow-up, Rio, which catapulted the band to global success.

Against a backdrop of Thatcher's Britain, with riots, record unemployment and the Falklands conflict, Duran Duran released this optimistic, celebratory and uniquely visual album. Rio would go on to become one of the most successful albums of the 1980s and paved the way for Duran Duran to become one of the world's biggest bands.

The programme tells the story behind the writing, recording and subsequent success of Rio through interviews, musical demonstrations and archive footage. Original band members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor are interviewed along with director Russell Mulcahy, former manager Paul Berrow, journalist Beverley Glick, designer Anthony Price and Bob Geldof amongst others.

Rio captures Duran Duran at the height of their powers, with wall-to-wall hits and great videos.


TUE 01:25 Wild Boys: The Story of Duran Duran (b007bqdj)
Duran Duran came out of Birmingham and conquered the world during the 1980s. Originally a New Romantic band in full make-up and cossack pants, they rapidly became bedroom pin-ups for a generation of teenage girls.

Led by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, Duran Duran dominated the British and American charts in the mid-1980s with classic singles such as Rio, Save a Prayer and Wild Boys. Pioneers of the MTV-style promo video - from the X-rated Girls on Film to Raiders of the Lost Ark spoof Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran were the 80s equivalent of The Beatles in America and outsold Spandau Ballet and Wham! in their pomp.

Sixty million records later, Le Bon and Rhodes are seen touring America with their Pop Trash project from the early 2000s. The documentary reflects on the heady heights of Duran Duran's career, the cracks in their make-up plus the effects of sex, drugs and fame on ordinary boys from working-class backgrounds.

Apart from the key Durannies - Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor - the programme also features celebrity interviews with Debbie Harry, Yasmin Le Bon, Duran Duran managers Paul and Michael Berrow, Claudia Schiffer, Nile Rodgers and Lou Reed.


TUE 02:15 Storyville (b00nxks5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 03:15 It's Only a Theory (b00nxks7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2009

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00nxm6j)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Sky at Night (b00p1crz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Sunday]


WED 20:00 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


WED 21:00 Where Is Modern Art Now? (b00nxm6s)
Documentary in which art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the state of British art in 2009. Set against the backdrop of a contemporary art bubble that has burst, he spends the summer speaking to artists about their work and their thoughts about the future.

Following a period in which discussions about prices of art have dominated, this is a film about art itself rather than the market or the celebrities it created. Gus journeys from whitewashed studios to squats to explore what British artists are making, where they are making it and how things have changed.

Meeting a spectrum of those who call themselves artists, from Turner Prize-winner Grayson Perry to those just out of college, Gus asks whether a new era in art is dawning and whether there is a reason to be optimistic.


WED 22:00 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.


WED 22:25 It's Only a Theory (b00nxks7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


WED 22:55 Wallander (b00m4q5x)
Series 1

The Tricksters

When a riding pupil finds the stable owner dead in his barn, Wallander is initially at a loss for suspects - he had no friends, no social life and seemingly no enemies. But a little digging reveals a much more complicated and sinister story, and soon the suspect list is too large.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


WED 00:25 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00nxk26)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 on Saturday]


WED 01:25 It's Only a Theory (b00nxks7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


WED 01:55 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


WED 02:55 Where Is Modern Art Now? (b00nxm6s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2009

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00nxmml)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Return to Pembrokeshire Farm (b00mwx9d)
Return to Pembrokeshire Farm

Griff Rhys Jones embarks on phase two of the restoration of his farm in Pembrokeshire. Having restored the main farmhouse, Griff now turns his attention to two outbuildings - the water mill and the miller's cottage. Both were built at the same time as the farmhouse - around 1820 - and both will be turned into accommodation.

The miller's cottage was used in later years as a cattle shed and is now little more than a derelict ruin. But converting the water mill into a cottage will be much more complicated and will require a planning permission. The person Griff has appointed to design the two buildings is his son George, who is training to be an architect.


THU 20:00 Nicholas Crane's Britannia: The Great Elizabethan Journey (b00gntqg)
A Journey Through England and Wales

When William Camden's Britannia was printed in 1586, it staggered its Elizabethan readers. Nothing like it had been seen before. For the first time, the entire British Isles had been described in astonishing detail: the mountains and rivers, the history and customs, the climate and the people of each and every county. Britannia was an encyclopaedic tour of the whole country in a single book.

In this three-part series, Nicholas Crane rediscovers this 'lost' masterpiece as, on an epic 5000-mile hike, he battles the elements in search of Elizabethan Britain. He looks at England and Wales first.


THU 21:00 A History of Christianity (b00nxmmn)
Orthodoxy - From Empire to Empire

Today, Eastern Orthodox Christianity flourishes in the Balkans and Russia, with over 150 million members worldwide. It is unlike Catholicism or Protestantism - worship is carefully choreographed, icons pull the faithful into a mystical union with Christ, and everywhere there is a symbol of a fierce-looking bird, the double-headed eagle. What story is this ancient drama trying to tell us?

In the third part of his journey into the history of Christianity, Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch charts Orthodoxy's extraordinary fight for survival. After its glory days in the eastern Roman Empire, it stood right in the path of Muslim expansion, suffered betrayal by crusading Catholics, was seized by the Russian tsars and faced near-extinction under Soviet communism.

MacCulloch visits the greatest collection of early icons in the Sinai desert, a surviving relic of the iconoclastic crisis in Istanbul and Ivan the Terrible's cathedral in Moscow to discover the secret of Orthodoxy's endurance.


THU 22:00 Enid (b00nxkm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 23:25 The Thick of It (b00nxmmr)
Series 3

Episode 4

The civil servants at DoSAC are preparing for a visit from the DoSAC shadow minister Peter Mannion. For Mannion and his team, this informal pre-election briefing is a good opportunity to measure up for new curtains. For Terri Coverley, this principally means putting on a bit more make-up. For Nicola Murray, it is simply another distraction on a day when nothing seems to be going right. All she really wants to do is get Glenn and Olly to kick-start the Fourth Sector Pathfinder Initiative. And then she gets a call.


THU 23:55 The Armstrong and Miller Show (b00nxcfr)
Series 2

Episode 5

Sketch show starring Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller. A vicar goes to hilarious lengths to boost his congregation, and a time traveller meets Michael Faraday and tells him everything he knows...


THU 00:25 A History of Christianity (b00nxmmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 01:25 Enid (b00nxkm8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 02:50 A History of Christianity (b00nxmmn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 03:50 Return to Pembrokeshire Farm (b00mwx9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2009

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00nxmvk)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b007zmn2)
Series 3

Episode 2

Folk musicians come together in what have been called the greatest backporch shows ever. Jerry Douglas demonstrates his Grammy award-winning dobro skills and other highlights include Eddi Reader with Tim O'Brien, Julie Fowlis with Donal Lunny and Darrell Scott backed by Karen Matheson.


FRI 20:00 Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House (b00nxmvm)
Antonio Pappano, artistic director of the Royal Opera, introduces Nicholas Hytner's production of Verdi's Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Based on Schiller's play, it tells the story of the conflicts in the life of Don Carlo, Prince of Spain after his betrothed Elizabeth of Valois is married to his father, Phillip II, as part of a peace treaty.

Rolando Villazon sings the title role and Marina Poplavskaya is Elizabeth. Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.


FRI 23:40 We Need Answers (b00hq4fj)
Series 1

Motoring

Mark Watson, Tim Key and Alex Horne lead a comic quiz show with a difference, adapted from their award-winning Edinburgh show.

Celebrity guests Julia Bradbury and Robert Llewellyn take part in a knock-about quiz 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.


FRI 00:10 Only Connect (b00lzzz3)
Series 2

Chessmen v Charity Puzzlers

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

Three dedicated chess players pit their strategic prowess against a team who have honed their lateral thinking skills writing puzzles to raise money for their local hospice. They compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random.


FRI 00:40 Paul Weller: Into Tomorrow (b00fjdr9)
Documentary looking at the 30-year career of Paul Weller, who tells his own story with the input of those who know him.

Using unseen photos and archive footage, it covers his upbringing in Woking, his years with The Jam and The Style Council, his insecurity after being dropped by a record company, his unexpected return to popularity in the 1990s, and his view on where he finds himself now.

Contributors include his parents, Bruce Foxton, Boy George and Noel Gallagher.


FRI 02:10 BBC Four Sessions (b00fh55j)
Paul Weller

In an exclusive BBC4 session filmed at BBC Television Centre, Paul Weller performs numbers from his album 22 Dreams, solo hits including From the Floorboards Up and Peacock Suit, and a couple of classics from The Jam's back catalogue.

Weller performs with his regular five-piece band and is joined on some numbers by the Wired Strings and a brass section. He also has special guests, including Oasis guitarist Gem Archer on Echoes Round the Sun, fiddle player Eliza Carthy on Wild Wood and Where'er You Go and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon on Black River.


FRI 03:10 Transatlantic Sessions (b007zmn2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 03:40 We Need Answers (b00hq4fj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:40 today]




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

36 00:15 SAT (b00fvgqb)

A History of Christianity 19:00 SUN (b00ntrs7)

A History of Christianity 21:00 THU (b00nxmmn)

A History of Christianity 00:25 THU (b00nxmmn)

A History of Christianity 02:50 THU (b00nxmmn)

Art Deco Icons 19:00 SAT (b00ntrs5)

Art of Eternity 23:05 MON (b0074t92)

Art of Eternity 00:05 MON (b0074t9w)

Art of Eternity 01:00 MON (b0074tbk)

BBC Four Sessions 02:10 FRI (b00fh55j)

Beaufort 22:30 TUE (b00nxks9)

Bookmark 22:25 MON (b0074mgt)

Classic Albums 00:35 TUE (b00nts6z)

Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House 20:00 FRI (b00nxmvm)

Enid 21:00 MON (b00nxkm8)

Enid 02:00 MON (b00nxkm8)

Enid 22:00 THU (b00nxkm8)

Enid 01:25 THU (b00nxkm8)

Everest ER 19:30 SAT (b0074svy)

Everest ER 03:00 SAT (b0074svy)

Everest: Farther than the Eye Can See 20:30 SAT (b0074svz)

Flight of the Conchords 22:00 WED (b00856jj)

It's Only a Theory 23:30 SUN (b00ntrk1)

It's Only a Theory 03:30 SUN (b00ntrk1)

It's Only a Theory 22:00 TUE (b00nxks7)

It's Only a Theory 03:15 TUE (b00nxks7)

It's Only a Theory 22:25 WED (b00nxks7)

It's Only a Theory 01:25 WED (b00nxks7)

Life 20:00 TUE (b00nxks3)

Lightning: Nature Strikes Back 20:00 SUN (b0074qv2)

Lightning: Nature Strikes Back 02:30 SUN (b0074qv2)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 21:30 SAT (b00nxk26)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 02:00 SAT (b00nxk26)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 00:25 WED (b00nxk26)

Nicholas Crane's Britannia: The Great Elizabethan Journey 20:00 THU (b00gntqg)

Only Connect 00:10 FRI (b00lzzz3)

Paul Weller: Into Tomorrow 00:40 FRI (b00fjdr9)

Return to Pembrokeshire Farm 19:30 THU (b00mwx9d)

Return to Pembrokeshire Farm 03:50 THU (b00mwx9d)

Spiral 22:30 SAT (b00mvmn6)

Spiral 23:20 SAT (b00mwgys)

Storyville 21:00 TUE (b00nxks5)

Storyville 02:15 TUE (b00nxks5)

Tales from the Green Valley 19:30 MON (b0078yv1)

Talking Landscapes 19:30 TUE (b0074m0f)

The Armstrong and Miller Show 23:55 THU (b00nxcfr)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 21:00 SUN (b00p1crx)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 00:00 SUN (b00p1crx)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 20:00 WED (b00p1crx)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 01:55 WED (b00p1crx)

The Sky at Night 23:00 SUN (b00p1crz)

The Sky at Night 02:00 SUN (b00p1crz)

The Sky at Night 19:30 WED (b00p1crz)

The Thick of It 23:25 THU (b00nxmmr)

The Thirties in Colour 20:00 MON (b00cp456)

To Mars by A-Bomb 22:00 SUN (b0074p0z)

To Mars by A-Bomb 01:00 SUN (b0074p0z)

Transatlantic Sessions 19:30 FRI (b007zmn2)

Transatlantic Sessions 03:10 FRI (b007zmn2)

Wallander 22:55 WED (b00m4q5x)

We Need Answers 23:40 FRI (b00hq4fj)

We Need Answers 03:40 FRI (b00hq4fj)

Where Is Modern Art Now? 21:00 WED (b00nxm6s)

Where Is Modern Art Now? 02:55 WED (b00nxm6s)

Wild Boys: The Story of Duran Duran 01:25 TUE (b007bqdj)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b00nxkm5)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00nxks1)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00nxm6j)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00nxmml)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00nxmvk)