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 28 AUGUST 2010

SAT 19:00 Nature's Great Events (b00hq341)
The Great Salmon Run

Every year grizzly bear families in North America depend for their survival on a spectacular natural event: the return of hundreds of millions of salmon from the Pacific Ocean to the mountain streams where they were born. The salmon travel thousands of miles to spawn and then die. The great run not only provides food for bears, but for killer whales, wolves, bald eagles, and even the forest itself. The question is: will the salmon return in time to keep hungry bears alive?

A mother grizzly and her cubs emerge from their den high in snowy Alaskan mountains. Filming from the air, the team capture a TV first, following the bears as they negotiate a near-vertical slope on their journey to the coast where they await the return of the salmon.

Meanwhile, the salmon are making their way to the river mouths where they must swim upstream and against the current. The programme reveals how they tackle the torrents and leap over waterfalls, a feat equivalent to a human jumping over a house.

Dozens of hungry bears eagerly await the salmon that make it up river. In another TV first, underwater cameras record the ingenuity and fancy footwork they use to collect dead salmon from the bottom of deep pools.

In the final ten-minute diary, Close Encounters of a Grizzly Kind, wildlife cameraman Jeff Turner, who has filmed bears for 20 years, reveals how he pioneered techniques to show for the first time how bears caught salmon underwater.


SAT 20:00 Natural World (b00tcf7z)
2010-2011

Echo - An Unforgettable Elephant

A celebration of the life and legacy of Echo, the world's most famous elephant, who was born in 1945 and died in 2009, and who Natural World followed for the last 20 years of her life.

The timing of Echo's death could not be worse. The wise old matriarch had guided her family for half a century, but the cruellest drought in living memory devastated her home under the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Will her 38-strong band of relatives and descendants overcome the loss of their leader, hunger and poachers to survive?


SAT 21:00 Wallander (b00g2j7h)
Series 1

Mastermind

Investigating a grisly local murder and the disappearance of a policeman's daughter, Kurt Wallander and his colleagues at the Ystad station begin to suspect the two are connected. As the investigation proceeds it seems that the criminal knows every move they will make and is practically controlling them. So begins a struggle to outwit a master criminal.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:40 Roger and Val Have Just Got In (b00tkzp7)
Series 1

Be Our Guests

Real-time sitcom following the lives of a middle-aged couple during their first half-hour home from work. Roger is a botanist at the Winter Gardens and Val is a food technology teacher at a local school. With no children, the couple rely only on each other for distraction.

Roger's dad is slipping away. His cousin Cathy is arriving with her loner husband Bob to bid his father farewell, and Val has been panicked into inviting them to stay in their spare room. No one has ever stayed there before. Now they must go into it and get it ready for guests.

The whole process of spare-room-preparation is so exhausting that Roger decides to have a little lie down on the bed. He receives a phone call from his brother at the hospital and at first thinks his father has died; he is wrong, but it precipitates a crisis which stems from Roger wearing a cagoule when he takes the call.


SAT 23:10 Storyville (b0074t65)
When the Levees Broke

Act I

As the world watched in horror, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug 29th, 2005. Declaring that the city had avoided the worst of the storm, city and state officials were caught off-guard when the levees that had been designed to protect low-lying areas of the city from flooding were breached, and the 9th Ward District was inundated.

Like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news, director Spike Lee was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster, but by the slow, inept and disorganised response of the emergency and recovery effort.

To give this extraordinary account, Lee interviewed nearly 100 people - Governor Kathleen Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin, residents Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, Kimberly Polk, Shelton 'Shakespeare' Alexander and Rev Williams, activists Al Sharpton and Harry Belafonte and musicians Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Kanye West to name but a few.

This intimate portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the heartbreaking personal stories of those who endured the harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph.


SAT 00:15 Storyville (b00tlvc0)
When the Levees Broke

Act II

As the world watched in horror, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug 29th, 2005. Declaring that the city had avoided the worst of the storm, city and state officials were caught off-guard when the levees that had been designed to protect low-lying areas of the city from flooding were breached, and the 9th Ward District was inundated.

Like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news, director Spike Lee was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster, but by the slow, inept and disorganised response of the emergency and recovery effort.

To give this extraordinary account, Lee interviewed nearly 100 people - Governor Kathleen Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin, residents Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, Kimberly Polk, Shelton 'Shakespeare' Alexander and Rev Williams, activists Al Sharpton and Harry Belafonte and musicians Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Kanye West to name but a few.

This intimate portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the heartbreaking personal stories of those who endured the harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph.


SAT 01:25 Biology of Dads (b00rvv6t)
'Every child needs a father' is a phrase heard often enough, but is there any evidence to support it? In this enlightening documentary, child psychologist Laverne Antrobus goes on a quest to discover why a dad's relationship with his offspring is so important. She uncovers fascinating new research which is shedding light onto the science of fatherhood.

Laverne meets a new dad who is experiencing Couvade Syndrome, a condition sometimes known as 'sympathetic pregnancy'. She is keen to explore if the symptoms - which are similar to those felt by pregnant women, such as nausea and sickness - might be physiological as well as psychological. The dad takes a blood test shortly after the birth of his third child and Antrobus discovers that hormones could be the cause of his symptoms: possibly nature's way of 'priming' him to become a more nurturing father.

Laverne then meets one of the UK's leading experts in the father's role within the family. While observing father and toddler play in his lab, she finds out how the rough-and-tumble play they witness is classic 'dad behaviour'. It is believed that this type of fatherly play is essential in teaching toddlers the boundaries of aggression and discipline.

In the final investigation, Antrobus looks into recent research which claims that men who have a good relationship with their daughters can influence the kind of husband the daughters choose. The study also found that girls whose fathers were absent during their formative years tend to reach puberty sooner and age quicker. Laverne recruits a team of married women to take part in one final, fascinating experiment.


SAT 02:25 Timeshift (b00sxh8c)
Series 9

Disappearing Dad

Novelist Andrew Martin investigates the curious case of absent fathers in fiction. Far from being a repository of fatherly role models, English literature has preferred to do away with dads. If literary fathers survive the first chapter of a novel - which they often don't - their idea of quality time seems to be going off to kill foreigners or sailing round the world. Alternatively, they absent themselves mentally, brooding in their studies, conducting mysterious experiments and generally being keen on activities that can't possibly involve their children.

Surveying fathers in fiction from Austen and Dickens, via E Nesbit and the Just William stories, to the novels of Nick Hornby and Tony Parsons, Andrew Martin finds that literature says a great deal about the peculiar history of fatherhood over the past 200 years.


SAT 03:25 Men about the House (b00sxhl5)
Father may be the head of the family, a potent symbol of authority, but he has always been the butt of some of our biggest laughs in British sitcom. Over the last five decades some of our most iconic comedy dads have been bewildered by a changing world and struggled with the work/life balance. These dads have coped with every curveball their writers threw at them and in the process changed the course of British comedy. They remain our most enduring Men About The House.



SUNDAY 29 AUGUST 2010

SUN 19:00 Arena (b00tlvd9)
Blackpool

1989 documentary which takes a look at Europe's most successful holiday resort, famous for its Tower, illuminations, landladies and party political conferences. Includes interviews with Norman Tebbit, John Cole, Paul Theroux and Tony Benn.


SUN 20:00 Fred (b00tn7xr)
Uncalled For Distractions

Summer brings Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah's work on his ancient steam engine almost to a standstill. His new-found fame creates a demand for his presence at public events and for promoting causes from Barnardo's to beer drinking. Then, just when he thinks he might get a few days on his engine, his wife Alison demands a holiday, the first (steam rallies apart) since they eloped to Gretna Green some fifteen years earlier. The family's week at Blackpool turns out quite differently from anything ever seen in a holiday advert.


SUN 20:30 Blackpool on Film (b00tlvj3)
From the earliest Victorian filmmakers to the news cameras of today, this programme uses moving images from almost every decade in between to tell the story of this fascinating seaside town. With wall-to-wall archive including newsreel, documentary films and entertainment shows, it explores over a century of filmmaking to get to the heart of a remarkable British holiday resort.


SUN 21:00 Viva Blackpool (b007cgr3)
One-off sequel to the musical comedy drama series Blackpool about a shady casino-owning entrepreneur. Ripley Holden attempts to get his hands on sport's most prized treasure - the real Jules Rimet World Cup trophy. Although he already has a successful business to his name, running a Vegas-style wedding chapel in Blackpool, he intends for the trophy to make him very very rich. But his plan starts to unravel when a dazzling and mysterious lady walks into his life and away with his heart.


SUN 22:30 Dream Town: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool (b00tn98d)
A revealing and often ribald look at the seaside resort where people can let their hair down, whether in the sedate atmosphere of the Tower Ballroom or on the world's biggest and fastest rollercoaster. Actor David Thewlis returns to his home town, a place where beer is drunk and dreams are played out against the backdrop of a thoroughly British fantasy.


SUN 23:10 The Swing Thing (b00g3694)
Documentary telling the story of swing, an obscure form of jazz that became the first worldwide pop phenomenon, inspired the first ever youth culture revolution and became a byword for sexual liberation and teenage excess well before the Swinging Sixties.

In the process, swing threw up some of the greatest names in 20th century music, from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. The film uses archive and contemporary accounts to shed light on why it endures today.


SUN 00:40 Blackpool on Film (b00tlvj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


SUN 01:10 Viva Blackpool (b007cgr3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 02:40 Fred (b00tn7xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 03:10 On Hannibal's Trail (b00tjqgy)
Hannibal at the Gates

History and travel series in which three Australian brothers - Danny, Ben and Sam Wood - set out cycling on the trail of Hannibal, the Carthaginian warrior who marched from Spain to Rome at the head of an invading army accompanied by elephants.

As they come towards the end of their epic journey, the Wood brothers make a sacrifice to the gods at Lake Averno, come face to face with Hannibal in Rome and cross the Mediterranean Sea to Tunisia, once the centre of the Carthaginian Empire, where they visit the site where the fate of an entire civilisation was decided in one final battle. On the way, they meet a Roman centurion and discuss Hannibal's legacy with the souk merchants of Tunis.


SUN 03:40 Britain by Bike (b00tjr3z)
The Scottish Highlands

Clare Balding's two-wheeled odyssey to re-discover Britain by bicycle hits the Scottish Highlands, uncovering a series of vivid human stories connected to this stunning landscape.

Clare is following the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe, whose evocative guide books of the late 1940s painted a picture of by-passed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B-roads.

Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described and charts how a series of incomers have changed our view of the Highlands - a diverse group which includes Dr Johnson, an English army of occupation, a North American spruce tree and author Gavin Maxwell, plus otter.

And for those wondering whatever happened to TV naturalist Terry Nutkins, the answer is revealed.



MONDAY 30 AUGUST 2010

MON 19:00 Blackpool on Film (b00tlvj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


MON 19:30 Only Connect (b00rs1qh)
Series 3

Archers Admirers vs Gamblers

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 first of the Semi Finals, three lovers of the pastoral world of Radio 4's The Archers face new opponents.

How will they respond to the threat of cavalier risk-taking from a team of confirmed Gamblers? They'll compete to draw together the connections between elements which at first glance seem utterly random, including purple dye and the Jules Rimet trophy.


MON 20:00 The Story of Maths (b00dwf4f)
The Language of the Universe

After showing how fundamental mathematics is to our lives, Marcus du Sautoy explores the mathematics of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece.

In Egypt, he uncovers use of a decimal system based on ten fingers of the hand, while in former Mesopotamia he discovers that the way we tell the time today is based on the Babylonian Base 60 number system.

In Greece, he looks at the contributions of some of the giants of mathematics including Plato, Euclid, Archimedes and Pythagoras, who is credited with beginning the transformation of mathematics from a tool for counting into the analytical subject we know today.


MON 21:00 In Their Own Words: British Novelists (b00tlvtj)
Nothing Sacred (1970-1990)

Series looking at the story of the British novel in the 20th century, told by those who know it best - the authors themselves.

The third and final part explores the 1970s and 80s - a period in which, as Angela Carter put it, there was 'nothing sacred' as the mores of the time were incessantly called into question. Novelists were at the forefront of a new revolution as British fiction was suddenly thrust into the limelight. Acting as agents of provocation, these disparate British writers indelibly changed the literary climate.


MON 22:00 Storyville (b00tmhc8)
YouTube Hero - The Winnebago Man

Jack Rebney, aka the angriest man in the world, has delighted and fascinated millions of online viewers with the hilariously foul-mouthed and ill-tempered outtakes from a recreational vehicle sales video he made in 1989 - one of the first and best underground videos to be passed hand-to-hand on VHS tapes, before the internet turned him into a full-blown phenomenon.

Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer takes on the seemingly impossible task of tracking down Jack, and his journey turns into a fascinating exploration of viral video culture, and what it means on a personal level to its sometimes unwilling subjects.

When he finally tracks down Rebney, the real man is more savvy, irascible, deep, weird and cool than could have been imagined, and turns out to be more than able to hold his own in the modern media culture. In short, he is a star. The film explores issues of privacy, internet bullying and ageing, and illuminates how even the most rambunctious individuals have a human side. It is an intelligent, hilarious and unexpectedly poignant look at one man's response to internet fame, and is ultimately a story about how a so-called humiliation can become a beacon of light to many.


MON 23:00 Upgrade Me (b00n1hwj)
Poet and gadget lover Simon Armitage explores people's obsession with upgrading to the latest technological gadgetry.

Upgrade culture drives millions to purchase the latest phones, flatscreen TVs, laptops and MP3 players. But is it design, functionality, fashion or friends that makes people covet the upgrade, and how far does the choice of gadgets define identity? Simon journeys across Britain and to South Korea in search of answers.


MON 00:00 Podfather (b00n90j0)
Documentary telling the story of silicon chip inventor Robert Noyce, godfather of today's digital world.

Re-living the heady days of Silicon Valley's seminal start-ups, the film tells how Noyce also founded Intel, the company responsible for more than 80 per cent of the microprocessors in personal computers. Noyce defined the unconventional, innovative culture of Silicon Valley - the likes of Apple and Google would be influenced by his egalitarian management style, which was inspired by his religious upbringing.

Podfather shows why Noyce may be the most important person most people have never heard of. Contributors include industry giants Gordon Moore and Andy Grove.


MON 01:00 Storyville (b00tmhc8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


MON 02:00 The Story of Maths (b00dwf4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 03:00 In Their Own Words: British Novelists (b00tlvtj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 31 AUGUST 2010

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00tlw4d)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Only Connect (b00ry8w5)
Series 3

Hitchhikers vs Strategists

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 fans of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy lock horns with the cunning of the Strategists, a team bound by their love of obscure European board games.

They'll compete to draw together the connections between elements which at first glance seem utterly random.


TUE 20:00 Glastonbury (b00tmwsj)
2010

Hello Glastonbury!

Filmmaker Rachel Davies's documentary follows three unsigned acts playing Glastonbury 2010. This is the Glastonbury experience through the first-time eyes of DME, Celt Islam and Lettie as they prepare for the big gig on the BBC Introducing stage. What does playing Glastonbury mean to them and how will they fare? With special guest appearances from Corinne Bailey Rae, Mumford & Sons, Plan B and Laura Marling, and featuring headline performances from Gorrillaz and Muse.


TUE 20:50 Glastonbury (b00syzvk)
2010

Highlights

A look back at the Glastonbury Festival with all the biggest and best performances from around the site at Worthy Farm.


TUE 22:50 Glastonbury (b00sv3t0)
2010

Glastonbury at 40: From Avalon to Jay-Z

2010 marked the 40th anniversary of the world's most famous music and performing arts festival. Mark Radcliffe narrates this archive-led look back at many of the iconic things and performances connected to the 28 festivals there have been at Worthy Farm, from Avalon to Common People to Hippies to Joe Strummer to Pyramid Stage to Radiohead to The Tor to Jay-Z.


TUE 00:50 Glastonbury (b00t9rzf)
2010

The Scissor Sisters

A look back at the set by disco-pop New Yorkers The Scissor Sisters on the Pyramid Stage at the 2010 festival. Featuring many of their big hits such as Laura, Take Your Mama and I Don't Feel Like Dancin', plus numbers from their most recent album Night Work, including Any Which Way, on which they are joined by pop princess Kylie Minogue.


TUE 01:50 Glastonbury (b00t72kh)
2010

The Pet Shop Boys

Highlights of the headlining performance at Worthy Farm by one of the UK's most successful and much loved pop acts, the Pet Shop Boys. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe run through many of their pop classics including West End Girls, What Have I Done to Deserve This, Go West, Suburbia and It's a Sin, plus a quartet of dancers and a whole host of costume changes.


TUE 02:50 Glastonbury (b00td5y5)
2010

Ray Davies

A look back at the performance by the legendary British singer/songwriter Ray Davies from the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury festival. He and his band kick off proceedings with the likes of Dedicated Follower of Fashion and Sunny Afternoon and are then joined by the 40+ Crouch End Festival Chorus in choral renditions of classic Kinks' numbers such as You Really Got Me, Victoria and Waterloo Sunset.



WEDNESDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2010

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00tlwf8)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Only Connect (b00s01xk)
Series 3

Gamblers v Strategists

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 series final, cunning and tactics combine with logic, recall and tangential inspiration, as three committed Gamblers resist the temptation to take too many risks and the Strategists fight the impulse to err on the side of caution. Whose approach will win out in this battle of the giants?

They'll compete to draw together the connections between elements which at first glance seem utterly random, from Captain Scarlet to Reg Cox to Marty Hopkirk to Arnold J Rimmer.


WED 20:00 We Need Answers (b00p5wl3)
Series 2

Women

Anarchic comedy game show in which celebrity guests answer questions set by the public.

Mark Watson hosts, Tim Key is in the questionmaster's chair and Alex Horne provides expert analysis from a booth. Two celebrities battle it out to be crowned the winner and avoid the shame of donning 'The Clogs of Defeat'.

The rules are simple - contestants must match their answer to the one given by a text answering service. Questions can range from 'How many gerbils would have to be stacked on top of each other to reach the moon?' to 'How heavy is the sky?' to 'Is gravy a condiment?'. Each show also features a cunning physical challenge which pits the contestants against each other.

Veteran broadcaster and host of Woman's Hour, Jenni Murray takes on former rugby league sensation Martin Offiah in a challenge which include a side-splitting shouting competition.


WED 20:30 Churches: How to Read Them (b00tlwfb)
Dark Beginnings

Richard Taylor explains how churches were originally simple buildings intended to protect the altar and the most important Christian rite of all, the Eucharist. He visits Britain's finest early medieval churches to untangle the mystery of why the Anglo-Saxons and Normans seem to have been unwilling to shake off their pre-Christian past and to have continued to fill their sacred buildings with mysterious pagan images. An ancient book in an Oxford library helps Richard find an answer.


WED 21:00 The Eiger: Wall of Death (b00tlwj3)
A history of one of the world's most challenging mountains, the Eiger, and its infamous north face. The film gets to the heart of one of Europe's most notorious peaks, exploring its character and its impact on the people who climb it and live in its awesome shadow.


WED 22:00 Storyville (b00tnj2y)
When the Levees Broke

Act III and IV

As the world watched in horror, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug 29th, 2005. Declaring that the city had avoided the worst of the storm, city and state officials were caught off-guard when the levees that had been designed to protect low-lying areas of the city from flooding were breached, and the 9th Ward District was inundated.

Like many who watched the unfolding drama on television news, director Spike Lee was shocked not only by the scale of the disaster, but by the slow, inept and disorganised response of the emergency and recovery effort.

To give this extraordinary account, Lee interviewed nearly 100 people - Governor Kathleen Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin, residents Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, Kimberly Polk, Shelton 'Shakespeare' Alexander and Rev Williams, activists Al Sharpton and Harry Belafonte and musicians Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Kanye West to name but a few.

This intimate portrait of New Orleans in the wake of the destruction tells the heartbreaking personal stories of those who endured the harrowing ordeal and survived to tell the tale of misery, despair and triumph.


WED 00:10 Dear Diary (b00q0hpz)
Rory Bremner

Rory Bremner asks what diaries can offer to history.

What makes a diary almost as famous as the events it describes? Rory takes polar explorer Pen Hadow to see the extraordinary last diary of Captain Scott, an emotional experience for the adventurer.

A boat trip on the Thames reveals Edwina Currie's passion for another former MP, Samuel Pepys. He wrote in secret and in shorthand, seemingly to prevent anyone ever reading his now-famous journal, but who better than Edwina to appreciate the impact of a political diarist with a colourful private life?

A trip to Kent to visit Jane Clark at Saltwood Castle sees Rory get an exclusive peek at the original Alan Clark diaries.

There's more rummaging through the archives in Sussex when Rory spends time at the biggest collective diary project ever undertaken. Victoria Wood, who he meets there, was inspired by one of the wartime Mass-Observation diarists, Nella Last, to create the Bafta-winning Housewife 49.

Contributors include Claire Tomalin, Craig Brown, Tony Benn, Jonathan Aitken, Ben Saunders, Ion Trewin, Simon Garfield and Gyles Brandreth.


WED 01:10 Blackpool on Film (b00tlvj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Sunday]


WED 01:40 We Need Answers (b00p5wl3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:10 Churches: How to Read Them (b00tlwfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


WED 02:40 The Eiger: Wall of Death (b00tlwj3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2010

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00tlwyc)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 BBC Proms (b00tly2j)
2010

Pictures at an Exhibition with the BBC NOW

Suzy Klein introduces a richly colourful Prom programme from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the charismatic young French conductor Francois-Xavier Roth, ranging from the scintillating French Baroque of Rameau to new music by the Argentinian composer Matalon, via Canteloube's evergreen arrangements of Songs of the Auvergne. The programme culminates in Mussorgsky's famous Pictures at an Exhibition, in an extravagant orchestration by Proms founder Sir Henry Wood himself.


THU 21:30 What Makes a Great Soprano? (b00sw85k)
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa takes a personal journey exploring the physical and artistic demands of being an international soprano in the 21st century. Filmed on location in New Zealand and New York, we glimpse the many different stresses and rewards of her working life, from visiting a throat specialist for checks on the vocal cords to taking a masterclass at the Metropolitan Opera.

Along with fellow sopranos including Renée Fleming, Diana Damrau and Anna Netrebko, she explains the qualities that separate the great from the merely good. The programme also features a selection of Dame Kiri's own favourite performances of the past, from the early recordings of Dame Nellie Melba to the famous voices of Maria Callas, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Kirsten Flagstad, Leontyne Price and Dame Joan Sutherland. Dame Kiri explains what makes each of these voices unique, revealing the extraordinary diversity that lies behind the simple label 'soprano'.


THU 22:30 France on a Plate (b00fvfmf)
Why does food mean so much more to the French than it does to us British? One reason is that from the time of Louis XIV to the present day, French kings, emperors, and presidents have used it as a tool of power and prestige.

In this unusual programme, cultural historian Andrew Hussey takes us on a gastronomic tour through French history - from Versailles, the spiritual centre of French power politics, and the birthplace of French cuisine, via the French Revolution and the creation of the Michelin guide, through to nouvelle cuisine and ethnic fusion food.

For Hussey, France emerges as 'the Republic of Food', a place where the health of both its democracy and its civilisation can at any one time be gauged by how well its people are being fed. Some of France's top chefs, including Paul Bocuse and Pierre Gagnaire are among those he meets on the way.


THU 23:30 Churches: How to Read Them (b00tlwfb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Wednesday]


THU 00:00 John Sergeant on Tracks of Empire (b00t3dbd)
Unite and Divide

John Sergeant embarks on a unique 3,000 mile journey through the history of the greatest legacy the British left to India - its rail network. The biggest in Asia, it runs on 40,000 miles of track and reaches every corner of the subcontinent. Proposed in 1853 by Governor General Lord Dalhousie, it would become the biggest engineering project of its time and instrumental in every chapter of India's history.

Starting in Kolkata, Sergeant traverses India from east to west, travels through turbulent Bihar state, visits the Victorian railway town of Jamalpur, and discovers why the construction of the Dufferin Bridge at Varanasi resulted in Victorian technology and ingenuity clashing with ancient religion, before ending his journey at the border with Pakistan.

Even though Mahatma Gandhi denounced the railways as evil, Sergeant reveals how it became a civil engineering triumph that united the country and played a crucial role when India became independent in 1947.


THU 01:00 What Makes a Great Soprano? (b00sw85k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


THU 02:00 BBC Proms (b00tly2j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



FRIDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2010

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00tly2g)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b00tlwyf)
2010

Bruckner's Ninth Symphony

Bruckner's last, unfinished symphony is performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the last youth orchestra to visit the Proms in the 2010 season. The Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester was founded by Claudio Abbado in 1986, and was the first orchestra to unite musicians from both Eastern and Western Europe. They are led by conductor Herbert Blomstedt in a programme that includes Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with baritone Christian Gerhaher, and Hindemith's Symphony Mathis der Maler.


FRI 21:40 I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band! (b00shh96)
The Drummer

What is the DNA of a great rock 'n' roll band?

The series breaks this mythical beast down into its constituent parts - singer, guitarist, drummer as well as the shadowy 'other one', whose face we don't quite know but without whom the magic wouldn't happen.

Does the drummer's clown-like personality and appetite for destruction mean he doesn't get taken seriously? Or is he the band member most in tune with the primal power of music to get us moving? Speaking up for the much maligned sticksman are Queen's Roger Taylor, Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, Stewart Copeland of The Police and Red Hot Chili Pepper, Chad Smith.

Voting has now closed.


FRI 22:40 Blondie: One Way or Another (b0074thn)
The story of New York's finest - the most successful and enduring band fronted by a woman - Debbie Harry and Blondie. From their Bowery beginnings at CBGB's in 1974 to their controversial induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in New York. The band crossed pop with punk, reggae and rap and had no 1s in all styles. With exclusive backstage and performance footage from their UK tour plus in-depth interviews with current and ex-band members and friends Iggy Pop, Shirley Manson, Tommy Ramone, and Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads.


FRI 23:50 Glastonbury (b00t72kh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:50 on Tuesday]


FRI 00:50 Glastonbury (b00tmwsj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


FRI 01:40 BBC Proms (b00tlwyf)
[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)

Arena 19:00 SUN (b00tlvd9)

BBC Proms 19:30 THU (b00tly2j)

BBC Proms 02:00 THU (b00tly2j)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b00tlwyf)

BBC Proms 01:40 FRI (b00tlwyf)

Biology of Dads 01:25 SAT (b00rvv6t)

Blackpool on Film 20:30 SUN (b00tlvj3)

Blackpool on Film 00:40 SUN (b00tlvj3)

Blackpool on Film 19:00 MON (b00tlvj3)

Blackpool on Film 01:10 WED (b00tlvj3)

Blondie: One Way or Another 22:40 FRI (b0074thn)

Britain by Bike 03:40 SUN (b00tjr3z)

Churches: How to Read Them 20:30 WED (b00tlwfb)

Churches: How to Read Them 02:10 WED (b00tlwfb)

Churches: How to Read Them 23:30 THU (b00tlwfb)

Dear Diary 00:10 WED (b00q0hpz)

Dream Town: A Brief Anatomy of Blackpool 22:30 SUN (b00tn98d)

France on a Plate 22:30 THU (b00fvfmf)

Fred 20:00 SUN (b00tn7xr)

Fred 02:40 SUN (b00tn7xr)

Glastonbury 20:00 TUE (b00tmwsj)

Glastonbury 20:50 TUE (b00syzvk)

Glastonbury 22:50 TUE (b00sv3t0)

Glastonbury 00:50 TUE (b00t9rzf)

Glastonbury 01:50 TUE (b00t72kh)

Glastonbury 02:50 TUE (b00td5y5)

Glastonbury 23:50 FRI (b00t72kh)

Glastonbury 00:50 FRI (b00tmwsj)

I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band! 21:40 FRI (b00shh96)

In Their Own Words: British Novelists 21:00 MON (b00tlvtj)

In Their Own Words: British Novelists 03:00 MON (b00tlvtj)

John Sergeant on Tracks of Empire 00:00 THU (b00t3dbd)

Men about the House 03:25 SAT (b00sxhl5)

Natural World 20:00 SAT (b00tcf7z)

Nature's Great Events 19:00 SAT (b00hq341)

On Hannibal's Trail 03:10 SUN (b00tjqgy)

Only Connect 19:30 MON (b00rs1qh)

Only Connect 19:30 TUE (b00ry8w5)

Only Connect 19:30 WED (b00s01xk)

Podfather 00:00 MON (b00n90j0)

Roger and Val Have Just Got In 22:40 SAT (b00tkzp7)

Storyville 23:10 SAT (b0074t65)

Storyville 00:15 SAT (b00tlvc0)

Storyville 22:00 MON (b00tmhc8)

Storyville 01:00 MON (b00tmhc8)

Storyville 22:00 WED (b00tnj2y)

The Eiger: Wall of Death 21:00 WED (b00tlwj3)

The Eiger: Wall of Death 02:40 WED (b00tlwj3)

The Story of Maths 20:00 MON (b00dwf4f)

The Story of Maths 02:00 MON (b00dwf4f)

The Swing Thing 23:10 SUN (b00g3694)

Timeshift 02:25 SAT (b00sxh8c)

Upgrade Me 23:00 MON (b00n1hwj)

Viva Blackpool 21:00 SUN (b007cgr3)

Viva Blackpool 01:10 SUN (b007cgr3)

Wallander 21:00 SAT (b00g2j7h)

We Need Answers 20:00 WED (b00p5wl3)

We Need Answers 01:40 WED (b00p5wl3)

What Makes a Great Soprano? 21:30 THU (b00sw85k)

What Makes a Great Soprano? 01:00 THU (b00sw85k)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00tlw4d)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00tlwf8)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00tlwyc)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00tly2g)