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 29 JANUARY 2011

SAT 19:00 South Pacific (b00ks63z)
Endless Blue

A large part of the remote, blue wilderness of the South Pacific is a marine desert. Many animals that live in the ocean - among them sharks, whales and turtles - must go to extraordinary lengths to survive. Tiger sharks travel hundreds of miles to feast on fledging albatross chicks and, every year, sperm whales journey from one side of the South Pacific to the other in their search for food and mates. Theirs is a journey that can end in tragedy.

But the South Pacific is not all desert. New Zealand's super-rich coast supports huge pods of acrobatic dolphins; its coral reefs are some of the most diverse on earth; and there are few places richer in wildlife than the quirky Galapagos Islands, home to tropical penguins and surfing sea lions.

Using the greatest shipwreck story of all time - an event that inspired Moby Dick - the huge challenges of survival in this seemingly endless blue ocean are revealed.


SAT 20:00 Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century (b00xyzjw)
A specially-commissioned documentary in which renowned Harvard professor Michael Sandel looks at the philosophy of justice.

Is it acceptable to torture a terrorist in order to discover where a bomb has been hidden? Should wearing the burka in public be banned in Europe, if the majority of citizens disapprove? Should beggars be cleared off the streets of London?

Sandel goes in search of Jeremy Bentham, Immanuel Kant and Aristotle, three philosophers whose ideas inform much contemporary thinking on justice, and tests their theories against a range of contemporary problems.

Filmed in Berlin, Boston, Athens and London, this thought-provoking film includes interviews with the world's great philosophers, modern-day politicians and thinkers from all around the globe.


SAT 21:00 The Killing (b00y5hvr)
Series 1

Episode 3

Copenhagen detective Sarah Lund and her replacement-to-be Jan Meyer are on the trail of a principal murder suspect, but Jan's impulsiveness threatens to jeopardise the investigation. Meanwhile, important new clues turn up at the victim's school, while the campaign office of mayoral candidate Troels Hartmann is rocked by leaks of confidential information.


SAT 22:00 The Killing (b00yc811)
Series 1

Episode 4

Sarah and Jan discover clues in the basement of the victim's school and the police pathologist has some shocking news for Sarah. Following the leaking of confidential information to the press, the atmosphere in Troels Hartmann's office is one of suspicion as his political career could be hanging in the balance.


SAT 23:00 How TV Ruined Your Life (b00y4csg)
Fear

Comedy series in which Charlie Brooker uses a mix of sketches and jaw-dropping archive footage to explore the gulf between real life and television.

From hysterical public information films to grisly crime dramas, terror spills out of almost every channel. As Charlie explores TV's approach to fear, you won't know whether to laugh or scream. Warning: contains traces of Michael Buerk and a semi-naked lady.


SAT 23:30 Rude Britannia (b00srf2d)
A History Most Satirical, Bawdy, Lewd and Offensive

In the early 18th century, Georgian Britain was a nation openly, gloriously and often shockingly rude. This was found in the graphic art of Hogarth, Gillray, Rowlandson and George Cruikshank, and the rude theatrical world of John Gay and Henry Fielding. Singer Lucie Skeaping helps show the Georgian taste for lewd and bawdy ballads, and there is a dip into the literary tradition of rude words via the poetry of Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift and Lord Byron, and Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy.


SAT 00:30 Rude Britannia (b00ssrsg)
Presents Bawdy Songs and Lewd Photographs

A popular culture of rudeness managed to survive and even thrive in the long era of Victorian values, from the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837 until the 1950s. The arrival of photography in the Victorian age sparked a moral panic, as rude and saucy images became available to anyone who had the money to buy them.

Current-day performers recreate the acts of celebrated rude music hall stars such as Champagne Charlie and Marie Lloyd, and there is a look at the satirical and rude world of one of Britain's first comic book icons, boozy anti-hero Ally Sloper. The documentary shows how a 20th-century seaside culture of rudeness emerged, with peepshows on the pier - the Mutoscopes - and the picture postcard art of Donald McGill.


SAT 01:30 Rude Britannia (b00sss1g)
You Never Had It So Rude

The final part of a series exploring British traditions of satire and bawdy humour brings the story of a naughty nation up to date and explores how a mass democracy of rude emerged, beginning with the 1960s revolutions and continuing with the today's controversies.

There is a look at how a tradition of rude cartooning came back to life, as cartoonists draw the iconic political figures of the last 50 years: Gerald Scarfe captures Harold Macmillan, Steve Bell does Margaret Thatcher and Martin Rowson depicts Tony Blair.

The rude comic art of Viz is revealed in the characters of Sid the Sexist and the Fat Slags, and the rude theatre of Joe Orton, the rude radio of Round the Horne and the hippy rudeness of underground magazine Oz are also investigated.

And the history of rude television is traced from Till Death Us Do Part to Little Britain via Spitting Image. Finally, there is a look at how rude comedy begins to be seen as offensive in sexist and racist ways.


SAT 02:30 Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century (b00xyzjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 03:30 How TV Ruined Your Life (b00y4csg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]



SUNDAY 30 JANUARY 2011

SUN 19:00 Treasures of the Anglo Saxons (b00t6xzx)
Art historian Dr Nina Ramirez reveals the codes and messages hidden in Anglo-Saxon art. From the beautiful jewellery that adorned the first violent pagan invaders through to the stunning Christian manuscripts they would become famous for, she explores the beliefs and ideas that shaped Anglo-Saxon art.

Examining many of the greatest Anglo Saxon treasures - such as the Sutton Hoo Treasures, the Staffordshire Hoard, the Franks Casket and the Lindisfarne Gospels - Dr Ramirez charts 600 years of artistic development which was stopped dead in its tracks by the Norman Conquest.


SUN 20:00 Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle (b00t6ylx)
Author Rob Penn travels around the world collecting hand-built parts for his dream bicycle and charts the social history of one of mankind's greatest inventions.


SUN 21:00 Death on the Mountain: The Story of Tom Simpson (b0074rgb)
Death on the Mountain is the story of Britain's greatest cyclist, Tom Simpson.

With eyewitness accounts from former British team mates and top stars of continental cycling, Death on the Mountain recounts the dramatic events of 13th July during the 13th stage of the 1967 Tour de France, when Tom Simpson died trying to climb the notorious Mont Ventoux in Southern France.
Interwoven into this story of Simpson's controversial death is the remarkable story of how the miner's son from Nottinghamshire conquered continental cycling during the 1960s.

With comment from leading cycling writers, Death on the Mountain tells how Tom Simpson became the first British rider to wear the coveted Yellow Jersey of the Tour de France, became road race World Champion and won Europe's top one-day races.

Death on the Mountain is the story of the charismatic showman who became one of the all-time greats of cycling. Revealing Simpson's genius and courage, the programme also shows his reliance on illegal drugs in the pursuit of sporting success. It highlights the peaks of his cycling career but also chronicles the frustrated ambition to win the ultimate challenge in cycling, the Tour de France.

Death on the Mountain shows how the desire for sporting immortality cost Tom Simpson his life.


SUN 22:00 Cockles and Muscles (b00g34sw)
French comedy in which a couple take their teenage children to spend the summer at the seaside house of the father's youth. As the summer heat kindles the libido, love erupts for both young and old, and sexual adventures ensue.


SUN 23:30 Mark Knopfler: A Life in Songs (b00xz0zx)
Mark Knopfler is one of the most successful musicians in the world. During the past 30 years he has written and recorded over 300 songs including some of the most famous in popular music.

In this in-depth documentary he talks about how these songs have defined him and how they have been influenced by his own life and roots. It features previously unseen photographs from his personal collection and comprehensive footage spanning his career from a struggling musician playing in pubs in Leeds in the 1970s, to the record-breaking success with Dire Straits and his world tour as a solo artist.

Looking back over the 25 years since he wrote the iconic Brothers In Arms album, the film takes an affectionate look at how this formidable, creative man has operated as a musician for three decades and how he continues to do so as a solo artist who is as much in demand as ever.


SUN 00:30 Later... with Jools Holland (b00y38fc)
Later Presents Mark Knopfler

Jools Holland introduces a one-off studio session from Dire Straits lead singer Mark Knopfler. Featuring songs from his debut solo album Golden Heart, plus Dire Straits hits like Sultans of Swing, Brothers in Arms and Romeo and Juliet. Guests include Irish musicians Donal Lunny, Mairtin O'Connor and Liam O'Flynn, Louisianna slide guitarist Sonny Landreth and Nashville steel guitarist Paul Franklin.


SUN 01:45 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00dzzv2)
Part I

Concentrating on the 1970s (1969 to 1981 to be exact) and ransacking a host of BBC shows from The Old Grey Whistle Test to Sight & Sound, this compilation is designed to release the air guitarist in everyone, combining great electric guitarists like Carlos Santana, Mark Knopfler, The Edge and Peter Green with acoustic masters like John Martyn, Pentangle and Paco Pena.


SUN 02:45 Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle (b00t6ylx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



MONDAY 31 JANUARY 2011

MON 19:00 World News Today (b00y5j07)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Ego: The Strange and Wonderful World of Self-Portraits (b00vngl0)
Art critic Laura Cumming takes a journey through more than five centuries of self-portraits and finds out how the greatest names in western art transformed themselves into their own masterpieces.

The film argues that self-portraits are a unique form of art, one that always reveals the truth of how artists saw themselves and how they wanted to be known to the world. Examining the works of key self-portraitists including Durer, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Warhol, Laura traces the development of the genre, uncovering the strange and various ways artists have managed to get their inner and outer selves to match up.

Laura investigates the stories behind key self-portraits, interviews artists as they attempt a self-portrait, and shows how the history of the self-portrait is about more than how art and artists have changed, it also charts the evolution of the way we see ourselves and what it means to be human.

She also discusses Courbet with Julian Barnes, Rembrandt's theatricality with Simon Callow, and meets the contemporary artists Mark Wallinger and Patrick Hughes, observing the latter making his first ever self-portrait.


MON 21:00 Outside the Court (b00y5j3s)
They arrive, they smoke, they wait - armed robbers seeking redemption, life-long thieves, addicts and anxious fathers of wayward children. Hard exteriors hide soft centres, old lives exist in young bodies - ordinary people awaiting judgement on an unlovely stretch of pavement outside a London magistrates' court.

Whilst waiting for their cases to be heard they reveal their lives, and the complexities of the human soul are laid bare. Tense and intimate conversations with the filmmaker illuminate stories that the magistrates hear daily.

Director Marc Isaacs spent three months outside Highbury Magistrates Court and, in doing so, demonstrates how the eye of the camera has the ability to delve much deeper into character and motivation than the eye of the law. Consequently, the more we get to know the characters in this film, the harder it is to make easy judgements. Whilst the court must judge, the filmmaker need not.


MON 22:00 Storyville (b00y5j3v)
Meet the Climate Sceptics

Filmmaker Rupert Murray takes us on a journey into the heart of climate scepticism to examine the key arguments against man-made global warming and to try to understand the people who are making them.

Do they have the evidence that we are heating up the atmosphere or are they taking a grave risk with our future by dabbling in highly complicated science they don't fully understand? Where does the truth lie and how are we, the people, supposed to decide?

The film features Britain's pre-eminent sceptic Lord Christopher Monckton as he tours the world broadcasting his message to the public and politicians alike. Can he convince them and Murray that there is nothing to worry about?


MON 23:00 The Highest Court in the Land: Justice Makers (b00xz0s5)
They are the UK's most powerful arbiters of justice and now, for the first time, four of the Justices of the Supreme Court talk frankly and openly about the nature of justice and how they make their decisions. The film offers a revealing glimpse of the human characters behind the judgments and explores why the Supreme Court and its members are fundamental to our democracy.

The 11 men and one woman who make up the UK Supreme Court have the last say on the most controversial and difficult cases in the land. What they decide binds every citizen. But are their rulings always fair, do their feelings ever get in the way of their judgments and are they always right?

In the first 14 months of the court they have ruled on MPs' expenses, which led to David Chaytor's prosecution, changed the status of pre-nuptial agreements and battled with the government over control orders and the Human Rights Act.

They explain what happens when they cannot agree and there is a divided judgment, and how they avoid letting their personal feelings effect their interpretation of the law. And they face up to the difficult issue of diversity; there is only one woman on the court, and she is the only Justice who went to a non-fee-paying school.


MON 00:00 Outside the Court (b00y5j3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 01:00 Justice: Fairness and the Big Society (b00xyzg7)
From the Royal Institution in London, Harvard professor Michael Sandel hosts a discussion to explore fairness in public policy and the Big Society. An audience of politicians, opinion-formers and the general public should ensure a lively and topical debate.


MON 02:00 Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century (b00xyzjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 03:00 Outside the Court (b00y5j3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 01 FEBRUARY 2011

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00y5jfb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 The Beauty of Maps (b00s64hx)
Cartoon Maps - Politics and Satire

The series concludes by delving into the world of satirical maps. How did maps take on a new form, not as geographical tools, but as devices for humour, satire or storytelling?

Graphic artist Fred Rose perfectly captured the public mood in 1880 with his general election maps featuring Gladstone and Disraeli, using the maps to comment upon crucial election issues still familiar to us today. Technology was on the satirist's side, with the advent of high-speed printing allowing for larger runs at lower cost. In 1877, when Rose produced his Serio Comic Map of Europe at War, maps began to take on a new direction and form, reflecting a changing world.

Rose's map exploited these possibilities to the full using a combination of creatures and human figures to represent each European nation. The personification of Russia as a grotesque-looking octopus, extending its tentacles around the surrounding nations, perfectly symbolised the threat the country posed to its neighbours.


TUE 20:00 Britain by Bike (b00t6yhb)
The Welsh Borders

Clare Balding sets out on a two-wheel odyssey to rediscover Britain from the saddle of a touring cycle. In a six-part series, she follows in the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe whose evocative guidebooks of the late 1940s lovingly describe bypassed 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 Dawes Super Galaxy bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described. Is it lost for ever? Or still there, waiting to be found?

Clare's journey into Wales is rich in literary connections to both Bruce Chatwin and AE Housman. She reveals how a cycle factory went to war and finds out about the Bride's Tree - a bizarre village ceremony with a dark secret.


TUE 20:30 Justice (b00y5jfd)
The Case for Cannibalism

In the second in a series of lectures drawn from Harvard professor Michael Sandel's famous undergraduate course on justice, he introduces the British utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham, with reference to an infamous 19th century legal case from Victorian England - the shipwreck of the Mignonette.

After nineteen days lost at sea, the ship's captain decided to kill the weakest amongst the survivors - the young cabin boy - so that the rest could feed on his blood and body. The case sets up a classroom debate about the moral validity of utilitarianism and its doctrine of the right thing to do being whatever produces the greatest good for the greatest number.


TUE 21:00 The Children Who Built Victorian Britain (b00t6t3r)
The catalyst to Britain's Industrial Revolution was the slave labour of orphans and destitute children. In this shocking and moving account of their exploitation and eventual emancipation, Professor Jane Humphries uses the actual words of these child workers (recorded in diaries, interviews and letters) to let them tell their own story. She also uses groundbreaking animation to bring to life a world where 12-year-olds went to war at Trafalgar and six-year-olds worked the fields as human scarecrows.


TUE 22:00 Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders (b00wh73v)
Britain's Moral Makeover

Ian Hislop rescues the reputation of the maverick 'Do-Gooders' who he believes fixed the 19th century's version of 'broken Britain' in this history series. Irresistibly easy to mock, these busybodies are highly unfashionable today. But they are heroes to Ian - extraordinary men and women who precipitated the most remarkable period of social change in British history and, Ian argues, left us with a nation worth living in. And yet unlike notable Victorian royals, inventors, politicians and generals, many of them have been all but forgotten.

Ian calls William Wilberforce 'the godfather of the Do-Gooders'. Hedonistic man-about-town turned crusader, Wilberforce kick-started a multi-faceted moral revolution which reverberated throughout the 19th century, of which his successful campaign to abolish slavery was just one element.

In this first programme, Ian also tells the story of Robert Owen and his model mill town at New Lanark in Scotland; Thomas Wakley, founder of The Lancet, who exposed the fatal consequences of cronyism in the surgical profession; and George Dawson, inventor of the civic gospel which inspired a generation of Brummies to take responsibility for their city.

Ian also looks back on the impact of Charles Trevelyan, who battled to make the civil service a meritocracy, and Octavia Hill, a pioneer of social housing despite her opposition to cash hand-outs or anything that might create a dependency culture.

Contributors to the film include Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, author AN Wilson, head of the civil service Sir Gus O'Donnell, and Lancet editor Dr Richard Horton.


TUE 23:00 Explosions: How We Shook the World (b00v9kb3)
Engineer Jem Stansfield is used to creating explosions, but in this programme he uncovers the story of how we have learnt to control them and harness their power for our own means.

From recreating a rather dramatic ancient Chinese alchemy accident to splitting an atom in his own home-built replica of a 1930s piece of equipment, Jem reveals how explosives work and how we have used their power throughout history. He goes underground to show how gunpowder was used in the mines of Cornwall, recreates the first test of guncotton in a quarry with dramatic results and visits a modern high explosives factory with a noble history.

Ground-breaking high speed photography makes for some startling revelations at every step of the way.


TUE 00:00 The Children Who Built Victorian Britain (b00t6t3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 01:00 The Beauty of Maps (b00s64hx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 01:30 Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders (b00wh73v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 02:30 Justice (b00y5jfd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


TUE 03:00 The Children Who Built Victorian Britain (b00t6t3r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 02 FEBRUARY 2011

WED 19:00 World News Today (b00y5jfx)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Boats That Built Britain (b00sfshw)
Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter

Many consider the Bristol Channel pilot cutter to be the finest sailing boat design ever. Fast, seaworthy and beautiful to behold, the pilot cutter is the perfect combination of form and function - a thoroughbred perfectly adapted to a life in one of the Britain's most treacherous stretches of water. Sailor and writer Tom Cunliffe explores the life of the pilots and sails a perfectly restored cutter to find out just what drove these men and their wonderful machines.


WED 20:00 The Box That Changed Britain (b00scpzn)
Poet Roger McGough narrates the extraordinary story of how a simple invention - the shipping container - changed the world forever and forced Britain into the modern era of globalisation.

With a blend of archive and modern-day filming, the incredible impact of the box is told through the eyes of dockers, seafarers, ship spotters, factory workers and logisticians. From quayside in huge container ports to onboard ships the size of four football pitches, the documentary explains how the shipping container has transformed our communities, economy and coastline.


WED 21:00 The Secret Life of Waves (b00y5jhx)
Documentary maker David Malone delves into the secrets of ocean waves. In an elegant and original film, he finds that waves are not made of water, that some waves travel sideways, and that the sound of the ocean comes not from water but from bubbles. Waves are not only beautiful but also profoundly important, and there is a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and the life of human beings.


WED 22:00 Dive, Dive, Dive! (b00s96m9)
To the sound of pinging sonar, Robert Llewellyn ups periscope to discover why submarine movies have gripped us for over a century. He travels along the River Medway to find a beached Cold War Russian nuclear sub and then on to the abandoned WWII German U-boat pens on the French coast, recalling many of the real events that inspired these films.

From 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Das Boot and The Hunt for Red October, Llewellyn discovers that fear - and its antithesis, bravery - is the key, and he also reveals the unique role that Walt Disney played in promoting atomic submarines. Interviewees include director John McTiernan (The Hunt For Red October), Sir Christopher Frayling and screenwriter Michael Schiffer (Crimson Tide).


WED 23:00 Shanties and Sea Songs with Gareth Malone (b00s97c0)
The story of Britain's maritime past has a hidden history of shanties and sea songs, and choirmaster Gareth Malone has been travelling Britain's coast to explore this unique heritage. From dedicated traditionalists to groundbreaking recording artists, Gareth meets a variety of sea-singers from across the country.

His journey begins in Portsmouth where he meets a devoted shanty singer, before continuing on to Tyneside and the Yorkshire coast, where the Filey Fisherman's Choir, with an average age of 70, are determined to keep the tradition alive.

Gareth gets a fascinating insight into the songs of the Herring Girls when he visits Gardenstown in Scotland. In Whitby, he meets Kimber's Men, a local group who have dedicated themselves to writing and singing songs celebrating heroes of the sea, such as a rescue of 1881 when the sea was so rough the people of Whitby had to carry their 2-tonne lifeboat some six miles overland on a wooden trailer and in heavy snow to the bay where a ship had hit the rocks. Despite the exhaustion, they still managed to rescue the shipwrecked crew and passengers.

Gareth's journey ends in Port Isaac in Cornwall, where a group of local fishermen sing shanties and sea songs alongside their day job. Calling themselves the Fishermen's Friends, they have been so successful that they have landed a lucrative record deal.


WED 00:00 The Killing (b00y5hvr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 The Killing (b00yc811)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Saturday]


WED 02:00 The Secret Life of Waves (b00y5jhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 03:00 Storyville (b00y5j3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]



THURSDAY 03 FEBRUARY 2011

THU 19:00 World News Today (b00y5kcw)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 South Africa Walks (b00s6b6l)
The Garden Route

Having tackled treks across the UK, Julia Bradbury embarks on a grand adventure in South Africa, setting out on four different walks that explore its claim to be 'a world in one country'.

Julia is a regular visitor to the Rainbow Nation, but this is her chance to go beyond the normal tourist destinations to a series of increasingly remote locations. However, these are walks that any reasonably adventurous walker could embark on, and they offer a fresh and personal perspective on a friendly and fascinating country that is often misunderstood.

The southern coastline of Africa is home to the sun-drenched Garden Route. With fabulous beaches and immense flora and fauna, this is an increasingly popular holiday spot, but Julia's walk reveals secrets of the history of the Rainbow Nation. She even encounters research suggesting that this abundant spot gave rise to the modern human race.

With her Xhosa guide Willie bringing every feature to life, Julia finds her first walk an absolute delight. Here is proof of South Africa's warm and friendly welcome and of the constant surprises it has to offer.


THU 20:00 Timeshift (b00nf0nl)
Series 9

The Golden Age of Liners

Paul Atterbury embarks on an alluring journey into the golden age of ocean liners, finding out how these great ships made such a mark on the popular imagination and why they continue to enchant to this day.

Paul's voyage takes him around Britain and reveals a story of design, politics, propaganda, Hollywood glamour and tragedy. Along the way, he uncovers some amazing survivals from the liners of the past - a cinema in Scotland built from the interiors of the SS Homeric, a house in Poole in which cabins from the Mauretania are lovingly preserved - as well as the design inspiration behind the first great liners.


THU 21:00 Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? (b00y5kdx)
To most Americans Abraham Lincoln is the nation's greatest president - a political genius who won the Civil War and ended slavery. Today the cult of Lincoln has become a multi-million dollar industry, with millions of Americans visiting his memorials and thousands of books published that present him as a saint more than a politician.

But does Lincoln really deserve all this adulation? 150 years after the war his reputation is being re-assessed, as historians begin to uncover the dark side of his life and politics. They have revealed that the president who ended slavery secretly planned to deport the freed black people out of America. Others are asking if Lincoln should be remembered as a war hero who saved the nation or as a war criminal who launched attacks on innocent southern civilians.


THU 22:00 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00yb5xz)
Gilbert and George

Mark Lawson talks to the controversial artists and 'living sculptures' Gilbert and George about their lives and careers. Since meeting as students at St Martins School of Art in 1967, Gilbert Proesch and George Passmore have forged an extraordinary artistic partnership ranging from photo-pieces and dirty word pictures to their latest postcard exhibition. Their vivid, graphic work set out to challenge the elitist art world through universal themes of identity, sex, class and nationality.


THU 23:00 Behind the Scenes at the Museum (b00scr08)
Commercial Vehicle Museum

Series in which acclaimed filmmaker Richard Macer visits three different museums struggling to connect with a modern audience.

At the British Commercial Vehicle Museum in Lancashire, a mutiny is brewing over the appointment of a new leader. The museum is the last link to Leyland Trucks, one of the nation's great manufacturing giants, but just as Leyland fell victim to industrial action in the 70s and 80s now history is in danger of repeating itself at the Commercial Vehicle Museum too.

The first thing new leader Stephen Bullock wants to do is bring back the Leyland festival. For many years this was the town's way of celebrating its industrial might with a procession of lorries and buses, but after the factory closed the carnival was cancelled.

However, not everyone approves of these new changes at the museum. Some of the many longstanding volunteers are vehicle enthusiasts who think the museum should stay just the way it is. But will it survive if it doesn't change?

Macer spent six months filming amidst the gleaming lorries and double decker buses and observed as a bitter row erupted between the new leader and the head of the volunteers.


THU 00:00 Cockles and Muscles (b00g34sw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Sunday]


THU 01:30 Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? (b00y5kdx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


THU 02:30 South Africa Walks (b00s6b6l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 03:00 Timeshift (b00nf0nl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



FRIDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2011

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00y5kgv)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b00y5kgx)
2010

Paul Lewis Plays Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto

Over the Proms season in 2010, Paul Lewis performed the complete cycle of the five Beethoven piano concertos. Here is his performance of the mighty 5th Concerto, the 'Emperor', at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Stephane Deneve. Leading up to the performance, Paul is in conversation with Charles Hazlewood to discuss his approach and thoughts about the cycle as a whole.


FRI 20:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b0082hyv)
Series 3

Episode 5

Folk musicians come together in what have been called 'the greatest backporch shows ever'. Featuring harpist Catriona McKay, fiddler Bruce Molsky and Tim O'Brien.


FRI 21:00 Peter Green: Man of the World (b00k92x1)
Legendary blues guitarist BB King named Peter Green as one of the greatest exponents of the blues, and the 'only guitar player to make me sweat'. If Green had only written Black Magic Woman, his name would still have a place in blues rock history forever.

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

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


FRI 22:30 Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop (b00nq7q9)
Fleetwood Mac are one of the biggest-selling bands of all time and still on the road. Their story, told in their own words, is an epic tale of love and confrontation, of success and loss.

Few bands have undergone such radical musical and personal change. The band evolved from the 60s British blues boom to perfect a US West Coast sound that saw them sell 40 million copies of the album Rumours.

However, behind-the-scenes relationships were turbulent. The band went through multiple line-ups with six different lead guitarists. While working on Rumours, the two couples at the heart of the band separated, yet this heartache inspired the perfect pop record.


FRI 23:30 Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden (b00k9cbz)
Reunion concert by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2008. The rock legends took to the stage together for just three concerts in a highly anticipated collaboration, performing a string of hits that included Blind Faith's Presence of the Lord and Can't Find My Way Home, in addition to Clapton's classic After Midnight and Winwood's Dear Mr Fantasy.

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

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


FRI 00:30 Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up (b00sxjls)
Documentary which looks at how rock 'n' roll has had to deal with the unthinkable - namely growing up and growing old, from its roots in the 50s as music made by young people for young people to the 21st-century phenomena of the revival and the comeback.

Despite the mantra of 'live fast, die young', Britain's first rock 'n' roll generations are now enjoying old age. What was once about youth and taking risks is now about longevity, survival, nostalgia and refusing to grow up, give up or shut up. But what happens when the music refuses to die and its performers refuse to leave the stage? What happens when rock's youthful rebelliousness is delivered wrapped in wrinkles?

Featuring Lemmy, Iggy Pop, Peter Noone, Rick Wakeman, Paul Jones, Richard Thompson, Suggs, Eric Burdon, Bruce Welch, Robert Wyatt, Gary Brooker, Joe Brown, Chris Dreja of The Yardbirds, Alison Moyet, Robyn Hitchcock, writers Rosie Boycott and Nick Kent and producer Joe Boyd.


FRI 01:30 Peter Green: Man of the World (b00k92x1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 03:00 Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop (b00nq7q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]




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

Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? 21:00 THU (b00y5kdx)

Abraham Lincoln: Saint or Sinner? 01:30 THU (b00y5kdx)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b00y5kgx)

Behind the Scenes at the Museum 23:00 THU (b00scr08)

Britain by Bike 20:00 TUE (b00t6yhb)

Cockles and Muscles 22:00 SUN (b00g34sw)

Cockles and Muscles 00:00 THU (b00g34sw)

Death on the Mountain: The Story of Tom Simpson 21:00 SUN (b0074rgb)

Dive, Dive, Dive! 22:00 WED (b00s96m9)

Ego: The Strange and Wonderful World of Self-Portraits 19:30 MON (b00vngl0)

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden 23:30 FRI (b00k9cbz)

Explosions: How We Shook the World 23:00 TUE (b00v9kb3)

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop 22:30 FRI (b00nq7q9)

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop 03:00 FRI (b00nq7q9)

Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up 00:30 FRI (b00sxjls)

Guitar Heroes at the BBC 01:45 SUN (b00dzzv2)

How TV Ruined Your Life 23:00 SAT (b00y4csg)

How TV Ruined Your Life 03:30 SAT (b00y4csg)

Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders 22:00 TUE (b00wh73v)

Ian Hislop's Age of the Do-Gooders 01:30 TUE (b00wh73v)

Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century 20:00 SAT (b00xyzjw)

Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century 02:30 SAT (b00xyzjw)

Justice: A Citizen's Guide to the 21st Century 02:00 MON (b00xyzjw)

Justice: Fairness and the Big Society 01:00 MON (b00xyzg7)

Justice 20:30 TUE (b00y5jfd)

Justice 02:30 TUE (b00y5jfd)

Later... with Jools Holland 00:30 SUN (b00y38fc)

Mark Knopfler: A Life in Songs 23:30 SUN (b00xz0zx)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 22:00 THU (b00yb5xz)

Outside the Court 21:00 MON (b00y5j3s)

Outside the Court 00:00 MON (b00y5j3s)

Outside the Court 03:00 MON (b00y5j3s)

Peter Green: Man of the World 21:00 FRI (b00k92x1)

Peter Green: Man of the World 01:30 FRI (b00k92x1)

Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle 20:00 SUN (b00t6ylx)

Ride of My Life: The Story of the Bicycle 02:45 SUN (b00t6ylx)

Rude Britannia 23:30 SAT (b00srf2d)

Rude Britannia 00:30 SAT (b00ssrsg)

Rude Britannia 01:30 SAT (b00sss1g)

Shanties and Sea Songs with Gareth Malone 23:00 WED (b00s97c0)

South Africa Walks 19:30 THU (b00s6b6l)

South Africa Walks 02:30 THU (b00s6b6l)

South Pacific 19:00 SAT (b00ks63z)

Storyville 22:00 MON (b00y5j3v)

Storyville 03:00 WED (b00y5j3v)

The Beauty of Maps 19:30 TUE (b00s64hx)

The Beauty of Maps 01:00 TUE (b00s64hx)

The Boats That Built Britain 19:30 WED (b00sfshw)

The Box That Changed Britain 20:00 WED (b00scpzn)

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain 21:00 TUE (b00t6t3r)

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain 00:00 TUE (b00t6t3r)

The Children Who Built Victorian Britain 03:00 TUE (b00t6t3r)

The Highest Court in the Land: Justice Makers 23:00 MON (b00xz0s5)

The Killing 21:00 SAT (b00y5hvr)

The Killing 22:00 SAT (b00yc811)

The Killing 00:00 WED (b00y5hvr)

The Killing 01:00 WED (b00yc811)

The Secret Life of Waves 21:00 WED (b00y5jhx)

The Secret Life of Waves 02:00 WED (b00y5jhx)

Timeshift 20:00 THU (b00nf0nl)

Timeshift 03:00 THU (b00nf0nl)

Transatlantic Sessions 20:30 FRI (b0082hyv)

Treasures of the Anglo Saxons 19:00 SUN (b00t6xzx)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b00y5j07)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b00y5jfb)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b00y5jfx)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b00y5kcw)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b00y5kgv)