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 31 MARCH 2012

SAT 19:00 Lost Cities of the Ancients (b00792vj)
The Dark Lords of Hattusha

It was one of the greatest vanishing acts in history. More than 3,000 years ago a mysterious and ruthless civilisation rose from nothing, created a brutal and unstoppable army and built an empire that rivalled Egypt and Babylon. Yet, just as it was at the height of its powers, the great empire suddenly vanished from history.

This is the story of the formidable Hittites, a civilisation bent on world domination. Their long-lost capital, Hattusha, which disappeared thousands of years ago, was recently rediscovered, and archaeologists have unearthed one of the most astonishing and ingenious cities of the ancient world, featuring rings of impenetrable walls, secret tunnels, temples, palaces and a vast pyramid-like structure facing Egypt.

Buried in this lost city is one of the greatest libraries of the ancient world. All the secrets of the mysterious Hittite empire were written in two codes - one a unique form of hieroglyphs. Using these deciphered texts, the film recreates the ancient world of the Hittites, telling the story of what happened to them, and what caused an empire built to last forever to vanish so completely from history.


SAT 20:00 Monty Don's Italian Gardens (b010twjk)
The South

Monty Don continues his grand garden tour of Italy. This time he is in Naples to visit some of the most sublime, romantic retreats in southern Italy.

After all the formality of the green gardens around Rome and Florence, Monty seeks out idyllic horticultural gems set against the dramatic scenery of the Amalfi Coast to discover why, in the south, gardens are informal and, above all, filled with flowers.


SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b00g6hqn)
Montalbano's Croquettes

As the small town of Vigata prepares for its New Year celebrations, local police inspector Salvo Montalbano is reluctantly making arrangements to travel to Paris with his girlfriend. What he would much rather do, however, is accept a dinner invitation by his cleaner Adelina, who has promised to cook rice croquettes.

A wealthy husband and wife are found dead in what appears to be a car accident, but which quickly turns into a murder investigation. As the circumstances surrounding the death of the couple grow more and more mysterious, clues point to the involvement of Adelina's son Pasquale.

In Italian with English subtitles.


SAT 22:35 Top of the Pops (b01f18l3)
24/3/77

Dave Lee Travis introduces Brendon, Brotherhood of Man, Elkie Brooks, Dead End Kids, T Rex, Graham Parker and the Rumour, Smokie, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr and Manhattan Transfer. Dance sequence by Legs and Co.


SAT 23:05 Lost Cities of the Ancients (b00792vj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 00:05 Storyville (b01f13f6)
Tabloid: Sex in Chains

Documentary which follows the stranger-than-fiction account of a former beauty queen whose single-minded devotion to the man of her dreams became a tabloid sensation. Allegations that Joyce McKinney had kidnapped her estranged lover and held him captive, handcuffed to a bed in a remote cottage, became the stuff of headlines.

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Errol Morris, the documentary follows Joyce's crusade for love and personal vindication, which takes her through a surreal world of gunpoint abduction, manacled Mormons, oddball accomplices, bondage modelling, magic underwear and dreams of celestial unions.


SAT 01:30 Timeshift (b019c85h)
Series 11

The Rules of Drinking

Timeshift digs into the archive to discover the unwritten rules that have governed the way we drink in Britain.

In the pubs and working men's clubs of the 40s and 50s there were strict customs governing who stood where. To be invited to sup at the bar was a rite of passage for many young men, and it took years for women to be accepted into these bastions of masculinity. As the country prospered and foreign travel became widely available, so new drinking habits were introduced as we discovered wine and, even more exotically, cocktails.

People began to drink at home as well as at work, where journalists typified a tradition of the liquid lunch. Advertising played its part as lager was first sold as a woman's drink and then the drink of choice for young men with a bit of disposable income. The rules changed and changed again, but they were always there - unwritten and unspoken, yet underwriting our complicated relationship with drinking.


SAT 02:30 Monty Don's Italian Gardens (b010twjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 01 APRIL 2012

SUN 19:00 The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea (b00pq9gs)
Over 3,000 years ago legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent a fleet of ships to the wonderful, distant land of Punt. A bas-relief in the temple where she is entombed in Luxor shows them bringing back extraordinary treasures. But did this expedition really happen? And if it did, where exactly is the land of Punt?

Drawing upon recent finds, archaeologist Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage in a full-size replica of one of these ancient ships, sailing it in the wake of Hatshepsut's fleet in search of the mythical land of Punt. A human adventure as well as a scientific challenge, the expedition proves that, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians had the necessary tools, science and techniques to sail the seas.


SUN 20:00 The Man who Discovered Egypt (b01f13f4)
Documentary about English Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, the pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology. Ancient Egypt was vandalised by tomb raiders and treasure hunters until this Victorian adventurer took them on. Most people have never heard of him, but this maverick undertook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt's prehistoric roots - and in the process invented modern field archaeology, giving meaning to a whole civilisation.


SUN 21:00 Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years (b01fcncc)
In the 1980s rallying was more popular than Formula 1. 'Group B' machines had taken the world by storm. Deregulation opened the way for the most exciting cars ever to hit the motorsport scene. Nothing like it has ever happened since. 'This is the fastest rallying there has ever been' - Peter Foubister.

For four wild and crazy years manufacturers scrambled to build ever more powerful cars to be driven by fearless mavericks who could handle the extreme power. The sport was heading out of control and the unregulated mayhem ended abruptly in 1986 after a series of horrific tragedies. This is the story of when fans, ambition, politics and cars collided.

'The fans were crazy. As the cars sped by the spectators ran into the road!' - Ari Vatanen. 'They were playing with their lives'.

'To go rallying is madness. This was refined madness' - John Davenport

Featuring world champaions Ari Vatanen, Walter Rohrl, Stig Blomqvist, plus Michel Mouton, Cesar Fiorio, Jean Todt and many many more.

From the producer of Grand Prix: The Killer Years and the Grierson-nominated Deadliest Crash: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster.


SUN 22:00 City of Life and Death (b01fm0d0)
Japanese forces invaded Nanjing, the former capital of the Republic of China on December 9th 1937. Throughout the following six weeks, soldiers raped thousands of women and annihilated hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians - with mass executions, crowds mown down by firing squads and victims digging their own graves. Few events carry the ugly and sickening connotations of what has become known as the 'Rape of Nanking'. Director Lu Chuan tells the horrifying story through several figures, including a conscience-stricken Japanese soldier and John Rabe, a Nazi businessman who would ultimately save thousands of Chinese civilians' lives.


SUN 00:10 The Doors - The Story of LA Woman (b01f7y7c)
By 1969, the Doors had found themselves at the forefront of a movement that consisted of a generation of discontents. Operating against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and of social unrest and change in the USA, the Doors were hip, they were dangerous, they were anti-establishment, anti-war and they were hated by middle-America.

Featuring exclusive interviews with surviving band members Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Kreiger and their closest colleagues and collaborators, along with exclusive performances, archive footage and examination of the original multi-track recording tapes with producer Bruce Botnick, this film tells the amazing story of landmark album LA Woman by one of the most influential bands on the planet.


SUN 01:10 Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years (b01fcncc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 02:10 The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea (b00pq9gs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 03:10 The Man who Discovered Egypt (b01f13f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



MONDAY 02 APRIL 2012

MON 19:00 World News Today (b01fcnrf)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Story of Maths (b00f3n43)
The Frontiers of Space

Four-part series about the history of mathematics, presented by Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy.

By the 17th century, Europe had taken over from the Middle East as the world's powerhouse of mathematical ideas. Great strides had been made in understanding the geometry of objects fixed in time and space. The race was now on to discover the mathematics to describe objects in motion.

Marcus explores the work of Rene Descartes and Pierre Fermat, whose famous Last Theorem would puzzle mathematicians for more than 350 years. He also examines Isaac Newton's development of the calculus, and goes in search of Leonard Euler, the father of topology or 'bendy geometry', and Carl Friedrich Gauss who, at the age of 24, was responsible for inventing a new way of handling equations - modular arithmetic.


MON 20:30 Petworth House: The Big Spring Clean (b010jslx)
Pride & Petworth

Andrew Graham-Dixon uncovers the history of Petworth House, as he learns how to vacuum-clean sculptures, perfectly polish banisters, preserve Capability Brown's immense parkland and buff-up baroque angels in the chapel.


MON 21:00 How It Works (b01fkc5n)
Metal

Professor Mark Miodownik travels to Israel to trace the history of our love affair with gleaming, lustrous metal. He learns how we first extracted glinting copper from dull rock and used it to shape our world and reveals how our eternal quest for lighter, stronger metals led us to forge hard, sharp steel from malleable iron and to create complex alloys in order to conquer the skies.

He investigates metals at the atomic level to reveal mysterious properties such as why they get stronger when they are hit, and he discovers how metal crystals can be grown to survive inside one of our most extreme environments - the jet engine.


MON 22:00 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.


MON 23:00 Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau (b01f1959)
British Cities

Britain's art nouveau heritage is excavated as cultural correspondent Stephen Smith unearths the bright, controversial but brief career of Aubrey Beardsley.

On a mission to uncover lesser-known stars of Britain's version of this continental fin-de-siecle style, he explores the stunning work of Mary Watts and the massive influence of department store entrepreneur Arthur Liberty.

In Scotland, he celebrates the innovative art nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but looks harder at the extraordinary and influential work of Mackintosh's wife, Margaret MacDonald.


MON 00:00 How Britain Got the Gardening Bug (b00jkrkp)
Documentary looking at the extraordinary changes and crazes that have happened to British gardening since the Second World War, from garden gnomes and crazy paving to Leylandii and decking.

As recently as the 1960s, garden centres did not exist and gardening was strictly for old boys in sheds, yet today it has become the height of cool.

Contributors include Penelope Keith, Laurence Llewellyn Bowen, Germaine Greer and Carol Klein.


MON 01:30 The Story of Maths (b00f3n43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 02:30 Petworth House: The Big Spring Clean (b010jslx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 03:00 How It Works (b01fkc5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 03 APRIL 2012

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b01fcppx)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qbng0)
Series 1

Torquay to Totnes

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. In a series of four epic journeys, he travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.

His journey takes him along the Brunel's Great Western Railway from Swindon to Penzance. This time, Michael finds out about Torquay's microclimate, goes salmon fishing on the Dart estuary and spends some of Totnes's new local currency.


TUE 20:00 Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years (b01fcncc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


TUE 21:00 Talk at the BBC (b01fd3wh)
Episode 3

Funny, surreal and extraordinary - extracts from interviews broadcast on the BBC from the 1950s to the 1970s, arguably the golden age of conversation.


TUE 22:00 The Then and Now of Muhammad Ali (b00kyqkr)
On the occasion of Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday, Sir David Frost charts the life and career of the world's greatest sportsman through a series of landmark interviews.

Frost meets Ali at his ranch in Michigan and together they look back over the boxer's glittering career and talk about the Parkinson's disease that now blights the former champion's life.

The programme also includes excerpts from two of their greatest encounters - in 1968 when Ali declared that all 'white men are devils' and in 1974 when they met at Ali's training camp at Deer Lake prior to the historic Rumble in the Jungle fight with George Foreman.


TUE 22:50 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b01fd3my)
Mark Gatiss

Mark Lawson talks to writer, actor and comedian Mark Gatiss about his life, career and fulfilling childhood dreams. In this entertaining interview Gatiss explores formative memories of growing up opposite a psychiatric hospital in County Durham, admits the difficulty of coming out as a gay man, reveals why his role in the British film flop Sex Lives of the Potato Men was the biggest mistake of his career yet also his 'Pistols moment', and talks about how his lifelong passion for horror and science fiction have influenced his success and contributed to his 'long revenge against PE teachers who told me that I would never come to anything'.

Gatiss first made a name for himself as one of the comedy quartet The League of Gentlemen, which he formed with university friends Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson. Their first breakthrough was winning the Perrier Award for their stage show in 1997, and BBC radio and television success quickly followed. Gatiss has gone on to form a successful solo career as an actor, with notable roles including Bamber Gascoigne in Starter for Ten and Malcolm McLaren in Worried About the Boy. As a writer Gatiss is living out his childhood obsessions, writing episodes of Dr Who and the BAFTA-Award winning series Sherlock, and presenting a series on horror for the BBC.


TUE 23:50 Pugin: God's Own Architect (b01b1z45)
Augustus Northmore Welby Pugin is far from being a household name, yet he designed the iconic clock tower of Big Ben as well as much of the Palace of Westminster. The 19th-century Gothic revival that Pugin inspired, with its medieval influences and soaring church spires, established an image of Britain which still defines the nation. Richard Taylor charts Pugin's extraordinary life story and discovers how his work continues to influence Britain today.


TUE 00:50 How to Build a Cathedral (b00b09rb)
The great cathedrals were the wonders of the medieval world - the tallest buildings since the pyramids and the showpieces of medieval Christianity. Yet they were built at a time when most of us lived in hovels. Architectural historian Jon Cannon explores who the people were that built them and how they were able to achieve such a bold vision.


TUE 01:50 Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years (b01fcncc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


TUE 02:50 Talk at the BBC (b01fd3wh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 04 APRIL 2012

WED 19:00 World News Today (b01fcpx7)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Tales from the National Parks (b016dr0x)
The Lake District

The National Parks are Britain's most treasured landscapes, but they are increasingly becoming battlefields. They were designated 60 years ago as places for everyone, but is that still the case? In this series the award-winning film-maker Richard Macer spent a year amid conflicts in three different parks, on a journey to discover who they are really for.

In each park the stories are very different, but there is something that unites them all - fiercely divided communities who are prepared to fight in order to preserve their right to enjoy the countryside. In each film, Macer has secured access to the National Park Authority - an organisation which looks after the landscapes and decides upon planning matters. In all of these stories the Park Authorities have a key role to play in trying to find amicable solutions to the problems which confront them.

In the Lake District, entrepreneur Mark Weir wants to build a giant zip-wire ride from the top of a beautiful, remote mountain. But does it have any chance of getting permission when there are over 400 objectors to it? Unfortunately a tragic accident during filming means that Mark will never see if his zip-wire becomes a reality.


WED 20:30 Venice 24/7 (b01fd4tm)
When the Boats Come In

For one day the canals are closed and fleets of row boats take to the water. As temperatures soar, Venetians and visitors turn out in their thousands to celebrate the ancient tradition of rowing. At the same time, the police try to rein in speeding motor boats while, on the city's outskirts, an enormous anti-flood system is being built. As the team prepares to lower millions of pounds of technology weighing over 20 tons into the Venice lagoon, nerves are mounting. Without it, Venice is at risk of disappearing under the water.


WED 21:00 Kids in the Middle (b01fkc7s)
Brian Hill's bittersweet observational film features the story of a separated family whose break up is so acrimonious and the parents are so loath to come in to any contact with one another at all, that it becomes impossible for the father to see his children without the involvement of a contact centre. This powerful and intimate film explores the lengths to which dads will go to see their kids, the impact of this situation on the children, and the motivations and anxieties that have led mums ands dads to this most specific of locations.


WED 22:00 Episodes (b00y4306)
Series 1

Episode 3

Sean and Beverly Lincoln are a happily married English couple, who are also the creators of a hit British TV show. Their life seems complete. That is until a hugely powerful and charismatic US network president persuades them to move to Los Angeles to recreate their show for American television.

Beverly can't stand Matt LeBlanc and the feeling is mutual. As it's all she can do not to throttle the star of her show, Beverly leaves Sean to look after him, leading to an extended adventure in Las Vegas. Soon the two guys have bonded, leaving Beverly feeling excluded by her husband's new bromance.

Later, in a confrontation with Matt, Beverly learns just how 'big' a star Matt LeBlanc actually is.


WED 22:30 Lowdown (b01fd4tp)
Project Runaway

The editor offers Alex $10,000 of his own money to find a missing reality TV star, interview her and save the paper. But Alex insists on going on the holiday he's booked with Bob, where each of them ends up meeting a very special lady.


WED 23:00 The Cricklewood Greats (b01bs3ww)
Peter Capaldi embarks upon a personal journey to discover the shocking history of the stars of north London's famous film studios. Including clips from rarely seen films and interviews with Marcia Warren and Terry Gilliam.


WED 23:45 Venice 24/7 (b01fd4tm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


WED 00:15 Inspector Montalbano (b00g6hqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]


WED 01:50 Episodes (b00y4306)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


WED 02:20 Lowdown (b01fd4tp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


WED 02:50 Kids in the Middle (b01fkc7s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 05 APRIL 2012

THU 19:00 World News Today (b01fcq53)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 The Sky at Night (b08tg3zt)
Warp Factor 55

Have you ever dreamed of travelling through space? Sir Patrick Moore takes us on an epic journey to the ends of our known universe, stopping en-route to take in the view. The team engage the warp drive and celebrate 55 years of The Sky at Night - at the speed of light.


THU 20:00 Timeshift (b00dzzdc)
Series 8

Last Days of Steam

The surprising story of how Britain entered a new age of steam railways after the Second World War and why it quickly came to an end.

After the war, the largely destroyed railways of Europe were rebuilt to carry more modern diesel and electric trains. Britain, however, chose to build thousands of brand new steam locomotives. Did we stay with steam because coal was seen as the most reliable power source or were the railways run by men who couldn't bear to let go of their beloved steam trains?

The new British locomotives were designed to stay in service well into the 1970s, but in some cases they were taken off the railways and scrapped within just five years. When Dr Richard Beeching took over British Railways in the 1960s the writing was on the wall, and in 1968 the last steam passenger train blew its whistle.

But while steam use declined, steam enthusiasm grew. As many steam engines lay rusting in scrapyards around Britain, enthusiasts raised funds to buy, restore and return them to their former glory. In 2008, the first brand new steam locomotive to be built in Britain in nearly 50 years rolled off the line, proving our enduring love of these machines.


THU 21:00 Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau (b01fd4z2)
Vienna

In a story that combines scandal and revolution, cultural correspondent Stephen Smith explores how Vienna's artists rebelled against the establishment in the late 19th century and brought their own highly sexed version of art nouveau to the banks of the Danube.

Looking at the eye-watering work of Gustav Klimt, Smith discovers that Viennese 'Jugenstil' was more than just a decorative delight but saw artists struggle to bring social meaning to the new style. Revealing the design genius of Josef Hoffman, the graphic work of Koloman Moser and the emergence of the enfant terrible Egon Schiele, Smith unpacks the stories behind a style that burned brightly but briefly at the fin de siecle.


THU 22:00 How It Works (b01fkc5n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 23:00 Talk at the BBC (b01fd3wh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 00:00 The Sky at Night (b08tg3zt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 00:30 The Horizon Guide to Mars (b00p1crx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


THU 01:30 Timeshift (b00dzzdc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 02:30 Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau (b01fd4z2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 06 APRIL 2012

FRI 19:00 The Lark Ascending (b019c9t9)
Dame Diana Rigg explores the enduring popularity of The Lark Ascending by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, which was recently voted Britain's favourite piece of classical music by listeners to Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4.

Composed at a key turning point in world history, The Lark Ascending represents music for all occasions. It is used in rites of passage such as births, deaths and marriages, and is a favourite for film-makers looking to create that quintessential English pastoral feel. Fans of the work include actor Peter Sallis, who wants a copy of The Lark Ascending to be buried with him, top violinist Tasmin Little, who has played the piece as part of the BBC Proms, and music critic Michael Kennedy, who was a personal friend of Vaughan Williams.

The programme includes a beautiful new performance of the work in the same village hall where it was heard for the first time in December 1920. The Lark Ascending is performed by 15-year-old violin prodigy Julia Hwang and pianist Charles Matthews, using the original arrangement for violin and piano.


FRI 19:30 Angelic Voices: The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral (b01f6tb8)
Child choristers have been singing at Salisbury for 900 years. This film - an observational portrait, history and musical immersion in one of Britain's most distinctive and beloved cultural traditions - follows Salisbury Cathedral's choristers over Easter and through the summer term of 2011.

Salisbury Cathedral's separate boy and girl choirs each contain 16 of the most musically gifted eight- to 13-year-olds in the country. Their role, now as always, is to sing some of the most sublime music ever written in one of Britain's most beautiful buildings. Indeed there are many who believe the chorister's pure, clear, treble voice is the finest instrument in all music.

The film spends four months with the choristers as they go about their day-to-day lives, discovering their own history and singing some of the most loved music from a sacred canon spanning six centuries from medieval plainsong to the present day. Under the direction of indefatigable choir master David Halls, they rehearse and perform works by Sheppard, Byrd, Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Stanford, Parry, Alcock and Rutter.

Lining up in his black cloak, ten-year-old Alex says he feels like Harry Potter while Freddie, 12, admits, 'Other children think we are weird and actually we are not.' Yet few children perhaps have the poise or conviction of Susanna, 10, who explains, 'Singing for choristers is part of them. If you said to me "You're not allowed to sing anymore", it would be just like me telling you that you can't see your child anymore.' It is doubtful that Salisbury's early choristers, often so hungry they were forced to beg for bread, thought so fondly of their work. But when plainsong turned to polyphony the choristers' plight was transformed - with the top cathedrals in the late middle ages known to pay Premiership-style transfer fees for the most musically gifted boys, some of whom were even kidnapped by rival cathedrals.

Today's top trebles at Salisbury are seen competing for one of the most famed solos in a chorister's repertoire. Will Finnbar, Freddie or Noah be picked for Stanford's Mag in G?


FRI 21:00 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011pwd9)
Episode 1

In 1971, four university students got together to form a band. Since then, that certain band called Queen has released 26 albums and sold over 300 million records worldwide. The popularity of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is stronger than ever. Their story is a remarkable one, a narrative that covers early struggles, huge obstacles, success, arguments, breakups, triumph, tragedy and an enduring legacy - all against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe.

In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Guiding us through an extensive archive full of hitherto unseen footage, the documentary reveals how four strong-minded individuals, all capable of writing massive hit songs, worked together so successfully for four decades. Queen never did anything by halves - meaning their highs were massive, but their lows catastrophic. It is a compelling story told with intelligence, wit, plenty of humour and painful honesty.


FRI 22:00 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011r4gs)
Episode 2

The story of British rock band Queen, formed in 1971. The second half of this documentary sees Queen at the peak of their powers. With the ultimate showman in Freddie Mercury and a string of rock anthems to their name, Queen smashed attendance records with a series of stadium shows across South America.

But the band quickly learned that if reaching the top is tough, staying there is the biggest challenge of all. With a loss of focus in the studio, the decline in popularity in North America, increasing internal tension and a desire to pursue solo projects, it seemed as if the band had had its day. Then came the performance from Mercury at Live Aid and their record breaking Magic tour in 1986. Queen were back amongst the very best. They were rejuvenated and once again had the world at their feet, but then tragedy struck and threatened to tear the band apart.

Featuring musical performances, previously unseen and rare footage, and intimate interviews.


FRI 23:00 Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert (b00p4hgm)
On Christmas Eve 1975, Queen crowned a glorious year with a special concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The show on the final night of their triumphant UK tour was broadcast live on BBC TV and radio, and has become a legendary event in Queen's history.

Featuring stunning renditions of early hits Keep Yourself Alive, Liar and Now I'm Here alongside Brian May's epic guitar showcase Brighton Rock, a rip-roaring version of the then new Bohemian Rhapsody and the crowd-pleasing Rock 'n' Roll Medley, this hour-long concert shows Queen at an early peak and poised to conquer the world.


FRI 23:50 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b014vzy3)
70s Gold

The Old Grey Whistle Test was launched on 21 September 1971 from a tiny studio tucked behind a lift shaft on the fourth floor of BBC Television Centre. From humble beginnings, it has gone on to provide some of the best and most treasured music archive that the BBC has to offer.

This programme takes us on a journey and celebrates the musically mixed-up decade that was the 1970s, and which is reflected in the OGWT archive. There are classic performances from the glam era by Elton John and David Bowie, an early UK TV appearance from Curtis Mayfield, the beginnings of heavy metal with Steppenwolf's iconic Born to Be Wild anthem and the early punk machinations of the 'mock rock' New York Dolls. Archive from the pinnacle year, 1973, features Roxy Music, The Wailers and Vinegar Joe. The programme's finale celebrates the advent of punk and new wave with unforgettable performances from Patti Smith, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Jam.

Artists featured are Elton John, Lindisfarne, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Steppenwolf, Vinegar Joe, Brinsley Schwarz, New York Dolls, Argent, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Captain Beefheart, Johnny Winter, Dr Feelgood, Gil Scott Heron, Patti Smith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cher & Gregg Allman, Talking Heads, The Jam, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Specials.


FRI 01:20 When Rock Goes Acoustic (b0141myx)
The cliche of classic rock guitar is one of riffs, solos and noise. But write a list of great guitarists and their finest moments and a quieter, more intense playing comes to the fore. The acoustic guitar is the secret weapon in the armoury of the guitar hero, when paradoxically they get more attention by playing quietly than being loud.

This documentary takes an insightful and occasionally irreverent look at the love affair between rock and the humble acoustic guitar. Exploring a much less celebrated, yet crucial part of the rock musician's arsenal, contributors including Johnny Marr, Keith Richards, Ray Davies, James Dean Bradfield, Biffy Clyro, Joan Armatrading, Donovan and Roger McGuinn discuss why an instrument favoured by medieval minstrels and singing nuns is as important to rock 'n' roll as the drums, bass and its noisy sister, the electric guitar.


FRI 02:20 Angelic Voices: The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral (b01f6tb8)
[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)

Angelic Voices: The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral 19:30 FRI (b01f6tb8)

Angelic Voices: The Choristers of Salisbury Cathedral 02:20 FRI (b01f6tb8)

City of Life and Death 22:00 SUN (b01fm0d0)

Episodes 22:00 WED (b00y4306)

Episodes 01:50 WED (b00y4306)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b00qbng0)

How Britain Got the Gardening Bug 00:00 MON (b00jkrkp)

How It Works 21:00 MON (b01fkc5n)

How It Works 03:00 MON (b01fkc5n)

How It Works 22:00 THU (b01fkc5n)

How to Build a Cathedral 00:50 TUE (b00b09rb)

Inspector Montalbano 21:00 SAT (b00g6hqn)

Inspector Montalbano 00:15 WED (b00g6hqn)

Kids in the Middle 21:00 WED (b01fkc7s)

Kids in the Middle 02:50 WED (b01fkc7s)

Lost Cities of the Ancients 19:00 SAT (b00792vj)

Lost Cities of the Ancients 23:05 SAT (b00792vj)

Lowdown 22:30 WED (b01fd4tp)

Lowdown 02:20 WED (b01fd4tp)

Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years 21:00 SUN (b01fcncc)

Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years 01:10 SUN (b01fcncc)

Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years 20:00 TUE (b01fcncc)

Madness on Wheels: Rallying's Craziest Years 01:50 TUE (b01fcncc)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 22:50 TUE (b01fd3my)

Monty Don's Italian Gardens 20:00 SAT (b010twjk)

Monty Don's Italian Gardens 02:30 SAT (b010twjk)

Petworth House: The Big Spring Clean 20:30 MON (b010jslx)

Petworth House: The Big Spring Clean 02:30 MON (b010jslx)

Pugin: God's Own Architect 23:50 TUE (b01b1z45)

Queen - Days of Our Lives 21:00 FRI (b011pwd9)

Queen - Days of Our Lives 22:00 FRI (b011r4gs)

Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert 23:00 FRI (b00p4hgm)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 23:00 MON (b01f1959)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 21:00 THU (b01fd4z2)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 02:30 THU (b01fd4z2)

Storyville 00:05 SAT (b01f13f6)

Tales from the National Parks 19:30 WED (b016dr0x)

Talk at the BBC 21:00 TUE (b01fd3wh)

Talk at the BBC 02:50 TUE (b01fd3wh)

Talk at the BBC 23:00 THU (b01fd3wh)

The Cricklewood Greats 23:00 WED (b01bs3ww)

The Doors - The Story of LA Woman 00:10 SUN (b01f7y7c)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 22:00 MON (b00p1crx)

The Horizon Guide to Mars 00:30 THU (b00p1crx)

The Lark Ascending 19:00 FRI (b019c9t9)

The Man who Discovered Egypt 20:00 SUN (b01f13f4)

The Man who Discovered Egypt 03:10 SUN (b01f13f4)

The Old Grey Whistle Test 23:50 FRI (b014vzy3)

The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea 19:00 SUN (b00pq9gs)

The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea 02:10 SUN (b00pq9gs)

The Sky at Night 19:30 THU (b08tg3zt)

The Sky at Night 00:00 THU (b08tg3zt)

The Story of Maths 19:30 MON (b00f3n43)

The Story of Maths 01:30 MON (b00f3n43)

The Then and Now of Muhammad Ali 22:00 TUE (b00kyqkr)

Timeshift 01:30 SAT (b019c85h)

Timeshift 20:00 THU (b00dzzdc)

Timeshift 01:30 THU (b00dzzdc)

Top of the Pops 22:35 SAT (b01f18l3)

Venice 24/7 20:30 WED (b01fd4tm)

Venice 24/7 23:45 WED (b01fd4tm)

When Rock Goes Acoustic 01:20 FRI (b0141myx)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b01fcnrf)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b01fcppx)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b01fcpx7)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b01fcq53)