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 20 OCTOBER 2012

SAT 19:00 Human Planet (b00rrd87)
Grasslands - Roots of Power

Grasslands feed the world. Over thousands of years, we humans have learned to grow grains on the grasslands and domesticate the creatures that live there. Our success has propelled our population to seven billion people.

But this episode reveals that, even today, life in the 'Garden of Eden' is not always rosy. We walk with the Dorobo people of Kenya as they bravely attempt to scare off a pride of hungry lions from their freshly caught kill. We gallop across the Steppe with extraordinary Mongolian horsemen who were 'born in the saddle'. And in a perfect partnership with nature built up over generations, Maasai children must literally talk to the birds. The honeyguide leads them to find sweet treats, but they'll have to repay the favour.


SAT 20:00 Horizon (b01f893x)
2011-2012

Global Weirding

Something weird seems to be happening to our weather - it appears to be getting more extreme.

In the past few years we have shivered through two record-breaking cold winters and parts of the country have experienced intense droughts and torrential floods. It is a pattern that appears to be playing out across the globe. Hurricane chasers are recording bigger storms and in Texas, record-breaking rain has been followed by record-breaking drought.

Horizon follows the scientists who are trying to understand what's been happening to our weather and investigates if these extremes are a taste of what is to come.


SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b01nj2zt)
The Age of Doubt

The yacht of a wealthy woman docks at Vigata's harbour as a disfigured body is discovered at sea. Coastguard Laura Belladonna is assigned to the case to assist Montalbano and the two soon become close. The investigation casts doubts on the motives and sincerity of the yacht's crew and Montalbano begins to suspect that there may be more to the story they have given him.

In Italian with English subtitles.


SAT 22:45 The Final Frontier? A Horizon Guide to the Universe (p00yjn1x)
Dallas Campbell looks back through almost 50 years of the Horizon archives to chart the scientific breakthroughs that have transformed our understanding of the universe. From Einstein's concept of spacetime to alien planets and extra dimensions, science has revealed a cosmos that is more bizarre and more spectacular than could have ever been imagined. But with every breakthrough, even more intriguing mysteries that lie beyond are found. This great journey of discovery is only just beginning.


SAT 23:45 Order and Disorder (p00ynyl9)
Energy

Professor Jim Al-Khalili discovers the intriguing story of how we discovered the rules that drive the universe. Energy is vital to us all, but what exactly is energy? In attempting to answer this question Jim investigates a strange set of laws that link together everything from engines to humans to stars. It turns out that energy, so critical to daily existence, actually helps us make sense of the entire universe.


SAT 00:45 Top of the Pops (b01nhb4k)
22/09/77

Dave Lee Travis looks at the weekly pop chart from 1977 and introduces Hank the Knife & the Jets, the Stranglers, Baccara, Stardust, La Belle Epoque, Leo Sayer, the Boomtown Rats, Meri Wilson and a Legs & Co dance sequence.


SAT 01:15 Horizon (b01f893x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:15 Human Planet (b00rrd87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER 2012

SUN 19:00 The Grammar School: A Secret History (b0192q6y)
Episode 1

The British grammar schools provided five consecutive prime ministers as well as many high fliers in industry, science and the arts. Yet at the height of their success they were phased out.

Featuring David Attenborough and Joan Bakewell amongst many others, this two-part series uses personal stories and rare archive footage to reveal the secret history of some of Britain's most successful schools, whose aim was to give the very best education to talented children - whatever their background.


SUN 20:00 Michael Wood: The Story of India (b007xhk3)
Beginnings

Michael Wood journeys through the subcontinent, tracing the incredible richness and diversity of its peoples, cultures and landscapes. Through ancient manuscripts and oral tales Michael charts the first human migrations out of Africa. He travels from the tropical backwaters of South India through lost ancient cities in Pakistan to the vibrant landscapes of the Ganges plain. In Turkmenistan dramatic archaeological discoveries cast new light on India's past.


SUN 21:00 The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife (b01nj349)
Made in 1991 during a pivotal moment in South African history, Nick Broomfield's critically-acclaimed film chronicles the collapse of the white supremacist AWB party (Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging) in apartheid South Africa through a portrait of its leader, Eugene Terre'Blanche, his driver JP and JP's wife, Anita.

Broomfield follows the leader as he tours the country, attempting to set up an interview with him, while Terre'Blanche attends rallies, whipping up white hostility to the policies of Nelson Mandela's ANC and FW de Klerk's government.


SUN 22:10 World War Two: 1942 and Hitler's Soft Underbelly (b01ndj09)
The British fought the Second World War to defeat Hitler. This film asks why, then, did they spend so much of the conflict battling through North Africa and Italy?

Historian David Reynolds reassesses Winston Churchill's conviction that the Mediterranean was the 'soft underbelly' of Hitler's Europe. Travelling to Egypt and Italian battlefields like Cassino, scene of some of the worst carnage in western Europe, he shows how, in reality, the 'soft underbelly' became a dark and dangerous obsession for Churchill.

Reynolds reveals a prime minister very different from the jaw-jutting bulldog of Britain's 'finest hour' in 1940 - a leader who was politically vulnerable at home, desperate to shore up a crumbling British empire abroad, losing faith in his army and even ready to deceive his American allies if it might delay fighting head to head against the Germans in northern France.


SUN 23:40 Michael Wood: The Story of India (b007xhk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SUN 00:40 Dave Davies: Kinkdom Come (b012ht1t)
Dave Davies, the legendary guitarist of the Kinks, relives his tumultuous life and times amidst the serenity of his Exmoor sanctuary. Walking across the moors that have fascinated him since childhood, Dave takes us back to life with Brother Ray in an extended working class family amidst the austerity of postwar London. Bringing to life its deprivations and triumphs, he reveals the profound sense of community and family bonds which underpins the extraordinary story of the Kinks. From their formation at a North London Secondary Modern, through time spent as backing band to an upper class crooner at debutante balls, Dave tells how the Kinks career as Searchers sound alikes was almost over before it began.

That all changed though when Dave attacked his amp with a rusty Gillette razor blade in the front room of their semi detached house in Muswell Hill. Slashing the speaker, he produced the distorted, barking dog guitar riffs which powered their first hit, You Really Got Me, catapulted the Kinks to worldwide fame and in the process rearranged the sonic architecture of the 1960s. Finding himself at the unlikely age of 15 enshrined along with Brian Jones and Keith Moon as one of the three undisputed Kings of Swinging London, Dave trailblazed the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. As he puts it, Dave did the partying and Ray wrote about it. In America Dave's shoulder length hair and subversive sexuality on stage drove teenage TV audiences wild whilst scandalising the Rat Pack generation.

Dave explains why The Kinks' refusal to compromise who they were resulted in them being banned from America at the height of their fame. For the next four years, while the Beatles, Stones and Who went onto global megastardom, the Kinks re-invented themselves as the quintessential English group with timeless hits such as Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset and Days. With disarming honesty, Dave reveals how the burning glass of fame caused the sibling rivalry between him and Ray to explode into violence on stage and mental cruelty off it. He tells how, by the end of 60s, the breakdown of the relationship between the warring brothers and his own surfeit of girls, drink and pills led to the mother of all rock 'n' roll meltdowns. Following the failure of his briefly successful solo career, Dave finds himself locked in a New York hotel room, listening to voices telling him to jump.


SUN 02:00 The Kinks at the BBC (b012ht1w)
The story of The Kinks, one of the UK's most important and influential bands, as told from the vaults of the BBC archive.

From their humble beginnings in north London, brothers Ray and Dave Davies, school friend Pete Quaife and local drummer Mick Avory exploded onto the music scene of early 1960s London.

From this series of unique archive performances, we learn that blues was their first love and Dave's signature guitar sound would go on to influence a generation of guitar players. As Ray's uniquely English songwriting style developed, the spectre of Ray and Dave's rocky fraternal relationship continually loomed in the background, through concerts for The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 1970s to appearances on Top of the Pops in the 1980s.

The inevitable band split came in 1996, and the BBC archive continues with Ray's reinvention as a solo artist with performances on the Electric Proms and up to the present day on Later... with Jools Holland. All the while the brothers continue to tease and goad the press - and one another - with talk of a Kinks reunion.



MONDAY 22 OCTOBER 2012

MON 19:00 World News Today (b01nj0j6)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00yd34b)
Series 2

Lochailort to Skye

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed the people of Britain and what remains of Bradshaw's experiences today.

As he journeys up the west coast of Scotland from Ayr to Skye, Michael discovers how the railways helped train the first generation of commandos at Lochailort in World War II, finds out why langoustines have replaced herrings as the top catch in the fishing port of Mallaig and sails across the sea to Skye to explore the history of the highland crofters.


MON 20:00 London on Film (b01k7m4h)
The East End

The intensity of life in London's East End has attracted film-makers since the camera was first invented. The vast changes in East End life - from the docks and the rag trade to market traders, migrants and wartime upheavals - are revealed entirely through the images they captured on film.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b01nj3xv)
Series 6

Draughtsmen v Numerists

Three beer drinkers take on a trio of mathematicians in the first of the quarter-finals, competing to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random. So join Victoria Coren if you want to know what connects Chichester's round the world yacht, Nicholas Breakspear, Henry Bolingbroke and Star Wars: A New Hope.


MON 21:00 Timeshift (b01nj3xx)
Series 12

The British Army of the Rhine

The affectionate story of British servicemen and their families who had to make Germany a home from home in the decades after the Second World War. For nearly 70 years, generations would grow up on bases with special schools, shops, housing and even their own radio station, as parts of the Rhineland became little bubbles of Britishness.

Featuring a nostalgic soundtrack of German language versions of period pop hits and contributions from military historians such as Max Hastings and former BBC sports commentator Barry Davies - himself a former British Army of the Rhine soldier - as well as those of military wives and children.

Once the front line in the Cold War, the BAOR is now being called home as the Ministry of Defence begins preparations to finally pull British forces out.


MON 22:00 The Maharajas' Motor Car: The Story of Rolls-Royce in India (b00j4c2s)
Documentary telling the story of Rolls-Royce in India through the fortunes of India's princes.

Combining newly shot high-definition sequences, archive film and photographs, this film follows the princes from the zenith of British imperial power in the early 1900s through to their decline in the aftermath of independence in 1947.

Contributors include: HH Shriji Arvind Singh, the Maharana of Udaipur; Manvendra Barwani, Rana of Barwani; Pranlal Bhogilal, India's foremost Rolls-Royce collector, and Sharada Dwivedi, writer and cultural commentator.


MON 22:55 Tails You Win: The Science of Chance (p00yh2rc)
Smart and witty, jam-packed with augmented-reality graphics and fascinating history, this film, presented by professor David Spiegelhalter, tries to pin down what chance is and how it works in the real world. For once this really is 'risky' television.

The film follows in the footsteps of The Joy of Stats, which won the prestigious Grierson Award for Best Science/Natural History programme of 2011. Now the same blend of wit and wisdom, animation, graphics and gleeful nerdery is applied to the joys of chance and the mysteries of probability, the vital branch of mathematics that gives us a handle on what might happen in the future. Professor Spiegelhalter is ideally suited to that task, being Winton professor for the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, as well as being a recent Winter Wipeout contestant on BBC TV.

How can you maximise your chances of living till you're 100? Why do many of us experience so many spooky coincidences? Should I take an umbrella? These are just some of the everyday questions the film tackles as it moves between Cambridge, Las Vegas, San Francisco and... Reading.

Yet the film isn't shy of some rather loftier questions. After all, our lives are pulled about and pushed around by the mysterious workings of chance, fate, luck, call it what you will. But what actually is chance? Is it something fundamental to the fabric of the universe? Or rather, as the French 18th century scientist Pierre Laplace put it, 'merely a measure of our ignorance'.

Along the way Spiegelhalter is thrilled to discover One Million Random Digits, probably the most boring book in the world, but one full of hidden patterns and shapes. He introduces us to the cheery little unit called the micromort (a one-in-a-million chance of dying), taking the rational decision to go sky-diving because doing so only increases his risk of dying this year from 7000 to 7007 micromorts. And in one sequence he uses the latest infographics to demonstrate how life expectancy has increased in his lifetime and how it is affected by our lifestyle choices - drinking, obesity, smoking and exercise.

Did you know that by running regularly for half an hour a day you can expect to extend your life by half an hour a day? So all very well... if you like running.

Ultimately, Tails You Win: The Science of Chance tells the story of how we discovered how chance works, and even to work out the odds for the future; how we tried - but so often failed - to conquer it; and how we may finally be learning to love it, increasingly setting uncertainty itself to work to help crack some of science's more intractable problems.

Other contributors include former England cricketer Ed Smith, whose career was cut down in its prime through a freak, unlucky accident; Las Vegas gambling legend Mike Shackleford, the self-styled 'Wizard of Odds'; and chief economist of the Bank of England, Spencer Dale.


MON 23:55 The Goddess of Art: Marina Abramovic (b01ndj7d)
Seductive, fearless, and outrageous, Marina Abramovic has been redefining what art is for nearly 40 years. Using her own body as a vehicle, pushing herself beyond her limits and at times risking her life in the process, she creates performances that challenge, shock and move people. In this documentary, Marina prepares for what may be the most important moment of her life - a major new retrospective of her work, taking place at the Museum of Modern Art. To be given a retrospective at one of the world's premier museums is the most exhilarating sort of milestone. For Marina, it is far more - it is the chance to finally silence the question she has been hearing over and over again for four decades: 'But why is this art?'.


MON 01:40 London on Film (b01k7m4h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:10 Only Connect (b01nj3xv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 02:40 Timeshift (b01nj3xx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2012

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b01nj0jc)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea (b00s96y1)
The Call of the Sea

Three-part documentary series featuring one of Britain's best loved actors, Timothy Spall, as he and his wife sail from to Cornwall to south Wales in a Dutch barge.

The first programme sees Timothy and Shane set off in the Princess Matilda from Fowey in Cornwall, heading towards Land's End.

By his own admission, Timothy is an unqualified and slightly nervous mariner, but Shane has every confidence in his sea-faring abilities. The intrepid crew encounter a battleship on what could be a firing range, before getting holed up in the Helford river due to bad weather, which gives them an excuse to meet the locals and witness a lively festival.

But all the time Timothy is fretting over the next leg of his journey, which sees the Princess Matilda circumnavigate the infamous Lizard Point, known as the graveyard of ships with its dangerous rocks stretching four miles out to sea.


TUE 20:00 Unnatural Histories (b011s4k0)
Serengeti

More than anywhere, the Serengeti is synonymous with wilderness and has even come to represent Africa. But the story of the Serengeti is just as much about humans as it is about wildlife. Right from the origin of our species in Africa, humans have been profoundly shaping this unique wilderness - hunters and pastoralists with cattle and fire, ivory traders and big game hunters, conservationists, scientists, film-makers and even tourists have all played a part in shaping the Serengeti.

Probably most powerful of all was a tiny microbe unknowingly brought to Africa by a small Italian expeditionary force - Rinderpest, a deadly virus that swept through the continent decimating cattle and wildlife alike and forever changing the face of the wild. The Serengeti is far from timeless, it is forever changing - and wherever there is change, the influence of Homo sapiens is not far behind.


TUE 21:00 Order and Disorder (b01nj44h)
Information

Professor Jim Al-Khalili investigates one of the most important concepts in the world today - information. He discovers how we harnessed the power of symbols, everything from the first alphabet and the electric telegraph through to the modern digital age. But on this journey he learns that information is not just about human communication, it is woven very profoundly into the fabric of reality.


TUE 22:00 Lilyhammer (b01nj44k)
The Babysitter

When Arne, Frank's doorman, is badly beaten in a case of mistaken identity, Frank realises that his past is about to catch up with him. However, his hunt for the perpetrators is hindered by the fact that he is obliged to look after 12-year-old Jonas whilst Sigrid goes on a two-day work seminar. Sheriff Laila Hovland is beginning to draw the loose ends of Frank's case together as Lillehammer celebrates National Day.


TUE 22:45 Painting the Queen: A Portrait of Her Majesty (b01nj44m)
Directed by Academy Award-nominee Hubert Davis, this film follows the renowned Toronto painter Phil Richards as he is asked by the Canadian government to create a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her diamond jubilee.

But this historic commission also poses enormous challenges for Richards, who is accustomed to spending long hours with his subjects, in person. Richards must take a dramatically different approach for this most unique artistic subject. After a brief photo session with Her Majesty, he sets about creating an amazing world of studies, even doll-like sculptures of Queen Elizabeth, all to help him capture her likeness on canvas.

Months of solitary study and preparation complete, Richards returns to Buckingham Palace for an all-important second meeting with Her Majesty, to see if she approves of his vision and approach. She does, to his great relief, and work can now finally begin on the Queen's official portrait. As all the months of study and preparation come to fruition, Her Majesty's likeness takes shape before our eyes.


TUE 23:25 The Grammar School: A Secret History (b0192q6y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


TUE 00:25 Inspector Montalbano (b01nj2zt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]


TUE 02:10 Order and Disorder (b01nj44h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER 2012

WED 19:00 World News Today (b01nj0jj)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea (b00scqsn)
The Bogey Man

Three-part documentary series featuring one of Britain's best loved actors, Timothy Spall, as he and his wife sail from to Cornwall to south Wales in a Dutch barge.

The voyage continues with Timothy and Shane having to cope with the highly dangerous waters around Lizard Point if he is to complete the journey by winter. Although in a state of some anxiety, Timothy manoeuvres the Princess Matilda around the infamous Lizard before mooring in Newlyn, a focus of the Cornish fishing industry. But tying up for the night is never straightforward.

The Spalls get advice from the eighteen-strong crew of the Penlee Lifeboat on how to tackle Land's End, another tough test lying in wait, and Timothy marvels at their seafaring skills and bravery in tackling the elements in order to save lives at sea.

His own voyage attracts plenty of interest. 'They all think we're mad, but they're not stopping us!' laughs Tim at one point.


WED 20:00 Britain's Best Drives (b00hw3yp)
North Wales

Actor Richard Wilson takes a journey into the past, following routes raved about in motoring guides of 50 years ago.

Richard takes the wheel of Ford Zodiac to drive the circular route from Caernarfon that loops through some of Snowdonia's most sensational scenery.

He gets a Welsh lesson at Caernarfon Castle, learns the significance of the Dinorwic slate quarry, drives the Llanberis Pass, meets 71-year-old human fly Eric Jones and takes a trip down memory lane at a former Butlins holiday camp.


WED 20:30 Tales from the Wild Wood (b01nj48s)
Episode 2

Winter arrives in Rob Penn's wood. In freezing weather he learns the ancient practice of coppicing and brings in the local woodland group to clear overgrown hazel trees. With tonnes of timber piling up he goes off in search of a new organic super-fuel. Could our woodlands be the solution to our future energy needs?


WED 21:00 Voyager: To the Final Frontier (b01nj48v)
This is the story of the most extraordinary journey in human exploration, the Voyager space mission. In 1977 two unmanned spacecraft were launched by NASA, heading for distant worlds. It would be the first time any man-made object would ever visit the farthest planets of the solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. On the way the Voyagers would be bombarded by space dust, fried by radiation and discover many of the remarkable wonders of the solar system.

Now, at the end of 2012, 35 years and 11 billion miles later, they are leaving the area of the sun's influence. As they journey out into the galaxy beyond they carry a message from Earth, a golden record bolted to the side of each craft describing our civilisation in case of discovery by another. This is the definitive account of the most intrepid explorers in Earth's history.


WED 22:00 Getting On (b01nj4bn)
Series 3

Episode 2

Another shift, another shuttle bus to miss. The appearance of Dr Kersley and his commissioning consortia plans hints at the changes ahead for K2. Den enjoys her new-found treats, nice Damaris has her feet firmly under the desk, Kim makes a bold career move and Pippa deals with a pressing legal issue. Vag-At research under way, Dr Moore has plenty to take her mind off marital disharmony until a nasty online surprise brings her crashing back down to ground. But it's her cafetiere, brought in from home, that steals the show courtesy of Doris and a mix-up with the dementia care assistant.


WED 22:30 A Civil Arrangement (b01hddk5)
Alison Steadman stars in a delightful monologue that is funny, fraught and fiery, but not always civil. Isobel evaluates her relationship with her uncompromising husband and her difficult daughter as she helps plan the latter's gay civil ceremony.


WED 23:00 Human Planet (b00rrd87)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


WED 00:00 Tales from the Wild Wood (b01nj48s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


WED 00:30 Britain's Best Drives (b00hw3yp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 01:00 Getting On (b01nj4bn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


WED 01:30 The Maharajas' Motor Car: The Story of Rolls-Royce in India (b00j4c2s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


WED 02:25 Voyager: To the Final Frontier (b01nj48v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 25 OCTOBER 2012

THU 19:00 World News Today (b01nj0jp)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b01nks7j)
29/09/77

Ed Stewart looks at the weekly pop chart from 1977 and introduces Rose Royce, David Soul, Peter Blake, Ram Jam, David Essex, the Stylistics, Donna Summer, Golden Earring and a Legs & Co dance sequence.


THU 20:00 Horizon (b00x7cb3)
What Makes Us Clever? A Horizon Guide to Intelligence

Dallas Campbell delves into the Horizon archive to discover how our understanding of intelligence has transformed over the last century. From early caveman thinkers to computers doing the thinking for us, he discovers the best ways of testing how clever we are - and enhancing it.


THU 21:00 Seven Ages of Starlight (p00yb434)
This is the epic story of the stars, and how discovering their tale has transformed our own understanding of the universe.

Once we thought the sun and stars were gods and giants. Now we know, in a way, our instincts were right. The stars do all have their own characters, histories and role in the cosmos. Not least, they played a vital part in creating us.

There are old, bloated red giants, capable of gobbling up planets in their orbit, explosive deaths - supernovae - that forge the building blocks of life and black holes, the most mysterious stellar tombstones. And, of course, stars in their prime, like our own sun.

Leading astronomers reveal how the grandest drama on tonight is the one playing above our heads.


THU 22:30 Nazis: A Warning from History (b0074kpz)
The Wild East

Nearly one in five Poles died during World War Two after the Nazi invasion in 1939 ushered in one of the most brutal episodes of ethnic cleansing the world has ever seen. This film destroys the myth that Poland's Nazi leaders were acting under detailed 'orders' and that the country's Nazi administration was a model of German efficiency. Arthur Greiser and Albert Forster, the two Nazi leaders charged with Germanizing Poland, could not even agree on who should be 'Germanized'.

Featuring interviews with former Nazis, moving testimony from witnesses to SS atrocities in Poland, ethnic Germans and Polish jews, The Wild East provides insights into how the Nazis' reign of terror in Poland was characterised by huge population upheavals, chaos, petty squabbles and sheer bloodlust.


THU 23:20 Timeshift (b01nj3xx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 00:20 Tales from the Wild Wood (b01nj48s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Wednesday]


THU 00:50 Lilyhammer (b01nj44k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


THU 01:35 Top of the Pops (b01nks7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:05 Seven Ages of Starlight (p00yb434)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER 2012

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b01nj0jy)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Leeds International Piano Competition (b01nj61q)
2012 - The Finalists' Story

Episode 6

Suzy Klein looks back over five weeks of compelling performances from one of the strongest concerto finals in the competition's history, before introducing the remaining competitor - the intense 25-year-old American, Andrew Tyson. His choice of Rachmaninov's achingly romantic but technically demanding third piano concerto promises to bring the final to a triumphant conclusion. Can he rise to the challenge and produce the performance of his career?

Regular guests Tom Poster and Noriko Ogawa offer their expert analysis on all the performances and pick their own favourites, followed by competition founder Dame Fanny Waterman making the long-awaited announcement of this year's first-prize winner.


FRI 20:30 Dame Fanny Waterman: A Lifetime in Music (b01nlms7)
As a renowned teacher and founder and chair of the Leeds International Piano Competition, Dame Fanny Waterman is one of the most influential figures in British music. At the tender age of 92, she remains as energetic as ever, teaching children as young as six and in demand all over the world as a mentor and jury member.

In this candid conversation with Petroc Trelawney, Waterman sheds light on her humble beginnings in Leeds as the daughter of a Russian emigre jeweller. Her life was transformed when she heard Rachmaninov perform at Leeds Town Hall in the 1920s - and her love affair with the piano has lasted eight decades. As a concert pianist, highlights included a Proms performance during the Second World War with Sir Henry Wood at the Royal Albert Hall, before returning to her home city of Leeds with husband Geoffrey de Kaiser to become a piano teacher. However, being known as the 'local piano teacher' was never enough and with the help of her lifelong friend, local aristocrat Marion Harewood, they set up the first Leeds International Piano Competition in 1963.

Fifty years on Dame Fanny remains the mastermind behind 'The Leeds', a competition regarded as the most coveted prize in the piano world and having first showcased such talents as Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Andras Schiff and Noriko Ogawa. Outspoken, passionate and still full of vitality, Waterman shares her views on teaching, the great pianists of the past and present, music and love. When asked if she would ever retire from her hectic schedule this remarkable nonagenarian simply replies 'No, never!'.


FRI 21:00 Chas & Dave: Last Orders (b01nkdsv)
Documentary which highlights cockney duo Chas & Dave's rich, unsung pedigree in the music world and a career spanning 50 years, almost the entire history of UK pop. They played with everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Gene Vincent, toured with The Beatles, opened for Led Zeppelin at Knebworth - and yet are known mainly just for their cheery singalongs and novelty records about snooker and Spurs.

The film also looks at the pair's place among the great musical commentators on London life - and in particular the influence of music hall on their songs and lyrics.

The film crew followed Chas & Dave on their final tour, having called it a day after the death of Dave's wife, and blends live concert footage with archive backstory, including some astonishing early performances and duets with the likes of Eric Clapton. Among the experts and zealous fans talking about their love of the duo are Pete Doherty, Jools Holland and Phill Jupitus. Narrated by Arthur Smith.


FRI 22:00 Jools Holland: London Calling (b01jxzfq)
Jools Holland embarks on a personal journey through the streets, historical landmarks, pubs, music halls and rock 'n' roll venues of London to uncover a history of the city through its songs, the people who wrote them and the Londoners who joined in the chorus.

Unlike Chicago blues or Memphis soul, London has no one definitive sound. Its noisy history is full of grime, clamour, industry and countless different voices demanding to be heard. But there is a strain of street-wise realism that is forever present, from its world-famous nursery rhymes to its music hall traditions, and from the Broadside Ballad through to punk and beyond.

Jools's investigation - at once probing and humorous - identifies the many ingredients of a salty tone that could be called 'the London sound' as he tracks through the centuries from the ballads of Tyburn Gallows to Broadside publishing in Seven Dials in the 18th century, to Wilton's Music Hall in the late 19th century, to the Caribbean sounds and styles that first docked at Tilbury with the Windrush in 1948, to his own conception to the strains of Humphrey Lyttelton at the 100 Club in 1957.

Along the way, he meets musicians such as Ray Davies, Damon Albarn, Suggs, Roy Hudd, Lisa Hannigan, Joe Brown and Eliza Carthy who perform and talk about such classic songs as London Bridge is Falling Down, While London Sleeps, Knocked 'Em in the Old Kent Road, St James Infirmary Blues and Oranges and Lemons.


FRI 23:15 London Songs at the BBC (b01jxzfs)
A collection of performances from the BBC archives, celebrating the sights and sounds and the ups and downs of London through the words and songs through the years - from Petula Clark singing A Foggy Day in London Town in 1965 to Adele performing her love letter to the city in Hometown Glory, filmed in October 2007 on the roof of the BBC car park in Shepherd's Bush. Also featured are the likes of The Jam, Eddy Grant, Tom Paxton and Lily Allen plus many more.


FRI 00:15 Let's Have a Party! The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills (b01n21d2)
Rick Wakeman, Rowland Rivron and Pete Murray are among those telling the extraordinary story of the secretary-turned-pianist who shared a manager with the Rolling Stones and studio space with the Beatles at Abbey Road.


FRI 01:15 Chas & Dave: Last Orders (b01nkdsv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:15 Jools Holland: London Calling (b01jxzfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]




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

A Civil Arrangement 22:30 WED (b01hddk5)

Britain's Best Drives 20:00 WED (b00hw3yp)

Britain's Best Drives 00:30 WED (b00hw3yp)

Chas & Dave: Last Orders 21:00 FRI (b01nkdsv)

Chas & Dave: Last Orders 01:15 FRI (b01nkdsv)

Dame Fanny Waterman: A Lifetime in Music 20:30 FRI (b01nlms7)

Dave Davies: Kinkdom Come 00:40 SUN (b012ht1t)

Getting On 22:00 WED (b01nj4bn)

Getting On 01:00 WED (b01nj4bn)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b00yd34b)

Horizon 20:00 SAT (b01f893x)

Horizon 01:15 SAT (b01f893x)

Horizon 20:00 THU (b00x7cb3)

Human Planet 19:00 SAT (b00rrd87)

Human Planet 02:15 SAT (b00rrd87)

Human Planet 23:00 WED (b00rrd87)

Inspector Montalbano 21:00 SAT (b01nj2zt)

Inspector Montalbano 00:25 TUE (b01nj2zt)

Jools Holland: London Calling 22:00 FRI (b01jxzfq)

Jools Holland: London Calling 02:15 FRI (b01jxzfq)

Leeds International Piano Competition 19:30 FRI (b01nj61q)

Let's Have a Party! The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills 00:15 FRI (b01n21d2)

Lilyhammer 22:00 TUE (b01nj44k)

Lilyhammer 00:50 THU (b01nj44k)

London Songs at the BBC 23:15 FRI (b01jxzfs)

London on Film 20:00 MON (b01k7m4h)

London on Film 01:40 MON (b01k7m4h)

Michael Wood: The Story of India 20:00 SUN (b007xhk3)

Michael Wood: The Story of India 23:40 SUN (b007xhk3)

Nazis: A Warning from History 22:30 THU (b0074kpz)

Only Connect 20:30 MON (b01nj3xv)

Only Connect 02:10 MON (b01nj3xv)

Order and Disorder 23:45 SAT (p00ynyl9)

Order and Disorder 21:00 TUE (b01nj44h)

Order and Disorder 02:10 TUE (b01nj44h)

Painting the Queen: A Portrait of Her Majesty 22:45 TUE (b01nj44m)

Seven Ages of Starlight 21:00 THU (p00yb434)

Seven Ages of Starlight 02:05 THU (p00yb434)

Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 22:55 MON (p00yh2rc)

Tales from the Wild Wood 20:30 WED (b01nj48s)

Tales from the Wild Wood 00:00 WED (b01nj48s)

Tales from the Wild Wood 00:20 THU (b01nj48s)

The Final Frontier? A Horizon Guide to the Universe 22:45 SAT (p00yjn1x)

The Goddess of Art: Marina Abramovic 23:55 MON (b01ndj7d)

The Grammar School: A Secret History 19:00 SUN (b0192q6y)

The Grammar School: A Secret History 23:25 TUE (b0192q6y)

The Kinks at the BBC 02:00 SUN (b012ht1w)

The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife 21:00 SUN (b01nj349)

The Maharajas' Motor Car: The Story of Rolls-Royce in India 22:00 MON (b00j4c2s)

The Maharajas' Motor Car: The Story of Rolls-Royce in India 01:30 WED (b00j4c2s)

Timeshift 21:00 MON (b01nj3xx)

Timeshift 02:40 MON (b01nj3xx)

Timeshift 23:20 THU (b01nj3xx)

Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea 19:30 TUE (b00s96y1)

Timothy Spall: Somewhere at Sea 19:30 WED (b00scqsn)

Top of the Pops 00:45 SAT (b01nhb4k)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b01nks7j)

Top of the Pops 01:35 THU (b01nks7j)

Unnatural Histories 20:00 TUE (b011s4k0)

Voyager: To the Final Frontier 21:00 WED (b01nj48v)

Voyager: To the Final Frontier 02:25 WED (b01nj48v)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b01nj0j6)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b01nj0jc)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b01nj0jj)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b01nj0jp)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b01nj0jy)

World War Two: 1942 and Hitler's Soft Underbelly 22:10 SUN (b01ndj09)