B4

RADIO-LISTS: BBC FOUR
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/

SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 2012

SAT 19:00 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (b010t9hx)
A full-length ballet created by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon for the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The ballet is based on Lewis Carroll's famous story of Alice, an ordinary girl who one summer afternoon falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself on an extraordinary adventure.

The music is by Joby Talbot, with designs by the internationally acclaimed Bob Crowley. Alice is danced by the Royal Ballet's Lauren Cuthbertson, and actor Simon Russell-Beale plays the cameo role of the Duchess.

SAT 21:00 Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender - Director's Cut (b01pkbc7)
Film-maker Rhys Thomas's full-length director's cut of his film exploring the solo career and private life of one of British rock and roll's great frontmen, Freddie Mercury.

Renowned as the bravura frontman of one of Britain's greatest rock bands, Freddie Mercury's life outside Queen is rarely celebrated or explored. In a touching portrait, this film explores Mercury's solo projects and interests, including a previously unheard collaboration with Michael Jackson and the triumphant Barcelona project with Dame Montserrat Caballe, as well as the life of a gay man who was not yet publicly out. Rare interviews reveal a shy man in search of love, and a driven artist living behind the protection of his stage persona.

SAT 22:30 Queen Live In Budapest: Hungarian Rhapsody (b01pp0zp)
In July 1986, as part of the Magic tour which, poignantly, was the last to feature Freddie Mercury, Queen played Hungary for the first time. With three years to go before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this was the largest concert ever staged at the Népstadion, Budapest, and the first western rock concert staged in a stadium behind the Iron Curtain.

The concert held such significance to the Hungarian authorities that an unprecedented collaboration of Hungary's top film cameraman and technicians were formed to record it. Aside from depicting Queen's live performance, the film includes montages of highlights of the band's legendary visit and a unique insight into the Hungarian film-making style adapted to western rock music.

Staged for 80,000 ecstatic fans, the concert set includes favourite hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love and I Want To Break Free.

SAT 00:00 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.

SAT 00:50 Arena (b01l4929)
Amy Winehouse - The Day She Came to Dingle

Back in 2006 on a stormy December night, Amy Winehouse flew to the remote, south western corner of Ireland to perform for Other Voices, an acclaimed Irish TV music series filmed in Dingle every winter. Amy took to the stage of Saint James's church, capacity 85, and wowed the small, packed crowd with a searing, acoustic set of songs from Back to Black.

After leaving the stage, a relaxed and happy Amy spoke about her music and influences - Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles and the Shangri-Las to name a few. Arena joined forces with Other Voices and went to Dingle to catch up with some of the people that Amy met on that day, including taxi driver Paddy Kennedy, her bass player Dale Davis and Rev Mairt Hanley of the Other Voices church.

This film showcases not only Amy herself, but the musical geniuses that inspired her to forge her own jazz pop style.

SAT 01:50 Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender - Director's Cut (b01pkbc7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

SAT 03:15 Sacred Music at Christmas (b00x21sc)
A Choral Christmas

Simon Russell Beale introduces a programme of choral music for Christmas from across the centuries, featuring full performances of some of the works featured in the accompanying documentary. Harry Christophers and his choir, The Sixteen, perform music including JS Bach's harmonisation of the medieval carol In dulci jubilo, A Spotless Rose by Herbert Howells and the Christmas text O magnum mysterium, set as a motet by Tomas Luis de Victoria.

SUNDAY 30 DECEMBER 2012

SUN 19:00 BBC Proms (b014hsbn)
2011

Hooray for Hollywood

A celebration of the Golden Age of Hollywood film musicals performed by John Wilson who, returning to the Proms for a third season, conducts his hand-picked, high-octane orchestra and a line-up of star soloists.

Hooray for Hollywood takes us from the dawn of the 'talkies' and the birth of the movie musical through to the 1960s. There are excerpts from 42nd Street, Top Hat, Strike Up the Band, Swing Time and Shall We Dance, with a special tribute to the RKO films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

SUN 21:00 Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess (b01pjn8h)
Documentary about Clara Bow, a cinema sensation who broke box office records and became one of the greatest stars of the silent screen. Amid scandal and ill health, she retired for good at the age of just 28. Once the Queen of Hollywood, now largely forgotten - whatever happened to Clara Bow?

SUN 22:00 Julie Andrews Hour with Sammy Davis Jr (b01pjnyb)
An episode from Julie Andrews's weekly variety series from 1973, starring Sammy Davis Jr and Rich Little. The stars perform several standards from well-loved musicals, including We're a Couple of Swells, If I Were a Rich Man, Sue Me and How Are Things in Glocca Morra. Additional numbers include Just You Wait Henry Higgins, A Hymn to Him, When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love, Trouble in River City and Be a Clown.

SUN 22:55 Victor Victoria (b0169l15)
Satirical musical about down-and-out singer Victoria who, while trying to work the Paris cabaret scene, meets a gay and witty entertainer who knows his way around the city and conceives a plan to pass Victoria off as a female impersonator. Soon Victor/Victoria is the toast of the the town.

SUN 01:00 BBC Proms (b014hsbn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]

SUN 03:00 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01l2t55)
Rachmaninov Piano

Another chance to hear a live performance from the 2008 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 4 - a composition with a distinctive jazzy quality and a theme in the second movement partially based on the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice. Russian virtuoso pianist Boris Berezovsky performs with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under the baton of conductor Antonio Pappano.

SUN 03:30 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01k83bg)
Mozart Piano

Another chance to hear a live performance from the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23, one of his most exuberant piano works, recorded in 2006. The American pianist Richard Goode, one of today's leading interpreters of classical and Romantic music, performs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Jirí Behlohlávek.

MONDAY 31 DECEMBER 2012

MON 19:00 The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank (b01jv5nr)
Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries and secrets of the bridges that have made London what it is. He uncovers stories of Bronze-Age relics emerging from the Vauxhall shore, of why London Bridge was falling down, of midnight corpses splashing beneath Waterloo Bridge, and above all, of the sublime ambition of London's bridge builders themselves.

MON 20:00 ... Sings Disney Songs (b018jpk4)
The BBC takes on the Mouse in a brilliant and sometimes baffling medley of styles and eras blending everything from light entertainment to children's TV, celebrating interpretations of Disney tunes over the last 40 years. The Bare Necessities, When You Wish upon a Star and Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah are standout highlights, with more recent pop hits from Celine Dion and Elton John bringing us up to date. Clips come from archive shows including Shirley Bassey, It's Lulu, Top of the Pops, Blue Peter, Brubeck and Louis Armstrong's Show of the Week.

MON 21:00 The Best of Kenny Everett's Television Shows (b01n7m2m)
Episode 1

Classic moments from the five series which Kenny Everett made for the BBC. Stand by for laughs from unforgettable characters Cupid Stunt, Sid Snot, Gizzard Puke and others.

MON 21:30 Numb: Simon Amstell Live at the BBC (b01pkh7r)
This one-off stand-up special is a performance of Simon Amstell's stand-up show, 'Numb', which he toured to sell-out audiences around the UK and Ireland in 2012, as well as Australia and, more recently, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Recorded specially for BBC Four at TV Centre, it's a stripped-down, intimate performance, with no set and minimal lighting - a painfully raw, honest and deeply funny exploration of disconnection and loneliness.

MON 22:30 The Best of Kenny Everett's Television Shows (b01n7mdr)
Episode 2

Classic moments brought to the screen by Kenny Everett's stable of wacky characters, including Sid Snot, Cupid Stunt and Marcel Wave. Guest appearances by Joanna Lumley, Billy Connolly and Janet Street-Porter.

MON 23:00 More Old Jews Telling Jokes (b01p2pm8)
Episode 1

They're back! More old Jews tell their favourite jokes. Old, new, clean and not so clean, the evergreen pensioners provide the laughs in this fresh batch of funnies.

MON 23:30 More Old Jews Telling Jokes (b01p65lb)
Episode 2

Yet another slice of senior citizen silliness. Old Jews cracking old gags - what's not to like?

MON 00:00 The Art of Tommy Cooper (b007hzl2)
Tommy Cooper was a national comedy institution whose catchphrases still remain in the language today. This bumbling giant with outsized feet and hands, whose mere entrance on stage had audiences erupting with uncontrollable laughter, was born in Caerphilly in 1921, where a statue is now erected in his honour - unveiled by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

This programme looks at the life and art of the man in the fez, whose clumsy, fumbling stage magic tricks hid a real talent as a magician. His private life was complicated and often difficult, but as far as his audiences were concerned, he was first and foremost a clown whose confusion with the mechanisms of everyday life made for hilarious viewing.

MON 00:30 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01b4x9g)
How the West Was Won

In the 1960s, arriving British groups were astounded by pizza, skyscrapers and real cowboys while America fell in love with a curious blend of swinging London and ye olde England.

MON 01:30 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01bgqlc)
Stairway to Heaven

The second part of a series celebrating the success of British rock in America looks at how Led Zeppelin spearheaded a British stadium rock assault on the States in the 70s. The Beatles gave the world a glimpse of the future of rock at Shea Stadium in 1965, but it would be Page, Plant and co who would take it to the bank.

With contributions from Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page.

MON 02:30 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01bsc3y)
We're the Kids in America

The Sex Pistols' American tour of 1978 might not have been a commercial success but it would set the tone and attitude for a new wave of British rock in the USA, while Duran Duran would lead a new pop invasion in the 80s.

With contributions from John Lydon and Robert Smith.

MON 03:30 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01jzy37)
Rock 'n' Roll Revisited - Get It On

A love of 50s rock 'n' roll runs through the pop of the 70s like a stripe through a stick of rock. This episode celebrates the rock 'n' roll revivalism and 50s retro leanings that characterise the decade from glam to AOR and all points in between. Revisiting the theatrical performances and fashions you'd be talking about in the playground the next day, from the likes of E.L.O, T-Rex, 10cc, Alvin Stardust, Mott the Hoople and Meatloaf's epic 1978 performance of Paradise by the Dashboard Light.

TUESDAY 01 JANUARY 2013

TUE 19:00 New Year's Day Concert (b01pkhl9)
2013 - Highlights

From the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs the annual celebratory concert of waltzes, polkas and marches conducted by Franz Welser-Möst for the second time. Highlights include works by members of the Strauss family, and there is music from anniversary composers Verdi and Wagner as well as Lanner and Hellmesburger.

To accompany some of the pieces there are performances by the Vienna State Ballet and choreographed by Ashley Page, in and around the grounds of the picturesque Palace Hof.

Setting the scene in Vienna is presenter Petroc Trelawny.

TUE 21:00 Fifties British War Films: Days of Glory (b01pkj2m)
In the 1950s, Britain looked back on its epic war effort in films such as The Dam Busters, The Cruel Sea and The Colditz Story. However, even at the time these productions were criticised for being class-bound and living in the past.

Journalist and historian Simon Heffer argues that these films have real cinematic merit and a genuine cultural importance, that they tell us something significant not only about the 1950s Britain from which they emerged but also about what it means to be British today.

His case is supported by interviews with stars including Virginia McKenna, Sylvia Syms and Sir Donald Sinden, with further contributions from directors Guy Hamilton (The Colditz Story) and Michael Anderson (The Dam Busters).

TUE 22:00 The Wooden Horse (b0078n5m)
Dramatisation of one of the most ingenious escape bids of World War II.

In camp Stalag Luft III, the Nazis have built the prisoners' huts so far from the fence that underground escape is virtually impossible.

One British officer, inspired by the tale of the Trojan Horse, proposes a daring plan to start a tunnel close to the boundary using a wooden vaulting horse as cover.

TUE 23:40 Treasures of Ancient Rome (p00wpvpr)
Warts 'n' All

Alastair Sooke traces how the Romans during the Republic went from being art thieves and copycats to pioneering a new artistic style - warts 'n' all realism. Roman portraits reveal what the great names from history, men like Julius Caesar and Cicero, actually looked like. Modern-day artists demonstrate the ingenious techniques used to create these true to life masterpieces in marble, bronze and paint.

We can step back into the Roman world thanks to their invention of the documentary-style marble relief and to a volcano called Vesuvius. Sooke explores the remarkable artistic legacy of Pompeii before showing how Rome's first emperor, Augustus, used the power of art to help forge an empire.

TUE 00:40 Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau (b01dprb6)
Paris

The delicious objects of Parisian Art Nouveau are explored by cultural correspondent Stephen Smith. Uncovering how the luscious decorative style first erupted into the cityscape, Stephen delves into the city's bohemian past to learn how some of the 19th century's most glamorous and controversial figures inspired this extraordinary movement.

Revealing the story behind Alphonse Mucha's sensual posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt, looking at the exquisite jewellery designer Renee Lalique and visiting iconic art nouveau locations such the famous Maxim's restaurant, the programme builds a picture of fin-de-siecle Paris.

But Smith also reveals that the style is more than just veneer deep. Looking further into the work of glassmaker Emile Galle and architect Hector Guimard, he sees how some of art nouveau's stars risked their reputation to give meaning and purpose to work they thought could affect social change.

TUE 01:40 New Year's Day Concert (b01pkhl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]

WEDNESDAY 02 JANUARY 2013

WED 19:00 BBC World News (b01pjs46)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

WED 19:30 Britain on Film (b01nrmwp)
Series 1

A Woman's Place

In 1959 Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled - on high-grade 35mm colour film - the changing face of British society, industry and culture.

Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade in modern British history. The opening episode reveals how Look at Life reflected the radical shifts in the position of women in British society, and shows how the country adapted to the new demands and expectations of women at home and in the workplace and at play.

WED 20:00 Operation Crossbow (b011cr8f)
The heroic tales of World War II are legendary, but Operation Crossbow is a little-known story that deserves to join the hall of fame: how the Allies used 3D photos to thwart the Nazis' weapons of mass destruction before they could obliterate Britain.

This film brings together the heroic Spitfire pilots who took the photographs and the brilliant minds of RAF Medmenham that made sense of the jigsaw of clues hidden in the photos. Hitler was pumping a fortune into his new-fangled V weapons in the hope they could win him the war. But Medmenham had a secret weapon of its own, a simple stereoscope which brought to life every contour of the enemy landscape in perfect 3D.

The devil was truly in the detail. Together with extraordinary personal testimonies, the film uses modern computer graphics on the original wartime photographs to show just how the photo interpreters were able to uncover Hitler's nastiest secrets.

WED 21:00 Carve Her Name with Pride (b0077l96)
True story of young English war widow Violette Szabo, who became a secret agent in occupied France during the Second World War. Exposed to the brutality of the Gestapo and the degradation of the concentration camps, she found herself facing a continual struggle for survival. But through sheer courage and grim determination, she eventually became the first woman to be awarded the George Cross.

WED 22:55 Storyville (b01ghtll)
The Real Great Escape

For the first time, the true story of the mastermind behind World War II's Great Escape is told by his niece, Lindy Wilson. Squadron Leader Roger Bushell was a young London barrister, an auxiliary pilot and a champion skier when he was shot down and captured early in the war. He escaped three times and, in spite of the Gestapo's threat to shoot him if he ever escaped again, Bushell accepted the role of 'Big X' on his return to the top-security PoW camp, Stalag Luft 111.

After 18 months of preparation, one of the greatest escapes of the war took place. Their aim to distract the enemy succeeded, as it was estimated that five million Germans were deployed to recapture the 76 escapees. However, Hitler's rage was uncontainable and he personally ordered a terrible reckoning.

WED 00:20 Treasures of Ancient Rome (b01mmrn5)
Pomp and Perversion

Alastair Sooke follows in the footsteps of Rome's mad, bad and dangerous emperors in the second part of his celebration of Roman art. He dons a wetsuit to explore the underwater remains of the Emperor Claudius's pleasure palace and ventures into the cave where Tiberius held wild parties. He finds their taste in art chimes perfectly with their obsession with sex and violence.

The other side of the coin was the bombastic art the Romans are best remembered for - monumental arches and columns that boast about their conquests. Trajan's Column in Rome reads like the storyboard of a modern-day propaganda film.

Sooke concludes with the remarkable legacy of the Emperor Hadrian. He gave the world the magnificent Pantheon in Rome - the eternal image of his lover Antinous, the most beautiful boy in the history of art - and a villa in Tivoli where he created one of the most ambitious art collections ever created.

WED 01:20 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.

WED 02:20 Delius: Composer, Lover, Enigma (b01j0yys)
The composer Frederick Delius is often pictured as the blind, paralysed and caustic old man he eventually became, but in his youth he was tall, handsome, charming and energetic - not Frederick at all for most of his life, but Fritz. He was a contemporary of Elgar and Mahler, yet forged his own musical language, with which he always tried to capture the pleasure of the moment.

Using evidence from his friend, the Australian composer Percy Grainger, who reported that Delius 'practised immorality with puritanical stubbornness', this film by John Bridcut explores the multiple contradictions of his colourful life. Delius has long been renowned for his depiction of the natural environment, with pieces such as On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, yet his music is usually steeped in the sensuality and eroticism that he himself experienced.

The documentary features specially-filmed performances by the widely-acclaimed Danish interpreters of Delius, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bo Holten, as well as the chamber choir, Schola Cantorum of Oxford.

THURSDAY 03 JANUARY 2013

THU 19:00 BBC World News (b01pjs4c)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

THU 19:30 Britain on Film (b01nvwqm)
Series 1

Brits at Play

In 1959 Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled the changing face of British society, industry and culture, all on high-grade 35mm colour film. Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade in modern British history.

This episode looks at the films that recorded one of the great boom industries of the 1960s, the leisure industry. Having left behind the austerity of the immediate post-war period, Britain's increasingly affluent population took full advantage of the new leisure opportunities that made affordable newly-emerging recreational activities at home - as well as exciting holiday adventures abroad.

THU 20:00 Operation Mincemeat (b00wllmb)
For more than 60 years, the real story behind Operation Mincemeat has been shrouded in secrecy. Now, Ben Macintyre reveals the extraordinary truth in a documentary based on his best-selling book.

In 1943, British intelligence hatched a daring plan. As the Allies prepared to invade Sicily, their purpose was to convince the Germans that Greece was the real target. The plot to fool the Fuhrer was the brainchild of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.

British agents procured the body of a tramp and reinvented his entire identity. He was given a new name, an officer rank and a briefcase containing plans for a fake invasion of Greece. The body was floated off the Spanish coast where Nazi spies would find it.

The deception was an astonishing success. Hitler fell for it totally, ordering his armies to Greece to await an invasion that never happened. Meanwhile, the Allies landed in Sicily with minimal resistance. The island fell in a month. The war turned in the Allies' favour.

Together with original witnesses, Macintyre recreates the remarkable story of how one brilliant team, and one dead tramp, pulled off a deception which changed the course of history.

THU 21:00 Defiance (b013j3cr)
Thriller based on a true story. In 1940s Eastern Europe, four Jewish brothers flee to the forest to escape persecution and death at the hands of Nazi forces after their parents are murdered. Once there, they find more refugees are using the forest as a hideout, so they band together to share resources and attempt to outwit the German forces, who are always on their tail.

THU 23:05 Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories (b01m1l9w)
The dark heart of the Nazi holocaust, Treblinka was an extermination camp where over 800,000 Polish Jews perished from 1942. Only two men can bear final witness to its terrible crimes. Samuel Willenberg and Kalman Taigman were slave labourers who escaped in a dramatic revolt in August 1943. One would seek vengeance in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, while the other would appear in the sensational trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961. This film documents their amazing survivor stories and the tragic fate of their families, and offers new insights into a forgotten death camp.

THU 00:05 Treasures of Ancient Rome (b01msf6r)
The Empire Strikes Back

In the third and final part of the series, Alastair Sooke charts the decline and fall of the Roman Empire through some of its hidden and most magical artistic treasures. He travels to Leptis Magna in Libya shortly after the overthrow of Gaddafi and finds one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world and the cradle of later Roman art. Sooke discovers glorious mosaics which have never been filmed before, but also finds evidence of shocking neglect of Libya's Roman heritage by the Gaddafi regime.

His artistic tour takes him to Egypt and the northern frontiers of the empire where he encounters stunning mummy paintings and exquisite silver and glassware. As Rome careered from one crisis to another, official art became more hard boiled and militaristic and an obscure cult called Christianity rose up to seize the mantle of Western art for centuries to come.

THU 01:05 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 02:00 Arena (b01c30jy)
Sonny Rollins: Beyond the Notes

2011 was the 82nd year in the extraordinary life of arguably the greatest saxophone player in the world, Sonny Rollins. Four decades ago, as a young filmmaker and aspiring musician, Dick Fontaine followed Rollins up onto the Williamsburg Bridge in Manhattan during one of his legendary escapes from the perils of 'the jazz life'. Today, still resisting stereotype and compromise, and revered by a new generation of young musicians, Rollins continues his single-minded search for meaning in his music and his life. Dick Fontaine's film is built around the explosive energy of Sonny's 80th Birthday Concert, where legendary figures Roy Haynes, Jim Hall and Ornette Coleman join him to celebrate his journey so far, his music and its future for a new generation.

THU 03:00 Arena (b01c30k0)
Sonny Rollins '74: Rescued!

Featuring a specially-shot introduction with Jamie Cullum, Arena presents a lost treasure - Sonny Rollins performing at Ronnie Scott's in 1974. After nearly 40 years unseen, this unique film shows a spellbinding performance from arguably the greatest saxophone player in the world. Having played alongside Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, Rollins is one of the few surviving jazz greats. This gig captures him after his 1972 comeback when his bands started to sound funkier and to use electric guitar and bass. The band for this 1974 set features Japanese guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo and soprano saxophone player Rufus Harley, who doubles on the bagpipes.

FRIDAY 04 JANUARY 2013

FRI 19:00 BBC World News (b01pjs4l)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

FRI 19:30 Robin Gibb's Titanic Requiem (b01pjrt3)
The world premiere of the late Robin Gibb's final work, Titanic Requiem, was recorded in April this year at a special concert at Westminster Central Hall, marking the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. This critically-acclaimed performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the RSVP Voices is now broadcast for the first time.

The former Bee Gee wrote the piece over the last two years of his life with his son Robin-John and based it around the Latin mass for the dead. This is interwoven with additional movements and songs tracing the doomed ship's maiden voyage, which is evoked visually by an extraordinary series of specially created holograms.

Guest vocalists are Aled Jones and Isabel Suckling. Gibb's deteriorating health prevented him from being present at the premiere as planned, but he is represented holographically for his affecting song Don't Cry Alone.

FRI 20:45 Sounds of the Seventies (b00c1cx3)
Solos

The Faces

Vintage rock, pop and soul performances from the BBC archives. The Faces perform Stay with Me in 1972.

FRI 20:50 Sounds of the Seventies (b01pcwhp)
Shorts

Roxy Music, Queen and Elton John

Glamour with a seventies subversive quality in this selection from the BBC's back pages. Roxy Music operate their Ladytron, Queen are Killer and Elton John is back.

FRI 21:00 Top of the Pops (b01pkjy6)
The Story of 1978

In 1978, Top of the Pops began to turn the credibility corner. As the only major pop show on television, Top of the Pops had enjoyed a unique position in the nation's hearts since the 1960s - the nation's teenagers who were now fed up with the show's predominantly light entertainment blend still tuned in every week in the hope of seeing one of the new young outfits thrown up by punk, new wave and disco. In 1978 it seemed the kids' time had come again for the first time since glam rock. Yet the biggest-selling singles of 1978 were by the likes of Boney M, John Travolta & Olivia Newton John, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees and Abba.

Punk never quite fitted in with the mainstream - it had been treated with disdain by Top of the Pops and largely ignored by the show. Britain's teenagers had to endure the all-round family entertainment on offer when all they wanted was teenage kicks. Along came a generation of young post-punk and new wave bands armed with guitar and bass, ready to storm the Top of the Pops stage - from The Undertones, The Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Skids and Ian Dury and the Blockheads to The Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello, The Jam and Squeeze - some weeks teenagers would get to see one of their bands, very rarely they got two, but there they were on primetime TV.

With contributions from The Boomtown Rats, Squeeze, Boney M, Sham 69, Brian & Michael, The Barron Knights, Mike Read, Kid Jensen, Kathryn Flett, Richard Jobson, Ian Gittins and Legs & Co.

FRI 21:50 Top of the Pops (b01pmbdy)
1978 - Big Hits

A pick 'n' mix of Top of the Pops classics from 1978, when in-yer-face punk and new wave rebellion co-existed with MOR suburban pop, disco fever, soul balladry, reggae and prog rock, and when two mega-successful movie soundtracks in the shape of Grease and Saturday Night Fever squared up on the dancefloor. Featuring shouty Sham 69, the cool rebellion of Ian Dury, Elvis Costello and Blondie, the media-savvy clowning of The Boomtown Rats, Kate Bush's debut with Wuthering Heights, alongside Brotherhood of Man's perky Figaro, Dan Hill's sentimental Sometimes When We Touch and the high camp of Boney M's Rasputin. Bob Marley shares chart space with 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday, and ELO and Manfred Mann's Earth Band keep on rockin'.

FRI 22:50 Queen Live In Budapest: Hungarian Rhapsody (b01pp0zp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Saturday]

FRI 00:20 Top of the Pops (b01pkjy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

FRI 01:10 Top of the Pops (b01pmbdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:50 today]

FRI 02:10 Robin Gibb's Titanic Requiem (b01pjrt3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]

FRI 03:25 Robin Gibb: Me and My Songs, a Tribute (b01js1ct)
The late Robin Gibb reflects on his songs and the extraordinary career of the Bee Gees in of the last filmed interviews he gave to the BBC, from January 2011. Featuring archive footage of classic hits from both solo performances and those with his brothers.

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

... Sings Disney Songs 20:00 MON (b018jpk4)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 19:00 SAT (b010t9hx)

Arena 00:50 SAT (b01l4929)

Arena 02:00 THU (b01c30jy)

Arena 03:00 THU (b01c30k0)

BBC Proms 19:00 SUN (b014hsbn)

BBC Proms 01:00 SUN (b014hsbn)

BBC World News 19:00 WED (b01pjs46)

BBC World News 19:00 THU (b01pjs4c)

BBC World News 19:00 FRI (b01pjs4l)

Britain on Film 19:30 WED (b01nrmwp)

Britain on Film 19:30 THU (b01nvwqm)

Carve Her Name with Pride 21:00 WED (b0077l96)

Clara Bow: Hollywood's Lost Screen Goddess 21:00 SUN (b01pjn8h)

Concerto at the BBC Proms 03:00 SUN (b01l2t55)

Concerto at the BBC Proms 03:30 SUN (b01k83bg)

Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories 23:05 THU (b01m1l9w)

Defiance 21:00 THU (b013j3cr)

Delius: Composer, Lover, Enigma 02:20 WED (b01j0yys)

Fifties British War Films: Days of Glory 21:00 TUE (b01pkj2m)

Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender - Director's Cut 21:00 SAT (b01pkbc7)

Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender - Director's Cut 01:50 SAT (b01pkbc7)

How the Brits Rocked America: Go West 00:30 MON (b01b4x9g)

How the Brits Rocked America: Go West 01:30 MON (b01bgqlc)

How the Brits Rocked America: Go West 02:30 MON (b01bsc3y)

Julie Andrews Hour with Sammy Davis Jr 22:00 SUN (b01pjnyb)

More Old Jews Telling Jokes 23:00 MON (b01p2pm8)

More Old Jews Telling Jokes 23:30 MON (b01p65lb)

New Year's Day Concert 19:00 TUE (b01pkhl9)

New Year's Day Concert 01:40 TUE (b01pkhl9)

Numb: Simon Amstell Live at the BBC 21:30 MON (b01pkh7r)

Operation Crossbow 20:00 WED (b011cr8f)

Operation Mincemeat 20:00 THU (b00wllmb)

Queen Live In Budapest: Hungarian Rhapsody 22:30 SAT (b01pp0zp)

Queen Live In Budapest: Hungarian Rhapsody 22:50 FRI (b01pp0zp)

Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert 00:00 SAT (b00p4hgm)

Robin Gibb's Titanic Requiem 19:30 FRI (b01pjrt3)

Robin Gibb's Titanic Requiem 02:10 FRI (b01pjrt3)

Robin Gibb: Me and My Songs, a Tribute 03:25 FRI (b01js1ct)

Sacred Music at Christmas 03:15 SAT (b00x21sc)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 00:40 TUE (b01dprb6)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 01:20 WED (b01f1959)

Sex and Sensibility: The Allure of Art Nouveau 01:05 THU (b01fd4z2)

Sounds of the 70s 2 03:30 MON (b01jzy37)

Sounds of the Seventies 20:45 FRI (b00c1cx3)

Sounds of the Seventies 20:50 FRI (b01pcwhp)

Storyville 22:55 WED (b01ghtll)

The Art of Tommy Cooper 00:00 MON (b007hzl2)

The Best of Kenny Everett's Television Shows 21:00 MON (b01n7m2m)

The Best of Kenny Everett's Television Shows 22:30 MON (b01n7mdr)

The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank 19:00 MON (b01jv5nr)

The Wooden Horse 22:00 TUE (b0078n5m)

Top of the Pops 21:00 FRI (b01pkjy6)

Top of the Pops 21:50 FRI (b01pmbdy)

Top of the Pops 00:20 FRI (b01pkjy6)

Top of the Pops 01:10 FRI (b01pmbdy)

Treasures of Ancient Rome 23:40 TUE (p00wpvpr)

Treasures of Ancient Rome 00:20 WED (b01mmrn5)

Treasures of Ancient Rome 00:05 THU (b01msf6r)

Victor Victoria 22:55 SUN (b0169l15)