B4

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

SATURDAY 06 APRIL 2013

SAT 19:00 South Pacific (b00kjjnx)
Ocean of Islands

The South Pacific islands are the most remote in the world. Their extraordinary isolation has created some of the most curious, surprising and precarious examples of life found anywhere on Earth; from giant crabs that tear open coconuts, to flesh-eating caterpillars that impale their prey on dagger-like claws.

Human culture is different too. The men of Pentecost Island celebrate their annual harvest by leaping from 20-metre high scaffolds, with only forest vines to break their fall. And on the tiny island of Anuta, possibly the most remote community of people on the planet, the locals survive entirely on what they can grow and catch.

The South Pacific's innumerable islands look like pieces of paradise, but the reality of life here is sometimes very different, with waves the size of buildings, brutal tropical storms, and, in the far south, even blizzards. This is the real South Pacific.

SAT 20:00 David Attenborough's First Life (b00vspkd)
Arrival

In fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough has travelled the globe to document the living world in all its wonder. Now, in the landmark series, David Attenborough's First Life, he completes his journey by going back in time to the roots of the tree of life, in search of the very first animals.

Attenborough's journey begins in a forest near his childhood home in Leicester, where a fossil discovery transformed our understanding of the evolution of complex life. Travelling to the fog bound coastline of Newfoundland and the Australian outback, Attenborough unearths the earliest forms of animal life to exist on Earth.

These bizarre and wonderful creatures are brought to life with the help of cutting edge scientific technology and photorealistic visual effects. From the first animal forms that moved to the first mouths that ate, these were creatures that evolved the traits and tools that allow all animals, including ourselves, to survive to this day.

SAT 21:00 Arne Dahl (b01rtdy8)
Series 1

The Blinded Man - Part 1

High-flying financiers are being murdered and it is beginning to appear like the work of a serial killer. CID inspector Jenny Hultin puts together a team of top detectives to crack the case swiftly before there are more deaths and a national panic. One of the team, Paul Hjelm, is saved from a disciplinary hearing for shooting a hostage taker when he said he was unarmed. Together with his new colleagues he finds himself working 24 hours a day in shifts to find the killer quickly. They are A Unit and their pursuit of the Fat Cat Killer will expose tensions within the newly-formed group and put some of them in fear of their lives. And what do the financier killings have to do with the Estonian mafia and the discovery of a dead robber in an empty bank with a dart in his eye?

In Swedish with English subtitles.

SAT 22:30 Goodbye Television Centre (b01rgr1l)
It was the dream factory, the symbolic home of British television - iconic, eccentric, more than just a building. After 53 years Television Centre, the BBC's TV headquarters, is closing its doors. Host Michael Grade gathers together many of its best-loved faces as they stroll down memory lane for the very last time.

SAT 00:40 Top of the Pops (b01rr4xr)
06/04/78

Noel Edmonds introduces the weekly pop chart programme featuring performances from the Boomtown Rats, Squeeze, Hot Chocolate, Brian and Michael, Wings, Sheila B Devotion and Andy Gibb.

SAT 01:20 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.

SAT 02:20 Britain on Film (b01qbz9f)
Series 1

This Sceptered Isle

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.

This episode examines Look at Life's quirky films that documented unusual or eccentric British customs, rituals and traditions. In an era where many Britons embraced change as never before, these revealing and highly entertaining films show that people were determined to preserve the idiosyncratic aspects of our national life.

SAT 02:50 David Attenborough's First Life (b00vspkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

SUNDAY 07 APRIL 2013

SUN 19:00 Vatican: The Hidden World (b00tr2p3)
With unprecedented access to the Vatican and the people who live and work there, this is a unique profile of the heart of the Catholic Church and the world's smallest sovereign state.

Archivists reveal the Vatican's secrets, including the signed testimony of Galileo recorded by the Inquisition. A cardinal journeys deep below St Peter's Basilica to inspect the site claimed to be the tomb of the saint himself, and curators share a private viewing of Michelangelo's extraordinary decoration of the Sistine Chapel.

An intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the workings of one of the world's most powerful and mysterious institutions.

SUN 20:00 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b01rwzn1)
Michael Ball

Mark Lawson talks to singer Michael Ball.

SUN 21:00 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rqkln)
Episode 3

The 'Rock 'n' Roll Years' of Formula One archive series reaches the undoubted golden age for British drivers that was the 1960s. This was when a quiet Scot, Jim Clark, and a debonair Englishman, Graham Hill, could be regularly relied on to lord it over the world championship. As they swinged their way through the rankings, Britain beyond the paddock was swinging its way through the Sixties. And the BBC was on hand to link the glitz and the glamour of grand prix racing to the aspirations of a growing audience of 'petrolheads' with the magazine show Wheelbase - a blokeish forerunner of Top Gear.

SUN 21:30 Caravans: A British Love Affair (b00hw3s0)
Documentary about the love affair between the British and their caravans, which saw the country establish the world's largest caravan manufacturer and transformed the holiday habits of generations of families.

In telling the intriguing story of caravanning in Britain from the 1950s through to the present day, the film reveals how caravans were once the plaything of a privileged minority, but after World War II became a firm favourite with almost a quarter of British holidaymakers.

It explores how changes in caravanning across the years reflect wider changes in British society, in particular the increased availability of cars during the 1950s and 60s, but also the improved roads network and changing attitudes towards holidaymaking and leisure time.

Enthusiasts and contributors include Dorrie van Lachterop from the West Midlands and Christine Fagg from Hertfordshire, remarkable and adventurous women who started touring alone in their caravans during the 1950s.

SUN 22:30 Storyville (b01nyz3p)
From the Sea to the Land Beyond: Britain's Coast on Film

Made from over 100 years of BFI archive footage, From the Sea to the Land Beyond offers a poetic meditation on Britain's unique coastline and the role it plays in our lives. With a soundtrack specially created by Brighton-based band British Sea Power, award-winning director Penny Woolcock's film offers moving testimony to our relationship to the coast - during wartime, on our holidays and as a hive of activity during the industrial age.

SUN 23:45 Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream (b00wyn0c)
Les Miserables is the world's best-loved musical. It has been seen by 57 million people and in 2010 celebrated its 25th anniversary with its two largest ever productions at London's O2 Arena. Matt Lucas, a lifelong fan of 'Les Mis', was invited to fulfil his dream of performing in these shows alongside more than 300 stalwarts from previous productions.

This documentary tells the story of a musical that many thought would fail, but which became a worldwide phenomenon with unforgettable songs like I Dreamed A Dream. We follow Matt as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime, we hear from those involved with the show's creation, including Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Ball, and of course we enjoy wonderful moments from the show itself.

SUN 00:45 Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up (b00sxjls)
Documentary which looks at how rock 'n' roll has had to deal with the unthinkable - namely growing up and growing old, from its roots in the 50s as music made by young people for young people to the 21st-century phenomena of the revival and the comeback.

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

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

SUN 01:45 Later... with Jools Holland (b00dwfyy)
Guitar Heroes

Guitar heroes from as far away as Mexico and as close to home as Chiswick have all come to rock the Later studio since 1995. This collection of performances brings together the best of them, from the legendary Buddy Guy to the homegrown guitar superstars he inspired, such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend. Joining them on the bill are Santana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, Radiohead and more.

SUN 02:45 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b01rwzn1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

MONDAY 08 APRIL 2013

MON 19:00 World News Today (b01rsgm1)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00pszd7)
Series 1

Filey to Scarborough

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

Michael goes birdwatching on the wild cliffs of Flamborough Head, learns to decipher traditional knitting patterns in Filey and meets one of the oldest residents of the Victorian seaside resort of Scarborough - a 4,000-year-old skeleton called Gristhorpe Man.

MON 20:00 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b01rr42c)
Jack Vettriano

Jack Vettriano is arguably Britain's most popular artist, with his nostalgic paintings of a lost age of glamour being instantly recognisable and his most famous work, The Singing Butler, the country's best-selling image, reproduced on everything from calendars to jigsaws. But despite his popularity, the self-taught miner's son from Fife has never been fully accepted by the art establishment.

This film offers an intimate and revealing portrait of Vettriano, as he creates a painting featuring actress Kara Tointon, and sees him talk with brutal honesty about his critics and how he deals with fame.

MON 20:30 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rsgm3)
Episode 4

There's a distinct change of soundtrack for Formula One's 'Rock 'n' Roll Years' as the archive series enters the 1970s. This was the era of three-time world champion Jackie Stewart, but also of the topless Pirelli calendar - much ogled over by the BBC's 'motoring correspondents' in archive sequences from another world. The mood darkens, though, when Graham Hill, the gentleman giant of British grand prix racing, is killed in a freak plane crash and another British drive,r Roger Williamson, is filmed dying trackside in his mangled, blazing car.

MON 21:00 Timeshift (b00x7c3z)
Series 10

The Golden Age of Coach Travel

Documentary which takes a glorious journey back to the 1950s, when the coach was king. From its early origins in the charabanc, the coach had always been the people's form of transport. Cheaper and more flexible than the train, it allowed those who had travelled little further than their own villages and towns a first heady taste of exploration and freedom. It was a safe capsule on wheels from which to venture out into a wider world.

The distinctive livery of the different coach companies was part of a now-lost world, when whole communities crammed into coach after coach en route to pleasure spots like Blackpool, Margate and Torquay. With singsongs, toilet stops and the obligatory pub halt, it didn't matter how long it took to get there because the journey was all part of the adventure.

MON 22:00 Hidden Killers (b01rp5hh)
The Victorian Home

While the Victorians confronted the challenges of ruling an empire, perhaps the most dangerous environment they faced was in their own homes. Householders lapped up the latest products, gadgets and conveniences, but in an era with no health and safety standards they were unwittingly turning their homes into hazardous death traps.

In a genuine horror story, Dr Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the killers that lurked in every room of the Victorian home and shows how they were unmasked. What new innovation killed thousands of babies? And what turned the domestic haven into a ticking time bomb?

MON 23:00 David Attenborough's First Life (b00vspkd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]

MON 00:00 Catholics (b01cl83g)
Priests

Filmed over six months and with extraordinary access, an intimate behind-the-scenes portrait of Allen Hall in London, one of only three remaining Roman Catholic seminaries in Britain.

This is the first of a new three-part series directed by award-winning filmmaker Richard Alwyn about being Catholic in Britain today. Each film - one about men, one about women, one about children - reveals a different Catholic world, showing Catholicism to be a rich but complex identity and observing how this shapes people's lives.

As the Catholic priesthood struggles to recover from the scandal of child abuse, numbers of men applying to join have fallen greatly. Just 19 men were ordained in England and Wales in 2010. In this first film, Alwyn meets the men who still feel themselves called to this role, including funk band roadie turned first-year student, Rob Hunt. A cradle Catholic, Rob ignored his faith for years before deciding his life was veering off course. With little education, he thought he had as much chance of becoming a priest as becoming an astronaut. Today, surrounded by boxsets of The Sweeney, he is adapting to seminary life.

Andrew Gallagher is in his final year at Allen Hall. Now 30, he previously worked in a City law firm, but felt he couldn't ignore a lifelong calling - at school, his nickname was Priest.

The film follows the seminarians through a timetable which ranges from Biblical Greek to lessons on how to live a celibate life. Everything builds towards priestly ordination when the seminarians believe they will be fundamentally altered as human beings, only then able to celebrate the Eucharist and perform the act that is central to Catholic life, the transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

'I will give you shepherds after my own heart', said the prophet Jeremiah, stating God's chosen method for guiding His people. This film brings rare and moving insight into those who believe themselves to be God's shepherds in the 21st Century.

MON 01:00 Vatican: The Hidden World (b00tr2p3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]

MON 02:00 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b01rr42c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

MON 02:30 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rsgm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]

MON 03:00 Timeshift (b00x7c3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

TUESDAY 09 APRIL 2013

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b01rsgdp)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00q2p2l)
Series 1

Preston to Morecambe

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 remains of Bradshaw's Britain.

Michael's second epic journey takes him north, from Preston to Scotland, on one of the first railways to cross the border. On this first leg, he explores the origins of the temperance movement in Preston, samples the attractions of Blackpool, a resort made by the railways, and takes a walk across Morecambe Bay with the official keeper of the sands.

TUE 20:00 Explosions: How We Shook the World (b00v9kb3)
Engineer Jem Stansfield is used to creating explosions, but in this programme he uncovers the story of how we have learnt to control them and harness their power for our own means.

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

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

TUE 21:00 POP! The Science of Bubbles (b01rtdy6)
Physicist Dr Helen Czerski takes us on an amazing journey into the science of bubbles. Bubbles may seem to be just fun toys, but they are also powerful tools that push back the boundaries of science.

The soap bubble with its delicate, fragile skin tells us about how nature works on scales as large as solar system and as small as a single wavelength of light. Then there are underwater bubbles, which matter because they are part of the how the planet works. Out at sea, breaking waves generate huge plumes of bubbles which help the oceans breathe.

From the way animals behave to the way drinks taste, Dr Czerski shows how bubbles affect our world in all sorts of unexpected ways. Whether it's the future of ship design or innovative new forms of medical treatment, bubbles play a vital role.

TUE 22:00 I, Claudius (b0074sry)
Poison Is Queen

The Imperial Army on the Rhine has been wiped out and Tiberius sent to avenge the defeat, followed later by Germanicus. Livia has discredited Postumus, who has been banished. Augustus has been feeling unwell, but is avoiding suspicions of poisoning by eating figs from his own garden.

TUE 22:50 The High Art of the Low Countries (b01rsfgd)
Dream of Plenty

Andrew Graham-Dixon shows how the art of Renaissance Flanders evolved from the craft of precious tapestries within the Duchy of Burgundy into a leading painting school in its own right. Starting his journey at the magnificent altarpiece of Ghent Cathedral created by the Van Eyck brothers, Andrew explains their groundbreaking innovation in oil painting and marvels at how the colours they obtained can still remain so vibrant today.

Andrew describes how, in the early Renaissance, the most urgent preoccupation was not the advancement of learning, humanist or otherwise, but the Last Judgment. People believed they were living in the end of days; a subject popular with preachers and artists and intensely realised in swarming microscopic detail by Hieronymus Bosch.

TUE 23:50 Parks and Recreation (b01rs2n1)
Series 2

Beauty Pageant

Leslie gets to judge a beauty contest, but ends up having conflicting opinions on 'the ideal woman' with the other judges. On a date with Mark, Ann learns that Andy has been living in the pit.

TUE 00:15 Parks and Recreation (b01rsff3)
Series 2

Practice Date

Leslie, nervous about her first date with Dave, gets Ann to take her on a practice date in order to prepare. Tom, Ron, Mark and April try to see who can uncover the most dirt on each other.

TUE 00:35 Arne Dahl (b01rtdy8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]

TUE 02:05 Britain on Film (b01qhl0b)
Series 1

Animal Magic

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.

This episode examines Britain's ambiguous relationships with animals. Look at Life's coverage - which ranges from the fur trade, fox hunting and animal-based entertainments in circuses to our passion for pets - shows just how far attitudes to other species have shifted since the 1960s.

TUE 02:35 POP! The Science of Bubbles (b01rtdy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 2013

WED 19:00 World News Today (b01rsgdv)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00q2pg7)
Series 1

Settle to Garsdale

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 remains of Bradshaw's Britain.

Michael's second epic journey takes him north, from Preston to Scotland, on one of the first railways to cross the border. On this second leg, he returns to the historic Settle-Carlisle line to find out what has happened to it since he helped save it in the 1980s. Along the way, he explores the magnificent Ribblehead viaduct, finds out about the navvies who helped to build it and catches a steam train along the line.

WED 20:00 10 Things You Didn't Know About... (b008vrwk)
Avalanches

Iain Stewart travels across mountain ranges and glaciers to reveal ten remarkable stories about avalanches.

Over a million avalanches happen throughout the world each year, and yet we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the chaotic turbulence inside an avalanche. Scientists have had to put themselves right inside a raging avalanche to find out more.

Stewart shows how the deadliest avalanche in history killed 18,000 people in three minutes; how Hannibal's army was devastated by avalanches as he crossed the Alps to fight Rome; why an avalanche was key to one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time; and how global warming may increase the rate of ice avalanches in the future.

WED 21:00 The Century That Wrote Itself (b01rvzts)
The Written Self

Adam Nicolson traces our modern sense of self back to the time when ordinary people first took up the quill. At a time of great upheaval, writing was both a means of escape and of fighting for what you believed. Account books became confessionals, and letters weapons against the authorities. From an ambitious shepherd to a Quaker woman imprisoned for her conscience, rising literacy allowed people to re-write both the country's future and their own.

WED 22:00 Parks and Recreation (b01rx3lk)
Series 2

Sister City

Leslie gets to play host to Pawnee's sister city, the Parks and Recreation Department of Boraqua, Venezuela. Tom is made a errand boy and April is playing hard to get.

WED 22:20 Parks and Recreation (b01rx3lm)
Series 2

Kaboom

Leslie and her crew continue to help organise the new playground. Leslie receives advice from Mark.

WED 22:40 Old Jews Telling Jokes (b01777fr)
Episode 1

In the fine tradition of American Jewish humour, a group of pensioners from all walks of life gather together to tell their favourite jokes. Remember, laugh loud - they don't hear so good.

WED 23:10 Old Jews Telling Jokes (b017j5jw)
Episode 2

In the fine tradition of American Jewish humour, a group of pensioners from all walks of life gather together to tell their favourite jokes. Remember, laugh loud. They don't hear so good.

WED 23:40 10 Things You Didn't Know About... (b008vrwk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

WED 00:40 The Eiger: Wall of Death (b00tlwj3)
A history of one of the world's most challenging mountains, the Eiger, and its infamous north face. The film gets to the heart of one of Europe's most notorious peaks, exploring its character and its impact on the people who climb it and live in its awesome shadow.

WED 01:40 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b01rr42c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]

WED 02:10 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rsgm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 on Monday]

WED 02:40 The Century That Wrote Itself (b01rvzts)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

THURSDAY 11 APRIL 2013

THU 19:00 World News Today (b01rsgf0)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

THU 19:30 The Sky at Night (b08kbg6g)
They Fall to Earth

Meteorites regularly hit Earth, although most go undetected. Occasionally a big meteorite collides with Earth and when it does, it can cause devastation. Lucie Green and Chris Lintott visit the Natural History Museum to look at its meteorite collection and discuss the recent Russian impact. Jon Culshaw goes on a meteorite hunt, while Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel give their beginners' guide on how to look at Saturn.

THU 20:00 The Blue Planet (b0080pjz)
Open Ocean

This programme focuses on the predatory skills of some of the most charismatic hunters found on the planet: whales, dolphins, tuna, shark and rapier-nosed billfish. The open ocean is unimaginably immense - it covers more than 360 million square kilometres of the Earth's surface. Much of this huge expanse of seawater is marine desert with virtually no sign of life. Yet the fastest and most powerful survive, playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek with their prey. This charts how they track down prey in the seemingly featureless seas, following the extraordinary life of yellowfin tuna from a minute egg to a 200 kilogram, voracious predatory giant.

THU 20:30 Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places (b01rsl66)
Caves

Presenter and Welsh poet Ifor ap Glyn explores the wealth of Britain's extraordinary holy places on a pilgrimage that spans almost 2,000 years of history. Travelling across the breadth of the UK, Ifor uncovers the stories and rich history behind many of our most famous sites, explaining the myths and legends of some of Britain's most sacred places.

Ifor sets out to understand what happens when our religious urges drive us underground. His first stop is Lud's Church in Derbyshire, one of the most dramatic and eerie holy places in the land, once described as 'the place for the Devil to say matins'.

Ifor then heads back 14,000 years to find evidence of perhaps the oldest holy place in Britain. He follows the path of St Cuthbert's body as it was shifted between caves in the north of England to escape the attentions of Viking raiders and visits the cave of St Govan where a hermit was miraculously enveloped in rock to evade local gangs of wreckers.

He meets a nun in Norwich who tells him about a young woman who was bricked up alive for over 40 years in an act of almost unbelievable devotion and finally heads to a crypt of Ripon Cathedral to discover one of the most dramatic pieces of religious theatre in Britain.

THU 21:00 The High Art of the Low Countries (b01rtf47)
Boom and Bust

Andrew Graham-Dixon looks at how the seemingly peaceful countries of Holland and Belgium - famous for their tulips and windmills, mussels and chips - were in fact forged in a crucible of conflict and division. He examines how a period of economic boom driven for the first time by a burgeoning and secular middle class led to the Dutch golden age of the 17th century, creating not only the concept of oil painting itself, but the master painters Rembrandt and Vermeer combining art and commerce together as we would recognise it today.

THU 22:00 POP! The Science of Bubbles (b01rtdy6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]

THU 23:00 Timeshift (b00x7c3z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]

THU 00:00 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.

THU 01:00 The Sky at Night (b08kbg6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]

THU 01:30 The Blue Planet (b0080pjz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

THU 02:00 Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places (b01rsl66)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]

THU 02:30 The High Art of the Low Countries (b01rtf47)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

FRIDAY 12 APRIL 2013

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b01rsgf5)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

FRI 19:30 Eugene Onegin from the Royal Opera House (b01rtf6t)
A new production from the Royal Opera House of Tchaikovsky's much-loved opera Eugene Onegin, a story of love, rejection and tragedy based on Pushkin's verse drama of the same name. The international cast includes Simon Keenlyside singing the role of Onegin and Krassimira Stoyanova in the role of Tatyana, with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Robin Ticciati. The opera is introduced by Kasper Holten who makes his debut as stage director at the ROH.

FRI 22:10 imagine... (b00t15v1)
Summer 2010

Tom Jones - What Good Am I?

As he prepares to celebrate his 70th birthday, singing legend Sir Tom Jones is still recording, performing and collaborating with some of the biggest names in pop. In this episode of Imagine, Alan Yentob examines the extraordinary story of one of Britain's most recognisable pop icons.

In a frank and revealing interview, Sir Tom describes the dizzying ascent from his humble beginnings as a miner's son in south Wales to becoming a headline act in Las Vegas and recalls many of his most cherished moments from a career that enabled him to sing alongside Elvis, establish himself as a hairy-chested sex symbol and make one of the most successful comebacks in pop history.

FRI 23:10 Tom Jones at the BBC (b00vz5ml)
An archive celebration of Tom Jones's performances at the BBC from the start of his pop career in the mid-60s to Later...with Jools Holland in 2010 and all points in between, including Top of the Pops and The Dusty Springfield Show. A chronological celebration of Sir Tom through the years that is also a history of music TV at the BBC over most of the past 50 years.

FRI 00:05 BBC Four Sessions (b01mtrwf)
Tom Jones

Sir Tom Jones in a unique session of folk, blues and beyond from the beautiful LSO St Lukes in the City.

Jones and a special band put together by Ethan Johns, the producer of his last two albums Praise & Blame and Spirit in the Room, deliver songs of guilt, redemption and judgement drawn from those records and also collaborates with special guests Seasick Steve on Mississippi Fred McDowell's You Gotta Move, with 84 year-old American folk legend Tom Paley on the Mississippi Sheiks' Sitting on Top of the World and young Londoner Josh Osho on Big Bill Broonzy's Black Brown and White Blues.

Filmed more like a rehearsal in the round than a concert with Ethan Johns on guitar, Richard Causon on keys, Dave Bronze on bass, Jeremy Stacey on drums and The Staves - three young sisters from Watford - on backing vocals, this BBC FOUR Session finds Jones The Voice in masterful yet genial form, exploring his roots in the songs and styles of the American South in the 50s and 60s - early rock n roll, country, gospel, folk, blues and beyond.

FRI 01:10 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01hz75h)
Guilty Pleasures - Love Will Keep Us Together

An unashamed celebration of the instantly recognisable classics from the decade of love. A half hour of 'Our Tune' anthems and the soundtrack to many a love affair and wedding party, including performances from The Carpenters, Bread, Charles Aznavour, John Denver, 10cc, Bellamy Brothers, Exile, Captain and Tennille, and Dr Hook.

FRI 01:40 imagine... (b00t15v1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:10 today]

FRI 02:40 Tom Jones at the BBC (b00vz5ml)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:10 today]

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

10 Things You Didn't Know About... 20:00 WED (b008vrwk)

10 Things You Didn't Know About... 23:40 WED (b008vrwk)

Arne Dahl 21:00 SAT (b01rtdy8)

Arne Dahl 00:35 TUE (b01rtdy8)

BBC Four Sessions 00:05 FRI (b01mtrwf)

Britain on Film 02:20 SAT (b01qbz9f)

Britain on Film 02:05 TUE (b01qhl0b)

Caravans: A British Love Affair 21:30 SUN (b00hw3s0)

Catholics 00:00 MON (b01cl83g)

David Attenborough's First Life 20:00 SAT (b00vspkd)

David Attenborough's First Life 02:50 SAT (b00vspkd)

David Attenborough's First Life 23:00 MON (b00vspkd)

Eugene Onegin from the Royal Opera House 19:30 FRI (b01rtf6t)

Explosions: How We Shook the World 20:00 TUE (b00v9kb3)

Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up 00:45 SUN (b00sxjls)

Goodbye Television Centre 22:30 SAT (b01rgr1l)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b00pszd7)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b00q2p2l)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 WED (b00q2pg7)

Hidden Killers 22:00 MON (b01rp5hh)

I, Claudius 22:00 TUE (b0074sry)

Later... with Jools Holland 01:45 SUN (b00dwfyy)

Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream 23:45 SUN (b00wyn0c)

London Songs at the BBC 01:20 SAT (b01jxzfs)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 20:00 SUN (b01rwzn1)

Mark Lawson Talks To... 02:45 SUN (b01rwzn1)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 21:00 SUN (b01rqkln)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 20:30 MON (b01rsgm3)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 02:30 MON (b01rsgm3)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 02:10 WED (b01rsgm3)

Old Jews Telling Jokes 22:40 WED (b01777fr)

Old Jews Telling Jokes 23:10 WED (b017j5jw)

POP! The Science of Bubbles 21:00 TUE (b01rtdy6)

POP! The Science of Bubbles 02:35 TUE (b01rtdy6)

POP! The Science of Bubbles 22:00 THU (b01rtdy6)

Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places 20:30 THU (b01rsl66)

Pagans and Pilgrims: Britain's Holiest Places 02:00 THU (b01rsl66)

Parks and Recreation 23:50 TUE (b01rs2n1)

Parks and Recreation 00:15 TUE (b01rsff3)

Parks and Recreation 22:00 WED (b01rx3lk)

Parks and Recreation 22:20 WED (b01rx3lm)

Sounds of the 70s 2 01:10 FRI (b01hz75h)

South Pacific 19:00 SAT (b00kjjnx)

Storyville 22:30 SUN (b01nyz3p)

Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 00:00 THU (p00yh2rc)

The Blue Planet 20:00 THU (b0080pjz)

The Blue Planet 01:30 THU (b0080pjz)

The Century That Wrote Itself 21:00 WED (b01rvzts)

The Century That Wrote Itself 02:40 WED (b01rvzts)

The Eiger: Wall of Death 00:40 WED (b00tlwj3)

The High Art of the Low Countries 22:50 TUE (b01rsfgd)

The High Art of the Low Countries 21:00 THU (b01rtf47)

The High Art of the Low Countries 02:30 THU (b01rtf47)

The Sky at Night 19:30 THU (b08kbg6g)

The Sky at Night 01:00 THU (b08kbg6g)

Timeshift 21:00 MON (b00x7c3z)

Timeshift 03:00 MON (b00x7c3z)

Timeshift 23:00 THU (b00x7c3z)

Tom Jones at the BBC 23:10 FRI (b00vz5ml)

Tom Jones at the BBC 02:40 FRI (b00vz5ml)

Top of the Pops 00:40 SAT (b01rr4xr)

Vatican: The Hidden World 19:00 SUN (b00tr2p3)

Vatican: The Hidden World 01:00 MON (b00tr2p3)

What Do Artists Do All Day? 20:00 MON (b01rr42c)

What Do Artists Do All Day? 02:00 MON (b01rr42c)

What Do Artists Do All Day? 01:40 WED (b01rr42c)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b01rsgm1)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b01rsgdp)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b01rsgdv)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b01rsgf0)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b01rsgf5)

imagine... 22:10 FRI (b00t15v1)

imagine... 01:40 FRI (b00t15v1)