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 APRIL 2013

SAT 19:00 South Pacific (b00ks63z)
Endless Blue

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

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

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


SAT 20:00 The Golden Age of Steam Railways (b01p8w38)
Small Is Beautiful

Two-part documentary telling the remarkable story of a band of visionaries who rescued some of the little narrow gauge railways that once served Britain's industries. These small railways and the steam engines that ran on them were once the driving force of Britain's mines, quarries, factories and docks. Then, as they disappeared after 1945, volunteers set to work to bring the lines and the steam engines back to life and started a movement which spread throughout the world. Their home movies tell the story of how they helped millions reconnect with a past they thought had gone forever.


SAT 21:00 Arne Dahl (b01s40kg)
Series 1

Bad Blood - Part 1

An American serial killer is on board a plane from New York to Stockholm. Without a proper identification and with great urgency, A Unit try to locate him before Sweden inadvertently imports a killer whose methods are bloodthirsty and can be traced back to the Vietnam War. After the killer enters Sweden he soon begins his killing spree. A Unit work in collaboration with the FBI in a desperate attempt to catch him.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:30 Young Guns Go for It (b0077pc6)
Series 1

Bananarama

In the aftermath of the punk era, three girls decided on a career in pop music - they called themselves Bananarama and became one of the most successful British girl groups ever. Original members Siobhan Fahey, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, plus Pete Waterman, Malcolm McLaren and Terry Hall reflect on how the girls became stars and how they almost lost their friendships in the process.


SAT 23:00 Young Guns Go for It (b0077pj1)
Series 1

The Smiths

The story of Manchester's the Smiths, formed around the formidable songwriting talents of guitarist Johnny Marr and lyricist and singer Morrissey, who nurtured an often obsessive fanbase with their sensitive and introspective reaction to Thatcher's Britain. Featuring contributions from Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke.


SAT 23:30 Top of the Pops (b01ryv79)
Tony Blackburn introduces the weekly pop chart programme featuring performances from Alan Price, Dee D Jackson, Gene Farrow, Raffaella Carra, Child, Bonnie Tyler, Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams, Genesis, Dr Hook, Brian & Michael and Legs & Co.


SAT 00:15 R.E.M. at the BBC (b019g9vf)
In September 2011 R.E.M., the rock band from Athens, Georgia, decided to call it a day after 31 years. This collection from the BBC archives includes performances of Pretty Persuasion from the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1984, Orange Crush on Top of the Pops in 1989 and special acoustic versions of Losing My Religion and Half a World Away on The Late Show in 1991, along with performances on Later with Jools Holland and Parkinson. Also, vocalist Michael Stipe and bassist Mike Mills reflect on the band ending.


SAT 01:15 The Golden Age of Steam Railways (b01p8w38)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:15 South Pacific (b00ks63z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 03:15 Young Guns Go for It (b0077pc6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]



SUNDAY 21 APRIL 2013

SUN 19:00 The Century That Wrote Itself (b01rxpdn)
The Rewritten Universe

Adam Nicolson explores the 17th century's contradictory attitudes towards the nature of reality. While a puritan struggled to accept God's will, an early naturalist accepted nothing without testing it first. How did God work? How did the world work? What was our place within it? These questions overflow from the era's diaries and notebooks, famous and unknown alike. Curiouser and curiouser, spreading literacy allowed explosive ideas not just to be recorded but shared, as Adam reveals the texts that rewrote our world.


SUN 20:00 The Review Show (b01s317l)
Kirsty Wark presides over the arts and culture jury as they pass judgement on The Look of Love, featuring Steve Coogan as porn baron Paul Raymond; Levels of Life, the new novel/memoir by Julian Barnes; and a major exhibition of photographs by Sebastião Salgado.


SUN 21:00 Arena (b01s40mv)
aka Norman Parkinson

To mark the centenary of his birth, Arena examines the glamorous life and exceptionally long career of pioneering photographer Norman Parkinson, an eccentric English gentleman who also produced his own brand of sausages. Featuring an abundance of beautiful images and with previously unseen footage, the film explores Parkinson's work with contributions from his models and collaborators, including Iman, Jerry Hall, Carmen Dell'Orefice, creative director of Vogue Grace Coddington and his grandson Jake Parkinson-Smith.


SUN 22:00 The Secret Life of Rockpools (b01rtdr4)
Paleontologist Professor Richard Fortey embarks on a quest to discover the extraordinary lives of rock pool creatures. To help explore this unusual environment he is joined by some of the UK's leading marine biologists in a dedicated laboratory at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. Here and on the beach in various locations around the UK, startling behaviour is revealed and new insights are given into how these animals cope with intertidal life. Many popular rock pool species have survived hundreds of millions of years of Earth's history, but humans may be their biggest challenge yet.


SUN 23:00 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rxpcr)
Episode 5

The final part of Formula One's 'Rock 'n' Roll Years' archive series focuses on an era when motor racing lit up the world... with cigarette advertising. The sport was now largely bankrolled by sponsors who emblazoned their names all over the cars and the drivers. Those branded overalls needed big personalities to fill them and attract audiences to their brands, and none came bigger than Britain's James Hunt. BBC cameras followed this rake's progress from his time with the amateur Hesketh Racing, run by aristocrat Lord Hesketh, through to his later incarnation as Marlboro Man at McLaren. 'Hunt the Shunt' had charisma and charm to burn, but by the end of the decade he had burnt himself out.


SUN 23:30 Exotic Pop at the BBC (b013g87m)
Compilation of international hits from the BBC archives that paint exotic musical portraits of far away countries or instantly conjure up memories of holidays abroad. This smorgasbord of foreign pop delights includes performances by Demis Roussos, Vanessa Paradis, Gheorghe Zamfir and Sylvia, amongst many others.


SUN 00:30 Anyone for Demis? How the World Invaded the Charts (b013g87k)
The British have a love-hate relationship with the foreign pop song. For years they were frequent visitors to the charts and were bought in their millions. Once heard never forgotten, these international hits conjure instant memories of a holiday abroad, musical portraits of countries far away.

This documentary tells the story of these musical imports from the Second World War to the present day. It reveals surprising stories behind some of the songs and asks what made them so popular.

The programme starts with the fad for Hawaiian music in wartime Britain. Dodging the bombs was Felix Mendelssohn and his Hawaiian Serenaders. Hula dancer Doreena Sugundo, who joined the band aged seventeen, remembers their exotic stage act and the intricacies of the homemade grass skirt.

In the 1950s the foreign pop song was a fixture in the newly-formed charts. From Anton Karas's zither music to the Obernkirchen Children's Choir, continental pop sold in its millions. On BBC television, calypsos from Harry Belafonte and Cy Grant were family favourites, while Danish aristocrats Nina and Frederik brought a certain cosmopolitan cool with their versions of international folk music.

One would think that the worldwide success of the Beatles would see off these foreign pretenders. Not so, as in their breakthrough year of 1963 they were challenged in the charts by the Singing Nun's song Dominique. But the Singing Nun's subsequent fall from grace rivals any rock and roll tragedy.

People travelled the world through their record collections and on the new BBC2 Nana Mouskouri brought an early version of world music to our homes. In the late 1960s the package holiday boom meant that ordinary Britons could visit the places they'd only dreamt of seeing. Holiday songs like Sylvia's Y Viva Espana were souvenirs of a week in the sun and Greek balladeer Demis Roussos became the 1970s' most unlikely sex symbol.

Since then there has been the fad for pan pipes, initially coming not from the Andes but Romania, and in the 1980s the success of Paul Simon's Graceland and the emergence of world music. As our holidays became more exotic and our tastes for food more international, so music from around the world has become more dominant, with the craze for Latin and salsa music.

So now when music is truly global, and international stars like Shakira bestride the music world, has the foreign pop song had its day? Will there ever been another foreign pop sensation like the Singing Nun or the pan pipes, and is there anyone for Demis?

Featuring interviews with Nana Mouskouri, Sylvia, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Gipsy Kings. Narrated by Liza Tarbuck.


SUN 01:30 Kings of 70s Romance (b007cjtw)
While teenage girls in the 1970s were screaming for Donny Osmond and David Cassidy, the more mature woman had fantasy figures of her own setting her heart a-flutter. Kings of 70s Romance tells the story of these - some might say unlikely - pin-ups. Whether it was Gilbert O'Sullivan or Barry White, Leo Sayer or David Soul - or for those with more exotic tastes, Demis Roussos - these were men whose lyrics conjured up images of candle-lit dinners, red roses, and cosy nights in with the man of your dreams. For millions of female fans their romantic music was the perfect soundtrack for dreams of escape from the day-to-day drudgery of life in 70s Britain. As well as our main contributors we feature comments form Gloria Hunniford and Martha Kearney.


SUN 02:30 Arena (b01s40mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 03:30 Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion (b01rxpcr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]



MONDAY 22 APRIL 2013

MON 19:00 World News Today (b01s2cql)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qbnbw)
Series 1

Swindon to Bristol

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

Michael's journey takes him along the Brunel's Great Western Railway from Swindon to Penzance. He finds out about free holiday trains for the GWR workers in Swindon, samples the spa in Bath and tries his hand at glass blowing in Bristol.


MON 20:00 Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails (b00drtpj)
Ian Hislop brings his customary humour, analysis and wit to the notorious Beeching Report of 1963, which led to the closure of a third of the nation's railway lines and stations and forced tens of thousands of people into the car and onto the road.

Was author Dr Richard Beeching little more than Genghis Khan with a slide rule, ruthlessly hacking away at Britain's rail network in a misguided quest for profitability, or was he the fall guy for short-sighted government policies that favoured the car over the train?

Ian also investigates the fallout of Beeching's plan, discovering what was lost to the British landscape, communities and ways of life when the railway map shrank, and recalls the halcyon days of train travel, celebrated by John Betjeman.

Ian travels from Cornwall to the Scottish borders, meeting those responsible and those affected and questioning whether such brutal measures could be justified. Knowing what we know now, with trains far more energy efficient and environmentally sound than cars, perhaps Beeching's plan was the biggest folly of the 1960s?


MON 21:00 Revolutionary Road (b019767t)
Celebrated Sam Mendes film adapted from Richard Yates's acclaimed novel, reuniting the Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

April and Frank Wheeler are a young, thriving couple living with their two children in a Connecticut suburb in the mid-1950s. Their self-assured exterior masks a creeping frustration at their inability to feel fulfilled in their relationships or careers. Frank is mired in a well-paying but boring office job, and April is a housewife still mourning the demise of her hoped-for acting career.

Determined to identify themselves as superior to the mediocre sprawl of suburbanites who surround them, they decide to move to France, where they will be better able to develop their true artistic sensibilities, free of the consumerist demands of capitalist America. But as their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations, their trip and their dreams of self-fulfilment are thrown into jeopardy.


MON 22:50 North Korea: Crossing the Line (b0074tl7)
In 1962, a US soldier sent to guard the peace in South Korea deserted his unit, walked across a fortified area and defected to the Cold War enemy, the communist state of North Korea.

He became a coveted star of the propaganda machine, but then disappeared from the face of the known world. He later found fame acting in North Korean films, typecast as an evil American. He has now lived in North Korea twice as long as he has in America, uses Korean as his daily language and has three sons from two wives.

At one time, there were four Americans living in North Korea. Today, just one remains. Now after 45 years, the story of Comrade Joe, the last American defector in North Korea is told for the first time.


MON 00:20 Brushing up on... (b01s1c4y)
Series 1

British Tunnels

Danny Baker considers some tunnel-based archive footage and endeavours to give a quick brush up on these mysterious, subterranean realms.


MON 00:50 Catholics (b01d27lc)
Women

In the third of three films exploring Catholic identity, award-winning documentary filmmaker Richard Alwyn talks to Catholic women about how Catholicism has shaped their lives.

With remarkable behind-the-scenes access to Westminster Cathedral, this is a moving and intimate film in which Alwyn meets the female staff, volunteers and congregation of the cathedral. Set against the rhythm of cathedral life, Alwyn's meetings are brief but intense encounters that describe what it is to be a Catholic woman in Britain today.

Rose is second-in-charge of the cathedral's sacristy, preparing the altar for six daily masses and making sure the priests have all they need. It's like running a busy train station. A convert, Rose is the consummate 'handmaid of the Lord' for whom Catholicism is an anchor in life.

Jennie, on the other hand, is a cradle Catholic who feels her education by nuns was repressive, with an unspoken emphasis on sex - and especially abstaining from it. She feels her Catholic 'indoctrination' was a cross for her generation to bear. Despite that she staffs the cathedral's information desk once a week and feels her Catholicism is a valued part of her identity, having developed over the years into an appreciation of the spirit of faith more than the letter of the Church.

Elsewhere, Alwyn meets a retired doctor who feels alienated by the Catholic Church's teachings on Aids and contraception and its recent history of child abuse. No longer practising, she nonetheless feels her Catholic identity has provided her with an important moral compass for the chaos of life.

These and other encounters form the backbone of Alwyn's moving film. What emerges is a portrait of Catholicism as an identity that, whether positive or corrosive, is always tenacious and hard to leave behind. Once a Catholic...


MON 01:50 Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails (b00drtpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:50 Timeshift (b00dwflh)
Series 8

Between the Lines - Railways in Fiction and Film

Novelist Andrew Martin presents a documentary examining how the train and the railways came to shape the work of writers and film-makers.

Lovers parting at the station, runaway carriages and secret assignations in confined compartments - railways have long been a staple of romance, mystery and period drama. But at the beginning of the railway age, locomotives were seen as frightening and unnatural. Wordsworth decried the destruction of the countryside, while Dickens wrote about locomotives as murderous brutes, bent on the destruction of mere humans. Hardly surprising, as he had been involved in a horrific railway accident himself.

Martin traces how trains gradually began to be accepted - Holmes and Watson were frequent passengers - until by the time of The Railway Children they were something to be loved, a symbol of innocence and Englishness. He shows how trains made for unforgettable cinema in The 39 Steps and Brief Encounter, and how when the railways fell out of favour after the 1950s, their plight was highlighted in the films of John Betjeman.

Finally, Martin asks whether, in the 21st century, Britain's railways can still stir and inspire artists.



TUESDAY 23 APRIL 2013

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b01s2cqr)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qbnd5)
Series 1

Yatton to Weston Super Mare

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

His journey takes him along the Brunel's Great Western Railway from Swindon to Penzance. This time, Michael samples local Cheddar strawberries, explores Cheddar Gorge and the famous caves, and visits one of the oldest piers in the country at Weston Super Mare.


TUE 20:00 Ocean Giants (b013wpxz)
Deep Thinkers

Humans have long wondered if the universe may harbour other intelligent life forms. But perhaps we need look no further than our oceans?

Whales and dolphins, like humans, have large brains, are quick to learn new behaviours and use a wide range of sounds to communicate with others in their society. But how close are their minds to ours? In the Bahamas, Professor Denise Herzing believes she is very close to an answer, theorising that she will be able to hold a conversation with wild dolphins in their own language within five years.

In Western Australia, dolphins rely on their versatile and inventive brains to survive in a marine desert. In Alaska, humpback whales gather into alliances in which individuals pool their specialised talents to increase their hunting success. We discover how young spotted dolphins learn their individual names and the social etiquette of their pod, and how being curious about new objects leads Caribbean bottlenose dolphins to self-awareness and even to self-obsession. Finally, the film shows a remarkable group of Mexican grey whales, who seem able to empathize with humans and may even have a concept of forgiveness.


TUE 21:00 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.


TUE 22:00 I, Claudius (b0074ss5)
Queen of Heaven

Germanicus has been murdered in Antioch and his wife Agrippina is convinced Tiberius ordered the killing. Livia has discovered that Caligula helped to poison his father. While Tiberius's perversions have become notorious, his right-hand man Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard, gathers more power for himself, including a marriage alliance with Claudius.


TUE 22:55 The High Art of the Low Countries (b01rxpy1)
Daydreams and Nightmares

Following a brief period of decline, the entrepreneurial and industrious region of the Low Countries rose again to become a cultural leader in the modern age. Despite its small and almost insignificant size it produced important forward-thinking artists like van Gogh, Mondrian, Magritte and Delvaux, who changed the face of art forever.

Andrew's journey takes him to a remote beach in north west Holland that inspired Mondrian's transition to his now-renowned abstract grid paintings. Andrew digs deep into the psychology and social history of the region, exploring how the landscape of the past has informed the culture and identity of the Low Countries today and the impossibility of the Dutch drive to turn the philosophy of Mondrian's geometric order into a way of living.


TUE 23:55 Parks and Recreation (b01ryv5d)
Series 2

Greg Pikitis

Leslie asks Dave and Andy to help her catch a teenage vandal. Ann makes plans to throw a Halloween party.


TUE 00:15 Parks and Recreation (b01ryv5j)
Series 2

Ron and Tammy

Ron's ex-wife Tammy still has a powerful hold over him. Leslie is forced to fight off a rival bid for her lot by the library department.


TUE 00:35 Arne Dahl (b01s40kg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Saturday]


TUE 02:05 Great British Railway Journeys (b00qbnd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 02:35 Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories (b01m1l9w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 24 APRIL 2013

WED 19:00 World News Today (b01s2cqx)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


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

Torquay to Totnes

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

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


WED 20:00 Len Goodman's Dancing Feet: The British Ballroom Story (b01pjqpm)
Len Goodman, the head judge of Strictly Come Dancing, takes to the dance floor to discover the golden age of ballroom and recalls the time when Britain went ballroom barmy.

In the early 20th century millions enjoyed dancing. Graceful movement was everything as we grappled with the waltz, the tango and each other. Len also reveals a surprising world of scandal and outrage - a time when ballroom was considered radical and trendy. What was it about ballroom that people enjoyed so much and why did we eventually turn our backs on what Len considers the greatest dance form of all?

Len visits Blackpool, the spiritual home of ballroom, and demonstrates some popular steps with professional dancer Erin Boag. He discovers how the smart set danced the night away at the Cafe de Paris and returns to a favourite dance hall from his youth, the Rivoli in south London.

Len talks to dancers, singers and musicians who remember the golden age and discovers the people who introduced 'rules' to ballroom - the dance leaders and teachers who were concerned that ballroom was out of control and needed new regulations to govern steps, movement and music.


WED 21:00 The Century That Wrote Itself (b01s2qf3)
A World Re-Shaped by Writing

Author Adam Nicolson traces the roots of today's globalised Britain to a 17th-century golden age of writing and communication. He reveals a century on the move, a time when London tripled in size and more than 200,000 people emigrated in search of work or God. And it was writing that made this new mobility possible.

Through the very words that kept them afloat in this mobile world, we meet a puritan family split asunder across an ocean, a lowly sailor able to document strange new worlds for those at home and a slave-trader laying the foundations for a new world economy. All these characters remoulded the medieval world into the one we recognise today. Their writings both reveal this turbulent world to us and helped write the change itself.


WED 22:00 Parks and Recreation (b01s2qf5)
Series 2

The Camel

Leslie and the parks team compete to come up with a new design for the city hall mural.


WED 22:20 Parks and Recreation (b01s2qf7)
Series 2

Hunting Trip

Ron's annual hunting trip is ruined when someone from the department shoots him in the head.


WED 22:45 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (b0077hrr)
Series 1

Stranger on a Train

Five years have passed. Bob has travelled to London to buy a wedding present and Terry has returned from Cyprus after a spell in the army. By chance, they meet on the last train home and the events of the past few years flood out.


WED 23:15 Arena (b01s40mv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


WED 00:15 Arena (b01pjlhv)
Screen Goddesses

Documentary about the early female movie stars: Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe - immortal goddesses made by Hollywood to reign over the silver screen.

With the beginnings of Hollywood, the star system was born with an archetypal bad girl - the vampish Theda Bara - and the good girl - the blazingly sincere Lillian Gish. From the 1920s, vivacious Clara Bow and seductive siren Louise Brooks are most remembered, but none made the impact of Marlene Dietrich, an icon of mystery, or Greta Garbo, with her perfect features and gloomy introspection.

From the power of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis to the seductiveness of Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner, Hollywood studios produced their own brand of beautiful, sassy and confident women. But it wasn't to last. The era drew to a close with the supreme fame of Elizabeth Taylor and the tragic death of Marilyn Monroe.

Narrated by Elizabeth McGovern.


WED 01:15 Len Goodman's Dancing Feet: The British Ballroom Story (b01pjqpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:15 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (b0077hrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:45 today]


WED 02:45 The Century That Wrote Itself (b01s2qf3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 25 APRIL 2013

THU 19:00 World News Today (b01s2cr2)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b01s40zz)
Peter Powell introduces the weekly pop charts featuring performances from Bryan Ferry, Graham Parker and the Rumour, Squeeze, Andrew Gold, Dan Hill, Brian & Michael and Legs & Co.


THU 20:00 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (b0077hxx)
Series 1

Home Is the Hero

Thelma isn't happy that Terry and Bob have rekindled their friendship and she's worried that Terry will cause Bob to have second thoughts about their wedding. Terry starts to feel homesick for the army as his family don't exactly welcome him back with open arms.


THU 20:30 Brushing up on... (b01s0zpm)
Series 1

British Bridges

Danny Baker endeavours to present the definitive guide to Britain's bridges in 30 minutes, armed only with a few VHS tapes and some ham-fisted research. Buckle up!


THU 21:00 The Man who Discovered Egypt (b01f13f4)
Documentary about English Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, the pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology. Ancient Egypt was vandalised by tomb raiders and treasure hunters until this Victorian adventurer took them on. Most people have never heard of him, but this maverick undertook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt's prehistoric roots - and in the process invented modern field archaeology, giving meaning to a whole civilisation.


THU 22:00 North Korea: A State of Mind (b0074q9w)
Documentary following two young North Korean gymnasts and their families for over eight months in the preparations for the Mass Games, a choreographed socialist realism spectacular involving a cast of thousands in the biggest and most elaborate human performance on earth.

The film provides a rare glimpse into one of the world's least known societies. North Korea is sealed off from outside influences. It borders China and Russia to the north, and to the south there is a 4km wide impenetrable border with South Korea. The country follows its own communist ideals, a strict philosophy known as the Juche Idea wrapped around the worship of the Kim dynasty - Kim Il Sung, their Eternal President who died in 1994 but remains Head of State, and his son and successor, Kim Jong Il, known as the General.

The crew began filming in February 2003 and had unique access to the families' day-to-day life, and have created a remarkable insight into a part of North Korean society never before seen by Western eyes.


THU 23:30 Ocean Giants (b013wpxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


THU 00:30 Top of the Pops (b01s40zz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 01:20 Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? (b0077hxx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 01:50 Brushing up on... (b01s0zpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


THU 02:20 Britain on Film (b01qsqcy)
Series 1

End of Empire

This episode focuses on films examining the changing shape of the British Empire. At a time when many of its former colonies were achieving independence, Look at Life sent its film crews as far afield as Aden, Malaysia and Ascension Island to record the efforts made by Britain to manage the transition from imperial rule to the leadership of an emerging Commonwealth.


THU 02:50 The Man who Discovered Egypt (b01f13f4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 26 APRIL 2013

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b01s2cr9)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Placido Domingo's Gala Concert from the Royal Opera House (b01pdt87)
From the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Katie Derham introduces a gala concert in celebration of Plácido Domingo, one of the greatest figures in the world of music. On stage with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Antonio Pappano are some of the finest singers of today performing selected gems of the operatic repertory. Opera stars Nina Stemme, Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja, Rolando Villazón perform alongside voices new to Covent Garden - Stefan Pop, Julia Novikova and Sonya Yoncheva.


FRI 21:00 The Joy of Easy Listening (b011g614)
In-depth documentary investigation into the story of a popular music genre that is often said to be made to be heard but not listened to. The film looks at easy listening's architects and practitioners, its dangers and delights, and the mark it has left on modern life.

From its emergence in the 50s to its heyday in the 60s, through its survival in the 70s and 80s and its revival in the 90s and beyond, the film traces the hidden history of a music that has reflected society every bit as much as pop and rock - just in a more relaxed way.

Invented at the dawn of rock 'n' roll, easy listening has shadowed pop music and the emerging teenage market since the mid-50s. It is a genre that equally soundtracks our modern age, but perhaps for a rather more 'mature' generation and therefore with its own distinct purpose and aesthetic.

Contributors include Richard Carpenter, Herb Alpert, Richard Clayderman, Engelbert Humperdinck, Jimmy Webb, Mike Flowers, James Last and others.


FRI 22:30 Easy Listening Hits at the BBC (b011g943)
Compilation of easy listening tracks that offers the perfect soundtrack for your cocktail party. There's music to please every lounge lizard, with unique performances from the greatest easy listening artists of the 60s and 70s, including Burt Bacharach, Andy Williams, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, The Carpenters and many more.


FRI 23:30 Kings of 70s Romance (b007cjtw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:30 on Sunday]


FRI 00:30 The Joy of Easy Listening (b011g614)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:00 Easy Listening Hits at the BBC (b011g943)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


FRI 03:00 Kings of 70s Romance (b007cjtw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:30 on Sunday]




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

Anyone for Demis? How the World Invaded the Charts 00:30 SUN (b013g87k)

Arena 21:00 SUN (b01s40mv)

Arena 02:30 SUN (b01s40mv)

Arena 23:15 WED (b01s40mv)

Arena 00:15 WED (b01pjlhv)

Arne Dahl 21:00 SAT (b01s40kg)

Arne Dahl 00:35 TUE (b01s40kg)

Britain on Film 02:20 THU (b01qsqcy)

Brushing up on... 00:20 MON (b01s1c4y)

Brushing up on... 20:30 THU (b01s0zpm)

Brushing up on... 01:50 THU (b01s0zpm)

Catholics 00:50 MON (b01d27lc)

Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories 21:00 TUE (b01m1l9w)

Death Camp Treblinka: Survivor Stories 02:35 TUE (b01m1l9w)

Easy Listening Hits at the BBC 22:30 FRI (b011g943)

Easy Listening Hits at the BBC 02:00 FRI (b011g943)

Exotic Pop at the BBC 23:30 SUN (b013g87m)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b00qbnbw)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b00qbnd5)

Great British Railway Journeys 02:05 TUE (b00qbnd5)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 WED (b00qbng0)

I, Claudius 22:00 TUE (b0074ss5)

Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails 20:00 MON (b00drtpj)

Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails 01:50 MON (b00drtpj)

Kings of 70s Romance 01:30 SUN (b007cjtw)

Kings of 70s Romance 23:30 FRI (b007cjtw)

Kings of 70s Romance 03:00 FRI (b007cjtw)

Len Goodman's Dancing Feet: The British Ballroom Story 20:00 WED (b01pjqpm)

Len Goodman's Dancing Feet: The British Ballroom Story 01:15 WED (b01pjqpm)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 23:00 SUN (b01rxpcr)

Motor Racing at the BBC: That Petrol Emotion 03:30 SUN (b01rxpcr)

North Korea: A State of Mind 22:00 THU (b0074q9w)

North Korea: Crossing the Line 22:50 MON (b0074tl7)

Ocean Giants 20:00 TUE (b013wpxz)

Ocean Giants 23:30 THU (b013wpxz)

Parks and Recreation 23:55 TUE (b01ryv5d)

Parks and Recreation 00:15 TUE (b01ryv5j)

Parks and Recreation 22:00 WED (b01s2qf5)

Parks and Recreation 22:20 WED (b01s2qf7)

Placido Domingo's Gala Concert from the Royal Opera House 19:30 FRI (b01pdt87)

R.E.M. at the BBC 00:15 SAT (b019g9vf)

Revolutionary Road 21:00 MON (b019767t)

South Pacific 19:00 SAT (b00ks63z)

South Pacific 02:15 SAT (b00ks63z)

The Century That Wrote Itself 19:00 SUN (b01rxpdn)

The Century That Wrote Itself 21:00 WED (b01s2qf3)

The Century That Wrote Itself 02:45 WED (b01s2qf3)

The Golden Age of Steam Railways 20:00 SAT (b01p8w38)

The Golden Age of Steam Railways 01:15 SAT (b01p8w38)

The High Art of the Low Countries 22:55 TUE (b01rxpy1)

The Joy of Easy Listening 21:00 FRI (b011g614)

The Joy of Easy Listening 00:30 FRI (b011g614)

The Man who Discovered Egypt 21:00 THU (b01f13f4)

The Man who Discovered Egypt 02:50 THU (b01f13f4)

The Review Show 20:00 SUN (b01s317l)

The Secret Life of Rockpools 22:00 SUN (b01rtdr4)

Timeshift 02:50 MON (b00dwflh)

Top of the Pops 23:30 SAT (b01ryv79)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b01s40zz)

Top of the Pops 00:30 THU (b01s40zz)

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 22:45 WED (b0077hrr)

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 02:15 WED (b0077hrr)

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 20:00 THU (b0077hxx)

Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? 01:20 THU (b0077hxx)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b01s2cql)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b01s2cqr)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b01s2cqx)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b01s2cr2)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b01s2cr9)

Young Guns Go for It 22:30 SAT (b0077pc6)

Young Guns Go for It 23:00 SAT (b0077pj1)

Young Guns Go for It 03:15 SAT (b0077pc6)