The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
Steve Backshall takes us to a place few have ever visited - the deep sea. 99 per cent of the space on Earth inhabited by life is under the ocean and almost 90 per cent of this is deeper than a kilometre, a place of perpetual darkness and crushing pressure. Far from being lifeless, the vast inner space of our planet contains an extraordinary array of beautiful and bizarre creatures, from 40m-long jellyfish to grotesque angler fish and vampire squid. Our journey from the sunlit surface waters to the deepest reaches of the abyss reveals how life persists in such a hostile world.
Lucy Worsley explores the lives of some of the most remarkable women of the age, including writers, actresses, travellers and scientists.
Against a backdrop of religious and political turmoil, the rise of print culture, the rapid growth of London, the burgeoning scientific revolution and the country's flourishing trading empire, she meets a host of female mavericks who took advantage of the extraordinary changes afoot to challenge the traditional male bastions of society.
Women like Nell Gwyn, the most famous of a new generation of actresses; Aphra Behn, the first professional female writer; and Christian Davies, who disguised herself as a man to fight as a soldier - all of them gained notoriety and celebrity, challenging the inequalities of the age. As Lucy discovers, these women's attitudes, ambitions and achievements were surprisingly modern.
Documentary exploring how knitting rose from basic craft to the height of popular fashion in the 20th century. It's a craft that has given us scratchy jumpers, sexy bathing costumes and the infamous poodle loo cover, has sustained Britain through the hardships of war and shown a mother's love to generations of little ones. Today, knitwear has become a staple of every wardrobe thanks to a prince's golfing taste, The Beatles and 80s breakfast television. Warm-hearted and surprising, this is the story of the people's craft, and a very British one at that.
A tribute to Seamus Heaney using BBC Northern Ireland's rich and unique television archive. The programme explores how television has portrayed the late Co Derry poet and how he has used television as both writer and presenter.
A tribute to Seamus Heaney, Nobel Prize winner and one of the world's greatest poets. He talks to Kirsty Wark about his lifelong passion for poetry, living through the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and his fascination with the ancient past - settings that inspired his Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, his poems on the Dark Age 'bog people' and his translation of Sophocles' classical Greek drama Antigone, which received its premiere at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 2004.
A tribute to Seamus Heaney, exploring his home ground, the boundaries and divisions and 'the possibility of true understanding'.
THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2013
THU 19:00 World News Today (b03b6gtt)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b03b93q5)
David 'Kid' Jensen presents the weekly pop chart show featuring Mick Jackson, Dean Friedman, Boney M, Marshall Hain, Sham 69, the Boomtown Rats and a Legs & Co dance sequence.
THU 20:00 Norman Wisdom: His Story (b00vhmqq)
From street urchin to knight of the realm - the story of Norman Wisdom, who used to be one of the biggest film stars in the UK, portraying a man who rarely stepped out of character in public, and whose highly individual comic style hid the private tragedy of his early life.
The actor's life story is told through the people who knew him well - his son and daughter Nick and Jacqui Wisdom, his daughter-in-law Kim, film director Stephen Frears, actors Ricky Tomlinson, Leslie Phillips and Honor Blackman, and singer Dame Vera Lynn.
THU 21:00 Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies (b03b965y)
Pop Goes the Soundtrack
Composer Neil Brand explores how, in the second half of the 20th century, composers and film-makers embraced jazz, pop and rock to bring fresh energy and relevance to film scores.
He shows how in the 1960s, films as diverse as the James Bond movies, spaghetti westerns and Disney's musicals drew on the talents of pop arrangers and composers like John Barry, Ennio Morricone and the Sherman Brothers to create unforgettable soundtracks. But the role of the film composer would subsequently be challenged by directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, who showed that a soundtrack consisting of carefully chosen pop songs could be as effective as a specially written one.
Neil's journey sees him meet leading film-makers and composers including Martin Scorsese and composers Richard Sherman (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book), Lalo Schifrin (Bullitt) and David Arnold (Casino Royale).
THU 22:00 Mean Streets (b00rwk9h)
A graphic portrayal of life in the underworld of the Little Italy district in New York City. The episodic narrative deals with the experiences and relationships of a petty hoodlum, his epileptic lover, and her unstable cousin who is on the run from a loan shark. Widely acknowledged as one of director Martin Scorsese's best films and a landmark of 1970s cinema.
THU 23:50 The Other Pompeii: Life and Death in Herculaneum (b01rrld8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 00:50 Top of the Pops (b03b93q5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:30 Britain on Film (b03b8s51)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 on Tuesday]
THU 02:00 Norman Wisdom: His Story (b00vhmqq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THU 03:00 Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies (b03b965y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2013
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b03b6gtz)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b03bb112)
2013
Last Night from Around the UK
Josie D'Arby and Zeb Soanes present highlights from the Last Night of the Proms celebrations around the UK, giving a flavour of the individual nations' unique concert events.
Former Spice Girl Melanie C, Alfie Boe and violinist Jennifer Pike mark the return of the Scottish event to Glasgow Green. In Wales, set against the backdrop of Caerphilly Castle, featured performers include trumpeter Alison Balsom and West End stars John Owen Jones and Sophie Evans.
Soprano Katherine Jenkins, violinist Chloe Hanslip and Lithuanian accordion player Martynas entertain the crowds gathered on the spectacular quayside at the Titanic Visitor Centre in Belfast, and in London's Hyde Park, Bryan Ferry, tenor Joseph Calleja and Nigel Kennedy provide added sparkle to the festivities, drawing this summer's Proms season to a close.
FRI 21:00 The Joy of Country (b018jmrs)
This celebration of the history and aesthetic of country music tracks the evolution of the genre from the 1920s to the present, exploring country as both folk and pop music - a 20th century soundtrack to the lives of working-class Americans in the South, forever torn between their rural roots and a mostly urban future, between authenticity and showbiz.
Exploring many of the great stars of country from Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams to Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, director Andy Humphries's meditation on the power and pull of country blends brilliant archive and contributions from a broad cast that includes Dolly Parton, the Handsome Family, Laura Cantrell, Hank Williams III, kd lang and many more.
If you have ever wondered about the sound of a train in the distance, the keening of a pedal steel guitar, the lure of rhinestone or the blue Kentucky hills, and if you want to know why twang matters, this is the documentary for you.
FRI 22:05 Glen Campbell: The Rhinestone Cowboy (b01pwxs8)
In 2011, Glen Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and that he would be bowing out with a final album and farewell tour across Britain and America. This documentary tells Campbell's remarkable life story, from impoverished childhood in Arkansas to huge success, first as a guitarist and then as a singer, with great records like Wichita Lineman and Rhinestone Cowboy. With comments from friends and colleagues, including songwriter Jimmy Webb and Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees, it is a moving story of success, disgrace and redemption as rich as any of the storylines in Campbell's most famous songs.
The peak of Glen Campbell's career was in 1975, when he topped the charts around the world with Rhinestone Cowboy, but his musical journey to that point is fascinating. A self-taught teenage prodigy on the guitar, by his mid-twenties Campbell was one of the top session guitarists in LA, a key member of the band of session players now known as The Wrecking Crew. He played on hundreds of tracks while working for producers like Phil Spector and Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, including Daydream Believer by The Monkees, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by The Righteous Brothers, Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra and Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley.
But Campbell always wanted to make it under his own name. A string of records failed to chart until, in 1967, he finally found his distinctive country pop sound with hits like Gentle on My Mind and By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The latter was written by Jimmy Webb, and together the two created a string of great records like Wichita Lineman and Galveston. Campbell pioneered country crossover and opened the way for artists like Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
By the end of the 1960s, Campbell was the fastest rising star in American pop with his own television show and a starring role in the original version of True Grit. Over the following ten years, he had more success with Rhinestone Cowboy and Southern Nights, but his private life was in turmoil. Divorce, drink and drugs saw this clean-cut all-American hero fall from grace and a tempestuous relationship with country star Tanya Tucker was front-page news.
Despite a relapse in 2003, when he was arrested for drunk driving and his police mug shot was shown around the world, the last two decades have been more settled. He remarried, started a new family and renewed his Christian faith, and was musically rediscovered by a new generation. Like his friend Johnny Cash, he released acclaimed new albums with young musicians, covering songs by contemporary artists like U2 and The Foo Fighters. Therefore the diagnosis with Alzheimer's was all the more poignant, but his dignified farewell has made him the public face of the disease in the USA.
The film includes contributions by many of Campbell's friends and colleagues, including his family in Arkansas, fellow session musicians Carol Kaye and Leon Russell, long-time friend and collaborator Jimmy Webb, former Monkee Mickey Dolenz, broadcaster Bob Harris, lyricist Don Black and country music writer Robert Oermann.
FRI 23:05 An Evening with Glen Campbell (b01pyfht)
A special concert recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in 1977, where 80 musicians played new arrangements of Glen Campbell's hit songs.
FRI 00:25 Country at the BBC (b017zqwb)
Grab your partner by the hand - the BBC have raided their archive and brought to light glittering performances by country artists over the last four decades.
Star appearances include Tammy Wynette, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash and, of course, Dolly Parton. All the greats have performed for the BBC at some point - on entertainment shows, in concert and at the BBC studios. Some of the rhinestones revealed are Charley Pride's Crystal Chandeliers from the Lulu Show, Emmylou Harris singing Together Again on the Old Grey Whistle Test and Billie Jo Spears's Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad from the Val Doonican Music Show.
We're brought up to date with modern country hits by kd lang, Garth Brooks, Alison Krauss and Taylor Swift, plus a special unbroadcasted performance from Later...with Jools Holland by Willie Nelson.
FRI 01:55 The Joy of Country (b018jmrs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 03:00 Glen Campbell: The Rhinestone Cowboy (b01pwxs8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:05 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 SAT (b008vrwk)
10 Things You Didn't Know About...
01:45 SAT (b008vrwk)
10 Things You Didn't Know About...
22:00 MON (b008vrwk)
A Pembrokeshire Farm
20:00 TUE (b007hzfj)
A Pembrokeshire Farm
01:30 TUE (b007hzfj)
An Evening with Glen Campbell
23:05 FRI (b01pyfht)
BBC Four Sessions
23:55 SAT (b01mtrwf)
BBC Proms
19:30 FRI (b03bb112)
Britain on Film
20:30 TUE (b03b8s51)
Britain on Film
01:00 TUE (b03b8s51)
Britain on Film
01:30 THU (b03b8s51)
Country at the BBC
00:25 FRI (b017zqwb)
Fabric of Britain
21:00 WED (b03bgrvf)
Fabric of Britain
02:40 WED (b03bgrvf)
Glen Campbell: The Rhinestone Cowboy
22:05 FRI (b01pwxs8)
Glen Campbell: The Rhinestone Cowboy
03:00 FRI (b01pwxs8)
Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls
20:00 WED (b01jmt5t)
Harlots, Housewives and Heroines: A 17th Century History for Girls
01:40 WED (b01jmt5t)
King Kong
21:00 SUN (b0074mrz)
Kirsty Wark Talks To
22:40 WED (b0074q4h)
Lost Kingdoms of South America
21:00 MON (b01qbz9k)
Lost Kingdoms of South America
02:30 MON (b01qbz9k)
Lost Kingdoms of South America
23:40 WED (b01qbz9k)
Mean Streets
22:00 THU (b00rwk9h)
Michael Wood on Beowulf
23:00 TUE (b00kpv23)
Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture
19:00 SAT (b00k3685)
Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture
02:45 SAT (b00k3685)
Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture
19:00 SUN (b00k9bms)
Nature's Microworlds
19:30 MON (b01qhlfg)
Nature's Microworlds
02:00 MON (b01qhlfg)
Nature's Microworlds
19:30 TUE (b01qnp5c)
Nature's Microworlds
02:00 TUE (b01qnp5c)
Nature's Microworlds
19:30 WED (b01qsr4d)
Norman Wisdom: His Story
20:00 THU (b00vhmqq)
Norman Wisdom: His Story
02:00 THU (b00vhmqq)
Seamus Heaney: A Life in Pictures
22:00 WED (b00jw8tr)
Sex: A Horizon Guide
23:00 MON (b039vj9x)
Something to Write Home About: Seamus Heaney
23:10 WED (b007ctnx)
Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies
22:35 SUN (b03b45h4)
Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies
02:35 SUN (b03b45h4)
Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies
21:00 THU (b03b965y)
Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies
03:00 THU (b03b965y)
The Andy Williams Show
01:05 SUN (b00n5bt9)
The Andy Williams Show
02:05 SUN (b00n806r)
The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank
22:00 TUE (b01jv5nr)
The Joy of Country
21:00 FRI (b018jmrs)
The Joy of Country
01:55 FRI (b018jmrs)
The Joy of Easy Listening
23:35 SUN (b011g614)
The Other Pompeii: Life and Death in Herculaneum
21:00 TUE (b01rrld8)
The Other Pompeii: Life and Death in Herculaneum
02:30 TUE (b01rrld8)
The Other Pompeii: Life and Death in Herculaneum
23:50 THU (b01rrld8)
The Review Show
20:00 SUN (b03b8q6g)
The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer
20:00 MON (b01hlkcq)
The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer
01:00 MON (b01hlkcq)
The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer
00:40 WED (b01hlkcq)
The Viking Sagas
00:00 TUE (b0110gnv)
The Young Montalbano
21:00 SAT (b03b8pz3)
Top of the Pops
01:10 SAT (b03b45h2)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b03b93q5)
Top of the Pops
00:50 THU (b03b93q5)
Tribe
00:00 MON (b007zml8)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b03b6gtb)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b03b6gth)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b03b6gtn)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b03b6gtt)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b03b6gtz)
imagine...
22:50 SAT (b00t15v1)