The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
Michaela Strachan meets Wendi, the extraordinary two-year-old orphan who has taken on the leadership of the Nairobi nursery's herd of baby elephants.
Jonathan Scott's challenge is to try to win over 10-year-old Emily, the matriarch of the older orphans on their way back to a life in the wilds of Tsavo National Park.
An emergency rescue team flies to Samburu National Reserve to try to save a starving and motherless little baby that is being aggressively rejected by other elephants.
The first of three documentaries following the bosses of some Britain's oldest family businesses as they go on a journey into their remarkable pasts.
Richard Balson's family have been butchers for almost 500 years, since Henry VIII was on the throne. He goes back through centuries of butchery to the origin of the British high street. Along the way he discovers how the Balsons have stayed in the butchery business despite scandal and tragedy.
In a visual treat taking in Egypt's greatest historical sites, Alastair Sooke tells the story of ancient Egyptian art through 30 extraordinary masterpieces. Tracing the origins of Egypt's unique visual style, he treks across the Sahara and travels the Nile to find the rarely seen art of its earliest peoples. Exploring how this civilisation's art reflected its religion, he looks anew at the Great Pyramid, and the statuary and painting of the Old Kingdom. Sooke is amazed by the technical prowess of ancient artists whose skills confound contemporary craftsmen.
Historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass. At 78 feet in height, the famous Great East Window at York Minster is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country and the creative vision of a single artist, a mysterious master craftsman called John Thornton, one of the earliest named English artists.
The Great East Window has been called England's Sistine Chapel. Within its 311 stained-glass panels is the entire history of the world, from the first day to the Last Judgment, and yet it was made 100 years before Michelangelo's own masterpiece. The scale of Thornton's achievement is revealed as Dr Ramirez follows the work of a highly skilled conservation team at York Glaziers Trust. They dismantled the entire window as part of a five-year project to repair centuries of damage and restore it to its original glory.
It is a unique opportunity for Dr Ramirez to examine Thornton's greatest work at close quarters, to discover details that would normally be impossible to see and to reveal exactly how medieval artists made images of such delicacy and complexity using the simplest of tools.
The Great East Window of York Minster is far more than a work of artistic genius, it is a window into the medieval world and mind, telling us who we once were and who we still are, all preserved in the most fragile medium of all.
THURSDAY 16 JANUARY 2014
THU 19:00 World News Today (b03pr7mq)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b03q02r7)
Weekly pop chart programme presented by David 'Kid' Jensen. Featuring Bonnie Tyler, Sally Oldfield, Paul Evans, the Shadows, Steve Allen, Driver 67, the Village People, Rocky Sharpe & the Replays and dances by Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 Ever Decreasing Circles (b007bn31)
Series 1
The New Neighbour
Martin is a pillar of the community, an avid chairman of every club committee going, who sees himself very much as lord of his manor. But the equilibrium of his world is disrupted when a suave new next-door neighbour moves in.
THU 20:30 Ever Decreasing Circles (b007bn3d)
Series 1
Taking Over
Paul takes over the residents' association meeting and Martin is relieved of his chairmanship. A renewed social life beckons, but their new found freedom is short lived as Martin finds himself being used.
THU 21:00 Treasures of Ancient Egypt (p01mv1cv)
The Golden Age
On a journey through Ancient Egyptian art, Alastair Sooke picks treasures from its most opulent and glittering moment. Starting with troubling psychological portraits of tyrant king Senwosret III and ending with the golden mask of boy king Tutankhamun, Sooke also explores architectural wonders, exquisite tombs and a lost city - site of the greatest artistic revolution in Egypt's history where a new sinuous style was born under King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti. Along the way Egyptologists and artists reveal that the golden veneer conceals a touching humanity.
THU 22:00 Lost Land of the Volcano (b00mqjx2)
Episode 2
The second part of this exploration series combining stunning wildlife with high energy adventure.
A team of scientists and wildlife film-makers have made base camp on a remote extinct volcano at the heart of the tropical island of New Guinea. Their aim is to search the thick jungle for the weird and endangered animals that hide there. Now they are pushing deeper into the rainforest, and cameraman Gordon Buchanan enlists the help of a tribe to find and film the extraordinary birds of paradise as they perform their bizarre courtship displays.
George McGavin has to manhandle a giant crocodile, and Steve Backshall is living deep underground where he discovers a new cave system never seen by humans.
THU 23:00 Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited (b01sbvzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
THU 00:00 Top of the Pops (b03q02r7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 00:40 Ever Decreasing Circles (b007bn31)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THU 01:10 Ever Decreasing Circles (b007bn3d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
THU 01:40 Lost Land of the Volcano (b00mqjx2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
THU 02:40 Treasures of Ancient Egypt (p01mv1cv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2014
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b03pr7mw)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b03q050s)
Chamber Music
tenThing
Petroc Trelawny introduces highlights from a series of BBC Proms chamber music concerts at Cadogan Hall in London. Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth and her all-female ten-piece brass ensemble tenThing perform a virtuosic programme of tangos, habaneras and marches from Piazzolla, Bizet and Grieg, plus a selection from Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera.
FRI 20:00 Chamber Music at the BBC (b03q050v)
Paul Tortelier at the BBC
Petroc Trelawny presents music performances at the BBC by charismatic French cellist Paul Tortelier, whose regular TV appearances in the 60s and 70s made him a household name. This programme includes extracts from his popular series of televised masterclasses, an early performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto and some intimate family music-making with his wife and children, including his teenage son Yan Pascal.
FRI 21:00 Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock (b03q050x)
School's Out
This second part tells the story of the 1970s, when rock stars became multi-millionaires and the music they made was the soundtrack for middle America.
After the rage and protest of the previous decade, rock music of the early 70s was gentle and sweet - the songs of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Doobie Brothers. Although the USA was riven by political disasters - the end of the Vietnam War, Watergate and the gasoline crisis - rock music seldom commented on them, although Alice Cooper's Nixon satire Elected was a rare exception. But in the middle of the decade new voices started to emerge, such as Bruce Springsteen's songs of working class glory or Tom Petty's tight, 1960s-inspired sound.
The massive success of stadium shows exemplified how big American rock had become and, in 1976 and 1977, the genre soared with a string of multi-platinum albums by Fleetwood Mac, Boston, the Eagles and Meat Loaf. Unlike in the UK, American punk barely diverted the rock gods, but disco did make an impact. Rock became smoother and more saccharine and in the corporate offices of record labels the drive was for ever larger profits.
With interviews with many of the decade's leading rock musicians, the programme also features studio and concert footage including Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles.
Interviews include: Tom Petty, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Tom Scholz (Boston), Todd Rundgren, Don Felder (the Eagles), Tom Johnston (the Doobie Brothers), Chuck D (Public Enemy), Peter Frampton, Bill Payne (Little Feat), Pamela des Barres, FM DJ Jim Ladd, film director Penelope Spheeris, manager Peter Mensch, journalists Sylvie Simmons and Rolling Stone magazine's David Fricke.
FRI 22:00 Alice Cooper: Brutally Live (b03q9tvk)
The king of shock rock's inimitable stage show Brutally Live, filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo, London in July 2000, in support of his album Brutal Planet. Alice Cooper combines his distinct brand of rock and theatre with the use of elaborate props to unsettle and shock his audience. His famous costumes, a guillotine, a werewolf baby, pools of fake blood and the thick black eye make-up dripping down his face work together to create his trademark demonic style.
FRI 23:30 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00pjl55)
Part V
Series featuring legendary guitarists treading the boards and trading licks at the BBC studios. Expect riffs, solos and histrionics from the likes of Johnny Thunders of The New York Dolls, Brian May from Queen, Duane Eddy, BB King and Joan Jett, filmed in the 1970s for shows including Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test.
Complete line-up:
Alice Cooper - School's Out
New York Dolls - Jet Boy
Peter Green - Heavy Heart
Queen - Killer Queen
Robin Trower - Alethea
Duane Eddy and the Rebelettes - Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar
John Martyn - Discover the Lover
Budgie - Who Do You Want For Your Love
Peter Frampton - Show Me the Way
BB King - When It All Comes Down
Whitesnake - Trouble
Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me
Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
The Skids - Into the Valley
Joan Jett - I Love Rock 'n' Roll.
FRI 00:30 Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock (b03q050x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 01:30 Alice Cooper: Brutally Live (b03q9tvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
FRI 03:00 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00pjl55)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:30 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley
20:00 SAT (p01fv0kh)
A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley
03:00 SAT (p01fv0kh)
Alice Cooper: Brutally Live
22:00 FRI (b03q9tvk)
Alice Cooper: Brutally Live
01:30 FRI (b03q9tvk)
BBC Proms
19:30 FRI (b03q050s)
Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock
00:40 SUN (b03p7p6s)
Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock
21:00 FRI (b03q050x)
Born to be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock
00:30 FRI (b03q050x)
Britain's Most Fragile Treasure
01:00 WED (b0161dgq)
Chamber Music at the BBC
20:00 FRI (b03q050v)
Climbing Everest with a Mountain on My Back: The Sherpa's Story
22:00 TUE (b01qchgv)
Climbing Everest with a Mountain on My Back: The Sherpa's Story
02:00 TUE (b01qchgv)
Elephant Diaries
19:30 WED (b00794vb)
Ever Decreasing Circles
20:00 THU (b007bn31)
Ever Decreasing Circles
20:30 THU (b007bn3d)
Ever Decreasing Circles
00:40 THU (b007bn31)
Ever Decreasing Circles
01:10 THU (b007bn3d)
God's Cadets: Joining the Salvation Army
23:15 MON (b03p7gvh)
Guitar Heroes at the BBC
23:30 FRI (b00pjl55)
Guitar Heroes at the BBC
03:00 FRI (b00pjl55)
Hidden Histories: Britain's Oldest Family Businesses
21:00 WED (b03q0177)
Hidden Histories: Britain's Oldest Family Businesses
03:00 WED (b03q0177)
Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told
21:00 MON (b03pzv9m)
Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told
02:45 MON (b03pzv9m)
Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told
23:00 WED (b03pzv9m)
Len Goodman's Dance Band Days
21:00 SUN (b03n2sck)
Len Goodman's Dance Band Days
02:40 SUN (b03n2sck)
Lost Land of the Volcano
22:00 THU (b00mqjx2)
Lost Land of the Volcano
01:40 THU (b00mqjx2)
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells
00:00 SAT (b00g8h9q)
NASA: Triumph and Tragedy
19:00 SAT (b00lk0jq)
NASA: Triumph and Tragedy
02:00 SAT (b00lk0jq)
Natural World
20:00 MON (b01d8nbk)
Natural World
00:45 MON (b01d8nbk)
Natural World
00:00 TUE (b00tj7j4)
Natural World
00:00 WED (b01d8nbk)
One Wild Winter: Surviving Avalanches
21:00 TUE (b03l5lvh)
One Wild Winter: Surviving Avalanches
02:55 TUE (b03l5lvh)
Orangutan Diary
19:30 MON (b007clwt)
Orangutan Diary
19:30 TUE (b007clxj)
Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited
20:00 TUE (b01sbvzt)
Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited
01:00 TUE (b01sbvzt)
Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited
23:00 THU (b01sbvzt)
Storyville
22:00 MON (b03pzv9p)
Synth Britannia at the BBC
00:25 SAT (b00n93c6)
The Bridge
21:00 SAT (b03cd8cz)
The Bridge
22:00 SAT (b03dxccc)
The Doors - The Story of LA Woman
01:40 SUN (b01f7y7c)
The Eiger: Wall of Death
22:55 TUE (b00tlwj3)
The Golden Age of Steam Railways
19:00 SUN (b01p8w38)
The Golden Age of Steam Railways
20:00 SUN (b01pdsy6)
Timeshift
22:00 SUN (b03pzsd9)
Timeshift
01:45 MON (b03p7jh9)
Timeshift
20:00 WED (b03pzsd9)
Timeshift
02:00 WED (b03pzsd9)
Top of the Pops
01:25 SAT (b03pcjh8)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b03q02r7)
Top of the Pops
00:00 THU (b03q02r7)
Treasures of Ancient Egypt
22:00 WED (p01mv16n)
Treasures of Ancient Egypt
21:00 THU (p01mv1cv)
Treasures of Ancient Egypt
02:40 THU (p01mv1cv)
Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story
23:00 SAT (b03cw8g0)
White Elephant
23:00 SUN (b03p8qyg)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b03pr7m0)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b03pr7mb)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b03pr7mh)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b03pr7mq)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b03pr7mw)