The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
Armed with his copy of Bradshaw's Victorian railway guidebook, Michael Portillo concludes his series of journeys along the tracks that helped fuel the Industrial Revolution by travelling to the Victorian seaside resort of Aberystwyth.
He experiences Victorian entertainment, hears how the railways took Welsh textiles into even the most exclusive households and unleashes the power of a 19th-century engineering triumph.
King Edward VII has always been an enigma. Twentieth-century dynasty builder and sex addict, boorish philistine and civilised cosmopolitan - he was all of these. Using extensive new research, this documentary unravels the mystery of a thoroughly modern monarch and shows that his legacy is still relevant today.
Writer, broadcaster and Newsnight arts correspondent Stephen Smith explores Renaissance Florence under the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo Medici. Cosimo's fledgling court prized the finer things in life and some of the greatest painters, sculptors and craftsmen in world history came to serve the Grand Duke. But successful courtiers had to have brains as well as brawn. The canniest of them looked to theorists like Niccolo Machiavelli for underhand ways to get ahead, whilst enlightened polymaths turned their minds to the heavens, and to ice cream.
Documentary exploring one of Japan's biggest train crashes in modern history, caused when a driver tried to catch up with a delay of just 80 seconds. It's a cautionary tale of what happens when punctuality, protocol and efficiency are taken to the extreme. On Monday April 25th 2005, a West Japan Railway commuter train crashed into an apartment building and killed 107 people. Just what pressures made the driver risk so much for such a minimal delay?
Piecing together personal accounts of those affected by the train crash, with insights from experts and former train drivers, the film poses a question for a society that equates speed with progress. It offers a fascinating insight into the railway's role in Japan's post-war economic boom and the dangers of corner-cutting in the prolonged economic stagnation that followed. Through the lens of this catastrophic train crash, Brakeless considers the ultimate cost efficiency.
Jerry's contribution to Leslie's community art show causes a stir. Ben moves in with April and Andy and attempts to teach them how to be adults. Leslie is frustrated by Chris and his inter-office dating rules.
When the neighbouring city of Eagleton puts up a fence around one of their parks, Leslie must get her former best friend to take it down. Ron tries to stop Leslie from planning a birthday party for him.
THURSDAY 20 MARCH 2014
THU 19:00 World News Today (b03yc26d)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b03ymf5y)
Peter Powell presents another edition of the weekly pop chart show, including performances from the Jam, Lene Lovich, the Cars, Violinski, Herbie Hancock and Black Lace. With dance sequences by Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 Ever Decreasing Circles (b036d6mf)
Series 2
Boredom
Ann is tired of being a housewife and decides it's time for a change. But will Martin approve of her plans?
THU 20:30 Brushing up on... (b03yg3yl)
Series 2
British Woodlands
Danny Baker throws some archive footage into his knapsack and goes for a ramble through our green realms, encountering an X-rated mushroom along the way.
THU 21:00 Arena (b03yg3yn)
Whatever Happened to Spitting Image?
Reuniting the founding creative team, this documentary tells the vexed and frequently hilarious story of the genesis of the satirical puppet show Spitting Image, with exclusive contributions from caricaturists Peter Fluck and Roger Law and TV producer John Lloyd.
Spanning the early years of Margaret Thatcher's government to the end of John Major's, Spitting Image puppets became almost as famous as the politicians they lampooned. In 2000, the puppets were auctioned off at Sotheby's and in the course of the programme the team sets out to discover where they now reside and who is taking care of them in their old age.
Revealing the extraordinary technical achievement of the series, Arena meets the caricaturists, puppet-mould makers, designers, puppeteers, impressionists, writers and directors who worked tirelessly to ensure the show landed its weekly jibes and punches at the politicians, royals and celebrities of the day.
Tracing its journey to our televisions screens through 12 years of huge audience figures and weekly controversy to its eventual demise, the film asks what Spitting Image got right, where it went wrong and whether its absence since 1996 has left a hole in the schedules that has yet to be filled by modern broadcasting.
THU 22:00 The Walshes (b03ybpdb)
Family Night
When Graham's landlord kicks him out, Ciara suggests that he move in with her, but his sudden insertion into the house upsets a delicate balance. Carmel becomes increasingly uneasy at the thought of the young couple sharing a bed, mere yards away. Tony develops an intellectual inferiority complex towards the book-smart new arrival. Rory finds love at his new job with an older woman. She can teach him a thing or two, but he's a very nervous student.
THU 22:30 Some People with Jokes (b03yfqjb)
Series 2
Some Football Managers with Jokes
Football managers old and new crack their favourite gags, as game gaffers step outside the technical area to raise laughs and cash for Sport Relief. Let's hope it's more than a game of two laughs.
THU 23:00 Timewatch (b00j3hz3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Sunday]
THU 00:00 Queens of Heartache (b007ch35)
Documentary about a group of female singers whose voices make you weep, who sang songs of heartbreak and betrayal, had lives that seemed to mirror their music and deaths that came too soon and made myths of them all. Yet their voices triumph over tragedy and they became icons of the 20th century.
Edith Piaf, the Urchin Queen, stood small but strong and became the voice of her nation and of everyone who ever made mistakes. Billie Holiday, the Jazz Queen, her voice full of pain and yearning. Judy Garland, Showbiz Queen, raised in the film studio that fed her addiction to pills and to fame. Maria Callas, Drama Queen, whose voice brought out the heartache in opera and whose life echoed the roles she played. And Janis Joplin, Wild Queen, who offered up a 'piece of her heart' and died of drug abuse at just 27.
With contributions from Mickey Rooney, Charles Aznavour, Country Joe McDonald, KT Tunstall, Katie Melua and Corinne Bailey-Rae.
THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b03ymf5y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:40 Ever Decreasing Circles (b036d6mf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THU 02:10 The Walshes (b03ybpdb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
THU 02:40 Arena (b03yg3yn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 21 MARCH 2014
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b03yc26n)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b03dz8q1)
Series 6
Episode 5
Music co-directors, Shetland fiddle virtuoso Aly Bain, dobro ace Jerry Douglas and their all-star house band, host a gathering of the cream of Nashville, Irish and Scottish talent in a spectacular location overlooking the banks of Loch Lomond.
John Doyle leads off this fifth programme of the series with 'Liberty's Sweet Shore', an emigrant song that mirrors his own journey from Ireland to South Carolina. Allan MacDonald closes proceedings with one of his inimitable pipe sets.
FRI 20:00 In Their Own Words: 20th Century Composers (b03yg8tv)
But Is It Music? (1945-1989)
We discover how the crisis of writing music in a post-war world was met in very different ways by the likes of Britten, Bernstein, Cage, Boulez, Stockhausen, Maxwell Davies, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Tavener, Reich, Adams and Glass. Tavener plays badminton whilst drunk, Cage defends his 4'33" of 'silence' and Delia Derbyshire, co-creator of the Doctor Who theme tune, reveals how British techno music has its roots in the bowels of the BBC.
FRI 21:00 Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story (b03cw8g0)
In 1973, an album was released that against all odds and expectations went to the top of the UK charts. The fact the album launched a record label that became one of the most recognisable brand names in the world (Virgin), formed the soundtrack to one of the biggest movies of the decade (The Exorcist), became the biggest selling instrumental album of all time, would eventually go on to sell over 16 million copies and was performed almost single-handedly by a 19-year-old makes the story all the more incredible. That album was Tubular Bells, and the young and painfully shy musician was Mike Oldfield.
This documentary features contributions from Sir Richard Branson, Danny Boyle, Mike's family and the original engineers of the Tubular Bells album among others. The spine of the film is an extended interview with Mike himself, where he takes us through the events that led to him writing Tubular Bells - growing up with a mother with severe mental health problems; the refuge he sought in music as a child, with talent that led to him playing in folk clubs aged 12 and signing with his sister's folk group at only 15; his frightening experience of taking LSD at 16; and finally arriving at the Manor Recording Studios as a young session musician where he gave a demo tape to a recording engineer who passed it along to young entrepreneur Richard Branson.
After the album's huge success, Mike retreated to a Hereford hilltop, shunned public life and became a recluse until he took part in a controversial therapy which changed his life.
In 2012 Mike captured the public's imagination once again when he was asked to perform at the London Olympic Opening Ceremony, where Tubular Bells was the soundtrack to 20 minutes of the one-hour ceremony.
Filmed on location at his home recording studio in Nassau, Mike also plays the multiple instruments of Tubular Bells and shows how the groundbreaking piece of music was put together.
FRI 22:00 Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells (b00g8h9q)
A live studio performance from 1974 of Mike Oldfield's composition Tubular Bells, which had been acclaimed in the press as a unique achievement in popular music.
FRI 22:30 Synth Britannia at the BBC (b00n93c6)
A journey through the BBC's synthpop archives from Roxy Music and Tubeway Army to New Order and Sparks. Turn your Moogs up to 11 as we take a trip back into the 70s and 80s!
FRI 23:30 Brothers in Arms (b007cblj)
They say that blood is thicker than water and this documentary puts that to the test by examining the brothers who have formed and fronted rock bands. From the Everlys to the Gallaghers via the Kinks and Spandau Ballet, it tells the stories of the bands of brothers who went from their bedrooms to become household names - often with a price to pay.
With contributions from Martin Kemp, Matt Goss, Dave Davies, Phil Everly, David Knopfler and the Campbell brothers of UB40.
FRI 00:30 The Kinks at the BBC (b012ht1w)
The story of The Kinks, one of the UK's most important and influential bands, as told from the vaults of the BBC archive.
From their humble beginnings in north London, brothers Ray and Dave Davies, school friend Pete Quaife and local drummer Mick Avory exploded onto the music scene of early 1960s London.
From this series of unique archive performances, we learn that blues was their first love and Dave's signature guitar sound would go on to influence a generation of guitar players. As Ray's uniquely English songwriting style developed, the spectre of Ray and Dave's rocky fraternal relationship continually loomed in the background, through concerts for The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 1970s to appearances on Top of the Pops in the 1980s.
The inevitable band split came in 1996, and the BBC archive continues with Ray's reinvention as a solo artist with performances on the Electric Proms and up to the present day on Later... with Jools Holland. All the while the brothers continue to tease and goad the press - and one another - with talk of a Kinks reunion.
FRI 01:30 Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells (b00g8h9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
FRI 02:00 Brothers in Arms (b007cblj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:30 today]
FRI 03:00 The Kinks at the BBC (b012ht1w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:30 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
... Sings The Rolling Stones
00:30 SAT (b01p1zwv)
Arena
21:00 THU (b03yg3yn)
Arena
02:40 THU (b03yg3yn)
Britain on Film
23:50 SUN (b01p2pd4)
Brothers in Arms
23:30 FRI (b007cblj)
Brothers in Arms
02:00 FRI (b007cblj)
Brushing up on...
01:20 MON (b03xsrvs)
Brushing up on...
20:30 THU (b03yg3yl)
Classic Albums
23:30 MON (b01rlwpd)
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
22:00 SUN (b01n707f)
Edward VII: Prince of Pleasure
20:00 WED (b00rq3y2)
Ever Decreasing Circles
20:00 THU (b036d6mf)
Ever Decreasing Circles
01:40 THU (b036d6mf)
Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures
22:30 MON (b03xsfrq)
Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures
21:00 TUE (b03yfqj8)
Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures
02:50 TUE (b03yfqj8)
Great Barrier Reef
19:00 SAT (b019xxhh)
Great Barrier Reef
03:00 SAT (b019xxhh)
Great Barrier Reef
00:15 WED (b019xxhh)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 MON (b01pw9tj)
Great British Railway Journeys
20:00 MON (b01pwb55)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 TUE (b01pwbc7)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 WED (b01pwc0k)
Great British Railway Journeys
02:15 WED (b01pwc0k)
Hidden Histories: WW1's Forgotten Photographs
23:20 TUE (b03xsrvv)
How to Get Ahead
21:00 WED (b03yfwk1)
How to Get Ahead
02:45 WED (b03yfwk1)
In Their Own Words: 20th Century Composers
20:00 FRI (b03yg8tv)
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells
22:00 FRI (b00g8h9q)
Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells
01:30 FRI (b00g8h9q)
More Old Jews Telling Jokes
01:50 MON (b01p2pm8)
Motown at the BBC
22:30 SAT (b00hq4qr)
Oh Do Shut Up Dear! Mary Beard on the Public Voice of Women
20:00 SUN (b03ycql8)
Oh Do Shut Up Dear! Mary Beard on the Public Voice of Women
02:50 SUN (b03ycql8)
Only Connect
20:30 MON (b03yfpj9)
Only Connect
00:20 MON (b03yfpj9)
Parks and Recreation
23:00 WED (b03yfwk5)
Parks and Recreation
23:20 WED (b03yfwk7)
Queens of Heartache
00:00 THU (b007ch35)
Radio 2 Live
23:30 SAT (b03ycqgg)
Salamander
21:00 SAT (b01r11jw)
Salamander
21:40 SAT (b01r87lf)
Secrets of Bones
20:30 TUE (b03yfqj6)
Secrets of Bones
01:50 TUE (b03yfqj6)
Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History
20:00 SAT (b03knrvm)
Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History
02:00 SAT (b03knrvm)
Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History
01:15 WED (b03knrvm)
Some People with Jokes
22:30 THU (b03yfqjb)
Storyville
22:00 WED (b03yfwk3)
Synth Britannia at the BBC
22:30 FRI (b00n93c6)
TB: Return of the Plague
21:00 MON (b03qljf1)
TB: Return of the Plague
02:20 MON (b03qljf1)
The Byrd Who Flew Alone: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Gene Clark
00:20 SUN (b03tdd6k)
The First World War
22:00 TUE (b01rp9vv)
The Golden Age of Steam Railways
19:00 SUN (b01pdsy6)
The Golden Age of Steam Railways
00:20 TUE (b01pdsy6)
The Kinks at the BBC
00:30 FRI (b012ht1w)
The Kinks at the BBC
03:00 FRI (b012ht1w)
The Old Grey Whistle Test
01:50 SUN (b0074t8q)
The Sky at Night
01:30 SAT (b03y31f0)
The Walshes
00:50 MON (b03xpdwd)
The Walshes
23:40 WED (b03xpdwd)
The Walshes
22:00 THU (b03ybpdb)
The Walshes
02:10 THU (b03ybpdb)
Timewatch
21:00 SUN (b00j3hz3)
Timewatch
23:00 THU (b00j3hz3)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b03ymf5y)
Top of the Pops
01:00 THU (b03ymf5y)
Transatlantic Sessions
19:30 FRI (b03dz8q1)
Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story
21:00 FRI (b03cw8g0)
Weird Nature
20:00 TUE (b0078hh5)
Weird Nature
01:20 TUE (b0078hh5)
What Do Artists Do All Day?
22:50 TUE (b03v2vcb)
What Do Artists Do All Day?
02:20 TUE (b03v2vcb)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b03yc25v)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b03yc260)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b03yc267)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b03yc26d)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b03yc26n)