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 26 APRIL 2014

SAT 19:00 Natural World (b01k784h)
2011-2012

The Unnatural History of London

Seals, parakeets and even pelicans that eat pigeons have all made London their home. That's as well as badgers, foxes, scorpions, and pigeons that ride the tube. But even more wonderful are the people who love the exotic wildlife of our capital, from Billingsgate fish porters and Indian chefs to 'Crayfish Bob', who scours London's canals for Turkish invaders. This is a warm-hearted portrait of the world's greenest capital city and the Londoners who love its secret wildlife.


SAT 20:00 Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities (b03kp6hg)
Episode 1

Simon Sebag Montefiore traces the sacred history of Istanbul. Known as the 'city of the world's desire', it's a place that has been the focus of passion for believers of three different faiths - Paganism, Christianity and Islam - and for nearly 3,000 years its streets have been the battleground for some of the fiercest political and religious conflicts in history.

Montefiore uncovers the city's ancient Greek roots, maps its transformation into the imperial capital of a Christian empire by Emperor Constantine the Great and reveals how ecclesiastical clashes forced eastern and western churches apart.


SAT 21:00 Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (b037k3nl)
Feature-length documentary recounting the making of Cleopatra, which starred Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. Twentieth Century Fox's 1963 epic film has been called the most expensive film of all time, the biggest-ever flop and the film that nearly bankrupted a Hollywood studio, while the scandal of the on-set romance between its two stars caused a media storm. Featuring rare footage, the film's original uncut trailer and interviews with those involved.


SAT 23:00 Top of the Pops (b03mpphw)
The Story of 1979

1979 was a unique year for Top of the Pops, which saw the show record its highest audience of 19 million viewers and in which physical format singles sales hit an all-time high of 79 million. 1979 is maybe the most diverse year ever for acts on Top of the Pops with disco at its peak, new wave, 2 Tone, reggae, rock, folk and electro records all making the top five.

Original interviews with Gary Numan, Nile Rodgers, Woody from Madness, Jah Wobble, Chas and Dave, Janet Kay, Linda Nolan, Jim Dooley, Secret Affair, the Ruts, Legs and Co and many others tell the story of an exceptional year.

In the year that the 'winter of discontent' saw continuing strikes black out ITV and TOTP reduced during a technicians strike to a narrator introducing videos, the show also found itself the site of conflict backstage. TOTP's old guard of 70s MOR acts had their feathers continually ruffled by new wave bands, as the Skids spat at the Nolan Sisters backstage and Generation X urinated off the roof onto the Dooleys.

Elsewhere in the corridors of TV Centre, in preparation for playing their single Death Disco, Public Image Ltd demanded their teeth were blacked out in make-up to appear ugly, while Gary Numan remembers the overbearing union presence which prevented TOTP artists moving their own microphones without a union technician and the Musicians Union trying to ban him from the show for his use of synthesizers.

The most popular musical styles of 1979 were 2 Tone, reggae and disco. The latter saw Nile Rodgers, the man of the year, score four hits with Chic as well as writing and producing a further four hits with Sister Sledge, Sheila B Devotion and Sugarhill Gang, who appeared with what would prove to be the first ever rap hit.

Jamaican and UK reggae artists scored continual hits through the year and then watched as the Police notched up three hits with white reggae and the label 2 Tone revived the 60s reggae style known as ska. In November, in what is remembered as the 2 Tone edition, all three of the label's new acts - Madness, Specials and Selecter - appeared on one historic night and took the show by storm, with Madness capping off their performance of One Step Beyond by leading a 'nutty train' conga through the studio.


SAT 00:00 Top of the Pops (b041m6ff)
David 'Kid' Jensen presents another edition of the weekly pop chart show, including performances from Generation X, Supertramp, Eruption, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Racey, Amii Stewart, Boney M and the Monks. With dance sequences by Legs & Co.


SAT 00:35 John Denver: Country Boy (b03j4cz2)
Documentary exploring the private life and public legacy of John Denver, America's original country boy. With exclusive accounts from those closest to him, the man behind the music is revealed in an intimate profile in his 70th birthday anniversary year.


SAT 01:35 Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities (b03kp6hg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:35 Natural World (b01k784h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 27 APRIL 2014

SUN 19:00 Don Giovanni from the Royal Opera House (b0425y3c)
Covent Garden present their highly-acclaimed production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, a depiction of the last day and night of the most iconic of seducers, in a thrilling new interpretation directed by the Royal Opera's Kasper Holten.

Womanizing his way through Europe with his hapless manservant Leporello in tow, Don Giovanni uses his imagination and charisma to charm and bed thousands of women in an effort to find inspiration for creative work and to keep at bay his dread of mortality.

After seducing Donna Anna, Don Giovanni is challenged to a duel by her furious father the Commendatore, whom he kills. This immoral act sets in motion a chain of events - some comic, some tragic - which lead to Don Giovanni's worst nightmare - absolute isolation and loneliness. This darkly humorous production both reveals the comedy that runs throughout Mozart's masterpiece and examines the more profound aspects of the opera and its characters.

Acclaimed designer Es Devlin, whose recent work includes the 2012 Olympic closing ceremony, has created a visually innovative universe for this new interpretation. Her sets evoke the complex and volatile puzzle that is Don Giovanni's psyche, and the accompanying video projections produce an intense and powerful display of illusion. Costumes both take us to an elegant 19th-century world and reflect the characters' increasingly troubled psyches. Italian conductor Nicola Luisotti returns to conduct this richly inventive score.

The magnificent cast includes baritone Mariusz Kwiecien in the role of Don Giovanni, with Italian bass-baritone Alex Esposito as his long-suffering and reluctantly admiring servant Leporello. Don Giovanni has been a firm favourite with audiences since its premiere in Prague in 1787, and this new production reflects both the humour and complexity of this great opera.


SUN 22:00 Sting: When the Last Ship Sails (b03n2gh6)
Sting performs songs from his album The Last Ship in an intimate live performance recorded at the Public Theatre, New York. Inspired by the shipbuilding community of Wallsend in the north east of England where Sting was born and raised, the songs form part of his Broadway play. For his first new work in a decade he and his band, many of whom hail from the north east, are joined by actor and singer Jimmy Nail.


SUN 23:20 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.


SUN 00:50 The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney (p01t6p94)
Episode 2

Martha discovers a bee with deformed wing virus in one of the hives she has set up on a Suffolk wildflower meadow. With the help of a master beekeeper, she treats the hive for verroa mite. Britain's leading bee scientist explains the role of verroa in the decline of bees throughout the country.

As spring arrives, Martha witnesses the growth of the colony and watches as bee larvae hatch out. She investigates the science behind the decline of the honey bee and examines evidence that pesticides may be to blame. Back at her cottage, she tackles a colony of angry bees by replacing their queen with a more mild-mannered individual ordered online and delivered through the post, and she meets the Archbishop of Canterbury to talk about his family's love of beekeeping and why he told the bees about his girlfriends.


SUN 01:20 Neil Diamond: Solitary Man (b00vzzst)
A 60-minute documentary including an interview and exclusive location filming with Neil Diamond in New York and Los Angeles. Robbie Robertson, Jeff Barry, Mickey Dolenz and other contributors track Neil from his childhood in Brooklyn to his early days in the Brill Building, his nascent solo career and superstardom in the early 70s, the lean years of the 80s, his career reboot via Rick Rubin in the noughties and his Glastonbury success.


SUN 02:20 Electric Proms (b00vzzsw)
2010

Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond in concert from London's Roundhouse with his six-piece band performing tracks from his 2010 album Dreams, which explores the 60s and 70s songs he loves, and reinventing his classics. This is Neil Diamond stripped down with strings in his most intimate performance for years.


SUN 03:25 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01gymg9)
Reggae - Stir it Up

By the start of the 70s, the Windrush generation of immigrants who came to the UK from the Caribbean and West Indies were an established part of the British population and their influence and culture permeated UK society.

This second programme rejoices and revels in the reggae music exported from Jamaica and the home-grown reggae-influenced sounds that sprouted from the cities of England. Reggae's dominance of the UK charts is celebrated with performances from Ken Boothe, Dave and Ansel Collins, Steel Pulse, Althea and Donna, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Janet Kay, Susan Cadogan and The Specials.



MONDAY 28 APRIL 2014

MON 19:00 World News Today (b0425ztd)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b01qmc2x)
Series 4

Goes to Ireland - Killarney to Cobh

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland, travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands, to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast.

In this episode, Michael samples 19th-century foodie delicacies, explores a stunning landscape shot to fame by rails and royals, and risks life and limb for the gift of the gab.


MON 20:00 The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney (p01t6pgg)
Episode 3

Spring has well and truly sprung and the hives are going from strength to strength, but that brings with it a problem of its own - the swarm. As the colonies become overcrowded, the bees become likely to depart in a swarm with the queen, leaving just a few behind to rear a new queen. It's a natural process, but for the beekeeper it can be a disaster, leaving the hive all but empty with little prospect of a harvest of honey.

Martha discovers methods to control the swarms, including clipping the wings of the queen, but she also meets a natural beekeeper for whom wing clipping is horrifying. When one of her hives swarms, Martha's neighbours leap to the rescue and she harvests the first honey of the year.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b0425ztj)
Series 9

Welsh Learners v Software Engineers

Three Welsh language learners take on a trio of software engineers, competing to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random. So join Victoria Coren Mitchell if you want to know what connects: Bach, arias, mills and Ono.


MON 21:00 Hinterland (b03pn6hg)
Series 1 (full length)

Episode 1

On his very first day in his new job in Aberystwyth, DCI Tom Mathias is called out to investigate a suspicious disappearance. In a quiet seaside bungalow he discovers a bathroom covered in blood but no sign of the owner. His investigation into the disappearance of 64-year-old Helen Jenkins leads him to the cascading waters of an ancient ravine at Devil's Bridge, and uncovers the cruel history of a long-closed children's home.


MON 22:35 The Magic of Mushrooms (b041m6fh)
Professor Richard Fortey delves into the fascinating and normally hidden kingdom of fungi. From their spectacular birth, through their secretive underground life to their final explosive death, Richard reveals a remarkable world that few of us understand or even realise exists - yet all life on earth depends on it.

In a specially built mushroom lab, with the help of mycologist Dr Patrick Hickey and some state-of-the-art technology, Richard brings to life the secret world of mushrooms as never seen before and reveals the spectacular abilities of fungi to break down waste and sustain new plant life, keeping our planet alive.

Beyond the lab, Richard travels across Britain and beyond to show us the biggest, fastest and most deadly organisms on the planet - all of them fungi. He reveals their almost magical powers that have world-changing potential - opening up new frontiers in science, medicine and technology.


MON 23:35 Insect Dissection: How Insects Work (p00zst23)
Insects outnumber us by 200 million to one. They thrive in environments where humans wouldn't last minutes. We mostly perceive them as pests - yet without bugs, entire ecosystems would collapse, crops would disappear and waste would pile high.

The secret of their success? Their incredible alien anatomy.

To reveal this extraordinary hidden world, entomologists Dr James Logan and Brendan Dunphy carry out a complete insect dissection. Cutting-edge imaging technology shows us the beauty and precision of the natural engineering inside even the simplest insects.

Stripping back the layers, they uncover ingenious body systems and finely tuned senses - a bug body plan that is the hidden blueprint behind insects' 'global domination'. They also discover how science is now using the secrets of insect anatomy to inspire technology that could save human lives.


MON 00:35 Only Connect (b0425ztj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 01:05 The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney (p01t6pgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 01:35 Britain by Bike (b00tjr3z)
The Scottish Highlands

Clare Balding's two-wheeled odyssey to re-discover Britain by bicycle hits the Scottish Highlands, uncovering a series of vivid human stories connected to this stunning landscape.

Clare is following the wheeltracks of compulsive cyclist and author Harold Briercliffe, whose evocative guide books of the late 1940s painted a picture of by-passed Britain - a world of unspoiled villages, cycle touring clubs and sunny B-roads.

Carrying a set of Harold's Cycling Touring Guides for company and riding his very own bicycle, Clare goes in search of the world he described and charts how a series of incomers have changed our view of the Highlands - a diverse group which includes Dr Johnson, an English army of occupation, a North American spruce tree and author Gavin Maxwell, plus otter.

And for those wondering whatever happened to TV naturalist Terry Nutkins, the answer is revealed.


MON 02:05 Hinterland (b03pn6hg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 29 APRIL 2014

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b0422s77)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b01qmc8x)
Series 4

Goes to Ireland - Charleville to Waterford

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast.

In this episode, Michael learns the ancient art of making butter, attempts to learn the basics of Ireland's oldest game and rides the Duke of Devonshire's Victorian Irish railway.


TUE 20:00 At Home with the Georgians (b00wtwkf)
Safe as Houses

In this final part of the series about how the British obsession with our homes began 300 years ago, historian Amanda Vickery uses sources, from intimate diaries to Old Bailey records, to reveal how the 18th-century home was constantly under threat from theft, fire, divorce, poverty, illness, old age and death.

Georgian houses may seem like sanctuaries of calm elegance to us today, but at the time they were noisy chaotic places bursting with extended families, servants and lodgers and threatened by the lawlessness of Georgian streets. How did the Georgians make their houses havens of safety and security? How did the Englishman fight to make his home his castle?


TUE 21:00 British Gardens in Time (b042638j)
Nymans

Nymans, one of the most fashionable and romantic gardens of the Edwardian and interwar years, was the creation of a family of German emigres of Jewish descent. The Messels arrived in Britain in 1870 at a time when both anti-semitism and anti-German sentiment were rife. Nevertheless, Ludwig Messel succeeded in establishing a successful stockbroking firm and creating at Nymans the quintessential English garden with rare plants and a theatrical herbaceous border inspired by William Robinson.

His children and grandchildren would continue to develop the garden and the family's spectacular social trajectory reached its apogee with Ludwig's great-grandson Antony Armstrong-Jones's marriage to Princess Margaret. However, Nymans was to repeatedly face disaster as a fire devastated the house leaving just a romantic ruin to dominate the garden, while the garden itself came close to total destruction in the Great Storm of 1987.


TUE 22:00 Britain's Park Story (b00t9qv8)
The British invented them for the world, and they have been described as 'the lungs of the city - historian Dan Cruickshank reveals the history of our public parks.

Cruickshank travels the country to discover the evolution of the nation's urban public parks, a story of class, civic pride, changing fashions in sport and recreation which helps re-evaluate the amazing assets they are.

From their civic heyday in the 19th century to the neglect of the 1980s and their resurgence today, the documentary is a fascinating and entertaining history of an often-overlooked great British invention.


TUE 23:00 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.


TUE 00:00 Natural World (b01k784h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


TUE 01:00 At Home with the Georgians (b00wtwkf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 02:00 Britain's Park Story (b00t9qv8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 03:00 British Gardens in Time (b042638j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 30 APRIL 2014

WED 19:00 World News Today (b0422s7g)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b01qmd0m)
Series 4

Goes to Ireland - Kilkenny to Athy

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast.

In this episode, Michael tries his hand at cutting marble Victorian style, uncovers 19th-century Ireland's surprising industrial heritage and learns how the railways helped bring motorsport to the masses.


WED 20:00 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k9bms)
Beef

A look at how two of our finest native breeds of cattle, Hereford and Aberdeen Angus, reigned supreme before the Second World War and helped earn Britain a reputation as the 'stockyard of the world'. The programme also shows how, since then, both breeds have been transformed to a much larger size - from standing only to the stockman's waist to reaching his shoulder.


WED 21:00 Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (b018l6wz)
Epic account of the early life of Genghis Khan, from the time he became an orphan at the age of nine through to his triumph as undisputed Mongol leader in 1206. Betrayed by his father's clan when still a child, then sold into slavery and imprisoned by the Chinese, he eventually escapes. Only then, through cunning and a series of fearsome, bloody victories in battle does he begin his campaign to unite the warring Mongol clans into a large and fearsome empire.

In Mongolian and Mandarin with English subtitles.


WED 23:00 Genghis Khan (b007930p)
He was a man who combined the savagery of a real-life Conan the Barbarian with the sheer tactical genius of Napoleon, a man from the outermost reaches of Asia whose armies ultimately stood poised to conquer Europe. His name was Genghis Khan.

Today the name of Genghis Khan is synonymous with dark evil yet in his lifetime he was a heroic figure, a supreme strategist capable of eliciting total devotion from his warriors.

He grew up in poverty on the harsh unforgiving steppe of Mongolia. From the murder of his father, the kidnap of his wife and the execution of his closest friend, he learned the lessons of life the hard way.

So how did this outcast come to conquer an empire larger than the Roman Empire? And was Genghis Khan the brutal monster who ruthlessly slaughtered millions in his quest for power, or was he a brilliant visionary who transformed a rabble of warring tribes into a nation capable of world domination?

Filmed entirely on location in Mongolia, the film tells the truth behind the legend that is Genghis Khan.


WED 23:55 Parks and Recreation (p01504x2)
Series 1

The Banquet

When Leslie's mother is given a banquet in her honour, she makes quite an impression. Mark and Tom try to meet some ladies.


WED 00:20 Parks and Recreation (b01rh4rw)
Series 1

Rock Show

Leslie's mum sets her up on a date but pretends it's a business meeting. Ann kicks Andy out of the house after she learns he kept his casts on longer than necessary. Leslie has the opportunity to hook up with Mark again but turns him down.


WED 00:40 Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities (b03kp6hg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


WED 01:40 Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture (b00k9bms)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:40 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.



THURSDAY 01 MAY 2014

THU 19:00 World News Today (b0422s7m)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b04268qh)
Mike Read presents another edition of the weekly pop chart show, including performances from Elkie Brooks, Sparks, the Shadows, Eruption, Roxy Music and Gary Moore. With dance sequences by Legs & Co.


THU 20:00 Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey (b01d7kd5)
Episode 1

Right now you're hurtling around the sun at 64,000 miles an hour (100,000km an hour). In the next year you'll travel 584 million miles, to end up back where you started.

Presenters Kate Humble and Dr Helen Czerski follow the Earth's voyage around the sun for one complete orbit, to witness the astonishing consequences this journey has for us all.

In this first episode they travel from July to the December solstice, experiencing spectacular weather and the largest tides on Earth. To show how the Earth's orbit affects our lives, Helen jumps out of an aeroplane and Kate briefly becomes the fastest driver on Earth.


THU 21:00 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (p01wq65t)
Episode 1

In 1714, to prevent the crown falling into the hands of a Catholic, Britain shipped in a ready-made royal family from the small German state of Hanover. To understand this risky experiment, presenter Dr Lucy Worsley has been given access to treasures from the Royal Collection as they are prepared for a new exhibition at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace - providing a rare and personal insight into George I and his feuding dynasty.

The Hanoverians arrived at a moment when Britain was changing fast. Satirists were free to mock the powerful, including the new royals. The Hanoverians themselves were busy early adopters of Neo-Palladian architecture, defining the whole look of the Georgian era. When the French philosopher Voltaire visited, he found a 'land of liberty' unlike anything in Europe - Britain was embracing freedom of speech and modern cabinet government.


THU 22:00 Ripping Yarns (b0074s72)
Series 1

Across the Andes by Frog

Set in 1920s Peru, this is the stirring story of one man and six frogs who tried to defy the world in the greatest gamble of all. Michael Palin appears alongside Denholm Elliott, but it is the frogs - the European Tree Frog, the Italian Agile Frog, the European Marsh Frogs, the Edible Frogs and the Himalayan Sleeping Frog (to be kept in reserve) - who are the stars.


THU 22:30 Some People with Jokes (p00w080m)
Series 1

Some Vicars with Jokes Part 2

More laughs from the pulpit, as vicars from around the UK crack their favourite jokes. Old, new, clean and blue, it's a side-splitting sermon for saints and sinners alike. Hallelujah!


THU 23:00 British Gardens in Time (b042638j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 00:00 Hinterland (b03pn6hg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 01:40 Top of the Pops (b04268qh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:15 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01h7pzm)
Troubadours – Peaceful Easy Feeling

In the early 70s as the UK got to grips with the new coinage and decimalisation and braced itself for strike after strike, a group of young troubadours were hanging out in Laurel Canyon and the environs of California USA having a ball and creating music that would define a generation. It's time to kick back and relax and enjoy performances from Crosby and Nash, Neil Young, America, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carole King, The Eagles, and Seals and Crofts.


THU 02:45 The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain (p01wq65t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 02 MAY 2014

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b0422s7s)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Young Musician (b04268tt)
2014

Woodwind Final

Five more young performers take to the stage at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, all hoping to win the Woodwind Category Final of BBC Young Musician 2014. With a place in the semi-final at stake, flautists Hannah Foster and Daniel Shao, saxophonists Nick Seymour and Jess Gillam and recorder player Sophie Westbrooke hope to impress the jury with the performances of their young lives.

Taking us behind the scenes for all the news, highlights and some incredible music-making are trumpeter Alison Balsom and classical guitarist Milos. Who will take the crown and get a step closer to the Grand Final in Edinburgh's Usher Hall and a shot at the title of BBC Young Musician 2014?


FRI 21:00 Arena (b00rs3w6)
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century

Arena explores the rise of the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra from his early family background to overwhelming showbusiness success. Interviews with friends, family and associates reveal a star-studded career in music and film alongside a fascinating private life of four marriages, liaison with the Kennedy family, Las Vegas business interests and an alleged association with the mafia.


FRI 22:35 ... Sings the Great American Songbook (b00rs3w4)
Presenting the best and most eclectic performances on the BBC from the world's best-known artists performing their interpretations of classic tracks from The Great American Songbook.

In chronological order, this programme takes us through a myriad of BBC studio performances, from Dame Shirley Bassey in 1966 performing The Lady is A Tramp, to Bryan Ferry in 1974 on Twiggy's BBC primetime show performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, to Captain Sensible on Top of the Pops in 1982 with his number one hit version of Happy Talk, through to Kirsty MacColl singing Miss Otis Regrets in 1994 to Jamie Cullum with his version of I Get a Kick Out Of You on Parkinson in 2004 and bang up to date with Brit winner Florence from Florence and the Machine performing My Baby Just Cares for Me with Jools Holland on his Annual Hootenanny at the end of 2009.

The Great American Songbook can best be described as the music and popular songs of the famous and prolific American composers of the 1920s and onwards. Composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Hoagy Carmichael to name but a few... songwriters who wrote the tunes of Broadway theatre and Hollywood musicals that earned enduring popularity before the dawning of rock 'n' roll.

These famous songwriters have penned songs which have entered the general consciousness and which are now best described as standards - tunes which every musician and singer aspires to include in their repertoire.


FRI 23:35 Doris Day - Virgin Territory (b0074rwd)
Doris Day has often been dismissed as an actress and overlooked as a singer, despite career highs such as Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk. Covering her early years as a band singer, and her troubled private life, this documentary re-evaluates one of the screen's most enduring legends.


FRI 00:35 Arena (b00rs3w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:10 ... Sings the Great American Songbook (b00rs3w4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:35 today]


FRI 03:10 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.




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 Great American Songbook 22:35 FRI (b00rs3w4)

... Sings the Great American Songbook 02:10 FRI (b00rs3w4)

Arena 02:40 WED (b01pjlhv)

Arena 21:00 FRI (b00rs3w6)

Arena 00:35 FRI (b00rs3w6)

At Home with the Georgians 20:00 TUE (b00wtwkf)

At Home with the Georgians 01:00 TUE (b00wtwkf)

BBC Young Musician 19:30 FRI (b04268tt)

Britain by Bike 01:35 MON (b00tjr3z)

Britain's Park Story 22:00 TUE (b00t9qv8)

Britain's Park Story 02:00 TUE (b00t9qv8)

British Gardens in Time 21:00 TUE (b042638j)

British Gardens in Time 03:00 TUE (b042638j)

British Gardens in Time 23:00 THU (b042638j)

Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities 20:00 SAT (b03kp6hg)

Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities 01:35 SAT (b03kp6hg)

Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities 00:40 WED (b03kp6hg)

Caravans: A British Love Affair 23:00 TUE (b00hw3s0)

Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood 21:00 SAT (b037k3nl)

Don Giovanni from the Royal Opera House 19:00 SUN (b0425y3c)

Doris Day - Virgin Territory 23:35 FRI (b0074rwd)

Electric Proms 02:20 SUN (b00vzzsw)

Genghis Khan 23:00 WED (b007930p)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b01qmc2x)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b01qmc8x)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 WED (b01qmd0m)

Hinterland 21:00 MON (b03pn6hg)

Hinterland 02:05 MON (b03pn6hg)

Hinterland 00:00 THU (b03pn6hg)

Insect Dissection: How Insects Work 23:35 MON (p00zst23)

John Denver: Country Boy 00:35 SAT (b03j4cz2)

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan 21:00 WED (b018l6wz)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 20:00 WED (b00k9bms)

Mud, Sweat and Tractors: The Story of Agriculture 01:40 WED (b00k9bms)

Natural World 19:00 SAT (b01k784h)

Natural World 02:35 SAT (b01k784h)

Natural World 00:00 TUE (b01k784h)

Neil Diamond: Solitary Man 01:20 SUN (b00vzzst)

Only Connect 20:30 MON (b0425ztj)

Only Connect 00:35 MON (b0425ztj)

Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey 20:00 THU (b01d7kd5)

Parks and Recreation 23:55 WED (p01504x2)

Parks and Recreation 00:20 WED (b01rh4rw)

Ripping Yarns 22:00 THU (b0074s72)

Some People with Jokes 22:30 THU (p00w080m)

Sounds of the 70s 2 03:25 SUN (b01gymg9)

Sounds of the 70s 2 02:15 THU (b01h7pzm)

Sounds of the 70s 2 03:10 FRI (b01hz75h)

Sting: When the Last Ship Sails 22:00 SUN (b03n2gh6)

The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain 21:00 THU (p01wq65t)

The First Georgians: The German Kings Who Made Britain 02:45 THU (p01wq65t)

The Joy of Easy Listening 23:20 SUN (b011g614)

The Magic of Mushrooms 22:35 MON (b041m6fh)

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney 00:50 SUN (p01t6p94)

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney 20:00 MON (p01t6pgg)

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney 01:05 MON (p01t6pgg)

Top of the Pops 23:00 SAT (b03mpphw)

Top of the Pops 00:00 SAT (b041m6ff)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b04268qh)

Top of the Pops 01:40 THU (b04268qh)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b0425ztd)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b0422s77)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b0422s7g)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b0422s7m)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b0422s7s)