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 31 MAY 2014

SAT 19:00 Amazon Abyss (b00hh4ws)
Compilation 1

The bottom of the Amazon River is home to many of the strangest and fiercest creatures in the world. This is the first in a two-part series following the high-adrenaline adventures of a team of divers as they explore and film the depths of the world's greatest river system.

It is the first time an expedition has ever attempted anything so ambitious, and they discover an alien world, full of beautiful and bizarre creatures. Stingray, freshwater dolphins, talking fish and the mysterious Jau are all to be found in the river's depths.

Mike deGruy and Kate Humble lead the international team of scientists and divers as they search for species new to science and come face to face with the monsters of the deep.


SAT 20:00 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00s89td)
What Is Out There?

Michael Mosley embarks on an informative and ambitious journey exploring how the evolution of scientific understanding is intimately interwoven with society's historical path.

Michael begins with the story of one of the great upheavals in human history, how we came to understand that our planet was not at the centre of everything in the cosmos but just one of billions of bodies in a vast and expanding universe.

He reveals the critical role of medieval astrologers in changing our view of the heavens, and the surprising connections to the upheavals of the Renaissance, the growth of coffee shops and Californian oil and railway barons.

Michael shows how important the practical skills of craftsmen have been to this story and finds out how Galileo made his telescope to peer at the heavens and by doing so helped change our view of the universe forever.


SAT 21:00 Wallander (b03mvbz8)
Series 3

The Betrayal

Mystery surrounds the murder of the wife of a successful inspirational author whose body is found on the beach close to her house. The couple were going through an acrimonious divorce and their daughter, although close to her mother, has not spoken with her father for many months. The finger of suspicion points at a mysterious builder who had been working in the house, but Wallander and the Ystad police can find no evidence of him having been in the house at all. Meanwhile, Kurt is having more trouble with his short term memory, a fact not lost on his colleague Martinsson.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:30 10 Things You Didn't Know About... (b008s99l)
Earthquakes

Iain Stewart looks at some of the world's most dramatic earthquakes and reveals the stories and science behind them. In seconds, these powerful forces of nature which cannot be predicted or prevented can shake a town to destruction and shift the landscape forever. We discover why quakes can last 60 times longer on the moon than on Earth, how one particular earthquake fault line can produce hallucinations, and how 1960s Cold War spying gave scientists a crucial clue to understanding them.


SAT 23:30 10 Things You Didn't Know About... (b008vrwk)
Avalanches

Iain Stewart travels across mountain ranges and glaciers to reveal ten remarkable stories about avalanches.

Over a million avalanches happen throughout the world each year, and yet we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the chaotic turbulence inside an avalanche. Scientists have had to put themselves right inside a raging avalanche to find out more.

Stewart shows how the deadliest avalanche in history killed 18,000 people in three minutes; how Hannibal's army was devastated by avalanches as he crossed the Alps to fight Rome; why an avalanche was key to one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time; and how global warming may increase the rate of ice avalanches in the future.


SAT 00:30 History of the Eagles (b02xd1gj)
Episode 2

This second part reveals the personal and professional struggles members faced while the band was apart, and chronicles the group's dramatic reunion in 1994, as well as its resurgence in recording and performing throughout the next two decades.

Among the bands many achievements since reforming are its triumphant Hell Freezes Over tour, the 2007 release of Long Road Out of Eden, which sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide and earned two Grammy Awards, and its ongoing ascendance as an international supergroup.


SAT 01:35 Top of the Pops (b044z1jy)
Paul Burnett presents another edition of the weekly pop chart show including performances from Quantum Jump, Chas and Dave, Sparks, Fischer-Z, Peaches and Herb, Voyager, Blondie and Hot Chocolate. With a dance sequence from Legs & Co.


SAT 02:20 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.


SAT 02:50 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00s89td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 01 JUNE 2014

SUN 19:00 Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer (b00jhv9g)
Cleopatra - the most famous woman in history. We know her as a great queen, a beautiful lover and a political schemer. For 2,000 years almost all evidence of her has disappeared - until now.

In one of the world's most exciting finds, archaeologists believe they have discovered the skeleton of her sister, murdered by Cleopatra and Mark Antony.

From Egypt to Turkey, Neil Oliver investigates the story of a ruthless queen who would kill her own siblings for power. This is the portrait of a killer.


SUN 20:00 The Town That Loves Books: BBC Arts at Hay (b04619yt)
Martha Kearney presents BBC Four's coverage of one of the most important moments on Britain's cultural calendar. Once described by the former US President Bill Clinton as the 'Woodstock of the Mind', the annual Hay Festival is a celebration of literature and ideas - an event that attracts some of the most distinguished figures from the worlds of the arts, culture, science, and publishing.

This programme features contributions from eminent novelists (including Helen Dunmore, Louisa Young and Kamila Shamsie) whose works have been inspired by the pain, sacrifice and heroism of those who served in the First World War. In an absorbing interview, Martha encounters the controversial Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgård, whose six-volume cycle of novels has created a sensation in his homeland; and meets some of the world's most celebrated children's writers - including the author of the hit series of Hank Zipzer book, Henry 'The Fonz' Winkler; Cassandra Clare, author of the hugely popular Mortal Instruments books; and Cressida Cowell, the creator of the hit How to Train Your Dragon series, which is now being adapted for the big screen by the major Hollywood studio, Dreamworks.

Meanwhile, Newsnight's culture correspondent Stephen Smith reports on the high-profile authors - including Jennifer Saunders, Suggs, and Carrie Fisher -who've bared their souls in that most lucrative publishing phenomenon: the Celebrity Memoirs. We also witness a Book Group from Bristol making its first visit to Hay-on-Wye - a pilgrimage that ends with a big surprise.


SUN 21:00 Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide (p01wtzqk)
Famous for his womanising, drinking and tragic death, Dylan Thomas is the rock star of 20th-century poetry. But for Welsh poet Owen Sheers, his tempestuous life often obscures the power of his poetry. Sheers takes us on a journey that reveals Dylan Thomas as a visionary and a craftsman.


SUN 22:00 Under Milk Wood in Pictures: Peter Blake Does Dylan (b03k4lmw)
A remarkable film with exclusive access to Sir Peter Blake in his studio as he adds the final touches to his groundbreaking art works inspired by Under Milk Wood. For over 25 years, Blake has been obsessed by Dylan Thomas's play - and now, finally, this body of work is going on display at the National Museum of Wales. Includes contributions from Cerys Matthews, Damien Hirst, Ronnie Wood and Pete Townshend.


SUN 22:30 Under Milk Wood (p01x5k4n)
A unique one-off television production of Dylan Thomas's famous 'play for voices' performed by a community of Welsh talent in New York, Los Angeles, London, Cardiff and Laugharne. Michael Sheen opens as First Voice, Sir Tom Jones as Captain Cat and as each of Dylan's iconic characters joins in, the piece builds up into a collage of famous voices and faces (including Matthew Rhys, Ioan Gruffudd, Siân Phillips, Jonathan Pryce, Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins) intercut with evocative imagery inspired by the play and created as part of a live event by National Theatre Wales.


SUN 23:30 Troubadours: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter (b012cr37)
Morgan Neville's full-length documentary is James Taylor and Carole King's first-hand account of the genesis and blossoming of the 1970s singer-songwriter culture in LA, focusing on the backgrounds and emerging collaboration between Taylor, King and the Troubadour, the famed West Hollywood club that nurtured a community of gifted young artists and singer-songwriters.

Taylor and King first performed together at the Troubadour in November 1970, and the film explores their coming together and the growth of a new, personal voice in songwriting pioneered by a small group of fledgling artists around the club. Contributors include Taylor, King, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, JD Souther, Peter Asher, Cheech & Chong, Steve Martin and Elton John.


SUN 00:55 Storyville (b044z275)
Searching for Sugar Man

Oscar-winning documentary which tells the remarkable story of the American rock icon who never was. With a great soundtrack, moving interviews and a breathtaking twist, this is the ultimate film about the resonating power of music.

In the late 60s, Detroit-based singer Sixto Rodriguez was momentarily hailed as the finest recording artist of his generation. But when his album bombed, he disappeared into oblivion amid rumours of a gruesome onstage suicide. The film tells the astonishing story of how a bootleg recording found its way into apartheid South Africa and became a phenomenon. Two South African fans turned detectives to find out what really happened to their hero. Their investigation led them to a story more extraordinary than any of the existing myths about the artist known as Rodriguez. This is a film about hope, inspiration and the realisation of deferred dreams.

The film is directed by Malik Bendjelloul who sadly died in May 2014.


SUN 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.


SUN 02:45 Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide (p01wtzqk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



MONDAY 02 JUNE 2014

MON 19:00 World News Today (b045nws5)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00xhy37)
Series 2

Llanwrst to Porthmadog

Michael Portillo explores the Conwy valley, stopping at Britain's first artists' colony at Betws-y-Coed, visiting the Victorian slate capital of Blaenau Ffestiniog and taking a steam train down to the harbour at Porthmadog.


MON 20:00 Great British Railway Journeys (b00xhynn)
Series 2

Llanberis to Holyhead

Michael Portillo takes the train to the top of Wales's highest peak, Mount Snowdon, witnesses the revival of Anglesey's sea salt industry and discovers how the railways transformed the tiny port of Holyhead.


MON 20:30 Only Connect (b045nws7)
Series 9

Welsh Learners v Record Collectors

Two teams who lost their first round return for another chance to make it to the semi-finals. A trio of Europhiles take on a family team, 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: New Objectivity, the Blue Rider, the Bridge and House of Construction.


MON 21:00 World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker (b045q1dd)
Some sanctuary from the World Cup on BBC FOUR? Not a chance.

But wait, there is actually very little football in this archive romp around the periphery of the four-yearly global jamboree. Danny Baker mulls over all the attendant hoopla, rigmarole, folderol and palaver that comes with this most mammoth of modern circuses.

Mascots! Managers! Fans! Tickets! Endless hours of TV padding! Creepy Kevin Keegan dolls! The tragic death of Pickles the Dog! That sort of thing.


MON 22:00 How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears (b044z1k0)
Great Plains

Ray Mears explores how 500,000 square miles of flat, treeless grassland was the setting for some of the Wild West's most dramatic stories of Plains Indians, wagon trains, homesteaders and cattle drives.

Ray joins the Blackfeet Indian Nation as they demonstrate bareback riding skills before a ritual buffalo hunt and sacrifice, and learns how their ancestors were dependent upon the buffalo for their survival. He follows in the wagon ruts of the early pioneers along the Oregon Trail and hitches a ride on a prairie schooner with wagon master Kim Merchant. He discovers the stories of the early homesteaders who lived in sod-houses and farmed the wild grassland around them.

At a cattle auction in Dodge City he explores the story of the railways, cow-towns and the buffalo massacre. His journey across the Great Plains ends at Moore Ranch where he joins a long-horn cattle drive and learns about the life and myth of one of the Wild West's most iconic figures, the cowboy.


MON 23:00 Amazon Abyss (b00hh4ws)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


MON 00:00 The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion (b00s89td)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 01:00 Only Connect (b045nws7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 01:30 Timeshift (b0126vfd)
Series 11

Hotel Deluxe

Timeshift invites you to make a reservation in the world of hotels for the super rich. The Savoy, the Ritz, the Dorchester - the very names of Britain's grand hotels spell luxury around the world. The film charts how luxury hotels have met the needs of new forms of wealth, from aristocrats to rock stars and beyond, with comfort, innovation and, above all, service.


MON 02:30 Britain on Film (b0229pbj)
Series 2

Kids Today

This episode delves into the fast-changing world of childhood, a life-stage that was being transformed by sweeping changes to the British educational system including the introduction of radical technologies and teaching methods in schools and the emergence of new organised leisure activities that gave a generation of children the freedom to enjoy play as never before.


MON 03:00 World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker (b045q1dd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 03 JUNE 2014

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b045ktlj)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00xxr1z)
Series 2

Newcastle to Chester-le-Street

Michael visits the first locomotive factory in the world, opened by George Stephenson. He also searches for the lost pit village of Marsden in South Shields and is entertained by a comic troupe of rapper sword dancers in Chester-le-Street.


TUE 20:00 Ocean Giants (b01452jz)
Voices of the Sea

Whales and dolphins are nature's supreme vocalists, with a repertoire to put an opera singer to shame. The mighty sperm whale produces deafening clicks in its blowhole which it uses to locate giant squid two miles down in the ocean abyss, while migrating narwhals use similar sounds to pinpoint vital breathing holes in Arctic ice floes.

The pink boto dolphin creates bat-like ultrasonic clicks to 'see with sound' and to catch fish in the murky waters of the Amazon River, and also uses whistles and chirps for social conversations.

Killer whales in the North Sea use wolf-like howls to round up the herring shoals which they feed on, and they and other dolphins also use percussive tail slaps and splashing leaps to signal to each other. One group of bottlenose dolphins in Brazil has even learned to communicate with fishermen in a unique partnership.

But the most famous and mysterious voice of all surely belongs to male humpback whales, whose haunting operatic performances may last several hours and seem to be about singing purely for the sheer pleasure of making music.


TUE 21:00 The Crusades (b01bqy7r)
Victory and Defeat

In the concluding episode of the series, Dr Thomas Asbridge reveals that the outcome of these epic holy wars was decided not on the hallowed ground of Jerusalem, but in Egypt. As trade blossomed between Christians and Muslims and the Mongol hordes arrived from Asia, a saintly French king - afire with crusading zeal - and the most remarkable Muslim leader of the Middle Ages fought for ultimate victory in the East.

Drawing upon eyewitness chronicles and the latest archaeological evidence, Dr Asbridge argues that it was a fearsome slave-warrior from the Russian Steppes - now forgotten in the West - who finally sealed the fate of the crusades. And, most controversially of all, Asbridge challenges the popular misconception that the medieval crusades sparked a clash of civilisations between Islam and the West that continues to this day.


TUE 22:00 Amber (b03skkh1)
Sarah

The disappearance of 14-year-old Amber Bailey sets off a two-year search during which her family will go through unimaginable pressures. As the days, months and years progress the mystery deepens and strange and terrifying clues come to light, raising yet more questions. The world becomes gripped by the mystery of the missing teen.


TUE 22:50 Hidden Histories: Britain's Oldest Family Businesses (b03slwfr)
Durtnell the Builder

Alex Durtnell's family have been builders for over 400 years. We follow Alex as he travels back through the centuries and rediscovers the houses his family have built, right back to the reign of Elizabeth I.

Narrated by Margaret Mountford.


TUE 23:50 Frost on Interviews (b01dc5ft)
Television interviews seem to have been around forever - but that's not the case. They evolved in confidence and diversity as television gradually came of age. So how did it all begin? With the help of some of its greatest exponents, Sir David Frost looks back over nearly 60 years of the television interview.

He looks at political interviews, from the earliest examples in the postwar period to the forensic questioning that we now take for granted, and celebrity interviews, from the birth of the chat show in the United States with Jack Paar and Johnny Carson to the emergence of our own peak-time British performers like Sir Michael Parkinson and Sir David himself.

Melvyn Bragg, Joan Bakewell, Tony Benn, Clive Anderson, Ruby Wax, Andrew Neil, Stephen Fry, AA Gill, Alastair Campbell and Michael Parkinson all help trace the development of the television interview. What is its enduring appeal and where does the balance of power actually lie - with the interviewer or the interviewee?


TUE 00:50 Ocean Giants (b01452jz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 01:50 The Crusades (b01bqy7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:50 Amber (b03skkh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 04 JUNE 2014

WED 19:00 World News Today (b045ktm6)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b00xxr39)
Series 2

Durham to Grosmont

Michael visits the historic Durham Cathedral, sees one of the first locomotives in Darlington and takes a Dracula tour in Whitby, before ending his journey on a steam train across the North Yorkshire moors.


WED 20:00 Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death (b03d6c64)
A Good Marriage

Unlike birth and death, which are inescapable facts of life, marriage is rite of passage made by choice and in the Middle Ages it wasn't just a choice made by bride and groom - they were often the last pieces in a puzzle, put together by their parents, with help from their family and friends, according to rules laid down by the church.

Helen Castor reveals how in the Middle Ages marriage was actually much easier to get into than today - you could get married in a pub or even a hedgerow simply by exchanging words of consent - but from the 12th century onwards the Catholic church tried to control this conjugal free-for-all. For the church, marriage was a way to contain the troubling issue of sex, but, as the film reveals, it was not easy to impose rules on the most unpredictable human emotions of love and lust.


WED 21:00 Miss Potter (b00cyjjj)
Biopic of one of the literary phenomena of the 20th century.

London, 1902. At a time when most young women of her class only aspired to a good marriage, Beatrix Potter became an iconic figure. She created a series of children's books and characters that are still admired today and have never been out of print. She swam against the mores of her day and found true love.


WED 22:30 Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer (b00jhv9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


WED 23:30 The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea (b00pq9gs)
Over 3,000 years ago legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent a fleet of ships to the wonderful, distant land of Punt. A bas-relief in the temple where she is entombed in Luxor shows them bringing back extraordinary treasures. But did this expedition really happen? And if it did, where exactly is the land of Punt?

Drawing upon recent finds, archaeologist Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage in a full-size replica of one of these ancient ships, sailing it in the wake of Hatshepsut's fleet in search of the mythical land of Punt. A human adventure as well as a scientific challenge, the expedition proves that, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians had the necessary tools, science and techniques to sail the seas.


WED 00:30 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 00:50 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 01:15 Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death (b03d6c64)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:15 Britain on Film (b02w63mx)
Series 2

Island Nation

In 1959 Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. During the 1960s - a decade that witnessed profound shifts across Britain's political, economic and cultural landscapes - many felt anxiety about the dizzying pace of change.

Look at Life reflected the increasing social and moral unease in films that tackled subjects ranging from contraception to immigration; from increasing stress at work to the preservation of the Sabbath; and from the environmental implications of waste management to the threat of nuclear weapons. Through these films, we can glimpse many of the seismic societal transformations of the Sixties developments that polarised the nation and changed life in Britain forever.

This episode focuses on the films that examine the implications of Britain's identity as an island nation, a geographical reality that has influenced not just our coastal landscape but our national psyche too. Featuring footage from well-known offshore isles like Wight and Man to the more isolated, culturally-distinctive and splendidly-idiosyncratic places like Harris and Cromer, which was inhabited year-round by just a single family of four.


WED 02:45 Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer (b00jhv9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]



THURSDAY 05 JUNE 2014

THU 19:00 World News Today (b045ktmd)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b045nz9n)
Mike Read presents another edition of the weekly pop chart show including performances from Match, McFadden and Whitehead, Edwin Starr, Tubeway Army, Janet Kay, Chas and Dave, Squeeze and Anita Ward. With a dance sequence from Legs & Co.


THU 20:00 Clydebuilt: The Ships that Made the Commonwealth (p01n8f5d)
CS Mackay-Bennett

David Hayman explores the stories of four ships, built on the river Clyde, that helped forge links with countries throughout the Commonwealth of Nations.

Here, David tells the story of CS Mackay-Bennett, a cable repair ship launched on the Clyde in 1884. She kept information flowing along a network of underwater cables that connected Britain with her empire and the world - the Victorian internet of its day. It's also a story of a date with disaster, as the ship and her crew recovered the bodies of those who died when the Titanic sank. David travels to Halifax in Canada to find some facts about the ship and to unravel a DNA mystery that's taken over a century to solve.


THU 21:00 How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears (b045nz9q)
Deserts

Ray Mears looks at how the landscapes of America's five great deserts challenged the westward push of the early pioneers.

As Ray travels through the cold high mountain Great Basin desert and the hot Sonoran desert of southern Arizona, he discovers how their hostile geography and rich geology shaped the stories of fortune hunting and lawlessness in the Wild West, and were the setting for the last wars between the US Army and the Apache warrior tribes.

Ray's journey begins in Monument Valley, whose dramatic desert landscape has become synonymous with the Wild West years. He explores how plants and animals survive in this waterless climate and how the Navajo Indian people adapted to the conditions. In Tucson, he meets up with desert coroners Bruce Anderson and Robin Reineke, who show him how the desert still kills people today.

He explores how the Apache adapted their warfare methods to the desert and how the US cavalry struggled in the hot arid landscape. In Tombstone, he gets to grips with the myths around lawmakers and lawlessness and how it flourished in the remote desert regions of the Old West. He discovers how this forbidding landscape was the perfect refuge for bandits and pursues the outlaw trail to Butch Cassidy's hideout at Robber's Roost. His journey ends with the story of Geronimo's surrender which marked the end of the Indian Wars, and of the Old West.


THU 22:00 The Crusades (b01bqy7r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 23:00 World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker (b045q1dd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 00:00 Top of the Pops (b045nz9n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 00:40 Amber (b03skkh1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]


THU 01:35 Clydebuilt: The Ships that Made the Commonwealth (p01n8f5d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 02:35 How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears (b045nz9q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 06 JUNE 2014

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b045ktnn)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 John Ogdon: Living with Genius (b045q1py)
Profile of Britain's greatest ever classical pianist and of one of the most successful musical partnerships of the last 50 years, that of John Ogdon and his wife Brenda Lucas Ogdon. For the first time, Brenda and her children Richard and Annabel tell the personal story of John Ogdon - the husband, father and genius.

This is a story of their lives together, one that covers their rollercoaster ride from extraordinary and deserved success to tragic adversity and despair. Featuring unique archive and contemporary performance as well as candid interviews with those who knew him best, this incredible tale is a moving account of their professional partnership.

A fascinating reflection on the power of the art form itself, gained from a lifetime of living, breathing, teaching and performing.


FRI 20:30 John Ogdon: A Musical Tribute (b045q1q0)
A piano recital with performances by Peter Donohoe. Presented by Katie Derham, this tribute concert to the late John Ogdon was filmed at the Champs Hill Concert Hall in front of a selected audience and includes performances of some of the works John was famous for, as well as his own compositions.


FRI 21:00 You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story (b0461chb)
Documentary telling, in her own words, the story of Carole King's upbringing in Brooklyn and the subsequent success that she had as half of husband-and-wife songwriting team Goffin and King for Aldon Music on Broadway.

It was during this era in the early 1960s that they created a string of pop hits such as Take Good Care of My Baby for Bobby Vee, The Locomotion for Little Eva and Will You Love Me Tomorrow for the Shirelles, which became the first number one hit by a black American girl group. They also wrote the era-defining Up on the Roof for the Drifters and the magnificent Natural Woman for Aretha Franklin.

By 1970 Carole was divorced from songwriting partner Gerry Goffin and had moved to Los Angeles. It was here that she created her classic solo album Tapestry, packed with delightful tunes but also, for the first time, her own lyrics, very much sung from the heart. The album included It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move and You've Got a Friend and held the record for the most weeks at number one by a solo female artist for nearly 20 years. It became a trusted part of everyone's record collection and has sold over 25 million copies to date.

The film features some wonderful unseen material and home movies, and narrates her life as an acclaimed singer-songwriter. To date, more than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles.

More recently, in 2013, Carole was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress for her songwriting, whilst in 2014 Broadway production Beautiful, which tells her life story during the Goffin and King era, has received rave reviews.

Nowadays Carole King would see herself as an environmental activist as much as a songwriter, and she is to be found constantly lobbying congress in defence of the wildlife and ecosystems of her beloved Idaho.


FRI 22:00 Singer-Songwriters at the BBC (b015f5c8)
Series 2

Episode 1

The celebration of the singing songwriting troubadours of the 1960s and 70s continues with a further trawl through the BBC archives for timeless and classic performances.

Don McLean performs his huge hit American Pie from 1972 and Tim Buckley provides some sublime sounds with a rendition of his song Happy Time. Also making an appearance is the long-lamented John Martyn, folk queen Sandy Denny and, in a duet with Joe Egan as Stealers Wheel, the late Gerry Rafferty. Stealers Wheel chum and one-time collaborator Rab Noakes also makes a contribution to this compilation.

Leonard Cohen and Julie Felix present a unique collaboration and performance of Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, and there's an unforgettable performance of Case of You by Joni Mitchell. No celebration of this genre would be complete without contributions from songwriting heavyweights such as Elton John, Paul Simon, Loudon Wainwright III and Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens.


FRI 23:00 Still Bill: The Bill Withers Story (b01d28tn)
You know the music - now meet the man. Still Bill is an intimate portrait of soul legend Bill Withers, best known for his classics Ain't No Sunshine, Lean on Me, Lovely Day, Grandma's Hands and Just the Two of Us. With his soulful delivery and warm, heartfelt sincerity, Withers has written songs that resonate within the fabric of our times. Through concert footage, journeys to his birthplace and interviews with music legends, his family and closest friends, this documentary presents the story of an artist who has written some of the most beloved songs of our time and who truly understands the heart and soul of a man.


FRI 00:10 In Concert (b0074sny)
Bill Withers

Legendary soul singer-songwriter Bill Withers, at the height of his powers in a live concert for the BBC from 1974, performing hits such as Lean on Me, Ain't No Sunshine and Grandma's Hands.


FRI 00:40 You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story (b0461chb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 01:40 Singer-Songwriters at the BBC (b015f5c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 02:40 Still Bill: The Bill Withers Story (b01d28tn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 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... 22:30 SAT (b008s99l)

10 Things You Didn't Know About... 23:30 SAT (b008vrwk)

Amazon Abyss 19:00 SAT (b00hh4ws)

Amazon Abyss 23:00 MON (b00hh4ws)

Amber 22:00 TUE (b03skkh1)

Amber 02:50 TUE (b03skkh1)

Amber 00:40 THU (b03skkh1)

Britain on Film 02:30 MON (b0229pbj)

Britain on Film 02:15 WED (b02w63mx)

Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer 19:00 SUN (b00jhv9g)

Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer 22:30 WED (b00jhv9g)

Cleopatra: Portrait of a Killer 02:45 WED (b00jhv9g)

Clydebuilt: The Ships that Made the Commonwealth 20:00 THU (p01n8f5d)

Clydebuilt: The Ships that Made the Commonwealth 01:35 THU (p01n8f5d)

Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide 21:00 SUN (p01wtzqk)

Dylan Thomas: A Poet's Guide 02:45 SUN (p01wtzqk)

Frost on Interviews 23:50 TUE (b01dc5ft)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b00xhy37)

Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 MON (b00xhynn)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b00xxr1z)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 WED (b00xxr39)

Hidden Histories: Britain's Oldest Family Businesses 22:50 TUE (b03slwfr)

History of the Eagles 00:30 SAT (b02xd1gj)

How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears 22:00 MON (b044z1k0)

How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears 21:00 THU (b045nz9q)

How the Wild West Was Won with Ray Mears 02:35 THU (b045nz9q)

In Concert 00:10 FRI (b0074sny)

John Ogdon: A Musical Tribute 20:30 FRI (b045q1q0)

John Ogdon: Living with Genius 19:30 FRI (b045q1py)

Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death 20:00 WED (b03d6c64)

Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death 01:15 WED (b03d6c64)

Miss Potter 21:00 WED (b00cyjjj)

Ocean Giants 20:00 TUE (b01452jz)

Ocean Giants 00:50 TUE (b01452jz)

Only Connect 20:30 MON (b045nws7)

Only Connect 01:00 MON (b045nws7)

Parks and Recreation 00:30 WED (b01s2qf5)

Parks and Recreation 00:50 WED (b01s2qf7)

Singer-Songwriters at the BBC 22:00 FRI (b015f5c8)

Singer-Songwriters at the BBC 01:40 FRI (b015f5c8)

Sounds of the 70s 2 02:20 SAT (b01gymg9)

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

Still Bill: The Bill Withers Story 23:00 FRI (b01d28tn)

Still Bill: The Bill Withers Story 02:40 FRI (b01d28tn)

Storyville 00:55 SUN (b044z275)

The Crusades 21:00 TUE (b01bqy7r)

The Crusades 01:50 TUE (b01bqy7r)

The Crusades 22:00 THU (b01bqy7r)

The Pharaoh Who Conquered the Sea 23:30 WED (b00pq9gs)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 20:00 SAT (b00s89td)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 02:50 SAT (b00s89td)

The Story of Science: Power, Proof and Passion 00:00 MON (b00s89td)

The Town That Loves Books: BBC Arts at Hay 20:00 SUN (b04619yt)

Timeshift 01:30 MON (b0126vfd)

Top of the Pops 01:35 SAT (b044z1jy)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b045nz9n)

Top of the Pops 00:00 THU (b045nz9n)

Troubadours: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter 23:30 SUN (b012cr37)

Under Milk Wood in Pictures: Peter Blake Does Dylan 22:00 SUN (b03k4lmw)

Under Milk Wood 22:30 SUN (p01x5k4n)

Wallander 21:00 SAT (b03mvbz8)

World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker 21:00 MON (b045q1dd)

World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker 03:00 MON (b045q1dd)

World Cup Brush Up with Danny Baker 23:00 THU (b045q1dd)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b045nws5)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b045ktlj)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b045ktm6)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b045ktmd)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b045ktnn)

You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story 21:00 FRI (b0461chb)

You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story 00:40 FRI (b0461chb)