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 16 AUGUST 2014

SAT 19:00 Human Planet (b00rrd83)
Jungles - People of the Trees

The rainforest is home to more species of plants and animals than any other habitat on the planet. But for humans, life there is not as easy as it looks. Life in the trees requires great skill, ingenuity and sheer bravery.

The Matis of Brazil carve 4m-long blowpipes to hunt monkeys in near total silence. Deep in the Congo forests, Tete defies death by scaling a giant tree using nothing more than a liana vine and he must then negotiate an angry swarm of bees - all to collect honey for his family.

Three children from Venezuela's Piaroa tribe venture deep into the jungle to hunt tarantulas to toast for lunch. In West Papua the Korowai tribe show off their engineering skills by building a high-rise home 35 metres up in the tree tops.

Most memorable of all, in Brazil we join a unique monitoring flight in search of an uncontacted tribe.


SAT 20:00 Tales from the National Parks (b016dr0x)
The Lake District

The National Parks are Britain's most treasured landscapes, but they are increasingly becoming battlefields. They were designated 60 years ago as places for everyone, but is that still the case? In this series the award-winning film-maker Richard Macer spent a year amid conflicts in three different parks, on a journey to discover who they are really for.

In each park the stories are very different, but there is something that unites them all - fiercely divided communities who are prepared to fight in order to preserve their right to enjoy the countryside. In each film, Macer has secured access to the National Park Authority - an organisation which looks after the landscapes and decides upon planning matters. In all of these stories the Park Authorities have a key role to play in trying to find amicable solutions to the problems which confront them.

In the Lake District, entrepreneur Mark Weir wants to build a giant zip-wire ride from the top of a beautiful, remote mountain. But does it have any chance of getting permission when there are over 400 objectors to it? Unfortunately a tragic accident during filming means that Mark will never see if his zip-wire becomes a reality.


SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b00g6hqn)
Montalbano's Croquettes

As the small town of Vigata prepares for its New Year celebrations, local police inspector Salvo Montalbano is reluctantly making arrangements to travel to Paris with his girlfriend. What he would much rather do, however, is accept a dinner invitation by his cleaner Adelina, who has promised to cook rice croquettes.

A wealthy husband and wife are found dead in what appears to be a car accident, but which quickly turns into a murder investigation. As the circumstances surrounding the death of the couple grow more and more mysterious, clues point to the involvement of Adelina's son Pasquale.

In Italian with English subtitles.


SAT 22:35 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 23:35 John Denver at Wembley Arena (b03jgq83)
Country singer-songwriter John Denver performs in concert at Wembley Arena in 1979, featuring hits including Rocky Mountain High and Take Me Home, Country Roads.


SAT 00:15 An Evening with Glen Campbell (b01pyfht)
A special concert recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in 1977, where 80 musicians played new arrangements of Glen Campbell's hit songs.


SAT 01:35 Human Planet (b00rrd83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SAT 02:35 Tales from the National Parks (b016dr0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 17 AUGUST 2014

SUN 19:00 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
2014

Proms on Four: Battle of the Bands

Jazz singer and broadcaster Clare Teal transports us back to the heady days of the swing band era of the 1930s and 1940s in a recreation of the bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Conductor James Pearson of the Count Pearson Proms Band takes on Grant Windsor of the Duke Windsor Proms band in a roof-raising battle, with help from vocalists Gregory Porter and Vula Malinga. The evening culminates in a bespoke rousing 'battle royal' for the biggest audience ovation.

Presented by Katie Derham.


SUN 20:30 Secret Knowledge (b01r3n6p)
The Art of the Vikings

Through interpretations of some of the archaeological treasures of the Swedish National Museum, now on display in Edinburgh, Dr Janina Ramirez of Oxford University explores the fascinating wealth of Viking culture and its long-lasting influence on the British Isles.


SUN 21:00 Great Poets in Their Own Words (b04dznbr)
Access All Areas 1955-1982

In the 1950s, English poetry becomes more democratic as poets like Philip Larkin turn away from the obscurity of modernism in favour of language and subject matter that reflect the feel of 50s Britain. American poets develop a raw confessional style, while in Britain poets reach out to new audiences - on television, in pubs, on the streets. Featuring the work of Philip Larkin, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, Roger McGough, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Seamus Heaney.


SUN 22:00 Edinburgh Extra (b04dznbt)
Episode 2

Game of Thrones creator George RR Martin talks about his phenomenally successful series of Song of Ice and Fire books, and we explore the raft of Game of Thrones spin-off shows in Edinburgh this year.

Professor Mary Beard delves into the Ancient Roman joke book to find out what made them laugh, and comedians on this year's fringe show just how little our sense of humour has changed since then.

Strictly Come Dancing's most effervescent judge, Bruno Tonioli, hotfoots his way around Edinburgh to find the most dazzling dance productions in town.

Marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, the festival features a host of artistic responses to conflict - from the Trojan War right up to recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Kirsty asks a number of writers, artists and performers why war is such an enduring inspiration.

The summer exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland tells the story of the remarkable rise of the Ming dynasty, a period of almost three centuries of social, economic and artistic transformation in China. Kirsty takes a tour in the company of Chinese ceramics expert and Antiques Roadshow regular Lars Tharp.

Each year at the festival, a number of performers stage shows with the intention of shattering stereotypes of gender and sexuality. There are interviews with those performers pushing the envelope this year.

Also featuring special performances filmed on an Edinburgh tram as it weaves its way through the city.


SUN 23:00 Egypt's Lost Cities (b011pwms)
It is possible that only one per cent of the wonders of ancient Egypt have been discovered, but now, thanks to a pioneering approach to archaeology, that is about to change.

Dr Sarah Parcak uses satellites to probe beneath the sands, where she has found cities, temples and pyramids. Now, with Dallas Campbell and Liz Bonnin, she heads to Egypt to discover if these magnificent buildings are really there.


SUN 00:30 Great American Rock Anthems: Turn it up to 11 (b03n2w37)
It's the sound of the heartland, of the midwest and the industrial cities, born in the early 70s by kids who had grown up in the 60s and were now ready to make their own noise, to come of age in the bars, arenas and stadiums of the US of A. Out of blues and prog and glam and early metal, a distinct American rock hybrid started to emerge across the country courtesy of Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad et al, and at its very heart is The Great American Rock Anthem.

At the dawn of the 70s American rock stopped looking for a revolution and started looking for a good time; enter the classic American rock anthem - big drums, a soaring guitar, a huge chorus and screaming solos. This film celebrates the evolution of the American rock anthem during its glory years between 1970 and 1990 as it became a staple of the emerging stadium rock and AOR radio and then MTV.

From School's Out and Don't Fear the Reaper to Livin' on a Prayer and Smells Like Teen Spirit, these are the songs that were the soundtrack to teenage lives in the US and around the world, anthems that had people singing out loud with arms and lighters aloft.

Huey Morgan narrates the story of some of the greatest American rock anthems and tracks the emergence of this distinct American rock of the 70s and 80s. Anthems explored include School's Out, We're an American Band, Don't Fear the Reaper, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, I Love Rock 'n' Roll, Eye of the Tiger, I Want to Know What Love Is, Livin' on a Prayer and Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Contributors include: Alice Cooper, Dave Grohl, Butch Vig, Meat Loaf, Todd Rundgren, Richie Sambora, Blue Oyster Cult, Survivor, Toto and Foreigner.


SUN 01:30 Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up (b00sxjls)
Documentary which looks at how rock 'n' roll has had to deal with the unthinkable - namely growing up and growing old, from its roots in the 50s as music made by young people for young people to the 21st-century phenomena of the revival and the comeback.

Despite the mantra of 'live fast, die young', Britain's first rock 'n' roll generations are now enjoying old age. What was once about youth and taking risks is now about longevity, survival, nostalgia and refusing to grow up, give up or shut up. But what happens when the music refuses to die and its performers refuse to leave the stage? What happens when rock's youthful rebelliousness is delivered wrapped in wrinkles?

Featuring Lemmy, Iggy Pop, Peter Noone, Rick Wakeman, Paul Jones, Richard Thompson, Suggs, Eric Burdon, Bruce Welch, Robert Wyatt, Gary Brooker, Joe Brown, Chris Dreja of The Yardbirds, Alison Moyet, Robyn Hitchcock, writers Rosie Boycott and Nick Kent and producer Joe Boyd.


SUN 02:30 Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC (b049mtxy)
Compilation of BBC performances featuring some of the best axe men and women in rock 'n' roll, from Hendrix to The Kinks, Cream to AC/DC, The Smiths to Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead to Foo Fighters. Whether it is The Shadows playing FBI on Crackerjack, Jeff Beck with The Yardbirds, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream's Sunshine of Your Love from their final gig, Pixies on the Late Show, AC/DC on Top of the Pops or Fools Gold from The Stone Roses, this compilation is a celebration of rock 'n' roll guitar complete with riffs, fingerstylin', wah-wah pedals and Marshall amps.


SUN 03:30 Secret Knowledge (b01r3n6p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]



MONDAY 18 AUGUST 2014

MON 19:00 World News Today (b04dz2h9)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pmz4f)
Series 5

Preston to Rochdale

Michael Portillo continues his journey through the north west of England. He celebrates Victorian trade with the Preston Guild then heads to Rochdale, where he discovers a pioneering movement that helped improve the lot of working families. Michael follows in the tracks of swathes of 19th-century working people who made day trips from the industrial towns to Hebden Bridge to walk in the beautiful Calder Valley.


MON 20:00 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m9vjl)
The Shape of Things to Come

In the heady years following World War II, Britain was a nation in love with aviation. Having developed the jet engine in wartime, British engineers were now harnessing its power to propel the world's first passenger jets. By 1960 the UK's passenger airline industry was the largest in the world, with routes stretching to the furthest-flung remnants of Empire.

And the aircraft carrying these New Elizabethans around the globe were also British - the Vickers Viscount, the Bristol Britannia and the world's first pure jet-liner, the sleek, silver De Havilland Comet, which could fly twice as high and twice as fast as its American competitors. It seemed the entire nation was reaching for the skies to create the shape of things to come for air travel worldwide. But would their reach exceed their grasp?


MON 21:00 Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History (b03lytyp)
Civilising the Sea

Shipwrecks are the nightmare we have forgotten - the price Britain paid for ruling the waves from an island surrounded by treacherous rocks. The result is a coastline that is home to the world's highest concentration of sunken ships. But shipwrecks also changed the course of British history, helped shape our national character and drove innovations in seafaring technology, as well as gripping our imagination.

The terrible toll taken by shipwrecks was such that in the winter of 1820 some 20,000 seaman lost their lives in the North Sea alone. That's 20 jumbo jets. But in the final part of his series, maritime historian Sam Willis tells the stirring story of how the Victorians were finally driven into action, finding various ingenious solutions - from rockets that could fire rescue lines aboard stricken vessels to lifejackets, lifeboats and the Plimsoll Line, which outlawed overloading.

In Africa, he traces the legend of the Birkenhead Drill - the origin of 'women and children first'. Decorum even in disaster was the new Victorian way and it was conspicuously on hand to turn history's most iconic shipwreck - Titanic - into a tragic monument to British restraint.


MON 22:00 Art of China (b04dg5q7)
Episode 3

Andrew Graham-Dixon charts the journey from imperial to modern - the glorious rise and calamitous fall of China's last dynasty. Rulers were so entranced by the spell of western art that they failed to notice the rise of western dominance, with disastrous consequences. The subsequent profound identity crisis saw China's artists struggle with outside influence. It was an age of crisis, which ultimately led to bloody revolution and rebirth. After tyrant Mao's Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen Square, does its new art reveal a different side to the modern China we think we know?


MON 23:00 Tales from the National Parks (b016dr0x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 00:00 The Wonder of Animals (b04dq5tb)
Penguins

At first sight, penguins seem ill-suited to their environment - rotund abdomens, stubby little legs and stiff wings appear to make the going tough. But in fact it is these very traits that enable this bird to thrive.

Chris explores details of the penguin's anatomy, using new scientific research to reveal how its legs, wings and body shape have allowed it to conquer an extraordinary range of habitats, from deep forests to tropical waters, bustling cities and even the toughest place on the planet - Antarctica.


MON 00:30 The Beauty of Anatomy (b04dq8kl)
Galen and Leonardo

Adam Rutherford begins his series investigating the close relationship between discoveries in anatomy and the works of art that illustrate them by looking at the work of the 2nd-century Roman anatomist Claudius Galen and the artist and part-time dissector Leonardo da Vinci.


MON 01:00 Infested! Living with Parasites (b03vrwj8)
Dr Michael Mosley explores the bizarre and fascinating world of parasites by turning his body into a living laboratory and deliberately infesting himself with them. He travels to Kenya to give himself a tapeworm - a parasite that can grow to many metres inside the human gut. He also encounters lice, leeches and the deadly malaria parasite, before swallowing a pill-camera to reveal what is growing within him. By the end of his infestation Michael learns a new-found respect for these extraordinary creatures, which can live off and even take control of their hosts for their own survival.


MON 02:00 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m9vjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 03:00 Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History (b03lytyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 19 AUGUST 2014

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b04dz2hg)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pmztz)
Series 5

Haworth to Huddersfield

Michael Portillo begins this leg of his journey from Manchester to Chesterfield at the home of the three Bronte sisters in Worth Valley, Yorkshire. He then moves on to Oakworth where he learns how the station and its heritage railway line secured a starring role in one of the most popular films ever made. In Bradford, Michael finds out how 19th-century workers could save to buy a home of their own, and in Halifax discovers how the railway contributed to the town's sweet success.


TUE 20:00 King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons (b038dbd5)
The Lady of the Mercians

In this second episode, Alfred's children continue the family plan to create a kingdom of all the English.

The tale begins with a savage civil war in a bleak decade of snow and famine, culminating in an epic victory over the Vikings near Wolverhampton in 910. Filmed in the Fens and Winchester, Gloucester, Oxford and Rome, the key figure in this episode is Alfred's daughter Aethelflaed, the ruler of Mercia. Michael Wood recovers her story from a copy of a lost chronicle written in Mercia in her lifetime which, in the film, we hear read in Old English.

One of the great forgotten figures in British history, Aethelflaed led armies, built fortresses, campaigned against the Vikings and was a brilliant diplomat. Her fame spread across the British Isles, beloved by her warriors and her people she was known simply as 'the Lady of the Mercians'. Without her, concludes Wood, 'England might never have happened'.


TUE 21:00 Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners (b04fd6s9)
Home

Professor Mark Miodownik shows us what is so great about stuff. All the things of modern life around us that we maybe take for granted are revealed to be little pieces of domestic magic - everyday miracles - from razor blades to tights, via plywood and foam rubber. On the road and in the lab with explosive experiments, Mark reveals why the everyday, and even the mundane, is anything but.


TUE 22:00 The London Markets (b01j73s3)
The Fish Market: Inside Billingsgate

London's oldest wholesale market is on the verge of its biggest change in over a thousand years. Fish merchants are facing tough times. The market is under pressure to modernise and its iconic and ancient traditions are under threat. The job of the licensed fish porter, once a job for life, could be thrown open to all comers. The market is divided: will ancient custom or modern commerce win out?


TUE 23:00 Human Planet (b00rrd83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


TUE 00:00 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074ls0)
Series 2

Britannia Incorporated

Simon Schama's epic history reaches the 18th century and the birth of modern Britain. Due to an economic explosion, the consumer society is born, agriculture becomes big business and London becomes the fastest growing city in Europe.

However, many in Scotland are unhappy with the union of the Scottish and English parliaments. When Bonnie Prince Charlie and his Jacobite army advance on London, the country's new-found peace and prosperity are threatened.


TUE 01:00 Great Poets in Their Own Words (b04dznbr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


TUE 02:00 King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons (b038dbd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 03:00 Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners (b04fd6s9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 20 AUGUST 2014

WED 19:00 World News Today (b04dz2hm)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pn05p)
Series 5

Honley to Chesterfield

On the last leg of his journey from a notorious slum in Manchester to the grandeur of a ducal seat in Derbyshire, Michael Portillo tunes in to the music of the mills and collieries of Victorian England, testing his puff with the brass band at Honley.

In Holmfirth, Michael finds out about a 19th-century tragedy that struck the town and led to a tourist boom on the railways.

At Chesterfield, Michael pays homage to the father of the railway, George Stephenson, before finishing his journey in style at one of the first stately homes to welcome visitors by rail - Chatsworth.


WED 20:00 The Wonder of Animals (b04dzrtp)
Bears

Bears can live in practically every habitat on Earth, from tropical jungles to the Arctic Ocean. Wherever they are found, they are capable of surviving extreme conditions and extracting the highest-quality food.

Detailing the latest research, Chris Packham explores the specialised adaptations that have enabled bears to thrive, including how a polar bear's hollow fur allows it to feed throughout the gruelling Arctic winter, whilst a state of 'walking hibernation' sees it through the summer months.


WED 20:30 The Beauty of Anatomy (b04dzrtr)
Andreas Vesalius

In 1537, the 23-year-old Andreas Vesalius became the most famous anatomist in Europe. He went on to produce the first complete account of the human body and how to dissect it, his drawings setting the gold standard for anatomical art for centuries to come and earning him the title of 'the founder of modern anatomy'. Adam Rutherford tells his story.


WED 21:00 Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities (b04f83xq)
Vienna 1908

Dr James Fox tells the story of Vienna in 1908, a city of amazing creativity and dangerous tension. This was the year Gustav Klimt painted his masterpiece The Kiss, Sigmund Freud revealed the Oedipus complex, Egon Schiele produced startling pictures of humanity stripped to the bare essentials, and both music and architecture took a bold step in a radical new direction. But it was also the year a struggling young artist named Adolf Hitler arrived in the city, a year that would put Vienna and Europe on the road to destruction.


WED 22:00 Wild China (b00bz1cf)
Beyond the Great Wall

A look at the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures that live in China's most beautiful landscapes.

The extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall have shaped some of China's most colourful people and wildlife. From nomadic tribes hunting with eagles to camel trains crossing the Silk Road, from frozen Siberian wastes to baking deserts of central Asia, life in northern China is always on the edge.


WED 23:00 Dreaming the Impossible: Unbuilt Britain (p01cyrf9)
Glass Houses

Using her investigative skills to uncover long-forgotten and abandoned plans, architectural investigator Dr Olivia Horsfall Turner explores the fascinating and dramatic stories behind some of the grandest designs that were never built.

Technology has always been a driving force behind new ideas. Olivia explores how architects and designers have been inspired by the exciting possibilities presented by new technology to produce groundbreaking and controversial urban plans.

In 1855, visionary designer Sir Joseph Paxton proposed an ambitious plan to build a fantastic, futuristic ten-mile glass girdle circling the centre of London. It had only recently become possible to produce large sheets of cheap but strong plate glass and Paxton was inspired by its potential. With this exciting new technology at his fingertips, Paxton believed he could create a bright and pollution-free environment for Londoners as well as solve the capital's terrible congestion problems.

His spectacular glass 'Great Victorian Way' would connect the city to the West End, link rich and poor areas and cross the Thames three times. Contained in this magnificent glass structure were shops, houses, hotels, a pedestrian walkway, a road for carriages and eight lines of elevated pneumatic railway.

There was huge support for Paxton's scheme and Parliament passed a bill sanctioning construction, but the Great Victorian Way was never built. The 'Great Stink' took hold of London in 1858, spreading a cholera epidemic and so sanitation became the city's most pressing priority. Instead of creating a spectacular crystal boulevard the money was spent on a very different type of technology - the building of London's sewerage system.

A century later, London's congestion problems remained unsolved with the motor car having taken over roads designed for horse and carriage. In 1961, the architect Geoffrey Jellicoe proposed a solution directly inspired by Joseph Paxton's use of glass, in his radical new urban scheme for the green belt around London. Jellicoe took Paxton's idea of transforming the transport infrastructure even further, proposing a 'glass city' in which all cars would drive along rooftops, freeing the ground below for pedestrians.

With both these groundbreaking designs, Paxton and Jellicoe were seeking to harness technology to create bright and light cities, free of pollution and congestion, and utilising the most progressive forms of transport of the day.

Contributors include: Brett Steele, Eric Kuhne, Kate Colquhoun, Isobel Armstrong, Theodora Wayte, Lord Norman Foster, Charlie Burke, David Martlew, John Minnis, Hal Moggridge, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and Kathryn Moore.


WED 00:00 Britain's Lost Treasures Returned: How Houghton Got Its Art Back (b038md6s)
Dan Cruickshank tells the story of how the first British prime minister Robert Walpole's art collection, one of the finest in the 18th century western world, was sold to Russia in the 1770s and how, for the first time, it is returning to Britain for the summer of 2013 to hang in its original home of Houghton Hall in Norfolk.


WED 01:00 The Wonder of Animals (b04dzrtp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 01:30 The Beauty of Anatomy (b04dzrtr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


WED 02:00 Wild China (b00bz1cf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


WED 03:00 Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities (b04f83xq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 21 AUGUST 2014

THU 19:00 World News Today (b04dz2hs)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 BBC Proms (b04f84yz)
2014

BBC Proms Masterworks: Walton and Sibelius

Tom Service reaches the 20th century on his route through Masterworks at the Proms, by way of Jean Sibelius and William Walton. Canadian violinist James Ehnes performs Walton's striking violin concerto, and Thomas Sondergard conducts the National Orchestra of Wales in two works by Sibelius - the transcendent tone poem The Swan of Tuonela, and his Fifth Symphony with its memorable, ecstatic 'swan theme'.


THU 21:00 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074lsn)
Series 2

The Wrong Empire

Simon Schama traces the steps of the empire-makers to tell the extraordinary story of how this small set of islands came to rule an empire that stretched around the globe. How did a trading enterprise based on the idea of liberty become an empire built on the enslavement of millions of Africans? How did Britain lose control of its own colony - America - yet go on to conquer India? On a journey that takes him to Barbados, North America, Canada and India, Schama reveals how Britain came to rule 'the wrong empire'.


THU 22:00 Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe (b007920b)
The Heart of Italy

Francesco da Mosto discovers why Rome is the Eternal City and goes head to head with Mussolini. Travelling via the fantastic water gardens of Villa d'Este and the royal seat of the Bourbon dynasty, he arrives in Naples. After an encounter with Italy's most astonishing sculpture - Sanmartino's Veiled Christ - and a lesson in Neapolitan pizza making, Francesco descends deep into the caverns of underground Naples and discovers an eerie cult of the dead.


THU 23:00 Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners (b04fd6s9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Tuesday]


THU 00:00 King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons (b038dbd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


THU 01:00 Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History (b03lytyp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


THU 02:00 Infested! Living with Parasites (b03vrwj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:00 on Monday]


THU 03:00 A History of Britain by Simon Schama (b0074lsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 22 AUGUST 2014

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b04dz2hy)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b04f85kz)
2014

Friday Night at the Proms: In Memoriam WWI

Razia Iqbal and Petroc Trelawny present a special concert drawing together four composers whose lives and music were impacted by WW1.

The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrew Manze performs Vaughan Williams's post-war composition, the elegiac Pastoral Symphony.

The three promising young composers also featured in the concert were all killed in the war and have left us poignant evocations of lost lands and innocence destroyed - George Butterworth's settings of poems from AE Housman's nostalgic collection A Shropshire Lad; Australian-born Frederick Septimus Kelly's Elegy for his friend Rupert Brooke; and, from across the battle lines, German composer Rudi Stephan's Music for Orchestra.


FRI 21:10 The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (b04dzswb)
Documentary exploring Kate Bush's career and music, from January 1978's Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow, through the testimony of some of her key collaborators and those she has inspired.

Contributors include the guitarist who discovered her (Pink Floyd's David Gilmour), the choreographer who taught her to dance (Lindsay Kemp) and the musician who she said 'opened her doors' (Peter Gabriel), as well as her engineer and ex-partner (Del Palmer) and several other collaborators (Elton John, Stephen Fry and Nigel Kennedy).

Also exploring their abiding fascination with Kate are fans (John Lydon, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui) and musicians who have been influenced by her (St Vincent's Annie Clark, Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes), Tori Amos, Outkast's Big Boi, Guy Garvey and Tricky), as well as writers and comedians who admire her (Jo Brand, Steve Coogan and Neil Gaiman).


FRI 22:10 Kate Bush at the BBC (b04f86xk)
Between 1978 and 1994, Kate Bush appeared on a variety of BBC programmes, including Saturday Night at the Mill, Ask Aspel, the Leo Sayer Show, Wogan and Top of the Pops. This compilation showcases her performances of hit songs such as Wuthering Heights, Babooshka, Running up That Hill and Hounds of Love, alongside other intriguing and lesser-known material in the BBC studios.


FRI 23:10 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b014vzy3)
70s Gold

The Old Grey Whistle Test was launched on 21 September 1971 from a tiny studio tucked behind a lift shaft on the fourth floor of BBC Television Centre. From humble beginnings, it has gone on to provide some of the best and most treasured music archive that the BBC has to offer.

This programme takes us on a journey and celebrates the musically mixed-up decade that was the 1970s, and which is reflected in the OGWT archive. There are classic performances from the glam era by Elton John and David Bowie, an early UK TV appearance from Curtis Mayfield, the beginnings of heavy metal with Steppenwolf's iconic Born to Be Wild anthem and the early punk machinations of the 'mock rock' New York Dolls. Archive from the pinnacle year, 1973, features Roxy Music, The Wailers and Vinegar Joe. The programme's finale celebrates the advent of punk and new wave with unforgettable performances from Patti Smith, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Jam.

Artists featured are Elton John, Lindisfarne, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Steppenwolf, Vinegar Joe, Brinsley Schwarz, New York Dolls, Argent, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Captain Beefheart, Johnny Winter, Dr Feelgood, Gil Scott Heron, Patti Smith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cher & Gregg Allman, Talking Heads, The Jam, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Specials.


FRI 00:40 The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (b04dzswb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:10 today]


FRI 01:40 Kate Bush at the BBC (b04f86xk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:10 today]


FRI 02:40 Top of the Pops (b03mpphy)
1979 - Big Hits

1979 Top of the Pops collection, offering 60 minutes of the year's greatest, cheesiest and oddest performances. 1979 was the year music went portable with the launch of the Sony walkman and another year Top of the Pops, the BBC's flagship music show, managed to still draw over 15 million viewers every Thursday night.

The mod revival and 2 Tone was in full stomp, featured here with the Jam, the Specials, Madness and the Selecter. If new wave was your bag there is Elvis Costello, Squeeze and Gary Numan. In 1979 there was little chance of seeing a show on TV featuring Dame Edna's performance of Waltzing Matilda alongside the Ruts with Babylon's Burning, but the British public's eclectic taste predicted the chart and thus saw them together on TOTP in June.

With singles sales at their peak, it was a regular occurrence for groups like Racey and The Nolans to sell over a million copies and their performances may tell us why, or maybe not! Plus new wave pop from Lene Lovich, disco from Chic and a peek at the nation's favourite, Chas & Dave, singing Gertcha.




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 00:00 TUE (b0074ls0)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 21:00 THU (b0074lsn)

A History of Britain by Simon Schama 03:00 THU (b0074lsn)

An Evening with Glen Campbell 00:15 SAT (b01pyfht)

Art of China 22:00 MON (b04dg5q7)

BBC Proms 19:00 SUN (b04f7ypn)

BBC Proms 19:30 THU (b04f84yz)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b04f85kz)

Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities 21:00 WED (b04f83xq)

Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities 03:00 WED (b04f83xq)

Britain's Lost Treasures Returned: How Houghton Got Its Art Back 00:00 WED (b038md6s)

Dreaming the Impossible: Unbuilt Britain 23:00 WED (p01cyrf9)

Edinburgh Extra 22:00 SUN (b04dznbt)

Egypt's Lost Cities 23:00 SUN (b011pwms)

Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners 21:00 TUE (b04fd6s9)

Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners 03:00 TUE (b04fd6s9)

Everyday Miracles: The Genius of Sofas, Stockings and Scanners 23:00 THU (b04fd6s9)

Forever Young: How Rock 'n' Roll Grew Up 01:30 SUN (b00sxjls)

Francesco's Italy: Top to Toe 22:00 THU (b007920b)

Great American Rock Anthems: Turn it up to 11 00:30 SUN (b03n2w37)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 MON (b03pmz4f)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 TUE (b03pmztz)

Great British Railway Journeys 19:30 WED (b03pn05p)

Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC 02:30 SUN (b049mtxy)

Great Poets in Their Own Words 21:00 SUN (b04dznbr)

Great Poets in Their Own Words 01:00 TUE (b04dznbr)

Human Planet 19:00 SAT (b00rrd83)

Human Planet 01:35 SAT (b00rrd83)

Human Planet 23:00 TUE (b00rrd83)

Infested! Living with Parasites 01:00 MON (b03vrwj8)

Infested! Living with Parasites 02:00 THU (b03vrwj8)

Inspector Montalbano 21:00 SAT (b00g6hqn)

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies 20:00 MON (b01m9vjl)

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies 02:00 MON (b01m9vjl)

John Denver at Wembley Arena 23:35 SAT (b03jgq83)

John Denver: Country Boy 22:35 SAT (b03j4cz2)

Kate Bush at the BBC 22:10 FRI (b04f86xk)

Kate Bush at the BBC 01:40 FRI (b04f86xk)

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons 20:00 TUE (b038dbd5)

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons 02:00 TUE (b038dbd5)

King Alfred and the Anglo Saxons 00:00 THU (b038dbd5)

Secret Knowledge 20:30 SUN (b01r3n6p)

Secret Knowledge 03:30 SUN (b01r3n6p)

Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History 21:00 MON (b03lytyp)

Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History 03:00 MON (b03lytyp)

Shipwrecks: Britain's Sunken History 01:00 THU (b03lytyp)

Tales from the National Parks 20:00 SAT (b016dr0x)

Tales from the National Parks 02:35 SAT (b016dr0x)

Tales from the National Parks 23:00 MON (b016dr0x)

The Beauty of Anatomy 00:30 MON (b04dq8kl)

The Beauty of Anatomy 20:30 WED (b04dzrtr)

The Beauty of Anatomy 01:30 WED (b04dzrtr)

The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill 21:10 FRI (b04dzswb)

The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill 00:40 FRI (b04dzswb)

The London Markets 22:00 TUE (b01j73s3)

The Old Grey Whistle Test 23:10 FRI (b014vzy3)

The Wonder of Animals 00:00 MON (b04dq5tb)

The Wonder of Animals 20:00 WED (b04dzrtp)

The Wonder of Animals 01:00 WED (b04dzrtp)

Top of the Pops 02:40 FRI (b03mpphy)

Wild China 22:00 WED (b00bz1cf)

Wild China 02:00 WED (b00bz1cf)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b04dz2h9)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b04dz2hg)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b04dz2hm)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b04dz2hs)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b04dz2hy)