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 20 DECEMBER 2014

SAT 19:00 Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice (b00wylng)
Shot mainly using spy cameras, this film gets closer than ever before to the world's greatest land predator.

Icebergcam, Blizzardcam and Snowballcam are a new generation of covert devices on a mission to explore the Arctic islands of Svalbard in Norway. Backed up by Snowcam and Driftcam, these state-of-the-art camouflaged cameras reveal the extraordinary curiosity and intelligence of the polar bear.

The cameras are just a breath away when two sets of cubs emerge from winter maternity dens. They also capture the moment when the sea ice breaks away from the island in the spring. As one set of mother and cubs journey across the drifting ice in search of seals, the other is marooned on the island with very little food. How they cope with their different fates is captured in revelatory close-up detail.

The cameras also follow the bears as they hunt seals, raid bird colonies, dive for kelp and indulge in entertaining courtship rituals. Icebergcam even discovers their little-known social nature as seven bears share a washed-up whale carcass.

Often just a paw's swipe from the play-fighting and squabbling bears, the spy cameras face their most challenging subject yet. When their curious subjects discover the cameras, they are subjected to some comical-but-destructive encounters.

As the film captures its intimate portrait of polar bears' lives, it reveals how their intelligence and curiosity help them cope in a world of shrinking ice.


SAT 20:00 Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told (b03pzv9m)
Documentary about an adventure that has become known as the greatest dog story ever told and captured the imagination of children and adults throughout the world for almost a century.

On January 28 1925, newspapers and radio stations broke a terrifying story - diphtheria had broken out in Nome, Alaska, a city separated from the rest of the world for seven months by a frozen ocean. With aviation still in its infancy and amidst one of the harshest winters on record, there was only one way to reach the town - dogsled. In minus 60 degrees, over 20 men and at least 150 dogs, among them the famous Balto, set out to relay the antitoxin across 674 miles of Alaskan wilderness to save the town.


SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b01n8h6r)
The Track of Sand

Montalbano wakes up one morning to find the carcass of a dead horse stranded on the beach below his house. Soon after, a beautiful woman walks into Vigata police station to report the abduction of her racehorse. A line of investigation emerges that brings Montalbano into contact with the elegant world of horse racing, via some illegal horse betting rackets organised by the Mafia.

In Italian with English subtitles.


SAT 22:40 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.


SAT 00:10 Kings of Rock and Roll (b007c95q)
A journey back to the 1950s for a look at the wildest pop music of all time in a film that tells the stories of Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, giants from an era when pop music really was mad, bad and dangerous to know.

The programme features the artists themselves, alongside people like Bill Haley's original Comets, The Crickets, Buddy Holly's widow Maria Elena, Jerry Lee Lewis's former wife Myra Gail and his sister, Chuck Berry's son and many more, including June Juanico, Elvis's first serious girlfriend.

Other contributors include Tom Jones, Jamie Callum, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Green Day, Minnie Driver, Jack White of The White Stripes, The Mavericks, Jools Holland, Hank Marvin, Fontella Bass, John Waters and more.

Elvis's pelvis was just the start. Who had to change the lyrics to their biggest hit because the originals were too obscene? Who married their 13-year-old cousin? Who used lard to get their hair just right? And what happened on the day the music died?


SAT 01:10 50s Britannia (b01sgbw2)
Rock 'n' Roll Britannia

Long before the Beatles there was British rock 'n' roll. Between 1956 and 1960 British youth created a unique copy of a distant and scarce American original whilst most parents, professional jazz men and even the BBC did their level best to snuff it out.

From its first faltering steps as a facsimile of Bill Haley's swing style to the sophistication of self-penned landmarks such as Shakin' All Over and The Sound of Fury, this is the story of how the likes of Lord Rockingham's XI, Vince Taylor and Cliff Richard and The Shadows laid the foundations for an enduring 50-year culture of rock 'n' roll.

Now well into their seventies, the flame still burns strong in the hearts of the original young ones. Featuring Sir Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Joe Brown, Bruce Welch, Cherry Wainer and The Quarrymen.


SAT 02:15 The Fight for Saturday Night (b04v85k6)
Michael Grade tells a tale of television skullduggery and dirty dealings in the battle to win the Saturday night ratings crown.



SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2014

SUN 19:00 The Fir Tree (b03mv09c)
Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale, this remarkable Danish film tells the story of a Christmas tree from a most unusual angle - through the 'voice' of the tree itself. The tree has big ambitions, doing everything it can to grow so tall that it reaches the sky. Featuring extraordinary photography, the film follows the adventures of its life from sapling to maturity, culminating in a triumphal Christmas Day. Along the way, viewers experience the natural - and human - world from a strangely moving perspective.


SUN 19:30 Tales of Winter: The Art of Snow and Ice (b01q6qj6)
Winter was not always beautiful. Until Pieter Bruegel painted Hunters in the Snow, the long bitter months had never been transformed into a thing of beauty. This documentary charts how mankind's ever changing struggle with winter has been reflected in western art throughout the ages, resulting in images that are now amongst the greatest paintings of all time. With contributions from Grayson Perry, Will Self, Don McCullin and many others, the film takes an eclectic group of people from all walks of life out into the cold to reflect on the paintings that have come to define the art of snow and ice.


SUN 21:00 Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle (b04w7wgr)
Sammy Davis Jr was born to entertain. He was a human dynamo who made his debut at the age of five and by the time he was a teenager was wowing audiences across America. A gifted dancer, actor and singer, and a key member of the Rat Pack, Davis is best remembered for his unforgettable rendition of Mr Bojangles and his number one single The Candyman.

However, as a black man, making his way in the entertainment business saw him struggle to overcome racial prejudice, letter bombs and death threats. Davis fought back with his talent and in the 1960s marched alongside Dr Martin Luther King. Despite his reputation as a civil rights campaigner and one of the world's greatest entertainers, Davis remains an enigma. Those closest to him tell of a man never quite comfortable in his own skin, a workaholic and spendaholic who put his career before his family and who died leaving them millions of dollars in debt.

This documentary is Sammy Davis Jr's remarkable life story - his rise and his fall - told by those who knew him best. For the first time his family and friends including Paul Anka, Engelbert Humperdinck, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Ben Vereen share their memories - shedding new light on the legacy of one of the most gifted and loved performers in show business.


SUN 22:00 An Evening with Sammy Davis Jr (b04w7wn5)
A compilation of the very best of Sammy Davis Jr's famous 1960s performances for the BBC, that leaves no doubt as to why at the time he was billed as the world's greatest living entertainer. This show captures Davis as the ultimate swinger, singer and gunslinger, performing classic songs like My Funny Valentine and Once in a Lifetime, showing how he's quick on the draw with a pistol, and demonstrating his incredible impersonations of some of the best-known stars of the era.


SUN 23:00 imagine... (b04pln3f)
Winter 2014

Bette Midler: The Divine Miss M

As she is about to begin a run on Broadway in Hello Dolly, imagine... revisits Miss M in New York in a programme first shown in 2014 when she was about to release her girl band-inspired album.

For five decades the woman they call the Divine Miss M has forged a path which has taken her from a pineapple-canning factory in Honolulu to becoming a Hollywood legend. Alan Yentob joins Bette Midler on a journey through the chorus lines of Broadway and the bathhouses and nightclubs of the 1970s to the very top of the film industry. Her combination of a soulful voice and the raucous wit of Mae West has made her name as an outrageous, but always captivating, all-round entertainer.


SUN 00:15 Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle (b04w7wgr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


SUN 01:15 An Evening with Sammy Davis Jr (b04w7wn5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


SUN 02:15 imagine... (b04pln3f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]


SUN 03:30 The Fir Tree (b03mv09c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



MONDAY 22 DECEMBER 2014

MON 19:00 Guys and Dolls (b0078gmw)
Lavish film version of the classic Broadway musical, based on Damon Runyon's short stories. A gambler in need of cash bets he can make any girl go to Havana with him. But his pals pick a girl at the Save a Soul Mission in need of recruiting sinners to her cause. Includes songs such as Adelaide's Lament and Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat.


MON 21:25 Storyville (b04vxys6)
Panto! Mayhem, Make Up and Magic

Storyville presents a heartfelt and heartbreaking documentary following a cast of Nottingham amateur actors staging a production of Puss in Boots.

It tells the story of how a small community theatre fights to keep afloat in austere times. With arts subsidies slashed, the cast must rely on ticket sales to keep afloat. This hilarious backstage glimpse follows their attempts to rehearse, provide costumes and scenery on a minuscule budget. Malfunctioning pyrotechnics and a donkey costume that exposes more than expected are just some of the challenges they face.

With a cast of amateurs, some of the challenges are human rather than technical. The film follows their attempts to master the singing, dancing and acting required for a pantomime - a greater challenge than Shakespeare, according to one of the participants.

The film movingly uncovers what it means to the cast, reflecting the vital and life-changing role the theatre plays in people's lives.


MON 22:35 The Joy of the Bee Gees (b04v8677)
Guilty pleasure or genius, misfits or mavericks, noble or naff - how do we really feel about the Bee Gees? Are the brothers Gibb a cacophony of falsettos or songwriting maestros, the soundtrack to every office party or masters of melancholy and existential rage? Are they comedy or Tragedy? How deep is our love and how deep are the Bee Gees?

With a back catalogue that includes hits like How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, Massachusetts, Islands in the Stream, Stayin' Alive, Chain Reaction, How Deep Is Your Love, Gotta Get a Message to You, Words, To Love Somebody and Night Fever, the Bee Gees are second only to the Beatles in the 20th-century songwriting pantheon, but while their pop success spans several decades, there are different Bee Gees in different eras. Is there a central glue that unites the brothers and their music and, if so, what is it?

The Joy of the Bee Gees features a rare interview with the last remaining Bee Gee brother, Barry Gibb, many of those musicians and industry figures who have worked with them closely over the years, and a surprising cast of Bee Gees aficionados including John Lydon, Ana Matronic, Guy Chambers, Mykaell Riley and Alexis Petridis, who together share their stories and their insights into the band whose music and image moved us in the 60s and defined pop culture in the mid-to-late 1970s.

The film explores how the band were iconoclasts and outsiders, brothers in the family business, who worked best when together but who grew up and played out their fraternal struggles in public. The brothers went from child stars on the Australian variety circuit to competitors with the Beatles in the UK charts in the late 60s, scoring number one hits while still only teenagers.

In the mid-70s, the former 'beat group' reimagined themselves as a close-knit soul boy trio. The Saturday Night Fever album shot them to global superstardom and every radio station played a song written, produced or sung by the Bee Gees. The saturation of their music and their iconic 'medallion man' image would ultimately elbow them out of fashion, even make them figures of fun...

But you can't keep a good band down and in the 80s they became writing guns-for-hire to stars such as Kenny & Dolly, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross. 1987 saw the band come back yet again and hit the top of the charts. The deaths of Maurice and then Robin brought the Bee Gees' reign to an end, but Barry and their music live on.

Let's enjoy finding out why and how: welcome to The Joy of the Bee Gees.


MON 23:35 The Bee Gees at the BBC... and Beyond (b04v8679)
Classic Bee Gees studio performances from the BBC and beyond including all the big hits, rare 60s performances from European TV, including a stunning I Started a Joke, a rarely seen Top of the Pops performance of World, the big hits of the 70s and some late performances from the 90s, with the brothers Gibb in perfect harmony.


MON 00:35 Castles: Britain's Fortified History (b04v85sy)
Defence of the Realm

Sam Willis explores how, by the Wars of the Roses, castles were under attack from a new threat - the cannon - but survived into the Tudor era only to find their whole purpose challenged. What had once been strategic seats of power now had to keep up with the fickle fashions of the court and become palaces to impress monarchs such as Elizabeth I.

Just as castles seemed to have lost their defensive function, the English Civil War erupted. The legacy of that tumultuous period resulted in castles no longer being associated with protection. Rather, their ruins took on a unique appeal, embodying a nostalgia for an age of chivalry that became a powerful part of the national psyche.


MON 01:35 Puppy Love (b04v85t0)
Episode 6

With her marriage on the rocks, having had to pack up her home to cope with subsidence and dealing with difficult Polish builders demanding money, Naomi isn't having an easy time of it, and things are made even worse when her labrador retriever Charlie goes missing.

Nana V is visited by fire safety officer Damon Peachey, with whom she shares an online past, and both Tony and herself find themselves intrigued by the idea of a fire starting in the caravan, and the subsequent insurance claim. But it comes as a shock to them when Nana V's family and No Name's new pups are put into danger when a microwave unwittingly explodes.

Desperate for help in finding her dog, Naomi enlists the canine expertise of Nana V to help her track Charlie down, and the two women form an unexpected bond, growing closer in adversity.


MON 02:05 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sll)
Episode 4

Another in the series of 1980s pop archive shows highlights those bands that swayed on the spot, compulsory for the synthesiser bands that dominated the decade. Doing the standing still are Depeche Mode (featuring Vince Clarke), The Human League, Yazoo (featuring Vince Clarke), Soft Cell, New Order, Bronski Beat, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure (featuring Vince Clarke).


MON 02:35 Storyville (b04vxys6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:25 today]



TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2014

TUE 19:00 Robin and the Seven Hoods (b00g3692)
The Robin Hood legend is updated to 1928 Prohibition-era Chicago in this spoof gangster film in which a good-at-heart mobster becomes a folk hero among the poor when he and his merry gang set about usurping the underworld's new kingpin. Songs include My Kind of Town, which was nominated for an Academy Award.


TUE 21:00 Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza (b04w7zlm)
Len Goodman investigates the rise and fall of British big band music and charts its recent revival. Before the war, popular jazz and dance band music enjoyed universal appeal, capable of reaching out to people across the generations.

Len spent many of his early days listening, and of course dancing, to the music of Ted Heath, Glenn Miller and Joe Loss. He has an enormous affection for the days when swing was king and top of the pile were the big bands. Len returns to some of his old stamping grounds and discovers why we continue to love this bold and brassy art form.

The film looks at how the bands survived, and indeed thrived, in the years after the war. Eventually, though, the world around them moved on. The rise of teenager culture, rock 'n' roll, pop and other forms of jazz, blues and folk meant big bands were struggling to compete in a crowded market, one that catered for an incredibly diverse range of musical tastes.

Today we've come full circle. The big bands are enjoying something of a revival, and once again have universal appeal. Bands live on in towns and cities across the UK. Artists such as Robbie Williams have also introduced a new generation to the sound of swing and popular big band jazz. And, as Len says: 'Everyone seems to have an affection for it - and, you know what - when I hear Glenn Miller's music drifting lazily through the air, I can really understand why...'.


TUE 22:00 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.


TUE 23:25 Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (b007cllb)
The Carpenters were one of the biggest selling pop artists of the 1970s, but what seemed on the surface as the perfect, wholesome brother and sister duo hid a destructive complex truth that was unknown to the world.

Featuring behind the scenes footage, interviews with brother Richard, family and friends, this documentary traces the story that ended in tragedy with sister Karen's untimely death aged just 32.


TUE 00:25 Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend (b04bf1lf)
The northern soul phenomenon was the most exciting underground British club movement of the 70s. At its high point, thousands of disenchanted white working class youths across the north of England danced to obscure, mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds until the sun rose. A dynamic culture of fashions, dance moves, vinyl obsession and much more grew up around this - all fuelled by the love of rare black American soul music with an express-train beat.

Through vivid first-hand accounts and rare archive footage, this film charts northern soul's dramatic rise, fall and rebirth. It reveals the scene's roots in the mod culture of the 60s and how key clubs like Manchester's Twisted Wheel and Sheffield's Mojo helped create the prototype that would blossom in the next decade.

By the early 70s a new generation of youngsters in the north were transforming the old ballrooms and dancehalls of their parents' generation into citadels of the northern soul experience, creating a genuine alternative to mainstream British pop culture. This was decades before the internet, when people had to travel great distances to enjoy the music they felt so passionate about.

Set against a rich cultural and social backdrop, the film shows how the euphoria and release that northern soul gave these clubbers provided an escape from the bleak reality of their daily lives during the turbulent 70s. After thriving in almost total isolation from the rest of the UK, northern soul was commercialised and broke nationwide in the second half of the 70s. But just as this happened, the once-healthy rivalry between the clubs in the north fell apart amidst bitter in-fighting over the direction the scene should go.

Today, northern soul is more popular than ever, but it was back in the 70s that one of the most fascinating and unique British club cultures rose to glory. Contributors include key northern soul DJs like Richard Searling, Ian Levine, Colin Curtis and Kev Roberts alongside Lisa Stansfield, Norman Jay, Pete Waterman, Marc Almond, Peter Stringfellow and others.


TUE 01:25 Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza (b04w7zlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:25 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2014

WED 19:00 Carols from King's (b04w80ny)
1954: A Festival of Lessons and Carols

Over 60 years ago, the BBC broadcast the first Carols from King's live from the world-famous chapel of the Cambridge university college. The transmission took place at eight o'clock on the evening of December 23rd, sandwiched between the news and an edition of Sportsview in which Brian Johnston reported on England's ultimately successful Ashes tour.

But the 44-minute recital was also recorded and has now been digitally remastered to offer today's audience a unique glimpse into the beginnings of this Christmas institution. Led by the organist and director of music Boris Ord, the concert opens with the now traditional solo of Once in Royal David's City and includes In Dulce Jubilo and While Shepherds Watched, before the equally familiar closing anthem of O Come All Ye Faithful.


WED 19:45 Wild (b00jd9yx)
Scotland

Otters, Puffins and Seals

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan explores his native Mull and some of the nearby islands, filming otters, deer, puffins, seals and a minke whale.


WED 20:00 Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank (b04w80p0)
Two of the biggest musical celebrities of the 20th century come together with Christmas songs old and new in this classic holiday special from 1957, filmed in colour. As Frank Sinatra casually trims his Christmas tree on a very hip, fashionable bachelor apartment stage set, his good friend Bing Crosby drops by, bearing an armful of gifts. They go on to perform their favourite Christmas songs, among them Jingle Bells, Sinatra's version of Mistletoe and Holly and Crosby's famed White Christmas.

Directed by Frank Sinatra himself, this nostalgic half-hour harks back to Victorian Christmases of old. A magical TV moment of swingin' old-school cool.


WED 20:30 Arena (b009w2yc)
Oooh er Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story

Documentary about the life of Frankie Howerd, with help from friends and colleagues and including highlights from his TV and film career.


WED 21:30 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
Christmas 1979

David Jensen and Peter Powell present the Christmas special focusing on 1979's best chart hits. Includes performances from Lena Martell, Janet Kay, BA Robertson, Cliff Richard, Boney M, Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, Squeeze, Buggles, Ian Dury, Blondie, Racey, Elvis Costello, Roxy Music and Dr Hook. With a dance sequence by Legs & Co.


WED 22:30 Some People with Jokes (b04w80p3)
Some Santas with Jokes

Father Christmases from across Britain take time out of their busy schedules to share their favourite jokes and get the whole nation going 'ho-ho-ho!'.


WED 23:00 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.


WED 00:35 Swingin' Christmas (b00wyltw)
Michael Parkinson presents the sensational John Wilson Orchestra in a celebration of festive musical treats from the golden age of swing, with soloists Seth MacFarlane, Anna-Jane Casey and special guest Curtis Stigers. The Christmas classics include Winter Wonderland, Baby It's Cold Outside, Let It Snow and White Christmas.


WED 01:45 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


WED 02:45 Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle (b04w7wgr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]



THURSDAY 25 DECEMBER 2014

THU 19:00 The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet (b04w815s)
Shakespeare's late, great romance The Winter's Tale is brought to exuberant and colourful life by The Royal Ballet in choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's full-length production, which had its world premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2014.

This classic story follows the destruction of a marriage through all-consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret - and after a statue comes miraculously to life - the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Wheeldon continues his highly successful collaboration with designer Bob Crowley and composer Joby Talbot to bring this striking and poignant production to the stage, with a cast of world-class dancers interpreting one of Shakespeare's most moving plays.


THU 21:00 The Lady Vanishes (b0078kyh)
One moment Miss Froy was sitting there, on the train, London-bound from Tyrol. The next she had vanished. Some passengers claim she was never there, but Iris is certain she saw her. Was it her imagination?


THU 22:30 Top of the Pops (b008ptfg)
Christmas 1978

Noel Edmonds presents a special Top of the Pops from 1978, with Darts, Abba, Boney M, Brotherhood of Man, Father Abraham, Bee Gees, Brian and Michael, Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, Wings, Showaddywaddy, Rose Royce, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta and Legs and Co.


THU 23:30 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 on Wednesday]


THU 00:35 Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (b007cllb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:25 on Tuesday]


THU 01:35 The Fir Tree (b03mv09c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


THU 02:00 The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet (b04w815s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2014

FRI 19:00 Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere (b00g81g7)
Simon Russell Beale tells the story behind Allegri's Miserere, one of the most popular pieces of sacred music ever written. The programme features a full performance of the piece by the award-winning choir the Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.


FRI 19:30 Carlos Acosta's Cuban Night (b04w8351)
International ballet star Carlos Acosta curates and stars in a mixed programme of vibrant Cuban dance inspired by his homeland and performed and recorded on the main stage of the Royal Opera House in July 2014. Uniting dancers and choreographers from the Royal Ballet, Rambert, Cuban National Ballet and Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Acosta explores the varied styles of Cuban contemporary dance, presenting world premieres by contemporary Cuban choreographers and Cuban dance stars. The programme include Acosta's Tocororo Suite, a selection of highlights from his hugely popular 2003 dance work completely reimagined for the Royal Opera House main stage.


FRI 21:00 Wallander (b04wjs5l)
Faceless Killers

Part 1

Kurt Wallander and his team investigate the callous murder of an elderly man in his remote farmhouse, but there is no obvious motivation or reason for the brutal beating his wife received from the attackers. Further research indicates that the victim possessed several different bank accounts, but the source of his income remains a mystery.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


FRI 21:55 Wallander (b04wrm2g)
Faceless Killers

Part 2

Badly injured in his rescue attempt at the blazing barracks at the refugee camp, Kurt is convinced that the arson and the murders of the Lovgrens are related, but cannot find the link. He is put under even more pressure when the new state prosecutor finds fault with an open and shut case his team have already closed, and as if things weren't bad enough in his professional life, a visit to his ex in Malmo ends in disaster.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


FRI 22:50 Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned (b048wwlk)
From My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock to God Save the Queen, this is the story of ten records from the 1930s to the present day that have been banned by the BBC. The reasons why these songs were censored reveals the changing controversies around youth culture over the last 75 years, with Bing Crosby and the Munchkins among the unlikely names to have met the wrath of the BBC.

With contributions from Carrie Grant, Paul Morley, Stuart Maconie, Glen Matlock, Mike Read and John Robb.


FRI 23:50 More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On (b048wwpz)
Compilation of songs previously banned by the BBC, including Lola by The Kinks, Jackie by Scott Walker and We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang by Heaven 17.


FRI 00:50 Arena (b00rs3w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Wednesday]


FRI 02:25 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]




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

50s Britannia 01:10 SAT (b01sgbw2)

An Evening with Sammy Davis Jr 22:00 SUN (b04w7wn5)

An Evening with Sammy Davis Jr 01:15 SUN (b04w7wn5)

Arena 20:30 WED (b009w2yc)

Arena 23:00 WED (b00rs3w6)

Arena 00:50 FRI (b00rs3w6)

BBC Proms 22:00 TUE (b04f7ypn)

BBC Proms 02:25 TUE (b04f7ypn)

BBC Proms 02:25 FRI (b04f7ypn)

Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned 22:50 FRI (b048wwlk)

Carlos Acosta's Cuban Night 19:30 FRI (b04w8351)

Carols from King's 19:00 WED (b04w80ny)

Castles: Britain's Fortified History 00:35 MON (b04v85sy)

Guys and Dolls 19:00 MON (b0078gmw)

Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank 20:00 WED (b04w80p0)

Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told 20:00 SAT (b03pzv9m)

Inspector Montalbano 21:00 SAT (b01n8h6r)

Kings of Rock and Roll 00:10 SAT (b007c95q)

Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza 21:00 TUE (b04w7zlm)

Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza 01:25 TUE (b04w7zlm)

More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On 23:50 FRI (b048wwpz)

Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend 00:25 TUE (b04bf1lf)

Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story 23:25 TUE (b007cllb)

Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story 00:35 THU (b007cllb)

Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice 19:00 SAT (b00wylng)

Puppy Love 01:35 MON (b04v85t0)

Robin and the Seven Hoods 19:00 TUE (b00g3692)

Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere 19:00 FRI (b00g81g7)

Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle 21:00 SUN (b04w7wgr)

Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle 00:15 SUN (b04w7wgr)

Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle 02:45 WED (b04w7wgr)

Some People with Jokes 22:30 WED (b04w80p3)

Sounds of the Eighties 02:05 MON (b0074sll)

Storyville 21:25 MON (b04vxys6)

Storyville 02:35 MON (b04vxys6)

Swingin' Christmas 00:35 WED (b00wyltw)

Tales of Winter: The Art of Snow and Ice 19:30 SUN (b01q6qj6)

The Bee Gees at the BBC... and Beyond 23:35 MON (b04v8679)

The Fight for Saturday Night 02:15 SAT (b04v85k6)

The Fir Tree 19:00 SUN (b03mv09c)

The Fir Tree 03:30 SUN (b03mv09c)

The Fir Tree 01:35 THU (b03mv09c)

The Joy of the Bee Gees 22:35 MON (b04v8677)

The Lady Vanishes 21:00 THU (b0078kyh)

The Old Grey Whistle Test 22:40 SAT (b014vzy3)

The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet 19:00 THU (b04w815s)

The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet 02:00 THU (b04w815s)

Top of the Pops 21:30 WED (b04wh10g)

Top of the Pops 01:45 WED (b04wh10g)

Top of the Pops 22:30 THU (b008ptfg)

Top of the Pops 23:30 THU (b04wh10g)

Wallander 21:00 FRI (b04wjs5l)

Wallander 21:55 FRI (b04wrm2g)

Wild 19:45 WED (b00jd9yx)

imagine... 23:00 SUN (b04pln3f)

imagine... 02:15 SUN (b04pln3f)