The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
Michael Portillo embarks on a railway adventure which takes him across the heart of Europe. Steered by his 1913 railway guide, Michael journeys through a prosperous prewar Europe of emperors, kings, pomp and elegance. This early 20th-century handbook opened up an exotic world to the Edwardian tourist. Leaving London behind, Michael follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France. His first stop is Paris where he absorbs the atmosphere of La Belle Époque, before travelling south to the Cote d'Azur.
Professor Alice Roberts and archaeologist Matt Williams present 2014's most outstanding archaeology.
In the summer, archaeologists have been unearthing our history in hundreds of digs across Britain. They have gone to extraordinary lengths to uncover long lost treasures - retelling our story in a way only archaeology can.
With unique access to some of the country's best digs, our teams have been self-shooting their excavations to make sure the audience is there for every moment of discovery.
In this episode, we're in the east of Britain, and the archaeologists join us back in the Norwich Castle Museum to look at the new finds and what they mean. Sites include:
Must Farm: The Cambridgeshire site is called the Pompeii of the Bronze Age and gives an unparalleled glimpse of life 3,000 years ago.
Colchester: Roman treasure hidden as Queen Boudicca rampaged through the town.
Silchester: Important Roman finds from the longest-running archaeological dig in the country tell of the Emperor Nero's personal involvement.
Historian Dan Snow explores the greatest maritime archaeology project in British history - the Mary Rose. Using 40 years of BBC archive footage Dan charts how the Mary Rose was discovered, excavated and eventually raised, and what the latest research has revealed about this iconic ship and her crew. Dan also investigates how the Mary Rose project helped create modern underwater archaeology, examining the techniques, challenges and triumphs of the divers and archaeologists involved.
Seminal 1982 spy drama series. Smiley is hot on the trail leading to Karla, but must make the ultimate sacrifice - cutting off his wife Ann.
The guitar riff is the DNA of rock 'n' roll, a double helix of repetitive simplicity and fiendish complexity on which its history has been built. From Chuck Berry through to The White Stripes, this documentary traces the ebb and flow of the guitar riff over the last 60 years of popular music. With riffs and stories from an all-star cast including Brian May, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, Tony Iommi, Robert Fripp, Johnny Marr, Nancy Wilson, Kevin Shields, Ryan Jarman, Tom Morello and many more. Narrated by Lauren Laverne.
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.
WEDNESDAY 04 FEBRUARY 2015
WED 19:00 World News Today (b051gh2s)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (b01rbrt2)
Series 1 - Reversions
London to Monte Carlo: Part 2
Armed with his 1913 railway guide, in the second part of his journey from London to Monte Carlo, Michael Portillo follows the most popular route of the Edwardian traveller through France. Leaving Paris behind, Michael travels south to the Cote d'Azur to learn why the area attracted the rich and artistic alike, and samples the Edwardian highlife before ending his journey at the gaming tables in glamorous Monte Carlo.
WED 20:00 The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England (p0185y5g)
Melvyn Bragg explores the dramatic story of William Tyndale and his mission to translate the Bible into English. Melvyn reveals the story of a man whose life and legacy have been hidden from history, but whose impact on Christianity in Britain and on the English language endures today. His radical translation of the Bible into English made him a profound threat to the authority of the church and state, and set him on a fateful collision course with Henry VIII's heretic hunters and those of the pope.
WED 21:00 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.
WED 22:30 Timeshift (b04z23k9)
Series 14
Battle for the Himalayas: The Fight to Film Everest
Between the 1920s and the 1960s the world's great powers sent vast military-style expeditions to conquer the peaks of the Himalayas, with Everest at their head. This was a great game played - camera in hand - by Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany and superpower America. As a result, Himalayan mountaineering's most iconic, epic and tragic moments didn't just go down in history, but were caught on film - from the deaths of Mallory and Irvine on Everest in 1924, to Everest's final conquest in 1953 by Hillary and Tensing. Using footage never before seen on British television, this is the story how of how film-makers turned the great peaks into great propaganda.
WED 23:30 The Epic of Everest (b050r7gx)
A remarkable film record of the legendary Everest expedition of 1924, newly restored by the BFI National Archive.
The third attempt to climb Everest culminated in the deaths of two of the finest climbers of their generation, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, and sparked an ongoing debate over whether or not they did indeed reach the summit.
Filming in brutally harsh conditions, Captain John Noel captured images of breathtaking beauty and considerable historic significance, including the earliest filmed records of life in Tibet. But what resonates so deeply is Noel's ability to frame the vulnerability, isolation and courage of people persevering in one of the world's harshest landscapes.
The restoration by the BFI National Archive has transformed the quality of the surviving elements of the film and reintroduced the original coloured tints and tones. The original silent film is brought to life as never before by a haunting new soundtrack composed by Simon Fisher Turner. Revealed by the restoration, few images in cinema are as epic - or moving - as the final shots of a blood red sunset over the Himalayas.
WED 00:55 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.
WED 01:55 Top of the Pops (b050xyfv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:50 on Saturday]
WED 02:40 The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England (p0185y5g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THURSDAY 05 FEBRUARY 2015
THU 19:00 World News Today (b051gh2y)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b051h2xy)
Mike Read presents chart hits of the week, with performances by Buggles, the Nolans, Barbara Dickson, Matchbox, the Regents, the Pretenders, the Specials, Sheila B Devotion and the Boomtown Rats, and a dance sequence by Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 Horizon (b01llnb2)
2012-2013
Mission to Mars
Horizon goes behind the scenes at Nasa as they count down to the landing of a 2.5 billion-dollar rover on the surface of Mars. The nuclear-powered vehicle, the size of a car, will be winched down onto the surface of the red planet from a rocket-powered crane. That's if things go according to plan; Mars has become known as the Bermuda Triangle of space because so many missions there have ended in failure. The Curiosity mission is the most audacious, and expensive, attempt to answer the question of whether there is life on Mars.
THU 21:00 Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time (b01rn6c2)
The city of Pompeii uniquely captures the public's imagination - in AD79 a legendary volcanic disaster left its citizens preserved in ashes to this very day. Yet no-one has been able to unravel the full story that is at the heart of our fascination - how did those bodies become frozen in time?
For the first time, the BBC has been granted unique access to these strange, ghost-like body casts that populate the ruins and, using the latest forensic technology, the chance to peer beneath the surface of the plaster in order to rebuild the faces of two of the people who were killed in this terrible tragedy.
Margaret Mountford turns detective to tell a new story at the heart of one of history's most iconic moments, as she looks at the unique set of circumstances that led to the remarkable preservation of the people of Pompeii. By applying modern-day forensic analysis to this age-old mystery, Margaret dispels the myths surrounding the events in AD79. She also explores the lives of the individuals who once lived in this vibrant and enigmatic city and recreates the last moments of the people caught up in this tragedy.
THU 22:00 A Timewatch Guide (b051h0gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 23:00 Digging for Britain (b051htk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Tuesday]
THU 00:00 Horizon (b01llnb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b051h2xy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:40 Wild Boys: The Story of Duran Duran (b007bqdj)
Duran Duran came out of Birmingham and conquered the world during the 1980s. Originally a New Romantic band in full make-up and cossack pants, they rapidly became bedroom pin-ups for a generation of teenage girls.
Led by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, Duran Duran dominated the British and American charts in the mid-1980s with classic singles such as Rio, Save a Prayer and Wild Boys. Pioneers of the MTV-style promo video - from the X-rated Girls on Film to Raiders of the Lost Ark spoof Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran were the 80s equivalent of The Beatles in America and outsold Spandau Ballet and Wham! in their pomp.
Sixty million records later, Le Bon and Rhodes are seen touring America with their Pop Trash project from the early 2000s. The documentary reflects on the heady heights of Duran Duran's career, the cracks in their make-up plus the effects of sex, drugs and fame on ordinary boys from working-class backgrounds.
Apart from the key Durannies - Le Bon, Rhodes and John Taylor - the programme also features celebrity interviews with Debbie Harry, Yasmin Le Bon, Duran Duran managers Paul and Michael Berrow, Claudia Schiffer, Nile Rodgers and Lou Reed.
THU 02:30 Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time (b01rn6c2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 06 FEBRUARY 2015
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b051gh33)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbv)
Original Series
The Folk Revival
A trawl through the BBC's archives for 60s music with an acoustic bent. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Tim Buckley feature.
FRI 20:00 Symphony (b0170bm6)
Beethoven and Beyond
Simon Russell Beale continues his journey into the world of the symphony with the story of the revolutionary later symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven and their phenomenal impact. We also meet Franz Schubert, whose two greatest symphonies were only discovered after his tragic early death, the obsessive French Romantic Hector Berlioz and the flamboyant pianist turned composer Franz Liszt. The music is performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Halle, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.
FRI 21:00 Genesis: Together and Apart (b04l3phb)
A feature-length documentary about one of the most successful British bands in rock music, reuniting Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Steve Hackett to tell their story. The film recounts their extraordinary musical story, exploring the songwriting and the emotional highs and lows. It features previously unseen archive material and rare footage from across their entire career.
FRI 22:30 Genesis: Three Sides Live (b051wmh7)
Genesis filmed in November 1981 on the Abacab tour in North America, originally released on VHS to coincide with the live album of the same name. It has only ever been released on DVD in the limited edition box set The Movie Box 1981-2007. Originally filmed in 16mm, the footage has now been fully restored and is being reissued as a standalone DVD and Blu-ray for the first time.
The show focuses on tracks from the Duke and Abacab albums, and the tracks are intercut with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the band members. As ever with Genesis, the show is visually stunning and it captures the band in their transition from their progressive days in the 70s through to the hugely successful pop/rock act they became from the mid-80s onwards.
FRI 23:55 TOTP2 (b04lclfn)
Genesis
Top of the Pops 2 dips into the archives to explore both classic collective hits and smash solo singles spanning 20 early years of Genesis history. From the art-rock Gabriel era of flamboyant theatrics and quirky costumes to their eighties evolution into pop superstars, Genesis are both influential experimentalists and a chart-smashing behemoth.
With solo numbers from Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Mike + The Mechanics, this is an eclectic two-sided playlist featuring everything from I Can't Dance to I Know What I Like, No Self Control to In the Air Tonight, and Many Too Many to The Living Years. So Turn It On Again and tune in, from prog to pop, Genesis to Revelation, the hits are here on TOTP2.
FRI 00:40 Genesis: Together and Apart (b04l3phb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 02:10 Genesis: Three Sides Live (b051wmh7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:30 today]
FRI 03:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Timewatch Guide
21:00 TUE (b051h0gy)
A Timewatch Guide
03:00 TUE (b051h0gy)
A Timewatch Guide
22:00 THU (b051h0gy)
Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities
20:00 SAT (b04fmg8j)
Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities
02:40 SAT (b04fmg8j)
Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities
01:00 TUE (b04fmg8j)
Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe
22:50 SAT (b05173ym)
Digging for Britain
20:00 TUE (b051htk1)
Digging for Britain
02:00 TUE (b051htk1)
Digging for Britain
23:00 THU (b051htk1)
Egypt's Lost Cities
21:00 WED (b011pwms)
Genesis: Three Sides Live
22:30 FRI (b051wmh7)
Genesis: Three Sides Live
02:10 FRI (b051wmh7)
Genesis: Together and Apart
21:00 FRI (b04l3phb)
Genesis: Together and Apart
00:40 FRI (b04l3phb)
Great Continental Railway Journeys
19:30 TUE (b01rbqn8)
Great Continental Railway Journeys
19:30 WED (b01rbrt2)
Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC
00:00 TUE (b049mtxy)
Horizon
20:00 THU (b01llnb2)
Horizon
00:00 THU (b01llnb2)
Kraftwerk: Pop Art
00:40 SUN (b050rbzb)
National Treasures of Wales
19:30 MON (b04q1h03)
Play it Loud: The Story of the Marshall Amp
01:40 SAT (b04c3l7j)
Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time
21:00 THU (b01rn6c2)
Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time
02:30 THU (b01rn6c2)
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10
23:20 SAT (b01nwfxs)
Regina: The First Woman Rabbi
21:00 MON (b051wkrw)
Regina: The First Woman Rabbi
02:45 MON (b051wkrw)
Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle
00:55 WED (b04w7wgr)
Shoah
19:00 SUN (b051gr0f)
Smiley's People
22:00 TUE (b007hfx4)
Sound of Song
23:40 SUN (b050rbz8)
Sounds of the 70s 2
03:10 SUN (b01h7pzm)
Sounds of the 70s 2
02:15 MON (b01hz75h)
Sounds of the Sixties
19:30 FRI (b0074qbv)
Sounds of the Sixties
03:30 FRI (b0074qbv)
Spiral
21:00 SAT (b051gn9h)
Spiral
21:55 SAT (b051gn9k)
Storyville
22:00 MON (b051wkry)
Symphony
20:00 FRI (b0170bm6)
Synth Britannia
01:40 SUN (b00n93c4)
TOTP2
23:55 FRI (b04lclfn)
The Cricklewood Greats
00:30 MON (b01bs3ww)
The Epic of Everest
23:30 WED (b050r7gx)
The First World War from Above
19:00 SAT (b00vyrzh)
The Joy of the Guitar Riff
23:00 TUE (b049mtxw)
The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England
20:00 WED (p0185y5g)
The Most Dangerous Man in Tudor England
02:40 WED (p0185y5g)
The Strange Case of the Law
23:30 MON (b01jzqgy)
The Treasure Hunters
20:00 MON (b040zb5q)
The Treasure Hunters
01:15 MON (b040zb5q)
Timeshift
22:30 WED (b04z23k9)
Top of the Pops
00:50 SAT (b050xyfv)
Top of the Pops
01:55 WED (b050xyfv)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b051h2xy)
Top of the Pops
01:00 THU (b051h2xy)
Wild Boys: The Story of Duran Duran
01:40 THU (b007bqdj)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b051gh2g)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b051gh2m)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b051gh2s)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b051gh2y)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b051gh33)