The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
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.
What happens when gold is discovered in the hills around a tiny Scottish village? In the final episode of the series, Richard Macer spends a year in the small remote community of Tyndrum, where gold fever has gripped the residents. The Loch Lomond Park Authority will decide whether to give permission for the gold mine, and there are lots of organisations that think Scotland's first gold mine is an abhorrent idea.
The villagers are adamant that the gold mine is the only way prosperity can be brought to their struggling community and they are determined to get the mine approved. But who wins is down to the park board members who are due to vote on the goldmine at a hearing in the village hall.
Groundbreaking documentary which follows a Japanese-led team of scientists as they attempt to shed light on the mysterious world of deep sea sharks.
Only 50 specimens of the newly discovered 'megamouth' have ever been sighted. Over four years, scientists and film crews voyaged in midget submarines into the depths of Suruga Bay and Sagami Bay to film them. Prehistoric 'living fossil' sharks such as bluntnose sixgill sharks, goblin sharks and frilled sharks also lurk in the depths.
As part of the investigation, a sperm whale carcass was placed at the bottom of the sea to attract these sharks, which were then studied and observed from the submersible vessels. Revealing in detail the previously unknown behaviour of deep sea sharks, the film unravels another of the intriguing mysteries of our planet's biodiversity.
The story of Machli, the most famous tiger in the world. She is a legendary fighter and a wise mother of nine cubs who has founded a vast dynasty of tigers.
She is now in the last season of her life and wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson returns to find his old friend one last time. This film shows the extraordinary milestones in Machli's life, all set in the most stunning Indian scenery.
Great pop records are the soundtrack to our lives, and that is why number one hits hold a totemic place in our culture. This film goes in search of what it takes to get a number one hit single, uncovering how people have done it and the effect it had on their lives. As the exploration moves through the decades, the goal is to trace the various routes that lead to the top of the singles chart and discover the role played by art, science, chance and manipulation in reaching the pinnacle of pop.
Documentary which looks at the reign of terror of dictator Pol Pot, responsible for the deaths of two million people in the killing fields of Cambodia. He used hunger and fear to control not just what his people did and said, but what they wore, where they lived, even who they loved. Though no true record was filmed of his new society, with the help of carefully researched drama scenes, and drawing on Pol Pot's own words and of those who were closest to him, the film charts his rise to power.
THURSDAY 16 JULY 2015
THU 19:00 World News Today (b0622p1b)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b062mf6g)
Peter Powell presents chart hits of the week. Guests include the Barracudas, Gary Numan, the Selecter, Mike Berry, the Skids, Elton John, Sue Wilkinson, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Village People, Judas Priest and David Bowie, plus a dance routine from Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 The Golden Age of Steam Railways (b01p8w38)
Small Is Beautiful
Two-part documentary telling the remarkable story of a band of visionaries who rescued some of the little narrow gauge railways that once served Britain's industries. These small railways and the steam engines that ran on them were once the driving force of Britain's mines, quarries, factories and docks. Then, as they disappeared after 1945, volunteers set to work to bring the lines and the steam engines back to life and started a movement which spread throughout the world. Their home movies tell the story of how they helped millions reconnect with a past they thought had gone forever.
THU 21:00 Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled (b04p1vx1)
Episode 1
Examining the first half of Queen Victoria's life, biographer AN Wilson goes in search of a monarch too often misunderstood as the solid black-clad matron and reveals a woman who was passionately romantic and who spent her years as a child and young queen fighting the control of domineering men.
Queen Victoria was one of the 19th century's most prolific diarists, sometimes writing up to 2,500 words a day. From state affairs to family gossip, she poured out her emotions onto paper. Those close to her were afraid her more alarming opinions might escape in written form, causing havoc. In fact much of her writing was destroyed after her death and her personal journals edited by her daughter. But what survives frequently reveals a woman quite different to the one we think we know. AN Wilson reads her personal journals and unpublished letters and discovers the factors that shaped the queen's personality. From the tortured relationship with her mother, to the dominant men she clung to in search of a father figure and the powerful struggle that made her marriage to Prince Albert a battleground, Queen Victoria was always a woman in search of intimate relationships. As a daughter, a wife, a mother and the queen of a growing empire, as friends and family came and went, her pen remained her constant companion and friend.
Queen Victoria's journals and letters are read by Anna Chancellor throughout.
THU 22:00 Digging for Britain (b051htk1)
Series 3
East
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.
Oakington: Burial rituals revealing the secrets of Anglo-Saxon childbirth.
Lyminge: Investigating a mysterious Anglo-Saxon royal hall.
Basing House: Examining the final days of this 16th-century Tudor complex.
Silchester: Important Roman finds from the longest-running archaeological dig in the country tell of the Emperor Nero's personal involvement.
THU 23:00 Tales from the Tour Bus: Rock 'n' Roll on the Road (b05rjc9c)
Rock legend and tour bus aficionado Rick Wakeman takes us on a time-travelling trip through the decades in this first-hand account of rockers on the road from the late 1950s to the 80s and beyond.
It's an often bumpy and sometimes sleepless ride down the A roads and motorways of the UK during the golden age of rock 'n' roll touring - a secret history of transport cafes, transit vans, B&Bs, sleepless roadies and of loved ones left at home or, on one occasion, by the roadside. And it's also a secret history of audiences both good and bad, and the gigs themselves - from the early variety package to the head clubs, the stadiums and the pubs.
This is life in the British fast lane as told by Rick and the bands themselves, a film about the very lifeblood of the rock 'n' roll wagon train. With members of Dr Feelgood, Suzi Quatro, The Shadows, The Pretty Things, Fairport Convention, Happy Mondays, Aswad, Girlschool, The Damned and many more.
THU 00:00 Britain and the Sea (p01k4zs9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b062mf6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:45 Cold War, Hot Jets (b03h8r3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
THU 02:45 Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled (b04p1vx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 17 JULY 2015
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b0622p1h)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:35 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01l2t55)
Rachmaninov Piano
Another chance to hear a live performance from the 2008 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 4 - a composition with a distinctive jazzy quality and a theme in the second movement partially based on the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice. Russian virtuoso pianist Boris Berezovsky performs with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under the baton of conductor Antonio Pappano.
FRI 20:00 Golf: The Open (b064p003)
2015
Day 2: Part 2
Hazel Irvine and Dan Walker with live extended coverage of day two of The Open at St Andrews.
FRI 21:55 Rock 'n' Roll America (b0623809)
Be My Baby
In the years bookended by Buddy Holly's death in early 1959 and The Beatles landing at JFK in spring 1964, rock 'n' roll calmed down, went uptown and got spun into teen pop in a number of America's biggest cities. Philadelphia produced 'teen idols' like Fabian who were beamed around the country by the daily TV show Bandstand. Young Jewish songwriters in New York's Brill Building drove girl groups on the east coast who gave a female voice to teenage romance. Rock 'n' roll even fuelled the Motown sound in Detroit and soundtracked the sunshiny west coast dream from guitar instrumental groups like The Ventures to LA's emerging Beach Boys.
In the early 60s, rock 'n' roll was birthing increasingly polished pop sounds across the States, but American teens seemed to have settled back into sensible young adulthood. Enter the long-haired boys from Liverpool, Newcastle and London.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E King, Chubby Checker, Ronnie Spector, Barrett Strong, Eric Burdon and Pat Boone.
FRI 22:55 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01b4x9g)
How the West Was Won
In the 1960s, arriving British groups were astounded by pizza, skyscrapers and real cowboys while America fell in love with a curious blend of swinging London and ye olde England.
FRI 23:55 Big in America: British Hits in the USA (b01bywsr)
Compilation of British rock 'n' roll acts in performance with tracks that crossed over to the US charts. From The Dave Clark Five to Coldplay, the Brits have rocked America and sometimes even done better across the pond than here - take a bow A Flock of Seagulls, Supertramp and Bush - who are also included here alongside darker British global exports like Black Sabbath and The Cure.
FRI 00:55 Rock 'n' Roll America (b0623809)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:55 today]
FRI 01:55 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 02:55 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01b4x9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:55 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
Big in America: British Hits in the USA
23:55 FRI (b01bywsr)
Biggest Band Break Ups and Make Ups
23:00 TUE (b05q472d)
Britain and the Sea
21:00 TUE (p01k4zs9)
Britain and the Sea
02:30 TUE (p01k4zs9)
Britain and the Sea
00:00 THU (p01k4zs9)
Chuck Berry in Concert
03:00 SUN (b0074rbc)
Cold War, Hot Jets
22:00 TUE (b03h8r3y)
Cold War, Hot Jets
01:45 THU (b03h8r3y)
Concerto at the BBC Proms
19:35 FRI (b01l2t55)
Cordon
21:00 SAT (b062m9jx)
Cordon
21:50 SAT (b062m9jz)
Digging for Britain
22:00 THU (b051htk1)
Elvis: That's Alright Mama 60 Years On
00:00 SUN (b04c3l7g)
Golf: The Open
20:00 FRI (b064p003)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 MON (b01qmd9l)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 TUE (b03pmrvk)
Great British Railway Journeys
20:00 TUE (b03pmxg5)
Great British Railway Journeys
19:30 WED (b03pmz4f)
Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer?
20:00 MON (b00l7qdh)
Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer?
02:35 MON (b00l7qdh)
Hive Minds
20:30 TUE (b062md2n)
Hive Minds
01:00 TUE (b062md2n)
How the Brits Rocked America: Go West
22:55 FRI (b01b4x9g)
How the Brits Rocked America: Go West
02:55 FRI (b01b4x9g)
How to Make a Number One Record
22:55 WED (b05r6q4r)
I'll Sing Once More: Connie Fisher
20:00 SUN (b061f5z8)
I'll Sing Once More: Connie Fisher
01:00 SUN (b061f5z8)
Kings of 70s Romance
23:00 SUN (b007cjtw)
Kings of 70s Romance
00:00 TUE (b007cjtw)
Legends of the Deep: Deep Sea Sharks
21:00 WED (b06237md)
Legends of the Deep: Deep Sea Sharks
02:45 WED (b06237md)
Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream
19:00 SUN (b00wyn0c)
Natural World
21:55 WED (b01nhwyz)
One Night in Manchester
22:00 SUN (b06235vs)
Pappano's Classical Voices
21:00 SUN (b062hmz6)
Pompeii: The Mystery of the People Frozen in Time
02:55 SAT (b01rn6c2)
Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled
21:00 THU (b04p1vx1)
Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled
02:45 THU (b04p1vx1)
Rock 'n' Roll America
02:00 SUN (b061fdr7)
Rock 'n' Roll America
21:55 FRI (b0623809)
Rock 'n' Roll America
00:55 FRI (b0623809)
Rome: A History of the Eternal City
23:35 MON (b01p96g4)
Rome: A History of the Eternal City
01:30 TUE (b01p96g4)
Storyville
22:00 MON (b062mbng)
Tales from the National Parks
20:00 WED (b01708v7)
Tales from the National Parks
23:55 WED (b01708v7)
Tales from the Tour Bus: Rock 'n' Roll on the Road
23:00 THU (b05rjc9c)
The Golden Age of Steam Railways
20:00 THU (b01p8w38)
Timeshift
20:00 SAT (b01n8hl9)
Timeshift
00:55 SAT (b01n8hl9)
Timeshift
01:35 MON (b01n8hl9)
Timewatch
01:55 WED (b0078z1m)
Top of the Pops
22:45 SAT (b00zwrn5)
Top of the Pops
00:15 SAT (b061fd5b)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b062mf6g)
Top of the Pops
01:00 THU (b062mf6g)
Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered
21:00 MON (b04n6scp)
Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered
00:35 MON (b04n6scp)
Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom
19:00 SAT (p01hscjy)
Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom
01:55 SAT (p01hscjy)
Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom
00:55 WED (p01hscjy)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b0622p0s)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b0622p0y)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b0622p13)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b0622p1b)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b0622p1h)
You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story
01:55 FRI (b0461chb)