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 17 OCTOBER 2015

SAT 19:00 The Magic of Mushrooms (b041m6fh)
Professor Richard Fortey delves into the fascinating and normally hidden kingdom of fungi. From their spectacular birth, through their secretive underground life to their final explosive death, Richard reveals a remarkable world that few of us understand or even realise exists - yet all life on earth depends on it.

In a specially built mushroom lab, with the help of mycologist Dr Patrick Hickey and some state-of-the-art technology, Richard brings to life the secret world of mushrooms as never seen before and reveals the spectacular abilities of fungi to break down waste and sustain new plant life, keeping our planet alive.

Beyond the lab, Richard travels across Britain and beyond to show us the biggest, fastest and most deadly organisms on the planet - all of them fungi. He reveals their almost magical powers that have world-changing potential - opening up new frontiers in science, medicine and technology.


SAT 20:00 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04hkb5p)
Kingdom of the Jaguar

Dr Jago Cooper explores the rise and fall of the forgotten civilisations of Central America.

His quest takes him from the crystal-blue seas of the Caribbean to the New World's most impressive pyramids, flying over the smoking volcanoes of Costa Rica and travelling deep underground in the caves of central Mexico.

He travels in the footsteps of these peoples to reveal their secrets and unearth the astonishing cultures that flourished amongst some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world.

Jago begins by journeying through southern Mexico to investigate the rise and fall of America's oldest civilisation, the Olmec, which thrived over 3,000 years ago. He encounters colossal stone heads and the oldest rubber balls in the world and descends deep inside an ancient cave network in search of a were-jaguar.


SAT 21:00 Arne Dahl (b052zjry)
Series 2

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Part 1

The A Unit is rapidly reunited to trace an assassin targeting Polish women in hiding in Sweden, but new recruit Ida struggles to fit in, while former member Paul Hjelm's personal dilemmas cloud his work at Internal Affairs.

In Swedish and Polish, with English subtitles.


SAT 21:55 Arne Dahl (b053byqn)
Series 2

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Part 2

Recriminations threaten to split the A Unit apart, while the killer strikes again.

In Swedish, Polish and English, with English subtitles.


SAT 22:55 The Joy of the Single (b01nzchs)
Do you remember buying your first single? Where you bought it? What it was? The thrill of playing it for the first time? What it sounded like? How it maybe changed your life? Lots of us do. Lots of us still have that single somewhere in a dusty box in the attic, along with other treasured memorabilia of an adolescence lost in music and romance. The attic of our youth.

The Joy of the Single is a documentary packed with startling memories, vivid images and penetrating insights into the power of pop and rock's first and most abiding artefact - the seven-inch, vinyl 45-rpm record, a small, perfectly formed object that seems to miraculously contain the hopes, fears, sounds and experiences of our different generations - all within the spiralling groove etched on its shiny black surface, labelled and gift-wrapped by an industry also in its thrall.

In the confident hands of a star-studded cast, the film spins a tale of obsession, addiction, dedication and desire. The viewer is invited on a journey of celebration from the 1950s rock 'n' roll generation to the download kids of today, taking in classic singles from all manner of artists in each decade - from the smell of vinyl to the delights of the record label, from the importance of the record shop to the bittersweet brevity of the song itself, from stacking singles on a Dansette spindle to dropping the needle and thrilling to the intro.

Featuring contributions from Noddy Holder, Jack White, Richard Hawley, Suzi Quatro, Holly Johnson, Jimmy Webb, Pete Waterman, Norah Jones, Mike Batt, Graham Gouldman, Miranda Sawyer, Norman Cook, Trevor Horn, Neil Sedaka, Paul Morley, Rob Davies, Lavinia Greenlaw, Brian Wilson and Mike Love.


SAT 23:55 Music for Misfits: The Story of Indie (b06hhxr7)
Into the Mainstream

The story of British indie over three musically diverse episodes. Much more than a genre of music, it is a spirit, an attitude and an ethos.

It's 1989 and a new grassroots music craze is sweeping across Britain. Despite the authorities railing against 'the zombification of a nation', acid house and its bed partner ecstasy are influencing a wave of indie bands. On the eve of a new decade while original independent labels struggle in the wake of acid, young indie labels Heavenly and Creation are thriving, signing both Manic Street Preachers and Primal Scream respectively.

By the mid 90s, in a bid to break the stranglehold of American grunge bands, the music press construct Britpop and push two bands, Oasis and Blur, to the top of the pile. The key thing that separates Britpop bands from the previous generation is the mindset. These bands, who grew up in the Thatcher era, want to sell (and make) a million. Bands with an old indie ethos, such as Suede, are still breaking through but will switch from independent labels to majors, thus guaranteeing international recognition.

Indie truly goes mainstream when Noel Gallagher shakes hands with Tony Blair and Oasis fill Knebworth. The spirit of the DIY boom had all but gone and indie becomes a genre rather than an alternative approach to making and releasing music. The late 90s are dark days for indie, but as Rough Trade rises from the ashes with two fresh signings - The Strokes and The Libertines - it feels like a new dawn.

More new completely independent labels emerge. They've learnt from the mistakes of old and are excellent at artist development - labels such Domino, who manage the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. We hear why these two bands - who had the majors tripping over themselves to sign them - choose Domino instead.

These bands also heralded a new way in which music was being discovered. It's the fans at a grassroots level, sharing their favourite band via clips on social media, who would be the new A&R - alerting the record labels to new talent.

We finally come full circle to discover just what constitutes indie music now, if there still a need for independent labels and, finally, whether the spirit of rebellion that inspired the DIY movement of the 1970s still exists today.

The series is presented by BBC Radio 6 Music's Mark Radcliffe and this episode features exclusive interviews with performers including Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand, Shaun Ryder of Happy Mondays, The Libertines' Carl Barat, Stuart Murdoch from Belle & Sebastian and Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne. It also includes interviews with a number of influential music industry figures such as James Endeacott, formerly of Rough Trade Records and founder of Sony BMG subsidiary record label 1965 Records, Heavenly Recordings' Jeff Barrett, Creation Records' Alan McGee and indie music author Richard King.


SAT 00:55 Britpop at the BBC (b0409s91)
In the mid-90s, Britpop stamped its presence onto the British music scene and made boys wearing eyeliner cool again. What better reason to raid the BBC archives for a rich treasure trove of the joy and the time that was Britpop?

Featuring the girls (Elastica, Sleeper) and the boys (Suede, Menswear) and many of the other bright young things that contributed to five years of Cool Britannia, Blur v Oasis and Camden being the centre of the universe. Britpop at the BBC reminds us all why we were all so proud to be British again in the 1990s.


SAT 01:55 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00dzzv2)
Part I

Concentrating on the 1970s (1969 to 1981 to be exact) and ransacking a host of BBC shows from The Old Grey Whistle Test to Sight & Sound, this compilation is designed to release the air guitarist in everyone, combining great electric guitarists like Carlos Santana, Mark Knopfler, The Edge and Peter Green with acoustic masters like John Martyn, Pentangle and Paco Pena.


SAT 02:55 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04hkb5p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER 2015

SUN 19:00 The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank (b01jv5nr)
Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries and secrets of the bridges that have made London what it is. He uncovers stories of Bronze-Age relics emerging from the Vauxhall shore, of why London Bridge was falling down, of midnight corpses splashing beneath Waterloo Bridge, and above all, of the sublime ambition of London's bridge builders themselves.


SUN 20:00 The Many Faces of... (b018nvwc)
Series 1

Les Dawson

Les Dawson was one of Britain's all time great comedy talents, best known as a comedian but also a talented musician, writer and actor. This programme traces his career, with familiar favourite TV clips and some rare gems from the archives. Together with interviews from friends, relatives and colleagues, the programme unpicks the secrets of his enduring legacy nearly 20 years after his untimely death.

After 'discovery' on the Opportunity Knocks talent show in the 60s, he quickly became a regular face on TV, hosting comedy-led variety shows like Sez Les and The Les Dawson Show. His trademarks were short, pithy jokes, usually targeting his wife or mother in law, long verbose monologues and, perhaps most famously, piano recitals that went hilariously off key.

His reputation attracted guest appearances from some unexpected fans like John Cleese and Shirley Bassey, and he created an overweight dance troupe, The Roly Polys.

The programme shows how his career unfolded and illustrates the different facets of his comedy genius. John Cleese remembers their unlikely friendship, modern comedy stars Robert Webb and Russell Kane talk about his inspiration and Dawson's widow Tracy recalls their marriage and his joy at being a father late in life.


SUN 21:00 Rich Hall's Inventing the Indian (b01nqbqk)
Comedian Rich Hall goes in search of the real American Indian, a people who have too often been stereotyped. This image portrayed through cinema and literature is not a true representation of the Native American, giving Rich the opportunity to redress the balance.

With the help of a Native American, Dallas Goldtooth, Rich explores a different idea of what the American Indian is and what life is like for them today. He not only questions the screen image of the 'savage Indian' in films such as Soldier Blue, Stagecoach and A Man Called Horse, but looks at the written one, through literature such as The Last of the Mohicans, Black Elk Speaks and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

The programme takes Rich from the Navajo Reservation in Arizona to the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota and incorporates interviews with tribal elders and activists, archive clips of some of cinema's finest films, historical photographs and footage, all brought together with Rich's customary wit and intelligence.

A documentary which uncovers the truth about the American Indian and gives us a different perspective on the people who set foot on American soil first.


SUN 22:30 The Hunters (b06kq54v)
After working for the Stockholm police for several years, Erik Backstrom returns to his home village to live with his younger brother Leif and work in the local police department. At first welcomed home with open arms, Erik soon forges a path of estrangement and destruction when he single-handedly sets about solving an ongoing case concerning the slaughter of local reindeer, a problem that the town cops have been plainly ignoring. When Eric learns that his brother is involved, events take a further turn for the worse and violence erupts in the village as the closed community unites against Erik's quest for truth and, ultimately, justice.

In Swedish with English subtitles.


SUN 00:20 Ultimate Swarms (p01dn81f)
Zoologist and explorer George McGavin goes in search of some of the world's most impressive swarms. By getting right to the heart of these natural spectacles, he finds out why swarms are the ultimate solution to surviving against all odds and discovers how unlocking the secrets to how animals swarm could be crucial to understanding our own increasingly crowded lives.


SUN 01:20 Ford's Dagenham Dream (b00j0gnm)
Documentary which tells the story of a dream of happy families on wheels that the Ford Motor Company brought from Detroit to Dagenham, then sold to Britain.

From the 1950s onwards Ford revolutionised the cars we drove, producing dream cars for the average British family. In the 60s and 70s Ford sold dreams to boy racers too, but it came at a price. The mass production of motor cars required an army of assembly line workers who did jobs that were infamous for their soul-destroying monotony.

At its peak Dagenham was producing more than 3,000 cars every day and its most popular dream car, the Cortina, sold around five million in Britain alone. But the assembly line workers had a love-hate relationship with the cars they made and for some the dream became a nightmare.

Illustrated with powerful first person testimony and rare archive, this is the story of the rise and fall of Ford's Dagenham dream.


SUN 02:20 Immortal? A Horizon Guide to Ageing (b01kxxys)
Is there any way to slow or even prevent the ravages of time? Veteran presenter Johnny Ball looks back over the 45 years that Horizon, and he, have been on air to find out what science has learned about how and why we grow old. Charting developments from macabre early claims of rejuvenation to the latest cutting-edge breakthroughs, Johnny discovers the sense of a personal mission that drives many scientists and asks whether we are really any closer to achieving the dream of immortality.



MONDAY 19 OCTOBER 2015

MON 19:00 World News Today (b06jnnnn)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney (p01t6pjf)
Episode 4

Martha enjoys the English countryside at its best, offers her honey to the public at a village fair and finally succeeds in harvesting the true wildflower honey she set out to achieve.

At the height of summer the owners of the meadow have invited the public to an open day to celebrate this unique bit of countryside. The pressure is on Martha to get the honey ready in time. With such a late spring the meadow flowers are late opening and the bees are still foraging on a neighbouring farmer's crops when the day arrives.

Martha visits Cornwall's Tregothnan Estate to discover the secret of the highly-prized manuka honey and returns to Suffolk with plans for a final harvest of wildflower honey. By now the meadow is in its prime. When Martha sends her honey to be tested it is proved to be true wildflower honey. It only remains to prepare the bees for the winter and reflect on a rewarding and fascinating season of beekeeping.


MON 20:00 The Secret Life of Books (b06jnzjv)
Series 2

Edward Lear's Nonsense Songs

Nicholas Parsons, a lifelong fan of Edward Lear, revisits the book that gave the world The Owl and the Pussycat to explore the fine line between joy and melancholy in Lear's writing and discover how the epileptic, bronchial, asthmatic depressive pioneered a new kind of poetry that married brilliant wordplay with astonishing artwork.


MON 20:30 The Science of D-Day (b045gr8m)
In June 1944, one of the greatest amphibious assaults in history was launched from the south coast of England. Within a matter of hours, 7,000 vessels had landed 156,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy. It was a manoeuvre that changed the course of the war and tested innovations in science and engineering for the first time.

In this programme, engineer Rob Bell looks at the nuts and bolts which made such a staggering invasion possible - from giant troop-carrying gliders to tanks that could drive on water - and how necessity really did become the mother of invention. Like all new inventions, not all of them worked and resulted in devastating consequences. We find out why. This is the science of D-Day.


MON 21:00 The Great British Year (p01dfl7j)
Original Series

Summer

Whilst the human population of Britain kicks back, summer is boom time for the animals. More sun means more food, but animals are arriving from afar to share, and competition is high. Hunters time their arrival from Africa to feast on the huge glut of flying insects, hobbies race after dragonflies, and thermal cameras reveal nightjars on a Dorset heath. Will the weather hold? One day harmful UV rays force sea urchins to cover up, the next sees thunderstorms bring out hordes of hungry snails.


MON 22:00 Lost Kingdoms of Central America (b04hkb5p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 23:00 Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs (b01n7rl1)
Class War

Dr Pamela Cox explores what happened when servants directly challenged their masters and mistresses, causing havoc in the golden age of Edwardian society.

It is the story of wayward laundry maids, butlers selling their stories to the press, and even suffragette maids. Above all, it is the story of how the Victorian 'ideal' of service came to be questioned - not by employers, but by the servants themselves.

The middle classes had an insatiable need for servants in their heavily furnished townhouses, but at the same time the number of people in the so-called 'servant class' dropped, as young workers were lured into shops and factories. To plug the gap, a new source of servants was found - shockingly, among the urban poor - mopping up orphans, waifs and strays from slums, workhouses and reforms schools and training them for careers in domestic service. As the clouds of war gathered, the whole notion of service was in crisis.


MON 00:00 Attenborough and the Giant Egg (b00z6dsg)
David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest.

In 1960, he visited the island to film one of his first ever wildlife series - Zoo Quest. Whilst he was there, he acquired a giant egg belonging to an extinct bird known as the 'elephant bird' - the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since.

Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird's fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar's remaining wildlife?

Using Zoo Quest archive and specially shot location footage, this film follows David as he revisits scenes from his youth and meets people at the front line of wildlife protection. On his return, scientists at Oxford University are able to reveal for the first time how old David's egg actually is, and what that might tell us about the legendary elephant bird.


MON 01:00 Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species (b00hd1mr)
Documentary telling the little-known story of how Darwin came to write his great masterpiece On the Origin of Species, a book which explains the wonderful variety of the natural world as emerging out of death and the struggle of life.

In the 20 years he took to develop a brilliant idea into a revolutionary book, Darwin went through a personal struggle every bit as turbulent as that of the natural world he observed. Fortunately, he left us an extraordinary record of his brilliant insights, observations of nature, and touching expressions of love and affection for those around him. He also wrote frank accounts of family tragedies, physical illnesses and moments of self-doubt, as he laboured towards publication of the book that would change the way we see the world.

The story is told with the benefit of Darwin's secret notes and correspondence, enhanced by natural history filming, powerful imagery from the time and contributions from leading contemporary biographers and scientists.


MON 02:00 Metamorphosis: The Science of Change (p00zv0wk)
Metamorphosis seems like the ultimate evolutionary magic trick, the amazing transformation of one creature into a totally different being: one life, two bodies.

From Ovid and Kafka to X-Men, tales of metamorphosis richly permeate human culture. The myth of transformation is so common that it seems almost preprogrammed into our imagination. But is the scientific fact of metamorphosis just as strange as fiction or... even stranger?

Film-maker David Malone explores the science behind metamorphosis. How does it happen and why? And might it even, in some way, happen to us?


MON 03:00 Sex: A Horizon Guide (b039vj9x)
Sex is a simple word for a very complex set of desires. It cuts to the core of our passions, our wants, our emotions. But when it goes wrong, it can be the most painful thing of all. Professor Alice Roberts looks through 45 years of Horizon archive to see how science came to understand sex, strived to solve our problems with it and even helped us to do it better. Can science save the day when sex goes wrong?



TUESDAY 20 OCTOBER 2015

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b06jnnnt)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Welsh Railways (b01875ph)
Beating Beeching: Part 1

The steam railways of Wales seemed lost forever with the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, but this series celebrates their revival with wonderful colour archive film combined with the memories of passengers and railwaymen from the age of steam.

In this episode, we meet a schoolboy driver, a station master, firemen and some holidaymakers who share a passion for steam with the volunteers at Llangollen Railway.

We also meet the last generation of Welsh steam railwaymen and visit the heritage railway which keeps their glorious past alive.


TUE 20:00 Unnatural Histories (b011wzrc)
Yellowstone

As the world's first national park, Yellowstone has long served as a model for the protection of wilderness around the world. For Americans it has become a source of great national pride, not least because it encapsulates all our popular notions of what a wilderness should be - vast, uninhabited, with spectacular scenery and teeming with wildlife. But Yellowstone has not always been so. At the time of its creation in 1872, it was renowned only for its extraordinary geysers, and far from being an uninhabited wilderness it was home to several American Indian tribes.

This film reveals how a remote Indian homeland became the world's first great wilderness. It was the ambitions of railroad barons, not conservationists, that paved the way for a brand new vision of the wild, a vision that took native peoples out of the picture. Iconic landscape paintings show how European Romanticism crossed the Atlantic and recast the American wilderness, not as a satanic place to be tamed and cultivated, but as a place to experience the raw power of God in nature. Forged in Yellowstone, this potent new version of wilderness as untouched and deserving of protection has since been exported to all corners of the globe.


TUE 21:00 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
Series 15

The People's Liners - Britain's Lost Pleasure Fleets

Timeshift casts off for a colourful voyage of 'high teas on the high seas' in the company of passengers and crew of the vintage steamers which were once a common sight on the rivers and coastal waters around Britain.

Far more than a means of transport, these steamers attracted a devoted following, treating their passengers, whatever their pocket, to the adventure and trappings of an ocean voyage whilst actually rarely venturing out of sight of land. A highlight of the great British seaside holiday from the 1820s until the early 1960s - and open to all - they were 'the people's liners'.


TUE 22:00 Close to the Edge (b06jnzjz)
Series 1

Episode 4

Scripted documentary series following a group of friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s based in Bournemouth.

Mixing elements of story-telling techniques from drama and documentary in a bold new form, the series explores the full range of issues faced by people over 65. With the cast devising and improvising many of the scenes themselves, the series captures the romance and real-life drama of their everyday lives - the business entrepreneur, a comedian dating again for the first time in 40 years, and a political activist are just some of the real-life characters living their life to the full.

This frank, funny and warm series follows the diverse group of friends grappling with the issues that face us all - finding love, re-starting your career, friendships and rivalries - as well as frankly exploring the challenges of getting older - coping with illness, feelings of loneliness and preparing for the end that will eventually greet us all.

Vanessa's run-in with Babs last week jeopardises her friendship with Chris. Babs needs some help on a big pitch with Kiddicare, so turns to Chris for help. Katie invites friends and family to her 'living funeral.'.


TUE 22:30 Close to the Edge (b06kpj0c)
Series 1

Episode 5

Scripted documentary series following a group of friends in their 60s, 70s and 80s based in Bournemouth.

Mixing elements of story-telling techniques from drama and documentary in a bold new form, the series explores the full range of issues faced by people over 65. With the cast devising and improvising many of the scenes themselves, the series captures the romance and real-life drama of their everyday lives - the business entrepreneur, a comedian dating again for the first time in 40 years, and a political activist are just some of the real-life characters living their life to the full.

This frank, funny and warm series follows the diverse group of friends grappling with the issues that face us all - finding love, re-starting your career, friendships and rivalries - as well as frankly exploring the challenges of getting older - coping with illness, feelings of loneliness and preparing for the end that will eventually greet us all.

Babs's best friend Gloria returns from holiday in Australia. With the help of Chris, they both help Babs try to sell her Babylog boxes at Dorchester Market and, as a thank you, Babs throws a dinner party for them both. Across town, Vanessa persuades Dee to go blindfold dating, whilst Beate considers a carer for her husband.


TUE 23:00 The Many Faces of... (b018nvwc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


TUE 00:00 Timeshift (b01p96ly)
Series 12

When Wrestling was Golden: Grapples, Grunts and Grannies

Timeshift turns back the clock to a time when villains wore silver capes, grannies swooned at the sight of bulky men in latex and the most masculine man in the country was called Shirley. In its heyday, British professional wrestling attracted huge TV audiences and made household names of generations of wrestlers from Mick McManus and Jackie 'Mr TV' Pallo to Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy. With contributions from inside the world of wrestling and surprising fans such as artist Peter Blake, this is an affectionate and lively portrait of a lost era of simpler pleasures, both in and out of the ring.


TUE 01:00 Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark (b0446mwz)
Nat King Cole was the only black television star in Hollywood at a time when America groaned under the weight of racial segregation and prejudice. Yet he possessed a natural talent so great that these issues were seemingly swept to one side to allow him to become one of the greatest jazz icons of all time. However, behind closed doors those around him were trying to think of a way to package him as something he was not: bi-white.

This candid account of what really happened in and around his 'fairytale' life is taken from his private journals, interviews with his widow Maria and contributions from other family members, Tony Bennett, Buddy Greco, Harry Belafonte, Nancy Wilson, Sir Bruce Forsyth, George Benson, Aaron Neville, Johnny Mathis and many more.

Featuring archive never seen before, it reveals Nat King Cole's feelings behind his ultimate calling as a 'beacon of hope' to the legions of the oppressed.


TUE 02:30 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER 2015

WED 19:00 World News Today (b06jnnnz)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Welsh Railways (b018gs4c)
Beating Beeching: Part 2

The steam railways of Wales seemed lost forever with the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, but this series celebrates their revival with wonderful colour archive film combined with the memories of passengers and railwaymen from the age of steam.

In this episode we meet the last generation of Welsh steam railwaymen and visit the heritage railway that keeps their glorious past alive.


WED 20:00 Terry Wogan's Ireland (b00y44j4)
Episode 1

It is over 40 years since Sir Terry Wogan decided to leave Ireland and seek his fortune across the water in England. In that time, Ireland has changed beyond all recognition - and so has Terry. Now, in the wake of his retirement from BBC Radio 2, Terry's going 'home'.

In the autobiographical journey of a lifetime he travels back to Dublin, the city he left behind as a teenager, and all the way back to Limerick, where he was born, taking in the length and breadth of the heart-stoppingly beautiful Irish coast en route.

For Sir Terry, this is an opportunity to cherish the old, and to seek out and celebrate the new face of Ireland. But this Ireland is a very different country to the one he left behind over 40 years ago - the nation now finds itself in the midst of an economic crisis. But as Terry reminds us, Ireland has survived 500 years of oppression, colonisation, religious discrimination, starvation and emigration. The Irish may be down, he concludes, but don't ever count them out.

Terry was born into an enterprising family of shopkeepers. They lived in Dublin and Limerick, the start and end points of the first leg of this journey. By retracing his story, Terry reveals the bigger picture of post-war Ireland - the result is a uniquely personal take on the history of this beautiful but divided land. Terry has rarely talked about his Irish Catholic origins and so, for many, this series will be a revelation.

In a land that invented the gift of the gab, Terry is in his element as he heads out west in the company of his lugubrious driver Dave. En route to the house he grew up in, he discovers a 'moving' statue of the Virgin Mary, suffers bad weather on the Ring of Kerry, and in Tralee he recalls Ireland's Loveliest Ladies competition, as he asks himself what it means to be Irish today.


WED 21:00 Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World (b0546d5q)
Episode 3

As we entered the 21st century, the world was guzzling oil, coal and gas like never before. Despite fears of 'peak oil', Professor Iain Stewart discovers that while huge technological advances are helping extend the life of existing oilfields, new unconventional oil and gas supplies like shale gas and tar sands are extending the hydrocarbon age well into the 21st century.

Given there's plenty of fossil fuels still in the ground, the spectre of climate change has forced many to ask can we really afford to burn what's left? In this concluding episode, Iain Stewart argues we face a stark choice.

Do we continue feed our addiction - suck Planet Oil dry - and risk catastrophic climate change, or do we go hell for leather for alternative energy sources, such as nuclear and renewables, to make the transition from our fossil fuel past to a low-carbon future. In which case, how do we make that shift?


WED 22:00 Ford's Dagenham Dream (b00j0gnm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 01:20 on Sunday]


WED 23:00 The Great British Year (p01dfl7j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]


WED 00:00 The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank (b01jv5nr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]


WED 01:00 Domesday (b00sj8fc)
Dr Stephen Baxter, medieval historian at King's College, London, reveals the human and political drama that lies within the parchment of England's earliest surviving public record, the Domesday Book. He also finds out the real reason it was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

The Domesday Book is the first great national survey of England, a record of who owned every piece of land and property in the kingdom. It also records the traumatic impact of the Norman conquest on Anglo-Saxon England, the greatest social and political upheaval in the country's history.

Most historians believe that Domesday is a tax book for raising revenue, but Baxter has his own theory. He proves that the Domesday Book could not have been used to collect taxes and he argues that it is about something far more important than money. Its real purpose was to confer revolutionary new powers on the monarchy in Norman England.


WED 02:00 Unnatural Histories (b011wzrc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Tuesday]


WED 03:00 Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World (b0546d5q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER 2015

THU 19:00 World News Today (b06jnnp4)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b06jp0zn)
Tommy Vance introduces the pop chart programme, including performances from Showaddywaddy, Adam & the Ants, Matchbox, the Police, Madness and George Benson. Plus, a chart rundown and a performance from Legs & Co. Guest appearances from Suzi Quatro, Dollar and Michael Palin.


THU 20:00 Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War (b01qyvbm)
Agents of God

Henry V has claimed the crown of France for his heirs, but to secure it the English must conquer all of France. Potent French resistance comes in the most unlikely form - an illiterate young peasant girl, Joan of Arc. Dr Janina Ramirez explores the longest and bloodiest divorce in history.


THU 21:00 A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley (b06jp0zq)
Episode 3

Lucy Worsley concludes her series with the most dramatic transformation of romance yet. Out of the carnage of World War One came a racier species of romantic love. It could be found in the novel The Sheik, the Fifty Shades of Grey of its time, while in real life Marie Stopes urged husbands and wives to explore their sexual desire.

New entertainments like dining out for two allowed couples to get to know one another without a chaperone, while going to the cinema provided a dark environment where hands could roam free. But as the hedonistic era of World War Two encouraged these more permissive attitudes, divorce rates soared. Romance, though, would prevail, with a fightback led by the queen of romance herself, Barbara Cartland.


THU 22:00 Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs (b01nd1w5)
No Going Back

Dr Pamela Cox explores how the 20th century dealt a hammer blow to domestic service as we knew it. It's the story of how, the moment they had a choice, servants left domestic service, leaving the master-servant relationship spiralling into decline.

The Great War dealt the first blow, as menservants enlisted and women stepped in to fill their roles, both in stately homes and factories. Having had a taste of better working conditions, women were reluctant to return to service, with its hated, now old-fashioned starched cap and apron. Mistresses tried to tempt women back with prettier uniforms and even a Masters & Servants' Ball. Yet radical change came from suburban housewives in a new type of house springing up in the 1930s: the semi-detached home. Here new 'daily' servants used novel technologies like the vacuum cleaner - but still had to use the outside toilet.

Women after World War II opted for jobs in offices, shops and the new NHS. Finally, typists and clerks overtook servants as the largest category of female employment and servants' quarters in stately homes were transformed into visitor attractions. Today, the rich still have staff and many of the middle classes now rely on cleaners and nannies, but the 'servant class' has long since disappeared.


THU 23:00 Nigel Slater's Great British Biscuit (b03lyy33)
Nigel Slater takes us on a nostalgic, funny and heart-warming journey back in time - through the biscuit tins of mum and dad, the doilies and saucers of aunties and grannies, the lunch boxes of friends and siblings. Nigel charts the origins of the humble biscuit, from its vital contribution to Britain's nautical dominance of the globe, through to the biscuit tin becoming that most ubiquitous of household items. He explores the history of our most famous brands, uncovering the Georgian and Quaker origins of the biscuits we love and eat today, meeting eccentric biscuit anoraks who have dedicated their lives to a love of these simple baked treats and meeting scientists who squash, dunk and ignite biscuits for research purposes.

Nigel recalls the biscuits he found in his lunch box, the ones he cherished and the ones that would shape his formative years.

He asks why it is, that of all the treats we indulge in on a regular basis, the biscuit has become such a dependable culinary companion. What makes Britain a nation of ardent biscuit eaters like no other in the world, with a £2.3 billion industry to match?


THU 00:00 Timeshift (b0135kkp)
Series 11

When the Circus Comes to Town

Roll up! Roll up! Join Timeshift under the big top for unique access to the University of Sheffield's National Fairground Archive which tells the story of the circus. From Billy Smart to Gerry Cottle and Archaos to Cirque du Soleil, the documentary captures the appeal of this enduring mass entertainment. Find out what a josser is, discover why clowns are one of the few acts to achieve lasting celebrity and marvel at the sheer spectacle of some of the biggest circuses of all time.

In an age when almost every form of popular entertainment owes something to the circus, this is a nostalgic journey into the origins of one of the ultimate expressions of human athleticism and showmanship.


THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b06jp0zn)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 01:35 Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War (b01qyvbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 02:35 A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley (b06jp0zq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2015

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b06jnnp9)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Concerto - A Beethoven Journey with Leif Ove Andsnes (b06kgmyw)
Filmed over the course of four years, award-winning director Phil Grabsky follows one of the world's greatest pianists, Leif Ove Andsnes, as he attempts, in a series of sold-out worldwide performances, to interpret one of the greatest sets of works for piano ever written - Beethoven's five piano concertos.

However, Concerto is more than a portrait of a famous musician on tour - it is an exploration into Ludwig van Beethoven's life as revealed by these five masterworks. The relationship between the composer and his world is mirrored by the relationship between the pianist and orchestra in these concertos. The film seeks to reveal Beethoven in a way rarely seen before and bears witness to what is increasingly being regarded as one of the greatest interpretations ever of these five great pieces of music.

Considered one of the top pianists of the age, Leif Ove Andsnes offers rare insights into the mind of a world-class pianist and access to his personal and professional life. Andsnes gives an insight into the world of a contemporary classical musician. Against the wonderful background of Leif Ove playing these five pieces, we also peel back the many myths of Beethoven's life - from prodigious talent in Vienna to greatest composer alive by the time he wrote the fifth concerto. Perhaps above all, it is the fresh new biography of Beethoven that is most revealing.


FRI 21:00 Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story (b03cw8g0)
In 1973, an album was released that against all odds and expectations went to the top of the UK charts. The fact the album launched a record label that became one of the most recognisable brand names in the world (Virgin), formed the soundtrack to one of the biggest movies of the decade (The Exorcist), became the biggest selling instrumental album of all time, would eventually go on to sell over 16 million copies and was performed almost single-handedly by a 19-year-old makes the story all the more incredible. That album was Tubular Bells, and the young and painfully shy musician was Mike Oldfield.

This documentary features contributions from Sir Richard Branson, Danny Boyle, Mike's family and the original engineers of the Tubular Bells album among others. The spine of the film is an extended interview with Mike himself, where he takes us through the events that led to him writing Tubular Bells - growing up with a mother with severe mental health problems; the refuge he sought in music as a child, with talent that led to him playing in folk clubs aged 12 and signing with his sister's folk group at only 15; his frightening experience of taking LSD at 16; and finally arriving at the Manor Recording Studios as a young session musician where he gave a demo tape to a recording engineer who passed it along to young entrepreneur Richard Branson.

After the album's huge success, Mike retreated to a Hereford hilltop, shunned public life and became a recluse until he took part in a controversial therapy which changed his life.

In 2012 Mike captured the public's imagination once again when he was asked to perform at the London Olympic Opening Ceremony, where Tubular Bells was the soundtrack to 20 minutes of the one-hour ceremony.

Filmed on location at his home recording studio in Nassau, Mike also plays the multiple instruments of Tubular Bells and shows how the groundbreaking piece of music was put together.


FRI 22:00 Psychedelic Britannia (b06jp24b)
Documentary exploring the rise and fall of the most visionary period in British music history: five kaleidoscopic years between 1965 and 1970 when a handful of dreamers reimagined pop music.

When a generation of British R&B bands discovered LSD, conventions were questioned. From out of the bohemian underground and into the pop mainstream, the psychedelic era produced some of the most groundbreaking music ever made, pioneered by young improvising bands like Soft Machine and Pink Floyd, then quickly taken to the charts by the likes of The Beatles, Procol Harum, The Small Faces and The Moody Blues, even while being reimagined in the country by bucolic, folk-based artists like The Incredible String Band and Vashti Bunyan.

The film is narrated by Nigel Planer, with contributions and performances from artists who lived and breathed the psych revolution - Paul McCartney, Ginger Baker, Robert Wyatt, Roy Wood, The Zombies, Mike Heron, Vashti Bunyan, Joe Boyd, Gary Brooker, Arthur Brown, Kenney Jones, Barry Miles, The Pretty Things and The Moody Blues.


FRI 23:00 Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC (b06jp24d)
A compilation from the depths of the BBC archive of the creme de la creme of 1960s British psychedelic rock from programmes such as Colour Me Pop, How It Is, Top of the Pops and Once More with Felix.

Featuring pre-rocker era Status Quo, a rustic-looking Incredible String Band, a youthful Donovan, a suitably eccentric performance from The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, a trippy routine from Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity, a groovy tune from The Moody Blues, a raucous rendition by Joe Cocker of his version of With a Little Help From My Friends and some pre-Wizzard Roy Wood with The Move.

Plus classic performances from the likes of Procol Harum, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and The Who.


FRI 00:00 Arena (b01nd5qd)
The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour

Magical Mystery Tour Revisited

Arena presents the greatest Beatles story never told - the making of Magical Mystery Tour - full of fabulous Beatles archive material never shown before anywhere in the world.

Songs you will never forget, the film you have never seen and a story that has never been heard. In 1967, in the wake of the extraordinary impact of Sgt. Pepper, The Beatles made a film - a dreamlike story of a coach daytrip, a magical mystery tour. It was seen by a third of the nation, at 8.35pm on BBC1 on Boxing Day - an expectant public, hoping for some light entertainment for a family audience.

However, Magical Mystery Tour was greeted with outrage and derision by middle England and the establishment media.

'How dare they', they cried. 'They're not film directors. Who do they think they are?' they howled. Where were the four lovable moptops of Help! and A Hard Day's Night?

What propelled The Beatles to make this surreal, startling and - at the time - utterly misunderstood film?

Roll up, roll up for the mystery tour!


FRI 01:00 Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story (b03cw8g0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:00 Psychedelic Britannia (b06jp24b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 03:05 Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC (b06jp24d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]




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

A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley 21:00 THU (b06jp0zq)

A Very British Romance with Lucy Worsley 02:35 THU (b06jp0zq)

Arena 00:00 FRI (b01nd5qd)

Arne Dahl 21:00 SAT (b052zjry)

Arne Dahl 21:55 SAT (b053byqn)

Attenborough and the Giant Egg 00:00 MON (b00z6dsg)

Britpop at the BBC 00:55 SAT (b0409s91)

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War 20:00 THU (b01qyvbm)

Chivalry and Betrayal: The Hundred Years War 01:35 THU (b01qyvbm)

Close to the Edge 22:00 TUE (b06jnzjz)

Close to the Edge 22:30 TUE (b06kpj0c)

Concerto - A Beethoven Journey with Leif Ove Andsnes 19:30 FRI (b06kgmyw)

Darwin's Struggle: The Evolution of the Origin of Species 01:00 MON (b00hd1mr)

Domesday 01:00 WED (b00sj8fc)

Ford's Dagenham Dream 01:20 SUN (b00j0gnm)

Ford's Dagenham Dream 22:00 WED (b00j0gnm)

Guitar Heroes at the BBC 01:55 SAT (b00dzzv2)

Immortal? A Horizon Guide to Ageing 02:20 SUN (b01kxxys)

Lost Kingdoms of Central America 20:00 SAT (b04hkb5p)

Lost Kingdoms of Central America 02:55 SAT (b04hkb5p)

Lost Kingdoms of Central America 22:00 MON (b04hkb5p)

Metamorphosis: The Science of Change 02:00 MON (p00zv0wk)

Music for Misfits: The Story of Indie 23:55 SAT (b06hhxr7)

Nat King Cole: Afraid of the Dark 01:00 TUE (b0446mwz)

Nigel Slater's Great British Biscuit 23:00 THU (b03lyy33)

Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World 21:00 WED (b0546d5q)

Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World 03:00 WED (b0546d5q)

Psychedelic Britannia 22:00 FRI (b06jp24b)

Psychedelic Britannia 02:00 FRI (b06jp24b)

Rich Hall's Inventing the Indian 21:00 SUN (b01nqbqk)

Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs 23:00 MON (b01n7rl1)

Servants: The True Story of Life Below Stairs 22:00 THU (b01nd1w5)

Sex: A Horizon Guide 03:00 MON (b039vj9x)

Terry Wogan's Ireland 20:00 WED (b00y44j4)

The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank 19:00 SUN (b01jv5nr)

The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank 00:00 WED (b01jv5nr)

The Great British Year 21:00 MON (p01dfl7j)

The Great British Year 23:00 WED (p01dfl7j)

The Hunters 22:30 SUN (b06kq54v)

The Joy of the Single 22:55 SAT (b01nzchs)

The Magic of Mushrooms 19:00 SAT (b041m6fh)

The Many Faces of... 20:00 SUN (b018nvwc)

The Many Faces of... 23:00 TUE (b018nvwc)

The Science of D-Day 20:30 MON (b045gr8m)

The Secret Life of Books 20:00 MON (b06jnzjv)

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney 19:30 MON (p01t6pjf)

Timeshift 21:00 TUE (b06jnzjx)

Timeshift 00:00 TUE (b01p96ly)

Timeshift 02:30 TUE (b06jnzjx)

Timeshift 00:00 THU (b0135kkp)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b06jp0zn)

Top of the Pops 01:00 THU (b06jp0zn)

Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC 23:00 FRI (b06jp24d)

Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC 03:05 FRI (b06jp24d)

Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story 21:00 FRI (b03cw8g0)

Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story 01:00 FRI (b03cw8g0)

Ultimate Swarms 00:20 SUN (p01dn81f)

Unnatural Histories 20:00 TUE (b011wzrc)

Unnatural Histories 02:00 WED (b011wzrc)

Welsh Railways 19:30 TUE (b01875ph)

Welsh Railways 19:30 WED (b018gs4c)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b06jnnnn)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b06jnnnt)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b06jnnnz)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b06jnnp4)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b06jnnp9)