The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on BBC 4 Contact

RADIO-LISTS: BBC FOUR
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/



SATURDAY 16 JULY 2016

SAT 19:00 Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams (p00y6r6q)
From the Staffordshire hills to the Humber estuary, spirited explorer Tom Fort embarks on a 170-mile journey down Britain's third-longest river, the Trent. Beginning on foot, he soon transfers to his own custom-built punt, the Trent Otter, and rows many miles downstream. Along the way he encounters the power stations that generate much of the nation's electricity, veterans of the catastrophic floods of 1947, the 19th-century brewers of Burton and a Bronze Age boatman who once made a life along the river.


SAT 20:00 Who Were the Greeks? (b036b0yl)
Episode 1

Classicist Dr Michael Scott uncovers the strange, alien world of the ancient Greeks, exploring the lives of the people who gave us democracy, architecture, philosophy, language, literature and sport.

Travelling across Greece today, Michael visits ancient cities and battlefields, great ruins and wild countryside, all in his search to uncover how the ancient Greeks thought and lived. What he finds is that ancient Greece was a seething tornado of strange, unsettling and downright outrageous customs and beliefs, inhabited by a people who could be as brutal as they were brilliant.


SAT 21:00 Beck (b07lnnjq)
The Japanese Painting

Martin Beck gets a phone call from his German colleague Hans Sperling, who is in Stockholm for an art auction. Sperling was interested in a Japanese erotic painting but was outbid by a woman who was later found dead in his hotel, and he needs Beck's help. Beck investigates the murder, together with his team and Sperling, which leads them into a dark world of art fraud.

In Swedish and German with English subtitles.


SAT 22:30 Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (b06tg506)
Series 1 Compilations

Part 1

An up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer. In 1971, Frank Sinatra sang his legendary 'retirement concert' in Los Angeles, featuring music which was said to reflect his own life. Told in his own words from hours of archived interviews, along with commentary from those closest to him, this definitive series weaves the legendary songs he chose with comments from friends and family, as well as never-before-seen footage from home movies and concert performances.

An unprecedented tribute to the beloved showman, with the full participation of the Frank Sinatra Estate, the opening episode takes us from Sinatra's birth to his early years as a roadhouse performer, revealing the influences behind his meteoric rise.


SAT 00:25 ... Sings the Great American Songbook (b00rs3w4)
Presenting the best and most eclectic performances on the BBC from the world's best-known artists performing their interpretations of classic tracks from The Great American Songbook.

In chronological order, this programme takes us through a myriad of BBC studio performances, from Dame Shirley Bassey in 1966 performing The Lady is A Tramp, to Bryan Ferry in 1974 on Twiggy's BBC primetime show performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, to Captain Sensible on Top of the Pops in 1982 with his number one hit version of Happy Talk, through to Kirsty MacColl singing Miss Otis Regrets in 1994 to Jamie Cullum with his version of I Get a Kick Out Of You on Parkinson in 2004 and bang up to date with Brit winner Florence from Florence and the Machine performing My Baby Just Cares for Me with Jools Holland on his Annual Hootenanny at the end of 2009.

The Great American Songbook can best be described as the music and popular songs of the famous and prolific American composers of the 1920s and onwards. Composers such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Hoagy Carmichael to name but a few... songwriters who wrote the tunes of Broadway theatre and Hollywood musicals that earned enduring popularity before the dawning of rock 'n' roll.

These famous songwriters have penned songs which have entered the general consciousness and which are now best described as standards - tunes which every musician and singer aspires to include in their repertoire.


SAT 01:25 The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse (b00x9b7w)
The extraordinary story of comedian Bob Monkhouse's life and career, told through the vast private archive of films, TV shows, letters and memorabilia that he left behind.


SAT 02:55 Top of the Pops (b07k8p62)
Mike Read presents the pop chart show. Includes appearances from Toni Basil, Madness, UB40, Tight Fit, the Jam, Robert Palmer, George Benson and Jets.



SUNDAY 17 JULY 2016

SUN 19:00 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01k031g)
Mendelssohn Violin

Another chance to hear a live performance from the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of one of the most popular and frequently performed violin concertos of all time, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, recorded at the first night of the BBC Proms in 2005. Exciting and versatile violin soloist Janine Jansen performs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor, Sir Roger Norrington.


SUN 19:30 BBC Proms (b07ldrdm)
2016

Faure Requiem

The hugely popular Faure Requiem headlines this prom of choral classics performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Conducted by Stephen Cleobury, the programme also includes Mozart's Exsultate, jubilate, Haydn's Mass in Time of War and two Faure miniatures, and features an impressive line-up of soloists from across the British Isles - Lucy Crowe, Paula Murrihy, Robin Tritschler and Roderick Williams.

Presented by Suzy Klein.


SUN 21:40 Wild (b0078yps)
2005-06 Shorts

West Coast Otters

A charming portrait of two otters, a mother and daughter who are inseparable, living on the idyllic west coast of Scotland. With the young cub never more than a few feet from her mum, a very special relationship is intimately observed as the cub grows up, learning how to fish and fend for herself. As the cub faces the dangers of her first Scottish winter, Mum has to work hard to make sure that both survive.


SUN 21:50 Wild (b0078yx9)
2005-06 Shorts

The Rabbits of Skomer

Documentary about the wild rabbits which live on sea cliffs on the Pembrokeshire coast alongside seabirds like puffins and seagulls. They come in many shades, owing to their intriguing history, and each spring the island of Skomer itself is transformed by wild flowers, creating one of Britain's most beautiful natural spectacles. The green and brown island turns blue and pink for a couple of spectacular weeks under a carpet of bluebells and red campion.


SUN 22:00 Storyville (b03td9sc)
K2: The Killer Summit

In August 2008, 25 climbers from several international expeditions converged on high camp of K2, the final stop before the summit of the most dangerous mountain on earth. Just 48 hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished, making it the deadliest day in mountaineering history.

In a century of assaults on K2, only about 300 people have ever seen the view from the planet's second highest peak. More than a quarter of those who made it didn't live long enough to share the glory.

At the heart of this documentary lies a mystery about one extraordinary Irishman, Ger McDonnell. At the very limit of his physical resources, he faced a heartbreaking dilemma. Through recreations, archive and home movie footage, and interviews with survivors and families, the film creates a forensic, vivid version of events that is emotive, engrossing and, at times, deeply shocking.


SUN 23:25 Timeshift (b016pwgw)
Series 11

Of Ice and Men

Timeshift reveals the history of the frozen continent, finding out why the most inhospitable place on the planet has exerted such a powerful hold on the imagination of explorers, scientists, writers and photographers.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest place on the globe. Only a handful of people have experienced its desolate beauty, with the first explorers setting foot here barely a hundred years ago.

From the logbooks of Captain Cook to the diaries of Scott and Shackleton, from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner to HP Lovecraft, it is a film about real and imaginary tales of adventure, romance and tragedy that have played out against a stark white backdrop.

We relive the race to the Pole and the 'Heroic Age' of Antarctic exploration, and find out what it takes to survive the cold and the perils of 'polar madness'. We see how Herbert Ponting's photographs of the Scott expedition helped define our image of the continent and find out why the continent witnessed a remarkable thaw in Russian and American relations at the height of the Cold War.

We also look at the intriguing story of who actually owns Antarctica and how science is helping us reimagine a frozen wasteland as something far more precious.

Interviewees include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Francis Spufford, Huw Lewis-Jones, Sara Wheeler, Henry Worsley, Prof David Walton and Martin Hartley.


SUN 00:25 Rich Hall's You Can Go to Hell, I'm Going to Texas (b036lqsz)
Comedian Rich Hall goes to the Lone Star state in search of the real Texas and asks what it means to be a Texan. From the Alamo to the oil industry and everything in between, Rich explores the landscape, the people and the true heart of this historic state.

With the help of scholars, ranchers and musicians, Rich explores every aspect of what it is to be a Texan. He not only seeks the truth behind so many myths and legends in history and on screen, but gets to the very soul and explores how this land and its people has made such an impact on the rest of the world.

Rich goes from the ranches of Marfa to the music of Austin and the oil fields of Beaumont, and incorporates interviews, archive clips of some of cinema's finest films, historical photographs and footage, all brought together with his customary wit and intelligence.

This is an insight into the Texan psyche through its politics, sports, movies, industries and lifestyle, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.


SUN 01:55 Horizon (b00nslc4)
2009-2010

Who Is Afraid of a Big Black Hole?

Black holes are one of the most destructive forces in the universe, capable of tearing a planet apart and swallowing an entire star. Yet scientists now believe they could hold the key to answering the ultimate question: what was there before the big bang?

The trouble is that researching black holes is next to impossible. They are by definition invisible and there is no scientific theory able to explain them. Horizon meets the astronomers and theoretical physicists who, despite these obvious obstacles, are attempting to image a black hole for the very first time and get ever closer to unlocking its mysteries. It is a story that goes into the heart of a black hole and to the very edge of what is thought to be known about the universe.


SUN 02:55 Timeshift (p0287mq6)
Series 14

Bullseyes and Beer: When Darts Hit Britain

Timeshift tells the story of how a traditional working-class pub game became a national obsession during the 1970s and 80s, and looks at the key role television played in elevating its larger-than-life players into household names.

Siobhan Finneran narrates a documentary which charts the game's surprising history, its cross-class and cross-gender appeal, and the star players that, for two decades, transformed a pub pastime into a sporting spectacle like no other.

Featuring legendary names such as Alan Evans and Jocky Wilson and including contributions from Eric Bristow, Bobby George, John Lowe and Phil Taylor.



MONDAY 18 JULY 2016

MON 19:00 World News Today (b07l1c2n)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04gvbdr)
Foxes

Across the planet carnivores are struggling to compete in a world with a rocketing human population, but one predator is bucking the trend - the fox. Its numbers are increasing and its geographical range expanding.

Chris Packham explores the secrets to its success - its senses, its intelligence and its flexibility. New research reveals how its slit pupils enable it to hunt in the bright desert day; how it may be using the Earth's magnetic field to determine the location of prey during a pounce; and how regular exposure to rotting food is improving the health of the red fox, enabling it to hold its own in an increasingly urban landscape.


MON 20:00 The River Taff with Will Millard (b070t48y)
Series 1

Episode 3

Writer and fisherman Will Millard reaches the end of his journey down the River Taff in south Wales. This beautiful wild river, once neglected and polluted, has now come back to life. Will goes wild swimming with a group of eccentrics trying to change the image of this forgotten river. He meets retired Somali sailors drawn to Cardiff in the city's glory days as a thriving port and tells the story of how the industrial docks have been transformed. Finally, he sets out to catch the king of fish, migratory salmon returning to the river where they were born.


MON 20:30 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b07l57yy)
Shirley Hughes

For over five decades, Shirley Hughes has been entertaining young children with her lovingly illustrated picture books. From the adventures of Alfie to the stories of Dave and his favourite toy Dogger, Shirley has created some of our most popular children's books. In 2007, Dogger was voted the nation's all-time favourite illustrated children's book and, aged 89, Shirley shows no signs of slowing down.

This programme sees Shirley working on the final page of her latest Alfie book, discussing her love of illustrating, the challenges of coming up with new ideas, and why she has no plans to retire.


MON 21:00 Swim the Channel (b07ll8s6)
In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb - with little more than some brandy, beer and beef tea to keep him going - became the first man to successfully swim from England to France. Since then more people have conquered Everest than successfully swum across the Channel. To this day, it remains the ultimate open water swimming challenge.

This documentary tells the story of those who keep Captain Webb's vision alive - the volunteer coaches and the unlikeliest of athletes who they tirelessly support in their dream to swim from England to France. The rules are simple - no physical aids, no wimp/wet suits, just a swimsuit, goggles, the all-important swimming cap and a spot of grease to stop the chafing.

At the heart of the community are pensioners Freda, Irene and Barry. They can be found in Dover every weekend from May to September come rain or shine, ready to train, feed and grease the wannabe Channel swimmers. The swimmers do not take on this arduous journey alone, and also rely on the skill of the pilots who navigate them safely to the other side of the busiest shipping lane in the world.

The community share their highs and lows both in and out of the water as they train together on this small stretch of pebbled beach shadowed by the ferry port. Feasting on jelly babies, and fuelled by adrenalin and dreams, the modern-day swimmer continues to risk it all in this, the ultimate challenge of man versus nature.


MON 22:00 Timewatch (b00fg9hw)
2008-2009

The Last Day of World War One

Michael Palin tells the story of how the First World War ended on 11th November 1918 and reveals the shocking truth that soldiers continued to be killed in battle for many hours after the armistice had been signed. Recounting the events of the days and hours leading up to that last morning, Palin tells the personal stories of the last soldiers to die as the minutes and seconds ticked away to the 11 o'clock ceasefire.


MON 23:00 A History of Art in Three Colours (b01l4fyl)
Gold

For the very first civilisations, the yellow lustre of gold is the most alluring and intoxicating colour of all. From the midst of prehistory to a bunker deep beneath the Bank of England, Fox reveals how golden treasures made across the ages reflect everything that has been held as sacred.


MON 00:00 Who Were the Greeks? (b036b0yl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 01:00 Swim the Channel (b07ll8s6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 02:00 Madness in the Desert: Paris to Dakar (b01r1cnw)
Documentary telling the story of the world's craziest race.

In 1977, French motorcyclist Thierry Sabine was in serious trouble, lost in the Libyan desert and dying from thirst. Whilst most men would weep and think back over their lives, Thierry thought about coming back - to do a rally across the Sahara Desert. The 9,000km Paris-Dakar rally was born.

The rally became a beacon for eccentric adventurers battling the terrain in customised vehicles, seduced by the romance of the desert and the extreme challenge. It soon became a victim of its own rapid success. Caught up in controversy and with over 60 deaths, in 2008 this incredible event was brought to an end in Africa by terrorism.

Featuring winners Cyril Neveu, Hubert Auriol, Jean-Louis Schlesser, Ari Vatanen, Stephane Peterhansel, Martine de Cortanze, former participant Sir Mark Thatcher and many more, this is the story of the biggest motorsport event the world has ever seen and one of the greatest challenges of human endeavour ever conceived, told by those who took part.

How the west took on a landscape of incredible beauty and scale. And lost.


MON 03:00 Rude Britannia (b00srf2d)
A History Most Satirical, Bawdy, Lewd and Offensive

In the early 18th century, Georgian Britain was a nation openly, gloriously and often shockingly rude. This was found in the graphic art of Hogarth, Gillray, Rowlandson and George Cruikshank, and the rude theatrical world of John Gay and Henry Fielding. Singer Lucie Skeaping helps show the Georgian taste for lewd and bawdy ballads, and there is a dip into the literary tradition of rude words via the poetry of Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift and Lord Byron, and Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy.



TUESDAY 19 JULY 2016

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b07l1c2t)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04hkd1h)
Elephants

Chris Packham explores the anatomy and physiology of the largest land animal on the planet - the elephant. Their size seems ill-suited to surviving the most arid regions of Africa, but their inner workings allow them to defy the extreme heat of the desert and find food and water in seemingly barren landscapes, while their extraordinary memory enables them to repel predators.

Chris reveals how hairs on the skin help keep elephants cool, how sensors in their feet may be able to guide them towards rain and how a unique pouch in their mouths stores water. Recent research has even discovered that elephants can distinguish between the voices of human friend and foe.


TUE 20:00 Sacred Wonders of Britain (b03npt4m)
Episode 1

In the first of a three part series, Neil Oliver sets off on in search of the Sacred Wonders of Britain. What was it about Britain's rich and varied landscape that inspired our ancestors to express their beliefs by reshaping the world around them? What did they see in our countryside that led them to deem some places more sacred than others and why are we still drawn back to those places today?

From the heart of our cities to the furthest reaches of our islands, it's a journey to reveal the sacred face of Britain - an ancient landscape of belief and ritual that still lies hidden just below the surface of our modern world.

Neil goes in search of the very first stirrings of religion in Britain. In Nottinghamshire he discovers clues to a world of magic and ritual etched into the rock of Creswell Crags by Ice Age hunters. In the south of England and on the Scottish borders, great tombs are evidence of ancestor worship among the first farmers of the Neolithic era and an extraordinary discovery in Herefordshire reveals what really lies beneath their burial mounds.

In the flint mines of Grimes Graves in Norfolk, he discovers how Stone Age miners carried their religion deep underground. Finally, in the great stone circle and henge of Avebury and the extraordinary monuments of Orkney, he discovers how a new age of belief swept away the old religions and changed Britain for ever.


TUE 21:00 The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich (b07l6bd0)
Medieval art historian Dr Janina Ramirez tells the incredible story of a book hidden for centuries in the shadows of history, the first book ever written in English by a woman, Julian of Norwich, in 1373.

Revelations of Divine Love dared to present an alternative vision of man's relationship with God, a theology fundamentally at odds with the church of Julian's time. The book was suppressed for 500 years. It re-emerged in the 20th century as an iconic text for the women's movement and was acknowledged as a literary masterpiece.

Janina follows the trail of the lost manuscript, travelling from Norwich to Cambrai in northern France to discover how the book survived and the brave women who championed it.


TUE 22:00 Inside Claridge's (b01pc3gk)
Episode 2

Opened in 1854, Claridge's is famed for its art deco interiors and traditional service. Many staff, such as Roman the doorman, have worked there for over 30 years, giving guests continuity and the sense they might be living in a different century.

The Crown Prince of Yugoslavia is a regular guest, and he returns to stay in the suite where he was born in 1945. Joan Collins, Stephen Fry and the Emperor of Japan also come to visit, as well as 85-year-old Gerry Parker, an ex-East End bookmaker who has breakfasted at Claridge's for the last 40 years.

Given this weight of tradition and expectation, general manager Thomas Kochs takes any change very seriously, and no decision - from new alarm clocks to a £10 million renovation plan - escapes his obsessive attention to detail.


TUE 23:00 Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures (b03xsfrq)
Weird Wonders

Professor Richard Fortey journeys high in the Rocky Mountains to explore a 520 million-year-old fossilised seabed containing bizarre and experimental life forms that have revolutionised our understanding about the beginnings of complex life. Among the amazing finds he uncovers are marine creatures with five eyes and a proboscis, filter-feeders shaped like tulips, worm-like scavengers covered in spikes but with no identifiable head or anus, and a metre-long predator resembling a giant shrimp.


TUE 00:00 Sacred Wonders of Britain (b03npt4m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 01:00 A History of Art in Three Colours (b01l4fyl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 Inside Claridge's (b01pc3gk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 03:00 The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich (b07l6bd0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 20 JULY 2016

WED 19:00 World News Today (b07l1c2z)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04j8ttk)
Great Apes

Chris Packham explores the evolution of the great ape's brain to reveal how different parts have been adapted over time by its anatomy, ingenuity and sociability, culminating in one of the most complex brains on the planet. Chris examines how the ability to use two hands asymmetrically sets the great ape apart from other tool-using animals and how social living is linked to the evolution of the amygdala in both humans and our ape cousins. New research reveals how bonobos' peace-loving reputation may have developed through a similar domestication process to that undergone by our pet dogs.


WED 20:00 Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time (b06s75vs)
The story of the most elegant and powerful theory in science - Albert Einstein's general relativity.

When Einstein presented his formidable theory in November 1915, it turned our understanding of gravity, space and time completely on its head. Over the last 100 years, general relativity has enabled us to trace the origins of the universe to the Big Bang and to appreciate the enormous power of black holes.

To mark the 100th anniversary of general relativity, this film takes us inside the head of Einstein to witness how his idea evolved, giving new insights into the birth of a masterpiece that has become a cornerstone of modern science. This is not as daunting as it sounds - because Einstein liked to think in pictures. The film is a magical visual journey that begins in Einstein's young mind, follows the thought experiments that gave him stunning insights about the physical world, and ultimately reaches the extremes of modern physics.


WED 21:00 The Joy of Data (b07lk6tj)
A witty and mind-expanding exploration of data, with mathematician Dr Hannah Fry. This high-tech romp reveals what data is and how it is captured, stored, shared and made sense of. Fry tells the story of the engineers of the data age, people most of us have never heard of despite the fact they brought about a technological and philosophical revolution.

For Hannah, the joy of data is all about spotting patterns. Hannah sees data as the essential bridge between two universes - the tangible, messy world that we see and the clean, ordered world of maths, where everything can be captured beautifully with equations.

The film reveals the connection between Scrabble scores and online movie streaming, explains why a herd of dairy cows are wearing pedometers, and uncovers the network map of Wikipedia. What's the mystery link between marmalade and One Direction?

The film hails the contribution of Claude Shannon, the mathematician and electrical engineer who, in an attempt to solve the problem of noisy telephone lines, devised a way to digitise all information. Shannon singlehandedly launched the 'information age'. Meanwhile, Britain's National Physical Laboratory hosts a race between its young apprentices in order to demonstrate how and why data moves quickly around modern data networks. It's all thanks to the brilliant technique first invented there in the 1960s by Welshman Donald Davies - packet switching.

But what of the future? Should we be worried by the pace of change and what our own data could be used for? Ultimately, Fry concludes, data has empowered all of us. We must have machines at our side if we're to find patterns in the modern-day data deluge. But, Fry believes, regardless of AI and machine learning, it will always take us to find the meaning in them.


WED 22:00 Ocean Giants (b013wpxz)
Deep Thinkers

Humans have long wondered if the universe may harbour other intelligent life forms. But perhaps we need look no further than our oceans?

Whales and dolphins, like humans, have large brains, are quick to learn new behaviours and use a wide range of sounds to communicate with others in their society. But how close are their minds to ours? In the Bahamas, Professor Denise Herzing believes she is very close to an answer, theorising that she will be able to hold a conversation with wild dolphins in their own language within five years.

In Western Australia, dolphins rely on their versatile and inventive brains to survive in a marine desert. In Alaska, humpback whales gather into alliances in which individuals pool their specialised talents to increase their hunting success. We discover how young spotted dolphins learn their individual names and the social etiquette of their pod, and how being curious about new objects leads Caribbean bottlenose dolphins to self-awareness and even to self-obsession. Finally, the film shows a remarkable group of Mexican grey whales, who seem able to empathize with humans and may even have a concept of forgiveness.


WED 23:00 Timeshift (b00x7c3z)
Series 10

The Golden Age of Coach Travel

Documentary which takes a glorious journey back to the 1950s, when the coach was king. From its early origins in the charabanc, the coach had always been the people's form of transport. Cheaper and more flexible than the train, it allowed those who had travelled little further than their own villages and towns a first heady taste of exploration and freedom. It was a safe capsule on wheels from which to venture out into a wider world.

The distinctive livery of the different coach companies was part of a now-lost world, when whole communities crammed into coach after coach en route to pleasure spots like Blackpool, Margate and Torquay. With singsongs, toilet stops and the obligatory pub halt, it didn't matter how long it took to get there because the journey was all part of the adventure.


WED 00:00 Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams (p00y6r6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 Timewatch (b00fg9hw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


WED 02:00 Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time (b06s75vs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 03:00 The Joy of Data (b07lk6tj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 21 JULY 2016

THU 19:00 World News Today (b07l1c34)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b07ll9rl)
David Jensen presents the pop chart show, first broadcast on 4 March 1982. Includes appearances by Toni Basil, Tight Fit, Gary Numan, ABC, Jets, Madness and Zoo.


THU 20:00 Yellowstone (b00jc6p6)
Winter

Series following the fortunes of America's wildlife icons in Yellowstone, the most extensive thermal area on Earth.

In winter, Yellowstone is frozen solid - locked in snow as deep as a house for over six months. Whether you hunt for meat, live off stored body fat or whether you simply hibernate, you need to take every advantage, however slight, to save precious energy - then you might just make it through the winter to enjoy the green grass and balmy days of spring.

As we follow the grip of winter over the course of six freezing months, we chart the fortunes of Yellowstone's wildlife in a finely balanced fight to survive. Bison use their massively powerful heads to dig through some of the deepest snow in America to reach the grass beneath. A red fox listens out for mice scurrying six feet beneath the snow before diving headfirst into the drift to snap up its prey, while otters slide through Yellowstone's winter wonderland to find any remaining open water where they can fish. All the while, as the herds of elk and bison are gradually weakened by the cold, one animal gets stronger - the wolf.

But all is not as it first seems - there are larger powers at work. Whether a wolf, a bison or an elk makes it through is intimately linked to Yellowstone's greatest secret. Sleeping beneath the ice and snow-covered surface is one of the world's largest volcanoes. In an extraordinary twist of nature, everything from the freezing winter cold to the creation of a snowstorm is determined by the power of Yellowstone's volcanic heart.


THU 21:00 The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank (b036f9vc)
Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, an ideal that found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions.

In this documentary, Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairytale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich Baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.


THU 22:00 Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (b07gpdbz)
A colourful character who was not only ahead of her time but helped to define it, Peggy Guggenheim was an heiress to a family fortune who became a central figure in the modern art movement. As she moved through the cultural upheaval of the 20th century, she collected not only art; she collected artists. Her colourful personal history included such figures as Samuel Beckett, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock, Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp as well as countless others. While fighting through personal tragedy, she maintained her vision to build one of the most important collections of modern art, now enshrined in her Venetian palazzo.


THU 23:30 Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (b06tg506)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Saturday]


THU 01:25 Top of the Pops (b07ll9rl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:00 Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict (b07gpdbz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



FRIDAY 22 JULY 2016

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b07l1c3b)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b07l6gf5)
2016

Strictly Prom

Could this be the glitziest Prom ever? Get your dancing shoes on and join Katie Derham and a whole host of your favourite Strictly Come Dancing professionals as they celebrate the music of dance.

The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Gavin Sutherland, embarks on a musical journey from foxtrot and waltz, to paso doble and tango, taking in a wonderful panorama of dancing and some stunning orchestral interludes on the way.


FRI 21:30 The People's History of Pop (b07l24rf)
1966-1976: The Love Affair

Writer, journalist and broadcaster Danny Baker looks at the years of his youth - 1966 to 1976 - a time when music fans really let rip.

From the psychedelia of the Beatles' Sgt Pepper to the birth of the large-scale music festival, this is when hair, sounds and ideas got wilder and looser as a whole new generation of fans got really serious about British pop music and the world around them.

There is testimony from hippies who found love and happiness at the 1970 Isle of Wight festival, from a teenager growing up in Birmingham who discovered a new sound called 'heavy metal', and from fans sent wild with excitement after David Bowie and Marc Bolan were beamed down and glam rock was born.

A shy young man tells how he found expression through progressive rock, a fan relives her weekend escapes to Wigan Casino and a new scene called northern soul, and a young man discovers a new hero as reggae becomes mainstream.

Unearthed pop treasures include a rare item of clothing worn by Marc Bolan and given to a young fan as a gift after he knocked on Marc's door. A former teacher and pupil of Peckham Manor School are reunited, more than forty years after they witnessed an unknown Bob Marley perform in their sports hall, and rare photos of the event are shown. Plus, some rare and special material from the biggest star of the 70s himself - David Bowie.


FRI 22:30 When Pop Went Epic: The Crazy World of the Concept Album (b079s0n0)
It's possibly one of the most denigrated inventions in the history of music, the greatest signifier of rock star pomposity. Indeed, in some quarters, the very mention of it is likely to provoke sniggering derision, conjuring up images of quadruple-gatefold album sleeves, songs that go on for weeks and straggly-haired rockers prattling on about mystical lands, unicorns, goblins and dystopian futures. But - back when people actually took the time to sit down and listen to records from beginning to end - for many, nothing delivered a more rewarding experience than the concept album. And for some, it's still a format that provides rock music with its high watermark moments.

This documentary explores the history of a musical format - usually based around a structured narrative, though sometimes tied together by a loose theme - that developed to become the equivalent of rock 'n' roll theatre, often on an operatic scale. The legendary cape-wearing keyboardmeister Rick Wakeman - himself the creator of several of history's most, ahem, 'elaborate' long players - presents this insightful and playful exploration of the greatest examples of the art form.

From social commentary to collected songs of loneliness, heartache and introspection, from tales of intergalactic rock stars to anthems of isolated youth, the film takes us on a journey - examining the roots of the concept album in its various forms, unpacking some of the most ambitious - and ridiculous - projects of the past fifty years, from Woody Guthrie's Dustbowl Ballads to Tales from Topographic Oceans by Yes; the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds to George Clinton's Mothership Connection; The Wall by Pink Floyd to The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

Some of the mavericks who made the maddest and most memorable big ideas happen are here to provide their own perspectives, including Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull); Laura Marling; George Clinton; Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips); J Willgoose Esq (Public Service Broadcasting); Fish (Marillion); Tony Asher (co-writer of lyrics on Pet Sounds); graphic artists such as Roger Dean (designer of Yes album sleeves) and Aubrey Powell of design partnership Hipgnosis (Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Animals, and Genesis's The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway).


FRI 23:30 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 00:30 The People's History of Pop (b07l24rf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


FRI 01:30 When Pop Went Epic: The Crazy World of the Concept Album (b079s0n0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]


FRI 02:30 Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC (b06jp24d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]




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

... Sings the Great American Songbook 00:25 SAT (b00rs3w4)

A History of Art in Three Colours 23:00 MON (b01l4fyl)

A History of Art in Three Colours 01:00 TUE (b01l4fyl)

BBC Proms 19:30 SUN (b07ldrdm)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b07l6gf5)

Beck 21:00 SAT (b07lnnjq)

Concerto at the BBC Proms 19:00 SUN (b01k031g)

Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams 19:00 SAT (p00y6r6q)

Crossing England in a Punt: River of Dreams 00:00 WED (p00y6r6q)

Fossil Wonderlands: Nature's Hidden Treasures 23:00 TUE (b03xsfrq)

Horizon 01:55 SUN (b00nslc4)

Inside Claridge's 22:00 TUE (b01pc3gk)

Inside Claridge's 02:00 TUE (b01pc3gk)

Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time 20:00 WED (b06s75vs)

Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time 02:00 WED (b06s75vs)

Madness in the Desert: Paris to Dakar 02:00 MON (b01r1cnw)

Ocean Giants 22:00 WED (b013wpxz)

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict 22:00 THU (b07gpdbz)

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict 02:00 THU (b07gpdbz)

Rich Hall's You Can Go to Hell, I'm Going to Texas 00:25 SUN (b036lqsz)

Rude Britannia 03:00 MON (b00srf2d)

Sacred Wonders of Britain 20:00 TUE (b03npt4m)

Sacred Wonders of Britain 00:00 TUE (b03npt4m)

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All 22:30 SAT (b06tg506)

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All 23:30 THU (b06tg506)

Storyville 22:00 SUN (b03td9sc)

Swim the Channel 21:00 MON (b07ll8s6)

Swim the Channel 01:00 MON (b07ll8s6)

The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 21:00 THU (b036f9vc)

The Joy of Data 21:00 WED (b07lk6tj)

The Joy of Data 03:00 WED (b07lk6tj)

The People's History of Pop 21:30 FRI (b07l24rf)

The People's History of Pop 00:30 FRI (b07l24rf)

The River Taff with Will Millard 20:00 MON (b070t48y)

The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich 21:00 TUE (b07l6bd0)

The Search for the Lost Manuscript: Julian of Norwich 03:00 TUE (b07l6bd0)

The Secret Life of Bob Monkhouse 01:25 SAT (b00x9b7w)

The Wonder of Animals 19:30 MON (b04gvbdr)

The Wonder of Animals 19:30 TUE (b04hkd1h)

The Wonder of Animals 19:30 WED (b04j8ttk)

Timeshift 23:25 SUN (b016pwgw)

Timeshift 02:55 SUN (p0287mq6)

Timeshift 23:00 WED (b00x7c3z)

Timewatch 22:00 MON (b00fg9hw)

Timewatch 01:00 WED (b00fg9hw)

Top of the Pops 02:55 SAT (b07k8p62)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b07ll9rl)

Top of the Pops 01:25 THU (b07ll9rl)

Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC 23:30 FRI (b06jp24d)

Totally 60s Psychedelic Rock at the BBC 02:30 FRI (b06jp24d)

What Do Artists Do All Day? 20:30 MON (b07l57yy)

When Pop Went Epic: The Crazy World of the Concept Album 22:30 FRI (b079s0n0)

When Pop Went Epic: The Crazy World of the Concept Album 01:30 FRI (b079s0n0)

Who Were the Greeks? 20:00 SAT (b036b0yl)

Who Were the Greeks? 00:00 MON (b036b0yl)

Wild 21:40 SUN (b0078yps)

Wild 21:50 SUN (b0078yx9)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b07l1c2n)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b07l1c2t)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b07l1c2z)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b07l1c34)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b07l1c3b)

Yellowstone 20:00 THU (b00jc6p6)