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 06 AUGUST 2016

SAT 13:00 Olympics (b07nmccf)
2016

Day 1 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day one of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Britain's gymnasts were among the stars of the London 2012 show - winning four medals in all to vastly exceed expectations - and the men are in qualification action early on day one.


SAT 16:00 Olympics (b07nmkdq)
2016

Day 1 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day one of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Fresh from their best ever performance at last year's world championships, there are high hopes for Britain's swimmers, some of whom will be in action in their heats early on day one in Rio.


SAT 19:00 Olympics (b07nmkds)
2016

Day 1 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day one of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

All eyes will be on reigning world champion Adam Peaty in the heats of the 100m breaststroke, an event in which the Briton holds the world record.


SAT 22:00 Olympics (b07nmkdv)
2016

Day 1 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day one of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Rugby sevens has been added to the Olympic schedule and day one sees Team GB's women, widely tipped as medal contenders, begin their bid to make it a Games to remember.


SAT 02:05 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.


SAT 02:20 Wild (b0078z72)
2005-06 Shorts

The Owls and the Orchard

Short documentary taking a look at a devoted pair of little owls who set up home in an old orchard in rural Herefordshire. From spring blossom to autumn apples, it follows a year in the life of the parent birds, their baby owls and the old fruit trees.


SAT 02:30 Danny Baker Rocks... A Bit (b03v4jsx)
The Nineties

With the help of a couple of morris dancers, Danny Baker showcases performances by rockin' Brits such as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, Radiohead, Happy Mondays and Portishead.


SAT 03:00 New York Rock at the BBC (b007mwcf)
From the streets of New York City to the studios of the BBC comes the cream of the New York rock scene, including classic archive performances from The Ramones, New York Dolls, Television, Blondie, Lou Reed and many more.



SUNDAY 07 AUGUST 2016

SUN 13:00 Olympics (b07nmmc4)
2016

Day 2 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day two of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Andy Murray has been in fine form in 2016 already, winning his second Wimbledon title, and his bid to make it back-to-back Olympic men's singles titles catches the eye here.


SUN 16:00 Olympics (b07nmmzq)
2016

Day 2 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day two of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games featuring swimming, diving, fencing and the women's cycling road race.


SUN 19:00 Olympics (b07nmqgn)
2016

Day 2 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Rishi Persad presents live coverage of day two of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Swimming, diving, gymnastics and fencing feature in a hectic schedule on day two, which also sees the GB men's hockey team take on New Zealand.


SUN 22:00 Olympics (b07nmqgq)
2016

Day 2 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Rishi Persad presents continued live coverage of day two of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The evening schedule features beach volleyball which, with its iconic venue on Copacabana Beach and the strength of the host nation's challenge, promises to be one of the highlights of Rio 2016.


SUN 02:00 Britain on Film (b01nvwqm)
Series 1

Brits at Play

In 1959 Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled the changing face of British society, industry and culture, all on high-grade 35mm colour film. Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade in modern British history.

This episode looks at the films that recorded one of the great boom industries of the 1960s, the leisure industry. Having left behind the austerity of the immediate post-war period, Britain's increasingly affluent population took full advantage of the new leisure opportunities that made affordable newly-emerging recreational activities at home - as well as exciting holiday adventures abroad.


SUN 02:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074q9l)
Original Series

The First Steps

The rock and pop series kicks off with the very birth of the decade, when pop was consigned to Crackerjack and rebellious singers still wore cardigans. But then Beatlemania came along.

Features the fabulous Freddie and the Dreamers on Blue Peter and Pinky & Perky doing the Twist.


SUN 03:00 Timeshift (b053pxdr)
Series 14

The Nation's Railway: The Golden Age of British Rail

Timeshift revisits Britain's railways during the era of public ownership. For all its bad reputation today, the old British Rail boldly transformed a decayed, war-torn Victorian transport network into a system fit for the 20th century. With an eye firmly on the future, steam made way for diesel and electric, new modern stations like Euston were built, and Britain's first high-speed trains introduced.

Made with unique access to the British Transport Films archive, this is a warm corrective to the myth of the bad old days of rail, but even it can't hide from the horror that was a British Rail sandwich.



MONDAY 08 AUGUST 2016

MON 13:00 Olympics (b07nmx4n)
2016

Day 3 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day three of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The three-day eventing competition is at the cross-country stage, with London 2012 silver medallists Great Britain hoping to be at the sharp end of the competition.


MON 16:00 Olympics (b07nmx4q)
2016

Day 3 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day three of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

London 2012 canoe slalom silver medallists David Florence and Richard Hounslow will be hoping to progress comfortably through the men's C2 heats.


MON 19:00 Olympics (b07nmx4s)
2016

Day 3 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day three of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Pre-tournament medal contenders Team GB will hope to be in action in the semi-finals of the women's rugby sevens competition.


MON 22:00 Olympics (b07nmx4v)
2016

Day 3 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day three of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

London 2012 bronze medallists Team GB take on India in the women's hockey tournament, while there is also beach volleyball action from the iconic Copacabana Beach.


MON 02:05 Britain on Film (b01nz93z)
Series 1

Getting Down to Business

In 1959 Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled - on high-grade 35mm colour film - the changing face of British society, industry and culture. Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade in modern British history.

This episode examines Look at Life's surprisingly entertaining films on the British economy, at a time when industry faced ever-increasing competition from abroad.


MON 02:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbd)
Original Series

1964-5: Getting in on the Act

More pop, rock and rhythm and blues from the archive as Sounds of the Sixties shifts up a gear with the great and lamentable from 1964 to 1965. It features the Seekers, the Byrds, the Rolling Stones and many more.


MON 02:55 The Riviera: A History in Pictures (b01ps9jr)
Painting Paradise

Two-part sun-filled series in which Richard E Grant follows in the footsteps of artists who have lived, loved and painted on France's glorious Cote d'Azur.

Revealing the intertwined relationship between modern art and the development of the French Riviera as an international tourist haven, Grant explores how impressionist painters Cezanne, Monet and Renoir first discovered the region in the 19th century when the newly built railway arrived there.

Captivated by the light and colour of this undiscovered landscape, the painters immortalised its shores on canvas and in doing so advertised the savage beauty of the region. For neo-impressionists Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross, the region provided a vision of utopia, while for Henri Matisse the vivid colours of the area inspired him to adopt a new palette and in doing so set modern art en route to abstraction.

With visits to L'Estaque, St Tropez and Nice, Grant maps the progress of the region from cultural backwater to bohemian hotspot.



TUESDAY 09 AUGUST 2016

TUE 13:00 Olympics (b07nn3kl)
2016

Day 4 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day four of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, featuring a number of semi-finals in which rowing powerhouse Great Britain will expect to shine.


TUE 16:00 Olympics (b07nn3kn)
2016

Day 4 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day four of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, featuring canoeing and swimming.


TUE 19:00 Olympics (b07nn3kq)
2016

Day 4 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day four of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games featuring rugby sevens, canoe slalom and diving.

New GB diving pairing Tonia Couch and Lois Toulson are among the medal contenders in the women's 10m synchro competition after a breakthrough campaign in 2016.


TUE 22:00 Olympics (b07nn3ks)
2016

Day 4 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day four of the 2016 Olympics, featuring action from the men's hockey tournament including Great Britain's game against hosts Brazil.


TUE 02:00 Britain on Film (b01p2pd4)
Series 1

Dedicated Followers of Fashion

Throughout the 1960s, the Rank Organisation produced hundreds of short, quirky documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. Shot on high-quality colour film stock, they were screened in cinemas, but until now very little of the footage has been shown on television. This series draws on this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into a pivotal decade in modern British history.

This episode examines the films that recorded developments in one of 1960s Britain's most dynamic, innovative industries - the glamorous and fast-moving world of fashion.


TUE 02:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbf)
Original Series

1964-66: The Beat Room

Things get cool and serious in the archive rock show as it highlights the BBC's cutting-edge pop programme The Beat Room amongst others, with great performances from John Lee Hooker, The Pretty Things and Tom Jones.


TUE 03:00 Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing (p030s5bx)
Ada Lovelace was a most unlikely computer pioneer. In this film, Dr Hannah Fry tells the story of Ada's remarkable life. Born in the early 19th century, Ada was a countess of the realm, a scandalous socialite and an 'enchantress of numbers'. The film is an enthralling tale of how a life infused with brilliance, but blighted by illness and gambling addiction, helped give rise to the modern era of computing.

Hannah traces Ada's unlikely union with the father of computers, Charles Babbage. Babbage designed the world's first steam-powered computers - most famously the analytical engine - but it was Ada who realised the full potential of these new machines. During her own lifetime, Ada was most famous for being the daughter of romantic poet Lord Byron ('mad, bad and dangerous to know'). It was only with the advent of modern computing that Ada's understanding of their flexibility and power (that they could be far more than mere number crunchers) was recognised as truly visionary. Hannah explores how Ada's unique inheritance - poetic imagination and rational logic - made her the ideal prophet of the digital age.

This moving, intelligent and beautiful film makes you realise we nearly had a Victorian computer revolution.



WEDNESDAY 10 AUGUST 2016

WED 13:00 Olympics (b07nn8yf)
2016

Day 5 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day five of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Rugby sevens is making its Olympic bow in Rio. Great Britain's men have been tipped to finish on the podium so will want to find their form in today's pool matches.


WED 16:00 Olympics (b07nn8yh)
2016

Day 5 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day five of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Great Britain's women - bronze medallists at London 2012 - take on Argentina in the group stages of the hockey tournament.


WED 19:00 Olympics (b07nn8yk)
2016

Day 5 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day five of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The men's rugby sevens tournament has reached the quarter-finals stage - two-time reigning world series champions Fiji will be expected to feature here as they look to win the Pacific island's first ever Olympic medal.


WED 22:00 Olympics (b07nn8ym)
2016

Day 5 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day five of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the medals are decided in the table tennis women's singles competition.


WED 02:05 Britain on Film (b01p65b7)
Series 1

The Joy of Tech

Throughout the 1960s, the Rank Organisation produced hundreds of short, quirky documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. Shot on high-quality colour film stock, they were screened in cinemas, but until now very little of the footage has been shown on television. This series draws on this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into a pivotal decade in modern British history.

This episode looks at the extraordinary advances in technology during a period when automatic washing machines were transforming life in the home, computers were about to revolutionise the workplace and nuclear power was promising to change the world.


WED 02:35 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbv)
Original Series

The Folk Revival

A trawl through the BBC's archives for 60s music with an acoustic bent. Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Tim Buckley feature.


WED 03:05 Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork (b01psbwz)
The Extraordinary Thomas Chippendale

Thomas Chippendale is the most famous furniture designer the world has ever produced, but what about the man behind the chairs? This episode shows how Chippendale worked his way up from humble roots to working for the nobility, but also how he was ruined by the very aristocrats he created such wonders for.



THURSDAY 11 AUGUST 2016

THU 13:00 Olympics (b07nrbb1)
2016

Day 6 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day six of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games featuring action from the golf and badminton tournaments.


THU 16:00 Olympics (b07nrbb3)
2016

Day 6 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day six of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Table Tennis - Men's Singles Semifinal 2 Samsonov v Zhang. Judo - Men's Elimination Round of 32 Gviniashvili v Fletcher. Judo - Quarter-final Tcheumeo v Powell. Swimming - Men's 50m Freestyle - Heats. Golf - Men's Round 1. Swimming - women's 800m Freestyle heats. Boxing Men's Light Heavy (81kg) Round of 16 Rasulov v Buatsi. Rugby Sevens - Men's Semi-final 1 Fiji v Japan.


THU 19:00 Olympics (b07nrbb5)
2016

Day 6 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day six of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Canoeing - kayak (K1) women's final. Tennis - men's Singles third round Fognini v Murray. Gymnastics - women's individual all-around final.


THU 22:00 Olympics (b07nrbb7)
2016

Day 6 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day six of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Gymnastics - Women's Individual All-Around Final. Boxing - Men's Light Welter (64kg) Round of 32. Rugby Sevens - Men's Bronze Medal Match - Japan v South Africa. Tennis - Mixed Doubles 1st Round GB v Spain. Boxing - Men's Welter (69kg) Round of 16. Badminton - group stages - China v GB (mixed doubles) and womens singles GB v Switzerland. Archery - Women's Individual Quarter-final Folkard v Chang. Table Tennis - Men's Singles Bronze Medal Match.


THU 02:05 Wild (b0078z0j)
2005-06 Shorts

Deer in the City

Short documentary about a pair of roe deer who have made a Scottish cemetery their home. Surrounded on all sides by a sprawling metropolis, these normally shy creatures are a magical addition to the city's urban population.


THU 02:15 Wild (b00jd9yx)
Scotland

Otters, Puffins and Seals

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


THU 02:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qbw)
Original Series

1967-68: The Pop Boom

By now Top of the Pops was an established part of the pop scene, and a group's appearance on the show was essential to a single's success. With footage of the Bee Gees, the Rolling Stones and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich amongst others.


THU 03:00 A Timewatch Guide (b052775d)
Series 1

Cleopatra

Using the BBC film archives, historian Vanessa Collinridge explores how our view of Cleopatra has changed and evolved over the years - from Roman propaganda, through Shakespeare's role in casting her as a doomed romantic heroine, to her portrayal in the golden age of Hollywood.

Along the way Vanessa investigates Cleopatra's relationships with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, her role as a politician, whether she should be seen as a murderer, and her tragic end. Drawing on the views of academic experts, BBC documentaries and drama, Vanessa charts how, throughout history, Cleopatra's image has been subject to myth, cliche and propaganda.



FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2016

FRI 13:00 Olympics (b07nrgt9)
2016

Day 7 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba presents live coverage of day seven of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games featuring athletics and rowing.

The athletics programme begins with the likes of Olympic champions Jessica Ennis-Hill and David Rudisha both in action.


FRI 16:00 Olympics (b07nrgtd)
2016

Day 7 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Ore Oduba presents continued live coverage of day seven of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The schedule includes the men's doubles tennis final and the men's singles semi-finals, an event in which Britain's Andy Murray is the reigning Olympic champion.


FRI 19:00 Olympics (b07nrgtk)
2016

Day 7 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents live coverage of day seven of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games featuring archery, judo and hockey - in which Great Britain's men take on Spain.


FRI 22:00 Olympics (b07nrgtp)
2016

Day 7 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Dan Walker presents continued live coverage of day seven of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

European Games champions Great Britain will have high hopes in the men's fencing foil final, while there are also beach volleyball last-16 matches from Copacabana Beach.


FRI 02:00 Britain on Film (b01qbz9f)
Series 1

This Sceptered Isle

In 1959, Britain's biggest cinema company, the Rank Organisation, decided to replace its newsreels with a series of short, quirky, topical documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. For the next ten years, Look at Life chronicled - on high-grade 35mm colour film - the changing face of British society, industry and culture. Britain on Film draws upon the 500 films in this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into what became a pivotal decade.

This episode examines Look at Life's quirky films that documented unusual or eccentric British customs, rituals and traditions. In an era where many Britons embraced change as never before, these revealing and highly entertaining films show that people were determined to preserve the idiosyncratic aspects of our national life.


FRI 02:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qc9)
Original Series

1968-69: The Swinging Sixties

Ten-part series featuring rock, pop and R'n'B performances from the BBC archives, this time looking at the height of the hippie era. Featuring the music of Manfred Mann, Herman's Hermits, Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger, the Alan Price Set, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and the Rolling Stones.


FRI 03:00 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b0074t8q)
California Comes to the Whistle Test

A compilation of BBC performances by artists who lived and worked in California in the 1970s. Featuring Jackson Browne, Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Judee Sill, Bonnie Raitt and a rare duet between James Taylor and Carly Simon.




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

A Timewatch Guide 03:00 THU (b052775d)

Britain on Film 02:00 SUN (b01nvwqm)

Britain on Film 02:05 MON (b01nz93z)

Britain on Film 02:00 TUE (b01p2pd4)

Britain on Film 02:05 WED (b01p65b7)

Britain on Film 02:00 FRI (b01qbz9f)

Calculating Ada: The Countess of Computing 03:00 TUE (p030s5bx)

Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork 03:05 WED (b01psbwz)

Danny Baker Rocks... A Bit 02:30 SAT (b03v4jsx)

New York Rock at the BBC 03:00 SAT (b007mwcf)

Olympics 13:00 SAT (b07nmccf)

Olympics 16:00 SAT (b07nmkdq)

Olympics 19:00 SAT (b07nmkds)

Olympics 22:00 SAT (b07nmkdv)

Olympics 13:00 SUN (b07nmmc4)

Olympics 16:00 SUN (b07nmmzq)

Olympics 19:00 SUN (b07nmqgn)

Olympics 22:00 SUN (b07nmqgq)

Olympics 13:00 MON (b07nmx4n)

Olympics 16:00 MON (b07nmx4q)

Olympics 19:00 MON (b07nmx4s)

Olympics 22:00 MON (b07nmx4v)

Olympics 13:00 TUE (b07nn3kl)

Olympics 16:00 TUE (b07nn3kn)

Olympics 19:00 TUE (b07nn3kq)

Olympics 22:00 TUE (b07nn3ks)

Olympics 13:00 WED (b07nn8yf)

Olympics 16:00 WED (b07nn8yh)

Olympics 19:00 WED (b07nn8yk)

Olympics 22:00 WED (b07nn8ym)

Olympics 13:00 THU (b07nrbb1)

Olympics 16:00 THU (b07nrbb3)

Olympics 19:00 THU (b07nrbb5)

Olympics 22:00 THU (b07nrbb7)

Olympics 13:00 FRI (b07nrgt9)

Olympics 16:00 FRI (b07nrgtd)

Olympics 19:00 FRI (b07nrgtk)

Olympics 22:00 FRI (b07nrgtp)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:30 SUN (b0074q9l)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:30 MON (b0074qbd)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:30 TUE (b0074qbf)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:35 WED (b0074qbv)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:30 THU (b0074qbw)

Sounds of the Sixties 02:30 FRI (b0074qc9)

The Old Grey Whistle Test 03:00 FRI (b0074t8q)

The Riviera: A History in Pictures 02:55 MON (b01ps9jr)

Timeshift 03:00 SUN (b053pxdr)

Wild 02:05 SAT (b0078yx9)

Wild 02:20 SAT (b0078z72)

Wild 02:05 THU (b0078z0j)

Wild 02:15 THU (b00jd9yx)