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 20 AUGUST 2016

SAT 13:00 Olympics (b07prb0b)
2016

Day 15 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Ore Oduba introduces coverage of the penultimate day of action at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This afternoon's schedule includes gold and bronze medal matches in the men's badminton singles, plus the semi-finals of the men's 10m platform diving, where Great Britain's Tom Daley will be looking to book his place in the final.


SAT 16:00 Olympics (b07prb0g)
2016

Day 15 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Continued coverage of the semi-finals of the men's 10m platform diving, featuring Tom Daley. There is also action from the men's water polo bronze medal match and the final round of the women's golf.


SAT 19:00 Olympics (b07prb0j)
2016

Day 15 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Dan Walker presents continued live Olympic coverage as the final round of the women's golf reaches its conclusion. Who will be the first female golfer to claim Olympic gold?

There are also gold medals up for grabs in the finals of the women's handball and women's basketball before attention turns to the men's football final, staged at Rio's legendary Maracana stadium. Despite having won five World Cups, hosts Brazil have never won Olympic football gold - and they were stunned by Mexico at Wembley in the final of the 2012 Games. Success on home soil this summer would certainly make amends for that disappointment.


SAT 22:00 Olympics (b07prb0l)
2016

Day 15 BBC Four: 22.00-02.00

Continued live coverage of the men's football final at the Maracana stadium in Rio, introduced by Dan Walker. Mexico are the defending champions. Following the conclusion of the football there will also be a chance to see who came out on top in tonight's men's water polo final.


SAT 02:00 Britain on Film (b036f8nw)
Series 2

Messing About in Boats

Throughout the 1960s, the short film series Look at Life captured almost every aspect of British society and culture, but its producers had a special fascination for one aspect in particular - our inordinate fondness for boats. This episode examines the films that documented a period that saw a raft of British sailors seeking endurance world records; boatmen and women striving to halt the decline of our rivers and canals; and high tension on the high seas, as disputes over fishing rights prompted the government to send gunboats to escort our trawlers.


SAT 02:30 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01jv6sd)
Disco - Ain't No Stopping Us Now

Disco was all pervasive in the mid and early 70s. And while towards the end of the decade punk stole the headlines, disco still had the high street. Everyone was into it and getting down on it at the local discotheque. Join us in a celebration of all things disco including performances by The Jacksons, Thelma Houston, Sylvester, Carl Douglas, George McCrae, Sister Sledge, McFadden and Whitehead, Eruption and Gloria Gaynor.


SAT 03:00 Acoustic at the BBC (b0141mz1)
A journey through some of the finest moments of acoustic guitar performances from the BBC archives - from Jimmy Page's television debut in 1958 to Oasis and Biffy Clyro.

Highlights include:

Neil Young - Heart of Gold
David Bowie - Starman
Oasis - Wonderwall
Donovan - Mellow Yellow
Joan Armatrading - Woncha Come on Home
Bert Jansch, Johnny Marr and Bernard Butler - The River Bank
Joni Mitchell - Chelsea Morning
Biffy Clyro - Mountains.



SUNDAY 21 AUGUST 2016

SUN 13:00 Olympics (b07prdp5)
2016

Day 16 BBC Four: 13.00-16.00

Lee McKenzie introduces coverage of the last day of competition at the Rio Olympics. Today's schedule includes the bronze medal matches in the men's volleyball and men's handball.


SUN 16:00 Olympics (b07prdp9)
2016

Day 16 BBC Four: 16.00-19.00

Continued live coverage of the bronze medal match in the men's handball. That is followed by mountain biking and the gold medal match in the men's volleyball.


SUN 19:00 Olympics (b07prdpc)
2016

Day 16 BBC Four: 19.00-22.00

Live coverage of the men's volleyball final continues, along with action from the men's handball and basketball finals. The USA will be expected to win gold in the basketball. Their team includes NBA stars such as Kevin Durrant and Carmelo Anthony - with the latter hoping to win a third successive Olympic title.


SUN 22:00 Secret Voices of Hollywood (b03bxrxj)
In many of Hollywood's greatest movie musicals the stars did not sing their own songs. This documentary pulls back the curtain to reveal the secret world of the 'ghost singers' who provided the vocals, the screen legends who were dubbed and the classic movies in which the songs were ghosted.


SUN 23:30 Entertaining the Troops (b014v51p)
During World War Two an army of performers from ballerinas to magicians, contortionists to impressionists, set out to help win the war by entertaining the troops far and wide. Risking their lives they ventured into war zones, dodging explosions and performing close to enemy lines. Featuring the memories of this intrepid band of entertainers and with contributions from Dame Vera Lynn, Eric Sykes and Tony Benn, this documentary tells the remarkable story of the World War II performers and hears the memories of some of those troops who were entertained during the dark days of war.


SUN 00:30 Fifties British War Films: Days of Glory (b01pkj2m)
In the 1950s, Britain looked back on its epic war effort in films such as The Dam Busters, The Cruel Sea and The Colditz Story. However, even at the time these productions were criticised for being class-bound and living in the past.

Journalist and historian Simon Heffer argues that these films have real cinematic merit and a genuine cultural importance, that they tell us something significant not only about the 1950s Britain from which they emerged but also about what it means to be British today.

His case is supported by interviews with stars including Virginia McKenna, Sylvia Syms and Sir Donald Sinden, with further contributions from directors Guy Hamilton (The Colditz Story) and Michael Anderson (The Dam Busters).


SUN 01:30 Dancing in the Blitz: How World War II Made British Ballet (p01s4z2h)
David Bintley, director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, explores how the Second World War was the making of British ballet and how fundamental the years of hardship and adversity were in getting the British public to embrace ballet. Bintley shows how the then Sadler's Wells Ballet Company, led by Ninette de Valois and featuring a star-studded generation of British dancers and choreographers including Margot Fonteyn and Frederick Ashton, was forged during the Second World War.

It's the story of how de Valois and her small company of dancers took what was essentially a foreign art form and made it British despite the falling bombs, the rationing and the call-up. Plus it is the story of how Britain, as a nation, fell in love with ballet.

Using rare and previously unseen footage and interviews with dance icons such as Dame Gillian Lynne and Dame Beryl Grey, Bintley shows how the Sadler's Wells Ballet company survived an encounter with Nazi forces in Holland, dancing whilst the bombs were falling in the Blitz, rationing and a punishing touring schedule to bring ballet to the British people as an antidote to the austerity the country faced to emerge, postwar, as the Royal Ballet.


SUN 02:30 Secret Voices of Hollywood (b03bxrxj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



MONDAY 22 AUGUST 2016

MON 19:00 World News Today (b07pqnpk)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 Born to Be Wild (b00ccfft)
Mammals

All over Britain, there is a secret army of dedicated people. They spend millions of hours watching over our wildlife. In the first of this six-part series, mammal watchers come under the spotlight. Mammal enthusiasts have to be truly dedicated, because most of our furry creatures are extremely difficult to see. Many are elusive and fast moving, so it takes real skill just to find them. We go into the rafters of a haunted mansion to spot bats, into the depths of a wood to discover a sleepy dormouse, stand out in the pouring rain to catch a glimpse of a brown hare - and for the elusive otter, our poor naturalist has to be content with its poo.

Britain has a long tradition of amateur naturalists taking to the wilds to pursue their passions. Due to them, we have the best-known wildlife of any country on Earth. Our mammal watchers are playing their part, each providing unique information about their beloved animal.


MON 20:00 Life Story (p026vg7w)
Series 1

First Steps

David Attenborough brings us the universal
story that unites each of us with every animal on the planet, the story of
the greatest of all adventures - the journey through life. For animals there
is just one goal in life - to continue their bloodline in the form of
offspring, the next best thing to immortality. The series shows how animals
attempt to overcome the challenges that face them at each of the six crucial
stages of life as they strive towards ultimate success. In the first
episode, animals overcome their first great hurdle - surviving infancy.
Flightless barnacle goose chicks face their greatest challenge at the very
start of their lives. In order to find food they must leap 400 feet down a
cliff, from the ledge where they hatched. Young fur seals in New Zealand
have found the perfect place to learn how to avoid predators like killer
whales. Instead of swimming out to sea they have discovered a stream that
leads into the forest and ends at a magical splash pool below a waterfall.
Here the youngsters learn together in perfect safety. The little-known
long-eared jerboa, deep in the Gobi desert, has the largest ears relative to
its body of any animal on earth. On its first night alone it learns how to
use its astonishing hearing to detect insect prey in the darkness. Albatross
chicks make their first flight from the Pacific island where they were born,
but huge tiger sharks are waiting for any that misjudge and land on the
sea.


MON 21:00 The Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner (b07d2wy4)
With exclusive access to the magnificent liner and its extensive archive of film and photographs, this documentary explores the action-packed life of the Clyde-built ship - an epic journey through some of the most dynamic periods of the 20th century.

Built with the blood and sweat of the master craftsmen of the Clydebank shipyards, she helped drag a nation from the depths of the great depression and set sail as a symbol of new hope and a better future. Leaving Southampton on 27 May 1936, her maiden voyage to New York set a new benchmark in transatlantic travel. Designed in peacetime to link the old world with the new, she ferried movie stars, politicians and royalty across the Atlantic, luxuriously cocooned in an art-deco floating palace.

Then, in 1939, she was transformed to challenge the fury of the Nazis in the Battle of the Atlantic. With a wartime record to rival that of the highest-ranking general, she carried whole armies through enemy-infested seas. Hitler offered a bonus of $250,000 and the Iron Cross to any U-boat captain who could sink the Queen Mary.

When the war was over, the Queen Mary gave passage to thousands of British war brides and children who planned a new life in the New World. The Queen Mary was a great attraction to the rich and famous celebrities of the 1950s and 60s.

From an exclusive interview with singer Johnny Mathis, we find out what it was like to perform on the rough seas of the Atlantic. The liner continued in service until 1967 and is now a floating luxury hotel and museum docked in a custom-made lagoon in Long Beach, California.


MON 22:00 BBC Proms (b07pqrkw)
2016

Quincy Jones Prom

BBC Prom from the Royal Albert Hall which celebrates the career of composer, arranger, producer, conductor and all-round musical genius Quincy Jones.

Jules Buckley and his Metropole Orkest lead the festivities on stage, celebrating Quincy's compositions, arrangements and productions from a career that has lasted over half a century. The musical and orchestral journey looks back at Quincy's early film and TV scores as well as his collaborations with the likes of Count Basie and Ray Charles, along with his momentous and iconic production work with The Brothers Johnson and Michael Jackson.

Bringing the proceedings up to date is a line-up of inventive and prodigious multi-instrumentalists including Quincy's proteges Jacob Collier, Cuban pianist, composer and Grammy nominee Alfredo Rodríguez, and Cameroonian bassist, composer and vocalist Richard Bona - all showcasing brand new compositions and musical tributes to one of the most influential jazz artists of the 20th century.

Presented by Clemency Burton-Hill and Clarke Peters.


MON 00:00 Timewatch (b00jj523)
2008-2009

WWI Aces Falling

Edward Mannock VC and James McCudden VC rose from modest backgrounds to become two of Britain's greatest fighter aces in World War One.

As the number of their victories grew, so did their chances of dying in flames. Timewatch tells the story of their battle to survive against the odds, and of the 90-year-old mystery surrounding the death of one of them.


MON 01:00 Timeshift (b03gtg7g)
Series 13

When Coal Was King

Timeshift explores the lost world of coal mining and the extraordinarily rich social and cultural lives of those who worked in what was once Britain's most important industry. It's a story told through a largely forgotten film archive that movingly documents the final years of coal's heyday from the 1940s to the 1980s. One priceless piece of footage features a ballet performance by tutu-wearing colliers.

Featuring contributions from those who worked underground, those who lived in the pit villages, those who filmed them at work and at play and those - like Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall - who have been inspired by what made coalfield culture so unique.

Narrated by Christopher Eccleston.


MON 02:00 Entertaining the Troops (b014v51p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 on Sunday]


MON 03:00 The Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner (b07d2wy4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 23 AUGUST 2016

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b07pqnpv)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


TUE 19:30 Born to Be Wild (b00cgxk8)
Bugs

Britain's green army of wildlife watchers are on the lookout for bugs. Believe it or not, there are many amateur naturalists who just love the little things in life. The great thing about studying creepy crawlies is that they are found everywhere, from back gardens to country lanes. One bug lover finds great delight in 2mm-long snails. Another has turned his whole garden into insect heaven. Yet another risks life and limb by going into a floating bog to find dragonflies. And one stalwart bug man is striving to bring back the bugs that keep our rivers alive.

Inspirational and heart-warming, this programme shows that even the least glamorous animals are essential to a healthy environment. And just taking the time to take a closer look reveals a hidden world of fascination and discovery.


TUE 20:00 Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings (b0192nrg)
Ruling by the Book

Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of illuminated manuscripts that were custom-made for kings and explores the medieval world they reveal. She begins her journey with the first Anglo-Saxon rulers to create a united England, encountering books in the British Library's Royal manuscripts collection which are over a thousand years old and a royal family tree which is five metres long.

Janina finds out about a king who had a reputation for chasing nuns and reads a book created as a wedding gift for a ten-year-old prince. She roams from Westminster Abbey to other ancient English spiritual sites such as Winchester, St Albans and Malmesbury, and sees for herself how animal skins can be transformed into the finest vellum.


TUE 21:00 Jumbo: The Plane that Changed the World (b03wtnfv)
Documentary about the development of the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The 747 was a game changer, the airliner that revolutionised mass, cheap air travel. But the first wide-bodied plane was originally intended as a stopgap to Boeing's now-abandoned supersonic jet. This is the remarkable untold story of the jumbo, a billion-dollar gamble that pushed 1960s technology to the limits to create one of the world's most recognisable planes.


TUE 22:00 BBC Proms (b07pqs6l)
2016

Jamie Cullum Prom

Multimillion-selling jazz supremo and master of all musical trades Jamie Cullum returns to the BBC Proms following his sell-out appearance in 2010. This time Jamie is joined by the talented conductor, composer and arranger Jules Buckley and the renegade musicians who make up The Heritage Orchestra.

London's Roundhouse Choir, the Remi Harris Trio and emerging talent from BBC Introducing's canon join Jamie as he offers his own take on a collection of classic pop songs and delivers improvisational numbers from his enviable back catalogue and repertoire.


TUE 23:30 Horizon (b036ypxw)
2012-2013

The Truth About Personality

Michael Mosley explores the latest science about how our personalities are created - and whether they can be changed.

Despite appearances, Mosley is a pessimist who constantly frets about the future. He wants to worry less and become more of an optimist.

He tries out two techniques to change this aspect of his personality - with surprising results.

And he travels to the frontiers of genetics and neuroscience to find out about the forces that shape all our personalities.


TUE 00:30 How to Build a Dinosaur (b014vy5y)
Dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago and we have hardly ever found a complete skeleton. So how do we turn a pile of broken bones into a dinosaur exhibit? Dr Alice Roberts finds out how the experts put skeletons back together, with muscles, accurate postures and even, in some cases, the correct skin colour.


TUE 01:30 Jumbo: The Plane that Changed the World (b03wtnfv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:30 Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings (b0192nrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST 2016

WED 19:00 World News Today (b07pqnq0)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 Born to Be Wild (b00cl5v0)
Reptiles and Amphibians

The amateur naturalists are hot on the trail of cold-blooded animals. Reptiles and amphibians are often thought of as slimy and creepy. They're hard to keep a watch over because they're hard to see. But for the dedicated few, it's well worth the effort. One enthusiast has turned his garden into a lizard empire, all with the aim of helping sand lizards back from the brink. Another has turned sleuth, keeping an eye over her local woodland for Britain's most feared wild animal, the adder. One couple have transformed the landscape to create a home fit for the king of newts. And one man stalks the dank marshes at night to hear the melodic chorus of his own population of toads.

The naturalists' passion for these elusive wild animals gives a window onto a hidden world. This programme shows why it's surprisingly easy to get hot under the collar about cold-blooded creatures.


WED 20:00 The Bridge: Fifty Years Across the Forth (b04g80p8)
A unique amateur film provides the centrepiece of a documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of Scotland's great landmarks, the Forth Road Bridge. The documentary traces the memories of the people who built the bridge, the biggest of its kind in Europe at the time, as well as those who ran the Forth ferries that stopped running when it opened in 1964.


WED 21:00 Timewatch (b00sl29f)
Atlantis: The Evidence

Historian Bettany Hughes unravels one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time. She presents a series of geological, archaeological and historical clues to show that the legend of Atlantis was inspired by a real historical event, the greatest natural disaster of the ancient world.


WED 22:00 BBC Proms (b07pqskv)
2016

Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra

The Proms festival celebrates the Rio 2016 Olympics with a visit from Brazil's Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by their musical director Marin Alsop.

In what is sure to be a vibrant night, the concert gets off the mark with the UK premiere of Marlos Nobre's Kabbalah, followed by one of the most cherished pieces of classical music in the world - Grieg's Piano Concerto, with soloist Gabriela Montero.

A movement from Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras lends a distinctly Latin flavour to proceedings before the swirling sounds of Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances take us to the finishing line.


WED 00:00 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t2w)
Circumnavigation

Explorer Paul Rose reveals the real story behind the first ever circumnavigation of the world.

Ferdinand Magellan set out 500 years ago to find the westward route to the riches of the Spice Islands. But, contrary to popular perception, he never reached them. Rose explains the dramatic sequence of events that led his scurvy-riddled crew to continue around the world without him. The incredible expedition was laced with bloody mutiny and murder, but its achievement was to fundamentally change the lives of the generations that followed, influencing life even today.


WED 01:00 Timewatch (b00sl29f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


WED 02:00 Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork (b01q6xrv)
The Divine Craft of Carpentry

This series about the history of British woodworking concludes by looking at the Middle Ages, a golden era. Sponsored by the monarchy and the church, carvers and carpenters created wonders that still astound us today, from the magnificent roof of Westminster Hall to the Coronation Chair, last used by Elizabeth II but created 700 years ago. The film also shows how this precious legacy was nearly destroyed during the fires of the Reformation.


WED 03:00 The Bridge: Fifty Years Across the Forth (b04g80p8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



THURSDAY 25 AUGUST 2016

THU 19:00 World News Today (b07pqnq5)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b07pqttq)
Peter Powell presents the weekly pop chart show, first broadcast on 25 March 1982. Includes appearances from Bucks Fizz, Goombay Dance Band, Pluto Shervington, Killing Joke, Altered Images, Julio Iglesias, and Chas and Dave.


THU 20:00 10 Things You Didn't Know About... (b008pr87)
Tsunamis

Iain Stewart journeys across the oceans to explore the most powerful giant waves in history, with ten remarkable stories about tsunamis.

These massive waves can be taller than the biggest skyscraper, travel at the speed of a jet plane and when they reach land, rear up and turn into a terrifying wall of water that destroys everything in its path. These unstoppable, uncontrollable forces of nature caused the ruin of an entire ancient civilization, may have played a small part in the demise of the dinosaurs, and in World War II were used as a weapon. Yet astonishingly, two men who surfed the tallest wave in history - half a kilometre high - survived.


THU 21:00 The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance (b008m6wb)
As it celebrates its 90th birthday, Barbara Flynn narrates the story of the nation's love affair with the Flying Scotsman, the steam locomotive that symbolises all that was great about British engineering.


THU 22:00 BBC Proms (b07pqtts)
2016

Mark Elder Conducts the Halle

Much-loved Sir Mark Elder returns to the Royal Albert Hall with his orchestra, the Halle. They begin with a performance of Berlioz's overture King Lear, a piece inspired by that most tragic of Shakespeare's plays. Colin Matthews's Berceuse for Dresden has its London premiere, featuring solo cellist Leonard Elschenbroich. This poignant piece was written to mark the rebuilding of the Dresden Frauenkirche, the church famously bombed by the Allies in 1945. The concert concludes with Mahler's game-changing Das Lied von der Erde, featuring mezzo-soprano Alice Coote and tenor Gregory Kunde.


THU 23:50 Life Story (p026vg7w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


THU 00:50 Natural World (b00fm6v7)
2008-2009

Titus - The Gorilla King

Abandoned as a baby, removed from normal gorilla family life as a youngster - so profound were the misfortunes that Titus suffered in his early years that no gorilla scientist could have predicted his eventual rise to power.

His moving life story is pieced together here for the first time, based on archive film and the memories of field workers who have studied the mountain gorillas since Dian Fossey's pioneering work more than 40 years ago.

At 33 years of age, Titus is not just one of the most powerful silverbacks in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, he is possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known. His life story is as full of drama, intrigue and tragedy as any human soap opera.

Against a stunning backdrop of misty volcanic peaks cloaked in bamboo and giant lobelia, Titus has successfully steered his family group through thick and thin. Now he is under pressure again.

With his ally-turned-rival Kuryama jockeying for position, is the final chapter in Titus's extraordinary reign about to occur?


THU 01:40 Top of the Pops (b07pqttq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:20 Britain on Film (b01nrmwp)
Series 1

A Woman's Place

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. The opening episode reveals how Look at Life reflected the radical shifts in the position of women in British society, and shows how the country adapted to the new demands and expectations of women at home and in the workplace and at play.


THU 02:50 The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance (b008m6wb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 26 AUGUST 2016

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b07pqnqb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b07pqw01)
2016

Mozart from Memory

The Aurora Orchestra with conductor and founder Nicholas Collon return to the Proms with another performance entirely from memory. Not a note of music or a single music stand will be seen on the Royal Albert Hall stage as they tackle Mozart's final symphony, a piece packed full of joy and invention.

Presenter Tom Service explores the process of committing a complete symphony to memory and, with the orchestra's help, unpicks this great work on stage for the Proms audience, deconstructing the final movement to explore Mozart's compositional genius.


FRI 20:30 BBC Proms (b07pqw04)
2016

Mozart Requiem

From the Royal Albert Hall, three glorious works by Mozart, all written during the final months of his life. Conductor Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra are joined by Hanno Müller-Brachmann for the concert aria Per questa bella mano, and clarinettist Akos Acs is the soloist in the ever-popular Clarinet Concerto in A major.

The prom concludes with Mozart's magnificent Requiem, with bass soloist Hanno Müller-Brachmann, soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo-soprano Barbara Kozelj and tenor Jeremy Ovenden. The orchestra and soloists are joined by one of Europe's leading choirs, Collegium Vocale Gent.

Presented by Petroc Trelawny.


FRI 22:15 Sounds of the Sixties (b072w25j)
Reversions

1964-6 The Beat Room 2

Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones and Manfred Mann star in archive clips from the 60s.


FRI 22:25 Pop Go the Sixties (b0088nyx)
Series 1

The Kinks

Another mind-bendingly colourful nugget of pop mined from the BBC's archive.


FRI 22:30 Reading and Leeds Festival (b07pqw06)
2016

Foals

Huw Stephens introduces Oxford quintet Foals, who are arguably one of the best live bands around today, as they take to the Main Stage at the legendary Reading Festival. The band made their debut at the event back in 2007, and over the last nine years have steadily climbed up the festival ranks to make their debut this year as a headliner.

The Oxford five-piece came to the fore back in 2007 when Greek born frontman Yannis Philippakis and his longtime friend and drummer Jack Bevan joined forces with guitarist Jimmy Smith and bassist Walter Gervers, with keyboardist Edwin Congreave completing the line-up. They worked on perfecting their alternative pop, math-rock sound playing house parties around the area, and a decade on and with their fourth album What Went Down arriving in the summer of 2015, they have cemented their ever-growing popularity around the world along with adding to their awards cabinet with a recent NME award for Best Album.

Expect to see songs from all four of their albums along with a customary attempt by Yannis to get in the crowd at some point during the no doubt energetic and lively set.


FRI 23:45 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00pjk73)
Part IV

Series featuring legendary guitarists treading the boards and trading licks at the BBC studios.

This edition kicks off with big hits from The Rolling Stones and David Bowie before taking things down a notch with the acoustic picking of Michael Chapman and the Irish mysticism of Horslips.

However, it's not long before the likes of Motorhead, Nazareth and straight-up blues rocker George Thorogood turn the volume right back up to 11. A spot of flamenco from Paco De Lucia and a classic track from Strat master Eric Clapton round off the show.

Filmed in the 1970s for shows including Top of the Pops, Parkinson, Rock Goes to College and the Old Grey Whistle Test, these rocking tracks leave viewers wondering why pianos were ever invented.


FRI 00:45 The Joy of the Guitar Riff (b049mtxw)
The guitar riff is the DNA of rock 'n' roll, a double helix of repetitive simplicity and fiendish complexity on which its history has been built. From Chuck Berry through to The White Stripes, this documentary traces the ebb and flow of the guitar riff over the last 60 years of popular music. With riffs and stories from an all-star cast including Brian May, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, Tony Iommi, Robert Fripp, Johnny Marr, Nancy Wilson, Kevin Shields, Ryan Jarman, Tom Morello and many more. Narrated by Lauren Laverne.


FRI 01:45 Kings of Rock and Roll (b007c95q)
A journey back to the 1950s for a look at the wildest pop music of all time in a film that tells the stories of Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, giants from an era when pop music really was mad, bad and dangerous to know.

The programme features the artists themselves, alongside people like Bill Haley's original Comets, The Crickets, Buddy Holly's widow Maria Elena, Jerry Lee Lewis's former wife Myra Gail and his sister, Chuck Berry's son and many more, including June Juanico, Elvis's first serious girlfriend.

Other contributors include Tom Jones, Jamie Callum, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Green Day, Minnie Driver, Jack White of The White Stripes, The Mavericks, Jools Holland, Hank Marvin, Fontella Bass, John Waters and more.

Elvis's pelvis was just the start. Who had to change the lyrics to their biggest hit because the originals were too obscene? Who married their 13-year-old cousin? Who used lard to get their hair just right? And what happened on the day the music died?


FRI 02:45 Later... with Jools Holland (b00dwfyy)
Guitar Heroes

Guitar heroes from as far away as Mexico and as close to home as Chiswick have all come to rock the Later studio since 1995. This collection of performances brings together the best of them, from the legendary Buddy Guy to the homegrown guitar superstars he inspired, such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend. Joining them on the bill are Santana, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes, Radiohead and more.




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

10 Things You Didn't Know About... 20:00 THU (b008pr87)

Acoustic at the BBC 03:00 SAT (b0141mz1)

BBC Proms 22:00 MON (b07pqrkw)

BBC Proms 22:00 TUE (b07pqs6l)

BBC Proms 22:00 WED (b07pqskv)

BBC Proms 22:00 THU (b07pqtts)

BBC Proms 19:30 FRI (b07pqw01)

BBC Proms 20:30 FRI (b07pqw04)

Born to Be Wild 19:30 MON (b00ccfft)

Born to Be Wild 19:30 TUE (b00cgxk8)

Born to Be Wild 19:30 WED (b00cl5v0)

Britain on Film 02:00 SAT (b036f8nw)

Britain on Film 02:20 THU (b01nrmwp)

Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork 02:00 WED (b01q6xrv)

Dancing in the Blitz: How World War II Made British Ballet 01:30 SUN (p01s4z2h)

Entertaining the Troops 23:30 SUN (b014v51p)

Entertaining the Troops 02:00 MON (b014v51p)

Fifties British War Films: Days of Glory 00:30 SUN (b01pkj2m)

Guitar Heroes at the BBC 23:45 FRI (b00pjk73)

Horizon 23:30 TUE (b036ypxw)

How to Build a Dinosaur 00:30 TUE (b014vy5y)

Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings 20:00 TUE (b0192nrg)

Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings 02:30 TUE (b0192nrg)

Jumbo: The Plane that Changed the World 21:00 TUE (b03wtnfv)

Jumbo: The Plane that Changed the World 01:30 TUE (b03wtnfv)

Kings of Rock and Roll 01:45 FRI (b007c95q)

Later... with Jools Holland 02:45 FRI (b00dwfyy)

Life Story 20:00 MON (p026vg7w)

Life Story 23:50 THU (p026vg7w)

Natural World 00:50 THU (b00fm6v7)

Olympics 13:00 SAT (b07prb0b)

Olympics 16:00 SAT (b07prb0g)

Olympics 19:00 SAT (b07prb0j)

Olympics 22:00 SAT (b07prb0l)

Olympics 13:00 SUN (b07prdp5)

Olympics 16:00 SUN (b07prdp9)

Olympics 19:00 SUN (b07prdpc)

Pop Go the Sixties 22:25 FRI (b0088nyx)

Reading and Leeds Festival 22:30 FRI (b07pqw06)

Secret Voices of Hollywood 22:00 SUN (b03bxrxj)

Secret Voices of Hollywood 02:30 SUN (b03bxrxj)

Sounds of the 70s 2 02:30 SAT (b01jv6sd)

Sounds of the Sixties 22:15 FRI (b072w25j)

The Bridge: Fifty Years Across the Forth 20:00 WED (b04g80p8)

The Bridge: Fifty Years Across the Forth 03:00 WED (b04g80p8)

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance 21:00 THU (b008m6wb)

The Flying Scotsman: A Rail Romance 02:50 THU (b008m6wb)

The Joy of the Guitar Riff 00:45 FRI (b049mtxw)

The Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner 21:00 MON (b07d2wy4)

The Queen Mary: Greatest Ocean Liner 03:00 MON (b07d2wy4)

Timeshift 01:00 MON (b03gtg7g)

Timewatch 00:00 MON (b00jj523)

Timewatch 21:00 WED (b00sl29f)

Timewatch 01:00 WED (b00sl29f)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (b07pqttq)

Top of the Pops 01:40 THU (b07pqttq)

Voyages of Discovery 00:00 WED (b0074t2w)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b07pqnpk)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b07pqnpv)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b07pqnq0)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b07pqnq5)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b07pqnqb)