Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London report on the events that are shaping the world.
Architect and historian Francesco da Mosto embarks on a journey across the Mediterranean Sea. Amidst a sea of dolphins, The Black Swan enters the Gulf of Corinth off the coast of Greece as Francesco continues his voyage from Venice to Istanbul. The boat must manoeuvre under the Rio Antirio bridge and then navigate the narrow Corinth Canal, which separates mainland Greece from the Peloponnese.
At Mount Parnassus, Francesco visits the mystical site of the great Delphic Oracle, the greatest prophetess of the ancient world. She would talk in riddles but her pronouncements determined everything from events of state to romance and marriage. Mount Parnassus was also home to the Pythian games, forerunners of the modern Olympic Games.
Next stop is Athens. Often dismissed as a busy, noisy and overcrowded city, the Greeks prefer to see Athens as the biggest village in the country. Athens was the capital of the ancient Classical world and home to the Acropolis. Birthplace of western art, it is also the site of one of Venice's greatest atrocities against art and culture - an attack on the sacred temple of Parthenon that almost destroyed it. The attack also resulted in a massive loss of human life. Francesco sees the damage from the 700 cannonballs, still evident today. Francesco also has a date in Athens - the woman with the greatest singing voice ever to emerge from Greece - Nana Mouskouri. As they stroll through the romantic setting of Athens's National Gardens, can Francesco persuade Nana to serenade him?
Neil Oliver examines how the creation of saints by the early church led to a new generation of sacred wonders across Britain. On Iona, in the Inner Hebrides, Neil discovers the traditional resting place of Macbeth. He also delves back through time to discover how St Columba sanctified the island with a tough brand of monasticism all the way from the Egyptian desert. On Lindisfarne, Neil sees how the epic journey of St Cuthbert led to the writing of the extraordinary Lindisfarne Gospels and the building of Durham Cathedral.
At Canterbury Cathedral, Neil learns how St Thomas Becket's grisly murder was harnessed to build its nave, one of the great glories of medieval architecture, and on Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, he investigates layer after layer of powerful legend in the story of the Holy Grail, the sacred cup of everlasting life.
Petworth House in West Sussex is one of the great Baroque treasure houses of England, and Dr Bendor Grosvenor finds two paintings which he feels warrant investigation: a portrait of a lady from Genoa which was once attributed to Rubens, but Bendor is convinced is by Anthony van Dyck, and a portrait of a young cardinal in the style of Titian, which Bendor believes may be by Titian himself.
The restoration of the possible Titian starts to reveal a painting of two halves - the face and upper parts are the work of a very fine painter indeed, but the lower section with a badly painted hand is found to be a later repair with some very crude stitching adding an extra section of canvas to the bottom of the picture.
While work continues, Bendor travels to Italy to look at some Titian masterpieces to support our understanding of his genius. In Titian's home city of Venice, he explains how the peculiar damp climate of the city led to canvas becoming the preferred medium for Venetian painters. He tells us how colour became the defining characteristic of the city's art and how Anthony van Dyck was so struck by Titian's paintings that he spent years in Italy following in his footsteps to study his techniques.
Bendor's final visit is to the city of Genoa, where the Petworth portrait of a lady was painted. He shows us some works by van Dyck made in the city in support of his attribution of the picture to the Flemish master.
Emma Dabiri explores the story of the third Earl of Egremont, who inherited Petworth in 1763 when he was 12. He had 15 mistresses, who all lived in the house, and he eventually had 43 children - all illegitimate. He died leaving no heir. He had a colourful life and was a friend and patron of JMW Turner. His Petworth Emigration Scheme allowed him to support the journeys of his tenants to start a new life in Canada - though, Emma discovers, it was quite advantageous for the earl to reduce his expanding workforce.
Emma also tells the story of the acceptance of Petworth's extraordinary art collection for the nation in lieu of tax - the first time paintings and sculpture had been used in this way. A new act of parliament was required, and Petworth became a pioneering arrangement that has led to similar
As Henry VIII's court painter, Hans Holbein witnessed and recorded the most notorious era in English history.
He painted most of the major characters of the age and created the famous image of the king himself that everyone still recognises today. But who really was Holbein? Where did he come from? And what were the dark and unsettling secrets hidden in his art?
Waldemar Januszczak looks at the life and work of an artist who became famous for bringing the Tudor age to life, but who could have been so many other things.
Drawing on the BBC's rich archive, this documentary reveals the working practices, lives and opinions of some of the greatest photographers since the 1950s. From Norman Parkinson to David Bailey, Eve Arnold to Jane Bown, Henri Cartier-Bresson to Martin Parr, for decades the BBC has drawn our attention to the creators of what has become the most ubiquitous, contemporary art form.
Pioneering BBC programmes like Arena, Monitor and Omnibus have given unique insights into the careers of photography's leading practitioners. Through a selection of fascinating clips, this programme brings into focus the key genres - fashion, portraiture, documentary and landscape - and the characters behind the camera who have helped define them.
In a journey across the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sona Datta traces the development of the Hindu religion from its origins as an amalgamation of local faith traditions to its dominant position today. She uncovers this fascinating tale by looking at the buildings in which the faith evolved, moving from the caves and rock temples on the shores of the Bay of Bengal at Mahabalipurem, through the monolithic stone temple at Tanjavur to the vast complex of ornately carved towers, tanks and courtyards at Madurai, where every evening the god Shiva processes around the precincts to visit the bedchamber of his partner Parvati.
In the final episode, Bettany travels to China on the trail of Confucius, a great sage of Chinese history whose ideas have fundamentally shaped the country of his birth for around 2,500 years.
THURSDAY 30 AUGUST 2018
THU 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (b0bhmpgj)
Series 1
30/08/2018
In a Twitter tirade, Donald Trump steps up his attacks on everyone from the press to the Supreme Court.
A close friend of John McCain tells Christian Fraser and Katty Kay her favourite memories of him.
And a Jewish Labour MP reacts to the resignation of Frank Field.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b0bhmyyh)
Janice Long and Simon Bates present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 20 March 1986. Featuring Jim Diamond, Pet Shop Boys, Cliff Richard and The Young Ones, The Real Thing, Diana Ross and Mister Mister.
THU 20:00 Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity (p00kjqcv)
Revelations and Revolutions
Professor Jim Al-Khalili tells the electrifying story of our quest to master nature's most mysterious force - electricity. Until fairly recently, electricity was seen as a magical power, but it is now the lifeblood of the modern world and underpins every aspect of our technological advancements.
Without electricity, we would be lost. This series tells of dazzling leaps of imagination and extraordinary experiments - a story of maverick geniuses who used electricity to light our cities, to communicate across the seas and through the air, to create modern industry and to give us the digital revolution.
Electricity is not just something that creates heat and light, it connects the world through networks and broadcasting. After centuries of man's experiments with electricity, the final episode tells the story of how a new age of real understanding dawned - how we discovered electric fields and electromagnetic waves. Today we can hardly imagine life without electricity - it defines our era. As our understanding of it has increased so has our reliance upon it, and today we are on the brink of a new breakthrough, because if we can understand the secret of electrical superconductivity, we could once again transform the world.
THU 21:00 The No 5 War (b0bh5v16)
The story, both thrilling and dark, of the world's most famous perfume. In 1921, Coco Chanel's revolutionary perfume concept was as audacious as her outlandish designer clothing. At its launch, it was an instant hit. From the 1920s to the 1940s the Number 5 brand was at the centre of a war between the celebrated designer and her entrepreneurial business partners, the Wertheimer brothers. During WWII, with the help of her high-ranking Nazi lover, Coco Chanel attempted to oust her Jewish partners - who had fled German-occupied France and were operating the business from New Jersey - to take control of the highly lucrative business.
THU 22:00 Tankies: Tank Heroes of World War II (b01pvbds)
Episode 1
The Second World War was the ultimate conflict of the machine age, and the tank was its iconic symbol. The 'tankies' who fought inside had experience of much of the conflict from the fall of France to the deserts of Africa, from the invasion of Italy to D-Day, and on to the final victory in Germany.
In this two-part series, historian, BBC diplomatic editor and former officer in the Royal Tank Regiment, Mark Urban tells the story of six remarkable men from one armoured unit - the Fifth Royal Tank Regiment, also known as the Filthy Fifth.
Using first-hand testimony from the last surviving veterans alongside previously unseen letters and diaries, Mark brings the story of an extraordinary 'band of brothers' to life, in visceral detail. At the same time he analyses the evolution of tank production in Britain and illustrates how we fell far behind our German enemies in both technology and tactics, relying instead on dogged determination and a relentless drive to victory, whatever the costs.
In part one, Mark begins his journey in northern France, introducing our band of brothers in the midst of the fall of France and the retreat to Dunkirk. Characters such as 'rookie' tank driver Gerry Solomon join veterans, themselves still only in their twenties, such as and Jake Wardrop and Harry Finlayson.
Mark then follows in the tankies' footsteps across the deserts of North Africa. Here he looks at the game-changing tank battles of Sidi Rezegh, Alam Halfa and, of course, the battle that changed the course of the Second World War - Alamein. He then takes us back to England where the tankies expect a well-earned rest, instead they are confronted with the news that as battle-hardened troops they must fight again, this time on the beaches of Normandy.
With spectacular archive footage, including rarely seen colour footage, it brings to life the Second World War from a unique point of view.
THU 23:00 Filthy Cities (b010fhhk)
Revolutionary Paris
Just 200 years ago, Paris was famously one of the foulest and smelliest cities in Europe. In this programme historian Dan Snow sniffs out the rotten story of the French revolution.
Stunning CGI reveals the stinking streets where ordinary people slaved in toxic industries and suffered grotesque poverty and disease. Dan immerses himself in their world, visiting a perfumer to recreate the stench of the 18th-century city. He has a go at one of the worst jobs in history - tanning leather by 18th-century methods using dog excrement and urine - to make exquisite luxury goods that only the filthy rich could afford.
He gets a rare glimpse of the private rooms of infamous Queen Marie Antoinette at the glittering palace of Versailles and reveals some surprising facts about the royal court. Plus he comes face to face with the ultimate killing machine - the gruesome guillotine. Dan finds out what happened to the thousands of bodies that overflowed in the cemeteries of Paris during The Terror.
Dan discovers how monumental filth and injustice drove Parisians to a bloody revolution which would transform their city and give birth to a new republic.
THU 00:00 Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession (b00s2wvh)
Windows on the World
In a series about the extraordinary stories behind maps, Professor Jerry Brotton uncovers how maps aren't simply about getting from A to B, but are revealing snapshots of defining moments in history and tools of political power and persuasion.
Visiting the world's first known map, etched into the rocks of a remote alpine hillside 3,000 years ago, Brotton explores how each culture develops its own unique, often surprising way of mapping. As Henry VIII's stunning maps of the British coastline from a bird's-eye view show, they were also used to exert control over the world.
During the Enlightenment, the great French Cassini dynasty pioneered the western quest to map the world with greater scientific accuracy, leading also to the British Ordnance Survey. But these new scientific methods were challenged by cultures with alternative ways of mapping, such as in a Polynesian navigator's map which has no use for north, south and east.
As scientifically accurate map-making became a powerful tool of European expansion, the British carved the state of Iraq out of the Middle East. When the British drew up Iraq's boundaries, they had devastating consequences for the nomadic tribes of Mesopotamia.
THU 01:00 Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World (b053gf85)
Episode 2
By the early 1950s, a holy trinity of oil, plastics and fertilisers had transformed the planet. But as Professor Iain Stewart reveals, when the oil-producing countries demanded a greater share in profits from the western energy companies, the oil and gas fields of the Middle East became a focus for coup d'etats and military conflict.
In the North Sea, Prof Stewart recalls the race against time to find alternative supplies in the shallow, but turbulent waters both here and in America's Gulf coast.
The offshore discoveries in the 1970s proved to be a game changer. It marked an engineering revolution, the moment when 'difficult' oil and gas (previously unviable sources) could be commercially produced from the ocean depths. It was the moment when Western Europe and the US finally unshackled themselves from their 20th-century energy security nightmare.
THU 02:00 Hokusai: Old Man Crazy to Paint (b08w9lv6)
The first UK film biography of the world-renowned Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), whose print The Great Wave is as globally famous as Leonardo's Mona Lisa. With Andy Serkis reading the voice of Hokusai, the film features artists David Hockney and Maggi Hambling, and passionate scholars who study, admire and venerate this great Japanese master.
The film focuses on Hokusai's work, life and times in the great, bustling metropolis of Edo, now modern Tokyo. Using extraordinary close-ups and pioneering 8K Ultra HD video technology, Hokusai's prints and paintings are examined by world experts. In the process they reveal new interpretations of famous works and convey the full extent of Hokusai's extraordinary achievement as a great world artist.
Hokusai spent his life studying and celebrating our common humanity as well as deeply exploring the natural and spiritual worlds, using the famous volcano Mount Fuji as a protective presence and potential source of immortality. He knew much personal tragedy, was struck by lightning and lived for years in poverty, but never gave up his constant striving for perfection in his art. Hokusai influenced Monet, Van Gogh and other Impressionists, is the father of manga, and has his own Great Wave emoji.
THU 03:00 Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity (p00kjqcv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRIDAY 31 AUGUST 2018
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b0bgnpyb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b0bhf7th)
2018
Marin Alsop Conducts Bernstein
Superstar conductor Marin Alsop returns to the Royal Albert Hall with a pair of masterpieces by her mentor Leonard Bernstein in the American cultural giant's centenary year. Joining her from across the Atlantic is the energetic Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, performing at the Proms for the first time.
The concert opens with Slava!, which Bernstein dedicated to virtuoso cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, followed by the composer's Second Symphony - The Age of Anxiety, performed by world-class pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The evening culminates in Shostakovich's politically-charged Fifth Symphony.
FRI 21:30 Top of the Pops (b0bhmzs6)
Janice Long and John Peel present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 3 April 1986. Featuring Big Audio Dynamite, George Michael, A-Ha, The Real Thing, Cliff Richard and the Young Ones, The Style Council and Falco.
FRI 22:00 TOTP2 (b00v2jvx)
School Days
Mark Radcliffe takes us back through the Top of the Pops archives to get us in the mood for going back to school. Featuring music from The Jackson 5, Alice Cooper, Busted, the cast of Grange Hill and the St Winifred's School Choir.
FRI 23:00 BBC Proms (b0bhf5w9)
2018
Andras Schiff Plays Bach
At the 2017 Proms, world-renowned pianist and Bach specialist Sir Andras Schiff gave an acclaimed performance of the whole of Book One of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier. He returns to complete his journey through Bach's extraordinary work with a performance of Book Two of The Well-Tempered Clavier.
FRI 01:25 Petula Clark Live in Berlin (b080dwxw)
Actress, songwriter and above all singer, Petula Clark is a music legend. With a career spanning nearly eight decades she has sold more than 68 million records worldwide and is back touring the UK. Playing live in Berlin for the first time she performs hits like Downtown, Don't Sleep in the Subway and Couldn't Live Without Your Love, as well as songs from her new album From Now On, including Sacrifice My Heart and a collaboration with Charles Aznavour - Pour Etre Aime de Toi.
FRI 02:25 TOTP2 (b00v2jvx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
... Sings Stevie Wonder
00:00 SUN (b07jlzkd)
Andrew Marr's History of the World
20:00 TUE (p00xnvtd)
Arena
22:00 SUN (b009s80n)
Art of Germany
20:00 MON (b00wgpnc)
Art of Germany
03:00 MON (b00wgpnc)
BBC Proms
19:30 SAT (b0bhj9g9)
BBC Proms
20:00 SUN (b0bh6sx6)
BBC Proms
19:30 FRI (b0bhf7th)
BBC Proms
23:00 FRI (b0bhf5w9)
Beyond 100 Days
19:00 MON (b0bhmmws)
Beyond 100 Days
19:00 TUE (b0bhmn7l)
Beyond 100 Days
19:00 WED (b0bhmnzn)
Beyond 100 Days
19:00 THU (b0bhmpgj)
Bollywood and Beyond: A Century of Indian Cinema
01:00 TUE (b069g4qg)
Britain's Lost Masterpieces
21:00 WED (b0bgnwy3)
Britain's Lost Masterpieces
03:00 WED (b0bgnwy3)
Chuck Berry in Concert
23:00 SUN (b0074rbc)
Elsa the Lioness
19:00 SAT (b00v1xk5)
Filthy Cities
23:00 THU (b010fhhk)
Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage
19:30 MON (b00cl6nw)
Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage
19:30 TUE (b00cp421)
Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage
19:30 WED (b00cp4k0)
Genius of the Ancient World
01:00 WED (b066d0v5)
Goth at the BBC
01:50 SAT (b04mqfl1)
Hokusai: Old Man Crazy to Paint
02:00 THU (b08w9lv6)
Horizon
22:00 TUE (b013c8tb)
Leonard Bernstein at the BBC
22:50 SAT (b06j7wjh)
Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession
00:00 THU (b00s2wvh)
Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death
02:00 MON (b03f4l0j)
Metal Britannia
00:20 SAT (b00r600m)
On Camera: Photographers at the BBC
23:00 WED (b08jgr3w)
Pavlopetri - The City Beneath the Waves
23:00 MON (b015yh6f)
Petula Clark Live in Berlin
01:25 FRI (b080dwxw)
Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World
01:00 THU (b053gf85)
Rome's Invisible City
21:00 MON (b05xxl4t)
Sacred Wonders of Britain
20:00 WED (b03qkzbp)
Sacred Wonders of Britain
02:00 WED (b03qkzbp)
Sex, Chips & Poetry: 50 Years of the Mersey Sound
01:00 SUN (b097bl8c)
Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
20:00 THU (p00kjqcv)
Shock and Awe: The Story of Electricity
03:00 THU (p00kjqcv)
Simon Rattle: The Making of a Maestro
19:00 SUN (p02h9fvl)
Story of Ireland
22:00 MON (b00zj0rx)
TOTP2
22:00 FRI (b00v2jvx)
TOTP2
02:25 FRI (b00v2jvx)
Tankies: Tank Heroes of World War II
22:00 THU (b01pvbds)
The Culture Show
22:00 WED (b0513ghb)
The Joy of Winning
21:00 TUE (b0b9zsfb)
The Joy of Winning
02:30 TUE (b0b9zsfb)
The No 5 War
21:00 THU (b0bh5v16)
The Secret Life of Landfill: A Rubbish History
02:00 SUN (b0bgpc2f)
The Secret Life of Rockpools
23:00 TUE (b01rtdr4)
The Story of Scottish Art
01:00 MON (b06h7xsm)
To Boldly Go
00:00 MON (b0195rlg)
To Boldly Go
00:00 TUE (b019x6qr)
Top of the Pops
23:50 SAT (b0bh2dnt)
Top of the Pops
19:30 THU (b0bhmyyh)
Top of the Pops
21:30 FRI (b0bhmzs6)
Treasures of the Indus
00:00 WED (b06bblwb)
West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic
21:50 SAT (b086kfbb)
West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic
02:50 SAT (b086kfbb)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b0bgnpyb)