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 21 SEPTEMBER 2019

SAT 19:00 Britain's Secret Seas (b011j8vk)
The Power of the East

This time on Britain's Secret Seas, the team set out to explore the waters off our eastern coastline, which are constantly pounded by the raw power of the waves. These are the shallowest waters off our shores but over the centuries they have been some of our most productive, providing oil and gas as well as fish for our tables. But things are changing in the North Sea and our team discover a sea full of surprises.

On the Farne Islands, they come face to face with England's largest colony of grey seals to find out what makes them such extraordinary divers and successful hunters. Grey seals can dive for over forty minutes on a single breath - the team find out how they do it and why they seem to be coping with the changing conditions on the east coast far better than the harbour seal.

Elsewhere, Frank looks at the newest form of energy in the North Sea, at a wind farm off the Norfolk coast, and Tooni examines what effect the wind turbines are having on marine life. Paul uncovers the intriguing history of light vessels among the sandbanks of the Thames Estuary, and Tooni gets to the bottom of a bumper lobster harvest in the port of Bridlington.

Paul dives with a shoal of fish that soon transform into a school when he starts to behave as if he were a predator. To find out how they are able to achieve such synchronised motion and why they suddenly change direction, he joins a scientist who has created a plastic imposter - Robofish.


SAT 20:00 Life in the Air (b077nq4q)
Masters of the Sky

With the help of some surprising creatures from around the world, this series sets out to discover how animals take to the air, defying the force all airborne animals must conquer, gravity.

This episode looks at powered flight, revealing why peregrine falcons can top 200 miles an hour, how a hummingbird is a slave to its own rather manic lifestyle and that the albatross's secret to flying for free is its nose.

Heavyweight beetles break the rules to find love, a devious sparrow-hawk uses agility to execute a lightning-fast raid on his prey, and half a million mother bats dominate the sky above, and below, the ground with a dazzling display of aerial prowess.


SAT 21:00 Darkness: Those Who Kill (m0008rn1)
Series 1

Episode 7

Danish thriller series. Stine Velin is taken into police custody, but insists that she is also one of Anders Kjeldsen's victims and does not know where either Anders or Emma are.

In Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 21:40 Darkness: Those Who Kill (m0008rn3)
Series 1

Episode 8

Jan and Louise find Anders Kjeldsen. Louise fears that Stine's family is in danger and places them in a safe house.

In Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:25 Detectorists (b04m9rh2)
Series 1

Episode 4

Terry announces that he is standing down as leader of the DMDC, unleashing a bitter winner-takes-all scramble for presidential power when Andy and Lance fall out over gold. Becky and Sophie are forced to become allies in the Two Brewers pub quiz. Is this Andy's worst idea ever?


SAT 22:55 Detectorists (b04n1plq)
Series 1

Episode 5

Even though Andy, Lance, Becky and Sophie are barely talking to each other, their secrets are on the verge of being revealed. Are they all just victims of a smear campaign? And why does everyone else want to move in on Bishop's Farm?


SAT 23:25 Detectorists (b04nqrq5)
Series 1

Episode 6

A huge hole has been excavated and police are looking into it. Meanwhile, Larry Bishop's invisible dogs have disappeared without trace, and Andy and Lance now have one last chance to discover their hearts' true desire.


SAT 23:55 Top of the Pops (m0008kb3)
Peter Powell and Simon Mayo present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 9 June 1988 and featuring the Timelords, Five Star, Voice of the Beehive, Mica Paris, Fields of the Nephilim, Sabrina, James Brown, Maxi Priest, Morrissey, Wet Wet Wet and Erasure.


SAT 00:30 Top of the Pops (m0008k8n)
Gary Davies and Mike Read present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 16 June 1988 and featuring Sabrina, Erasure, the Sisters of Mercy, the Fat Boys and Chubby Checker, Eurythmics, a-ha, Sade, Matt Bianco, Bros, the Timelords and the Pasadenas.


SAT 01:00 Peaky Blinders (b079vtpm)
Series 3

Episode 1

It is Thomas Shelby's long-awaited wedding day. In the middle of the celebrations, a mysterious visitor imperils the entire Shelby family, and Tommy finds himself pulled into a web of intrigue more lethal than anything he has yet encountered.


SAT 01:55 Peaky Blinders (b07bksbb)
Series 3

Episode 2

Tommy discovers the extent of the mission given to him and the extreme lengths his new paymasters are willing to go to in their quest for power.

Meanwhile his own family's activities lead to escalating danger in Birmingham.


SAT 02:55 Peaky Blinders (b07cgpy2)
Series 3

Episode 3

Responding to the Italians' actions, Tommy is set on a path of deadly vengeance. Meanwhile, as he makes plans for his mission on behalf of the Russians, he realises there is a traitor in his midst.



SUNDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2019

SUN 19:00 BBC Proms (m0008rpg)
2019

The Last Night of the Proms from around the UK

YolanDa Brown and Josie d’Arby take us on a whistle stop tour around the UK as the nations join in the Last Night of the Proms celebrations. A star-studded line-up is joined by some of the country’s most exciting emerging talent as each location presents a mix of timeless classics and contemporary hits.

Josie D’Arby is at Swansea’s Singleton Park with 80s pop sensations ABC, West End star Sophie Evans, Andrei Kymach, who was crowned BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2019 in June, and BBC Young Jazz Musician 2018 winner, saxophonist Xhosa Cole.

At Glasgow Green, one of Scotland’s best-selling and much-loved female singers, Barbara Dickson, entertains the crowds alongside Scottish soprano Eleanor Dennis and violinist Stephanie Childress, who is already making her name as one of the most exciting musicians of her generation.

Susan Boyle headlines at Titanic Slipways, Belfast, as she celebrates ten years in the industry. Alongside her on the line-up, Australian tenor Mark Vincent and award-winning violinist Ziyu He.

And at London’s Hyde Park, YolanDa Brown is on hand to capture the very best performances from a line-up that includes American singer-songwriter and founding member of the Pretenders Chrissie Hynde, English-Italian singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, and, headlining the show, the legendary Barry Manilow.

It’s a party like no other, with the nations joining in the traditional celebrations as the world’s greatest musical festival draws to a close.


SUN 20:30 What Do Artists Do All Day? (b03z08ms)
Antony Gormley

Sir Antony Gormley is one of the world's most popular artists. His iconic Angel of the North is a universally-admired work of public art and his sculptures have been seen by millions in cities all over the world.

In this film we follow Gormley and his team in their busy Kings Cross studio, preparing a work called Tanker Field - a group of 60 enormous steel figures that are to be shown together at the Paul Klee museum in Bern. Reflecting on the ideas behind his sculptures, the collaborative nature of his studio and the excitement he still feels as new projects come together, the film offers an intimate and fascinating insight into one of the great artists of our time.


SUN 21:00 Arena (m0008rpj)
Bergman: A Year in the Life

Documentary that exposes a darker, less well-known side of film director Ingmar Bergman. Focusing on 1957, a landmark year in which Bergman directed two films and four plays, Jane Magnusson explores not only the director’s filmography but also his, at times, complex and turbulent personal life.

Using a wealth of previously unseen archive material, contemporary interviews and a fantastic selection of clips from Ingmar Bergman’s vast body of work, this is a fascinating and unflinching study of one of the giants of world cinema.


SUN 22:55 The Seventh Seal (m0008rpl)
Antonius Block, a knight returning from the crusades, finds his country in the grip of the Black Death. Confronted by Death himself, Antonius challenges him to a chess match, determined to evade Death long enough to perform one final redemptive act. In Swedish with English subtitles.


SUN 00:35 Secret Knowledge (b06n9k13)
Jacobi on Garrick: Godfather of the British Stage

Derek Jacobi goes in search of David Garrick, 18th-century superstar and the man who reinvented acting for the modern era.


SUN 01:05 Peaky Blinders (b07czw04)
Series 3

Episode 4

Tommy and Tatiana play a personal and dangerous game to acquire information from one another, and Tommy finally comprehends the magnitude of Tatiana's warped ideals.

Meanwhile, Polly reveals a dark secret, with terrible consequences for Tommy.


SUN 02:00 Peaky Blinders (b07dwngq)
Series 3

Episode 5

As the Russians test the Peaky Blinders, Tommy realises that he is being seriously outmanoeuvred. But he has an ace up his sleeve in the form of an enemy turned ally - if only he can control him.


SUN 03:00 Peaky Blinders (b07fg86c)
Series 3

Episode 6

As Tommy prepares to commit the most audacious crime of his career, a blow is struck against him that could change everything. As he faces his worst fears, he needs his family more than ever - but who can he trust?



MONDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2019

MON 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m0008rnp)
Series 1

23/09/2019

The latest news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


MON 19:30 The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams (b06wrhn5)
Series 1

Spring

It's spring and the nesting season is in full swing. While hundreds of dotterel are taking a rest on the Black Mountains during their journey from Africa to their breeding sites in Scotland, peregrines are already nesting in an old quarry in the central Beacons. Next to the largest natural lake in south Wales, water voles are managing their ditches. Iolo Williams explores the most crooked church in Britain and an old gunpowder works and finds that a 300-year-old stone wall reveals the history of this magnificent landscape.


MON 20:00 Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered (b01s6gjx)
Human bones found on an idyllic beach in Antigua trigger an investigation by naval historian Sam Willis into one of the darkest chapters of Britain's imperial past. As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Willis explores Antigua's ruins and discovers how the sugar islands of the Caribbean were a kind of hell in the age of Nelson.

Sun, sea, war, tropical diseases and poisoned rum.


MON 21:00 Great Indian Railway Journeys (b09zg7vg)
Series 1

Lucknow to Kolkata

On an epic railway journey from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal, Michael Portillo uses his Bradshaw's 1913 Handbook of Indian, Foreign and Colonial Travel, published when the British Raj was 55 years old, to chart a course through India's history from the days of The East India Company to the dawn of independence.

In Lucknow, Michael tastes the famous local kebabs before seeking the truth about 1857 Siege of Lucknow, a key moment in the rebellion which precipitated the end of The East India Company's grip on India and the start of direct British rule. After a classical kathak dance class, Michael boards the sleeper train towards Ghazipur, on the banks of the Ganges. Taking to the sacred waters by boat, he hears the murky story of The East India Company's opium monopoly, then visits a modern-day opium factory making pharmaceuticals.

Following the 1907-built Grand Chord Railway, Portillo stops off at Bodh Gaya, where he meditates on its Buddhist heritage. Further up the line is Chitteranjan locomotive works, and an extraordinary 980-metre-long locomotive workshop. In Kolkata, established as the capital of British India in the days of The East India Company, Michael battles the crowds at India's busiest station and glimpses colonial Calcutta in the grand Great Eastern Hotel. A Kolkata tram carries him to the former home of pro-independence poet Rabindranath Tagore, the 'Bard of Bengal' and the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Finally, Michael takes up the thread of India's long journey towards nationhood at a traditional textile workshop. He hears how a boycott of British cloth inspired Mahatma Gandhi and joins a fashion shoot to see how India's home-grown textiles are celebrated today.


MON 22:00 Tornado - the 100mph Steam Engine (b08rb16k)
The new A1 class steam engine Tornado tries to achieve 100mph on the main line. The secret speed attempt will be made in the dead of night. If it tops the ton it will be the first time in 50 years that steam has gone this fast. Tornado was built over two decades and financed by enthusiasts who want to show steam has a viable future on Britain's railways.


MON 22:30 The Banker's Guide to Art (b07kd109)
Documentary that takes an inside look at the high-stakes, and sometimes murky, world of art collecting.

The value of London's art market has soared to unprecedented heights, driven by the nouveau riche of the financial world, whose money has poured into the bank accounts of dealers, galleries and auction houses.


MON 00:00 Dam Busters Declassified (b00trb2g)
Martin Shaw takes a fresh look at one of the most famous war stories of them all. The actor, himself a pilot, takes to the skies to retrace the route of the 1943 raid by 617 Squadron which used bouncing bombs to destroy German dams. He sheds new light on the story as he separates the fact from the myth behind this tale of courage and ingenuity.

Using the 1955 movie The Dam Busters as a vehicle to deconstruct the raid, he tries to piece together a picture of perhaps the most daring attack in the history of aviation warfare.

Along the way, Shaw hears from the last RAF veteran of the raid, as well as a German survivor of the tsunami which resulted from the Moehne dam's destruction.


MON 01:00 Peaky Blinders (b09g85kh)
Series 4

The Noose

December 1925. Tommy Shelby OBE (Cillian Murphy) has acquired unprecedented legitimacy. The former gangster is also a man alone, estranged from his family and focused only on business. But when he receives a mysterious letter on Christmas Eve, Tommy realises that the Shelbys are in danger of annihilation.

As the enemy closes in, Tommy flees his country house and returns to the only safe place he knows: Small Heath, Birmingham, the slum where he grew up. Facing a more determined and sophisticated threat than ever before, the Shelby family must find a way to put differences aside, work together, take up arms and fight for survival...


MON 02:00 Peaky Blinders (b09gvn5j)
Series 4

Heathens

As the Shelbys come to terms with the shocking events of Christmas Day, Tommy endeavours to unite his family. Until the current threat is dealt with, their only safe place is together in Small Heath. Johnny Dogs and Charlie set about arming the locals - everyone is now a Peaky bodyguard. Tommy enlists the help of tough Romany Gypsy Aberama Gold, who wants something unusual in return.

Jessie Eden confronts Tommy about the workers' pay. She warns him that revolution is in the air, and when Tommy doesn't relent she calls his bluff. As the situation plays out, Tommy's factory manager tells him he has one more meeting - with a mysterious businessman from Paris. But what transpires is no ordinary meeting with no ordinary businessman...


MON 03:00 Peaky Blinders (b09hc65q)
Series 4

Blackbird

The Italians launch another attack on the Peaky Blinders. Tommy realises that the Shelbys need to evolve if they are to survive, but some of the family are reluctant to part with tradition.

As the strike takes hold at the Lanchester factory, Tommy pays a personal visit to Jessie Eden, but he is outmanoeuvred when she reveals something she knows about his past.

Changretta plots to continue the vendetta in the most devastating way possible. As well as identifying an enemy of the Shelby family who could help him, Luca makes direct contact with someone at the heart of the Peaky Blinders organisation.



TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2019

TUE 19:00 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1hnr)
The Thames: Secret War

Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over the Thames to uncover new discoveries about World War 1. A whole network of trenches has been discovered on The Hoo peninsula. Invisible from the ground, they were recently found from aerial images of the area next to the former Chattenden Barracks.

The trenches were used for experimentation and training of soldiers and can be directly linked to trenches used in Belgium in WW1.

The trenches are just one feature revealed by the first full aerial survey of the area by English Heritage. Much of the history of this area is being recorded from the air before it is destroyed by coastal erosion and development.


TUE 19:30 The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams (b06wyxfx)
Series 1

Summer

It's the busy summer season. A fox family is playing below the Carmarthen Fans, lizards bask in the sun on limestone pavements in the upper Swansea valley and hundreds of dragonflies emerge from pools in the uplands near Brecon.

Iolo Williams is on the Black Mountain foothills as sheep are gathered by shepherds on horseback and a group of dedicated volunteers tries to repair a mountain.

Ancient botanical cures for ailments and old steam railways are two of many hidden histories.


TUE 20:00 England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey (b09m5rmf)
Series 1

Episode 2

Jane is known as the 'Nine Days Queen' - and three days into her reign the clock is ticking. Mary Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VIII, is determined to seize power. Both women are raising armies.

The manipulative Duke of Northumberland is dispatched from the Tower of London to lead Jane's forces against Mary at her castle at Framlingham. Northumberland sets out for a battle that could descend into civil war. But ordinary people can turn the tide of history. Will they go against the odds and side with the Catholic Mary Tudor?

Jane's military leaders send heavily armed ships to the coast of East Anglia to prevent Mary escaping by sea and to cut her off from any help that might come from Catholic supporters in Europe. But the crews rebel and turn the ships and their weapons over to Mary. Mary and Jane now have armies matched in size and matched in firepower. The future of the country - its religion and its ruler - hangs in the balance.


TUE 21:00 Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History (m0008rn7)
Series 1

Episode 3

When Margaret Thatcher entered Downing Street in 1979, she was confronted by an IRA prepared to conduct a long war of attrition against Britain. Jennifer O’Leary discovers arms connections in America and Libya and speaks directly to individuals involved in smuggling weapons for the IRA. She also hears an astonishing admission about the Brighton bomb, which almost killed Mrs Thatcher, and other attacks in Britain.

Out of the IRA hunger strikes, Irish republicans also developed the parallel political strategy that saw their leader, Gerry Adams, elected to parliament. Success at the ballot box began to build tension inside the IRA between those who wanted to build their political path and those who primarily adhered to their long war.


TUE 22:00 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t3q)
The Making of Captain Cook

Explorer Paul Rose tells the story of one of the greatest ever sea adventures, which transformed Captain James Cook into a national hero and dramatically changed the course of history. Two and a half centuries later, Captain Cook is still a household name, but his achievements are often misunderstood, contrary to popular perception, he did not discover New Zealand and Australia. Intrepid Rose follows his journey down under and uncovers the real story of Captain Cook.


TUE 23:00 The Last Explorers (b017sp66)
William Speirs Bruce

Neil Oliver retraces the expeditions of four Scottish explorers who planted ideas rather than flags - ideas that shaped the modern world we know today.

Following in the footsteps of a scientific explorer who has become all but lost to history, Neil charts the remarkable story of William Speirs Bruce, one of Britain's greatest, but least-known, explorers. Bruce set out to conquer Antarctica, not for imperial glory, but to advance scientific knowledge in an era when exploration had become harnessed to national prestige.


TUE 00:00 Inside the Perfect Predator (b00rfh1s)
Documentary using groundbreaking computer graphics and close-up photography to reveal the inner alchemy that gives four extraordinary hunters the edge, from the moment they detect their prey through to the vital kill.

Soaring above the people of London is the fastest animal on the planet, the peregrine falcon, on a mission to kill for her chicks. Off the coast of South Africa the world's largest predatory fish, the great white shark, has just completed a 7,000-mile journey and is hungry for seal blubber. On the plains of Africa the fastest land animal, the cheetah, struggles to provide for her cubs as her enemies move in. And having survived a drought by entering into a state of suspended animation, the prehistoric Nile crocodile is poised to ambush his dinner.


TUE 01:00 Peaky Blinders (b09j0hxs)
Series 4

Dangerous

The Peaky Blinders are lured by the Italians into a cat-and-mouse chase on the streets of Birmingham, where it becomes clear that Tommy has met his match. Trapped in Small Heath, Tommy tries to console himself with a visit from an old flame but it soon becomes clear that he can't always get what he wants.

As his factory lies idle, Tommy confronts the possibility that the Communists might win and he will be deemed a traitor to his class. Meanwhile, Changretta prepares to spring another trap.


TUE 02:00 Peaky Blinders (b09jhn03)
Series 4

The Duel

Tommy finds himself engaged in bloody battle with Luca Changretta and his gang. The family gather to find out what happened, but Lizzie has even greater news to break.

Meanwhile, an army colonel has questions for Ada about her past as a communist, and Jessie Eden confirms just how far she is prepared to go in pursuit of her cause. And sensing an opportunity to capitalise on his situation, Luca Changretta makes his way to London to present a plan to Alfie Solomons.


TUE 03:00 Peaky Blinders (b09k8gjf)
Series 4

The Company

It is the night of the big fight - Bonnie Gold versus Goliath. But as the bell rings and the crowd goes wild, dangers lurk in the shadows for Tommy Shelby and his family.

When Changretta plays his final ace, he sets in motion a series of events that will change the Peaky Blinders forever.



WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2019

WED 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m0008rnj)
Series 1

25/09/2019

The latest news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


WED 19:30 The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams (b06ynxk8)
Series 1

Autumn

Autumn is the season when the landscape is at its most colourful. Iolo Williams finds himself in the midst of a flock of thousands of fieldfares arriving from Europe to escape the colder continent. They gorge themselves on berries in trees surrounding the smallest church in Wales. In the Usk Valley, bats feed before they hibernate in caves, and migrating ducks gather on Talybont Reservoir, ready for winter. Underground, cave spiders are lurking, and sea trout are heading upstream to spawn in the rivers.


WED 20:00 Dig WW2 with Dan Snow (b01j0m7f)
Episode 2

In our second episode of Dig WW2, Dan Snow heads out to sea to hear the story of the Empire Heritage, a cargo ship filled with Sherman Tanks sunk off Malin Head during the Battle of the Atlantic in 1944. Staying on the water, he visits an RAF Flying Boat Base on Lough Erne, where he gets to fly in an original WW2 Catalina, an aircraft built for hunting U-boats. Dan also gets to hear some of the stories which bring a personal aspect to his discoveries, visiting a group of experts intent on discovering the unknown identities of bodies of Second World War soldiers and finally bringing closure to their families all these years later.


WED 21:00 Churchill and the Movie Mogul (m0008rnl)
Winston Churchill understood the power of films, but the true extent of his use of cinema as a propaganda tool is rarely explored. In 1934, one of Britain's most celebrated film producers, Alexander Korda, signed Churchill up as a screenwriter and historical advisor. It was the start of a unique collaboration. Churchill provided script notes for Korda's productions and penned an epic screenplay.

When war broke out, their collaboration took on national importance. Korda was sent on a mission to Hollywood to help bring America into the war, with positive results.

With access to previously undiscovered documents, this film documentary examines that mission and a friendship that underpinned a unique, creative partnership.


WED 22:00 Orson Welles over Europe (b00phtpq)
When Orson Welles went into self-imposed exile in Europe, he first found stardom with The Third Man and then immersed himself in challenging films, television, theatre and bullfighting. Simon Callow trails the complex actor-director.


WED 23:00 Vikings (b01n3gbj)
Episode 3

Neil Oliver explores how the Viking Age finally ended, tracing the Norse voyages of discovery, the first Danish kings, and the Christian conversions that opened the door to European high society. He also uncovers the truth about England's King Canute - he was not an arrogant leader who thought he could hold back the waves, but the Viking ruler of an entire empire of the north and an early adopter of European standardisation.


WED 00:00 Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited (b01sbvzt)
Families of the Stone Age

Julian Richards returns to the excavation of two burials from the Stone Age - the grave of an entire Neolithic family in Dorset and a tomb on Orkney that is helping to reveal some strange and unexpected burial rites from over 5,000 years ago.


WED 01:00 Bacchus Uncovered: Ancient God of Ecstasy (b09z8d01)
Professor Bettany Hughes investigates the story of Bacchus, god of wine, revelry, theatre and excess, travelling to Georgia, Jordan, Greece and Britain to discover his origins and his presence in the modern world, and explore how 'losing oneself' plays a vital role in the development of civilisation.

In this fascinating journey, Bettany begins in Georgia where she discovers evidence of the world's oldest wine production, and the role it may have played in building communities. In Athens, she reveals Bacchus's pivotal role in a society where his ecstatic worship was embraced by all classes, and most importantly women. On Cyprus, she uncovers startling parallels between Bacchus and Christ. Finally, Bettany follows the god's modern embrace in Nietzsche's philosophy, experimental theatre and the hedonistic hippie movement to conclude that, while this god of ecstasy is worthy of contemporary reconsideration, it is vital to heed the warning of the ancients - 'MEDEN AGAN' - nothing in excess.


WED 01:55 Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered (b01s6gjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]


WED 02:55 Churchill and the Movie Mogul (m0008rnl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2019

THU 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m0008rmt)
Series 1

26/09/2019

The latest news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (m0008rmw)
Gary Davies and Peter Powell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 30 June 1988 and featuring Hazell Dean, Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Matt Bianco, Salt-N-Pepa, T'Pau, The Fat Boys and Chubby Checker, Bros and Glenn Medeiros.


THU 20:00 Greece with Simon Reeve (p03gk743)
Episode 1

In the first episode of this two-part travel series, Simon Reeve travels from the islands of the Aegean to Greece's capital, Athens. To learn more about Greece and the Greeks, he meets an extraordinary cast of characters, from gun-toting priests to the last remaining sponge divers. Getting behind the picture postcard image of this beautiful country, he finds out how the Greeks are coming to terms with a seemingly endless crisis.


THU 21:00 Spitfire (m0008rmy)
An epic, sweeping tale of determination, vision and courage, this documentary is the story of an aircraft that was forged in competition, shaped as the war clouds gathered, and refined in the white heat of combat.

Told in the words of the last-surviving World War II veterans, with stunning contemporary and historical aerial footage, Spitfire explores how an extraordinary plane became an international icon.


THU 22:30 Land of the Lost Wolves (b01fngfw)
Episode 2

After spending four weeks camping out in the bitterly cold Cascade Mountains, wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan and a team of wolf experts discover that most of the pack have been killed by locals who live by the motto 'shoot, shovel and shut up'. But have any of the pack escaped unharmed? As the team chase exciting new leads, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.


THU 23:30 Top of the Pops (m0008rmw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 00:00 Timeshift (b00ff170)
How to Write a Mills and Boon

What happens when a literary novelist tries to write popular romantic fiction? To mark 100 years of romance publishers Mills and Boon, literary novelist Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing for them.

Romantic fiction is a global phenomenon, and Mills and Boon are among the biggest names in the business. The company welcomes submissions from new authors, but as Duffy soon finds out, writing a Mills and Boon is harder than it looks.

Help is at hand from the publishers themselves, a prolific Mills and Boon author and some avid romance fans, as Duffy's quest to create the perfect romantic novel takes her from London to Italy on a journey that is both an insight into the art of romantic fiction and the joy and frustration of writing itself.


THU 01:00 Nolan: Australia’s Maverick Artist (m000264q)
Sidney Nolan is unquestionably one of the best-known names in the history of Australian modern art. His images are iconic treasures of the Australian visual language – everyone feels they know Nolan, but that is far from the truth. He was a restless spirit, boundlessly curious, intellectual and mischievous, and his creativity was unrelenting; he was a genius. This film explores and celebrates the artist and the man, going well beyond his early years to his extraordinary international career and all the success and turmoil that came with it.

The prodigious Nolan came from humble working-class beginnings and from a young age made his way straight to the centre of contemporary artistic and intellectual circles in Melbourne, where he both produced some of his most enduring images and also became tightly enmeshed in the complicated and doomed love affair that was to stay with him for the rest of his life. Restless and on fire with the excitement of the international modernist movement, Nolan created the St Kilda, Wimmera, Ned Kelly and the Central Australia series - passionate responses to the world, and the landscape and national mythology of Australia, but more importantly and more deeply, windows into the poetic psyche of the man.

Fuelled by insatiable curiosity, Nolan became a tireless traveller, settling in London, where he found 'his people', the stellar intellectual circle of artists, musicians, writers, collectors and connoisseurs. While living in London, Nolan continued to visit and travel around Australia because, he said simply, 'he was Australian', and then returned to England to paint what had inspired him here and in other parts of the world. He welcomed artistic challenges; he was an entrepreneur and an unselfconscious-self promoter who threw himself into music, theatre and opera design.

The film shows Nolan’s unexamined work in new light, exploring the range of experimental, innovative qualities that marked him as one of the world’s truly great painters in the 20th century - a man ahead of his time, exploring digital manipulation in its early incarnations, experimenting with desiccated carcasses many decades before Damien Hirst, and taking selfies before Instagram was thought of.


THU 02:00 Spitfire (m0008rmy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



FRIDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

FRI 19:00 World News Today (m0008rm0)
The latest news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m0008rm2)
Janice Long and Simon Mayo present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 7 July 1988 and featuring the Communards, the Mac Band ft. the McCampbell Brothers, Everything But The Girl, INXS, Eighth Wonder, Glenn Medeiros and Transvision Vamp.


FRI 20:00 New Power Generation: Black Music Legends of the 1980s (b017gssb)
Janet Jackson: Taking Control

Emerging from the shadows of the most famous family in showbusiness to become a superstar in her own right, Janet Jackson was one of the biggest female pop icons of the 80s and 90s, scoring huge international hits with songs such as What Have You Done For Me Lately? and Nasty.

This film examines Janet's phenomenal career, from her early success as a teenage actress in hit US sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to multi award-winning pop star rivalling her brother's success with ten number one singles on the American Billboard charts and worldwide album sales of over 65 million. The struggle to control both her creative and personal life is central to Janet's development as an artist and key to understanding her story - from escaping the clutches of her overbearing father to the thirst for new challenges in her groundbreaking collaborations with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Dubbed the 'Queen of Radio' in America, she always seemed capable of maintaining her broad-base appeal - until the infamous 2004 American Super Bowl appearance alongside Justin Timberlake.

Featuring an exclusive interview with Janet Jackson and contributions from the likes of Jimmy Jam, Janet's brother Jackie Jackson, actor Deborah Allen and British pop talent Estelle.


FRI 21:00 Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (m0008rm4)
Joan Armatrading is one the most influential singer-songwriters in Britain. A national icon, she is known for her singular vision, both as a writer and as a performer. She has performed around the world to sell-out stadiums, releasing records and touring almost constantly from the early 70s to the present day.

In this documentary Joan talks about her self-belief and her unique ability to craft songs that have spoken to millions. Known for her reclusiveness, Joan has, for the first time, granted access to her life and music. Joan tells her story from Caribbean émigré to becoming one of the most revered songwriters of our generation.

The film covers Joan’s childhood growing up in Birmingham, and how she began writing songs from a young age. Joan met some of the key people in her life when she joined the rock musical Hair in 1968. She left home to go on tour and forged a musical partnership with songwriter Pam Nestor. Their collaboration led to a major record deal and an opportunity to work with Elton John’s producer, Gus Dudgeon. Her album, Whatever’s for Us, received rave reviews and chimed with the burgeoning songwriting movement on the west coast of America. The album signalled a new energy and freedom taking shape in the 70s in Britain among the black population. Joan was propelled into the musical stratosphere, signing with major American label A&M for over ten years. She created her own genre of songwriting, defying stereotypes and breaking barriers, becoming one of the first black singer-songwriters in Britain.

Joan went on to forge an unbeatable dynamic with rock producer Glyn Johns, who had produced seminal albums with the Rolling Stones, the Eagles and the Who. She created one of the most-loved and iconic songs of the 70s when she wrote Love and Affection in 1976. She was 26 years old. It was a song that took simple emotional fragility and made it somehow both sensuous and raunchy.

Joan made three more hit albums in three years with Glyn and her music would become anthemic to the feminist movement gathering pace since the early 70s. Despite her gold records, international status and touring worldwide, Joan had to overcome misogyny in the music studio and fight racism in the music business.

In 1978, Bob Dylan asked her to play at his festival BlackBushe. Joan, the only woman on the bill, played alongside rock gods such as Eric Clapton. Ask her how she felt, being up there, and you will hear Joan’s fearlessness - ‘The Rock Gods don’t scare me!’ - showing the determination and strength that contributed to her success.

By the 80s, Joan refused to be pigeonholed into a 70s guitar sound and she would diversify her style, experimenting with synths and finding a new direction to create music without a producer. Joan was also one of the first black British musicians to appear on MTV, creating innovative music videos and capturing the imagination of younger artists in the States who had never seen a British black woman play and sing like her before.

Joan was nominated for a Grammy three times, one of which was for the song How Cruel, a song that articulated the racism that many black British people encountered in the UK at the time. Notably, it highlighted to African-Americans that the same problems with race were happening on both sides of the Atlantic.

Songs like Me Myself I and Drop the Pilot became overnight hits in the 80s, testimony to Joan’s consummate songwriting ability. By the late 80s, Joan was one of the first women to write, arrange and produce all her albums, building a music studio at her home and working with the likes of Elton John, Pino Palladino and Mark Knopfler.

As well as unprecedented access to Joan, watching her play a sold-out tour, the film features exclusive, previously unseen archive and interviews with key collaborators from music producers Glyn Johns and Steve Lillywhite to musician Pino Palladino. The film also features interviews and cover versions of Joan’s songs, from Martha Wainwright singing Me Myself I and Meshell Negeocello covering How Cruel to Shingai Shoniwa from the Noisettes performing Love and Affection.


FRI 22:00 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b014vzy3)
70s Gold

The Old Grey Whistle Test was launched on 21 September 1971 from a tiny studio tucked behind a lift shaft on the fourth floor of BBC Television Centre. From humble beginnings, it has gone on to provide some of the best and most treasured music archive that the BBC has to offer.

This programme takes us on a journey and celebrates the musically mixed-up decade that was the 1970s, and which is reflected in the OGWT archive. There are classic performances from the glam era by Elton John and David Bowie, an early UK TV appearance from Curtis Mayfield, the beginnings of heavy metal with Steppenwolf's iconic Born to Be Wild anthem and the early punk machinations of the 'mock rock' New York Dolls. Archive from the pinnacle year, 1973, features Roxy Music, The Wailers and Vinegar Joe. The programme's finale celebrates the advent of punk and new wave with unforgettable performances from Patti Smith, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Jam.

Artists featured are Elton John, Lindisfarne, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Steppenwolf, Vinegar Joe, Brinsley Schwarz, New York Dolls, Argent, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Captain Beefheart, Johnny Winter, Dr Feelgood, Gil Scott Heron, Patti Smith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cher & Gregg Allman, Talking Heads, The Jam, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Specials.


FRI 23:30 Top of the Pops (b06v9fdp)
The Story of 1981

The year the teens take over and 80s 'new pop' is born with Depeche Mode, the teen-fronted Human League, Kim Wilde and Duran Duran all debuting, while Ultravox and Visage master the art of pop videos. The show embraces the shift with a new theme tune and titles and, as Legs and Co leave, invite a swathe of club kids and cheerleaders in to create a permanent 80s party atmosphere. Britain is torn between rioting, unemployment and the royal wedding, a mood captured in the Specials' Ghost Town, which the band perform on Top of the Pops, and then promptly split up in their dressing room at Television Centre.

With Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, the Human League, Kim Wilde, Midge Ure, Jerry Dammers (the Specials), Leee John, Freeez, Beggar and Co, Richard Skinner, Mike Read and Carrie Grant.

Narrated by Mel Giedroyc.


FRI 00:30 Top of the Pops (m0008rm2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:00 TOTP2 (b01lwbt0)
Summertime Special

TOTP2 once more delves into the archives to brighten up your day with summer sizzlers from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the Undertones, Shaggy, Bananarama, Bobby Goldsboro, Bay City Rollers, Fun Boy Three, the Style Council and Don Henley.

Other scorchers include Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, the Sundays, Sabrina, Chris Rea, the Barracudas, Zoe, Martha and the Muffins, Bryan Adams, Girls Aloud and ELO.


FRI 02:00 New Power Generation: Black Music Legends of the 1980s (b017gssb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


FRI 03:00 Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (m0008rm4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]




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

Arena 21:00 SUN (m0008rpj)

BBC Proms 19:00 SUN (m0008rpg)

Bacchus Uncovered: Ancient God of Ecstasy 01:00 WED (b09z8d01)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 MON (m0008rnp)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 WED (m0008rnj)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 THU (m0008rmt)

Britain's Secret Seas 19:00 SAT (b011j8vk)

Churchill and the Movie Mogul 21:00 WED (m0008rnl)

Churchill and the Movie Mogul 02:55 WED (m0008rnl)

Dam Busters Declassified 00:00 MON (b00trb2g)

Darkness: Those Who Kill 21:00 SAT (m0008rn1)

Darkness: Those Who Kill 21:40 SAT (m0008rn3)

Detectorists 22:25 SAT (b04m9rh2)

Detectorists 22:55 SAT (b04n1plq)

Detectorists 23:25 SAT (b04nqrq5)

Dig WW2 with Dan Snow 20:00 WED (b01j0m7f)

England's Forgotten Queen: The Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey 20:00 TUE (b09m5rmf)

Great Indian Railway Journeys 21:00 MON (b09zg7vg)

Greece with Simon Reeve 20:00 THU (p03gk743)

Inside the Perfect Predator 00:00 TUE (b00rfh1s)

Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I 21:00 FRI (m0008rm4)

Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I 03:00 FRI (m0008rm4)

Land of the Lost Wolves 22:30 THU (b01fngfw)

Life in the Air 20:00 SAT (b077nq4q)

Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered 20:00 MON (b01s6gjx)

Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered 01:55 WED (b01s6gjx)

New Power Generation: Black Music Legends of the 1980s 20:00 FRI (b017gssb)

New Power Generation: Black Music Legends of the 1980s 02:00 FRI (b017gssb)

Nolan: Australia’s Maverick Artist 01:00 THU (m000264q)

Orson Welles over Europe 22:00 WED (b00phtpq)

Peaky Blinders 01:00 SAT (b079vtpm)

Peaky Blinders 01:55 SAT (b07bksbb)

Peaky Blinders 02:55 SAT (b07cgpy2)

Peaky Blinders 01:05 SUN (b07czw04)

Peaky Blinders 02:00 SUN (b07dwngq)

Peaky Blinders 03:00 SUN (b07fg86c)

Peaky Blinders 01:00 MON (b09g85kh)

Peaky Blinders 02:00 MON (b09gvn5j)

Peaky Blinders 03:00 MON (b09hc65q)

Peaky Blinders 01:00 TUE (b09j0hxs)

Peaky Blinders 02:00 TUE (b09jhn03)

Peaky Blinders 03:00 TUE (b09k8gjf)

Secret Knowledge 00:35 SUN (b06n9k13)

Spitfire 21:00 THU (m0008rmy)

Spitfire 02:00 THU (m0008rmy)

Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History 21:00 TUE (m0008rn7)

Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited 00:00 WED (b01sbvzt)

TOTP2 01:00 FRI (b01lwbt0)

The Banker's Guide to Art 22:30 MON (b07kd109)

The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams 19:30 MON (b06wrhn5)

The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams 19:30 TUE (b06wyxfx)

The Brecon Beacons with Iolo Williams 19:30 WED (b06ynxk8)

The Flying Archaeologist 19:00 TUE (b01s1hnr)

The Last Explorers 23:00 TUE (b017sp66)

The Old Grey Whistle Test 22:00 FRI (b014vzy3)

The Seventh Seal 22:55 SUN (m0008rpl)

Timeshift 00:00 THU (b00ff170)

Top of the Pops 23:55 SAT (m0008kb3)

Top of the Pops 00:30 SAT (m0008k8n)

Top of the Pops 19:30 THU (m0008rmw)

Top of the Pops 23:30 THU (m0008rmw)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (m0008rm2)

Top of the Pops 23:30 FRI (b06v9fdp)

Top of the Pops 00:30 FRI (m0008rm2)

Tornado - the 100mph Steam Engine 22:00 MON (b08rb16k)

Vikings 23:00 WED (b01n3gbj)

Voyages of Discovery 22:00 TUE (b0074t3q)

What Do Artists Do All Day? 20:30 SUN (b03z08ms)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (m0008rm0)