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 30 NOVEMBER 2019

SAT 19:00 Nature's Weirdest Events (b05qt6zd)
Series 2: Cutdowns

Episode 2

Chris Packham explores some of the most bizarre and extraordinary natural events on the planet.


SAT 19:10 Natural World (b01bqwwl)
2011-2012

Tiger Dynasty

A young tigress is chosen to found a new dynasty. Airlifted from her home in an Indian park to life in a new reserve, Baghani the tigress must fight with leopards for territory and learn to hunt dangerous wild boar. Also released is Rajore, a hot-blooded young male.

For two years, every aspect of their lives is followed by the camera. Will they mate and start a family, or will they be killed by poachers?


SAT 20:10 The Lake District: A Wild Year (b08flyr2)
For the wildlife and people who live amongst the epic scenery of the Lake District, life is one of continuous change. Cutting-edge camera techniques give a new and unique perspective on a turbulent year in the life of England's largest national park.

Time-lapse photography shows months and weeks passing in seconds - snow and ice giving way to sunshine or the frequent rain showers - whilst the animals, plants and people find extraordinary ways to cope with the challenges of this stunning, ancient landscape.


SAT 21:10 The Sinner (m000byny)
Series 2

Episode 3

Vera believes that Harry is behind the arrest of Julian, who has been taken into custody at a juvenile detention centre and charged with second-degree murder. Heather calls on Mrs Calhoun to question her about the disappearance of her daughter Marin.


SAT 21:50 The Sinner (m000byp0)
Series 2

Episode 4

Harry gets a phone call from Julian who doubts that Vera will be able to get him released from detention. Harry then returns to Mosswood to discover more about the commune’s work.


SAT 22:35 Radio 2 In Concert (m000b8jt)
Jeff Lynne's ELO

Jo Whiley introduces an intimate performance filmed in early November at the BBC Radio Theatre in London as part of 2019’s Radio 2 In Concerts.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO recently celebrated their first No 1 studio album in 38 years with From Out Of Nowhere, an album described as ‘creamy harmonies and good-natured pop, firmly in the lineage of classic ELO’. Expect a handful of tracks from it in this very special show as well as many of those classic songs from their much loved back catalogue including Evil Woman, Livin’ Thing and, of course, Mr Blue Sky.


SAT 23:30 Jeff Lynne's ELO - Wembley or Bust (b09jxc84)
Thrilling concert film that documents Jeff Lynne's ELO playing their triumphant concert for a massive audience at Wembley Stadium on 24 June 2017. This visually and musically impressive film gives viewers a remarkable evening in the life of recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lynne - one of the most successful recording artists, songwriters and producers of all-time. Having spent much of his recent life in America working in the studio and producing other musical greats, Lynne returns home for this unbelievable stadium show.

In Wembley or Bust, Lynne and his remarkable musical ensemble fill Wembley Stadium with one of the greatest rock & roll spectacles of all time, complete with bells, whistles and spaceships, and most importantly, many of the most-beloved songs, from vintage ELO classics like Mr Blue Sky, Livin' Thing and Evil Woman to Do Ya from his days with The Move, Handle With Care, which he recorded with the Traveling Wilburys, right through to When I Was A Boy from his latest ELO masterpiece, Alone In The Universe.

Directed by Paul Dugdale, music lovers All Over The World can now see Jeff Lynne bringing all of his magnificent rock & roll dreams to life in a giant soccer stadium and winning big in every way.


SAT 00:45 Top of the Pops (m000bpk6)
Gary Davies and Susie Mathis present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 17 November 1988 and featuring Yazz, All About Eve, INXS, Mica Paris, Tanita Tikaram, Robin Beck and Salt-N-Pepa.


SAT 01:15 Top of the Pops (m000bpk9)
Simon Mayo and Andy Crane present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 24 November 1988 and featuring Tiffany, Bomb the Bass ft Maureen, Deacon Blue, Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, Iron Maiden, Bananarama, Chris de Burgh, Robin Beck and Hithouse.


SAT 01:45 The Lake District: A Wild Year (b08flyr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:10 today]


SAT 02:45 Music Moguls: Masters of Pop (p039w64c)
Money Makers

Three-part series revealing the secret history of pop and rock from the men and women who pull the strings behind the scenes.

Programme one tells the story of the maverick managers who controlled the careers of megastar artists, from Colonel Parker (Elvis) right the way up to Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber). Along the way are rollicking tales of industry legends like Led Zeppelin's Peter Grant, and Don Arden, who managed The Small Faces, Black Sabbath and ELO.

Narrated by Simon Napier-Bell, it also features contributions from Andrew Loog Oldham (The Rolling Stones), Jon Landau (Bruce Springsteen), Bill Curbishley (The Who), Paul McGuinness (U2) and Jonathan Dickins (Adele).



SUNDAY 01 DECEMBER 2019

SUN 19:00 The Women's Football Show (m000byns)
2019/20

01/12/2019

Reshmin Chowdhury presents highlights of the Women’s Super League from Arsenal as they face Bristol City. Also featuring this week will be highlights of Manchester City v Liverpool and West Ham v Manchester United, and all the goals from the rest of the WSL.


SUN 19:30 The River Taff with Will Millard (b070t48y)
Series 1

Episode 3

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


SUN 20:00 Fair Isle: Living on the Edge (b084jyl0)
Episode 2

Fair Isle is Britain's most remote inhabited island, situated halfway between the Shetland and Orkney Islands. Life here is at the mercy of the weather. Once home to nearly 400 people, today there are just 57. Fair Isle must boost its population if it is to survive. Filmed over a critical year, this intimate series captures the community as they launch their development plan with an aim of bringing new families to the isle and bolstering the fragile economy. This final episode continues to follow 11-year-old Ythan and his family as they learn to deal with his homesickness, and reveals if Fair Isle's newest inhabitants Shaun and Rachel have survived their first winter and decided to stay on.


SUN 21:00 Gauguin - A Dangerous Life (m000bynv)
‘I am indeed a savage. And civilised people sense it. My works surprise and disturb them because they see in them the savage that I can't repress. That's what makes my work inimitable.’

Actor Dominic West reads Paul Gauguin's self-revelatory words in a new film biography that recognises Gauguin’s formidable artistic achievement but also confronts his sexual relationships with young indigenous girls in the Pacific and his role in 19th-century French colonialism.

Gauguin’s vivid artworks sell for millions. He was an inspired and committed multi-media artist who worked with the Impressionists and had a tempestuous relationship with Vincent van Gogh. But he was also a competitive and rapacious man who left his wife to bring up five children and used his colonial privilege to travel to Polynesia, where in his 40s he took ‘wives’ between 13 and 15 years old, creating images of them and their world that promoted a fantasy paradise of an unspoilt Eden in the Pacific. Later, he challenged the colonial authorities and the Catholic Church in defence of the indigenous people, dying in the Marquesas Islands in 1903, sick, impoverished and alone.

Shot in France, Tahiti, the Marquesas Islands, Aotearoa New Zealand and the UK, the film features Gauguin's descendants - his great granddaughter Mette Gauguin and Tahitian grandson Marcel Tai Gauguin, in addition to art historians and contemporary artists Kehinde Wiley, Tai Shan Schierenberg and Tyla Vaeau. Through these multiple commentators - unforgiving, forgiving, insightful and funny - the film offers a 21st-century view of a 19th-century wild man.


SUN 22:00 Charles I: Downfall of a King (m0006pbh)
Series 1

Two Worlds Collide

November 1641. King Charles I is in Edinburgh. While he is away from his capital, the leader of the House of Commons, John Pym, is plotting a move to limit the King’s power. The duel between these two men will spiral across the next weeks into an irrecoverable split across the country.

21 November: Pym dominates a stormy debate in the House of Commons over a document known as the Grand Remonstrance. It is a list of 200 complaints against Charles I. It claims he is under the influence of ‘evil counsellors’, a coded reference to the Queen – Charles I’s French Catholic wife, Henrietta Maria. In Ireland, a Catholic uprising, which has led to the deaths of thousands of Protestants, is focusing minds in Parliament.

It is one of the greatest debates in parliamentary history, lasting 14 hours. It is passed - 52% to 48%. The Grand Remonstrance - a vote of no confidence in the King’s rule - will now be presented to the King.

25 November: Charles arrives back in London. He makes a show of power and parades through the city with 500 horsemen. The King having returned, discussion turns to the rebellion in Ireland. An army must be sent to crush the Catholic rebels, but who should lead it? Pym fears the King will use the army to suppress his opponents. And Charles fears Pym will use the army to arrest his Catholic queen.

The King fights back. He issues a proclamation on 12 December ordering all MPs to London by 12 January 1642. He is confident that, with a full House of Commons, he will have a majority with which to stamp out John Pym’s faction. The clock is ticking. The deadline is set.


SUN 23:00 Charles I: Downfall of a King (m0006p9x)
Series 1

A Nation Divided

The King’s proclamation has been sent around the country. Soon, over 200 MPs will return to Westminster to aid Charles; he simply has to run down the clock.

Pym tries to pass parliamentary bills limiting the King’s power. But in the Lords, the casting votes are held by the bishops, who are loyal to Charles. Pym knows that, in order to succeed, he must remove them.

In mid-December, Pym’s group goes for a political ambush, demanding that the Grand Remonstrance be published. They launch a surprise vote in the dead of night and win. Now the public will read of the King’s supposed misdemeanours. Making matters worse for Charles, rumours spread that the Queen was involved in the Irish rebellion. The royal family now look as if they are in league with the Catholic rebels.

Trying to regain control on 22 December, Charles puts Colonel Thomas Lunsford in charge of the Tower of London. He is a thug, believed ‘fierce enough to eat children’. Soon London goes wild with protests, swarming the Tower. After just a few days, with mobs braying at the palace gates, the King backtracks. This only encourages the rebels, who now see the King as weak and indecisive. Meanwhile, Charles’s backstop of bishops run in fear of the mobs; just two come to the Lords the next day. The King's political frontline is broken. The way for Pym is open.

In a last-ditch attempt to win Pym round, King Charles offers him the top job, chancellor of the exchequer. Will Pym be bought off?


SUN 00:00 Charles I: Downfall of a King (m0006pb8)
Series 1

The Final Showdown

The beginning of 1642 has seen John Pym spurn the King’s attempt to bring him onside with a job offer and now Charles’s options are running short. He has just one chance left: arrest Pym and his colleagues. On Monday 3 January, Charles strikes, accusing the ‘Five Members’ of high treason.

The Commons prevaricate. Pym hopes that Charles will throw caution to the wind and resort to violence. Pressure is mounting; rumours of the Queen’s imminent impeachment reach Charles. On 4 January, Charles marches on Westminster, backed by 500 troops.

Pym, however, has been tipped off by someone on the inside: the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Lucy Hay. She is the viper in the nest. As Charles storms through the front door, Pym and his associates slip out by the back.

Charles enters the chamber of the Commons, breaching ‘parliamentary privilege’. Armed troops wait outside, pistols cocked. The atmosphere is tense, the politicians are silent; they fear a blood bath. The King soon realises that his quarry has escaped and is forced to retreat. MPs’ cries of ‘Privilege! Privilege!’ follow him. He has failed and leaves humiliated.

Pym’s plan has worked; Charles looks like a tyrant to all in Westminster. Moderates now flock to Pym’s side.

Within days, Pym compounds his win by gaining the support of the Citizens’ Militia – a force of 10,000 men. Charles realises his wife’s life is in danger. On 10 January, he escapes with his family to Hampton Court Palace. He has lost his capital and his power. The next time he returns to London, it will be for his execution.


SUN 01:00 Naples '44: A Wartime Diary (b09gvjc2)
In late 1943 Norman Lewis was posted by the British Intelligence Corps to newly liberated Naples. He arrived to witness a city devastated by fascism, bombings, Nazi occupation and the Allied invasion. Written 30 years later, his remarkable memoir evocatively captures the resilience and resourcefulness of the city in the desperate months following the Nazis' withdrawal.

Director Francesco Patierno combines extracts from this account, read by Benedict Cumberbatch, with powerful archival footage and clips from films set in Naples in the 50s and 60s, to portray a war-torn and once-dynamic city returning to life.


SUN 02:20 Gauguin - A Dangerous Life (m000bynv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



MONDAY 02 DECEMBER 2019

MON 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000bynn)
Series 1

02/12/2019

Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London report on the events that are shaping the world.


MON 19:30 Yorkshire Walks (m000brwb)
Series 1

Leyburn to Bolton Castle

With the dawn chorus of bird song in the air, Yorkshire artist Shanaz Gulzar takes time out from the hustle and bustle of life to indulge in Wensleydale and its wonderful vistas. Along her ramble through the dale, Shanaz discovers evidence of an industrial past, and talks to a volunteer worker on the heritage railway line. She walks onwards to the impressive Bolton Castle, the location of Mary Queen of Scots' imprisonment in 1568.

Filming herself and everything around her on a 360-degree-selfie-style-camera Shanaz wanders through the countryside, often deep in thought and stopping only to chat, sketch and reflect.


MON 20:00 Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream (b0851kfd)
Episode 2

Simon Sebag Montefiore tells the story of Vienna, triumphant after the Ottoman threat receded at the end of the 17th century. No longer an outpost defending the west from Islamic invaders, the imperial capital was to become the most glittering in the world. The Habsburg emperors transformed the city from a fortress into a great cultural capital. Vienna became a city that would define the arts; a magnet for musicians, including Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.


MON 21:00 Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley (b00y377q)
Pleasure is vital for our survival - without it we wouldn't eat or have sex, and would soon die out as a species. But how does pleasure work and what gives us the most pleasure in life?

In an attempt to find out, Michael Mosley learns how the hottest chilli in the world creates euphoria in the brain, why parents have an overwhelming surge of love for their newborn child and what happens if you turn your own wedding into a chemistry experiment.

We all know that where there is pleasure, pain can't be far behind, and Michael gamely exposes himself to some painful experiments to show why the two are so interlinked. Why is pain so important and how can we measure it? How much pain are we prepared to put up with if the reward is right and what would happen if we couldn't feel pain at all? And how far is Michael prepared to go in the name of pleasure? Will he be able to overcome enormous pain and stress in order to experience one of the biggest pleasure kicks in the world?


MON 22:00 Storyville (m000bynq)
Facing Franco's Crimes: The Silence of Others

With the recent exhumation and removal of Franco's remains from a public mausoleum for the fallen - a symbolic gesture by the current socialist government to give the 500,000 victims of the Spanish Civil War their rightful recognition - this Storyville documentary is a timely reminder of Spain's traumatic past.

Filmed over six years, it reveals the epic struggle of the victims of Spain's 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, as they organise a groundbreaking international lawsuit and fight a government-sanctioned ‘pact of forgetting’ the crimes that they suffered. A cautionary tale about fascism and the dangers of forgetting the past.


MON 23:30 A Timewatch Guide (b06z59g7)
Series 2

Stonehenge

Using 70 years of BBC history archive film, Professor Alice Roberts uncovers how the iconic ancient monument of Stonehenge has been interpreted, argued over and debated by some of Britain's leading historians and archaeologists. She reveals how new discoveries would discredit old theories, how astronomers and geologists became involved in the story and why, even after centuries of study, there's still no definitive answer to the mystery of Stonehenge.


MON 00:30 The Art of Japanese Life (p054md5m)
Series 1

Cities

Dr James Fox explores how the artistic life of three great Japanese cities shaped the country's attitudes to past and present, east and west, and helped forge the very idea of Japan itself.

Beginning in Kyoto, the country's capital for almost a thousand years, James reveals how the flowering of classical culture produced many great treasures of Japanese art, including The Tale of Genji, considered to be the first novel ever written. In the city of Edo, where Tokyo now stands, a very different art form emerged, in the wood block prints of artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige. James meets the artisans still creating these prints today, and discovers original works by a great master, Utamaro, who documented the so-called 'floating world' - the pleasure district of Edo.

In contemporary Tokyo, James discovers the darker side of Japan's urbanisation, through the photographs of street photographer Daido Moriyama, and meets one of the founders of the world-famous Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, whose haunting anime film Grave of the Fireflies helped establish anime as a powerful and serious art form.


MON 01:30 Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream (b0851kfd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:30 Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley (b00y377q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



TUESDAY 03 DECEMBER 2019

TUE 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000byp3)
Series 1

03/12/2019

Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London report on the events that are shaping the world.


TUE 19:30 Yorkshire Walks (m000bs11)
Series 1

Heptonstall to Stoodley Pike

Shanaz Gulzar steps back in time while walking through the historic village of Heptonstall. Filming on her handheld 360-degree selfie-style camera, Shanaz rambles past Hell Hole, along the canal in Hebden Bridge, before climbing uphill to the peace monument of Stoodley Pike. This is an historic walk that straddles both the north and south sides of Calderdale.

Inspired by the landscape Shanaz stops to sketch and read poetry. This walk is an intimate and personal account of West Yorkshire viewed through an artist’s eyes.


TUE 20:00 Secret Life of Farm Animals (m0001jgg)
Series 1

Cows

It's summer and we follow the first 12 weeks of a Hereford calf's life as he makes friends and settles into the herd. We discover that cows are much more than mother nature's muck-spreaders, rather they are highly social animals with complex personalities. They are also brilliant problem solvers with a love of music and given freedom to roam, thanks to the matriarch, they can thrive in the wild just as their ancient ancestors did. Is it any surprise that Hamish the ram wants to be one? But it's not just about cows. We also discover that chickens use 24 different vocalisations to communicate.


TUE 21:00 Takaya: Lone Wolf (m000byp7)
When a lone wolf is sighted in a small, uninhabited archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, local resident and renowned wildlife photographer Cheryl Alexander goes in for a closer look. What follows is a seven-year relationship that pushes the boundaries of our understanding of lone wolf behaviour.

Cheryl’s never-before-seen footage details where Takaya came from, how he got to the island and how he has adapted to his new landscape. Working with leading experts to help decipher his remarkable behaviour, Cheryl is determined to show what this majestic hunter can teach us all.


TUE 22:00 Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People (b07gxpd7)
Documentary telling the extraordinary story of Koko, the only 'talking' gorilla in the world, and her lifelong relationship with Penny Patterson.

Project Koko started as a PhD project to teach sign language to a baby gorilla, but as Koko began to communicate with Penny, an intense bond formed between them. Penny has now been with Koko for over 40 years and claims Koko can reveal fresh insights into the workings of an animal's mind.

Koko's unique life with Penny has been filmed every step of the way. Over 2,000 hours of footage chart the most dramatic moments - Penny's battle to keep Koko from being taken back to the zoo in which she was born, Penny's clash with academic critics who doubted her claims and the image of Koko mourning the death of her kitten. Penny believes that Koko has moved beyond simple language to express complex emotions - such as a longing for a baby gorilla of her own, and that the empathy she evokes in people changes their attitudes to all animals.

This film explores what we can really learn from this extraordinary science experiment turned love affair. Does it tell us more about animal emotions or our own?


TUE 23:00 Turner Prize (m000bypc)
2019

The Ceremony

One of the world's best-known prizes in visual art is awarded at Dreamland Margate in a special live programme.


TUE 23:25 Looking for Rembrandt (m00042kq)
Series 1

Episode 1

Rembrandt arrives in Amsterdam ‘like a thunderclap’ and his star rises as he is courted by the city’s wealthy elite. But he has grander plans to be a great history painter. His meticulous attention to emotion means he takes far too long to complete important commissions, bringing him into conflict with Amsterdam’s most powerful patrons.

He falls in love with and marries Saskia van Uylenburgh. Together they enjoy their new-found riches, amassing an incredible personal collection of artwork, exotic curios, stuffed animals and valuable prints, much of which Rembrandt buys at auctions with alarming regularity. He begins to attract a reputation – one that would dog him throughout his life and even after his death – for being a spendthrift. Yet he continues to create works that declare himself to be among the great old masters like Titian, Raphael and Michelangelo. A hubris which is dramatically paralleled with personal tragedies – the deaths of three of his children in infancy, and Saskia – which nonetheless influence some of his most poignant and moving works


TUE 00:25 Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest (b07m772h)
Arrival

Two-part documentary in which archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper explores the extraordinary and resilient culture of the American north west, revealing one the most inspiring stories in human history.

1,400 miles of rugged, windswept and rocky coastline in what is now the Alaskan panhandle, British Columbia and Washington state have been home to hundreds of distinct communities for over 10,000 years. Theirs is the longest continuing culture to be found anywhere in the Americas. They mastered a tough environment to create unique and complex communities that have redefined how human societies develop. They produced art infused with meaning that ranks alongside any other major civilisation on earth. And they were very nearly wiped out - by foreign disease, oppression and theft of their lands. But a deep connection to the environment lies at the heart of their endurance and, unlike many indigenous cultures annihilated following European contact, their culture sustains and has much to offer the rest of the world today.

Jago sees how a complex society developed without agriculture. The answer lies in the extraordinary way in which the people understood and mastered their environment, which in turn is reflected in their identity and social structures. He reveals the hidden significance in totem poles, canoes and intricate textiles, arguing that the peoples of the north west coast achieved the highest levels of cultural achievement.


TUE 01:25 Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century (b07f2blk)
Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution

In the 19th century, as Suzy Klein shows in the second episode of the series, music wasn't just a backdrop to life, easing pain and enhancing pleasure. It became a revolutionary force that could - and did - change the world.

As the impact of the violence and turmoil unleashed in the French Revolution reverberated around Europe, it was music that most viscerally carried the message that the people could stand up to kings and emperors. In France during the revolution, La Marseillaise emerged as a rallying cry - sung by the mob as they stormed the royal palace. When Napoleon imposed his grip on the nation it became an anthem of subversion, along with countless songs that pilloried the return to autocracy and the crushing of freedom.

But it was not just on the streets, as Suzy shows, that revolutionary fervour was stoked up. Even opera, intended by the authorities to reinforce the status quo, became politically potent, fanning the flames of nationalism and revolution throughout Europe. One French opera actually helped trigger a revolution when it was performed in Belgium in 1830.

Suzy shows how music came to express not only revolutionary fervour, but also the growing force of nationalism that was sweeping Europe. She discovers how Chopin's music, beneath its lyrical surface, expressed more powerfully than words the defiant spirit of the Polish people suffering under the oppression of a foreign power. And she explores how Carl Weber's lovely work Der Freischutz articulated the longings for nationhood of the Germans and inspired Richard Wagner to attempt the transformation of the human spirit through his work.

But it was Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi whose music had the most profound political impact in the 19th century. Suzy travels to Parma, Verdi's home town, to meet the disciples who keep his flame alive to this day, venerating the man whose music embodied the fight for freedom and whose very name came to symbolise Italy's fight for nationhood.


TUE 02:25 Takaya: Lone Wolf (m000byp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 04 DECEMBER 2019

WED 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000byp6)
Series 1

04/12/2019

Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London report on the events that are shaping the world.


WED 19:30 Yorkshire Walks (m000brtk)
Series 1

Runswick Bay to Whitby

This historic coastal walk takes artist Shanaz Gulzar along a stretch of the 109-mile Cleveland Way. Starting in Runswick Bay, and armed only with a handheld 360-degree selfie-style camera, Shanaz climbs the steep steps to the cliff top before strolling the coastal path, absorbing the beautiful landscape and its industrial past, before finishing at Whitby for sunset.

Meeting fellow walkers along the way, Shanaz finds inspirational spots to sketch and recite poetry.


WED 20:00 Sacred Wonders of Britain (b03qkzbp)
Episode 3

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.


WED 21:00 Digging for Britain (m000bypb)
Series 8

South

In this episode covering the south of Britain, we find out how a lobster led archaeologists to the discovery of an 8000-year-old neolithic underwater settlement, go to a secret location in Dorset to witness the excavation of an Iron Age crouched burial, and in London’s East End, location reporter Naoise Mac Sweeney visits a modern construction site as it gives up the secrets of an Elizabethan playhouse.

Also, archaeologists return to a Roman site, first dug in the late 1700s when a series of stunning mosaics were found. But archaeology in the past paid little attention to what the building actually was. A team from Bournemouth University is determined to add to the story of Roman Britain and find out more. And Digging for Britain joins Ministry of Defence archaeologist Richard Osgood on an island near Portsmouth with members of Operation Nightingale, a military initiative using archaeology to aid in the recovery of service personnel injured in conflict. Together they make some grizzly discoveries.


WED 22:00 Vic & Bob's Big Night Out (m000bypg)
Series 2

Episode 2

A welcome return for Novelty Island, a special rendition of That's Magic as well as an appearance from Michael Portillo as you've never seen him before.


WED 22:30 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (b0b98nb0)
Series 1

Episode 3

In the beautiful Monsal Valley in Derbyshire, Paul teaches Bob how to fly-fish for wild rainbow trout. While fishing, they discuss their humble beginnings in show business and have a good gossip about their contemporaries. Bob cooks Paul his very personal recipe of 'tuna Melanie' on the river bank, and it soon transpires his cooking is a lot more successful than his fishing.


WED 23:00 Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing (b0bb65gz)
Series 1

Episode 4

Paul and Bob fish the beautiful river Wensum in search of the equally beautifully roach. Struggling up and down the riverbanks, they realise how age is starting to take its toll on their physicality. But Bob has a plan to help Paul recapture his youth.

They stay overnight in a disused train station and visit the local pub with Paul showing off his new look, courtesy of Bob.

They decide to challenge each other to a fishing competition where the winner gets a very special culinary treat, and be warned, their dinner table conversation is not for the faint hearted.


WED 23:30 Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise (b087vgd6)
The Secrets of the South

Southern Thailand is the Thailand we think we all know. It is a place of both spectacular natural beauty and of wild parties, but behind this well-known image is also a place where spirituality pervades every bit of life. For the animals that live here, this is a natural wonderland.


WED 00:30 Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest (b07mlplp)
Survival

Two-part documentary in which archaeologist Dr Jago Cooper explores the extraordinary and resilient culture of the American north west, revealing one the most inspiring stories in human history.

1,400 miles of rugged, windswept and rocky coastline in what is now the Alaskan panhandle, British Columbia and Washington state have been home to hundreds of distinct communities for over 10,000 years. Theirs is the longest continuing culture to be found anywhere in the Americas. They mastered a tough environment to create unique and complex communities that have redefined how human societies develop. They produced art infused with meaning that ranks alongside any other major civilisation on earth. And they were very nearly wiped out - by foreign disease, oppression and theft of their lands. But a deep connection to the environment lies at the heart of their endurance, and - unlike many indigenous cultures annihilated following European contact - their culture sustains and has much to offer the rest of the world today.

In the second episode, Jago reveals how a cultural tradition that began over 10,000 years ago managed to survive against the odds. Following European contact, the indigenous peoples of what is now south east Alaska, British Columbia and Washington state suffered disease, theft of their land and oppression. But Jago argues that northwest coast culture has an extraordinary resilience. Its connection to the land has been developed over thousands of years, which meant that it was able to adapt and transform when faced with threats and disruption. These qualities make it one of the longest continuous cultures in the Americas.


WED 01:30 The High Art of the Low Countries (b01rsfgd)
Dream of Plenty

Andrew Graham-Dixon shows how the art of Renaissance Flanders evolved from the craft of precious tapestries within the Duchy of Burgundy into a leading painting school in its own right. Starting his journey at the magnificent altarpiece of Ghent Cathedral created by the Van Eyck brothers, Andrew explains their groundbreaking innovation in oil painting and marvels at how the colours they obtained can still remain so vibrant today.

Andrew describes how, in the early Renaissance, the most urgent preoccupation was not the advancement of learning, humanist or otherwise, but the Last Judgment. People believed they were living in the end of days; a subject popular with preachers and artists and intensely realised in swarming microscopic detail by Hieronymus Bosch.


WED 02:30 Digging for Britain (m000bypb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 05 DECEMBER 2019

THU 19:00 Beyond 100 Days (m000byqm)
Series 1

05/12/2019

Katty Kay in Washington and Christian Fraser in London report on the events that are shaping the world.


THU 19:30 Yorkshire Walks (m000brvk)
Series 1

Bolton Abbey to Simon's Seat

The Bolton Abbey Estate provides the picturesque location for this Yorkshire Walk. Beginning at Bolton Priory, and armed with her handheld 360-degree selfie-style camera, artist Shanaz Gulzar meanders along the banks of the treacle-coloured River Wharfe before climbing up through the Valley of Desolation. She later heads onwards over moorland to Simon’s Seat and its breathtaking views across Wharfedale, Nidderdale and beyond.

Meeting fellow walkers along the way, Shanaz finds inspirational spots to sketch and recite poetry, while discovering Yorkshire’s hidden woodlands and waterfall.


THU 20:00 Wonders of the Solar System (b00rtg5k)
Original Series

Dead or Alive

Professor Brian Cox visits some of the most stunning locations on Earth to describe how the laws of nature have carved natural wonders across the solar system.

The worlds that surround our planet are all made of rock, but there the similarity ends. Some have a beating geological heart, others are frozen in time. Brian travels to the tallest mountain on Earth, the volcano Mauna Kea on Hawaii, to show how something as basic as a planet's size can make the difference between life and death. Even on the summit of this volcano, Brian would stand in the shade of the tallest mountain in the solar system, an extinct volcano on Mars called Olympus Mons, which rises up 27 km.

Yet the fifth wonder in the series isn't on a planet at all. It's on a tiny moon of Jupiter. The discoveries made on Io have been astonishing. This fragment of rock should be cold and dead, yet, with the volcanic landscape of eastern Ethiopia as a backdrop, Brian reveals why Io is home to extraordinary lakes of lava and giant volcanic plumes that erupt 500 km into the sky.


THU 21:00 Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (b04v5lng)
Original Series

Water: The Shape Shifter

Richard Hammond investigates the crucial role water plays. Without water there would be almost no weather: no rain, no snow, no hail, no clouds. So Richard goes in pursuit of water in all its forms. He tries to weigh a cloud, finds out how rain could crush a car, and gets involved in starting an avalanche.

Along the way, he tries to find out why clouds float by building his own cloud with the aid of a cattle trough, some humidifiers and atmospheric scientist Dr Jim McQuaid. But will their cloud float in the air like a real cloud?

He also drops in on renowned hail scientist Charles Knight in his lab in Boulder, Colorado, to discover that there is far more to hail than meets the eye. In a scientific first, and with the help of Jim Stratton and Craig Zehrung from Purdue University, Richard sets about firing ice and hail at a board to find out which does the most damage.

Finally, in conjunction with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos, Richard joins Walter Steinkogler as he starts an avalanche in an attempt to find out how something as delicate and fragile as a snowflake can travel at extraordinary speeds of up to 250mph on the ground.


THU 22:00 Horizon (b0813b03)
2016

The Wildest Weather in the Universe

We love talking about the weather - is it too hot or too cold, too wet or too windy? It's a national obsession. Now scientists have started looking to the heavens and wondering what the weather might be like on other planets. Today, we are witnessing the birth of extra-terrestrial meteorology, as technology is allowing astronomers to study other planets like never before. They began with our solar system, sending spacecraft to explore its furthest reaches, and now the latest telescopes are enabling astronomers to study planets beyond our solar system.

Our exploration of the universe is revealing alien worlds with weather stranger than anyone could ever have imagined - we've discovered gigantic storm systems that can encircle entire planets, supersonic winds, extreme temperatures and bizarre forms of rain. On some planets, the temperatures are so hot that the clouds and rain are believed to be made of liquid lava droplets, and on other planets it is thought to rain precious stones like diamonds and rubies.

We thought we had extreme weather on Earth, but it turns out that it is nothing compared to what's out there. The search for the weirdest weather in the universe is only just beginning.


THU 23:00 Wild West - America's Great Frontier (b07zc4gg)
Desert Heartlands

This legendary land of red rocks and vast canyons, outlaws and gunslingers is a brutally tough place to live. But nature has found some extraordinary ways to win through, forging a pioneering spirit found nowhere else on earth.

Discover the amazing ways that mustangs and coyotes, Hopi farmers and even desert tortoises have found to survive in this extremely testing land.


THU 00:00 Letters from Baghdad (b095vnm7)
The extraordinary and dramatic story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day. She shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum.

Using never-seen-before footage of the region, the film chronicles Bell's extraordinary journey into both the uncharted Arabian desert and the inner sanctum of British male colonial power. With unique access to documents from the Iraq National Library and Archive and Gertrude Bell's own 1,600 letters, the story is told entirely in the words of the players of the day, excerpted verbatim from intimate letters, private diaries and secret communiques. It is a unique look at both a remarkable woman and the tangled history of Iraq.


THU 01:30 Handmade in the Pacific (b0bjj2r8)
Series 1

Yidaki

In Arnhem Land in the remote tropical north of Australia, the Gurruwiwi family of the Yolngu Aboriginal people, reveal the world of the 'yidaki', a sacred instrument better known to outsiders as the didgeridoo.

Believing the yidaki can heal people, control the weather, and summon ancestral spirits, the Yolngu place great importance on the making and playing of this instrument. The yidaki is a key feature of local ceremonial life and is used to play 'songlines', the stories of ancestors that the Yolngu communicate through music and dance.

Beginning with a 'hunt' for suitable stringybark trees, the tree is then hollowed out, shaped, and given sacred ceremonial paintings with ochres. The film culminates in a 'bunggul', a ceremonial dance where the yidaki is given its first outing.

Many of the beliefs expressed by the Gurruwiwi family have remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Yet, the modern world has definitely arrived.


THU 02:00 Handmade in the Pacific (b0bkyt27)
Series 1

Taupoo

Mama is one of the last traditional weavers from the South Seas island of Rurutu, French Polynesia and one of the last to make the 'taupoo', the traditional ceremonial hats woven from dried pandanus tree leaves.

Taking five weeks to make, these hats were originally introduced to the island by British missionaries in the early 1800s. Now, they're worn to church and given as wedding gifts. But the knowledge of how to make them is dying out. For each hat, 30 or more long pandanus leaves have to be cut down, spliced together, hung, dried, rolled, sorted, dyed and bleached. And that's all before the weaving actually begins. Without a template or stitches or any thread, Mama almost magically weaves the dried leaves into a hat.

Touching upon the island's Christian history, local myths and legends, and offering a unique sense of this island idyll in a moment of flux, this film is a rare visual treat and a chance to enjoy the last vestiges of an ancient tradition.


THU 02:30 Wonders of the Solar System (b00rtg5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



FRIDAY 06 DECEMBER 2019

FRI 19:00 World News Today (m000bypk)
The news programme for audiences who want more depth to their daily coverage. With a focus on Europe, Middle East and Africa.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m000bypm)
Bruno Brookes and Mike Read present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 1 December 1988 and featuring Rick Astley, Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Angry Anderson, Cliff Richard, Phil Collins, Bros, Robin Beck and Humanoid.


FRI 20:00 Sound of Song (b050rbz8)
Mix It Up and Start Again

Composer and musician Neil Brand's series exploring the alchemy that creates great songs reaches the modern era, when a revolution in how they were made took place. From the synthesisers of symphonic rock to the mixes of disco and the samplings of hip hop, music was transformed by the arrival of digital technology and the computer, which gave some songwriters more power but others much less. Along the way Neil talks synths with Rick Wakeman from Yes, samples with Public Enemy's Hank Shocklee, uncovers the surprising lo-fi origins of Bruce Springsteen's stadium-busting Born in the USA, and finds out how Cher changed the sound of her voice on the smash hit Believe.


FRI 21:00 Top of the Pops (m000bypp)
Nicky Campbell and Caron Keating present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 8 December 1988 and featuring Status Quo, Angry Anderson, Phil Collins, Petula Clark, New Order, Inner City, Erasure, Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, Cliff Richard and Bananarama.


FRI 21:30 Country Music by Ken Burns (m000bypr)
Series 1

The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968)

The mid to late 60s were a time of cultural upheaval and country, as much as other genres of music, reflected the profound changes in American society.

Loretta Lynn wrote and performed songs that spoke to women everywhere, Charley Pride rose to stardom, when people responded to his voice instead of the colour of his skin, and Merle Haggard left prison to become the ‘Poet of the Common Man’.

Johnny Cash’s life and career descended into the chaos of addiction, but he found salvation thanks to the intervention of June Carter and a landmark album.


FRI 22:20 Country Music by Ken Burns (m000bypt)
Series 1

Will the Circle Be Unbroken (1968-1972)

As the Vietnam War intensified, America became more and more divided and country music was not immune. Kris Kristofferson, a former Rhodes scholar and army captain, reinvented himself as a writer whose lyricism set a new standard for country songs. And a hippie band from California, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, arrived in Nashville to create a landmark album that bridged the gap between generations.

In 1969, Johnny Cash made a triumphant return to the Ryman Auditorium, a venue that had kicked him out years earlier for breaking the footlights. To celebrate, he brought an eclectic range of guests with him from folk, pop, and jazz as well as country music.

Also profiled, the tormented early lives but uplifting careers of George Jones and Tammy Wynette, later known as 'Mr and Mrs Country Music'.


FRI 23:15 Country Kings at the BBC (p028vxj4)
Classic male country singers from the BBC vaults, journeying from The Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis to Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson, and featuring classic songs and performances by Glen Campbell, Charley Pride, George Hamilton IV, Kenny Rogers, Clint Black, Johnny Cash, Eric Church and more. This 50 years-plus compilation is a chronological look at country kings as featured on BBC studio shows as varied as In Concert, Wogan, The Late Show and Later with Jools Holland, plus early variety shows presented by the likes of Lulu, Harry Secombe and Shirley Abicair.


FRI 00:15 ... Sings Stevie Wonder (b07jlzkd)
Compilation celebrating over 50 years of covers of Stevie Wonder's classic songbook filmed at BBC studio shows over the years. Featuring Cilla Black, Jimmy Helms, Dionne Warwick, The Osmonds, India Arie, James Morrison and a storming performance of Ed Sheeran with Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra taking on Master Blaster (Jammin') on Hootenanny. Expect a special emphasis on Wonder's bank of classic ballads which include Isn't She Lovely, Love's in Need of Love Today, For Once in My Life, You Are the Sunshine of My Life and many more.


FRI 01:15 Top of the Pops (m000bypm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:45 Sound of Song (b050rbz8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


FRI 02:45 Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein (b097ts08)
Series 1

Dictatorship

Suzy Klein reaches the 1930s, when the totalitarian dictators sought to use and abuse music for ideological ends. She looks at the lives of Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev, who produced some of the 20th-century's best-loved music whilst navigating the precarious tightrope of working for perhaps the most terrifying music lovers ever - Hitler and Stalin.

The political message of the classic musical fairytale Peter and the Wolf is revealed as well as the secret code hidden in Shostakovich's quartets and Strauss's deeply personal reasons for trying to please the Nazis.

Suzy also uncovers why Hitler adored Wagner but banned Mendelssohn's Wedding March, how Stalin used music to subtly infiltrate minds and why Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, a Nazi favourite, appeals to our most primitive senses.

Suzy also raises some intriguing questions: can we pin meaning onto music? What are the moral responsibilities of artists? And did the violence and tyranny of those regimes leave an indelible stain on the music they produced?

The stories are brought to life by performances from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and its chorus - demonstrating Suzy's argument that music's incredible power to bypass our brains and reach for our hearts makes it a potent and dangerous force.




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 00:15 FRI (b07jlzkd)

A Timewatch Guide 23:30 MON (b06z59g7)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 MON (m000bynn)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 TUE (m000byp3)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 WED (m000byp6)

Beyond 100 Days 19:00 THU (m000byqm)

Charles I: Downfall of a King 22:00 SUN (m0006pbh)

Charles I: Downfall of a King 23:00 SUN (m0006p9x)

Charles I: Downfall of a King 00:00 SUN (m0006pb8)

Country Kings at the BBC 23:15 FRI (p028vxj4)

Country Music by Ken Burns 21:30 FRI (m000bypr)

Country Music by Ken Burns 22:20 FRI (m000bypt)

Digging for Britain 21:00 WED (m000bypb)

Digging for Britain 02:30 WED (m000bypb)

Fair Isle: Living on the Edge 20:00 SUN (b084jyl0)

Gauguin - A Dangerous Life 21:00 SUN (m000bynv)

Gauguin - A Dangerous Life 02:20 SUN (m000bynv)

Handmade in the Pacific 01:30 THU (b0bjj2r8)

Handmade in the Pacific 02:00 THU (b0bkyt27)

Horizon 22:00 THU (b0813b03)

Jeff Lynne's ELO - Wembley or Bust 23:30 SAT (b09jxc84)

Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People 22:00 TUE (b07gxpd7)

Letters from Baghdad 00:00 THU (b095vnm7)

Looking for Rembrandt 23:25 TUE (m00042kq)

Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest 00:25 TUE (b07m772h)

Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest 00:30 WED (b07mlplp)

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 22:30 WED (b0b98nb0)

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing 23:00 WED (b0bb65gz)

Music Moguls: Masters of Pop 02:45 SAT (p039w64c)

Naples '44: A Wartime Diary 01:00 SUN (b09gvjc2)

Natural World 19:10 SAT (b01bqwwl)

Nature's Weirdest Events 19:00 SAT (b05qt6zd)

Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley 21:00 MON (b00y377q)

Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley 02:30 MON (b00y377q)

Radio 2 In Concert 22:35 SAT (m000b8jt)

Revolution and Romance: Musical Masters of the 19th Century 01:25 TUE (b07f2blk)

Sacred Wonders of Britain 20:00 WED (b03qkzbp)

Secret Life of Farm Animals 20:00 TUE (m0001jgg)

Sound of Song 20:00 FRI (b050rbz8)

Sound of Song 01:45 FRI (b050rbz8)

Storyville 22:00 MON (m000bynq)

Takaya: Lone Wolf 21:00 TUE (m000byp7)

Takaya: Lone Wolf 02:25 TUE (m000byp7)

Thailand: Earth's Tropical Paradise 23:30 WED (b087vgd6)

The Art of Japanese Life 00:30 MON (p054md5m)

The High Art of the Low Countries 01:30 WED (b01rsfgd)

The Lake District: A Wild Year 20:10 SAT (b08flyr2)

The Lake District: A Wild Year 01:45 SAT (b08flyr2)

The River Taff with Will Millard 19:30 SUN (b070t48y)

The Sinner 21:10 SAT (m000byny)

The Sinner 21:50 SAT (m000byp0)

The Women's Football Show 19:00 SUN (m000byns)

Top of the Pops 00:45 SAT (m000bpk6)

Top of the Pops 01:15 SAT (m000bpk9)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (m000bypm)

Top of the Pops 21:00 FRI (m000bypp)

Top of the Pops 01:15 FRI (m000bypm)

Tunes for Tyrants: Music and Power with Suzy Klein 02:45 FRI (b097ts08)

Turner Prize 23:00 TUE (m000bypc)

Vic & Bob's Big Night Out 22:00 WED (m000bypg)

Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream 20:00 MON (b0851kfd)

Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream 01:30 MON (b0851kfd)

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond 21:00 THU (b04v5lng)

Wild West - America's Great Frontier 23:00 THU (b07zc4gg)

Wonders of the Solar System 20:00 THU (b00rtg5k)

Wonders of the Solar System 02:30 THU (b00rtg5k)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (m000bypk)

Yorkshire Walks 19:30 MON (m000brwb)

Yorkshire Walks 19:30 TUE (m000bs11)

Yorkshire Walks 19:30 WED (m000brtk)

Yorkshire Walks 19:30 THU (m000brvk)