The second episode takes us to the remarkable island of Amami Oshima in the southern oceans of Japan, to follow the elaborate handmade production of a traditional Japanese kimono. Over five hundred people are involved in producing the island's famous mud-dyed silk which takes many months to produce. The film follows the painstaking process of the silk being bound, hand dyed, woven and finally turned into a kimono by a seamstress. Along the way we not only discover the history of the kimono tradition, but also the many difficulties facing the kimono industry in modern Japan.
This episode follows the end of Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, made possible by Henry's rejection of Catholicism and the pope, with him setting himself up as head of the Church of England. He marries his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and she gives birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth.
After rumours spread that Anne has been unfaithful to the king, she is arrested and executed, leaving Henry free to marry Jane Seymour. Jane gives birth to a son, Edward, but Henry's joy is overshadowed by grief as Jane dies 12 days later.
There is a battle playing out inside your body right now. It started billions of years ago and it is still being fought in every one of us every minute of every day. It is the story of a viral infection, the battle for the cell.
This film reveals the exquisite machinery of the human cell system from within the inner world of the cell itself - from the frenetic membrane surface that acts as a security system for everything passing in and out of the cell, the dynamic highways that transport cargo across the cell and the remarkable turbines that power the whole cellular world to the amazing nucleus housing DNA and the construction of thousands of different proteins all with unique tasks. The virus intends to commandeer this system to one selfish end: to make more viruses. And they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.
Exploring the very latest ideas about the evolution of life on earth and the bio-chemical processes at the heart of every one of us, and revealing a world smaller than it is possible to comprehend, in a story large enough to fill the biggest imaginations. With contributions from Professor Bonnie L Bassler of Princeton University, Dr Nick Lane and Professor Steve Jones of University College London and Cambridge University's Susanna Bidgood.
In the wake of the swine flu outbreak, virologist Dr Mike Leahy uses over 50 years of BBC archive to explore the history of pandemics - infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.
Inspired by the Horizon back catalogue, he tells the extraordinary story of smallpox, one of the most violent killers in history, as well as the success of mass vaccination and the global politics of malaria. Through the lens of television the programme charts our scientific progress from the early steps in understanding AIDS to the code-cracking of SARS and deadly predictions of bird flu.
Each pandemic episode tells us something about the world and our place within it. In his journey through the ages Dr Leahy charts science's ongoing battle with nature and questions which one is winning.
Montana is a classic 'cowboys and Indians' country. Alexandra sets off to explore the vibrant horse culture of this area and finds that both communities still share a passion for the horse. She lives on a ranch with a cowboy family and joins in the daily tasks including rounding up and branding cattle, and breaking in horses.
Native American Kenny introduces her to bareback riding and the fast and furious world of Indian relay racing. She arrives in time for the Crow Fair - the largest gathering of Native American peoples - and finally faces up to the challenge of taking part in a professional rodeo.
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.
Poet Lemn Sissay presents a selection of short, vibrant films from a new generation of artists who are inspired by poetry and the spoken word.
This is an opportunity to feel the rhyme and reason of today’s Britain as artists reflect what is important to them, from gender identity to first dates and from the labyrinth of the internet to early morning wake-up calls.
As Sissay notes, ‘When you write a poem, part of the magic is that you never know where it’s going to take you.’ Here is a chance to meet emerging artists who aren’t afraid to say what’s on their minds.
THURSDAY 09 APRIL 2020
THU 19:00 BBC News (m000hcf7)
The latest international news from the BBC.
THU 19:30 The Wonder of Animals (b04gvbdr)
Foxes
Across the planet carnivores are struggling to compete in a world with a rocketing human population, but one predator is bucking the trend - the fox. Its numbers are increasing and its geographical range expanding.
Chris Packham explores the secrets to its success - its senses, its intelligence and its flexibility. New research reveals how its slit pupils enable it to hunt in the bright desert day; how it may be using the Earth's magnetic field to determine the location of prey during a pounce; and how regular exposure to rotting food is improving the health of the red fox, enabling it to hold its own in an increasingly urban landscape.
THU 20:00 How to Make (m000h3cs)
Series 1
The Toothbrush
Designer, maker and materials engineer Zoe Laughlin explores an item so ubiquitous that most of us don’t give it a moment’s thought - the toothbrush. With 200 milion thrown away each year in the UK, she’s on a mission to find a more sustainable solution.
In search of inspiration, she heads to Sweden’s impressive low-impact mega-factory Tepe, where handles made from sugar-cane-based plastic are ahead of the pack. She explores bespoke production techniques, employing 3D-laser sintering, and dips into the archives of the British Dental Association, revealing the light-bulb moment when the modern brush was hit upon in a prison cell.
Turning to toothpaste itself, pioneering scientists are using bio-active glass to get more fluoride to our teeth. Unconventional options used at Lush Cosmetic’s Willy Wonker-style lab get Zoe's taste buds tingling, before she reveals her final toothbrush and alternative 'paste'. Both are uniquely Zoe - and just a bit bonkers - but they could also provide a very real eco-friendly answer to our daily brushing needs.
THU 21:00 Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema (b0bbn5x8)
Series 1
The Rom-Com
Five-part documentary series. Film critic Mark Kermode presents a fresh and very personal look at the art of cinema by examining the techniques and conventions behind some classic genres: romcoms, heist movies, coming-of-age stories, science fiction and horror. In each episode, Mark uncovers the ingredients needed to make a great genre film and keep audiences coming back for more. How do you stage, shoot and edit a gripping car chase or orchestrate the shock moment in a horror movie? What is the secret to sizzling on-screen chemistry?
Mark begins with one of the most popular genres of all. They are sometimes sneered at by critics, but from the 1930s to the present day, many of our most beloved movies have been romantic comedies.
From Bringing Up Baby and The Lady Eve by way of Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally and Pretty Woman to Love, Actually (a particular Kermode favourite) - as well as recent hits such as The Big Sick and La La Land - Mark examines the cinematic tricks and techniques involved in creating a classic romcom.
Mark celebrates old favourites, reveals hidden treasures and springs plenty of surprises. Examining films from Hollywood to Bollywood via other gems of world cinema, he reminds us how, much like love itself, the art of the romantic comedy is international.
THU 22:00 Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes (b086knj2)
Dawn French in her critically acclaimed one-woman show, 30 Million Minutes. Filmed during its final West End run in October 2016, it takes the audience on a journey through various delights and riches, with the odd irksome tribulation thrown in, as Dawn speaks about the lessons life has taught her and the things she knows to be true. The evidence is there for all to see. She is already three quarters certifiably daft. The other quarter is utterly bewildered. And the remaining quarter simply can't do maths. With a sharp eye for comic detail and a wicked ear for the absurdities of life, this is a true Christmas treat to see the critically acclaimed comedian at her finest.
THU 23:55 Arena (b073rgy1)
Loretta Lynn - Still a Mountain Girl
Legendary country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn is loved by fans from across the world. She has sold over 45 million albums worldwide and won more awards than any other female country music star. With affectionate and irreverent contributions from her extended family of self-confessed rednecks, now in her early eighties and still going strong, Loretta looks back at her long and extraordinary life, from being born a coal miner's daughter in Kentucky to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013. Featuring Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Jack White, Sissy Spacek and, of course, Loretta herself.
THU 01:25 Smile! The Nation's Family Album (b08j8jj3)
In today's digital age, the classic family photo album has become an object of nostalgic affection. But it's much more than just a collection of sentimental snapshots.
Celebrating everyday moments and shared experiences, family photography offers an intimate portrait of Britain's postwar social history. And each generation had a different camera to tell their story.
Discovering how new technologies and evolving social attitudes inspired the nation to pick up a camera, the film charts a journey from the Box Brownie to Instagram, offering a touching portrait of our changing lives, taken not by the professional photographer but on our own cameras.
With increasingly affordable, quick-to-load and easy-to-use cameras, domestic photography became part of family life in the 20th century.
Suddenly we could all now document our family's celebrations, holidays and hobbies, and capture the most fleeting and precious memories, from birth to death.
We became a nation obsessed with taking photos, and tirelessly curating scrapbooks, and filling shoeboxes and albums with pictures that tell our family's own story.
But with the advent of digital cameras, the era of patiently waiting for the holiday snaps to come back from the processor and carefully arranging them in photo albums feels a long way from today's frenzy of digital images, instantly shared and uploaded...
The film features expert voices explaining the impact of different camera technologies, the role of Kodak in helping create an industry of popular photography, the impact of the digital revolution and the way changes in family photography have also reflected shifts in the family dynamic itself. It's no longer just dad in control of the camera, and mobile phones and social media have turned kids into photographers from a young age...
Among the stories featured in the film...
Using her father's Box Brownie as a young girl, then armed with the latest Kodak instamatic in her teens, and now using a digital SLR, Jenny Bowden's photos capture the past 60 years, from the 1950s street parades to the 60s mods, the 70s fashions when she married and started her own family, the various birthdays, graduations and weddings and deaths, and in the past decade the arrival of her own grandchildren, her albums span across her house. Today when her grandchildren visit, they head straight to the shelves as they love to flick through the albums and see themselves as babies.
Besotted and first-time mum Astrid has taken thousands of photos on her iPhone of her son Alexander since his birth eight months ago. Unlike her own mother Terry, whose photos of Astrid as a baby were considered and less frequent due to the costs of 35mm film, Astrid has the luxury of snapping away all day, taking advantage of the ease and low costs of the digital age, as she records her and Alexander's first year together. Proud Astrid spreads the happiness Alexander brings with Terry and other family via WhatsApp and Instagram.
We meet the English eccentric John Dobson, who has 161 carefully annotated scrapbooks - and counting! His careful curating of happy family memories helped him overcome his own childhood spent in a children's home.
We also meet the devoted Yorkshire dad Ian Macleod, who took a photo of his son every single day until his 21st birthday, and the Slight family in Essex, whose larger-than-life characters grew up in a pub and captured an East End way of life that no longer exists.
And we discover the emotional impact of family photos, with a family movingly sharing the very last film taken on a father's camera before he died.
From the extraordinary to the mundane, family photos capture the intimate moments of our lives. Often overlooked in the official story of photography, this film champions the family photo and the unique portrait it reveals of how the nation tells its own story.
THU 02:25 How to Make (m000h3cs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2020
FRI 19:00 BBC News (m000hcf0)
The latest international news from the BBC.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m000h3d6)
Anthea Turner presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 29 June 1989 and featuring Holly Johnson, London Boys and Double Trouble with Rebel MC.
FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m000h3d8)
Nicky Campbell presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 6 July 1989 and featuring Sonia, Monie Love and The Beautiful South.
FRI 20:30 Sounds of the 70s 2 (b01jk1b8)
Soul: Keep On Keeping On
Imported American soul was big news in the UK in the 1970s. Before the Brits developed their own brand of soul, American performers were here demonstrating how it was done and being appreciated by all and sundry. The series continues with classic performances from the kings and queens of soul, including Aretha Franklin, Billy Preston, The Tams, Curtis Mayfield, Bill Withers, The Stylistics, Gil Scott-Heron and The Jacksons.
FRI 21:00 Kenny Rogers: Cards on the Table (b04pl3kw)
Examining the life and career of the artist who 'knows when to hold 'em and knows when to fold 'em', this documentary chronicles Kenny Rogers's remarkable rise to the top of his game and the golden era of country music he ushered in.
With an exclusive, candid interview from Rogers himself and performance footage gathered on his recent Through the Years tour, this honest and eye-opening film provides a backstage pass to a remarkable 50-year career of performing and recording.
Associates and luminaries provide personal insight into how the poor, music-obsessed boy from Houston, Texas went on to become a superstar with over 120 million albums sold worldwide. Singer, songwriter and producer Kim Carnes recalls how the New Christy Minstrels folk group - of which she and Kenny were members in the late 1960s - was like a 'school on the road' that provided them both with a springboard from which to explore other musical ambitions. Actor and musician Mickey Jones recounts his time with Kenny in the band The First Edition, whose hit single Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) made Kenny an unlikely poster boy for the psychedelic generation. Longtime friend Lionel Richie reveals how a trip to the bathroom played a crucial role in the recording session for Lady, one of Kenny's biggest hits.
Away from music, the programme reveals how Kenny's drive and ambition - what he describes as his 'impulsive-obsessive' nature - led to success in other fields: according to the renowned photographer John Sexton, the country music legend was determined to master the art of photography (Kenny was recently awarded an honorary Master of Photography degree by the Professional Photographers Association).
For over half a century, Kenny has kept us entertained with some of the best-known and best-loved music ever recorded. With a career spanning everything from jazz to folk, 60s psychedelia to R&B, perhaps his real legacy lies in the fact that he introduced a trailblazing pop sensibility to country music.
FRI 22:00 David Cassidy: The Last Session (b0bshqks)
This candid biography explores the life of David Cassidy, the 70s pop idol and TV star. The film includes never-before-heard audio interviews with David from 1976 and a raw and poignantly filmed final recording session shortly before his death.
Cassidy's role as singer Keith Partridge in the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family brought fame and fortune and made him a global teen sensation. David Cassidy: The Last Session tells the inside story of his explosive rise to fame, his conflicted relationships with his father and his own celebrity, and the legacy he left behind.
FRI 23:25 Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (b066d737)
Series 1
Episode 3
An up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer. In 1971, Frank Sinatra sang his legendary 'retirement concert' in Los Angeles, featuring music which was said to reflect his own life. Told in his own words from hours of archived interviews, along with commentary from those closest to him, this definitive four-part series weaves the legendary songs he chose with comments from friends and family, as well as never-before-seen footage from home movies and concert performances.
An unprecedented tribute to the beloved showman, with the full participation of the Frank Sinatra Estate, the third episode sees Sinatra turn his career around, the birth of the Rat Pack, his connection with the mob and the unravelling of his high-profile relationship with the Kennedys.
FRI 00:25 Gregory Porter's Popular Voices (p05d3p0d)
Series 1
Showstoppers
Gregory Porter explores 100 years of voices on the brink, those that go one note higher, turn it up to eleven and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
Starting with the world's first pop star, the legendary Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, Gregory explores the sound and work of his favourite vocal showstoppers - the genius of Ella Fitzgerald, the soul of Mahalia Jackson, the power and stagecraft of Freddie Mercury, the artistry and extravagance of Prince, and the modern melisma of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. With Dave Grohl, Beck, Adam Lambert, Wendy & Lisa.
FRI 01:25 Music Moguls: Masters of Pop (p039x53y)
Melody Makers
Part two of this enlightening series exploring the music business from behind the scenes looks at the music producers. These are the men and women who have created the signature sounds that have defined key periods in rock and pop history. Highlights include Trevor Horn on inventing the 'Sound of the Eighties', Lamont Dozier on Motown, and a TV first with legendary producer Tony Visconti taking us through David Bowie's seminal song Heroes.
Narrated by master producer Nile Rodgers.
FRI 02:25 David Cassidy: The Last Session (b0bshqks)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
Arena
23:55 THU (b073rgy1)
BBC News
19:00 MON (m000hc8n)
BBC News
19:00 TUE (m000hcjh)
BBC News
19:00 WED (m000hcf5)
BBC News
19:00 THU (m000hcf7)
BBC News
19:00 FRI (m000hcf0)
Bacchus Uncovered: Ancient God of Ecstasy
00:50 MON (b09z8d01)
Blues & Beyond with Cerys Matthews and Val Wilmer
00:30 SAT (b0bpb14f)
Britain Beneath Your Feet
21:00 TUE (b061v75n)
Britain Beneath Your Feet
02:30 TUE (b061v75n)
Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney
22:00 TUE (b088pnv1)
Coast
20:00 SAT (b07zvr1b)
Coast
01:30 SAT (b07zvr1b)
David Cassidy: The Last Session
22:00 FRI (b0bshqks)
David Cassidy: The Last Session
02:25 FRI (b0bshqks)
Dawn French Live: 30 Million Minutes
22:00 THU (b086knj2)
Digging for Britain
20:00 TUE (m000h3dr)
Digging for Britain
02:00 TUE (m000h3dr)
Discovering...
01:00 SUN (m00062dv)
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
21:00 MON (m000h3dq)
Du Fu: China's Greatest Poet
02:45 MON (m000h3dq)
Dynasties
20:00 MON (p06mvrwn)
Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage
19:30 MON (b00d06g4)
Gregory Porter's Popular Voices
00:25 FRI (p05d3p0d)
Handmade in Bolton
00:30 SUN (m00095j4)
Handmade in Japan
19:30 WED (p054mclh)
Handmade
00:00 SUN (b05tpv83)
Handmade
23:50 MON (b05tpx1l)
Handmade
00:00 TUE (b05tpw1j)
Horizon
22:00 SUN (b07qs140)
Horizon
03:00 SUN (b07qs140)
Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy
22:50 MON (b00jt4pk)
Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy
23:00 TUE (b00jxx23)
Horse People with Alexandra Tolstoy
23:00 WED (b00k1x69)
How to Make
20:00 THU (m000h3cs)
How to Make
02:25 THU (m000h3cs)
Kenny Rogers: Cards on the Table
21:00 FRI (b04pl3kw)
Mark Gatiss on John Minton: The Lost Man of British Art
00:30 TUE (b0bfnlj2)
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
21:00 THU (b0bbn5x8)
Music Moguls: Masters of Pop
01:25 FRI (p039x53y)
Natural World
20:00 SUN (b08r3xh9)
Natural World
02:00 SUN (b08r3xh9)
Operation Gold Rush with Dan Snow
21:00 SUN (b083gtp6)
Rhyme & Reason: BBC Introducing Arts
01:30 WED (m0008z3f)
Rick Stein's Long Weekends
19:00 SAT (b085zmnm)
Rick Stein's Long Weekends
02:30 SAT (b085zmnm)
Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell
21:00 WED (b01nln7d)
Sinatra: All or Nothing at All
23:25 FRI (b066d737)
Six Wives with Lucy Worsley
20:00 WED (b085zjww)
Smile! The Nation's Family Album
01:25 THU (b08j8jj3)
Sounds of the 70s 2
20:30 FRI (b01jk1b8)
The Art Mysteries with Waldemar Januszczak
20:30 TUE (m000h3dw)
The Art Mysteries with Waldemar Januszczak
01:30 TUE (m000h3dw)
The Banker's Guide to Art
00:00 WED (b07kd109)
The Bee Gees at the BBC... and Beyond
23:00 SUN (b04v8679)
The Horizon Guide to Pandemic
22:00 WED (b00m3z7w)
The Horizon Guide to Pandemic
02:30 WED (b00m3z7w)
The Secret Life of Books
00:20 MON (b06n9khy)
The Secret Life of Ice
19:00 SUN (b016fpyy)
The Wonder of Animals
19:30 THU (b04gvbdr)
Top of the Pops
23:30 SAT (m000gx1r)
Top of the Pops
00:00 SAT (m000gx1t)
Top of the Pops
19:30 FRI (m000h3d6)
Top of the Pops
20:00 FRI (m000h3d8)
Twin Sisters: A World Apart
22:30 SAT (b053pxdt)
Twin
21:00 SAT (m000h3ck)
Twin
21:45 SAT (m000h3cp)
Weird Nature
19:30 TUE (b0078h4b)
Yellow Is Forbidden
22:00 MON (m000h3dv)
Yellow Is Forbidden
01:50 MON (m000h3dv)