Seema Jaswal introduces live coverage from Milton Keynes, where two-time Masters champion John Higgins takes on Mark Allen, winner of the title in 2018.
Dramatisation of one of history's most unusual love stories. Queen Victoria is grieving over her husband's death and finds herself unable to carry out public duties. John Brown is summoned from Balmoral to walk the Queen's pony in the hope that she will start to become herself again. The confident Highlander displays a distinct lack of respect for court protocol and quickly becomes the Queen's most trusted companion.
Kate Williams tells the story of how an unassuming little girl rose to be the most powerful woman in the world. At her birth few believed Princess Victoria would ascend the throne, but a number of untimely deaths and the failure of her uncles to father any children meant that Victoria became heiress to the British throne. The battle between her and her mother the Duchess of Kent, however, was to become a fierce maternal struggle, as the duchess schemed to share in the power and riches that would one day be Victoria's.
To celebrate Queen Victoria’s 200th birthday, historian Dr Lucy Worsley explores the character and legacy of the famous monarch in a way that has never been attempted before – through music. Lucy reveals how Victoria used music to transform the monarchy from a political power into a benevolent cultural force that brought the country together during a time of great upheaval and change. Lucy also examines the central role music played in Victoria’s own life - as a queen, a private person and in her marriage to Prince Albert.
Victoria and Albert also took an active role in reshaping the musical culture of Britain by establishing institutions like the Royal College of Music and the Royal Albert Hall. Together they laid the groundwork for a musical renaissance in Britain which saw a new generation of great British composers reshape the sound of Britain in the 20th century. To bring the story of Britain’s great musical revolution to life there are performances from Sir Willard White, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Black Dyke Brass Band and many more.
Dr James Fox takes a journey through six different landscapes across Britain, meeting artists whose work explores our relationship to the natural world. From Andy Goldsworthy's beautiful stone sculptures to James Turrell's extraordinary sky spaces, this is a film about art made out of nature itself. Featuring spectacular images of landscape and art, James travels from the furthest reaches of the Scottish coast and the farmlands of Cumbria to woods of north Wales. In each location he marvels at how artists' interactions with the landscape have created a very different kind of modern art - and make us look again at the world around us.
THURSDAY 14 JANUARY 2021
THU 19:00 Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain (b0078vy1)
The Source of Iron
Documentary series in which Fred Dibnah travels around Britain in his restored traction engine in search of engineering skills and technology from a bygone age, visiting ancient iron foundries, industrial sites and little workshops. Fred reaches Cumbria where iron ore was once mined on a large scale, and enjoys the Lake District on a friend's steam boat. It's then on to the Florence Mine at Egremont and the Workington Steel Works.
THU 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000r6h2)
Winter Specials
Splendour of a Snowy Winter
Experience the serenity and silence of a fresh, undisturbed snowfall with Bob Ross as he takes you to a lovely cabin, deep in northern country.
THU 20:00 Snooker: The Masters (m000r6gm)
2021
14/01/2021
Jason Mohammad presents live coverage of the quarter-finals of the 2021 Masters from Arena MK in Milton Keynes.
THU 23:15 Whisky Galore! (b00ml4yv)
Classic Ealing comedy about a whisky-laden ship that runs aground off the coast of the Outer Hebrides during the Second World War.
The local islanders have depleted their supply of the amber nectar and are overjoyed at the thought of stocking up again. But it is Sunday, and the teetotallers object to making free with the unexpected cargo.
THU 00:35 Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema (m000r6gq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 01:35 Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Monumental Art (b0bjj23v)
In the summer of 2018, on the Serpentine in London's Hyde Park, world-renowned artist Christo created his first public work of art in the UK. Inspired by ancient Mesopotamian tombs, the Mastaba is constructed from 7,506 painted oil barrels and weighs six hundred tonnes. It is the latest work in a career spanning half a century and stretching across the world. His work to date have included surrounding 11 islands off the Florida coast with pink polypropylene and wrapping Berlin's Reichstag and the Pont Neuf in Paris.
This programme charts the creation of the Mastaba - from the first barrels being put on the water to its final unveiling - and paints a portrait of Christo as he looks back on a life spent making provocative works of art with his wife and partner Jeanne-Claude.
Christo reveals how he funds his projects with a unique business model, and how the long, tortuous and often combative process of gaining permissions and winning people over is part of his artistic
endeavour. He also talks about his escape from the communist east and his early work in 1960s Paris.
A cast of friends, fellow artists, collectors and critics lend their voices to the documentary, including performance artist Marina Abramovic, New Yorker journalist and architectural critic Paul Goldberger, former New York major Michael Bloomberg, writer and art critic Marina Vaizey and architect Sir Norman Foster.
THU 02:35 The Joy of Painting (m000r6h2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 03:00 Queen Victoria's Children (b01pp965)
The Best Laid Plans...
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert shared a passionate marriage. Behind closed doors, royal domestic life often seemed like a battlefield.
In a 60-year family saga this new three-part series explores the reign of Victoria through her personal relationships with her husband and her nine children. It is a story of manipulation, conflict, intimidation, emotional blackmail, and fevered attempts by her children to escape the clutches of their domineering and needy mother.
The series uses a wealth of written material and photos left by Victoria, Albert and their children, including letters, diaries, memoirs and journals, to bring the subject and characters to life.
This first episode focuses on Victoria's tempestuous relationship with Prince Albert, their attempts to engineer the upbringing of their children and to save the monarchy by projecting a modern image of the royal family.
FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2021
FRI 19:00 Sounds of the Sixties (b075f7r4)
Reversions
Swinging Sixties 1
Forget Madchester, forget Factory, forget Oasis. Manchester never sounded better than Herman's Hermits and the Hollies, who feature in this archive extravaganza.
FRI 19:10 Top of the Pops (m000r6hy)
Jakki Brambles presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 June 1990 and featuring Magnum, Yazz and Elton John.
FRI 19:40 Top of the Pops (m000r6j0)
Gary Davies presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 28 June 1990 and featuring Bob Geldof, Elton John and Maxi Priest.
FRI 20:10 Snooker: The Masters (m000r6j2)
2021
15/01/2021
Live coverage of the 2021 Masters quarter-finals in Milton Keynes.
FRI 22:40 Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry (m000hb7k)
Dolly Parton, the undisputed queen of country music, celebrates 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Recorded live in Nashville, this amazing special pays tribute to her songs and career with special performances from Dolly and star guests, including Lady Antebellum, Emmylou Harris and Hank Williams Jr. This incredible concert brings together five decades of hits and memories into one unforgettable evening of entertainment for everyone to enjoy.
Photos copyright Grand Ole Opry, LLC and Chris Hollo.
FRI 23:55 Glastonbury (b04d8xv8)
2014
Dolly Parton
From the Glastonbury Festival, the complete set by the undisputed queen of country music Dolly Parton from the Pyramid Stage in the now-traditional legends spot on Sunday afternoon. As the Somerset sunshine shone, and in front of one of the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds that the Pyramid Stage has ever seen, Dolly performed a rousing and crowd-pleasing set including self-penned classics such as Jolene, Coat of Many Colours, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream and I Will Always Love You. A legendary moment that the Glastonbury crowd and hopefully Dolly Parton will never forget.
FRI 01:05 Charley Pride - I'm Just Me (m0006gzh)
Music documentary that traces the improbable journey of Charley Pride, from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in segregated Sledge, Mississippi to his career as a black American League baseball player and his meteoric rise as a trailblazing country music superstar.
Pride’s love for music led him from the Delta to a larger, grander world. In the 1940s, radio transcended racial barriers, making it possible for Pride to grow up listening to and imitating Grand Ole Opry stars like Ernest Tubb and Roy Acuff. Pride arrived in Nashville in 1963 with the city embroiled in sit-ins and racial violence. But with boldness, perseverance and undeniable musical talent, he managed to parlay a series of fortuitous encounters with music industry insiders into a legacy of hit singles, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Narrated by Grammy-nominated country singer Tanya Tucker, the film features original interviews with country music royalty as well as on-camera conversations between Pride and the programme’s other guests.
FRI 02:20 Country & Beyond with The Shires (b0bs6f0f)
British singer-songwriter duo Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle form the award-winning country act The Shires. Their ultimate soundtrack ranges from Dolly Parton to Shania Twain.
Each song is handpicked and as they watch the performances they reveal the reasons behind their choices. They kick off with the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, and her iconic track Jolene. Following that comes legendary singer Patsy Cline, and for Crissie it brings back memories of singing along to Crazy with her grandmother.
Ben then picks country pop crossover Shania Twain, whose That Don't Impress Me Much certainly made its mark on him. But Ben also likes his country classics and plumps for Glen Campbell's legendary Wichita Lineman. It's not only the stalwarts of the Great Country Songbook - they also make room for the edgy Americana roots music of critically acclaimed duo The Civil Wars and their spine-tingling live appearance on Later.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
Caribbean with Simon Reeve
20:00 SUN (p02l52fy)
Caribbean with Simon Reeve
00:50 SUN (p02l52fy)
Charley Pride - I'm Just Me
01:05 FRI (m0006gzh)
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Monumental Art
01:35 THU (b0bjj23v)
Country & Beyond with The Shires
02:20 FRI (b0bs6f0f)
Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry
22:40 FRI (m000hb7k)
Forest, Field & Sky: Art out of Nature
00:30 WED (b079ckkf)
Fred Dibnah's Made in Britain
19:00 THU (b0078vy1)
Glastonbury
23:55 FRI (b04d8xv8)
Handmade in Mexico
01:00 MON (b09hqmcf)
Inside Obama's White House
02:30 MON (b07470xw)
Inside Obama's White House
21:00 TUE (b0755gxg)
Inside Obama's White House
02:30 TUE (b0755gxg)
Island at the BBC
01:00 SAT (b00kvd3b)
Lucy Worsley's Royal Palace Secrets
23:55 SUN (m000qznd)
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
21:00 MON (m000r6gq)
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
01:30 MON (m000r6gq)
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
00:35 THU (m000r6gq)
Mrs Brown
21:00 WED (b0078lkb)
Museums in Quarantine
02:00 TUE (m000hqml)
Paris
23:00 SAT (b007rj5y)
Queen Victoria's Children
03:00 THU (b01pp965)
Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain
23:30 WED (m00052ds)
Queen Victoria: My Musical Britain
02:20 WED (m00052ds)
Sahara with Michael Palin
20:00 SAT (b0074p4m)
Sahara with Michael Palin
02:00 SAT (b0074p4m)
Simon King's Shetland Adventure
19:00 SAT (b00qsc2h)
Simon King's Shetland Adventure
03:00 SAT (b00qsc2h)
Snooker: The Masters
19:00 MON (m000rjf1)
Snooker: The Masters
19:00 TUE (m000rjf5)
Snooker: The Masters
19:00 WED (m000rjf7)
Snooker: The Masters
20:00 THU (m000r6gm)
Snooker: The Masters
20:10 FRI (m000r6j2)
Sounds of the Sixties
19:00 FRI (b075f7r4)
Spiral
21:00 SAT (m000r6gw)
Spiral
22:00 SAT (m000r6gy)
Spiral
00:00 TUE (m000r6gw)
Spiral
01:00 TUE (m000r6gy)
The Joy of Painting
19:30 THU (m000r6h2)
The Joy of Painting
02:35 THU (m000r6h2)
The Night Manager
22:00 SUN (p03g14d5)
The Night Manager
23:00 SUN (b072vxvy)
The Night Manager
22:00 MON (b073gzyd)
The Night Manager
23:00 MON (b07569zc)
The Night Manager
22:00 TUE (b0756bgp)
The Night Manager
23:00 TUE (b0761pkz)
The Victorian Slum
19:00 SUN (b07zd5pm)
The Victorian Slum
01:50 SUN (b07zd5pm)
Timeshift
21:00 SUN (b04c36md)
Timeshift
02:50 SUN (b04c36md)
Timewatch
22:40 WED (b00f6m71)
Timewatch
01:30 WED (b00f6m71)
Top of the Pops
00:00 SAT (m000qzmj)
Top of the Pops
00:30 SAT (m000qzml)
Top of the Pops
19:10 FRI (m000r6hy)
Top of the Pops
19:40 FRI (m000r6j0)
Victorian Sensations
00:00 MON (m00059cx)
Whisky Galore!
23:15 THU (b00ml4yv)