SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2024

SAT 19:00 Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez (m0008c5c)
Series 1

The Lion Man

The Lion Man takes Nina deep into the dark heart of Nazi Germany, where in a remote cave in late August 1939, archaeologist Robert Wetzel came across the 40,000-year-old artwork now known as the Lion Man.

Just a week later, WWII broke out, the excavation came to halt and, in one of the great mysteries of archaeology, Wetzel never mentioned his incredible find again.

As Janina discovers, the Lion Man represents a revolution in the human story. Half-man and half-animal, it is the first artwork created from the human imagination, revealing the very origins of human art, religion and culture.

But, in fact, Janina learns that it is almost a miracle the Lion Man came to light at all, because it was not pulled out of the cave as a single artwork but as hundreds of tiny ivory shards, found in numerous chance discoveries across eight decades.

This incredible tale of exploration takes Janina from caves in southern Germany to Arctic Norway, as she finds out how the Lion Man gave us our first understanding of the birth of civilisation.

She also explores how the artwork gives us a disturbing insight into one of the most troubled periods in our recent history, asking how a pioneering archaeologist like Robert Wetzel could also believe that an ice-age artwork like the Lion Man could support the ideology of Nazi Germany.


SAT 20:00 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t4k)
Ice King

Explorer Paul Rose tells the story of his hero Fridjtof Nansen who, in 1892, announced a daring plan to be first to the North Pole, an idea considered so off-the-wall that no scientist would volunteer to join him on a venture they believed was nothing short of suicide.

He allowed his ship to become stuck in the crushing pack ice, hoping it would drift to the Pole, and then set off on foot across the frozen wastes. Nansen became the forefather of polar exploration, inventing practical techniques that today allow people to survive, travel and work in the most hostile and forbidding places on our planet.


SAT 21:00 Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime (m0021csx)
Series 1

Christine (The Victim)

Autumn 1988. Christine, a hairdresser in the small north eastern town of Mauberge in France, is violently sexually assaulted on her way to work early one morning. Regaining consciousness and comforted by her sister, she bravely attends her local police station to report the incident.

A powerful drama series based on the real events of an almost 30-year failure of police to identify a serial rapist whose crimes spanned decades.

In French with English subtitles.


SAT 22:05 Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime (m0021csz)
Series 1

Irene (The Judge)

In 1996, young investigating judge Irene Dereux realises that a case she has been assigned has striking similarities with others. She doggedly attempts to persuade the police that they have a serial rapist on their hands, and that a thorough investigation is imperative if they are to prevent more women from being assaulted.

In French with English subtitles.


SAT 23:10 Parkinson (m0022nnf)
Ray Reardon

TV legend Michael Parkinson interviews snooker icon Ray Reardon, who discusses going down the mines at an early age and learning to play snooker at Tredegar Mineworkers’ Institute. He also opens up about the frightening event that saw him buried underground for three hours, and how he remained calm by playing thousands of games of marbles with his brother in his mind.


SAT 00:15 Keeping Up Appearances (b018jr9s)
Series 1

The Christening

Sitcom about a snobbish housewife and her long-suffering husband. Hyacinth quite enjoys a family christening - except when it is Daisy's family.


SAT 00:45 Butterflies (p00hm2xt)
Series 2

Lunch with Leonard

Leonard rings Ria and asks her to meet him for lunch as he has something to tell her.


SAT 01:15 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t4k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:15 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands (b07lp34l)
Cast Adrift

Isolated since the time of the dinosaurs, New Zealand's wildlife has been left to its own devices, with surprising consequences. Its ancient forests are still stalked by predators from the Jurassic era. It's also one of the most geologically active countries on earth.

From Kiwis with their giant eggs, to forest-dwelling penguins and helicopter-riding sheep dogs, meet the astonishing creatures and resilient people who must rise to the challenges of their beautiful, dramatic and demanding home.

SUNDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2024

SUN 19:00 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands (b07mh601)
Wild Extremes

The most extreme and wild parts of New Zealand are in the South Island, which lie towards Antarctica, in the path of the tempestuous 'roaring forties'. This is home to some of the most rapidly rising mountains in the world, the Southern Alps.

From hyper-intelligent parrots to sinister snails with teeth and magical constellations of glow-worms, this is the story of New Zealand's wildest places and its most resilient pioneers, all of whom must embrace radical solutions to survive.


SUN 20:00 BBC Proms (m0022npm)
2024

Beethoven for Three: Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax and Leonidas Kavakos

Superstar soloists Yo-Yo Ma (Cello), Leonidas Kavakos (Violin) and Emanuel Ax (Piano) come together as a classical supergroup to present a programme that blurs the line between symphonic and chamber music.

With a special intimate arrangement of Beethoven’s Sixth ‘Pastoral’ Symphony for three players and a performance of the 'Archduke' Piano Trio, this is one of the BBC Proms season highlights. Presented by Katya Adler.


SUN 21:30 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01k83bg)
Mozart Piano

Another chance to hear a live performance from the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23, one of his most exuberant piano works, recorded in 2006. The American pianist Richard Goode, one of today's leading interpreters of classical and Romantic music, performs with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Jirí Behlohlávek.


SUN 22:00 Dame Maureen Lipman Remembers... The Evacuees (m0022npp)
Dame Maureen Lipman shares her experiences of playing her own mother-in-law in the TV film The Evacuees, an autobiographical account written by her late husband Jack Rosenthal of his experiences as a young evacuee in wartime.

Lipman discusses the depths of Rosenthal's touching, funny and political play, which documents the experiences of two young Jewish brothers as they navigate life in the cold, unfeeling home of Mr and Mrs Graham.

Directed by Alan Parker as one of his first full length features, Maureen talks about working with the then up-and-coming director, and how his filmic touch made this Play for Today something truly special.

A moving account of Jewish working class life during wartime, The Evacuees won an International Emmy and a Bafta on its release, and Lipman explores how its themes are still relevant today.


SUN 22:15 The Evacuees (p04wb463)
Maureen Lipman stars as the mother of two young Jewish boys, billeted to Blackpool during the early days of the Second World War, in Jack Rosenthal's semi-autobiographical story.


SUN 23:30 Coming Home (m0022npr)
Six stories of love and family life that illustrate how things changed irrevocably for those who returned home following the end of the Second World War as well as for those who welcomed back their loved ones.


SUN 00:45 Reel History of Britain (p00jtm6v)
Britain's Wartime Evacuees

Melvyn Bragg, accompanied by a vintage mobile cinema, travels across the country to show incredible footage preserved by the British Film Institute and other national and regional film archives, to tell the history of modern Britain.

In Torquay, Melvyn looks back to the 1940s and the largest mass movement of people in British history - wartime evacuation. Bunty Tait shares her epic adventure as a runaway evacuee. EastEnders star Derek Martin tells stories of his time as an evacuee and relives the terror of the Blitz. And Derek Capel recounts his harrowing experience of surviving a torpedo attack by the Nazis when he was evacuated overseas.


SUN 01:15 Romancing the Stone: The Golden Ages of British Sculpture (b00yvsjd)
Children of the Revolution

'Sculpture has changed more in the last 100 years,' says Alastair Sooke, 'than in the previous 30,000.' The third and last episode of the series tells the dramatic story of a century of innovation, scandal, shock and creativity.

It begins with the moment at the turn of the 20th century, when young sculptors ceased visiting the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum and looked instead at the 'primitive' works of Africa and the Pacific islands. The result was an artistic revolution spearheaded by Eric Gill and Jacob Epstein that would climax in the anti-sculptural gestures of Gilbert & George and Damien Hirst.

Yet for all the provocation and occasional excesses of conceptualism, sculpture has never enjoyed such popularity. From the memorials of World War I to the landmarks of Antony Gormley and Rachel Whiteread, sculpture remains the art form that speaks most directly and powerfully to the nation.

The programme climaxes with a series of encounters between Alastair and leading sculptors Damien Hirst, Rachel Whiteread, Antony Gormley and Anthony Caro.


SUN 02:15 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands (b07mh601)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]

MONDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2024

MON 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lplwb)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

St Louis to Jefferson City, Missouri

Michael Portillo crosses the Atlantic once more to ride the railroads of North America with his faithful Appleton's Guide to the United States and Canada. Amid breathtaking scenery, he encounters magnificent beasts, joins intrepid explorers and witnesses unique customs on an awesome 1,500-mile journey to recapture the excitement and promise of the 19th-century American Frontier.

In St Louis, Michael ascends America's monument to the Wild West, the astonishing Gateway Arch, the tallest free-standing monument in the United States, and makes a delightful discovery inside it. And on the banks of the Missouri River, he is invited aboard a magnificent replica of the original keel boat used for a historic expedition.

In Washington, Missouri, he attempts to craft a corn cob pipe and in the Missouri state capital, Jefferson City, he finds an enormous fortified building that served as the gaol for the entire Wild West.


MON 20:00 The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution (b013cqpz)
Final Flourish

This episode takes a closer look at the late years of impressionism, using the last show these artists did together as a starting point.

Waldemar looks in considerable depth at the work of Georges Seurat, taking into consideration his academic training at the Beaux-Arts School in Paris and the artists that influenced him, such as Piero della Francesca and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

There is also an insight into the complex world of optics and art, and the ways in which the impressionists were using the new discoveries in light and eyesight to influence their work. A fascinating 'after-image' experiment brings to life the ways in which our own eyes see colour, both in its presence and its absence.

Van Gogh's time in Paris, a period very little is known about, is also covered, charting the incredible journey the artist made from his brown and dull canvases to the splendid colour and light that pervaded his work on the cusp of his departure for the south of France.

The film finishes with a revisiting of Monet and his later waterlily paintings in the Orangerie in Paris. Waldemar investigates how a bad case of cataracts was responsible for a seismic shift in Monet's colour palette and brushstrokes. Spending time with an ophthalmologist, Waldemar finds out how old age and a fairly common ailment of the eyes caused impressionism to shift and become radical again at the turn of the century and into the 20th century.


MON 21:00 Call My Bluff (m0022nph)
Robert Robinson presides over a duel of words and wit between Patrick Campbell, Felicity Kendal, Simon Ward, Frank Muir, Penelope Keith, Joss Ackland.


MON 21:30 Going for a Song (m0022npk)
Max Robertson and resident connoisseur Arthur Negus welcome Ian Harris, Harry Fowler and Angela Rippon to explore the world of antiques.


MON 22:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx5)
Series 1

Darfur – Carrots for a War Criminal

In 2003, the Sudanese government began a widespread ethnic cleansing campaign in the western part of the country. With the memory of the genocides in Bosnia and Rwanda still fresh, hundreds of thousands of Americans went out to protest and demand protection for the citizens of Darfur. Despite the US being bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush administration did not stand aside, but couldn’t take the US into another war. Following Obama’s 2008 election success, many of the people that fought so vocally for Darfur came into office. Could they make a difference?


MON 23:00 Thatcher & Reagan: A Very Special Relationship (m00165j4)
Series 1

Episode 1

Journalist Charles Moore, who wrote Margaret Thatcher’s authorised biography, explores her extremely close relationship with US President Ronald Reagan. These two leaders came together in the shadow of the Cold War and nuclear armageddon, and Charles meets the people who were in the room with them as they faced the great challenges of their age.


MON 00:00 Andy Warhol's America (p0b5mq8s)
Series 1

Living the Dream

How Warhol both glorified and critiqued American culture on his journey from childhood poverty in Pittsburgh to the A-list of New York society.


MON 01:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lplwb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 02:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


MON 03:00 The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution (b013cqpz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

TUESDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2024

TUE 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lppr6)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Sedalia to St Joseph, Missouri

Following in the footsteps of European settlers, Michael Portillo rolls westwards across the United States. With true frontier spirit, he discovers the hidden pleasures of 19th-century railroad workers in Sedalia and discovers the birthplace of ragtime. Aboard a horse-drawn wagon in Independence, Michael confronts the hardships faced by early pioneers on the wagon trail. He's the only man in pink in Paola, Kansas, where he auctions livestock and dines out on smoky spare ribs. In St Joseph, Missouri, he discovers the Pony Express and gets kitted out with a stetson before investigating the treacherous death of outlaw Jesse James.


TUE 20:00 Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers... Keeping Up Appearances (m0022nnp)
Dame Patricia Routledge recalls how the character of Hyacinth Bucket first entered her life and looks back on the part she played in bringing to life one of TV’s most formidable comedy characters. She describes the pleasures of working with her fellow cast members, shares her thoughts on why Hyacinth’s husband Richard endured all the years with his social-climbing wife, and explains why – despite her fondness for every element of the programme – it was she who eventually decided to call time on the show, when all others would have loved for it to continue.


TUE 20:15 Keeping Up Appearances (b007b7ty)
Series 2

Driving Mrs Fortescue

After listening to Emmet's piano playing from her garden, stopping a passer-by to listen with her and rebuking Liz for collecting milk in her dressing gown, Hyacinth receives a phone call from Mrs Fortescue asking for a lift into town.


TUE 20:45 Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers... Miss Pym's Day Out (m0022nnr)
Miss Pym's Day Out saw Dame Patricia Routledge portray legendary author Barbara Pym in an RTS Award-winning episode of Bookmark, set on the day of the 1977 Booker Prize Awards, of which Pym’s Quartet in Autumn was nominated.

The novel marked a huge revival and interest in Pym’s work after 16 years, and in this introduction, Patricia gives us a sense of what it was like to tell this incredible story, from the encounters with Pym’s family that were involved in the project, to reading the diary entries and letters included in the script.


TUE 20:50 Bookmark (m0022nnt)
Miss Pym's Day Out: Bookmark

Dramatised documentary about the writer Barbara Pym, depicting one day in her life - 23 November 1977 - when she travelled to London to attend the Booker Prize ceremony. Patricia Routledge plays Barbara Pym.


TUE 21:35 Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers... Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (m0022nnw)
Dame Patricia explains what attracted her to playing the woman who discovers an extraordinary talent for sleuthing in her sixties, cracking the case where all else fail, and why such roles are so vital in an industry that places a focus on youth over experience.

The contrasts between Hetty and Hyacinth Bucket were a huge part of the appeal, and Patricia shares her thoughts on why the sort of variety the series presented is so important to her as an actor. She also shares her affection for her fellow cast members and her disdain for the BBC bosses who presented her and Hetty with a case they never managed to solve – the mystery around why the programme was cancelled in its prime, and how they managed to break the news to her quite so incompetently.


TUE 21:45 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b007bd0r)
Series 1

The Bearded Lady

A drama series based on characters from the novel by David Cook. On her sixtieth birthday, Hetty Wainthropp decides it's time to change her life. A part-time job in a post office leads to a new career, that of a private detective. While investigating the mysterious death of an elderly lady, she uncovers a dangerous secret.


TUE 22:55 A Woman of No Importance (b00782fy)
Award-winning one-woman drama starring Patricia Routledge. What do Miss Schofield and the gang find to talk about at their table in the canteen? Yesterday they were discussing the rash Pauline Lucas's mother keeps getting on her elbows. Miss Schofield puts her social success down to that fact that she doesn't talk about herself, and she laughs of course, she always laughs. Written by Alan Bennett.


TUE 23:45 Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers... Talking Heads (m0022nnz)
Talking Heads was Alan Bennett’s acclaimed series of one-off tele-plays, written specifically for a selection of some of his favourite actors, including the great Dame Patricia Routledge.

Here, Patricia recalls what it was like to receive the scripts that were so perfectly suited to her comic abilities: A Woman of No Importance, A Lady of Letters and Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet.

She describes the challenges of bringing three unique characters to life for television, reveals which of her three episodes was her least favourite, and shares the feelings of delight that Bennett’s writing gave her, and her appreciation of his mastery of language – a quality that has always been of utmost importance throughout her career.


TUE 23:55 Talking Heads (b00pcbyv)
Series 1

A Lady of Letters

Irene Ruddock's mother died some years ago and she lives alone. A one-woman Neighbourhood Watch scheme, her habit of writing letters to the appropriate authorities gets ridiculously out of hand.


TUE 00:25 Talking Heads (p032kkzl)
Series 2

Miss Fozzard Finds Her Feet

Miss Fozzard has to care for her brother after he has a stroke. However, she doesn't want to leave her job in soft furnishings.


TUE 01:10 Bookmark (m0022nnt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:50 today]


TUE 02:00 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b007bd0r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:45 today]

WEDNESDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2024

WED 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lpss7)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Lawrence to Lamar, Colorado

Michael Portillo continues his 1,500-mile journey through the American Wild West armed with his Appleton's Guide. In Lawrence, Kansas, he joins the Jayhawks basketball team before travelling through 'tornado alley' to Topeka to meet one of the first storm chasers in America. Driving out on the Great Plains, Michael comes face to face with a herd of wild buffalo. Following the Santa Fe trail, Michael's first stop is Dodge City, queen of the cow towns, where he is caught up in a gunfight at the notorious Long Branch saloon. He finds the Dodge City Cowboy Band performing at the city depot and breaks bread with a descendant of a railroad land agent who sold thousands of acres of land to 19th-century European settlers. Near Lamar, Michael visits the scene of a terrible massacre of Native American Indians, who found themselves in the way of white settlement of the Great Plains.


WED 20:00 Pole to Pole (p02jc3qm)
Bitter End

Having missed his deadline to reach Antarctica, Michael abandons his original plan. Luckily a travel adventure company swoops in to save the expedition with a route through Chile.


WED 20:50 Wild (b0090cjt)
2007-08 Shorts

The Great British Parakeet Invasion

Wildlife documentary. There are estimated to be 30,000 wild parakeets in Britain. Why are they thriving?


WED 21:00 Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (m000v4h4)
Series 1

Firm in a Firm

This series explores the dirty secrets behind London's policing with a story of corruption that goes to the very top of the Met and leads to the formation of the first internal anti-corruption unit, A10, which inspired the BBC drama Line of Duty.

The first episode begins in 1969, at a time when the British police are held to be the most trusted and effective force in the world. But all that is about to change. When a desperate south London villain tips off the Times about how he is being extorted for money by a detective in the Metropolitan Police, something much more shocking is discovered: that at the heart of the Metropolitan CID there exists a 'firm in a firm', a secret network of corrupt coppers.

With insider interviews, evocative archive footage and secret recordings, the documentary reveals the story behind the Times's investigation and shows how the public myth of incorruptibility protected the police for so long.


WED 22:00 Jed Mercurio and Martin Compston Remember... Line of Duty (m0022nnh)
Line of Duty creator, writer and showrunner, Jed Mercurio, and leading cast member Martin Compston, aka DI Steve Arnott, enter the interrogation room, press the record button, and once the famous beep has signalled, it is time to begin as they grill each other on their personal memories and experiences of being assigned to the BBC’s record-breaking cop corruption series.

How did Martin get cast in the first place? What is Jed’s approach to the writing of each series? What are their thoughts on the show’s phenomenal success? And is the work of AC-12 really over, or will Martin ever need to be fitted for a new waistcoat, worthy of a return for a potential new series?


WED 22:30 Line of Duty (b01k9pn6)
Series 1

Episode 1

When Steve Arnott is transferred to a police anti-corruption unit, he finds his target is the city's top detective, Tony Gates. Can Gates really be as good as he appears? Arnott must engage in a cat-and-mouse struggle to uncover Gates' secret.


WED 23:30 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lppr6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Tuesday]


WED 00:30 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08lpss7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:30 Pole to Pole (p02jc3qm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:20 Wild (b0090cjt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:50 today]


WED 02:30 Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (m000v4h4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

THURSDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2024

THU 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn4g2)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

La Junta to Colorado Springs

Michael Portillo reaches Colorado, where he follows in the footsteps of 19th-century East Coast dudes, who came to experience the cowboy life.

At Bent's Old Fort, Michael is transported back to the Mexican American War of 1848 and finds himself inspecting the troops. In Raton, Michael discovers the guns that won the West. At Canon City, Michael hits the Rocky Mountains, from where he heads out into the spectacular gorge of the Arkansas River aboard the historic narrow gauge Royal Gorge Railroad. He comes face to face with a terrifying T-rex and hears how 19th-century prehistoric discoveries in the mountains sparked a bitter scientific war. At the foot of Pike's Peak, a choir sings an iconic American hymn, inspired by the magnificent views to be seen from the summit. Michael heads up 14,000 feet to see for himself, aboard the Pike's Peak Cog Railway.


THU 20:00 Mercury Prize (m0022np1)
2024

Mercury Prize 2024: Album of the Year

Live coverage of the 2024 Mercury Prize Album of the Year from the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London.

2024’s shortlist comprises 12 albums which reflect the diverse nature of British and Irish music over the past year. Each of the albums is presented in the intimate setting of Abbey Road’s iconic Studio 2 through an exciting array of performances captured during the previous 12 months.

As ever, the artists have an anxious wait while the esteemed panel of judges, including broadcasters, musicians and industry tastemakers, deliberate their decision, culminating with the live announcement of this year’s overall winner.


THU 21:15 Porridge (b007b8zw)
Comedy. Detained at Her Majesty's pleasure, cellmates Fletcher and Godber become unwilling accomplices to an escape attempt in this cinema version of the popular BBC comedy.


THU 22:45 Get Carter (m0022n9d)
Slick criminal Jack Carter returns to northern England to investigate his brother’s death, causing friction with local villains and some 'respectable' citizens while uncovering a conspiracy.


THU 00:35 Talking Pictures (b04y4dsw)
Michael Caine

A look at the life of acting legend Michael Caine, using rarely seen television interviews and classic archive clips to tell the story of one Britain's most successful actors. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.


THU 01:25 Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez (m0008c5c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]


THU 02:25 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn4g2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]

FRIDAY 06 SEPTEMBER 2024

FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (b04j8w5s)
Peter Powell presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 6 September 1979 and featuring Randy Vanwarmer, Madness, Boney M, The Ruts, The Crusaders, ELO, Bill Lovelady, Roxy Music and Cliff Richard, and dance sequences by Legs & Co.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (b08mp2l5)
Peter Powell and Andy Peebles present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 8 September 1983. Featuring Heaven 17, JoBoxers, Ryan Paris, Paul Young, Status Quo, Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack, UB40 and Level 42.


FRI 20:00 BBC Proms (m0022njg)
2024

Mancini, Bacharach and Friends at the Proms

The Pink Panther, Moon River and more as the BBC Proms mark the centenary of one of the greatest composers in the history of film and TV - Henry Mancini.

In this celebration of the man and his music, favourites from Mancini sit alongside much-loved tunes from the genres he inspired, including lounge music and space-age pop from the likes of Burt Bacharach, Les Baxter and Juan Garcia Esquivel. The BBC Concert Orchestra is conducted by Edwin Outwater, while Jess Gillam presents alongside a very special guest.


FRI 21:45 Movie Themes at the BBC (m001jfhm)
Volume One

A selection of some of the best BBC moments and classic archive performances from those singers and bands who cracked Hollywood as well as the pop charts.

These are the tunes that get hummed when leaving the cinemas over the years from blockbusters, Oscar winners, comedies and family favourites, featuring a selection of soundtrack stars including Destiny’s Child, Paul Simon, All Saints, Simple Minds and Dolly Parton.


FRI 22:45 Movie Themes at the BBC (m001wm1l)
Volume Two

Prepare for a blockbuster show of stars and performances on another trip through the BBC’s music archives, here exploring more of the greatest movie themes to ever light up the UK pop charts.

It’s a rich selection from across the decades, with Lulu’s To Sir with Love representing the 60s, Isaac Hayes and the Bee Gees showcasing the best of 70s funk and disco, and a whole host of big names taking us from the 80s to the present - with the songs including Kate Bush’s This Woman’s Work, Lisa Loeb's Stay, Bruce Springsteen's Streets of Philadelphia and a special BBC Piano Room performance of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Murder on the Dancefloor.


FRI 23:45 ... Sings Bond (b01p97hr)
The BBC archive uncovers performances of some of the finest Bond theme tunes from its top secret vaults and pays a TV tribute to a classic British icon.

Prepare to be shaken and stirred by Tina Turner and her GoldenEye, Dame Shirley Bassey with her Diamonds, Tom Jones rampaging with Thunderball, Matt Monro romancing in Russia, Fun Lovin' Criminals taking all the time in the world, Adele's sky-high contribution to 007 and much more from Sheena Easton, Garbage, a-ha and others, from all manner of BBC shows.

Sit back and marvel at our selection of the greatest Bond songs in history - a tuxedo and a dry vodka martini is optional.


FRI 00:45 Top of the Pops (b04j8w5s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


FRI 01:15 Top of the Pops (b08mp2l5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:45 Movie Themes at the BBC (m001jfhm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:45 today]


FRI 02:45 Movie Themes at the BBC (m001wm1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:45 today]