SATURDAY 11 JANUARY 2025
SAT 19:00 Ulster in Focus (p00bywjg)
The Mountains of Mourne
The life and culture of the skilled craftsmen and farmers of the Kingdom of Mourne in Northern Ireland is explored.
SAT 19:20 All Creatures Great and Small (p031d2qj)
Series 2
Cats and Dogs
A bull becomes strangely ill, so James performs a brand new operation. Three sick cats prove a difficult case, and all three vets have a go, with surprising results.
SAT 20:10 All Creatures Great and Small (p031d2qs)
Series 2
Attendant Problems
Lambing time in the Yorkshire Dales is tough, and disturbing scenes take place on Benson's land when his flock of sheep is badly worried by a stray dog.
SAT 21:00 Crá (m00257hz)
Series 1
Episode 1
Aimsítear corp i bportach cóngarach do bhaile iargúlta in iarthar Thír Chonaill. Bean ón cheantar a chuaigh ar iarraidh cúig bliana déag ó shin atá ann. Cé go bhfuil cosc ar an Gharda áitiúil, Conall, a bheith ag obair ar an chás, ní chuireann sé sin stad leis. Agus tá Ciara-Kate, iriseoir áitiúil ar bheagán taithí, ag tnúth go mbainfidh an scúp cáil amach di.
Life in a small Donegal town is utterly changed with the discovery in a bog of the body of a local woman who went missing 15 years previously. Conall, the local Garda is forbidden from working the case but this isn’t going to stop him. Ciara-Kate, a smalltime journalist hopes this scoop will catapult her career.
Léiritheoirí/Producers: Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile, Darach Ó Tuairisg
Stiúrthóir/Director: Philip Doherty
SAT 21:45 Crá (m00257k9)
Series 1
Episode 2
Agus sochraid Sabine ar siúl, tá na Gardaí den tuairim go raibh baint ag a mac, Conall, nó ag a fear céile, Art, lena bás. Tá Ciara-Kate cinnte go raibh caidreamh seachphósta ar bun ag Sabine, agus téann sí á fhiosrú sin. Tá Conall ar thóir na fírinne faoina athair ach baintear siar as nuair a thagann duine ó na seanlaethanta isteach sa scéal.
As Sabine’s funeral takes place, the finger of suspicion points towards her son Conall and her husband Art. Ciara-Kate is convinced that Sabine was having an affair and investigates. Conall is determined to get to the truth about his father’s involvement but is rocked when a ghost from his past returns.
Léiritheoirí/Producers: Ciarán Charles Ó Conghaile, Darach Ó Tuairisg
Stiúrthóir/Director: Philip Doherty
SAT 22:35 Parkinson (m0026zg4)
David Attenborough and André Previn
Michael Parkinson chats with guests David Attenborough and André Previn.
SAT 23:40 Porridge (b00787yn)
Series 3
A Test of Character
Classic comedy series set in a prison. When Godber starts working hard to get another O level before leaving prison, Fletcher cannot understand his appetite for all the hard work. Why doesn't he cheat?
SAT 00:10 As Time Goes By (p0479r3m)
Series 2
White Hunter
Lionel’s autobiography is finished. His publisher wants a picture of him on the cover, but Lionel is convinced this will stave off potential buyers.
SAT 00:40 Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (b0074s9v)
Witty drama adapted from Kenneth Williams's own words in his diaries. It's a spectacular journey inside the mind of one of British radio, TV and film's most popular, peculiar and comic performers. And one of its most tragic, too.
Spanning his entire life, this is the story of Williams's career and private life, a behind-the-scenes look at Williams, not only recreating some of his greatest performances, but also giving a candid and poignant insight into his professional hopes, personal upsets and sexual frustrations of a man who was uncomfortable in his own skin.
The screenplay is rude, arch, uncompromising and hilarious. Michael Sheen delivers a tour-de-force performance as ‘the man of a thousand voices’.
SAT 02:00 All Creatures Great and Small (p031d2qj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:20 today]
SAT 02:50 All Creatures Great and Small (p031d2qs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:10 today]
SUNDAY 12 JANUARY 2025
SUN 19:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026zgf)
2025
Day 1, Part 3
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
SUN 22:00 Gods of Snooker (m000w0ps)
Series 1
Episode 1
The first episode explores how Alex 'The Hurricane' Higgins helped transform snooker from a game played in the backrooms of working men’s clubs to a national sporting obsession.
Interest in the sport had been growing thanks to the new possibilities of colour broadcasting, and in particular the weekly snooker show Pot Black, first commissioned by none other than David Attenborough. But it was the antics of the unpredictable Ulstersman and snooker genius, Higgins, that took the game stratospheric.
Raw and unpredictable on the table, outspoken and badly behaved off it, Higgins declared war on the 1970s snooker establishment, entering into a years-long rivalry with the man who more than anyone embodied the old guard, ex-policeman Ray Reardon. Higgins and Reardon didn’t see eye to eye, but it was well known that Higgins could start a fight in an empty room. As the 70s wore on, the tabloids gleefully reported on a string of on- and off-the-table misdeeds.
Almost inevitably, Reardon and Higgins eventually came face to face in the World Championship final of 1982, in what was by far the biggest tournament to date. The clash of the two snooker titans - the paragon of the establishment against the self-described ‘People’s Champion’ - would be the match that redefined the British public’s relationship with the sport and set the course for a decade where it would become box office gold.
SUN 23:00 Isla (m0018b47)
Soon there will be more voice-activated digital assistants than people. All are female-gendered. Roger needs company, and he doesn’t want a dog. When his daughter Erin buys him the latest Isla digital assistant, an unexpected relationship between man and technology emerges. But who's really in control?
This thought-provoking, and at times troubling, dark comedy written by playwright Tim Price, has been adapted for television following its world premiere at Theatr Clwyd in North Wales. It was helmed by the theatre’s artistic director Tamara Harvey and stars Mark Lambert as retired teacher Roger, who is struggling with lockdown following the death of his wife.
Lisa Zahra plays his concerned-but-busy daughter, who thinks a smart speaker is the perfect home help for her lonely dad, but never imagined it would lead to a visit from the police as well as surprising and sometimes upsetting revelations from his past.
Expect laughs, technology-induced frustration and some strong language.
SUN 00:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cdzd)
Series 1
Episode 1
December, 1648.
The Puritan government has banned all celebrations, and King Charles I is imprisoned in Windsor Castle. During Christmastide, the monarch would ordinarily feast and celebrate, but instead, he spends Christmas Day alone, in anticipation of what his future holds as king of England.
Parliament has been purged of all moderate MPs who are willing to compromise with the king. What is left is a contingent of MPs who are ready to remove Charles from power by whatever means possible. They are supported by the New Model Army, a powerful, professional fighting force, led by the religious zealot, powerful orator and talented solider, Oliver Cromwell. They spend Christmas Day urgently debating what to do with their king.
On Christmas night, there is a final attempt to reason with Charles when the Earl of Denbigh visits him at Windsor with terms. The king is convinced of his divine right to rule and refuses to see him. Three days later, new legislation is drawn up to put the Charles on trial for treason. Oliver Cromwell too stands by divine providence but believes his victory in the English Civil War is evidence that God is on his side and that the king must be brought to justice for the bloodshed he has wrought on the country.
The next day, their belief in bringing Charles to trial is cemented when a prophetess, Elizabeth Poole, stands before the Commons, claiming that the army will heal the wounds of the country, which is sick and ravaged by war. But there is still deliberation in Parliament, for this is dangerous ground. If the king is redeemed after the trial, those who sought to persecute him will be hunted down as traitors.
The instability of Charles’s position is not news to the people. On New Year’s Eve, a play is secretly held at Salisbury Court, where comically a king is crowned and then uncrowned. This might be comedy, but the undercurrent is deeply engrained with the truth. On New Year’s Day, the Commons overcome the first hurdle and pass an act to try the king. However, it is rejected by the Lords. Three days later, in an extraordinary, bold move, the Commons claim sovereignty over the country, ahead of the king and the Lords. On 6 January 1649, the act to try the king is passed. Charles I will face trial as a tyrant, murderer and public enemy.
SUN 01:00 Gods of Snooker (m000w0ps)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
SUN 02:00 Isla (m0018b47)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 today]
SUN 03:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cdzd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:00 today]
MONDAY 13 JANUARY 2025
MON 19:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026zhb)
2025
Day 2, Part 2
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
MON 22:00 Gods of Snooker (m000w76x)
Series 1
Episode 2
Though snooker was firmly established on our TV screens by the early 80s, the game’s money-spinning potential had not yet been realised.
One of the first to spot a business opportunity was savvy Essex-based sports promoter Barry Hearn, who had recently taken a young hopeful called Steve Davis under his wing. Davis was the polar opposite of people’s champion Alex Higgins: slow, precise and intent on grinding out victories rather than entertaining with risky flair shots. Hearn was certain that his young apprentice was a future world champion, and together, the pair plotted world domination. As Higgins’s career took a downward turn, Davis quickly became a winning machine, bagging trophy after trophy. But his 'robotic' performances failed to win over a crowd who preferred their sporting heroes more flawed and unpredictable.
Capitalising on Davis’s success, Hearn started to build his own snooker empire - the 'Matchroom’- and recruited a small group of players he could mould and market, creating a soap opera out of sporting rivalry, and in the process, bringing lucrative sponsorships (and even hit pop singles) into the game.
By the mid-80s, snooker was at the peak of its powers, and in 1985 nearly 20 million people tuned in to see Steve Davis play Dennis Taylor in the World Championship final. It was an encounter that became known as the 'black ball final’, widely believed to be the best snooker match of all time. After that, Britain really did go 'snooker loopy', and a select group of cue-wielding sportsmen were suddenly the biggest superstars in the country.
MON 23:00 Building Britain's Biggest Nuclear Power Station (m000ww0l)
Series 1
Episode 2
In the second episode, our cameras pick up and follow the projects’ next major construction milestones.
We get up close and personal with the world’s largest land-based crane during the biggest lift on the project to date. We learn how the team has created an extensive flood defence system to protect the site from the worst imaginable weather events - including a once-in-10,000 year storm surge - to avoid a nuclear disaster like the one that befell the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan. We also follow specialists as they work to uncover unexploded World War II bombs that threaten the installation of the 4500-tonne cooling water intake heads.
MON 00:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf12)
Series 1
Episode 2
January, 1649.
On Tuesday 9 January 1649, crowds gather in Cheapside, London as a proclamation is read out. King Charles I will be put on public trial at Westminster Hall in ten days’ time. It sends shockwaves through the city.
The next day, commissioners - senior judges from around the country - gather to prepare for the unprecedented trial of the king. Their meeting is recorded in surviving transcripts. Words like ‘wicked’, ‘tyrannical’ and ‘cruel’ are all used to describe the monarch. Although the consensus is that Charles is a tyrant, only half of the commissioners appointed actually attend the meetings at Westminster Palace, in fear of being indicted as traitors. Support is on thin ice and many parliamentarians are uneasy about the process of a treason trial, for the outcome is plain for all to see. Lord Fairfax, the lord general of the New Model Army, is representative of the view of many parliamentarians. He believes a compromise should be made and declares he will have no part in the King’s trial. However, Fairfax’s counterpart - Oliver Cromwell is going full steam ahead. He allegedly states, ‘We will cut off his head with the crown upon it!’
Up and down the country, printing presses are in overdrive. A wave of pamphleteering discusses the topic of the day - Crown verses Parliament. However, one printed text has not been cleared for circulation. On 14 January, the first edition of Eikon Basilike (Royal Portrait), a spiritual autobiography of the king, is destroyed before it can leave the print house.
Parliament cannot risk the release of powerful royalist propaganda as they struggle to build a case against the king. They are already hamstrung by the existing law, which has been written by the monarchy. In less than a week they need to create a watertight charge that will see Charles brought to justice for his crimes against a devastated country. The trial will essentially accuse the king of war crimes.
On 20 January, the first day of the trial, Westminster Hall is packed. People hang off balconies to watch as the king is made to answer to the common man. The charge is delivered - ‘tyrant, traitor, murderer' - but no-one could have predicted what was to happen next. Charles will not acknowledge the court, a court he deems illegitimate. If the king will not plead guilty, or not guilty, there is little trial to be had.
Over the next three days, the king and the lord president, John Bradshaw, become embroiled in a battle of wills. Is it Charles’s arrogance that leads him to refuse to accept the authority of the court, or is it a cunning and politically astute method to defend his crown and his life? With only days left to try the king, Parliament have to move fast. Otherwise, they will end up on the scaffold.
MON 01:00 Cold War, Hot Jets (b03j5cf8)
Episode 2
As an 'Iron Curtain' fell across Europe, the jet bomber came to define how the Cold War was fought. Able to fly faster, higher and further than ever before, and armed with a devastating new weapon, Britain's V Force became the platform for delivering nuclear Armageddon.
MON 02:00 Gods of Snooker (m000w76x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
MON 03:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf12)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:00 today]
TUESDAY 14 JANUARY 2025
TUE 19:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026zp1)
2025
Day 3, Part 2
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
TUE 22:00 Gods of Snooker (p09gt3yd)
Series 1
Episode 3
By the mid-80s, snooker was the biggest sport in the country, but two distinct camps had emerged amongst the players. On one side were Barry Hearn’s ‘Matchroom Mob’, including Dennis Taylor and Steve Davis: clean-living, utterly professional and family friendly. In sharp contrast was a group that included Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Kirk Stevens, who all embraced a more rock-and-roll lifestyle.
With Higgins’s career quickly spiralling out of control, Jimmy White was next in line to take the crown of ‘people’s champion’. But Jimmy also had an insatiable appetite for the highlife and a string of vices – including cocaine and crack - that threatened to overshadow his raw talent and enormous potential.
Twelve years younger than Alex, Jimmy soon realised that Alex’s popularity and ability was at odds with his success in the game, having won only two world championship trophies in a sport many thought he should dominate. Indeed, Steve Davis had quickly become the world number one through practice and discipline and had suddenly become the man to beat. Desperate for success and tempted by the lucrative rewards brought by towing the line, Jimmy joined Barry Hearn in the hope he could be turned into a champion like his new stablemate, Steve Davis.
Jimmy began the 90s clean and well-prepared and got his best opportunity yet to win his first world championship, coming up against a young emerging Scotsman called Stephen Hendry. With White as the hot favourite and with the crowd urging him on, the 1990 final turned out to be a pivotal moment in British snooker and paved the way for what was to come in the next decade.
TUE 23:00 Bombay Railway (b007t367)
Dreams
India is undergoing unprecedented growth and Bombay is its financial powerhouse. The city promotes itself as a positive vision of the future, a place where dreams can come true. Like an extended family, the Bombay railway provides an unfailing lifeline to the city. This series follows the hope and dreams of some the people who work for the railway.
Hans Dev Sharma is a senior operations clerk. He works in the timetabling department, which schedules over 2,000 trains a day - under its cultural quota, Hans was talent-spotted as an exceptional actor and dancer and the railways offered him a job. Hans is living the Bollywood dream, with Bombay Railways as his life and his stage. But will he get his big break?
Jagdish Paul Raj was born in Bombay and is as ambitious as the city he lives in. The son of a railway catering officer, Jagdish, like his father, always had an interest in food but none in the railway. He graduated in politics and economics and became a fully qualified chef. Now 31, he is running a successful catering business on the train to Goa. He is tendered for more trains, but will he be successful?
Mumtaz Kazi is Indian Railways' first fully qualified female train driver and has driven trains all over India. Mumtaz was brought up in a traditional Muslim family - a railway family. Now her father has retired and her immediate family live in Canada - Mumtaz is the only member left in Bombay. It will be Mumtaz's responsibility to find a wife for her brother, to get him married and back to Canada in just eight weeks. Can she do it and still drive the train?
TUE 00:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf0z)
Series 1
Episode 3
On 23 January 1649, the third day of the king’s trial, Charles continues to publicly dispute the High Court’s legitimacy. There is no choice other than to move forward and enforce the charge against him. After two days of hearing witness testimonies concerning the king’s presence in battle, the evidence against him is overwhelming.
On 27 January, the king walks into the courtroom for the final time. He has come prepared to compromise, but it is too late for that now. John Bradshaw delivers an epic oration. He draws on constitutional history, including Magna Carta, and accuses the king of breaking his oath. Bradshaw states that the king was appointed by the people and it is the people who can remove him from power. ‘Farewell, sovereignty.'
Sentence is passed - Charles will be executed. Utterly beguiled, the king is removed from the courtroom, and over the next three days he prepares for death. Although the verdict has been delivered, Parliament’s cause is still fragile. Charles’s son, Prince Charles, is in The Hague mustering support for the crown. Invasion plans are already under way, and the clock is ticking, Parliament must get the king to the scaffold and put an end to the monarchy they believe has torn the country apart.
Despite the king’s strength, determination and vigour in the courtroom, he begins to accept his fate and spends most of his time in prayer. He says an emotional goodbye to his two children who remain in England, Elizabeth and Henry. Their likeness from this time is captured in an exquisite portrait miniature. Princess Elizabeth never recovered from the trauma of parting with her father. She records an account of their last, devastating moments together.
As the king gathers his affairs and his state of mind, the death warrant is hurriedly drawn up and signatories - some say under duress from Cromwell - are gathered. Cromwell’s determination comes from his belief that he is enacting God’s will and delivering justice for the people who suffered at the hands of the feckless King. His mind is set. The execution must be carried out.
On a freezing morning on Saturday 30 January 1649, Charles I wakes up at
5am and puts on two thick shirts to offer him some protection from the blistering cold. Determined not to appear afraid, he must not shiver. As the king prepares for death, Parliament are appalled to discover there is no act that prevents succession. In haste, they pass the act as a legal emergency.
Finally, shortly before
2pm, the king is led through Banqueting House. He may have looked up at the Rubens ceiling that depicts his father ascending to the side of God as is his divine right. He makes his way through a window and onto the scaffold to deliver his final speech to the people, now inked into the pages of history. Lying down at the low block, he says ‘Wait for the sign’ before he stretches his arms aside and his head is struck off.
People flock to the scaffold to dip their rags and kerchiefs in the blood of the king. Hair is cut from his severed head, to be preserved as relics, and the little pearl earring that delicately hung from his ear is carefully removed and remains preserved to this day.
On a freezing, bleak January day, King Charles I was killed and a republic was born. But did he die as a murderer or as a martyr?
TUE 01:00 Gods of Snooker (p09gt3yd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
TUE 02:00 Bombay Railway (b007t367)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 today]
TUE 03:00 Charles I: Killing a King (m000cf0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
00:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2025
WED 19:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026zlj)
2025
Day 4, Part 2
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
WED 22:00 Eric and Ernie (b00wy7ck)
Single drama telling the story of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise's formative years, from child stars to national treasures.
'Big head, short legs' is Eric Bartholomew's first impression of Ernie Wiseman, but their friendship endures and, encouraged by his well-meaning but determined mother Sadie, Eric became the funny man to Ernie's 'feed'.
After a successful stint in children's variety, they work their way up the ladder of live performance, but after a disastrous television debut in the series Running Wild, Morecambe and Wise learn to trust their own instincts and just make people laugh.
WED 23:30 Parkinson (m0026zll)
Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Janet Webb, Raquel Welch and Stéphane Grappelli
Michael Parkinson in conversation with Eric Morecambe, Ernie Wise, Janet Webb, Raquel Welch and Stéphane Grappelli.
WED 00:40 The US and the Holocaust (p0dm3cwv)
Series 1
The Golden Door (Beginnings-1938)
After decades of open borders, a xenophobic backlash prompts the United States to pass laws restricting immigration. In Germany, Hitler finds support for his anti-Semitic rhetoric, and the Nazis begin their persecution of Jewish people, causing many to flee to neighbouring countries or America. Franklin D Roosevelt and other world leaders are concerned by the growing refugee crisis, but they fail to coordinate a response.
WED 02:40 Winterwatch (b01q9d86)
1963: The Big Freeze
Chris Packham introduces a classic documentary from the BBC's archive, which takes a look at the worst winter of the 20th century in 1963. He also explores what we now know about how this big freeze affected Britain's wildlife, and how it would cope if we experienced another equally bad winter.
THURSDAY 16 JANUARY 2025
THU 19:00 Dangerous Earth (b084n7z7)
Iceberg
Dr Helen Czerski reveals the latest scientific insights into icebergs. From side-scanning sonar that scrutinises the edge of glaciers where icebergs are born, to satellite images that show how icebergs create hotspots for life and eyewitness pictures that give us a unique glimpse of how they transform over time, we can now capture on camera the mysteries of icebergs - and how their lifecycle is intricately linked to our changing planet.
THU 19:30 Through the Keyhole (m0026ztj)
Donald Trump
An episode from 1999 of the much-loved TV classic that looks inside the homes of the rich and famous, where Loyd Grossman explores Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Sir David Frost also sits down with the 47th president and discusses a number of topics, including his property empire, whether he would like to purchase Buckingham Palace and the economy of the United States. Also featuring in the episode is the 7th marquess of Bath, Alexander George Thynn, who opens the doors to his penthouse abode.
THU 20:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026ztl)
2025
Day 5, Part 3
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
THU 22:00 The Wooden Horse (b0078n5m)
Dramatisation of one of the most ingenious escape bids of World War II.
In camp Stalag Luft III, the Nazis have built the prisoners' huts so far from the fence that underground escape is virtually impossible.
One British officer, inspired by the tale of the Trojan Horse, proposes a daring plan to start a tunnel close to the boundary using a wooden vaulting horse as cover.
THU 23:40 Talking Pictures (b0761kk7)
War Films
A look back at the great British war films that boosted the nation's morale in the postwar years and launched the careers of some of our best-loved actors and directors.
Featuring contributions from the likes of Noel Coward, Richard Attenborough, David Lean, Alec Guinness, Kenneth More and John Mills, the programme examines classic films like In Which We Serve, Reach for the Sky, Bridge on the River Kwai and The Dam Busters.
Narrated by Sylvia Syms, this episode also includes her own memories of the making of one of the most enduring films of the genre, Ice Cold in Alex.
THU 00:25 The US and the Holocaust (p0dm3fnf)
Series 1
Yearning to Breathe Free (1938-1942)
After Kristallnacht, Germany’s Jews are desperate to escape Hitler’s tyranny. Americans are united in their disapproval of the Nazis’ brutality, but remain divided on whether and even how to act as World War II begins. Charles Lindbergh speaks for isolationists, while FDR tries to support Europe’s democracies. The Nazis invade the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust begins in secret.
THU 02:35 Building Britain's Biggest Nuclear Power Station (m000ww0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
FRIDAY 17 JANUARY 2025
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m0026zt7)
Ardal O'Hanlon presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 7 February 1997 and featuring The Supernaturals, Michelle Gayle, Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams, Amen UK, Nuyorican Soul feat India, En Vogue, The Orb, Bush and LL Cool J.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m0026zt9)
Peter Andre presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 14 February 1997 and featuring Mansun, Mark Owen, The Blueboy, OTT, Apollo 440, Depeche Mode, No Mercy, Eels and U2.
FRI 20:00 Snooker: The Masters (m0026ztc)
2025
Day 6, Part 3
Coverage of the 2025 Masters tournament from Alexandra Palace in London.
FRI 22:00 One-Hit Wonders at the BBC (b05r7nxx)
Volume One
Compilation of some indelible hits by artists we hardly heard from again, at least in a chart sense. Featuring Peter Sarstedt's Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? - a number one in 1969 and a hit he never really matched, Trio's 1982 smash Da Da Da, Phyllis Nelson's 1985 lovers rock-style classic Move Closer, and The New Radicals' 1999 hit You Get What You Give.
We travel through the years selecting some of your favourite number ones and a few others that came close, revealing what's happened to the one-off hitmakers since and exploring the unwritten laws that help make sense of the one-hit wonder phenomenon.
FRI 23:00 One-Hit Wonders at the BBC (m001w3n3)
Volume Two
It's one of the reasons the music charts have always been so compelling: the cruel reality that the exciting new act that has taken the Top 40 by storm may not in fact be the next Beatles, Beyonce or even Basement Jaxx – but could be one more case of here today, gone and forgotten tomorrow.
Or almost forgotten – because this is a look into the darkest corners of the BBC’s music archives for a reminder of songs by the likes of The Las, The Mock Turtles, Joan Jett and Kim Carnes. There are also some surprising names on the list: Don Henley, Patti Smith, Curtis Mayfield and John Denver - stars who perhaps enjoyed hit albums, or success with other groups, but when it came to singles, once was sadly enough.
FRI 00:00 Top of the Pops (b018zv8d)
1977 - Big Hits
The celebration of Top of the Pops 1977 continues with a selection of outstanding complete archive performances from Britain's silver jubilee year. 1977 was dominated by funk and punk, with Heatwave's Boogie Nights and The Stranglers' No More Heroes in the top ten. Classic top of the charts hits included Baccara's Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and Angelo by Brotherhood of Man. Some of the enduring heroes to take to the stage that year were David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Queen and Elvis Costello, with rare studio performances from The Jacksons and Bob Marley & The Wailers.
FRI 01:00 Top of the Pops (m0026zt7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
FRI 01:30 Top of the Pops (m0026zt9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
FRI 02:00 One-Hit Wonders at the BBC (b05r7nxx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
FRI 03:00 One-Hit Wonders at the BBC (m001w3n3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 today]