SATURDAY 30 AUGUST 2025
SAT 19:00 Wildlife on One (b007ck5b)
Peregrine: Nature's Top Gun
David Attenborough narrates a nature documentary on the peregrine falcon - the fastest animal on Earth.
RAF jet fighter footage and shots of falcons in action combine to reveal how a young peregrine learns impressive air combat skills.
SAT 19:10 Miss Marple (p04gw10z)
4:50 from Paddington
Travelling on the
4.50 from Paddington, Mrs McGillicuddy witnesses a murder on a passing train - but where is the body?
SAT 21:00 Dark Hearts (m002gtc6)
Series 2
Episode 3
An Iraqi raid has ruined the planned exchange of hostages, leaving Zaid mistrustful of the French but in fear of his life as Moktar prepares to interrogate Kerry Mason.
In French and Arabic with English subtitles.
SAT 21:50 Dark Hearts (m002gtc9)
Series 2
Episode 4
Sab tries to escape from Zaid's house when Moktar and his men come to arrest him. Zaid is captured, tortured and then manipulated by Moktar, who wants revenge on the DGSE after a drone targets his car.
In French and Arabic with English subtitles.
SAT 22:45 Parkinson (m00226pg)
Billy Connolly, Anna Raeburn, Rod Hull & Emu and Frank Evans
Michael Parkinson with guests Billy Connolly, Anna Raeburn, Rod Hull & Emu and Frank Evans. First transmitted in 1976.
SAT 23:50 The Newsreader (p0gjlhvm)
Series 2
Greed and Fear
As the global financial crisis mounts, Helen is plunged into free fall when a gossip journalist threatens an exposé about her troubled past. Dale feels helpless in his endeavours to fend off the impending article and turns to Gerry for advice.
SAT 00:45 The Newsreader (p0gjlkcx)
Series 2
The Hungry Truth
The hype is building for 1988 bicentenary. The News at Six team produce a patriotic promo as Geoff covers the First Fleet re-enactment for the rival network - which is interrupted by an Indigenous Australian activist. Helen is convinced that the protestor should provide a vital voice amidst the pageantry.
SAT 01:35 The Good Life (p02r4sfk)
Series 3
Whose Fleas Are These?
It's embarrassing enough when Tom and Barbara find themselves with fleas. But how can they stop these unwanted guests from catching on with Jerry and Margo?
SAT 02:05 Miss Marple (p04gw10z)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:10 today]
SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 2025
SUN 19:00 Around the World in 80 Gardens (b008wf8l)
Mexico and Cuba
Monty Don visits the world's 80 most inspiring gardens. This epic garden adventure starts when Monty travels to two very different but neighbouring countries. Mexico is one of the most plant-rich and artistic cultures on the planet, from the ancient water gardens of Mexico City, to the modernist extremes of Luis Barragan and a surrealist fantasy hidden in the rainforest. Travelling to the Caribbean island of Cuba, Monty discovers that the crumbling colonial grandeur of its urban landscape is now host to a very green revolution.
SUN 20:00 BBC Proms (m002j0qj)
2025
Modern Classics at the Proms
Tom Service curates a musical snapshot in a special compilation of new music performed at the 2025 Proms. Featuring seven new pieces, including two world premieres, a dazzling trumpet concerto and cinematic soundscapes.
Interviews with composers, including Errollyn Wallen, John Rutter and Anna Clyne, reveal the inspiration behind their pieces.
SUN 22:00 imagine... (b0bp1t3v)
2018
George Benjamin: What Do You Want to Do When You Grow Up?
He has been crowned with every laurel in contemporary classical music, composed operas which play on the world's most illustrious stages and been knighted for his services to music. Yet Sir George Benjamin is still relatively little known outside the classical world. Imagine... sets that straight. Intimate and humorous, this film tracks the creation of the British composer's opera Lessons in Love and Violence, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in 2018.
The film follows his journey from composing songs aged three and being transfixed by Fantasia and 2001: Space Odyssey to his golden days as the youngest ever pupil of the legendary composer Olivier Messiaen in Paris. Early experiments with computers, a passion for folk instruments and virtuosity on the piano combined to produce the startling, moving music heard today.
SUN 23:25 Royal Opera House - Lessons in Love and Violence (b0bp9kx0)
Sir George Benjamin conducts the world premiere of his darkly dramatic opera based on the life of Edward II, Lessons in Love and Violence - a major event in contemporary music with an internationally renowned cast. The opera is the latest collaboration between composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp. Their previous work includes the large-scale opera Written on Skin, which has since become the most performed new opera of the 21st century. Director Katie Mitchell and designer Vicki Mortimer complete the creative team.
King Edward II's relationship with Piers Gaveston upsets the personal life of court and the political wellbeing of the country. When the controlling military leader Mortimer joins forces with Queen Isabel, the results are deadly for Gaveston and Edward.
The lessons learned by the characters of the opera are harsh ones, following a gripping trajectory from warmth and indulgence towards calculating, cold severity.
Presented by Clemency Burton-Hill.
SUN 00:55 Omnibus (m002hqy9)
Virginia Woolf: A Night's Darkness, A Day's Sail
Long-running arts documentary strand.
SUN 01:45 imagine... (b0bp1t3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
MONDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2025
MON 19:00 Planet Earth (b0074shj)
Deserts - Short Version
David Attenborough takes a look at deserts, which cover a third of the Earth's land surface. From space they appear lifeless but a closer look reveals a different picture.
Deserts, in fact, are surprisingly varied; from Mongolia's Gobi desert where wild Bactrian camels have to eat snow in lieu of water, to the Atacama in Chile where guanacos survive by licking the dew off cactus spines.
Changes are rare in deserts but they play a crucial part in their story; from Saharan sandstorms nearly a mile high to desert rivers that run for a single day; from the brief blooming of Death Valley in the USA, to a plague of desert locusts 40 miles wide and 100 miles long - two events that might occur once in 30 years.
The highlight of the programme is a unique aerial voyage over the dunes and rocky escarpments of a Namibian desert. From this lofty viewpoint, we follow elephants on a desperate trek for food and - most amazingly of all - desert lions searching the wilderness for wandering bands of oryx.
The programme unravels the secrets behind desert survival - and reveals the ephemeral nature of this stunning environment.
MON 20:00 The Latest Secrets of Hieroglyphs (m001f72n)
The great history of Egypt is inscribed on its monuments, temples and tombs, but hieroglyphs – the written language of the ancient Egyptians – fell silent until 1822 when a young French scholar, Jean-François Champollion, became the first person to decipher their texts for over a thousand years. Champollion’s insights and the work of other scholars helped bring an entire civilisation back to life.
Today, researchers are increasingly interested in the authors who created these hieroglyphic works. Near Luxor, The Latest Secrets of Hieroglyphs follows a new generation of Egyptologists as they unlock the texts inscribed inside a richly adorned tomb, revealing the beliefs and lives of the priests, scribes, painters, engravers and builders who created this grand funerary monument.
MON 21:00 I Am Martin Parr (m002j0v1)
Who are you, Martin Parr? Since the 1970s, Martin Parr has fearlessly held out his unique photographic mirror and given us some of the most extraordinary and unique visual clichés of modern times.
We follow this tireless adventurer on a road trip, his camera trigger finger always at the ready to capture the smallest details of everyday life. Sometimes serious, often absurd but always playful, his work has been a subject of debate and discussion. His images often amuse and entertain those who witness them, yet he makes us feel slightly uncomfortable, caught between a silent laugh and the frightful realisation of recognising ourselves in his uncompromising portrait of consumerist society.
Featuring interviews with various individuals who have crossed paths with Martin Parr, including close family, fellow photographers, artists and filmmakers, the documentary offers a dynamic, intimate and well-rounded portrait of the artist. While Martin Parr's work is now showcased globally, his early photography faced challenges and criticism. Why? Perhaps, in retrospect, he was highlighting aspects of class in Britain that were often overlooked. Could it be that provoking discomfort was precisely his intention? Why this use of garish colour, previously reserved for advertising and fashion?
Here, we bring to life Parr's distinctive photographic language and showcase his incredible eye for the absurd. Bright, colourful and saturated, the film takes us into Parr's world. From Bristol, where he lives and has set up his incredible foundation, to the seaside resort of New Brighton, where he returns with us after 40 years to reshoot his most famous work, The Last Resort, I Am Martin Parr is a portrait of an extraordinary photographer who revolutionized contemporary photography.
MON 22:05 Modern Times (m002j0v3)
Martin Parr: Think of England
As another St George's Day passes, Martin Parr, the celebrated Magnum stills photographer, travels the length and breadth of the country to look at the English and how they see themselves.
MON 22:55 Timeshift (m000l9vf)
Series 2
The Great British Seaside Holiday
Timeshift presents a bank holiday celebration of the British seaside holiday experience from its Victorian origins and heyday in the 1950s to its slow decline and attempts at reinvention since.
Interviewees including Jonathan Meades, Martin Parr and Bill Pertwee explain the way that the seaside has always been the place we all visit to lose our inhibitions and reveal a different side to ourselves. We look at how our different experiences of the seaside - end of the pier shows, fearsome landladies and holiday camps - have given rise to different traditions and a nostalgia, both working-class and middle-class, for a time when life's pleasures were simpler and foreign holidays were the preserve of the very rich.
MON 23:40 Welsh Greats (b00xzgch)
Series 4
Laura Ashley
The life story of Laura Ashley, the girl from Dowlais whose flair for design made her a multimillionaire. From printing scarves on the kitchen table to running an international business empire, Laura never forgot her Welsh roots. Narrated by Philip Madoc.
MON 00:10 Timeshift (p01k49cg)
Series 13
Bouffants, Beehives and Bobs: The Hairdos that Made Britain
It is said that the average woman gets through around 30 hairstyles in a lifetime, with some changing their look entirely every 15 months. Timeshift takes a loving and sometimes horrified look back at the iconic hairdos and 'must have' haircuts that both men and women in Britain have flirted with over the past 60 years.
And it's some journey... from the meringue-like confections of Raymond 'Teasy Weasy' via the geometric 'bob' cuts of Vidal Sassoon, stopping off to take in the 'big hair' heyday of bouffants and beehives, and not forgetting the mullet, the feather cut and the ultimate 'bad hair day' look of 1970s perms.
Our hair is the one part of our identity we can change in an instant and which speaks volumes about who we are, where we've come from and where we're going. Today, young women are revisiting hair fashions of an earlier generation - big hair and blowdrying are back in demand, whilst many young men sport Edwardian 'peaky blinder' short back and sides.
Narrated by Wayne Hemingway.
MON 01:10 Planet Earth (b0074shj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
MON 02:05 I Am Martin Parr (m002j0v1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUESDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2025
TUE 19:00 Planet Earth (b0074t1d)
Ice Worlds
Although the frozen worlds of the Arctic and Antarctic experience the greatest seasonal extremes, it is the advance and retreat of the ice that is the real challenge to life. As the sea freezes, Antarctica doubles in size and all animals except for the emperor penguin flee.
In the Arctic, the polar bear's ice world literally melts beneath its feet, forcing it to swim vast distances and take on one of the deadliest adversaries on the planet.
TUE 20:00 The Good Life (b00783m3)
Series 3
The Last Posh Frock
Classic sitcom. Barbara tries to remain a woman despite her work-worn hands and a ruined dress.
TUE 20:30 Yes Minister (b00785g8)
Series 3
The Moral Dimension
Jim Hacker has to balance conflicting moral demands when he travels to Qumran to ratify a British electronics firm's contract.
TUE 21:00 Arena (m002j13n)
The Peter Sellers Story
Episode 1
The first of three films presenting a portrait of one of the world's greatest comic actors, tracing his life from childhood to a successful post-war career with the Goons and more.
TUE 22:05 Arena (m002j13r)
The Peter Sellers Story
Episode 2
The second of three film portraits of one of the world's greatest comic actors. The years between 1959 and 1964 saw the peak of his career and his second marriage to Britt Ekland. Narrated by Michael Pennington.
TUE 23:15 Arena (m002j13t)
The Peter Sellers Story
Episode 3
The last of three film portraits of one of the world's greatest comic actors. In 1964, Peter Sellers was at his peak, with his films packing cinemas the whole world over, when a heart attack in California nearly killed him.
TUE 00:25 Parkinson: The Interviews (m002j13w)
Series 2
Peter Sellers
Michael Parkinson looks back on his interview with wayward genius Peter Sellers.
TUE 01:05 The Trials of Oscar Pistorius (p08tfpds)
Series 1
Part 4
Six weeks into the trial of Oscar Pistorius, he takes the stand to explain what happened in the early hours of 14 February 2013.
In 2012, Pistorius left South Africa to prepare for the London Olympics. That summer was the peak of his career – competing against able-bodied athletes in the 400 metres and qualifying for the semi-finals, a remarkable achievement. A few weeks later, he faltered at the Paralympics. Rather than the victory lap expected, he was beaten and afterwards was ungracious about the loss.
The following months saw Pistorius change. He became involved with a different crowd, whilst growing infatuated with guns and paranoid about security. At this point, he also met Reeva, the start of a whirlwind romance on the surface that would soon end with him murdering her.
In the witness stand, Pistorius stumbles in his response to tough questioning. When the verdict for manslaughter comes, the judge calls Pistorius a 'very poor witness'. The verdict of culpable homicide (the equivalent of manslaughter) is overturned on appeal and upgraded to murder. His sentence is increased from five to six years – and then on a further appeal increased to 15 years. He remains in prison in South Africa.
TUE 02:45 Around the World in 80 Gardens (b008wf8l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
WEDNESDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2025
WED 19:00 Planet Earth (b0074t2b)
Great Plains
The great plains are the vast open spaces of our planet. These immense wilderness areas are seemingly empty. But any feeling of emptiness is an illusion - the plains of our planet support the greatest gatherings of wildlife on earth: two million gazelles on the Mongolian steppes, three million caribou in North America and one and a half million wildebeest in east Africa. Close on their heels come an array of plains predators including eagles, wolves and lions.
At the heart of all that happens here is a single living thing - grass. Flooded, burnt, baked and frozen - grass is almost indestructible, able to survive from the baking savannahs of Africa to the frozen tundra of the Arctic, from the floodplains of India to the high altitude steppes of the Tibetan plateau. Together, these hugely productive grassland plains encompass a quarter of the land on earth and bear witness to some of the most dramatic wildlife stories on our planet.
WED 20:00 The Lost Neanderthals (m002j14k)
The Mandrin Cave in southern France has been attracting the attention of archaeologists for 30 years. The cave was regularly occupied in prehistoric times, and a remarkable record of human habitation going back thousands of years has been preserved by its soils. In 2015, the remains of a Neanderthal were uncovered, and the archaeological evidence points to this individual, named Thorin, living in close proximity to newly arrived Homo sapiens.
This documentary follows an international team of scientists as they discover and investigate precious relics of the Palaeolithic period, resulting in groundbreaking revelations about the human populations of around 50,000 years ago as researchers uncover some of the secrets of the Mandrin Cave.
WED 20:55 Natural World (m0019tt6)
Short Versions
Jungle Animal Hospital
At the jungle animal hospital in Guatemala, the wards are full of exotic patients, many of them orphans rescued from the illegal pet trade.
WED 21:00 Tribe (2005) (p009qzkw)
Series 1
Darhad
The Mongolian nomads of the Darhad valley are some of the most self-sufficient people in the world. Across the steppes and mountains of the Darhad Valley, they move huge herds of sheep, goats, cattle, yaks and camels, relying on their tough little horses. It's a harsh and spectacular place, and a gruelling life.
Explorer Bruce Parry joins a family for their arduous winter migration. He finds the going tough as he helps them herd their 300 animals across a high mountain pass.
WED 22:00 Screen Two (m002j14m)
Series 9
The Trial
Harold Pinter's screen adaptation of Franz Kafka's enigmatic masterpiece. The story of a man who gets drawn into a world of lies and corruption as he seeks to prove his innocence.
WED 00:00 Kafka Uncovered (b00fr8j9)
Documentary in which novelist James Hawes attempts to demolish a number of myths and misconceptions about the life and work of cult writer Franz Kafka. The programme was filmed on location in Prague and Frankenstein in the Czech Republic.
WED 00:30 Planet Earth (b0074t2b)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
WED 01:30 Timeshift (m000l9vf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:55 on Monday]
WED 02:15 Tribe (2005) (p009qzkw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2025
THU 19:00 Planet Earth (b0074tgb)
Jungles
David Attenborough's natural history series.
Tropical rainforests cover just three per cent of our planet, yet are home to a staggering 50 per cent of the world's species. They are the richest environments on earth but also the most competitive. Travelling through this enchanted world, we uncover the amazing strategies its inhabitants adopt in order to survive. Look out for the flying frog mating orgy and the sinister bodysnatching cordyceps fungi that eat their victims alive.
THU 20:00 Some Like It Hot (m000cryx)
1929. Musicians Joe and Jerry accidentally witness the St Valentine's Day massacre. The boys decide to make a getaway by joining a jazz band heading for Florida. There's just one problem - it's an all-girl group.
A comic masterpiece from director Wilder, with memorable performances.
THU 22:00 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (b00792zq)
Award-winning film documenting Peter Sellers's turbulent rise from popular BBC radio performer to one of the world's most gifted comedic actors. Peter was raised by a domineering mother and a meek father and at an early age discovered he liked to hide behind the emotional curtain of playing a character. In time, Sellers put this skill to use as an actor, discovering that he had a great gift for comedy but increasingly realising he had no sense of self.
THU 23:55 Citizen Kane (b0074n82)
Frequently voted one of the best films ever made, Orson Welles's masterpiece tells the story of newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane in a series of flashbacks. A reporter is intrigued by the dying Kane's last word - rosebud - and sets out to find a new angle on the life of one of the most powerful men in America. Nine Oscar nominations resulted in only one award for the outspoken Welles - Best Screenplay.
THU 01:55 I Am Martin Parr (m002j0v1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 03:00 Modern Times (m002j0v3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:05 on Monday]
FRIDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2025
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m002j0xr)
The biggest stars, iconic performances and outrageous outfits in Britain's best pop show.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m002j0xt)
The biggest stars, iconic performances and outrageous outfits in Britain's best pop show.
FRI 20:00 BBC Proms (m002j0xw)
2025
Classic Thriller Soundtracks at the Proms
A night of thrills and suspense awaits as Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite composer – Bernard Herrmann – is celebrated at the Royal Albert Hall. Highlights include the themes from Vertigo, Psycho and Taxi Driver, as well as Erich Korngold’s sumptuous cello concerto from superstar American Sterling Elliott.
Charismatic conductor Edwin Outwater leads the BBC Concert Orchestra, while Edith Bowman presents.
FRI 21:50 Top of the Pops (m00103fv)
Jakki Brambles presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 6 September 1991 and featuring The Prodigy, Salt-N-Pepa, Martika and Utah Saints.
FRI 22:20 Top of the Pops (b078m2lw)
Peter Powell introduces the pop programme, featuring The Teardrop Explodes, OMD, Modern Romance, Dollar, Soft Cell, Gary Numan and Funkapolitan, and a dance performance from Legs & Co.
FRI 23:00 Songs Inspired by the Movies at the BBC (m00285w1)
A collection of hits from the BBC archives that highlight how films and movie stars have always influenced the biggest singers, songwriters and bands.
These are the songs that were inspired by big screen legends and classic movie moments, some with references that stand out like the Hollywood sign and others that will test film knowledge to the max.
FRI 00:50 ... 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 01:50 Top of the Pops (m002j0xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
FRI 02:20 Top of the Pops (m002j0xt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
FRI 02:50 Top of the Pops (m00103fv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:50 today]
FRI 03:20 Top of the Pops (b078m2lw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:20 today]