SATURDAY 18 JULY 2026
SAT 19:00 Natural World (m002b2g4)
Short Versions
Raising Sancho
The touching story of a rescued giant otter cub being raised by a Brazilian naturalist.
SAT 19:05 Life on Earth (b01qgr6t)
Conquest of the Waters
Fish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The development of the backbone was a crucial advance in evolution - and it probably came from a most unlikely source, a little jelly-like creature called a sea squirt.
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 The Sentinels (m002xtlx)
Series 1
Episode 3
Gabriel’s wife, Irène, decides to conduct her own investigation into her husband’s alleged death. Captured by French forces, German spy Gruber is interrogated regarding the rival program. While out on a mission, the Sentinels learn of the feats of a German soldier with formidable powers – the Übermensch.
In French and German with English subtitles.
SAT 21:40 The Sentinels (m002xtm1)
Series 1
Episode 4
The army’s General Staff orders the elimination of the Germans' superhuman, now the Sentinels’ primary enemy. The Sentinels head off on his trail, unaware that they are about to face a foe with powers beyond all measure.
In French and German with English subtitles.
SAT 22:25 The Black Forest Murders (m002cfs7)
Series 1
Blood Rain
A hair found in the Schora case leads the team to a suspect, but there is still no breakthrough in the Berghoff case. Navit's relentless data searches yield a surprising result – the suspect is implicated in the unsolved murder of a French student, across the border in Austria, four years previously.
In German with English subtitles.
SAT 23:10 The Black Forest Murders (m002cftd)
Series 1
The Longest Night
Progress is slow as the investigation reaches the 100-day mark. As Kramer prepares to downsize the team, they finally manage to glean evidence from the murder weapon in Steinach, narrowing the search to potential perpetrators.
In German with English subtitles.
SAT 00:00 To the Manor Born (b00786vg)
Series 1
A Touch of Class
Stately sitcom. When DeVere decides to film a commercial at the manor, Audrey thinks the world should know the truth about him - and about her.
SAT 00:30 The Good Life (b00781x8)
Series 2
Just My Bill
Tom finds marketing his garden produce more difficult than he thought, especially when the rates are due.
SAT 01:00 Life on Earth (b01qgr6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:05 today]
SAT 01:55 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t4k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
SUNDAY 19 JULY 2026
SUN 19:00 Timeshift (b04c36md)
Series 14
Killer Storms and Cruel Winters: The History of Extreme Weather
If you think Britain has recently been on the end of some of the worst floods and storms ever experienced, think again. So says solar scientist Dr Lucie Green, as she takes a journey back through our most turbulent and dramatic weather history.
She finds an 18th-century storm surge that killed over a thousand people working in open Somerset fields, a hurricane that drowned a fifth of the British Navy and winters so bitter that the country came close to total shutdown. But she also explores how our reactions to killer storms and cruel winters helped forge a weather science that today allows us to predict - and protect ourselves from - the worst extremes.
SUN 20:00 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.
SUN 21:00 BBC Proms (m002zbl8)
2026
Beethoven's Fifth at the Proms
A specially curated night of musical gems, from the Royal Albert Hall. Alongside Beethoven's famous symphony are Mussorgsky's A Night on a Bare Mountain and Strauss' Don Juan. Presented by Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann and featuring performances by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop and Elim Chan.
SUN 22:05 A303: Highway to the Sun (b0116ly6)
The A303 is the road that passes Stonehenge on the way to the beaches of Devon and Cornwall. On the way, it whisks drivers through 5,000 years of remarkable moments in British history. And it is the star of this film made for armchair travellers and history lovers.
Writer Tom Fort drives its 92-mile length in a lovingly restored Morris Traveller. Along the way, he has many adventures - he digs up the 1960s master plan for the A303's dreams of superhighway status, and meets up with a Neolithic traveller who knew the road like the back of his hand. He also gets to know a section of the Roman 303, uncovers a medieval murder mystery and discovers what lies at the end of the Highway to the Sun.
SUN 23:05 Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel (m001d9jf)
The story of one of the most celebrated and sought-after movie composers, as told by the man himself and his closest collaborators.
Across a glittering 40-year career, Hans has redefined the movie score, thrilling audiences, pioneering new techniques and introducing new generations to the drama of orchestral music. In this portrait, Hans reveals the musical secrets of his craft - how he goes about terrifying, moving and raising an audience's spirits through his music.
SUN 00:05 BBC Proms (m002zbl8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
SUN 01:10 Timeshift (b04c36md)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SUN 02:10 A303: Highway to the Sun (b0116ly6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:05 today]
MONDAY 20 JULY 2026
MON 19:00 Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth (p02wnh9k)
Life Stream
In the wild North Atlantic, massive whale pods, giant turtles and monstrous jellyfish ride the Gulf Stream, a huge ocean current that becomes a migration superhighway and helps warm northern Europe. Meanwhile, fishermen battle for survival in mountainous seas as they try to reap the current's natural fertility.
MON 20:00 Treasures of Ancient Greece (b05qqgrr)
The Classical Revolution
Alastair Sooke unpicks the reasons behind the dazzling revolution that gave birth to classical Greek art, asking how the Greeks got so good so quickly. He travels to the beautiful Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, and to the island of Mozia to see the astonishing charioteer found there in 1979, and marvels at the athletic bodies of the warriors dragged from the seabed - the Riace Bronzes.
It was a creative explosion that covered architecture, sculpting in marble, casting in bronze, even painting on vases. Perhaps the most powerful factor was also its greatest legacy - a fascination with the naked human body.
MON 21:00 Private Life of a Masterpiece (m002zbky)
Whistler's Mother
Whistler's portrait of his elderly Puritan mother is one of the most satirised paintings of all time. Yet when his sombre masterpiece was first unveiled, it was seen as a radical departure from the sentimental images beloved of the Victorians, and which Whistler loathed. How did the portrait, born of Whistler's complex relationship with his mother, change the course of painting so drastically?
MON 21:50 One Hundred Great Paintings (m002zbl0)
The Elements: Whistler - Nocturne in Black and Gold
Milton Brown presents a closer look at James Whistler's painting Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket at the Institute of Art, Detroit.
MON 22:00 Becoming Frida Kahlo (m001jw8v)
Series 1
The Making and Breaking
Biographer Martha Zamora describes Frida's rebellious schooldays, where she falls in with the boys and meets Diego Rivera, a superstar artist who will go on to change her life.
But in 1925, a tragic accident thwarts Frida's ambition of becoming a doctor. Left facing a life of pain and injury, she channels this pain and uses it as the catalyst for her artistic career.
MON 23:00 Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves (p0cz8gbp)
Series 1
Oslo
In 1994, Munch’s The Scream is ripped from a gallery wall in Oslo. The detectives leading the investigation describe a complex and dangerous investigation which exposes the lengths to which criminals will go to gain a get-out-of-jail card for murder.
MON 00:00 Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth (p02wnh9k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
MON 01:00 Treasures of Ancient Greece (b05qqgrr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
MON 02:00 Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves (p0cz8gbp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 today]
TUESDAY 21 JULY 2026
TUE 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr9d)
Series 15
Glasgow to Cumbernauld
At the home of Scottish football, Glasgow’s Hampden Park stadium, Michael admires the oldest football trophy in the world and hears how the 'passing game' was born there. From Scotland’s busiest railway station, the splendid Glasgow Central, Michael heads to the M8 motorway to see 16 lanes of traffic slicing through the city centre.
At the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Michael hears how, after the Second World War, artist Joan Eardley set up a studio amid the tenements of Townhead and painted children from Glasgow’s slums. Michael finishes this leg of the journey in the planned, modernist new town of Cumbernauld, where he hears about the utopian ideals that shaped its design and architecture.
TUE 19:30 Walking With... (m00111q6)
Series 1
Walking with Kate Garraway
Broadcaster Kate Garraway goes for an invigorating walk along the edge of the Cotswold Hills. As she passes through the patch where Kate first cut her teeth as a reporter, she takes time to appreciate the stunning landscapes.
From the panoramic viewpoint of Painswick Beacon, Kate descends through beech woods to the village of Upton St Leonards, soaking up the sounds of nature as she goes. From there she climbs Cooper’s Hill and wanders down to the church at Great Witcombe. Kate relishes the chance to have nothing to do but take in the 'joy and rhythm of the countryside' as she crosses the gentle, rolling hills with just a 360-degree camera for company.
Along the way, she meets local craftspeople who are inspired by the ‘living theatre’ of the landscapes. Kate finds her natural surroundings a source of inspiration and resilience as she reflects on a year of challenges and change.
TUE 20:00 Keeping Up Appearances (b007b6rh)
Series 3
Richard's New Hobby
Hyacinth realises that Richard is bored after taking early retirement and provides him with a hobby - being artistic with a video camera. However, it's a decision she will live to regret.
TUE 20:30 One Foot in the Grave (b0078p3l)
Series 2
Love and Death
Victor and Margaret head off for a weekend at the seaside. Victor is presented with a most unusual and unwelcome gift.
TUE 21:00 She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (b01bgpm7)
Matilda and Eleanor
In the medieval and Tudor world there was no question in people's minds about the order of God's creation - men ruled and women didn't. A king was a warrior who literally fought to win power then battled to keep it. Yet despite everything that stood in their way, a handful of extraordinary women did attempt to rule medieval and Tudor England. In this series, historian Dr Helen Castor explores seven queens who challenged male power, the fierce reactions they provoked and whether the term 'she wolves' was deserved.
Eight hundred years ago, Matilda came within a hair's breadth of being the first woman to be crowned queen of England in her own right. Castor explores how Matilda reached this point and why her bid for the throne ultimately failed. Her daughter-in-law Eleanor of Aquitaine was an equally formidable woman. Despite being remembered as the queen of courtly love, in reality during her long life she divorced one king and married another, only to lead a rebellion against him. She only finally achieved the power she craved in her seventies.
TUE 22:00 Castles: Britain's Fortified History (b04t6n19)
Instruments of Invasion
Sam Willis looks at the history of the castle from its first appearance with the Normans in 1066 to the longest siege on English soil at Kenilworth Castle 200 years later. The castle arrived as an instrument of invasion but soon became a weapon with which unruly barons challenged the Crown. Tintagel Castle, the place where King Arthur is said to have been conceived, is also on the itinerary. It remains one of the most evocative of castles to this day, drawing visitors from around the world with its tales of myth and legend.
TUE 23:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx1)
Series 1
Rwanda – That Was a Local Thing
Why did the entire world stand by in 1994 as nearly one million people were murdered over one hundred days of incomprehensible terror in Rwanda? American diplomats describe events on the ground and in Washington as this tragedy unfolded. What did the White House know, when did they know it and why didn’t they act? The horrendous results of ignoring the genocide in Rwanda haunts the Washington decision-makers to this day. President Clinton refers to it as 'the greatest failure of my life'.
TUE 00:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx3)
Series 1
Kosovo – In the Name of Our Future
Three years after the civil war in Bosnia, the world looked like a very different place. The Bosnian genocide had been stopped, but Muslim separatists in the Kosovo region rekindled old conflicts that led President Clinton’s White House to consider Serbian President Milošević’s regime a threat to their own civilians.
With post-Soviet Russia in crisis, Boris Yeltsin, the Russian president, criticised at home for being 'an American puppet', strongly opposed any western intervention against their old allies in the Balkans. Nato did intervene, but at what cost? Boris Yeltsin is forced to resign, leaving a young and promising KGB officer named Vladimir Putin to take his place.
TUE 01:00 She-Wolves: England's Early Queens (b01bgpm7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUE 02:00 Walking With... (m00111q6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
TUE 02:30 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr9d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 22 JULY 2026
WED 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr8d)
Series 15
Shawlands to Livingston
Michael Portillo continues his postwar Scottish railway adventure, this time from Glasgow to the capital, Edinburgh.
At Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, Michael joins a women’s running club, the Bellahouston Harriers, for a warm-up session. In parkland above the pits en route to Cuningar Loop, he finds Glasgow’s geoenergy observatory, where the British Geological Society is researching how mine water heated naturally underground can be harnessed to save energy.
At Livingston North, Michael investigates a puzzling incident in 1979 in Dechmont Woods. And at Edinburgh’s famous 12th-century castle, he discovers the origins of a spectacle that has attracted tourists from far and wide since 1950, the Edinburgh Tattoo.
WED 19:30 Walking With... (m00111h4)
Series 1
Walking with Nick Grimshaw
Famous for waking up the nation on Radio One and his afternoon drive-time show, DJ and presenter Nick Grimshaw heads to the north east of England for a stroll through a fascinating landscape. Exploring historic areas of Warkworth and Amble in Northumberland, Nick begins his walk at first light, dipping his toes in the sea for a refreshing wake-me-up along the beach.
Crossing sand dunes and an ancient river, Nick heads for the streets of Warkworth and reflects on the importance of family life, including the positive influence of his late father. Nick talks about recognising his sexuality as he was growing up - including questioning what ‘being gay’ would actually mean.
Taking the short boat crossing to the extraordinary Warkworth Hermitage - a retreat carved from a sandstone cliff - Nick talks about the benefits meditation has brought to his life. As Nick approaches the end of his walk, the conversation turns to the future. He talks passionately about his desire to start his own family with his partner. Revitalised after his seven-mile walk, Nick enjoys the sunset at Amble pier and vows to return to Northumberland.
WED 20:00 A Timewatch Guide (b051h0gy)
Series 1
The Mary Rose
Historian Dan Snow explores the greatest maritime archaeology project in British history - the Mary Rose. Using 40 years of BBC archive footage Dan charts how the Mary Rose was discovered, excavated and eventually raised, and what the latest research has revealed about this iconic ship and her crew. Dan also investigates how the Mary Rose project helped create modern underwater archaeology, examining the techniques, challenges and triumphs of the divers and archaeologists involved.
WED 21:00 The Magic of Mushrooms (b041m6fh)
Professor Richard Fortey delves into the fascinating and normally hidden kingdom of fungi. From their spectacular birth, through a secretive underground life to their final explosive death, Richard reveals a remarkable world that few of us understand or even realise exists - yet all life on earth depends on it.
In a specially built mushroom lab, with the help of mycologist Dr Patrick Hickey and some state-of-the-art technology, Richard brings to life the secret world of mushrooms as never seen before and reveals the spectacular abilities of fungi to break down waste and sustain new plant life, keeping our planet alive.
Beyond the lab, Richard travels across Britain and beyond to show us the biggest, fastest and most deadly organisms on the planet - all of them fungi. He reveals their almost magical powers that have world-changing potential - opening up new frontiers in science, medicine and technology.
WED 22:00 Play for Today (p02zy02t)
Series 2
Edna the Inebriate Woman
Patricia Hayes stars in Jeremy Sandford’s play about a down and out woman who wanders through life in an alcoholic haze, without a job, a home or any money.
WED 23:30 Private Life of a Masterpiece (m002zbky)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
WED 00:20 A Timewatch Guide (b051h0gy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 01:20 The Magic of Mushrooms (b041m6fh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WED 02:20 Walking With... (m00111h4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
WED 02:50 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr8d)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
THURSDAY 23 JULY 2026
THU 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr9c)
Series 15
Edinburgh to Queensferry
At the former Midlothian mining village of Newtongrange, Michael meets the son of a miner whose name loomed large in the disputes of the 1970s and 1980s, 'Red' Mick McGahey. On the outskirts of Edinburgh, at a recording studio in South Gyle, Michael is transported back to the wild world of 1970s pop with Bay City Rollers guitarist Stuart 'Woody' Wood.
Michael leaves Edinburgh and takes the train north to Dalmeny for Queensferry, on the banks of the Firth of Forth. At the Progress Rail foundry, he marvels at the traditional skills still required to produce complex sets of rails for modern tracks in Britain and across the world.
On the south bank of the Firth of Forth, Michael recalls the construction during the 1950s and 1960s of the Forth Road Bridge, which he saw as a child from the train window while crossing the rail bridge.
THU 19:30 Walking With... (m001111j)
Series 1
Walking with Shappi Khorsandi
Comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi walks through stunning scenery in the Peak District and along the Monsal Trail. From the hills above Tideswell, Shappi follows tracks and footpaths along Tideswell Dale and Miller’s Dale before reaching the disused railway line of the Monsal Trail. Along the way she meets residents who are charmed by her characteristic wit and ease.
Taking time to appreciate the hills and ridges surrounding her, Shappi enjoys a sense of calm and composure in the country air. Walking along the trail as it tunnels through hillsides and over gorges, Shappi takes the opportunity to ‘allow the hills to hold’ her. She talks candidly about her outlook on life and love. Funny and poignant, the comedian speaks of relationships, motherhood and mental health with a refreshing honesty.
THU 20:00 Jesus Christ Superstar (m001kk2j)
A novel take on the last seven days of Jesus Christ's life, based on Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous rock opera.
A group of young people arrive in the Holy Land by bus to act out events leading to the Crucifixion in a blend of biblical and contemporary themes. To Judas Iscariot, Christ is a badly managed superstar, bound to lose the support of a fickle public. To the priests, he is a menace, and to Mary Magdalene, he brings a love she has never known before.
Photographed against dramatic scenery in Israel, the film is performed without dialogue and includes the hit songs I Don't Know How to Love Him, Superstar and King Herod's Song.
THU 21:40 Norman Jewison: Hollywood Veteran (m001wkg2)
Tim Sebastian talks to director and producer Norman Jewison, whose acclaimed films include In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof and Moonstruck.
THU 22:05 In the Heat of the Night (b0077qg6)
Oscar-winning thriller about a bigoted sheriff in a small Mississippi cotton town who finds himself forced into working with a black homicide expert from Philadelphia.
THU 23:50 Scene by Scene (m001q1zb)
Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger talks to Mark Cousins about his celebrated roles in On the Waterfront, Dr Zhivago and In the Heat of the Night, and shares anecdotes about James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.
THU 00:40 Castles: Britain's Fortified History (b04t6n19)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
THU 01:40 Scene by Scene (m001q1zb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:50 today]
THU 02:30 Walking With... (m001111j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 03:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001xr9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
FRIDAY 24 JULY 2026
FRI 19:00 BBC Proms (m002zbkf)
2026
Prog Rock at the Proms
Dazzling new classical arrangements of ELP, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, Yes and more, with performances from Guy Garvey, Gruff Rhys and Jane Weaver. Performing alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames, more is more in this ultimate rock-classical crossover. Expect synthesisers and tubular bells in a specially curated evening presented by Stuart Maconie.
FRI 21:00 Top of the Pops (m002zbkh)
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 18 February 2000 and featuring Gabrielle, Daphne & Celeste, Hepburn, Joey Negro and Taka Boom, Eiffel 65, Ian Brown, DJ Luck & MC Neat and Oasis.
FRI 21:30 Top of the Pops (b08200c8)
Simon Bates presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 July 1982 and featuring The Belle Stars, Madness, Bananarama, The Brat, Trio, Junior, The Stranglers, Dollar and Irene Cara.
FRI 22:00 Top of the Pops (b0bpz9dq)
Gary Davies and Peter Powell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 23 July 1986. Featuring Hollywood Beyond, Sinitta, Audrey Hall, Robert Palmer, Haywoode and Madonna.
FRI 22:30 Prog at the BBC (b00g8tfx)
Compilation of some of the greatest names and British bands in prog rock, filmed live in the BBC studios in the early 1970s. Featuring stadium names like Yes, Genesis and Emerson, Lake and Palmer alongside much-loved bands of the era, including Caravan, Family, Atomic Rooster and more.
FRI 23:30 The Old Grey Whistle Test (m001cjqz)
Genesis
Anne Nightingale introduces a recording of a Genesis concert performed at the Lyceum Ballroom, London, on 7 May 1980. The band is fronted by a bearded Phil Collins.
FRI 00:10 The Lively Arts (m002blmr)
Jethro Tull
A film, first broadcast in 1980, that portrays the many-sided talents of hugely successful British rock group Jethro Tull - at home, in the recording studio and on tour in America.
FRI 01:10 Sight and Sound in Concert (m002zbkk)
Supertramp
Bob Harris introduces a 1977 concert by Supertramp at Queen Mary College, London. Including the hits Dreamer, Give a Little Bit and Bloody Well Right.
FRI 01:40 TOTP2 (b04lclfn)
Genesis
Top of the Pops 2 dips into the archives to explore both classic collective hits and smash solo singles spanning 20 early years of Genesis history. From the art-rock Gabriel era of flamboyant theatrics and quirky costumes to their eighties evolution into pop superstars, Genesis are both influential experimentalists and a chart-smashing behemoth.
With solo numbers from Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Mike + The Mechanics, this is an eclectic two-sided playlist featuring everything from I Can't Dance to I Know What I Like, No Self Control to In the Air Tonight, and Many Too Many to The Living Years. So Turn It On Again and tune in, from prog to pop, Genesis to Revelation, the hits are here on TOTP2.
FRI 02:25 Top of the Pops (m002zbkh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 02:55 Top of the Pops (b08200c8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:30 today]
FRI 03:25 Top of the Pops (b0bpz9dq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]