The BBC Young Musician of the Year is the most established and prestigious contest for young classical performers in Britain today. In 2008, the competition celebrated its 30th anniversary with the Concerto Final, the first of two nights of competition, held at the iconic Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
Five exceptionally talented musicians perform a concerto of their choice with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under the baton of Thierry Fischer, in front of an audience and expert judges Ben Foster, Catrin Finch, Paul Daniel, Nicola Benedetti and Richard Morrison for the coveted title of BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008.
Satirical drama based on Margaret Thatcher's early years in politics. Young Margaret wants nothing more than to be an MP, but may be too much of a rebel for the Conservative Party of the 1950s. She did not have a 'good war', she is interested in politics and she thinks a woman's place can be in the House as well as the home.
Ed Asner tells the story of RKO Pictures. Orson Welles spent a hectic few years at RKO, making Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons and the abandoned It's All True.
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.
Series which unearths the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama looks at Scottish cop series Hamish Macbeth.
The Sunday night schedules had never seen anything like it, and a dope-smoking cop living in a Scottish village with palm trees was only the beginning of the oddness. Developed from a series of novels that weren't even published in the UK, the Hamish of the books was a strapping six-footer with ginger hair and a mongrel dog. So how did he become Robert Carlyle?
If Hamish was a renegade cop, then Hamish Macbeth was a suitably subversive production. There were fraught discussions with BBC management about the drug-taking of the policeman and the doctor. There were concerns about the writers killing off the fluffy white dog. And the idea of putting the dead dog in the freezer provided a particularly strong reaction. But the production team generally got their own way. And they were proved to be right when the viewing figures regularly topped 10 million.
Interviewees include Duncan Duff, Ralph Riach, Valerie Gogan, Brian Pettifer, executive producers Scott Meek and Andrea Calderwood, producer Deirdre Keir, writer Danny Boyle and script editor Dominic Minghe.
Drama series about a young policeman whose beat is a seemingly sleepy Highland village. A mysterious woman appears on the outskirts of Lochdubh, and Hamish goes into the hills on the trail of two escaped convicts who have brought tragedy to the village.
WEDNESDAY 31 DECEMBER 2008
WED 19:00 Legends (b00fwdwp)
Nana Mouskouri - The White Rose of Athens
Profile of Greek singer Nana Mouskouri, known as the White Rose of Athens and one of the best-selling female artists of all time.
The documentary features a revealing interview with Nana herself, rare archive footage and interviews with family and friends including Harry Belafonte, Julio Iglesias and Charles Aznavour.
There is also exclusive footage from her July 2008 farewell concert in Athens which, following a four year long world tour, marked her retirement from performing.
WED 20:00 Nana Mouskouri at the BBC (b00fvhg4)
A vintage collection of Nana Mouskouri's performances from the BBC archive, including her entry in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest and musical collaborations with Michel Legrand, Charles Aznavour and Cliff Richard.
WED 21:00 In Love with Barbara (b00f7zg2)
Drama inspired by the life of arguably the most prolific author of the 20th century, Dame Barbara Cartland, which looks beyond the pink facade to tell the story of what made her the resilient and renowned Queen of Romance.
Despite her devotion to true love, her own life was blighted by heartbreak, with her first marriage ending in a scandalous society divorce. In the aftermath of this humiliation, she successfully campaigned to have her beloved brother Ronald elected to parliament, but he was killed at Dunkirk before he could fulfil his promise.
In the 1970s, at the height of her commercial powers, Cartland formed an unlikely friendship with Lord Louis Mountbatten and they collaborated on a romantic novel.
WED 22:25 Clarissa and the King's Cookbook (b00b6vl6)
We Brits love our cookbooks - every year we buy millions of them and treat our celebrity chefs like royalty. But where did it all begin? Self-confessed medieval foodie Clarissa Dickson Wright tracks down Britain's oldest known cookbook, The Forme of Cury. This 700-year-old scroll was written during the reign of King Richard II from recipes created by the king's master chefs. How this ancient manuscript influenced the way people eat today? On her culinary journey through medieval history she reawakens recipes that have lain dormant for centuries and discovers dishes that are still prepared now.
WED 22:55 Carluccio and the Leopard (b00g31qr)
Antonio Carluccio travels to Sicily to discover more about one of the most successful novels ever written in the Italian language, The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Whilst tracing the locations that inspired the book, Antonio cooks the food that is such an integral part of the lives of its characters.
Giuseppe Tomasi, Prince of Lampedusa, who died in 1957, had seen his family fortune disappear during his lifetime. The Palermo palace he lived in as a child had been destroyed by American bombing in the Second World War and the family's country villa was reduced to rubble by an earthquake. Lampedusa was acutely nostalgic for the aristocratic world of his childhood and at the end of his life he wrote a novel, based on the life of his great grandfather, that recreated this lost paradise.
Basing himself in the kitchen of a 16th century villa, Antonio recreates the meals of the 1860s that Lampedusa describes with such artistry. He explores the history of Italian unification that forms the background of the novel and ventures into the vibrant city of Palermo to find the street food that is still an important part of the Sicilian way of life. Antonio discovers the way that food is central to Sicilian culture, with Greek, Arab, Norman and Spanish invaders all having contributed to the island's unique cuisine.
He also meets Lampedusa's adopted son and learns how this eccentric and impoverished nobleman died before his only novel was published, causing a sensation in Italy and sparking a national debate on the eve of the centenary of the unification it described.
WED 23:55 Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe (b00g87gx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:50 on Monday]
WED 00:25 Young Frankenstein (b0078zq4)
Celebratory parody of the 1930s Frankenstein films as the doctor's grandson inherits the creepy old Transylvanian estate.
Somewhat embarrassed by his family's dubious background, he arrives to find the castle inhabited by descendants of those who populated his grandfather's unusual world. Overcoming his initial misgivings, he decides to piece together a creature of his own.
WED 02:10 The Cult of... (b00934wz)
Sunday Night
The Onedin Line
The series which unearths the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night dramas looks at the 1970s seafaring saga The Onedin Line, which followed the fortunes of James Onedin and his flagship, the Charlotte Rhodes.
Its theme music, Khachaturian's Spartacus, became forever associated with the sea, and Peter Gilmore's sideburns became objects of desire. But if it wasn't for German viewers The Onedin Line would have run aground after a single series. A massive 60,000 pounds over budget, producer Peter Graham Scott was being shunned in the BBC canteen before the sale of the series to Germany wiped out the overspend.
The programme reveals the reasons behind Philip Bond's premature departure from the series; tells exactly how the storm-at-sea sequences were filmed; uncovers the impact of Peter Gilmore's struggle to remember his lines; and shows how The Onedin Line was directly responsible for Jane Seymour being cast as Solitaire in the Bond film Live and Let Die.
WED 02:40 The Onedin Line (b00934wy)
Series 1
The Wind Blows Free
Classic drama series charting the fortunes of a Liverpool shipping family headed by the ambitious James Onedin. The action opens in 1860. Already a seasoned seafarer at 28, Onedin is determined to command his own ship, even if it means marrying a woman he does not love.
WED 03:30 The Cult of... (b009099z)
Sunday Night
Poldark
Archaeology series unearthing the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama series looks at Poldark. The programme reveals how rows about the adaption of Winston Graham's Poldark novels dogged the production behind the scenes. The author attempted to block production and the show ended after just two series with his refusal to allow the producers to create new storylines. Poldark was nonetheless a smash hit and its two main stars, Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees became known as TV's sexiest couple.
WED 04:00 Carluccio and the Leopard (b00g31qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:55 today]
THURSDAY 01 JANUARY 2009
THU 19:00 New Year's Day Concert (b00g8h5d)
2009 - Highlights
From the Musikverein in Vienna, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra perform the annual celebratory concert of waltzes, polkas, marches, conducted for the first time by Argentinean-Israeli pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. Extensive highlights from the complete concert which took place this morning featuring works by Johann Strauss I and II, Joseph Strauss, Joseph Hellmesburger Jr. and Joseph Haydn marking the 200th anniversry of his death; and to accompany some of the works there are performances by the Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper. The presenter is Brian Kay.
THU 21:00 Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills and Boon (b00fcwn0)
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the popular romance publishing phenomenon Mills and Boon, a colourful and camp drama which charts the witty and moving stories of three very different women affected by the brand's success: co-founder Charles Boon's wife Mary, daydreaming 1970s writer Janet and modern-day literature lecturer Kirstie.
THU 22:25 Timeshift (b00ff170)
How to Write a Mills and Boon
What happens when a literary novelist tries to write popular romantic fiction? To mark 100 years of romance publishers Mills and Boon, literary novelist Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing for them.
Romantic fiction is a global phenomenon, and Mills and Boon are among the biggest names in the business. The company welcomes submissions from new authors, but as Duffy soon finds out, writing a Mills and Boon is harder than it looks.
Help is at hand from the publishers themselves, a prolific Mills and Boon author and some avid romance fans, as Duffy's quest to create the perfect romantic novel takes her from London to Italy on a journey that is both an insight into the art of romantic fiction and the joy and frustration of writing itself.
THU 23:25 The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood (b00gfg2q)
Dark Victory
Ed Asner tells the story of RKO Pictures. The 1950s were a time of mounting paranoia, reflected by the studio's ventures into film noir. Robert Mitchum makes his first screen appearance, Val Lewton creates Zombies and Cat People, and the House Un-American Activities Committee stalks its prey.
THU 00:25 I Walked With a Zombie (b0078t0v)
A Canadian nurse, Betsy, arrives on a Caribbean island to tend an invalid woman who appears to suffer from an unexplained paralysis. The horrific truth soon emerges, however, amid the haunting rhythms of the voodoo drums.
THU 01:35 The Cult of... (b009hf6g)
Sunday Night
Bergerac
Series which unearths the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama looks at Jersey-set detective series Bergerac, which made a star of John Nettles.
Bergerac had the right kind of setting for a traditional Sunday night drama and did wonders for the Jersey tourist industry, but finding a contemporary cop show in the Sunday night schedules was far more unusual. And Jim Bergerac wasn't even the usual cop, with his struggle to overcome his alcoholism and inability to shake off his ex-wife Debbie or his dodgy ex-father-in-law, Charlie Hungerford.
But Jersey, Jim and his list of lovers kept viewers tuning in in their millions, as did the all-action style of future Bond director Martin Campbell. Success and popularity got the tabloids interested - which meant a payout for Liza Goddard when one paper confused her on-screen interest in John Nettles for the real thing. And whatever happened to Jim's distinctive Triumph Roadster?
Interviewees include John Nettles, Sean Arnold, Liza Goddard, Louise Jameson, Deborah Grant, series creator Robert Banks Stewart, writer Rod Beacham and director Martin Campbell.
THU 02:05 Bergerac (b007bp5w)
Series 3
Ice Maiden
When notorious jewel thief Philippa Vale hits town just in time for the private sale of a large diamond, Jim concentrates on maximising security and seems to have it all sewn up. But the impossible happens when the diamond is stolen mid-auction.
THU 02:55 Consuming Passion: 100 Years of Mills and Boon (b00fcwn0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 02 JANUARY 2009
FRI 19:00 Lost Horizons: The Big Bang (b00dcbqm)
Professor Jim Al Khalili delves into over 50 years of the BBC science archive to tell the story behind the emergence of one of the greatest theories of modern science, the Big Bang.
The remarkable idea that our universe simply began from nothing has not always been accepted with the conviction it is today and, from fiercely disputed leftfield beginnings, took the best part of the 20th century to emerge as the triumphant explanation of how the universe began. Using curious horn-shaped antennas, U-2 spy planes, satellites and particle accelerators, scientists have slowly pieced together the cosmological jigsaw, and this documentary charts the overwhelming evidence for a universe created by a Big Bang.
FRI 20:00 The Big Bang Machine (b00dccnr)
Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around Cern's Large Hadron Collider before this vast, 27km long machine is sealed off and a simulation experiment begins to try and create the conditions that existed just a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Cox joins the scientists who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early universe and solve some of its mysteries.
FRI 21:00 Prog at the BBC (b00g8tfx)
Compilation of some of the greatest names and British bands in what they still dare to call prog rock, filmed live in the BBC studios in the early 1970s. Expect to see 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 22:00 Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements (b00g8tfv)
Documentary about progressive music and the generation of bands that were involved, from the international success stories of Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson and Jethro Tull to the trials and tribulations of lesser-known bands such as Caravan and Egg.
The film is structured in three parts, charting the birth, rise and decline of a movement famed for complex musical structures, weird time signatures, technical virtuosity and strange, and quintessentially English, literary influences.
It looks at the psychedelic pop scene that gave birth to progressive rock in the late 1960s, the golden age of progressive music in the early 1970s, complete with drum solos and gatefold record sleeves, and the over-ambition, commercialisation and eventual fall from grace of this rarefied musical experiment at the hands of punk in 1977.
Contributors include Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield, Pete Sinfield, Rick Wakeman, Phil Collins, Arthur Brown, Carl Palmer and Ian Anderson.
FRI 23:30 The RKO Story: Tales From Hollywood (b00gfg2n)
Howard's End
The story of RKO Radio Pictures told through the eyes of people who worked there concludes as Howard Hughes' purchase of RKO has a devastating effect on the studio.
Presented by Ed Asner.
FRI 00:35 Build My Gallows High (b00783dj)
Classic 1940s American film noir which tells a grim, complex tale of love and betrayal. An ex-private detective turned garage owner is hired to find the girlfirend of an old gambling associate. His journey takes him down to Acapulco, where he finds himself falling in love with the dangerous lady in question.
FRI 02:10 Prog Rock Britannia: An Observation in Three Movements (b00g8tfv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
FRI 03:40 Prog at the BBC (b00g8tfx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]