The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
Over 3,000 years ago legend has it that Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, sent a fleet of ships to the wonderful, distant land of Punt. A bas-relief in the temple where she is entombed in Luxor shows them bringing back extraordinary treasures. But did this expedition really happen? And if it did, where exactly is the land of Punt?
Drawing upon recent finds, archaeologist Cheryl Ward sets out to recreate the voyage in a full-size replica of one of these ancient ships, sailing it in the wake of Hatshepsut's fleet in search of the mythical land of Punt. A human adventure as well as a scientific challenge, the expedition proves that, contrary to popular belief, the ancient Egyptians had the necessary tools, science and techniques to sail the seas.
Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital.
The Polymaths pool their disparate skills in chicken husbandry, musical theatre and urban geography to challenge the brainpower of the Strategists, a team unified by their love of sophisticated strategy board games.
They compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly random, including Cakes and Ale, The Dogs of War, Brave New World and The Darling Buds of May.
Mariella Frostrup asks what it takes to write a compelling diary. She discovers more about the diaries of Virginia Woolf, Anne Frank and Adrian Mole through meeting Virginia Nicholson, Jacqueline Wilson and Sue Townsend.
In seeking to find out what separates a simply dedicated diarist from a great one Mariella travels to Charleston to meet Virginia Nicholson, the grandniece of her favourite diarist, Virginia Woolf. Despite leading inexorably towards her taking her own life, Woolf's diaries are surprisingly funny, and their immediacy and humanity pulls us into her world.
Teenage is a time when many commit their most intimate thoughts to their diary, though few continue into adulthood. Mariella visits Jacqueline Wilson to talk about the teenage diary - often silly, full of self-obsession and lacking in irony. In fact, the former children's laureate describes her own teenage diary as written by 'such an idiot'. But Jacqueline is in awe of the skilled teenage writers who use their diary as confidante to create something resonant and lasting and admits to a lifelong obsession with Anne Frank. Anne Frank couldn't possibly know the end to her story as she wrote. But is there a reader who comes to her diaries without the added poignancy of the tragic end colouring how they respond to every entry?
The importance of a diary's detail and honesty come to dominate Mariella's trip to Leicester to see Sue Townsend. They discuss whether a fictional diary can possibly be entirely fictional, and Sue confesses that there are more similarities between her and her diary-keeping creation, Adrian Mole, than one might imagine.
Contributors include Eileen Atkins, Hermione Lee, Deborah Bull, Kathy Lette, Gyles Brandreth, Ellie Kendrick, Simon Brett, John Lahr and Simon Garfield.
Jon Blair's Oscar-winning documentary is the first ever eye-witness account of the life and legacy of the iconic child diarist, Anne Frank.
Combining personal testimony, never-before-seen photos, previously undiscovered family letters, rare archive footage (including the only known moving footage of Anne herself) with evocative contemporary film, this haunting film was hailed as a masterpiece in the British and American press when it was released.
By peeling away the onion skin layers of mythology and concentrating closely on the details of Anne's brief life, rather than her famous diary, the film makes real the story of this one child and her family, and those who lived and died with her.
Drama series set in the 1960s New York advertising world. Freddy Rumsen embarrasses himself in the office and Pete sees an opportunity to exploit it.
TUESDAY 12 JANUARY 2010
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00ptxbb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 The Diary of Anne Frank (b00gndt1)
Series 1
Episode 1
June 1942. WWII Amsterdam is under Nazi occupation. Anne Frank, a teenage Jewish girl, is celebrating her 13th birthday with her family and friends by having a party. Amongst her birthday presents, she is given a red diary that she starts to write in immediately. Days later, call up papers arrive for her 16-year-old sister Margot and her parents, Otto and Edith, decide to hasten their plan to go into hiding from the Nazis to ensure that the family do not get separated.
The next morning, the Franks head to Otto's spice company. Once there, they are led past the warehouses by their helpers in the office and taken up to a secret annex at the back of the building that occupies the three top floors. Otto and Edith will sleep in one room, with Margot and Anne next door in another. They will soon be joined by their friends Mr and Mrs Van Daan and their teenage son Peter, who will live on the floor above, in the larger shared living area. At the very top of the building is a disused attic, too cold to sleep in but useful for storing food. They must obey strict rules in the annex, remaining completely silent during working hours while the warehouse men are in the building. Only the faithful office staff know of their existence and have agreed to help them survive.
At first, Edith and Margot find the confinement hard to bear and sink into depression, while Otto and Anne make themselves useful, arranging the furniture that has been hidden there for them, and sewing material together to make black-out curtains. The Van Daans soon arrive and liven things up, especially when Peter reveals that he has brought his pet cat Mouschi, while Anne was forced to leave her cat at home. Anne does not think much of Peter but decides she must try and be pleasant to him to keep the peace.
TUE 20:00 Sahara with Michael Palin (b0074p4m)
Destination Timbuktu
Series charting Michael Palin's trek across the Sahara Desert. Leaving the desert behind, Michael briefly savours the delights of cosmopolitan Senegal - jazz clubs, wrestling competitions, dance troupes and the queen of the Senegalese soaps, Marie-Madeleine.
Joining the so-called Bamako Express, he endures two days and nights on the train, but in the process gets to know a schoolmistress who is nothing if not forthright about the disadvantages of polygamy.
In Bamako he finds renowned kora player, Toumani Diabate, and delights in a master class before heading off to Dogon country.
The Dogon people have one of the most distinctive and celebrated cultures of West Africa and they nearly kill him with a combination of excessively complex origin myths, an exploding flintlock and boiling hot millet.
Celebrating the Muslim 'Tabaski' feast in the beautiful city of Djenne with a man called Pygmy and securing a passage on a cargo boat with a Norwegian missionary called Kristin, the rest of the journey down the Niger River to Timbuktu seems plain sailing, until the boat runs aground a day from its destination.
TUE 21:00 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00pzc1l)
Series 1
Ethiopia
Four-part series in which British art historian Dr Gus Casely-Hayford explores the pre-colonial history of some of Africa's most important kingdoms.
The African continent is home to nearly a billion people. It has an incredible diversity of communities and cultures, yet we know less of its history than almost anywhere else on earth.
But that is beginning to change. In the last few decades, researchers and archaeologists have begun to uncover a range of histories as impressive and extraordinary as anywhere else in the world.
The series reveals that Africa's stories are preserved for us in its treasures, statues and ancient buildings - in the culture, art and legends of the people.
When Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed by the Ethiopian military in 1974, an ancient kingdom came to an end. According to tradition, the imperial dynasty stretched back virtually unbroken to 950 BC and its origins had links to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
The legitimacy of Haile Selassie and the foundations of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church rested on this claim, but was it true?
Casely-Hayford searches for the evidence and discovers why faith in the legend has lasted for centuries. He traces Ethiopia's heritage back in time, investigating its astonishing secrets and legends.
TUE 22:00 We Need Answers (b00pwsfp)
Series 2
Episode 7
Anarchic comedy game show in which celebrity guests answer questions set by the public.
Mark Watson hosts, Tim Key is in the questionmaster's chair and Alex Horne provides expert analysis from a booth as two celebrities battle it out to be crowned the winner and avoid the shame of donning 'The Clogs of Defeat'.
Ex-Strictly Come Dancing champion Camilla Dallerup competes with presenter and broadcaster Terry Christian.
The rules are simple - contestants must match their answer to the one given by a text answering service. Questions can range from 'How many gerbils would have to be stacked on top of each other to reach the moon?' to 'How heavy is the sky?' to 'Is gravy a condiment?'.
In the cunning physical challenge which pits the contestants against each other, Terry and Camilla see who can nod the most in a minute.
TUE 22:30 Dear Diary (b00pws9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
TUE 23:30 Dinner with Portillo (b00ptkjg)
Is It Dishonourable to Publish a Political Diary?
Michael Portillo and his guests discuss whether it is fair for politicians to profit from their years in power by betraying the confidences of their colleagues. Is the modern diarist motivated by money, fame or revenge, rather than the public interest? Or do political diaries serve an important purpose by throwing light on the inner workings of government? Guests include Gyles Brandreth, Oona King, Chris Mullin MP and Lord Hattersley.
TUE 00:00 Mad Men (b00jwbtp)
Series 2
The Inheritance
Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York.
Betty takes Don to visit her father, who has had a stroke. Paul and Pete look set to go to LA for a rocket fair, but Paul's girlfriend Sheila wants him to go on a civil rights march. Betty finds a surprise in the Wendy House. Pete decides he doesn't like his mother.
TUE 00:45 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00pzc1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUE 01:50 We Need Answers (b00pwsfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
TUE 02:20 Dear Diary (b00pws9f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:20 Lost Kingdoms of Africa (b00pzc1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 13 JANUARY 2010
WED 19:00 World News Today (b00pv010)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 The Diary of Anne Frank (b00gn81c)
Series 1
Episode 2
October 1942. World War II. In the secret annex where Anne Frank is in hiding from the Nazis with her family and close friends the Van Daan family, the toilet is blocked and her father, Otto, is forced to try and unblock it with a stick. When he fails, they have to resort to using jam jars until it is mended. Their helpers in the offices downstairs call a plumber, and the family are terrified that he will need to come up to the annex and they will be discovered. Fortunately, it is finally sorted from downstairs and all is well.
Anne finds Mrs Van Daan increasingly hard to bear, as she orders her around and criticises her in a way that her liberal parents never do. She also finds Peter Van Daan frustratingly dim, and never misses an opportunity to tell him so. But overall they are getting used to their incarceration, and the strict rules of daily quiet by which they must live. Otto oversees their school studies and everyone has their routine tasks to perform. Only at night when the bomb raids start is Anne so scared that she runs into her parents' room for comfort.
Anne invites Miep and her husband Jan to come to dinner in the annex and to stay overnight in her room, while she and Margot camp in their parents' room, and Miep agrees. Anne is thrilled and draws up a special menu in their honour, which Mrs Van Daan cooks for them. But Miep brings the bad news, which she tells only the Franks, that the Van Daans' apartment has been ransacked by the Nazis and all their property confiscated. When Mrs Van Daan asks Miep to bring her some more of her things, it is Anne who covers the difficult moment with a toast to the helpers.
WED 20:00 Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights (b00dhv1n)
An amazing journey in Norway's far North as Joanna Lumley pursues a lifelong dream to track down the elusive, stunningly beautiful Northern Lights - 'the true wonder of the world,' as she puts it.
Joanna grew up in tropical Malaysia, and as a little girl never saw snow or felt cold. Inspired by fairytales and picture books, she always longed to make the journey north. At last she travels north across the Arctic Circle, up through Norway to Svalbard, the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth, where she has to cope with temperatures approaching minus 30 degrees centigrade.
With a box of crayons in hand, her journey takes her from train to boat, to husky-sled, to snowmobile, as she is pulled ever northwards by what she calls 'the strongest point of the compass'. She explores the romantic fjords of Lofoten and learns to ride a snowmobile, speeding across endless expanses of Lapland tundra with a Sami herdsman in search of his reindeer. As she reaches the Arctic Ocean, she prepares for bed in a hotel made entirely of ice. Everywhere she goes, she asks about the mysterious Northern Lights.
WED 21:00 The Man Who Shot the 60s (b00pwsns)
A tribute to Brian Duffy, who passed away in May 2010. Duffy was one of the greatest photographers of his generation. Along with David Bailey and Terence Donovan he defined the image of the 1960s and was as famous as the stars he photographed. In the 1970s he suddenly disappeared from view and burned all his negatives. Filmed on the eve of the first-ever exhibition of his work, Duffy agrees to talk about his life, his work and why he made it all go up in flames.
WED 22:00 Flight of the Conchords (b008fmyw)
Series 1
The Actor
Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in New York. The boys hire an actor to cheer Murray up by pretending he's a good manager. But things get out of hand when he ends up accidentally offering Murray a non-existent record deal with Sony and Murray blows all his money on a Lord of the Rings video shoot. Features the songs Frodo and Cheer Up Murray.
WED 22:30 We Need Answers (b00pwsfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
WED 23:00 Orson Welles over Europe (b00phtpq)
When Orson Welles went into self-imposed exile in Europe, he first found stardom with The Third Man and then immersed himself in challenging films, television, theatre and bullfighting. Simon Callow trails the complex actor-director.
WED 00:00 Mad Men (b00jzjmq)
Series 2
The Jet Set
Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York.
Don takes a business trip to Los Angeles, where he has some 'Joy'. Peggy's in the mood for an office romance and Duck contemplates the future at Sterling Cooper. Roger looks to make a radical change to his life.
WED 00:45 The Man Who Shot the 60s (b00pwsns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WED 01:45 We Need Answers (b00pwsfp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Orson Welles over Europe (b00phtpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 today]
WED 03:15 The Man Who Shot the 60s (b00pwsns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 14 JANUARY 2010
THU 19:00 World News Today (b00pv19x)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Only Connect (b00pws9c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 on Monday]
THU 20:00 Time (b0074s93)
Lifetime
Series in which Michio Kaku goes on an extraordinary exploration of the world in search of time.
How long would you like to live? 100 years? What about 200 or even 1,000? Amazingly it could happen, as Kaku finds out.
The greatest power that time holds over us is that it is both limited and yet so precious. But new discoveries in nature and genetic research are suggesting that we have the potential for a massive extension of human life, and one scientist believes that children already alive today could become effectively immortal.
But what would immortality really mean? Culturally, we are shaped by the knowledge that our time is limited, both as people and societies. Death surrounds us in our art, monuments, and music. Change our relationship with death and everything else changes too.
THU 21:00 The Secret Life of Chaos (b00pv1c3)
Chaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand.
It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here?
In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder?
It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern.
And the best thing is that one doesn't need to be a scientist to understand it. The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again.
THU 22:00 Storyville (b00pzcc0)
Cage Fighting Women
From the acclaimed BBC Storyville strand, an eye-opening look at the brutal world of women's cage fighting.
Cage Fighting Women follows the fortunes of two British female cage fighters - Rosi Sexton and Lisa Higo, a mother of two married to her trainer John - as they travel to America for the biggest bouts of their lives. Inside the cage, punching, kneeing, kicking, elbowing and choking are all allowed - in fact, very little isn't.
Both women have their own reasons for stepping into the cage and both are prepared to lay their safety on the line in search of success. Fight nights and family life are explored in this in-depth portrait of the women who have decided to enter the ring of this extreme sport.
THU 23:00 The Man Who Shot the 60s (b00pwsns)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:00 Mad Men (b00k3651)
Series 2
The Mountain King
Drama series which takes an unflinching look at the world of advertising in 1960s New York. Don renews his acquaintance with an old friend. Pete's personal problems impact on a major account. Joan introduces her fiance to the office staff.
THU 00:45 The Secret Life of Chaos (b00pv1c3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THU 01:50 Time (b0074s93)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THU 02:50 Storyville (b00pzcc0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
THU 03:50 The Secret Life of Chaos (b00pv1c3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 15 JANUARY 2010
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00pv1gc)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:25 DEC Haiti Earthquake Appeal (b00qj35d)
Kirsty Young presents an appeal on behalf of the Disasters and Emergency Committee for aid to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.
FRI 19:30 Carmen: The Dream and the Destiny (b00pwstr)
1970s documentary by celebrated filmmaker Christopher Nupen which tells the story of composer Georges Bizet and his most famous composition.
A failure when it premiered in Paris in 1875, Carmen is now regarded as one of the great stories in the history of Western music. But Bizet never lived to know that his opera would become one of the most popular of all time, dying of a heart attack at 36 just three months after the disaster of the opening night.
The film explores Bizet's most famous work and offers a revealing insight into the life of the great composer.
FRI 21:00 Legends (b00pv1l3)
Neil Sedaka: That's When the Music Takes Me
Documentary telling the story of songwriter and performer Neil Sedaka, the man behind some of the biggest smash hits in history, including Oh Carol, Is This the Way to Amarillo, Solitaire, Breaking up is Hard to Do, and Love Will Keep Us Together.
Sedaka was destined for life as a classical pianist when he was seduced by the raw sounds of rock 'n' roll. In the early sixties he recorded a string of teenage anthems such as Calendar Girl, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen and Breaking up is Hard to Do.
The arrival of the Beatles on the musical landscape signalled the end of Sedaka's singing career and he turned to writing songs for other artists such as the Monkees, Tom Jones and Tony Christie. But a move to England in the early 1970s was the launch pad for a remarkable comeback. He recorded with British band 10cc in Stockport before returning to the top of the American charts with Laughter in the Rain and Bad Blood.
In 2009, at the age of 70, Sedaka still has a huge following. He toured the UK to packed houses and released a new album, The Music of My Life. Singers Tony Christie and Connie Francis, musicians Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Jay Siegel of the Tokens, and Brill Building songwriting colleagues Don Kirshner and Carol Bayer Sager are among those paying tribute to the 'king of doobie-dos'.
FRI 22:00 Neil Sedaka Says: All You Need Is the Music (b00pwstt)
During a career which was originally designed to make him a classical pianist, the musical achievements and statistics of singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka have made him a compelling figure in contemporary music, with 600 songs written and 20 million records sold. The hits from his early rock 'n' roll days to his later, more lyrical age are all included in this special one-man show from the 1980s.
FRI 22:45 Jazz 625 (b00jw7z3)
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
1965 concert featuring Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, one of America's most dynamic jazz groups.
FRI 23:25 Jazz 625 (b00jnr22)
Modern Jazz Quartet
1964 performance by the Modern Jazz Quartet, featuring members John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Connie Kay and a guest appearance from Laurindo Almeida.
FRI 00:00 Mad Men (b00k9b41)
Series 2
Meditations in an Emergency
Against the backdrop of the Cuban missile crisis, the staff at Sterling Cooper ponder the meaning of a company audit. Duck tells Pete what's going on and offers him promotion. Betty receives unwanted news and has a dangerous liaison. Don returns after going AWOL and is in for a shock. Peggy tells Pete the awful truth.
FRI 00:45 Jazz 625 (b008wdpn)
Oscar Peterson
Flora Purin introduces a restored and re-edited version of a session by jazz pianist Oscar Peterson from October 1964.
FRI 01:15 Arena (b00jks9j)
Cool
Documentary exploring the meaning and history of cool through the American music of the 1940s and 50s that became known as cool jazz. Those who wrote and played it cultivated an attitude, a style and a language that came to epitomise the meaning of a word that is now so liberally used.
The film tells the story of a movement that started in the bars and clubs of New York and Los Angeles and swept across the world, introducing the key players and setting them in the context of the post-war world.
FRI 02:15 Jazz 625 (b00jwcr2)
The Thelonious Monk Quartet
1960s concert featuring jazz pianist Thelonious Monk and his quartet of Ben Riley, Larry Gayles and Charlie Rouse.
FRI 02:50 Storyville (b00jwcr6)
The Jazz Baroness
Documentary, made by her great niece, about the British Jewish baroness who fell in love with the jazz genius Thelonious Monk.
Pannonica Rothschild was born with everything, got married and had five children, but one track by a man she had never met inspired her to leave and start a new life in America.
Helen Mirren is the voice of 'Nica', while Sonny Rollins, TS Monk Jr, the Duchess of Devonshire, Quincy Jones, Lord Rothschild, Roy Haynes, Chico Hamilton and others appear as themselves.
FRI 04:15 Legends (b00pv1l3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]