Inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's fairytale, this remarkable Danish film tells the story of a Christmas tree from a most unusual angle - through the 'voice' of the tree itself. The tree has big ambitions, doing everything it can to grow so tall that it reaches the sky. Featuring extraordinary photography, the film follows the adventures of its life from sapling to maturity, culminating in a triumphal Christmas Day. Along the way, viewers experience the natural - and human - world from a strangely moving perspective.
Winter was not always beautiful. Until Pieter Bruegel painted Hunters in the Snow, the long bitter months had never been transformed into a thing of beauty. This documentary charts how mankind's ever changing struggle with winter has been reflected in western art throughout the ages, resulting in images that are now amongst the greatest paintings of all time. With contributions from Grayson Perry, Will Self, Don McCullin and many others, the film takes an eclectic group of people from all walks of life out into the cold to reflect on the paintings that have come to define the art of snow and ice.
Sammy Davis Jr was born to entertain. He was a human dynamo who made his debut at the age of five and by the time he was a teenager was wowing audiences across America. A gifted dancer, actor and singer, and a key member of the Rat Pack, Davis is best remembered for his unforgettable rendition of Mr Bojangles and his number one single The Candyman.
However, as a black man, making his way in the entertainment business saw him struggle to overcome racial prejudice, letter bombs and death threats. Davis fought back with his talent and in the 1960s marched alongside Dr Martin Luther King. Despite his reputation as a civil rights campaigner and one of the world's greatest entertainers, Davis remains an enigma. Those closest to him tell of a man never quite comfortable in his own skin, a workaholic and spendaholic who put his career before his family and who died leaving them millions of dollars in debt.
This documentary is Sammy Davis Jr's remarkable life story - his rise and his fall - told by those who knew him best. For the first time his family and friends including Paul Anka, Engelbert Humperdinck, Reverend Jesse Jackson and Ben Vereen share their memories - shedding new light on the legacy of one of the most gifted and loved performers in show business.
A compilation of the very best of Sammy Davis Jr's famous 1960s performances for the BBC, that leaves no doubt as to why at the time he was billed as the world's greatest living entertainer. This show captures Davis as the ultimate swinger, singer and gunslinger, performing classic songs like My Funny Valentine and Once in a Lifetime, showing how he's quick on the draw with a pistol, and demonstrating his incredible impersonations of some of the best-known stars of the era.
As she is about to begin a run on Broadway in Hello Dolly, imagine... revisits Miss M in New York in a programme first shown in 2014 when she was about to release her girl band-inspired album.
For five decades the woman they call the Divine Miss M has forged a path which has taken her from a pineapple-canning factory in Honolulu to becoming a Hollywood legend. Alan Yentob joins Bette Midler on a journey through the chorus lines of Broadway and the bathhouses and nightclubs of the 1970s to the very top of the film industry. Her combination of a soulful voice and the raucous wit of Mae West has made her name as an outrageous, but always captivating, all-round entertainer.
MONDAY 22 DECEMBER 2014
MON 19:00 Guys and Dolls (b0078gmw)
Lavish film version of the classic Broadway musical, based on Damon Runyon's short stories. A gambler in need of cash bets he can make any girl go to Havana with him. But his pals pick a girl at the Save a Soul Mission in need of recruiting sinners to her cause. Includes songs such as Adelaide's Lament and Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat.
MON 21:25 Storyville (b04vxys6)
Panto! Mayhem, Make Up and Magic
Storyville presents a heartfelt and heartbreaking documentary following a cast of Nottingham amateur actors staging a production of Puss in Boots.
It tells the story of how a small community theatre fights to keep afloat in austere times. With arts subsidies slashed, the cast must rely on ticket sales to keep afloat. This hilarious backstage glimpse follows their attempts to rehearse, provide costumes and scenery on a minuscule budget. Malfunctioning pyrotechnics and a donkey costume that exposes more than expected are just some of the challenges they face.
With a cast of amateurs, some of the challenges are human rather than technical. The film follows their attempts to master the singing, dancing and acting required for a pantomime - a greater challenge than Shakespeare, according to one of the participants.
The film movingly uncovers what it means to the cast, reflecting the vital and life-changing role the theatre plays in people's lives.
MON 22:35 The Joy of the Bee Gees (b04v8677)
Guilty pleasure or genius, misfits or mavericks, noble or naff - how do we really feel about the Bee Gees? Are the brothers Gibb a cacophony of falsettos or songwriting maestros, the soundtrack to every office party or masters of melancholy and existential rage? Are they comedy or Tragedy? How deep is our love and how deep are the Bee Gees?
With a back catalogue that includes hits like How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, Massachusetts, Islands in the Stream, Stayin' Alive, Chain Reaction, How Deep Is Your Love, Gotta Get a Message to You, Words, To Love Somebody and Night Fever, the Bee Gees are second only to the Beatles in the 20th-century songwriting pantheon, but while their pop success spans several decades, there are different Bee Gees in different eras. Is there a central glue that unites the brothers and their music and, if so, what is it?
The Joy of the Bee Gees features a rare interview with the last remaining Bee Gee brother, Barry Gibb, many of those musicians and industry figures who have worked with them closely over the years, and a surprising cast of Bee Gees aficionados including John Lydon, Ana Matronic, Guy Chambers, Mykaell Riley and Alexis Petridis, who together share their stories and their insights into the band whose music and image moved us in the 60s and defined pop culture in the mid-to-late 1970s.
The film explores how the band were iconoclasts and outsiders, brothers in the family business, who worked best when together but who grew up and played out their fraternal struggles in public. The brothers went from child stars on the Australian variety circuit to competitors with the Beatles in the UK charts in the late 60s, scoring number one hits while still only teenagers.
In the mid-70s, the former 'beat group' reimagined themselves as a close-knit soul boy trio. The Saturday Night Fever album shot them to global superstardom and every radio station played a song written, produced or sung by the Bee Gees. The saturation of their music and their iconic 'medallion man' image would ultimately elbow them out of fashion, even make them figures of fun...
But you can't keep a good band down and in the 80s they became writing guns-for-hire to stars such as Kenny & Dolly, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross. 1987 saw the band come back yet again and hit the top of the charts. The deaths of Maurice and then Robin brought the Bee Gees' reign to an end, but Barry and their music live on.
Let's enjoy finding out why and how: welcome to The Joy of the Bee Gees.
MON 23:35 The Bee Gees at the BBC... and Beyond (b04v8679)
Classic Bee Gees studio performances from the BBC and beyond including all the big hits, rare 60s performances from European TV, including a stunning I Started a Joke, a rarely seen Top of the Pops performance of World, the big hits of the 70s and some late performances from the 90s, with the brothers Gibb in perfect harmony.
MON 00:35 Castles: Britain's Fortified History (b04v85sy)
Defence of the Realm
Sam Willis explores how, by the Wars of the Roses, castles were under attack from a new threat - the cannon - but survived into the Tudor era only to find their whole purpose challenged. What had once been strategic seats of power now had to keep up with the fickle fashions of the court and become palaces to impress monarchs such as Elizabeth I.
Just as castles seemed to have lost their defensive function, the English Civil War erupted. The legacy of that tumultuous period resulted in castles no longer being associated with protection. Rather, their ruins took on a unique appeal, embodying a nostalgia for an age of chivalry that became a powerful part of the national psyche.
MON 01:35 Puppy Love (b04v85t0)
Episode 6
With her marriage on the rocks, having had to pack up her home to cope with subsidence and dealing with difficult Polish builders demanding money, Naomi isn't having an easy time of it, and things are made even worse when her labrador retriever Charlie goes missing.
Nana V is visited by fire safety officer Damon Peachey, with whom she shares an online past, and both Tony and herself find themselves intrigued by the idea of a fire starting in the caravan, and the subsequent insurance claim. But it comes as a shock to them when Nana V's family and No Name's new pups are put into danger when a microwave unwittingly explodes.
Desperate for help in finding her dog, Naomi enlists the canine expertise of Nana V to help her track Charlie down, and the two women form an unexpected bond, growing closer in adversity.
MON 02:05 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sll)
Episode 4
Another in the series of 1980s pop archive shows highlights those bands that swayed on the spot, compulsory for the synthesiser bands that dominated the decade. Doing the standing still are Depeche Mode (featuring Vince Clarke), The Human League, Yazoo (featuring Vince Clarke), Soft Cell, New Order, Bronski Beat, Pet Shop Boys and Erasure (featuring Vince Clarke).
MON 02:35 Storyville (b04vxys6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:25 today]
TUESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2014
TUE 19:00 Robin and the Seven Hoods (b00g3692)
The Robin Hood legend is updated to 1928 Prohibition-era Chicago in this spoof gangster film in which a good-at-heart mobster becomes a folk hero among the poor when he and his merry gang set about usurping the underworld's new kingpin. Songs include My Kind of Town, which was nominated for an Academy Award.
TUE 21:00 Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza (b04w7zlm)
Len Goodman investigates the rise and fall of British big band music and charts its recent revival. Before the war, popular jazz and dance band music enjoyed universal appeal, capable of reaching out to people across the generations.
Len spent many of his early days listening, and of course dancing, to the music of Ted Heath, Glenn Miller and Joe Loss. He has an enormous affection for the days when swing was king and top of the pile were the big bands. Len returns to some of his old stamping grounds and discovers why we continue to love this bold and brassy art form.
The film looks at how the bands survived, and indeed thrived, in the years after the war. Eventually, though, the world around them moved on. The rise of teenager culture, rock 'n' roll, pop and other forms of jazz, blues and folk meant big bands were struggling to compete in a crowded market, one that catered for an incredibly diverse range of musical tastes.
Today we've come full circle. The big bands are enjoying something of a revival, and once again have universal appeal. Bands live on in towns and cities across the UK. Artists such as Robbie Williams have also introduced a new generation to the sound of swing and popular big band jazz. And, as Len says: 'Everyone seems to have an affection for it - and, you know what - when I hear Glenn Miller's music drifting lazily through the air, I can really understand why...'.
TUE 22:00 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
2014
Proms on Four: Battle of the Bands
Jazz singer and broadcaster Clare Teal transports us back to the heady days of the swing band era of the 1930s and 1940s in a recreation of the bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Conductor James Pearson of the Count Pearson Proms Band takes on Grant Windsor of the Duke Windsor Proms band in a roof-raising battle, with help from vocalists Gregory Porter and Vula Malinga. The evening culminates in a bespoke rousing 'battle royal' for the biggest audience ovation.
Presented by Katie Derham.
TUE 23:25 Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (b007cllb)
The Carpenters were one of the biggest selling pop artists of the 1970s, but what seemed on the surface as the perfect, wholesome brother and sister duo hid a destructive complex truth that was unknown to the world.
Featuring behind the scenes footage, interviews with brother Richard, family and friends, this documentary traces the story that ended in tragedy with sister Karen's untimely death aged just 32.
TUE 00:25 Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend (b04bf1lf)
The northern soul phenomenon was the most exciting underground British club movement of the 70s. At its high point, thousands of disenchanted white working class youths across the north of England danced to obscure, mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds until the sun rose. A dynamic culture of fashions, dance moves, vinyl obsession and much more grew up around this - all fuelled by the love of rare black American soul music with an express-train beat.
Through vivid first-hand accounts and rare archive footage, this film charts northern soul's dramatic rise, fall and rebirth. It reveals the scene's roots in the mod culture of the 60s and how key clubs like Manchester's Twisted Wheel and Sheffield's Mojo helped create the prototype that would blossom in the next decade.
By the early 70s a new generation of youngsters in the north were transforming the old ballrooms and dancehalls of their parents' generation into citadels of the northern soul experience, creating a genuine alternative to mainstream British pop culture. This was decades before the internet, when people had to travel great distances to enjoy the music they felt so passionate about.
Set against a rich cultural and social backdrop, the film shows how the euphoria and release that northern soul gave these clubbers provided an escape from the bleak reality of their daily lives during the turbulent 70s. After thriving in almost total isolation from the rest of the UK, northern soul was commercialised and broke nationwide in the second half of the 70s. But just as this happened, the once-healthy rivalry between the clubs in the north fell apart amidst bitter in-fighting over the direction the scene should go.
Today, northern soul is more popular than ever, but it was back in the 70s that one of the most fascinating and unique British club cultures rose to glory. Contributors include key northern soul DJs like Richard Searling, Ian Levine, Colin Curtis and Kev Roberts alongside Lisa Stansfield, Norman Jay, Pete Waterman, Marc Almond, Peter Stringfellow and others.
TUE 01:25 Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza (b04w7zlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUE 02:25 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 24 DECEMBER 2014
WED 19:00 Carols from King's (b04w80ny)
1954: A Festival of Lessons and Carols
Over 60 years ago, the BBC broadcast the first Carols from King's live from the world-famous chapel of the Cambridge university college. The transmission took place at eight o'clock on the evening of December 23rd, sandwiched between the news and an edition of Sportsview in which Brian Johnston reported on England's ultimately successful Ashes tour.
But the 44-minute recital was also recorded and has now been digitally remastered to offer today's audience a unique glimpse into the beginnings of this Christmas institution. Led by the organist and director of music Boris Ord, the concert opens with the now traditional solo of Once in Royal David's City and includes In Dulce Jubilo and While Shepherds Watched, before the equally familiar closing anthem of O Come All Ye Faithful.
WED 19:45 Wild (b00jd9yx)
Scotland
Otters, Puffins and Seals
Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan explores his native Mull and some of the nearby islands, filming otters, deer, puffins, seals and a minke whale.
WED 20:00 Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank (b04w80p0)
Two of the biggest musical celebrities of the 20th century come together with Christmas songs old and new in this classic holiday special from 1957, filmed in colour. As Frank Sinatra casually trims his Christmas tree on a very hip, fashionable bachelor apartment stage set, his good friend Bing Crosby drops by, bearing an armful of gifts. They go on to perform their favourite Christmas songs, among them Jingle Bells, Sinatra's version of Mistletoe and Holly and Crosby's famed White Christmas.
Directed by Frank Sinatra himself, this nostalgic half-hour harks back to Victorian Christmases of old. A magical TV moment of swingin' old-school cool.
WED 20:30 Arena (b009w2yc)
Oooh er Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story
Documentary about the life of Frankie Howerd, with help from friends and colleagues and including highlights from his TV and film career.
WED 21:30 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
Christmas 1979
David Jensen and Peter Powell present the Christmas special focusing on 1979's best chart hits. Includes performances from Lena Martell, Janet Kay, BA Robertson, Cliff Richard, Boney M, Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, Squeeze, Buggles, Ian Dury, Blondie, Racey, Elvis Costello, Roxy Music and Dr Hook. With a dance sequence by Legs & Co.
WED 22:30 Some People with Jokes (b04w80p3)
Some Santas with Jokes
Father Christmases from across Britain take time out of their busy schedules to share their favourite jokes and get the whole nation going 'ho-ho-ho!'.
WED 23:00 Arena (b00rs3w6)
Frank Sinatra: The Voice of the Century
Arena explores the rise of the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra from his early family background to overwhelming showbusiness success. Interviews with friends, family and associates reveal a star-studded career in music and film alongside a fascinating private life of four marriages, liaison with the Kennedy family, Las Vegas business interests and an alleged association with the mafia.
WED 00:35 Swingin' Christmas (b00wyltw)
Michael Parkinson presents the sensational John Wilson Orchestra in a celebration of festive musical treats from the golden age of swing, with soloists Seth MacFarlane, Anna-Jane Casey and special guest Curtis Stigers. The Christmas classics include Winter Wonderland, Baby It's Cold Outside, Let It Snow and White Christmas.
WED 01:45 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:30 today]
WED 02:45 Sammy Davis Jr: The Kid in the Middle (b04w7wgr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Sunday]
THURSDAY 25 DECEMBER 2014
THU 19:00 The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet (b04w815s)
Shakespeare's late, great romance The Winter's Tale is brought to exuberant and colourful life by The Royal Ballet in choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's full-length production, which had its world premiere at the Royal Opera House in 2014.
This classic story follows the destruction of a marriage through all-consuming jealousy, the abandonment of a child and a seemingly hopeless love. Yet, through remorse and regret - and after a statue comes miraculously to life - the ending is one of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Wheeldon continues his highly successful collaboration with designer Bob Crowley and composer Joby Talbot to bring this striking and poignant production to the stage, with a cast of world-class dancers interpreting one of Shakespeare's most moving plays.
THU 21:00 The Lady Vanishes (b0078kyh)
One moment Miss Froy was sitting there, on the train, London-bound from Tyrol. The next she had vanished. Some passengers claim she was never there, but Iris is certain she saw her. Was it her imagination?
THU 22:30 Top of the Pops (b008ptfg)
Christmas 1978
Noel Edmonds presents a special Top of the Pops from 1978, with Darts, Abba, Boney M, Brotherhood of Man, Father Abraham, Bee Gees, Brian and Michael, Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band, Wings, Showaddywaddy, Rose Royce, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta and Legs and Co.
THU 23:30 Top of the Pops (b04wh10g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:30 on Wednesday]
THU 00:35 Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (b007cllb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:25 on Tuesday]
THU 01:35 The Fir Tree (b03mv09c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Sunday]
THU 02:00 The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet (b04w815s)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
FRIDAY 26 DECEMBER 2014
FRI 19:00 Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere (b00g81g7)
Simon Russell Beale tells the story behind Allegri's Miserere, one of the most popular pieces of sacred music ever written. The programme features a full performance of the piece by the award-winning choir the Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.
FRI 19:30 Carlos Acosta's Cuban Night (b04w8351)
International ballet star Carlos Acosta curates and stars in a mixed programme of vibrant Cuban dance inspired by his homeland and performed and recorded on the main stage of the Royal Opera House in July 2014. Uniting dancers and choreographers from the Royal Ballet, Rambert, Cuban National Ballet and Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Acosta explores the varied styles of Cuban contemporary dance, presenting world premieres by contemporary Cuban choreographers and Cuban dance stars. The programme include Acosta's Tocororo Suite, a selection of highlights from his hugely popular 2003 dance work completely reimagined for the Royal Opera House main stage.
FRI 21:00 Wallander (b04wjs5l)
Faceless Killers
Part 1
Kurt Wallander and his team investigate the callous murder of an elderly man in his remote farmhouse, but there is no obvious motivation or reason for the brutal beating his wife received from the attackers. Further research indicates that the victim possessed several different bank accounts, but the source of his income remains a mystery.
In Swedish with English subtitles.
FRI 21:55 Wallander (b04wrm2g)
Faceless Killers
Part 2
Badly injured in his rescue attempt at the blazing barracks at the refugee camp, Kurt is convinced that the arson and the murders of the Lovgrens are related, but cannot find the link. He is put under even more pressure when the new state prosecutor finds fault with an open and shut case his team have already closed, and as if things weren't bad enough in his professional life, a visit to his ex in Malmo ends in disaster.
In Swedish with English subtitles.
FRI 22:50 Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned (b048wwlk)
From My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock to God Save the Queen, this is the story of ten records from the 1930s to the present day that have been banned by the BBC. The reasons why these songs were censored reveals the changing controversies around youth culture over the last 75 years, with Bing Crosby and the Munchkins among the unlikely names to have met the wrath of the BBC.
With contributions from Carrie Grant, Paul Morley, Stuart Maconie, Glen Matlock, Mike Read and John Robb.
FRI 23:50 More Dangerous Songs: And the Banned Played On (b048wwpz)
Compilation of songs previously banned by the BBC, including Lola by The Kinks, Jackie by Scott Walker and We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thang by Heaven 17.
FRI 00:50 Arena (b00rs3w6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Wednesday]
FRI 02:25 BBC Proms (b04f7ypn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]