SATURDAY 25 APRIL 2015
SAT 19:00 Ice Age Giants (p018ccn2)
Last of the Giants
Professor Alice Roberts journeys 40,000 years back in time on the trail of the great beasts of the ice age. This was the last time that giants like mammoths, woolly rhinos and sabre-toothed cats ruled our planet. Drawing on the latest scientific detective work and a dash of graphic wizardry, Alice brings the ice age giants back to life.
Astonishingly, even after thousands of years of ice crushing the northern hemisphere and temperatures of 20 degrees lower than those of today, many of the great giants of the ice age still walked the earth. It was only when the world had warmed up again that mammoths, woolly rhinos, sabre-toothed cats, giant ground sloths and glyptodonts finally became extinct. Alice sets off on her last voyage back to the ice age to discover why.
She learns the moving story of a mother mastodon, an extinct relative of the elephant. From her tusks, scientists can tell how many calves she had and whether they reached adulthood. This evidence, together with harrowing injuries on other skeletons, tells a perplexing story of a species on the edge of extinction - mastodons were turning on mastodons. By looking at the behaviour of elephants today, scientists have come up with a surprising theory as to why this happened.
The woolly rhino tells another story. Believe it or not, the one thing it couldn't stand was snow - which stopped it from getting enough grass. During the ice age in Europe and Siberia, snow was thin on the ground as so much water was locked up in the ice sheets. But when the ice ended, the snows increased, rhinos found themselves stuck and their little legs were unable to get them out of trouble.
SAT 20:00 Wild China (b00bz1cf)
Beyond the Great Wall
A look at the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures that live in China's most beautiful landscapes.
The extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall have shaped some of China's most colourful people and wildlife. From nomadic tribes hunting with eagles to camel trains crossing the Silk Road, from frozen Siberian wastes to baking deserts of central Asia, life in northern China is always on the edge.
SAT 21:00 Inspector Montalbano (b03fv4sv)
Hall of Mirrors
A bomb goes off outside an empty store-room in a quiet Vigata street. Montalbano commences his investigation, but is soon disorientated by a series of disparate events, including the acquaintance of an attractive and mysterious woman
In Italian with English subtitles.
SAT 22:55 The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill (b04dzswb)
Documentary exploring Kate Bush's career and music, from January 1978's Wuthering Heights to her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow, through the testimony of some of her key collaborators and those she has inspired.
Contributors include the guitarist who discovered her (Pink Floyd's David Gilmour), the choreographer who taught her to dance (Lindsay Kemp) and the musician who she said 'opened her doors' (Peter Gabriel), as well as her engineer and ex-partner (Del Palmer) and several other collaborators (Elton John, Stephen Fry and Nigel Kennedy).
Also exploring their abiding fascination with Kate are fans (John Lydon, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui) and musicians who have been influenced by her (St Vincent's Annie Clark, Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes), Tori Amos, Outkast's Big Boi, Guy Garvey and Tricky), as well as writers and comedians who admire her (Jo Brand, Steve Coogan and Neil Gaiman).
SAT 23:55 Kate Bush at the BBC (b04f86xk)
Between 1978 and 1994, Kate Bush appeared on a variety of BBC programmes, including Saturday Night at the Mill, Ask Aspel, the Leo Sayer Show, Wogan and Top of the Pops. This compilation showcases her performances of hit songs such as Wuthering Heights, Babooshka, Running up That Hill and Hounds of Love, alongside other intriguing and lesser-known material in the BBC studios.
SAT 00:55 Top of the Pops (b05s4pk9)
David 'Kid' Jensen presents chart hits of the week, with performances from Madness, Barbara Dickson, Dexy's Midnight Runners, the Pretenders, BA Robertson, the Lambrettas, Prima Donna and the Jam, and a dance sequence by Legs & Co.
SAT 01:30 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sjk)
Episode 2
Serious and sincere they may have been, never cracking a smile where a tortured, artistic look would do, but this tranche of 80s pop stars know how to make that look work - Eurythmics, Spandau Ballet, Phil Collins, Fine Young Cannibals, Tears for Fears, Suzanne Vega and Simply Red.
SAT 02:00 Let's Have a Party! The Piano Genius of Mrs Mills (b01n21d2)
Rick Wakeman, Rowland Rivron and Pete Murray are among those telling the extraordinary story of the secretary-turned-pianist who shared a manager with the Rolling Stones and studio space with the Beatles at Abbey Road.
SAT 03:00 Wild China (b00bz1cf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
SUNDAY 26 APRIL 2015
SUN 19:00 Timewatch (b00sl29f)
Atlantis: The Evidence
Historian Bettany Hughes unravels one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time. She presents a series of geological, archaeological and historical clues to show that the legend of Atlantis was inspired by a real historical event, the greatest natural disaster of the ancient world.
SUN 20:00 Juliette Binoche: Antigone at the Barbican (b05sj2j6)
Cameras exclusively capture the Oscar-winning French actress Juliette Binoche playing the title role in Sophocles's tale of family loyalty, courage and tragedy. The Barbican's visionary new English language translation by TS Eliot Prize-winning poet and classicist Anne Carson is directed by renowned Belgian theatre director Ivo van Hove.
SUN 21:30 Renoir (b03lzmqx)
French drama based on the real-life story of painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, his film-maker son Jean and their shared muse Andree Heuschling, who would later become known as early film icon Catherine Hessling.
The Cote d'Azur, 1915. Having reached old age, acclaimed impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is tormented by the loss of his wife and beset by rheumatoid arthritis, which has severely deformed his hands and threatens to hamper his ability to paint. But he continues to work regardless, aided by an entourage of trusty female staff, while waiting for the return of his son Jean, who has been sent to fight in WWI.
One day a spirited young woman by the name of Andree Heuschling shows up at the Renoir estate looking for modelling work. She and Pierre-Auguste immediately hit it off, and she becomes his muse, sparking a renewed burst of creative energy in the old man. When young Jean returns from the front after being wounded in battle, he too succumbs to Andree's wild charm. The two soon fall in love and start planning to make films together.
In French with English subtitles.
SUN 23:15 Tales from the Tour Bus: Rock 'n' Roll on the Road (b05rjc9c)
Rock legend and tour bus aficionado Rick Wakeman takes us on a time-travelling trip through the decades in this first-hand account of rockers on the road from the late 1950s to the 80s and beyond.
It's an often bumpy and sometimes sleepless ride down the A roads and motorways of the UK during the golden age of rock 'n' roll touring - a secret history of transport cafes, transit vans, B&Bs, sleepless roadies and of loved ones left at home or, on one occasion, by the roadside. And it's also a secret history of audiences both good and bad, and the gigs themselves - from the early variety package to the head clubs, the stadiums and the pubs.
This is life in the British fast lane as told by Rick and the bands themselves, a film about the very lifeblood of the rock 'n' roll wagon train. With members of Dr Feelgood, Suzi Quatro, The Shadows, The Pretty Things, Fairport Convention, Happy Mondays, Aswad, Girlschool, The Damned and many more.
SUN 00:15 The Old Grey Whistle Test (b014vzy3)
70s Gold
The Old Grey Whistle Test was launched on 21 September 1971 from a tiny studio tucked behind a lift shaft on the fourth floor of BBC Television Centre. From humble beginnings, it has gone on to provide some of the best and most treasured music archive that the BBC has to offer.
This programme takes us on a journey and celebrates the musically mixed-up decade that was the 1970s, and which is reflected in the OGWT archive. There are classic performances from the glam era by Elton John and David Bowie, an early UK TV appearance from Curtis Mayfield, the beginnings of heavy metal with Steppenwolf's iconic Born to Be Wild anthem and the early punk machinations of the 'mock rock' New York Dolls. Archive from the pinnacle year, 1973, features Roxy Music, The Wailers and Vinegar Joe. The programme's finale celebrates the advent of punk and new wave with unforgettable performances from Patti Smith, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Jam.
Artists featured are Elton John, Lindisfarne, David Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Steppenwolf, Vinegar Joe, Brinsley Schwarz, New York Dolls, Argent, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Captain Beefheart, Johnny Winter, Dr Feelgood, Gil Scott Heron, Patti Smith, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cher & Gregg Allman, Talking Heads, The Jam, Blondie, Iggy Pop and The Specials.
SUN 01:45 BBC Young Dancer (b05rjc99)
2015
Hip Hop Final
The BBC turns the spotlight on the UK's best young dancers with a nationwide talent search to find the first BBC Young Dancer. Dancers aged 16-20 were invited to enter one of four categories - ballet, contemporary, hip hop and south Asian dance.
In the second category final, it's the turn of the hip hop dancers to impress a panel of judges and win a place in the Grand Final at Sadler's Wells.
We follow them popping, locking, krumping and freestyling their way through mentoring workshops and rehearsals, on their way to present two solos and a hip hop battle on stage at the Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport. The task of choosing the winner goes to DJ Renegade, choreographer and artistic director of Indahouse Clara Bajado and, judging across all four categories, Kenneth Tharp, chief executive of The Place, a leading centre for contemporary dance.
Finalists: Harry Barnes, Jonadette Carpio, Jodelle Douglas, Sharifa Tonkmor and Kieran Lai.
SUN 02:45 Timewatch (b00sl29f)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
MONDAY 27 APRIL 2015
MON 19:00 World News Today (b05sflff)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
MON 19:30 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1llz)
Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Frontier
Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over Hadrian's Wall to reveal a new view of its history. The first full aerial survey of Hadrian's Wall has helped uncover new evidence about the people who once lived there. Carried out over the last few years by English Heritage, it is allowing archaeologists to reinterpret the wall. Across the whole landscape hundreds of sites of human occupation have been discovered, showing that people were living here in considerable numbers. Their discoveries are suggesting that far from being a barren military landscape, the whole area was richly populated before during and after the wall was built. There is also exciting new evidence that the Romans were here earlier than previously thought.
MON 20:00 Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death (b03d6c64)
A Good Marriage
Unlike birth and death, which are inescapable facts of life, marriage is rite of passage made by choice and in the Middle Ages it wasn't just a choice made by bride and groom - they were often the last pieces in a puzzle, put together by their parents, with help from their family and friends, according to rules laid down by the church.
Helen Castor reveals how in the Middle Ages marriage was actually much easier to get into than today - you could get married in a pub or even a hedgerow simply by exchanging words of consent - but from the 12th century onwards the Catholic church tried to control this conjugal free-for-all. For the church, marriage was a way to contain the troubling issue of sex, but, as the film reveals, it was not easy to impose rules on the most unpredictable human emotions of love and lust.
MON 21:00 Storyville (b05t2h9x)
Himmler: The Decent One
Through previously undiscovered private letters, photos and diaries that were found in the Himmler family house in 1945, this documentary exposes a unique and at times uncomfortable access to the life and mind of the merciless 'architect of the Final Solution', Heinrich Himmler. Himmler writes, 'In life one must always be decent, courageous and kind-hearted'. How can a man be a hero in his own eyes and a mass murderer in the eyes of the world?
The text of the film consists exclusively of original documents from Himmler's lifetime, combined with news and personal archive from sources ranging from the descendants of top Nazis to working-class individuals. It forms a unique portrait of one the most prominent figures of the Third Reich, the SS commander Heinrich Himmler.
MON 22:30 The Secret Life of the Motorway (b007x58q)
Falling in Love
Documentary series which celebrates the birth of motorways and hails the achievements of those behind the 'road revolution'. The first episode takes us from the excitement of the building of the first motorway in Britain, the M6 Preston By-pass, to the celebration of the most complex, Spaghetti Junction.
With amazing archive and often hilarious public information films, we take a trip back to a time when not only were motorways exciting and new, but there was also no speed limit. Interviews with the engineers who designed them, the navvies who built them and the people who drove on them bring to life and celebrate an achievement that we now take so much for granted.
MON 23:30 Ray Mears Goes Walkabout (b00bvqvb)
Desert
Ray Mears is in desert survival mode as he follows in the footsteps of an unsung hero of Australian exploration, John McDouall Stuart, to find out how he became the first European to succeed in crossing this continent from south to north and back again. Ray shows how to wring water from these barren lands and how travelling light is the key to success on such an epic journey.
MON 00:30 Delphi: The Bellybutton of the Ancient World (b00w4jtx)
What really went on at the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi, how did it get its awesome reputation and why is it still influential today?
Michael Scott of Cambridge University uncovers the secrets of the most famous oracle in the ancient world. A vital force in ancient history for a thousand years, it is now one of Greece's most beautiful tourist sites, but in its time it has been a gateway into the supernatural, a cockpit of political conflict, and a beacon for internationalism. And at its heart was the famous inscription which still inspires visitors today - 'Know Thyself'.
MON 01:30 Storyville (b05t2h9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
MON 03:00 Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death (b03d6c64)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
TUESDAY 28 APRIL 2015
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b05sflfl)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 The Flying Archaeologist (b01s1hnr)
The Thames: Secret War
Archaeologist Ben Robinson flies over the Thames to uncover new discoveries about World War 1. A whole network of trenches has been discovered on The Hoo peninsula. Invisible from the ground, they were recently found from aerial images of the area next to the former Chattenden Barracks.
The trenches were used for experimentation and training of soldiers and can be directly linked to trenches used in Belgium in WW1.
The trenches are just one feature revealed by the first full aerial survey of the area by English Heritage. Much of the history of this area is being recorded from the air before it is destroyed by coastal erosion and development.
TUE 19:57 DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal (b05vf30f)
Joanna Lumley presents a Nepal Earthquake Appeal on behalf of the DEC, the Disasters Emergency Committee. A massive earthquake has devastated parts of Nepal, killing thousands of people and leaving hundreds of thousands without access to shelter, water or food.
The DEC, bringing together 13 UK aid charities, has launched this urgent appeal to raise funds to help those affected.
You can give by calling 0370 60 60 900 (standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply) or send a cheque payable to DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal to PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.
TUE 20:00 The Secret History of Our Streets (b01jzpm3)
Series 1
Camberwell Grove
In 1886 Charles Booth embarked on an ambitious plan to visit every one of London's streets to record the social conditions of residents. His project took him 17 years.
Once he had finished he had constructed a groundbreaking series of maps which recorded the social class and standing of inhabitants. These maps transformed the way Victorians felt about their capital city.
This series takes six archetypal London streets as they are now, discovering how they have fared since Booth's day.
Booth colour-coded each street, from yellow for the 'servant keeping classes', down to black for the 'vicious and semi-criminal'. With the aid of maps the series explores why certain streets have been transformed from desperate slums to become some of the most desirable and valuable property in the UK, whilst others have barely changed.
This landmark series features residents past and present, exploring how what happened on the street in the last 125 years continues to shape the lives of those who live there now.
Today, Camberwell Grove is an elegant oddity - a broad, leafy street of fine Georgian houses set in the seething inner city.
The street has come full circle, from middle-class prosperity to tight-knit working-class community and back to middle-class affluence again. Through the lively, often passionate accounts of residents past and present the film tells the story of the changing faces of this remarkable street and the people who have lived in and loved its beautiful houses. These stories also reveal how the fate of the Grove was intimately bound up with the monstrous growth of the Victorian city of London and the birth of the modern conservation movement.
TUE 21:00 The Fight for Saturday Night (b04v85k6)
Michael Grade tells a tale of television skullduggery and dirty dealings in the battle to win the Saturday night ratings crown.
TUE 22:30 The Secret Life of the Motorway (b007xmbm)
The Honeymoon Period
The second episode in this evocative series about Britain's motorways explores how they have transformed where we live, work and play in Britain over the last 50 years. From unbelievably glamorous early service stations to contemporary shopping centres with the infrastructure of a small town, this enthralling film is a journey through the wonderful, and the weird, places motorways have taken us. Contributors include seminal planner Sir Peter Hall, author Will Self, caravanners, hitchhikers and commuters, all on our eagerness to accelerate down the slip road, and the social changes that have followed.
TUE 23:30 India's Hospital Train (b00jf4jq)
The story of a special train, the Lifeline Express. It is known as the Magic Train. With two state-of-the-art operating theatres, recovery rooms, offices and accommodation, each project requires a team of volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses to give their services for free. For four weeks, cameras follow the Mandsor project as operations are carried out on poor rural people while the train is standing in a station in the middle of India.
Dashrath is going deaf, Bharat can't walk and baby Shiva was born with a cleft lip. They cannot reach a hospital and they can't afford the operations. The operations change the lives of both patients and doctors. With compelling, dynamic and moving stories, the Magic Train opens a gateway to another India, where 21st-century medicine meets village India.
TUE 00:30 Rude Britannia (b00srf2d)
A History Most Satirical, Bawdy, Lewd and Offensive
In the early 18th century, Georgian Britain was a nation openly, gloriously and often shockingly rude. This was found in the graphic art of Hogarth, Gillray, Rowlandson and George Cruikshank, and the rude theatrical world of John Gay and Henry Fielding. Singer Lucie Skeaping helps show the Georgian taste for lewd and bawdy ballads, and there is a dip into the literary tradition of rude words via the poetry of Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift and Lord Byron, and Laurence Sterne's novel Tristram Shandy.
TUE 01:30 The Secret History of Our Streets (b01jzpm3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
TUE 02:30 Kate Bush at the BBC (b04f86xk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:55 on Saturday]
WEDNESDAY 29 APRIL 2015
WED 19:00 World News Today (b05sflfr)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 Britain's Best Drives (b00j6sjc)
Richard Wilson Learns to Drive
In preparation for a motor journey around Britain, Richard Wilson is put through his paces as he learns how to use a gear stick again, having driven only automatics for the past 30 years.
He drives classic cars, goes off-road, experiences the thrills and spills of the skidpan and gets a lesson in driving high performance cars from five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell.
WED 20:00 Secrets of Bones (b03wct07)
Down to Earth
Evolutionary biologist and master skeleton builder Ben Garrod discovers how the skeleton has adapted for vertebrates to move on land in a remarkable number of ways. They can swing through the trees, slide on the forest floor, dig through dark subterranean worlds and run at speed across the savannahs. Ben explores the role of the spine in both cheetahs and snakes, shows how adaptations to the pentadactyl limb have helped gibbons and horses thrive and how one unique bone in the animal kingdom has been puzzling scientists for years.
WED 20:30 The Quizeum (b05sj5vr)
Series 1
Episode 6
At the World Museum in Liverpool - which houses extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology, natural and physical sciences - the experts being put to the test by Griff Rhys Jones are author and adventurer Benedict Allen, historian specialising in European and Chinese ceramics Lars Tharp, philosopher Professor Angie Hobbs, and art and cultural historian Dr Janina Ramirez.
WED 21:00 The Plantagenets (b03zrdw3)
Series 1
The Death of Kings
Professor Robert Bartlett charts the downfall of the Plantagenet dynasty. In the last century of their rule, four Plantagenet kings are violently deposed and murdered by members of their own family. It is the bloodiest episode in the entire history of the English monarchy. As the Plantagenets turn in on themselves, England is dragged into decades of brutal civil war.
WED 22:00 The Secret Life of the Motorway (b007xmdn)
The End of the Affair
When the first motorways opened they did so to national celebration. But after the first 1,000 miles had been built, their impact on both town and country was becoming apparent and people started to protest.
Middle England rose up and disrupted public inquiries to voice their frustration at motorway building, but it continued and over time the frustration gave way to concerns about saving the planet. In the early 1990s that meant young people willing to risk everything to stop the motorways being built. The programme shows how people began to question the promises made by the motorway, and along the way found their voice of protest.
WED 23:00 Timewatch (b00jcgpm)
2008-2009
Captain Cook: The Man Behind the Legend
In the late 18th century, Captain James Cook led three great voyages of discovery which pushed the borders of the British Empire to the ends of the earth. In just over a decade, his ability as a navigator and chartmaker would add one-third to the map of the known world. For many he was the greatest explorer in history, but for others he was a ruthless conqueror.
While the exploits of Captain Cook are well documented, much less is known about James Cook the man. Presenter Vanessa Collingridge sets out on her own voyage of discovery - travelling in his footsteps to uncover the forces that drove him to success, and ultimately to his own death.
WED 00:00 Guts: The Strange and Wonderful World of the Human Stomach (p07801ts)
What's really going on inside your stomach? In this one-off special, Michael Mosley offers up his own guts to find out. Spending the day as an exhibit at the Science Museum in London, he swallows a tiny camera and uses the latest in imaging technology to get a unique view of his innards digesting his food. He discovers pools of concentrated acid and metres of writhing tubing which is home to its own ecosystem. Michael Mosley lays bare the mysteries of the digestive system and reveals a complexity and intelligence in the human gut that science is only just beginning to uncover.
WED 01:00 Secrets of Bones (b03wct07)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 01:30 The Quizeum (b05sj5vr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
WED 02:00 Icebound: The Greatest Dog Story Ever Told (b03pzv9m)
Documentary about an adventure that has become known as the greatest dog story ever told and captured the imagination of children and adults throughout the world for almost a century.
On January 28 1925, newspapers and radio stations broke a terrifying story - diphtheria had broken out in Nome, Alaska, a city separated from the rest of the world for seven months by a frozen ocean. With aviation still in its infancy and amidst one of the harshest winters on record, there was only one way to reach the town - dogsled. In minus 60 degrees, over 20 men and at least 150 dogs, among them the famous Balto, set out to relay the antitoxin across 674 miles of Alaskan wilderness to save the town.
WED 03:00 The Plantagenets (b03zrdw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 30 APRIL 2015
THU 19:00 World News Today (b05sflfz)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b05syx5c)
Simon Bates presents chart hits of the week, with performances from the Undertones, Sky, David Essex, Dr Hook, Saxon, Judas Priest, the Bodysnatchers, the Buggles and the Detroit Spinners, and a dance sequence by Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 Wild China (b00bz1cf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
THU 21:00 The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler (b01p01pm)
Episode 1
Adolf Hitler seemed an unlikely leader - fuelled by anger, incapable of forming normal human relationships and unwilling to debate political issues. Such was the depth of his hatred that he would become a war criminal arguably without precedent in history.
Yet this strange character was once loved by millions. How was this possible, and what role did Hitler's alleged 'charisma' play in his success?
With the help of testimony from those who lived through those times, film archive - including colour home movies - and specially-shot documentary footage, this film reveals how Hitler managed to turn from a nobody in 1913 - someone thought 'peculiar' - into the chancellor and fuhrer of the German people.
This is the first episode in a three-part series written and produced by Laurence Rees, who won a BAFTA for his previous series Nazis: A Warning from History and a Grierson Award for his Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'.
THU 22:00 Downfall (b019hd3w)
World War II drama. April, 1945 and it's the last days of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. The Battle of Berlin rages and the Russians move unstoppably towards the centre of the city and the bunker from which Hitler and his inner circle are attempting to direct the German forces. As defeat looms, the increasingly unhinged Hitler readies himself for the end and makes his final declarations to a dwindling crowd of loyalists. His decline is seen through the eyes of Traudl Junge, his innocent and deluded young secretary.
THU 00:25 The Plantagenets (b03zrdw3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:25 India's Hospital Train (b00jf4jq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:30 on Tuesday]
THU 02:25 Top of the Pops (b05syx5c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 03:00 The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler (b01p01pm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 01 MAY 2015
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b05sflg8)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 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).
FRI 20:00 BBC Young Dancer (b05sj63x)
2015
South Asian Final
The BBC turns the spotlight on the UK's best young dancers with a nationwide talent search to find the first BBC Young Dancer. Dancers aged 16-20 were invited to enter one of four categories - ballet, contemporary, hip hop and South Asian dance.
The third category final sees five South Asian dancers perform two solos and a duet for a place in the Grand Final at Sadler's Wells on 9th May.
With an introduction to the two forms of South Asian dance represented in the final (Kathak and Bharatanatyam), and behind-the-scenes access to mentors' workshops and rehearsals, we see the dancers prepare for their performances at the Riverfront Arts Centre in Newport.
They face a panel of distinguished judges - Padmashri Pratap Pawar, a leading exponent of Kathak dance, and teacher of many students, including Akram Khan; Mira Balchandran Gokul, teacher, performer and co-artistic director of SANKALPAM, a national touring dance company; and, judging across all four categories, Kenneth Tharp, chief executive of The Place, a leading centre for contemporary dance.
Finalists are: Lakshmi Ranjan, Jaina Modasia, Sivani Balachandran, Vidya Patel, Anaya Bolar.
FRI 21:00 imagine... (b036yl2v)
Summer 2013
Rod Stewart: Can't Stop Me Now
From beatnik to mod, from folkie to disco tart, from glam rocker to, most recently, crooner of American standards, Rod Stewart has had a remarkable musical journey. Alan Yentob visits Rod at his homes in Beverly Hills and Essex and talks to his friends and family, including all eight children aged from two years old to 50.
Featuring rare archival footage of Rod when he was barely out of his teens and living above his parents' north London sweetshop, Imagine examines an entertaining career across five musical decades.
FRI 22:25 Rod Stewart at the BBC (b03m81n5)
Compilation of Rod Stewart's finest performances at the BBC. We revisit the early 70s with The Faces performing Stay with Me and Three Button Hand Me Down on Sounds for Saturday. The BBC charted Rod's solo success over the years and there are classic performances and interviews that will make you dance, sing and pull on your heartstrings. Songs include Sailing, You're in My Heart, I Don't Want to Talk about It and Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
We also have Rod's performance from Glastonbury 2002 of the classic Handbags and Gladrags, and we dip into the Great American Songbook with his version of the Dorothy Fields classic I'm in the Mood for Love. Finally, rounding off over five decades in music is a performance from Rod's Radio 2 concert from May 2013.
FRI 23:25 Top of the Pops (b01pkjy6)
The Story of 1978
In 1978, Top of the Pops began to turn the credibility corner. As the only major pop show on television, Top of the Pops had enjoyed a unique position in the nation's hearts since the 1960s - the nation's teenagers who were now fed up with the show's predominantly light entertainment blend still tuned in every week in the hope of seeing one of the new young outfits thrown up by punk, new wave and disco. In 1978 it seemed the kids' time had come again for the first time since glam rock. Yet the biggest-selling singles of 1978 were by the likes of Boney M, John Travolta & Olivia Newton John, Rod Stewart, The Bee Gees and Abba.
Punk never quite fitted in with the mainstream - it had been treated with disdain by Top of the Pops and largely ignored by the show. Britain's teenagers had to endure the all-round family entertainment on offer when all they wanted was teenage kicks. Along came a generation of young post-punk and new wave bands armed with guitar and bass, ready to storm the Top of the Pops stage - from The Undertones, The Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Skids and Ian Dury and the Blockheads to The Boomtown Rats, Elvis Costello, The Jam and Squeeze - some weeks teenagers would get to see one of their bands, very rarely they got two, but there they were on primetime TV.
With contributions from The Boomtown Rats, Squeeze, Boney M, Sham 69, Brian & Michael, The Barron Knights, Mike Read, Kid Jensen, Kathryn Flett, Richard Jobson, Ian Gittins and Legs & Co.
FRI 00:15 imagine... (b036yl2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 01:40 Rod Stewart at the BBC (b03m81n5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:25 today]
FRI 02:40 BBC Young Dancer (b05sj63x)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]