For the first time in over 50 years, a team of wildlife film-makers from the BBC's Natural History Unit and scientists from the world-renowned Smithsonian Institution has been granted access to venture deep into Burma's impenetrable jungles. Their mission is to discover whether these forests are home to iconic animals, rapidly disappearing from the rest of the world - this expedition has come not a moment too soon.
On the first leg of their journey, wildlife film-makers Gordon Buchanan and Justine Evans set out to discover whether the mountains of western Burma are home to a population of Asian elephants that could prove critical to the survival of the species. Finding elephants in a dense bamboo forest is a challenge. Notoriously grumpy, Asian elephants are likely to charge if caught unaware. It is a race against time as the world eyes up Burma's natural riches - what the team finds could change the future of Burma's wilds forever.
Timeshift sets its rear-view mirror to look back at the golden age of the British sports car. It's the story of how - in the grey austerity of the postwar years - iconic marques like Jaguar, Austin-Healey, MG and Triumph sparked a manufacturing frenzy that helped to democratise speed and glamour.
From the MG Midget, much loved by American GIs, through to the more affordable Austin Healey 'frog-eye' Sprite and the E-Type Jaguar, seen by many as the ultimate sports car, this is a tale of how, for a brief time, Britain was home to two-seater heaven.
Day 12 of the cordon, and the flimsy fabric of society is beginning to break down. Jokke is unable to prevent black marketeers taking over the distribution of food, and the situation is inflamed when Lommers takes the drastic action of blocking phone signals to the cordon. Katja is wondering when Dr Cannaerts is going to make public the deaths of two of his staff from the institute.
Day 16: Leo and Lex examine the CCTV footage from security cameras at the institute which Jokke has managed to smuggle out of the cordon via the sluice. Leo's suspicions are even further aroused when Lommers herself pays him a visit in an attempt to silence his 'Horseman' blog. An unfortunate encounter with a carrier of the virus by one of Katja's young charges leads to horrific consequences.
1964 saw the birth of a very British institution. Spanning over four decades, Top of the Pops has produced many classic moments in pop culture.
Digging deep within the darkest depths of the BBC's archive, this compilation offers some memorable performances from 1964 through to 1975 from the likes of The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Status Quo, Procol Harum, Stevie Wonder, Queen and The Kinks, and opens the vintage vaults to rare performances from Stealers Wheel, Julie Driscoll, Peter Sarstedt and The Seekers.
Steve Wright presents chart hits of the week from August 1980. Guests include ELO, Sheena Easton, Hazel O'Connor, Kelly Marie, Cliff Richard, the Jam, Billy Joel, David Bowie, plus a dance routine from Legs & Co.
The city of Pompeii uniquely captures the public's imagination - in AD79 a legendary volcanic disaster left its citizens preserved in ashes to this very day. Yet no-one has been able to unravel the full story that is at the heart of our fascination - how did those bodies become frozen in time?
For the first time, the BBC has been granted unique access to these strange, ghost-like body casts that populate the ruins and, using the latest forensic technology, the chance to peer beneath the surface of the plaster in order to rebuild the faces of two of the people who were killed in this terrible tragedy.
Margaret Mountford turns detective to tell a new story at the heart of one of history's most iconic moments, as she looks at the unique set of circumstances that led to the remarkable preservation of the people of Pompeii. By applying modern-day forensic analysis to this age-old mystery, Margaret dispels the myths surrounding the events in AD79. She also explores the lives of the individuals who once lived in this vibrant and enigmatic city and recreates the last moments of the people caught up in this tragedy.
SUNDAY 12 JULY 2015
SUN 19:00 Les Mis at 25: Matt Lucas Dreams the Dream (b00wyn0c)
Les Miserables is the world's best-loved musical. It has been seen by 57 million people and in 2010 celebrated its 25th anniversary with its two largest ever productions at London's O2 Arena. Matt Lucas, a lifelong fan of 'Les Mis', was invited to fulfil his dream of performing in these shows alongside more than 300 stalwarts from previous productions.
This documentary tells the story of a musical that many thought would fail, but which became a worldwide phenomenon with unforgettable songs like I Dreamed A Dream. We follow Matt as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime, we hear from those involved with the show's creation, including Cameron Mackintosh and Michael Ball, and of course we enjoy wonderful moments from the show itself.
SUN 20:00 I'll Sing Once More: Connie Fisher (b061f5z8)
Sound of Music star Connie Fisher was devastated when she lost her singing voice and set out on a journey to see if there was any way to get it back. Everything failed, but now there is one unlikely hope in the shape of 'miracle' voice builder Gary Catona, the man credited with saving the voice of Whitney Houston. In this emotional rollercoaster journey around the world, Connie attempts to rediscover the talent that first propelled her to fame.
SUN 21:00 Pappano's Classical Voices (b062hmz6)
Mezzo-Soprano
Series in which conductor Sir Antonio Pappano (music director of the Royal Opera House since 2002) explores the great roles and the greatest singers of the last hundred years through the prism of the main classical voice types - soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, baritone and bass. Through discussion, demonstrations and workshops, Pappano explores every aspect of the art of great singing.
The lowest female voice type, and the one closest to a woman's natural speaking voice, the mezzo-soprano only rarely plays the name part. But when she does - in Carmen, Samson et Dalila, and La Cenerentola - the fireworks begin. More often, she is the rival, and the villainess.
Antonio explores the particular effect the mezzo voice has on the audience. Her low, sultry tones make her voice perfect for the earth goddess, but also the enchantress, the siren. But she has to sing nearly as high as the soprano. So how does she do it? What is the 'chest voice' and what effect does it have? How do you sing ugly to convey the evil of a character without destroying your voice, and at the same time unearth some redeeming qualities?
Antonio finds out what makes the mezzo tick by looking at great performances from Giulietta Simionato, Kathleen Ferrier, Marian Anderson, Shirley Verrett, Cecilia Bartoli and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and taking soundings from Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig, Joyce DiDonato, Felicity Palmer and Sarah Connolly.
SUN 22:00 One Night in Manchester (b06235vs)
Kirsty Wark and Mark Radcliffe present interviews and performances from the Manchester International Festival.
SUN 23:00 Kings of 70s Romance (b007cjtw)
While teenage girls in the 1970s were screaming for Donny Osmond and David Cassidy, the more mature woman had fantasy figures of her own setting her heart a-flutter. Kings of 70s Romance tells the story of these - some might say unlikely - pin-ups. Whether it was Gilbert O'Sullivan or Barry White, Leo Sayer or David Soul - or for those with more exotic tastes, Demis Roussos - these were men whose lyrics conjured up images of candle-lit dinners, red roses, and cosy nights in with the man of your dreams. For millions of female fans their romantic music was the perfect soundtrack for dreams of escape from the day-to-day drudgery of life in 70s Britain. As well as our main contributors we feature comments form Gloria Hunniford and Martha Kearney.
SUN 00:00 Elvis: That's Alright Mama 60 Years On (b04c3l7g)
Actor and musician Sam Palladio hosts a musical tribute to Elvis Presley, 60 years to the day from when he recorded his first single, That's All Right, at Sun Studio in Memphis on 5 July 1954. Sam traces Elvis's story from childhood poverty in Mississippi, where he had to make do with a broom for a guitar, to the moment when, by accident, he ended up recording the song that changed the history of popular music. There are performances of the finest Elvis tracks from the likes of soul legend Candi Staton, LA duo The Pierces and country star Laura Bell Bundy.
SUN 01:00 I'll Sing Once More: Connie Fisher (b061f5z8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
SUN 02:00 Rock 'n' Roll America (b061fdr7)
Whole Lotta Shakin'
As rock 'n' roll took off with teens in 1955 it quickly increased record sales by 300 per cent in America. Big business and the burgeoning world of TV moved in. Elvis made a big-money move to major label RCA instigated by Colonel Tom Parker, an illegal immigrant from Holland who had made his name at country fairs with a set of dancing chickens. Elvis made his national TV debut with Heartbreak Hotel and followed it with a gyrating version of Hound Dog that shocked America. PTAs, church groups and local councils were outraged. Rock 'n' roll was banned by the mayor of Jersey City and removed from jukeboxes in Alabama. Now Ed Sullivan would only shoot Elvis from the waist up.
The conservative media needed a cleaned-up version and the young, married-with-kids Christian singer Pat Boone shot up the chart, rivalling Elvis for sales. Not that this stopped rock 'n' roll. Jerry Lee Lewis again scandalised the nation with his gyrating finger in Whole Lotta Shakin' and the Everlys shocked with Wake Up Little Susie, both 45s being banned in parts of America.
It took bespectacled geek Buddy Holly to calm things down as a suburban down-home boy who, with his school friends The Crickets, turned plain looks into chart success. But by the end of 1958 the music was in real trouble. Elvis was conscripted into the army, Jerry Lee was thrown out of Britain and into obscurity for marrying his 13-year-old cousin and Little Richard went into the church.
Featuring Jerry Lee Lewis, Don Everly, Tom Jones, Wanda Jackson, Pat Boone, DJ Fontana, Eric Burdon, James Burton, Jerry Allison (The Crickets' drummer), Mike Stoller, PF Sloan, Joe Boyd, Jerry Phillips, Marshall Chess and JM Van Eaton (Jerry Lee Lewis's drummer).
SUN 03:00 Chuck Berry in Concert (b0074rbc)
Legendary rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry performs at the BBC Television Theatre in 1972. Johnny B Goode, Roll Over Beethoven and Nadine are just some of the highlights of this concert, shown in an extended cut. This version includes, for the first time, an epic rendition of My Ding-a-Ling that carries all before it and raises innuendo to an art form.
MONDAY 13 JULY 2015
MON 19:00 World News Today (b0622p0s)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
MON 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b01qmd9l)
Series 4
Goes to Ireland - Athlone to Galway
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks once again using his Bradshaw's 'Handbook for Tourists in Great Britain and Ireland' from the Victorian era. Portillo is on a railway journey through the Republic of Ireland travelling from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, across the rural Irish Midlands to end in the city of Galway on the Atlantic coast.
In this episode, Michael is on the final leg of his Irish journey and discovers historic jewellery with royal connections in Galway, meets a people's king and finds his voice with a traditional Irish singing group.
MON 20:00 Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? (b00l7qdh)
Episode 1
King Henry VIII had a fascinating and enlightening relationship with art. He came to the throne as the Renaissance swept across Europe, yet England's new king never lost sight of the medieval chivalry of his forefathers. In the first of a two-part documentary, architectural historian Jonathan Foyle looks at the palaces, tapestries, music and paintings created in Henry's name and questions whether the art he commissioned compensates for the religious treasures he would come to destroy.
MON 21:00 Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered (b04n6scp)
What killed King Tutankhamun? Ever since his spectacular tomb was discovered, the boy king has been the most famous pharaoh of all ancient Egypt. But his mysterious death, at just 19 years old, has never been explained.
Dallas Campbell reports on new scientific research being carried out on his fragile remains in an attempt to get to the truth. Using CT scan data, the programme creates the first scientifically accurate image of the king's corpse. DNA analysis uncovers a secret about Tutankhamun's family background, and the genetic trail of clues leads to a new theory to explain his death.
This is an epic detective story that uncovers the extraordinary truth of the boy behind the golden mask.
MON 22:00 Storyville (b062mbng)
Last Days in Vietnam
Documentary which combines astonishing footage from Saigon in April 1975 with contemporary reflections from those who were there. During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront the same moral quandary - whether to obey White House orders to evacuate US citizens only - or to risk punishment and save the lives of as many South Vietnamese citizens as they can.
The events recounted in the film mainly centre on the US evacuation of Saigon, codenamed Operation Frequent Wind. Vividly annotating one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War, that of dozens of South Vietnamese struggling to climb the steps to a rooftop helicopter as Saigon fell, Last Days in Vietnam is a moving and visceral insight into this key moment in history.
MON 23:35 Rome: A History of the Eternal City (b01p96g4)
Divine Gamble
Simon Sebag Montefiore charts the rocky course of Rome's rise to become the capital of western Christendom and its impact on the lives of its citizens, elites and high priests.
Rome casts aside its pantheon of pagan gods and a radical new religion takes hold. Christianity was just a persecuted sect until Emperor Constantine took a huge leap of faith, promoting it as the religion of Empire. But would this divine gamble pay off?
MON 00:35 Tutankhamun: The Truth Uncovered (b04n6scp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
MON 01:35 Timeshift (b01n8hl9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Saturday]
MON 02:35 Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? (b00l7qdh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
TUESDAY 14 JULY 2015
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b0622p0y)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pmrvk)
Series 5
Manchester to Birkenhead
Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey from Manchester, birthplace of George Bradshaw, the publisher of his trusted guide, to Chesterfield, burial place of George Stephenson, the father of the railway.
In the first leg of the journey, Michael finds out how the world's first industrialised city also gave birth to a revolutionary political movement and hears how railway workers founded one of the most successful football clubs in the world. Along the way, Michael does the washing in Port Sunlight and discovers the legacy of an American named George Francis Train in Birkenhead.
TUE 20:00 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pmxg5)
Series 5
Southport to Leyland
Michael Portillo continues his journey through the north west of England. He begins in the elegant Lancashire resort of Southport, where the railways brought thousands of visitors to enjoy the pier and all the fun of the fair.
Michael discovers Victorian entrepreneurship in Wigan, traces the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Bolton and drives a hundred-year-old commercial vehicle in Leyland.
TUE 20:30 Hive Minds (b062md2n)
Series 1
Pascallywags v Lutrophiles
Fiona Bruce presents the quiz show where players not only have to know the answers, but have to find them hidden in a hive of letters. It tests players' general knowledge and mental agility, as they battle against one another and race against the clock to find the answers. The Lutrophiles take on the Pascallywags in a first-round match.
TUE 21:00 Britain and the Sea (p01k4zs9)
Adventure and Exploration
David Dimbleby sails the south west coast of England - along the coast of Devon and Cornwall - in his own sailing boat, Rocket, exploring maritime history, art and architecture as he goes. Caught up in stormy weather, he makes it to safety in the nick of time, to tell the story of Sir Francis Drake and a fantastic array of adventurers, explorers, pirates and smugglers.
It's also a chance for David to enjoy some of Britain's most beautiful coastline and turn his hand to a bit of art himself. David also gingerly submits himself to one of the oldest maritime art forms of all - the art of the tattoo.
TUE 22:00 Cold War, Hot Jets (b03h8r3y)
Episode 1
Britain emerged from the Second World War in financial crisis, but one technological innovation provided hope for the future - a world-leading jet aviation industry. During the Cold War, the jet engine became a lucrative export and a powerful piece of military hardware, but selling to the wrong buyer could alter the balance of power.
TUE 23:00 Biggest Band Break Ups and Make Ups (b05q472d)
Mark Radcliffe presents a look at the highs and lows of band life - the creative tension that produces great music and the pressures that come with success and fame, and pull most bands apart. Radcliffe lifts the lid on the main reasons why bands break up and the secrets of bands that manage to stay together.
TUE 00:00 Kings of 70s Romance (b007cjtw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Sunday]
TUE 01:00 Hive Minds (b062md2n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
TUE 01:30 Rome: A History of the Eternal City (b01p96g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:35 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 Britain and the Sea (p01k4zs9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 15 JULY 2015
WED 19:00 World News Today (b0622p13)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (b03pmz4f)
Series 5
Preston to Rochdale
Michael Portillo continues his journey through the north west of England. He celebrates Victorian trade with the Preston Guild then heads to Rochdale, where he discovers a pioneering movement that helped improve the lot of working families. Michael follows in the tracks of swathes of 19th-century working people who made day trips from the industrial towns to Hebden Bridge to walk in the beautiful Calder Valley.
WED 20:00 Tales from the National Parks (b01708v7)
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
What happens when gold is discovered in the hills around a tiny Scottish village? In the final episode of the series, Richard Macer spends a year in the small remote community of Tyndrum, where gold fever has gripped the residents. The Loch Lomond Park Authority will decide whether to give permission for the gold mine, and there are lots of organisations that think Scotland's first gold mine is an abhorrent idea.
The villagers are adamant that the gold mine is the only way prosperity can be brought to their struggling community and they are determined to get the mine approved. But who wins is down to the park board members who are due to vote on the goldmine at a hearing in the village hall.
WED 21:00 Legends of the Deep: Deep Sea Sharks (b06237md)
Groundbreaking documentary which follows a Japanese-led team of scientists as they attempt to shed light on the mysterious world of deep sea sharks.
Only 50 specimens of the newly discovered 'megamouth' have ever been sighted. Over four years, scientists and film crews voyaged in midget submarines into the depths of Suruga Bay and Sagami Bay to film them. Prehistoric 'living fossil' sharks such as bluntnose sixgill sharks, goblin sharks and frilled sharks also lurk in the depths.
As part of the investigation, a sperm whale carcass was placed at the bottom of the sea to attract these sharks, which were then studied and observed from the submersible vessels. Revealing in detail the previously unknown behaviour of deep sea sharks, the film unravels another of the intriguing mysteries of our planet's biodiversity.
WED 21:55 Natural World (b01nhwyz)
2012-2013
Queen of Tigers
The story of Machli, the most famous tiger in the world. She is a legendary fighter and a wise mother of nine cubs who has founded a vast dynasty of tigers.
She is now in the last season of her life and wildlife cameraman Colin Stafford-Johnson returns to find his old friend one last time. This film shows the extraordinary milestones in Machli's life, all set in the most stunning Indian scenery.
WED 22:55 How to Make a Number One Record (b05r6q4r)
Great pop records are the soundtrack to our lives, and that is why number one hits hold a totemic place in our culture. This film goes in search of what it takes to get a number one hit single, uncovering how people have done it and the effect it had on their lives. As the exploration moves through the decades, the goal is to trace the various routes that lead to the top of the singles chart and discover the role played by art, science, chance and manipulation in reaching the pinnacle of pop.
WED 23:55 Tales from the National Parks (b01708v7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 00:55 Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom (p01hscjy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
WED 01:55 Timewatch (b0078z1m)
2005-2006
Pol Pot: The Journey to the Killing Fields
Documentary which looks at the reign of terror of dictator Pol Pot, responsible for the deaths of two million people in the killing fields of Cambodia. He used hunger and fear to control not just what his people did and said, but what they wore, where they lived, even who they loved. Though no true record was filmed of his new society, with the help of carefully researched drama scenes, and drawing on Pol Pot's own words and of those who were closest to him, the film charts his rise to power.
WED 02:45 Legends of the Deep: Deep Sea Sharks (b06237md)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 16 JULY 2015
THU 19:00 World News Today (b0622p1b)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 Top of the Pops (b062mf6g)
Peter Powell presents chart hits of the week. Guests include the Barracudas, Gary Numan, the Selecter, Mike Berry, the Skids, Elton John, Sue Wilkinson, Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Village People, Judas Priest and David Bowie, plus a dance routine from Legs & Co.
THU 20:00 The Golden Age of Steam Railways (b01p8w38)
Small Is Beautiful
Two-part documentary telling the remarkable story of a band of visionaries who rescued some of the little narrow gauge railways that once served Britain's industries. These small railways and the steam engines that ran on them were once the driving force of Britain's mines, quarries, factories and docks. Then, as they disappeared after 1945, volunteers set to work to bring the lines and the steam engines back to life and started a movement which spread throughout the world. Their home movies tell the story of how they helped millions reconnect with a past they thought had gone forever.
THU 21:00 Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled (b04p1vx1)
Episode 1
Examining the first half of Queen Victoria's life, biographer AN Wilson goes in search of a monarch too often misunderstood as the solid black-clad matron and reveals a woman who was passionately romantic and who spent her years as a child and young queen fighting the control of domineering men.
Queen Victoria was one of the 19th century's most prolific diarists, sometimes writing up to 2,500 words a day. From state affairs to family gossip, she poured out her emotions onto paper. Those close to her were afraid her more alarming opinions might escape in written form, causing havoc. In fact much of her writing was destroyed after her death and her personal journals edited by her daughter. But what survives frequently reveals a woman quite different to the one we think we know. AN Wilson reads her personal journals and unpublished letters and discovers the factors that shaped the queen's personality. From the tortured relationship with her mother, to the dominant men she clung to in search of a father figure and the powerful struggle that made her marriage to Prince Albert a battleground, Queen Victoria was always a woman in search of intimate relationships. As a daughter, a wife, a mother and the queen of a growing empire, as friends and family came and went, her pen remained her constant companion and friend.
Queen Victoria's journals and letters are read by Anna Chancellor throughout.
THU 22:00 Digging for Britain (b051htk1)
Series 3
East
Professor Alice Roberts and archaeologist Matt Williams present 2014's most outstanding archaeology.
In the summer, archaeologists have been unearthing our history in hundreds of digs across Britain. They have gone to extraordinary lengths to uncover long lost treasures - retelling our story in a way only archaeology can.
With unique access to some of the country's best digs, our teams have been self-shooting their excavations to make sure the audience is there for every moment of discovery.
In this episode, we're in the east of Britain, and the archaeologists join us back in the Norwich Castle Museum to look at the new finds and what they mean. Sites include:
Must Farm: The Cambridgeshire site is called the Pompeii of the Bronze Age and gives an unparalleled glimpse of life 3,000 years ago.
Colchester: Roman treasure hidden as Queen Boudicca rampaged through the town.
Oakington: Burial rituals revealing the secrets of Anglo-Saxon childbirth.
Lyminge: Investigating a mysterious Anglo-Saxon royal hall.
Basing House: Examining the final days of this 16th-century Tudor complex.
Silchester: Important Roman finds from the longest-running archaeological dig in the country tell of the Emperor Nero's personal involvement.
THU 23:00 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.
THU 00:00 Britain and the Sea (p01k4zs9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 01:00 Top of the Pops (b062mf6g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:45 Cold War, Hot Jets (b03h8r3y)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
THU 02:45 Queen Victoria's Letters: A Monarch Unveiled (b04p1vx1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 17 JULY 2015
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b0622p1h)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:35 Concerto at the BBC Proms (b01l2t55)
Rachmaninov Piano
Another chance to hear a live performance from the 2008 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 4 - a composition with a distinctive jazzy quality and a theme in the second movement partially based on the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice. Russian virtuoso pianist Boris Berezovsky performs with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under the baton of conductor Antonio Pappano.
FRI 20:00 Golf: The Open (b064p003)
2015
Day 2: Part 2
Hazel Irvine and Dan Walker with live extended coverage of day two of The Open at St Andrews.
FRI 21:55 Rock 'n' Roll America (b0623809)
Be My Baby
In the years bookended by Buddy Holly's death in early 1959 and The Beatles landing at JFK in spring 1964, rock 'n' roll calmed down, went uptown and got spun into teen pop in a number of America's biggest cities. Philadelphia produced 'teen idols' like Fabian who were beamed around the country by the daily TV show Bandstand. Young Jewish songwriters in New York's Brill Building drove girl groups on the east coast who gave a female voice to teenage romance. Rock 'n' roll even fuelled the Motown sound in Detroit and soundtracked the sunshiny west coast dream from guitar instrumental groups like The Ventures to LA's emerging Beach Boys.
In the early 60s, rock 'n' roll was birthing increasingly polished pop sounds across the States, but American teens seemed to have settled back into sensible young adulthood. Enter the long-haired boys from Liverpool, Newcastle and London.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E King, Chubby Checker, Ronnie Spector, Barrett Strong, Eric Burdon and Pat Boone.
FRI 22:55 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01b4x9g)
How the West Was Won
In the 1960s, arriving British groups were astounded by pizza, skyscrapers and real cowboys while America fell in love with a curious blend of swinging London and ye olde England.
FRI 23:55 Big in America: British Hits in the USA (b01bywsr)
Compilation of British rock 'n' roll acts in performance with tracks that crossed over to the US charts. From The Dave Clark Five to Coldplay, the Brits have rocked America and sometimes even done better across the pond than here - take a bow A Flock of Seagulls, Supertramp and Bush - who are also included here alongside darker British global exports like Black Sabbath and The Cure.
FRI 00:55 Rock 'n' Roll America (b0623809)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:55 today]
FRI 01:55 You've Got a Friend: The Carole King Story (b0461chb)
Documentary telling, in her own words, the story of Carole King's upbringing in Brooklyn and the subsequent success that she had as half of husband-and-wife songwriting team Goffin and King for Aldon Music on Broadway.
It was during this era in the early 1960s that they created a string of pop hits such as Take Good Care of My Baby for Bobby Vee, The Locomotion for Little Eva and Will You Love Me Tomorrow for the Shirelles, which became the first number one hit by a black American girl group. They also wrote the era-defining Up on the Roof for the Drifters and the magnificent Natural Woman for Aretha Franklin.
By 1970 Carole was divorced from songwriting partner Gerry Goffin and had moved to Los Angeles. It was here that she created her classic solo album Tapestry, packed with delightful tunes but also, for the first time, her own lyrics, very much sung from the heart. The album included It's Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move and You've Got a Friend and held the record for the most weeks at number one by a solo female artist for nearly 20 years. It became a trusted part of everyone's record collection and has sold over 25 million copies to date.
The film features some wonderful unseen material and home movies, and narrates her life as an acclaimed singer-songwriter. To date, more than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by over 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles.
More recently, in 2013, Carole was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress for her songwriting, whilst in 2014 Broadway production Beautiful, which tells her life story during the Goffin and King era, has received rave reviews.
Nowadays Carole King would see herself as an environmental activist as much as a songwriter, and she is to be found constantly lobbying congress in defence of the wildlife and ecosystems of her beloved Idaho.
FRI 02:55 How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (b01b4x9g)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:55 today]