SATURDAY 29 AUGUST 2015
SAT 19:00 Natural World (b01qsfk7)
2012-2013
Giant Otters of the Amazon
Diablo the giant otter lives in a lake in the jungles of Peru, with his unruly family of six cubs. Even at the tender age of six months, they need to learn how to survive in this dangerous paradise. Their dad teaches them to swim and eventually to catch piranha for themselves, but they must also learn to stay away from the neighbours from hell - the giant caiman. These large members of the crocodile family are a real threat to the giant otter family and Diablo must go to extraordinary lengths to try to protect his cubs.
Renowned cameraman and otter specialist Charlie Hamilton-James returns to the place he first filmed Diablo 13 years ago. Following the family over several months, sometimes in very difficult conditions, he discovers how perilous a home this is for the cubs and watches them develop under the careful guidance of their father. He also films remarkable scenes of the giant otters fighting caimans.
SAT 20:00 Sicily Unpacked (b019hc62)
Episode 2
In the second part of this fascinating journey through Sicily, Andrew and Giorgio explore the legacy of Spain's 500-year occupation of the island and the influence this has had on art and culture.
It is Easter and Giorgio and Andrew get the chance to experience two of the island's most spectacular celebrations. On Good Friday in the city of Enna, hooded figures parade statues of the Madonna and Jesus. Then on Easter Sunday they go to Modica to see the Madonna Vasa Vasa procession, where a statue of the Madonna meets and kisses her son Jesus in front of a devoted crowd.
Andrew and Giorgio end Easter festivities with a traditional lunch courtesy of the Vannuccio family, who live in the countryside outside Modica. The sweet tooth of our presenters is indulged when they sample ice cream made exclusively with ingredients from Sicily. Further delights are served by the Bonajuto family, who for six generations have made exquisite chocolate inspired by techniques acquired from the Aztecs via their Spanish colonizers.
During the Spanish occupation, Caravaggio fled to Sicily from Rome. He is Andrew's favourite painter and together with Giorgio, he visits one of the great artist's masterpieces in Messina - a moving Nativity scene.
Giorgio and Andrew end this part of their journey in Marsala, where General Giuseppe Garibaldi arrived with his 1,000 soldiers to unify Italy in 1860.
SAT 21:00 The Young Montalbano (b03cc891)
Series 1
The Third Secret
Montalbano receives an anonymous note predicting the death of a local construction worker, only to realise that the note has been delivered too late. Meanwhile, the public notice board announcing the town's forthcoming weddings is stolen. What at first appears to be an innocent prank gradually turns out to have more sinister overtones. Carmine Fazio's young son Giuseppe joins the investigating team following his father's retirement, but there are minor clashes between the enthusiastic new recruit and his boss.
In Italian with English subtitles.
SAT 22:40 Reading and Leeds Festival (b068sgmv)
2015
Metallica
Formed in 1981 by drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, Metallica have become one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands in history.
The band are returning to the prestigious headline spot at the Reading Festival for a record fourth time and have a rich history there, having first headlined some 18 years ago. With a career spanning over three decades and more than 110 million records sold across the world, Metallica are undoubtedly one of the biggest and best live acts on the planet.
SAT 00:40 Metal Britannia (b00r600m)
Nigel Planer narrates a documentary which traces the origins and development of British heavy metal from its humble beginnings in the industrialised Midlands to its proud international triumph.
In the late 60s a number of British bands were forging a new kind of sound. Known as hard rock, it was loud, tough, energetic and sometimes dark in outlook. They didn't know it, but Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and, most significantly, Black Sabbath were defining what first became heavy rock and then eventually heavy metal.
Inspired by blues rock, progressive rock, classical music and high energy American rock, they synthesised the sound that would inspire bands like Judas Priest to take metal even further during the 70s.
By the 80s its originators had fallen foul of punk rock, creative stasis or drug and alcohol abuse. But a new wave of British heavy metal was ready to take up the crusade. With the success of bands like Iron Maiden, it went global.
Contributors include Lemmy from Motorhead, Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Ian Gillan from Deep Purple, Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden and Saxon's Biff Byford.
SAT 02:10 Classic Albums (b00vlq0y)
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
The second album by Black Sabbath, released in 1970, has long attained classic status. Paranoid not only changed the face of rock music, but also defined the sound and style of heavy metal more than any other record in rock history. The result of a magic chemistry which had been discovered between four English musicians, it put Black Sabbath firmly on the road to world domination.
This programme tells the story behind the writing, recording and success of the album. Despite vilification from the Christian and moral right and all the harsh criticism that the music press could hurl at them, Paranoid catapulted Sabbath into the rock stratosphere.
Using exclusive interviews, musical demonstration, archive footage and a return to the multi-tracks with engineer Tom Allom, the film reveals how Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward created their frighteningly dark, heavy and ear-shatteringly loud sound.
Additional comments from Phil Alexander (MOJO & Kerrang! editor), Geoff Barton (Classic Rock editor), Henry Rollins (writer/musician) and Jim Simpson (original manager) add insight to the creation of this all-time classic.
SAT 02:35 Natural World (b01qsfk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2015
SUN 19:00 BBC Proms (b068fhzt)
2015
BBC Proms Sunday Symphony: Prokofiev's Fifth
Kirill Karabits conducts the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Sergei Prokofiev's ever-popular Fifth Symphony, composed in a white heat of inspiration at a pivotal moment of the Second World War. Sir Mark Elder provides a movement-by-movement guide to the symphony. Presented from the Royal Albert Hall by Katie Derham.
SUN 20:00 Horizon (b01b45zh)
2011-2012
Playing God
Adam Rutherford meets a new creature created by American scientists - the spider-goat. It is part goat, part spider, and its milk can be used to create an artificial spider's web.
It is part of a new field of research, synthetic biology, with a radical aim - to break down nature into spare parts so that we can rebuild it however we please.
This technology is already being used to make bio-diesel to power cars. Other researchers are looking at how we might, one day, control human emotions by sending 'biological machines' into our brains.
SUN 21:00 Rich Hall's You Can Go to Hell, I'm Going to Texas (b036lqsz)
Comedian Rich Hall goes to the Lone Star state in search of the real Texas and asks what it means to be a Texan. From the Alamo to the oil industry and everything in between, Rich explores the landscape, the people and the true heart of this historic state.
With the help of scholars, ranchers and musicians, Rich explores every aspect of what it is to be a Texan. He not only seeks the truth behind so many myths and legends in history and on screen, but gets to the very soul and explores how this land and its people has made such an impact on the rest of the world.
Rich goes from the ranches of Marfa to the music of Austin and the oil fields of Beaumont, and incorporates interviews, archive clips of some of cinema's finest films, historical photographs and footage, all brought together with his customary wit and intelligence.
This is an insight into the Texan psyche through its politics, sports, movies, industries and lifestyle, to find out if everything really is bigger in Texas.
SUN 22:30 Reading and Leeds Festival (b06950sh)
2015
The Libertines
The Libertines return to the scene of their triumphant reunion at the 2010 Reading Festival to headline the Main Stage shortly before the release of their much anticipated third album Anthems for Doomed Youth.
The band formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, had their line up completed by John Hassall on bass and Gary Powell on drums. They gained some notoriety in the early 2000s and although their mainstream success was initially limited their profile soon grew and, in December 2004, their self-titled second album went to No 1 and was voted the second best album of the year by NME magazine. But tensions within the band grew and the band split soon afterwards and the greatest rock 'n' roll story of a generation has been waiting for a new chapter ever since.
SUN 00:00 Wallander (b068zn1y)
The White Lioness
An arson attack at a remote cottage leads the Ystad police to the body of a missing local estate agent dumped in an icy pond. Further investigations in the burned-out house reveal sophisticated radio equipment and the gruesome discovery of the severed finger of an African assassin known to Interpol.
In Swedish and English with English subtitles.
SUN 01:40 Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made the Movies (b03bm2fy)
New Frontiers
In the last of three programmes in which composer Neil Brand celebrates the art of cinema music, Neil explores how changing technology has taken soundtracks in bold new directions and even altered our very idea of how a film should sound.
Neil tells the story of how the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet ended up with a groundbreaking electronic score that blurred the line between music and sound effects, and explains why Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds has one of the most effective soundtracks of any of his films - despite having no music. He shows how electronic music crossed over from pop into cinema with Midnight Express and Chariots of Fire, while films like Apocalypse Now pioneered the concept of sound design - that sound effects could be used for storytelling and emotional impact.
Neil tracks down some of the key composers behind these innovations to talk about their work, such as Vangelis (Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner), Carter Burwell (Twilight, No Country for Old Men) and Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, Moon).
SUN 02:40 Sean Connery: In His Own Words (b0674mg5)
Featuring archive interviews with Sean Connery from over 50 years in the business. Friends, actors and directors including Robert Carlyle, Dougray Scott, Laurence Fishburne, Terry Gilliam and George Lucas pay tribute to Scotland's greatest movie star.
MONDAY 31 AUGUST 2015
MON 19:00 World News Today (b068brtb)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
MON 19:30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (b03x1211)
Series 2 - Reversions
Copenhagen to Oslo: Part 2
Armed with his 1913 railway guide, Michael Portillo explores Scandinavia and discovers the royal roots of early 20th-century British travellers' close dynastic ties with the kingdoms of Denmark and Norway. After braving one of the world's oldest rollercoasters in Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens, Michael takes the train across the Oresund Bridge linking Denmark to Sweden, where he retraces the tracks of a train which carried a revolutionary Russian passenger on an epic voyage.
In Lund, he samples a smorgasbord before having a highland fling in Gothenburg, where he test-drives a vintage Volvo. Crossing the border again into Norway, Michael discovers how in 1913 this young nation expressed its own distinctively modern identity in plays, paintings and polar exploration.
MON 20:00 Who Were the Greeks? (b036pxqk)
Episode 2
Classicist Dr Michael Scott explores the legacies of the ancient Greeks, what they have given us today, and asks why these legacies have lasted through time.
Democracy, art, architecture, philosophy, science, sport, theatre - all can be traced back to ancient Greece. Travelling across the ancient Greek world, from Athens to Olympia, Macedon, Turkey and Sicily, Michael discovers why the ancient Greeks were so successful, why their culture and way of life spread across continents and through time and why they still have such a powerful hold over our imaginations today.
MON 21:00 Treasures of the Indus (p02qvb6j)
Pakistan Unveiled
This is the story of the Indian subcontinent told through the treasures of three very different people, places and dynasties that have shaped the modern Indian world.
All too often, Pakistan is portrayed as a country of bombs, beards and burkhas. The view of it as a monolithic Muslim state is even embodied in the name of the country, 'the Islamic Republic of Pakistan'.
Yet, as Sona Datta shows, it used to be the meeting point for many different faiths from around the world and has an intriguing multicultural past - a past about which it is to some extent in denial. It also produced some extraordinary and little-known works of art which Sona, from her work as a curator at the British Museum, explores and explains.
MON 22:00 Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails (b00drtpj)
Ian Hislop brings his customary humour, analysis and wit to the notorious Beeching Report of 1963, which led to the closure of a third of the nation's railway lines and stations and forced tens of thousands of people into the car and onto the road.
Was author Dr Richard Beeching little more than Genghis Khan with a slide rule, ruthlessly hacking away at Britain's rail network in a misguided quest for profitability, or was he the fall guy for short-sighted government policies that favoured the car over the train?
Ian also investigates the fallout of Beeching's plan, discovering what was lost to the British landscape, communities and ways of life when the railway map shrank, and recalls the halcyon days of train travel, celebrated by John Betjeman.
Ian travels from Cornwall to the Scottish borders, meeting those responsible and those affected and questioning whether such brutal measures could be justified. Knowing what we know now, with trains far more energy efficient and environmentally sound than cars, perhaps Beeching's plan was the biggest folly of the 1960s?
MON 23:00 World War II: 1945 and the Wheelchair President (b05vlzsn)
David Reynolds re-examines the war leadership of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
At the height of war, Roosevelt inspired millions with stirring visions of a new and better postwar world, but it was a world he probably knew he would never see. He was commander-in-chief of the greatest military power the world had known, and yet his paralysis from polio made him powerless to accomplish even the most minor physical tasks. Few Americans knew the extent of his disability.
In this intimate biography set against the epic of World War II, Reynolds reveals how Roosevelt was burdened by secrets about his failing health and strained marriage that, if exposed, could have destroyed his presidency. Enigmatic, secretive and with a complicated love life, America's wheelchair president was racing to shape the future before the past caught up with him.
Weaving together the conduct of the war in Europe and the Pacific, the high politics of Roosevelt's diplomacy with Stalin and Churchill, and the entangled stories of the women who sustained the president in his last year, Reynolds explores the impact of Roosevelt's growing frailty on the war's endgame and the tainted peace that followed.
MON 00:30 Country Kings at the BBC (p028vxj4)
Classic male country singers from the BBC vaults, journeying from The Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis to Garth Brooks and Willie Nelson, and featuring classic songs and performances by Glen Campbell, Charley Pride, George Hamilton IV, Kenny Rogers, Clint Black, Johnny Cash, Eric Church and more. This 50 years-plus compilation is a chronological look at country kings as featured on BBC studio shows as varied as In Concert, Wogan, The Late Show and Later with Jools Holland, plus early variety shows presented by the likes of Lulu, Harry Secombe and Shirley Abicair.
MON 01:30 Country Queens at the BBC (p028vwnv)
Classic female country stars in action on a variety of BBC studio shows and featuring Bobbie Gentry, Anne Murray, Emmylou Harris, Tammy Wynette, Billie Jo Spears, Crystal Gayle, Taylor Swift, Lucinda Williams with Mary Chapin Carpenter and more. A chronological celebration of country queens at the BBC whether on Top of the Pops, OGWT, Later with Jools Holland, Parkinson or their own entertainment specials.
MON 02:30 Treasures of the Indus (p02qvb6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUESDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2015
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b068brth)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (b03x129l)
Series 2 - Reversions
Prague to Munich - Part 1
With his 1913 guidebook in hand, Michael Portillo explores the stunning art nouveau architecture of the Czech capital. In a cafe popular with artists of the time, he discovers the dance craze of the day - the tango - and gamely gives it a go. In the spa of kings, Marienbad, now known as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples the sulphurous waters and wallows in peat and mud. At the Skoda factory in Pilsen, he investigates how the machine products of peacetime gave way to the manufacture of armaments for war and test-drives a state-of-the-art passenger train locomotive made there today.
Crossing the border from Bohemia to Bavaria, Michael encounters a fire-breathing dragon in Furth-im-Wald, and in Nuremberg he rides German railway history - made in Britain. Arriving in Munich, he finds a blue horse created at the time of his guidebook and discovers an early 20th-century pioneer who laid the foundations for the city's pre-eminence in science and technology today.
TUE 20:00 Canals: The Making of a Nation (b068c3zh)
Engineering
Liz McIvor tells the story of the early canal builders who struggled with the rugged terrain of England's Pennine hills. Creating a network of canals in this landscape was an uphill challenge - sometimes literally! But connecting the powerhouses of Yorkshire and Lancashire was a great prize at the time of the industrial revolution. What should the engineers do? Should they build over, under or around the hills? Who succeeded, and who struggled?
TUE 20:30 Hive Minds (b068fnbq)
Series 1
Mavericks v Pascallywags
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.
In this second-round match, Mavericks play Pascallywags for a place in the semi-finals.
TUE 21:00 Hidden Killers (b01rp5hh)
The Victorian Home
While the Victorians confronted the challenges of ruling an empire, perhaps the most dangerous environment they faced was in their own homes. Householders lapped up the latest products, gadgets and conveniences, but in an era with no health and safety standards they were unwittingly turning their homes into hazardous death traps.
In a genuine horror story, Dr Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the killers that lurked in every room of the Victorian home and shows how they were unmasked. What new innovation killed thousands of babies? And what turned the domestic haven into a ticking time bomb?
TUE 22:00 The Titfield Thunderbolt (b03mv97b)
Ealing comedy about a group of villagers and their battle to preserve the local railway line by running it themselves, an enterprise that goes well until they are sabotaged in a midnight raid by the rival bus company. Undaunted, they wheel out the Thunderbolt, an ancient exhibit in the village museum. Now all that remains is to put on a satisfactory run for the stickler of a government inspector.
TUE 23:20 The Secret Life of Waves (b00y5jhx)
Documentary maker David Malone delves into the secrets of ocean waves. In an elegant and original film, he finds that waves are not made of water, that some waves travel sideways, and that the sound of the ocean comes not from water but from bubbles. Waves are not only beautiful but also profoundly important, and there is a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and the life of human beings.
TUE 00:20 Horizon (b01b45zh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Sunday]
TUE 01:20 Canals: The Making of a Nation (b068c3zh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
TUE 01:50 Hive Minds (b068fnbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
TUE 02:20 World War II: 1945 and the Wheelchair President (b05vlzsn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:00 on Monday]
WEDNESDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2015
WED 19:00 World News Today (b068brtn)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 Great Continental Railway Journeys (b03x12j1)
Series 2 - Reversions
Prague to Munich - Part 2
With his 1913 guidebook in hand, Michael Portillo explores the stunning art nouveau architecture of the Czech capital. In a cafe popular with artists of the time, he discovers the dance craze of the day - the tango - and gamely gives it a go. In the spa of kings, Marienbad, now known as Marianske Lazne, Michael samples the sulphurous waters and wallows in peat and mud. At the Skoda factory in Pilsen, he investigates how the machine products of peacetime gave way to the manufacture of armaments for war and test-drives a state-of-the-art passenger train locomotive made there today.
Crossing the border from Bohemia to Bavaria, Michael encounters a fire-breathing dragon in Furth-im-Wald, and in Nuremberg he rides German railway history - made in Britain. Arriving in Munich, he finds a blue horse created at the time of his guidebook and discovers an early 20th-century pioneer who laid the foundations for the city's pre-eminence in science and technology today.
WED 20:00 Miniature Britain (b01pc1c1)
Biologist George McGavin goes on a journey around the British Isles to show us the extraordinary little things that are vital to our land. With a revolutionary new microscope camera 7,000 times more powerful than the human eye, George reveals the surprising beauty of Britain close-up.
Caterpillars' feet have hooks that anchor them to leaves even upside down, the wings of butterflies and moths are a kaleidoscope of colourful scales that keep them safe from predators, bee stings have barbs that make them stick deep in your skin, and feathers have thousands of hooks that zip together keeping birds airborne.
Our cities are full of invisible miniature life too: millions of cute 'water bears' graze pavement mosses, and our homes have legions of dust mites scavenging for food in our carpets.
This is Britain as you've never seen it before.
WED 21:00 Timeshift (b068fvln)
Series 15
The Trains That Time Forgot: Britain's Lost Railway Journeys
Timeshift journeys back to a lost era of rail travel, when trains had names, character and style. Once the pride of the railway companies that ran them, the named train is now largely consigned to railway history.
Writer and presenter Andrew Martin asks why we once named trains and why we don't do so anymore. He embarks on three railway journeys around Britain, following the routes of three of the most famous named trains - the Flying Scotsman, the Cornish Riviera Express and the Brighton Belle. We reflect on travel during the golden age of railways - when the journey itself was as important as reaching your destination - and compare those same journeys with the passenger experience today.
WED 22:00 India's Frontier Railways (b0555xgw)
The Maitree Express
Filmed during the holy month of Ramadan, this is a journey from India into Bangladesh on a train that reunites the region of Bengal. Partitioned in 1947, Bengal was divided in half, creating East Pakistan - a satellite state ruled by Pakistan. It was an unwelcome occupation. In 1971, they fought a war of independence and East Pakistan became the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 37 years later, the first train ran between India and Bangladesh - the Maitree Express. Maitree means friendship.
It takes 12 hours to make the 392km journey from Kolkata to Dhaka, and staffing on the train is almost the same on both sides of the border. They speak the same language, share a history and all love fish.
Amirul, once a freedom fighter in the war of independence, now plays announcements and religious tapes on the Maitree. Aalo supports his family by selling chocolates on the train, but has a problem with the 30-degree heat. Sixteen-year-old Abdullah ran away from home and a madrasa. Now he sells papers on Dhaka's trains and platforms, hoping for a brighter future. Gautam Bannerjee is a guard on the Maitree and a respected astrologer. Can his calculations foretell the future? Urmi Rahman, a writer, was born in Bangladesh, married an Indian and lives in Kolkata, but she is very clear about her identity. Krishendu Basu is happy with his life. Not only a guard, he is also a tabla player, photographer and self-confessed foodie. But music is his passion.
These stories of people who work, travel or depend on the Maitree Express take us on a journey through history, sharing their hopes, needs and desires - on India's frontier railways.
WED 23:00 Treasures of the Indus (p02qvb6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
WED 00:00 Miniature Britain (b01pc1c1)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 01:00 Ian Hislop Goes off the Rails (b00drtpj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Monday]
WED 02:00 Heritage! The Battle for Britain's Past (b01r7h3t)
The Men from the Ministry
The second episode reveals the unsung heroes of the heritage movement, the clever civil servants who saved the great ruins of Britain. It explores the determination of Charles Reed Peers from the Office of Works, who seized the chance in the interwar years to make history a popular cause, and looks at how the increasingly mobile British public began to embrace the idea of a day out at an historic site. As the country houses faced a crisis with owners demolishing or abandoning their homes, who would come to the rescue - the Ministry of Works or the National Trust?
WED 03:00 Timeshift (b068fvln)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2015
THU 19:00 World News Today (b068brtt)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 BBC Proms (b068g2yf)
2015
The Bach Recitals: Andras Schiff Plays the Goldberg Variations
As part of the Proms series of late-night solo Bach recitals, the world-renowned pianist Sir Andras Schiff takes to the stage to perform Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations. Presented by Kirsty Wark.
THU 21:00 Love and Betrayal in India: The White Mughal (p02z8109)
Historian and author William Dalrymple travels to the Deccan Plains of India to trace the romantic love affair between a British diplomat and a young Muslim princess. James Achilles Kirkpatrick was the British East India Company resident at the court of Hyderabad when he risked everything, converting to Islam and, sources suggest, even becoming a double agent, to marry Khair un Nissa 'Most Excellent among Women.'
Pursuing this compelling story of seduction and betrayal through the archives across both continents, Dalrymple unearths a world almost entirely unexplored by history. Kirkpatrick's behaviour might appear to breach the conventional boundaries of empire, but it was not unique. At the turn of the 18th century, one in three British men in India, known as white mughals, lived with Indian women, wore local dress and adopted Indian ways, much to the embarrassment of successive colonial administrations. To protect them from growing disapproval their mixed race children were sent back to England for their education and were ultimately absorbed into Victorian society.
Dalrymple tells the story of the Kirkpatricks and their children through the art and architecture of the time - from the classic Georgian portraiture of George Chinnery and Thomas Hickey to the fantastical Deccani miniatures of Venkatchellam and Tajully Ali Shah. And in this melding of influences, he asks why Christian and Islamic cultures cannot be at one again when once they made great marriages and produced such outstanding art.
THU 22:00 Natural World (b01qsfk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 on Saturday]
THU 23:00 The Toilet: An Unspoken History (b01kxyhd)
We each spend three years of our lives on the toilet, but how happy are we talking about this essential part of our lives? This film challenges that mindset by uncovering its role in our culture and exploring the social history of the toilet in Britain and abroad - as well as exploring many of our cultural toilet taboos.
Starting in Merida, Spain, with some of the earliest surviving Roman toilets, we journey around the world - from the UK to China, Japan and Bangladesh - visiting toilets, ranging from the historically significant to the beautiful, from the functional and sometimes not-so-functional to the downright bizarre.
Leading our journey is Everyman figure, Welsh poet and presenter Ifor ap Glyn, who has a passionate interest in the toilet, its history and how it has evolved over the centuries, right up to the development of the current design. Finally, there's a glimpse of the future and a possible solution to the global sanitation issues we now face.
THU 00:00 Rich Hall's You Can Go to Hell, I'm Going to Texas (b036lqsz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Sunday]
THU 01:30 Who Were the Greeks? (b036pxqk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Monday]
THU 02:30 Love and Betrayal in India: The White Mughal (p02z8109)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRIDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2015
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b068brv2)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 BBC Proms (b068g3zw)
2015
Friday Night at the Proms: Bernard Haitink Conducts
The Royal Albert Hall plays host to musical royalty with a visit from Bernard Haitink, the legendary pianist Maria Joao Pires and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, in a programme of Schubert's Italian Overture, Mozart's A major Piano Concerto and Schubert's Ninth Symphony.
Presented by Razia Iqbal and Suzy Klein.
FRI 21:30 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011pwd9)
Episode 1
In 1971, four university students got together to form a band. Since then, that certain band called Queen has released 26 albums and sold over 300 million records worldwide. The popularity of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is stronger than ever. Their story is a remarkable one, a narrative that covers early struggles, huge obstacles, success, arguments, breakups, triumph, tragedy and an enduring legacy - all against a backdrop of brilliant music and stunning live performances from every corner of the globe.
In this film, for the first time, it is the band that tells their story. Guiding us through an extensive archive full of hitherto unseen footage, the documentary reveals how four strong-minded individuals, all capable of writing massive hit songs, worked together so successfully for four decades. Queen never did anything by halves - meaning their highs were massive, but their lows catastrophic. It is a compelling story told with intelligence, wit, plenty of humour and painful honesty.
FRI 22:30 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011r4gs)
Episode 2
The story of British rock band Queen, formed in 1971. The second half of this documentary sees Queen at the peak of their powers. With the ultimate showman in Freddie Mercury and a string of rock anthems to their name, Queen smashed attendance records with a series of stadium shows across South America.
But the band quickly learned that if reaching the top is tough, staying there is the biggest challenge of all. With a loss of focus in the studio, the decline in popularity in North America, increasing internal tension and a desire to pursue solo projects, it seemed as if the band had had its day. Then came the performance from Mercury at Live Aid and their record breaking Magic tour in 1986. Queen were back amongst the very best. They were rejuvenated and once again had the world at their feet, but then tragedy struck and threatened to tear the band apart.
Featuring musical performances, previously unseen and rare footage, and intimate interviews.
FRI 23:30 The Joy of the Guitar Riff (b049mtxw)
The guitar riff is the DNA of rock 'n' roll, a double helix of repetitive simplicity and fiendish complexity on which its history has been built. From Chuck Berry through to The White Stripes, this documentary traces the ebb and flow of the guitar riff over the last 60 years of popular music. With riffs and stories from an all-star cast including Brian May, Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, Joan Jett, Nile Rodgers, Tony Iommi, Robert Fripp, Johnny Marr, Nancy Wilson, Kevin Shields, Ryan Jarman, Tom Morello and many more. Narrated by Lauren Laverne.
FRI 00:30 The Kinks at the BBC (b012ht1w)
The story of The Kinks, one of the UK's most important and influential bands, as told from the vaults of the BBC archive.
From their humble beginnings in north London, brothers Ray and Dave Davies, school friend Pete Quaife and local drummer Mick Avory exploded onto the music scene of early 1960s London.
From this series of unique archive performances, we learn that blues was their first love and Dave's signature guitar sound would go on to influence a generation of guitar players. As Ray's uniquely English songwriting style developed, the spectre of Ray and Dave's rocky fraternal relationship continually loomed in the background, through concerts for The Old Grey Whistle Test in the 1970s to appearances on Top of the Pops in the 1980s.
The inevitable band split came in 1996, and the BBC archive continues with Ray's reinvention as a solo artist with performances on the Electric Proms and up to the present day on Later... with Jools Holland. All the while the brothers continue to tease and goad the press - and one another - with talk of a Kinks reunion.
FRI 01:30 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011pwd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:30 today]
FRI 02:30 Queen - Days of Our Lives (b011r4gs)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:30 today]