SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER 2009
SAT 19:00 The Pre-Raphaelites (b00lc6x8)
Episode 2
Three-part series examining the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who brought notoriety to British art in the 19th century, bursting into the spotlight in 1848 and shocking their peers with a new kind of radical art.
This second part looks at how they continued by transforming landscape painting with a microscopic examination of the natural world, some ten years before the French Impressionists.
SAT 19:30 The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone (b00n58ml)
Through the life cycle of one mobile phone, this documentary investigates the million and one ways in which the mobile has made itself indispensable to modern life.
One in every two human beings has a mobile, and this inanimate lump of plastic and minerals is made privy to people's innermost secrets - conversations with friends, lovers and family. It holds family photos, plays favourite music and yet, as an instrument of communication, it has its paradoxes. People are dumped by text, some pretend to be deep in a telephone conversation to avoid speaking to real people and others are affronted when their bellowed conversations on public transport are overheard.
Then, at the end of a strangely intimate relationship, it becomes one of the one billion phones discarded every year - reconditioned for re-use or smelted down for the precious metals it contains.
SAT 20:00 Upgrade Me (b00n1hwj)
Poet and gadget lover Simon Armitage explores people's obsession with upgrading to the latest technological gadgetry.
Upgrade culture drives millions to purchase the latest phones, flatscreen TVs, laptops and MP3 players. But is it design, functionality, fashion or friends that makes people covet the upgrade, and how far does the choice of gadgets define identity? Simon journeys across Britain and to South Korea in search of answers.
SAT 21:00 Electric Dreams (b00n1j8n)
1970s
A family and their home are stripped of all their modern technology to live a life of decades past.
The family must live through the digital wilderness of the 1970s at a rate of a year per day, starting in 1970. They have their very own technical support team to source and supply them with the vintage technology that would have been available to British households during the decade.
By modern standards the 1970s are decidedly low-tech and the family face many challenges. They endure a spell without central heating and get to grips with the suburban favourite, the teasmade. They see the effects of 70s industrial unrest on their home when they experience a power cut and home entertainment becomes even more limited when their newly-arrived colour television breaks down.
But it's not all grim - the arrival of chopper bikes, the first video game and a mix-tape expert who shows them how to create the soundtrack for their very own slide show all help to prove that life in the 1970s had its upside too.
SAT 22:00 Micro Men (b00n5b92)
Affectionately comic drama about the British home computer boom of the early 1980s.
Legendary inventor Clive Sinclair battles it out with ex-employee Chris Curry, founder of Acorn Computers, for dominance in the fledgling market.
The rivalry comes to a head when the BBC announce their Computer Literacy Project, with the stated aim of putting a micro in every school in Britain. When Acorn wins the contract, Sinclair is furious, and determines to outsell the BBC Micro with his ZX Spectrum computer.
Home computing arrives in Britain in a big way, but is the country big enough for both men?
SAT 23:25 The Andy Williams Show (b00n806r)
Solo
A collection of the original American Idol's greatest hits and special performances from his weekly variety show, broadcast in the United States on NBC between 1962 and 1971. Including classic tracks Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses and Music To Watch Girls By.
SAT 23:55 Kings of Cool: The Crooners (b007c6n3)
Honor Blackman narrates a celebration of some of the most stylish musical icons of the last century, the crooners such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett and Andy Williams. Featuring interviews with friends, family members and the new breed of crooners such as Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum.
SAT 00:35 The Andy Williams Show (b00n5bt9)
Duets
Compilation of the best duets selected from crooner Andy Williams's private archive of his weekly 1960s variety show on NBC. The show attracted the cream of the crop from the world of showbiz, from Bing Crosby and Ray Charles to Johnny Mathis and Ella Fitzgerald, who were more than happy to share the microphone with the king of easy listening.
Including Over the Rainbow with Judy Garland, and Andy at the piano with Ray Charles for What'd I Say.
SAT 01:35 Electric Dreams (b00n1j8n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
SAT 02:40 Upgrade Me (b00n1hwj)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
SAT 03:40 The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone (b00n58ml)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
SUNDAY 11 OCTOBER 2009
SUN 19:00 Hubble Telescope (b0074rkg)
Documentary about the work of the world's most famous space telescope. Hubble celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2005 and has been used to look into the furthest regions of the universe.
SUN 20:00 Designing the Decades (b0078jk6)
Designing the 90s
The series on modern design looks at the 1990s, including the rise of IKEA, how James Dyson revolutionised the vacuum cleaner, how a computer game became a design icon, how Ford cars went curvy, and how two British architects reinvented the wheel. Contributors include James Dyson, Nicholas Grimshaw, Jonathan Glancey, Caryn Franklin, Alice Rawsthorn and Tyler Brulee.
SUN 21:00 Electric Dreams (b00n59t4)
1980s
A family and their home are stripped of all their modern technology to live a life of decades past.
The family must live through the digital wilderness of the 1980s at a rate of a year per day, starting in 1980. They have their very own technical support team who source and supply them with the vintage technology that would have been available to British households during the decade, including iconic technology such as the Walkman, Game and Watch and the CD player.
For a modern family it is a decade of challenges. In 1980 they attempt to cook a roast dinner in a microwave oven, as consumers of the time were encouraged to do. They are faced with a bewildering choice of home computers in 1982 and the arduous task of finding a rental shop that still supplies films on video cassette for their newly-arrived VHS player.
Dad takes a spin in the most famous technological flop of the decade, the Sinclair C5, but the family do experience an 80s success story when New Wave icons Ultravox pay a surprise visit to demonstrate the synthesiser technology which soundtracked the era.
SUN 22:00 Spiral (b00n8zty)
Series 2: Gangs of Paris
Episode 5
The mysterious north African, Samy, arrives from Special Branch to help with the investigation into the Larbi crime family. Aziz is still out of control and finally pushes one of his young gang members too far - the team are called to a street shooting and the perpetrator is a sinister teenager.
SUN 22:55 It's Only a Theory (b00n59t6)
Episode 1
Comedians Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter host a series in which qualified professionals and experts submit their theories about life, the universe and everything for examination by a panel of Hamilton, Hunter and a guest celebrity, who then make a final decision on whether the theory is worth keeping.
The guest celebrity is sports presenter Clare Balding and the experts are Dr Aubrey de Grey and Lucy Beresford.
SUN 23:25 Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe (b00n1j8q)
Charlie Brooker sets his caustic sights on video games. Expect acerbic comment as he looks at the various genres, how they have changed since their early conception and how the media represents games and gamers. Features interviews with Dara O Briain, sitcom scribe Graham Linehan and Rab and Ryan from Consolevania.
SUN 00:15 A Taste of Iran (b00n59zt)
BBC journalist Sadeq Saba takes a personal journey around a country of which he is fiercely proud, and it soon becomes apparent that there is a lot more to Iran than nuclear standoffs and mullahs.
In a country suspicious of the outside media, this is a rare opportunity to meet ordinary Iranians going about their daily lives - shopping, cooking, working and having fun.
Saba banters with his feisty sister Fariba about women's rights, relaxes with tea pickers amid mountainous rolling plantations, braves leeches to joke with rice planters and receives tips on how to eat candy floss from the factory floor.
The recent political struggles are nowhere, partly because it was filmed before the contested election in June 2009 but also because what we are seeing is the essence of a deep sense of Persian identity, buffeted by struggles past and present yet still enduring.
Sadeq, who is the head of the BBC's Persian TV channel, relishes every encounter, be it gastronomic or historical. He visits the stunning ancient monument of Persepolis, hidden from the world until 70 years ago, wanders through ancient bazaars and takes a tour through the magnificent former capital of Isfahan.
Islam and its influence throughout society is apparent, but thriving communities of minority religions - Zoroastrians, Christians and Jews - are also in evidence.
Sadeq concludes that he comes from a rich and ancient culture which still lives on in the psyche of Iranians today. But it is the warmth, hospitality and sense of fun that shines through.
SUN 01:45 Electric Dreams (b00n59t4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
SUN 02:45 It's Only a Theory (b00n59t6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:55 today]
SUN 03:15 Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe (b00n1j8q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:25 today]
MONDAY 12 OCTOBER 2009
MON 19:00 World News Today (b00n90hw)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
MON 19:30 Cambridge Folk Festival (b00n90hy)
2009
Martin Simpson
English guitar virtuoso Martin Simpson delights the festival crowd with songs old and new, including a moving performance of Never Any Good and a classic New Orleans-style version of Lakes of Ponchatrian.
Accompanied by his talented new band, which includes Jon Boden (of Bellowhead and Spiers & Boden) and legendary pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole, Simpson demonstrates why he is a regular nominee across the categories at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
MON 20:00 The Twenties in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn (b0087g3j)
The Twenties in Colour
Europe: After the Fire
Series examining Albert Kahn's ambitious 'Archives of the Planet' project, in which he sent photographers, armed with the world's first user-friendly colour photographic system, around the world to document all aspects of human life. When the Armistice was signed in November 1918, Kahn's team photographed the scenes of jubilation in Paris. Their cameras also witnessed the negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference and recorded the horrifying aftermath of four years of war.
MON 21:00 Podfather (b00n90j0)
Documentary telling the story of silicon chip inventor Robert Noyce, godfather of today's digital world.
Re-living the heady days of Silicon Valley's seminal start-ups, the film tells how Noyce also founded Intel, the company responsible for more than 80 per cent of the microprocessors in personal computers. Noyce defined the unconventional, innovative culture of Silicon Valley - the likes of Apple and Google would be influenced by his egalitarian management style, which was inspired by his religious upbringing.
Podfather shows why Noyce may be the most important person most people have never heard of. Contributors include industry giants Gordon Moore and Andy Grove.
MON 22:00 Micro Men (b00n5b92)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Saturday]
MON 23:25 Storyville (b00dzy93)
Roman Polanski - Wanted and Desired
In September 2009, Roman Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on a 30-year-old warrant. In 1978, the filmmaker skipped bail and escaped to France. For decades, no-one truly understood why. This documentary that reveals the truth about the bungled legal proceedings which brought about his escape.
In her riveting reopening of this controversial and, as it turns out, very complex case, filmmaker Marina Zenovich fashions a perceptive and intelligent exploration of what really happened and casts a very different light on Polanski's decision, as well as the workings of the American legal system.
Revisiting all of the key players, including the lawyers, the victim and the media, the film looks at the conduct of the judge whose handling of the case was unusual. In addition, it incorporates insightful interviews from the present, bringing new comprehension and clarity to events long clouded by myths and presumptions.
Winner of three Emmys, two prizes at Sundance and countless other international awards, the film is a timely look at one of the most high-profile and fascinating legal battles of the last thirty years.
MON 00:55 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mbtgy)
A Knight's Tale
At 67, multi-millionaire businessman John Madejski is to be knighted for a lifetime of giving. He has 250 million in the bank and gives to the arts and education, and especially to his home town of Reading.
But as the recession bites, he is not a happy man. He has fingers in eighteen pies and they are all causing him worry, but the powerlessness he feels at least means he can dedicate some thought to the Inner Man. All his life he has been troubled by the need to find out more about his origins, about the man who fathered him, and to discover the secrets and lies about his illegitimate birth.
His buildings all bear his name, but what will he call the country estate he is creating on a hillside outside Reading, his very own Shangri-La?
In this fascinating documentary, Mr Reading goes on a voyage of discovery and emerges with a new understanding of himself.
MON 01:55 Rich Man, Poor Man (b00mg9dd)
Ben Dover Straightens
For years, Ben Dover has been one of Britain's top porn performers and producers. This fictional character, a middle-aged man who women can't resist, is the alter-ego of one Lindsay Honey.
Porn has made him rich but dissatisfied, and he has always yearned to be taken seriously as a straight actor. Now, when money is not an issue but personal fulfilment is, he sets out to achieve his dream of performing, with lines and a costume.
Can he make it or will his previous success make him unemployable?
MON 02:55 Cambridge Folk Festival (b00n90hy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
MON 03:25 Podfather (b00n90j0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER 2009
TUE 19:00 World News Today (b00n90x9)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
TUE 19:30 Tales from the Green Valley (b0078ybx)
February
February is the team's sixth month on the farm. A heavy fall of snow turns it into a winter wonderland, but a storm has damaged their privy so they have got to rebuild one from scratch, and delve into waste management 17th century-style.
Despite the cold they still have to look after the animals, which means checking up on the pregnant cows and bringing in their period variety of sheep for a thorough check-up. They get busy preparing for spring sowing, and a music specialist brings along an assortment of contemporary instruments to warm them by the fire. With Lent upon them, they have to try their hand at some 400-year-old recipes for fish and apple pudding.
TUE 20:00 Life (b00ncr13)
Challenges of Life
In nature, living long enough to breed is a monumental struggle. Many animals and plants go to extremes to give themselves a chance.
Uniquely, three brother cheetahs band together to bring down a huge ostrich. Aerial photography reveals how bottle-nosed dolphins trap fish in a ring of mud, and time-lapse cameras show how the Venus flytrap ensnares insect victims.
The strawberry frog carries a tadpole high into a tree and drops it in a water-filled bromeliad. The frog must climb back from the ground every day to feed it.
Fledgling chinstrap penguins undertake a heroic and tragic journey through the broken ice to get out to sea. Many can barely swim and the formidable leopard seal lies in wait.
TUE 21:00 Electric Dreams (b00n90xc)
1990s
A family and their home are stripped of all their modern technology to live a life of decades past.
The family must live through the communication and home entertainment revolution of the 1990s, at a rate of a year per day, starting in 1990. They have their own Technical Support Team to source and supply them with the vintage technology that would have been available to British households during the decade.
They attempt to stay in touch using pagers and take a giant mobile phone and a rudimentary digital camera on a day trip to Paris in honour of the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994. Workplace technology becomes increasingly portable, but a home without access to the internet proves frustrating and the arrival of the 1990s world wide web is a far cry from what the kids are used to.
The 1990s see a whirlwind of technological progress and the family are inundated with gadgets and upgrades that infiltrate every area of their home. They are left reeling by the pace of change and surprised by the impact of 1990s tech on family life.
TUE 22:00 It's Only a Theory (b00n9105)
Episode 2
Comedians Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter host a series in which qualified professionals and experts submit their theories about life, the universe and everything for examination by a panel of Hamilton, Hunter and a guest celebrity, who then make a final decision on whether the theory is worth keeping.
The guest celebrity is broadcaster and journalist Martha Kearney and the experts are Professor David Crystal, John Man and Dr Kathleen Richardson.
TUE 22:30 Early Doors (b0078sly)
Series 2
Episode 6
Comedy series set in a small Manchester public house.
Mel's 21st has arrived and the regulars look forward to a free buffet. Joe discovers the perks of being a DJ as Nicola uses her assets to attract his attention, and Phil and Nige take the opportunity to try out their new business venture.
Jean wonders if she will ever get the chance of a nice semi detached with conservatory and Ken makes the decision they've all been waiting for.
TUE 23:00 Rab C Nesbitt (b00n9107)
Series 3
Cell
Rab reaches his lowest point after being thrown into solitary confinement. Bad news for him, but even worse for the poor jailbird who was in there already. For when jail is overcrowded, solitary means two.
TUE 23:30 Scotland's Music with Phil Cunningham (b008h53r)
Home and Away
Phil Cunningham follows the pathways of Scottish music from the Middle East to the United States, as performers like Rosanne Cash, Natalie McMaster, Bruce Molsky and Alison Brown explain how Scottish music conquered a continent.
TUE 00:30 Electric Dreams (b00n90xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUE 01:30 Podfather (b00n90j0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 It's Only a Theory (b00n9105)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
TUE 03:00 Electric Dreams (b00n90xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER 2009
WED 19:00 World News Today (b00n91cl)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
WED 19:30 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00ktrbw)
Lynette Roberts
Poet and author Owen Sheers presents a series in which he explores six great works of poetry set in the British landscape. Each poem explores a sense of place and identity across Britain and opens the doors to captivating stories about the places and the lives of the poets themselves.
Lynette Roberts is not a famous poet. She only published one full collection of poems and her work has been almost forgotten, but her vivid, modern, hot-blooded writing about a Welsh village and her time there during the Second World War reveals an extraordinary woman and a brilliant poetic voice who Robert Graves described in the 1940s as 'one of the few true poets now writing'.
Roberts was brought up in a wealthy family in Argentina but married a writer from Carmarthenshire in 1939 at the outbreak of war and spent the next nine years living in poverty in a Welsh-speaking village. She involved herself in every aspect of village life and despite being accused of being a spy found a fierce passion for the local people and the landscape.
Sheers visits the unassuming village of Llanybri where she lived and is now buried, and uncovers the moving story behind her poem called simply Poem from Llanybri, an invitation to the young soldier poet Alun Lewis to pay her a visit. He talks to locals who remember her and admire her work, and to the National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke.
WED 20:00 Timeshift (b0074sj2)
Series 6
Machine Men
Daisy Donovan narrates a documentary looking at the rollercoaster fortunes of robots, androids and cyborgs in fact and fantasy, from the Flash Gordon serials via the Six Million Dollar Man to Marvin the Paranoid Android.
For decades we were alternately warned that robots could take over the planet or promised that they would liberate us from the drudgery of everyday labour, but in the real world scientists struggled to design robots that could even climb the stairs. Yet the continued appeal of the Star Wars films, the remake of the TV classic A for Andromeda and the return of the Cybermen to Doctor Who all prove that there is artificial life in the machine men yet.
Among the contributors exploring whether we are on the cusp of the true robot age are actor Anthony Daniels (aka C-3PO in Star Wars), British sci-fi visionary Brian Aldiss, writer Kim Newman and a host of robotics scientists.
WED 21:00 Visions of the Future (b0087fn6)
The Intelligence Revolution
Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku shows how, in the 21st century, artificial intelligence is going to become as ubiquitous as electricity, how robots with human-level intelligence may finally become a reality, and how we'll even be able to merge our minds with machine intelligence. As the challenges and choices are literally mind-bending, Dr Kaku asks how far we will ultimately go.
WED 22:00 Flight of the Conchords (b0080l77)
Series 1
Sally
Comedy series about Kiwi folk musicians Bret and Jemaine as they to try to make it big in their adopted home of New York. Jemaine pulls the most beautiful girl in the room at Dave's party, and the boys decide to make a music video.
WED 22:30 It's Only a Theory (b00n9105)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
WED 23:00 Wallander (b00lqbgh)
Series 1
The Village Idiot
When a harmless former asylum resident holds up a bank for money and then blows himself up, Wallander, Linda and the Ystad team are forced to dig for leads to find reasons. Who could have persuaded him to do it, and why? Was the explosion an accident? The answers are unexpected.
In Swedish with English subtitles.
WED 00:35 Timeshift (b0074sj2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
WED 01:35 Visions of the Future (b0087fn6)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
WED 02:35 It's Only a Theory (b00n9105)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Tuesday]
WED 03:05 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00ktrbw)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THURSDAY 15 OCTOBER 2009
THU 19:00 World News Today (b00n92rc)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
THU 19:30 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00l22b3)
Louis MacNeice
Poet and author Owen Sheers presents a series in which he explores six great works of poetry set in the British landscape. Each poem explores a sense of place and identity across Britain and opens the doors to captivating stories about the places and the lives of the poets themselves.
Louis MacNeice was one of the big guns of British poetry in the 1930s and 40s but is less well known today. Sheers takes a stroll into one of his finest poems, called simply Woods, a brilliant evocation of one of the most English landscapes but also a poem that takes you into the life and mind of a fascinating poet.
MacNeice was born and brought up in Ireland until the age of nine, when soon after the death of his mother he was sent to school in England. His split identity was to become a major preoccupation for the rest of his life.
In Woods, the middle-aged MacNeice takes stock of who he has become, unsure that he taken the right path. It is wonderful lyrical, melancholic writing that makes a powerful case for the restoration of this poet's reputation
Includes contributions from poets Dannie Abse and Paul Farley as well as actress Jill Balcon, who knew MacNeice and was married to another great poet of the era, Cecil Day-Lewis.
THU 20:00 Electric Dreams (b00n90xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 21:00 Bulgaria's Abandoned Children Revisited (b00n92rf)
In 2007 the BBC documentary film 'Bulgaria's Abandoned Children caused an international outcry because the images of neglect were so shocking to witness in a country that had just become a member of the European Union. Bulgaria has more institutionalised mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe. The film is a heart-rending and eye-opening look into the life of one institution.
Eighteen months after filming it, director Kate Blewett returned to Bulgaria in 2009 to film with a handful of the children featured in the original documentary, seeing where they are today and how their lives have changed since the outcry and changes brought about by the film.
The original documentary is set in a small Bulgarian village in an institute called Mogilino, a place where 75 unwanted disabled children are growing up. Many of them cannot walk or talk, not necessarily because they are unable to, but because they have been neglected and have never had the opportunity to learn. With extraordinary access, Blewett takes us into this tragic silent world.
The second half of the film takes the audience back to Bulgaria to see how the lives of the children have been transformed beyond recognition as a result of the public response to the film. It is testimony to the power of television to bring about concrete change, and also demonstrate how even apparently hopelessly withdrawn and 'damaged' children can be reached, helped and given a meaningful life and future with the right care.
THU 22:00 Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (b00c188n)
Satirical drama based on Margaret Thatcher's early years in politics. Young Margaret wants nothing more than to be an MP, but may be too much of a rebel for the Conservative Party of the 1950s. She did not have a 'good war', she is interested in politics and she thinks a woman's place can be in the House as well as the home.
THU 23:25 Podfather (b00n90j0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
THU 00:25 Bulgaria's Abandoned Children Revisited (b00n92rf)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THU 01:25 Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (b00c188n)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 today]
THU 02:50 Electric Dreams (b00n90xc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 03:50 A Poet's Guide to Britain (b00l22b3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 2009
FRI 19:00 World News Today (b00n93by)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.
FRI 19:30 Leeds International Piano Competition (b00n93c0)
2009
Episode 5
Every three years since 1963, Leeds plays host to the cream of young international concert pianists who travel there to take part in the city's International Piano Competition. Past winners have included musical greats like Rada Lupu and Murray Perahia.
Huw Edwards introduces penultimate finalist Alexej Gorlatch from Ukraine, who plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 5. Special guests Cristina Ortiz and Lucy Parham add expert comment, while Clemency Burton-Hill reports on the competitor's preparation.
FRI 20:30 Transatlantic Sessions (b00n93c2)
Series 4
Episode 5
Folk musicians come together in what have been called 'the greatest backporch shows ever', as Shetland fiddle virtuoso Aly Bain and dobro ace Jerry Douglas host a Highland gathering of the cream of Nashville, Irish and Scottish talent.
Highlights include the classic Carrickfergus sung by American star Alison Moorer, which Bain considers the best interpretation of the song he has ever heard.
FRI 21:00 Synth Britannia (b00n93c4)
Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.
In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including The Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Voltaire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard, and they dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.
The crossover moment came in 1979 when Gary Numan's appearance on Top of the Pops with Tubeway Army's Are 'Friends' Electric? heralded the arrival of synthpop. Four lads from Basildon known as Depeche Mode would come to own the new sound, whilst post-punk bands like Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD and Yazoo took the synth out of the pages of NME and onto the front page of Smash Hits.
By 1983, acts like Pet Shop Boys and New Order were showing that the future of electronic music would lie in dance music.
Contributors include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant.
FRI 22:30 Synth Britannia at the BBC (b00n93c6)
A journey through the BBC's synthpop archives from Roxy Music and Tubeway Army to New Order and Sparks. Turn your Moogs up to 11 as we take a trip back into the 70s and 80s!
FRI 23:30 Spiral (b00n8zty)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Sunday]
FRI 00:20 Synth Britannia (b00n93c4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 01:50 Cambridge Folk Festival (b00n90hy)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 on Monday]
FRI 02:20 Transatlantic Sessions (b00n93c2)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
FRI 02:50 Leeds International Piano Competition (b00n93c0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Poet's Guide to Britain
19:30 WED (b00ktrbw)
A Poet's Guide to Britain
03:05 WED (b00ktrbw)
A Poet's Guide to Britain
19:30 THU (b00l22b3)
A Poet's Guide to Britain
03:50 THU (b00l22b3)
A Taste of Iran
00:15 SUN (b00n59zt)
Bulgaria's Abandoned Children Revisited
21:00 THU (b00n92rf)
Bulgaria's Abandoned Children Revisited
00:25 THU (b00n92rf)
Cambridge Folk Festival
19:30 MON (b00n90hy)
Cambridge Folk Festival
02:55 MON (b00n90hy)
Cambridge Folk Festival
01:50 FRI (b00n90hy)
Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe
23:25 SUN (b00n1j8q)
Charlie Brooker's Gameswipe
03:15 SUN (b00n1j8q)
Designing the Decades
20:00 SUN (b0078jk6)
Early Doors
22:30 TUE (b0078sly)
Electric Dreams
21:00 SAT (b00n1j8n)
Electric Dreams
01:35 SAT (b00n1j8n)
Electric Dreams
21:00 SUN (b00n59t4)
Electric Dreams
01:45 SUN (b00n59t4)
Electric Dreams
21:00 TUE (b00n90xc)
Electric Dreams
00:30 TUE (b00n90xc)
Electric Dreams
03:00 TUE (b00n90xc)
Electric Dreams
20:00 THU (b00n90xc)
Electric Dreams
02:50 THU (b00n90xc)
Flight of the Conchords
22:00 WED (b0080l77)
Hubble Telescope
19:00 SUN (b0074rkg)
It's Only a Theory
22:55 SUN (b00n59t6)
It's Only a Theory
02:45 SUN (b00n59t6)
It's Only a Theory
22:00 TUE (b00n9105)
It's Only a Theory
02:30 TUE (b00n9105)
It's Only a Theory
22:30 WED (b00n9105)
It's Only a Theory
02:35 WED (b00n9105)
Kings of Cool: The Crooners
23:55 SAT (b007c6n3)
Leeds International Piano Competition
19:30 FRI (b00n93c0)
Leeds International Piano Competition
02:50 FRI (b00n93c0)
Life
20:00 TUE (b00ncr13)
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley
22:00 THU (b00c188n)
Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley
01:25 THU (b00c188n)
Micro Men
22:00 SAT (b00n5b92)
Micro Men
22:00 MON (b00n5b92)
Podfather
21:00 MON (b00n90j0)
Podfather
03:25 MON (b00n90j0)
Podfather
01:30 TUE (b00n90j0)
Podfather
23:25 THU (b00n90j0)
Rab C Nesbitt
23:00 TUE (b00n9107)
Rich Man, Poor Man
00:55 MON (b00mbtgy)
Rich Man, Poor Man
01:55 MON (b00mg9dd)
Scotland's Music with Phil Cunningham
23:30 TUE (b008h53r)
Spiral
22:00 SUN (b00n8zty)
Spiral
23:30 FRI (b00n8zty)
Storyville
23:25 MON (b00dzy93)
Synth Britannia at the BBC
22:30 FRI (b00n93c6)
Synth Britannia
21:00 FRI (b00n93c4)
Synth Britannia
00:20 FRI (b00n93c4)
Tales from the Green Valley
19:30 TUE (b0078ybx)
The Andy Williams Show
23:25 SAT (b00n806r)
The Andy Williams Show
00:35 SAT (b00n5bt9)
The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone
19:30 SAT (b00n58ml)
The Life and Death of a Mobile Phone
03:40 SAT (b00n58ml)
The Pre-Raphaelites
19:00 SAT (b00lc6x8)
The Twenties in Colour: The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn
20:00 MON (b0087g3j)
Timeshift
20:00 WED (b0074sj2)
Timeshift
00:35 WED (b0074sj2)
Transatlantic Sessions
20:30 FRI (b00n93c2)
Transatlantic Sessions
02:20 FRI (b00n93c2)
Upgrade Me
20:00 SAT (b00n1hwj)
Upgrade Me
02:40 SAT (b00n1hwj)
Visions of the Future
21:00 WED (b0087fn6)
Visions of the Future
01:35 WED (b0087fn6)
Wallander
23:00 WED (b00lqbgh)
World News Today
19:00 MON (b00n90hw)
World News Today
19:00 TUE (b00n90x9)
World News Today
19:00 WED (b00n91cl)
World News Today
19:00 THU (b00n92rc)
World News Today
19:00 FRI (b00n93by)