B4

RADIO-LISTS: BBC FOUR
Unofficial Weekly Listings for BBC 4 — supported by bbc.co.uk/programmes/

SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2016

SAT 19:00 How Earth Made Us (b00qm6p0)
Wind

Professor Iain Stewart continues his epic exploration of how the planet has shaped human history.

Iain sets sail on one of the fastest racing boats ever built to explore the story of our turbulent relationship with the wind. Travelling to iconic locations including the Sahara desert, the coast of west Africa and the South Pacific, Iain discovers how people have exploited the power of the wind for thousands of years.

The wind is a force which at first sight appears chaotic. But the patterns that lie within the atmosphere have shaped the destiny of continents, and lie at the heart of some of the greatest turning points in human history.

SAT 20:00 Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered (b01s6gjx)
Human bones found on an idyllic beach in Antigua trigger an investigation by naval historian Sam Willis into one of the darkest chapters of Britain's imperial past. As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Willis explores Antigua's ruins and discovers how the sugar islands of the Caribbean were a kind of hell in the age of Nelson.

Sun, sea, war, tropical diseases and poisoned rum.

SAT 21:00 Trapped (b06zz1pg)
Series 1

Episode 1

In a small Icelandic fishing port, a ferry docks. That same day a dismembered body is found in the river, sparking an investigation and a call to Reykjavik for detective reinforcements to assist the small local police force. With the ferry held in dock and a bad snowstorm threatening to cut off the town, chief of police Andri is under pressure to deliver results quickly.

In Icelandic and English with English subtitles.

SAT 21:50 Trapped (b06zz1pj)
Series 1

Episode 2

With no police support able to arrive from Reykjavik until the snowstorm clears, Andri and his colleagues need to work fast. It seems a hopeless situation, but with a suspect in custody awaiting questioning and a body awaiting forensic tests, Andri is desperate for them to prove themselves and make a breakthrough in the case.

In Icelandic and English with English subtitles.

SAT 22:40 Motown at the BBC (b00hq4qr)
To mark the 50-year anniversary of Motown in 2009, a compilation of some of the iconic record label's greatest names filmed live in the BBC studios. Visitors from Hitsville USA over the years have included Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops and The Jackson 5.

SAT 23:40 Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend (b04bf1lf)
The northern soul phenomenon was the most exciting underground British club movement of the 70s. At its high point, thousands of disenchanted white working class youths across the north of England danced to obscure, mid-60s Motown-inspired sounds until the sun rose. A dynamic culture of fashions, dance moves, vinyl obsession and much more grew up around this - all fuelled by the love of rare black American soul music with an express-train beat.

Through vivid first-hand accounts and rare archive footage, this film charts northern soul's dramatic rise, fall and rebirth. It reveals the scene's roots in the mod culture of the 60s and how key clubs like Manchester's Twisted Wheel and Sheffield's Mojo helped create the prototype that would blossom in the next decade.

By the early 70s a new generation of youngsters in the north were transforming the old ballrooms and dancehalls of their parents' generation into citadels of the northern soul experience, creating a genuine alternative to mainstream British pop culture. This was decades before the internet, when people had to travel great distances to enjoy the music they felt so passionate about.

Set against a rich cultural and social backdrop, the film shows how the euphoria and release that northern soul gave these clubbers provided an escape from the bleak reality of their daily lives during the turbulent 70s. After thriving in almost total isolation from the rest of the UK, northern soul was commercialised and broke nationwide in the second half of the 70s. But just as this happened, the once-healthy rivalry between the clubs in the north fell apart amidst bitter in-fighting over the direction the scene should go.

Today, northern soul is more popular than ever, but it was back in the 70s that one of the most fascinating and unique British club cultures rose to glory. Contributors include key northern soul DJs like Richard Searling, Ian Levine, Colin Curtis and Kev Roberts alongside Lisa Stansfield, Norman Jay, Pete Waterman, Marc Almond, Peter Stringfellow and others.

SAT 00:40 ... Sings Motown (b05nyyv5)
Archive compilation celebrating the incredible body of work by Detroit's finest songwriting teams and artists for perhaps America's greatest ever record label, Motown.

This compilation of Motown covers spans the 1960s to the present day and features: Paul Weller and Amy Winehouse with I Heard It Through the Grapevine on Jools's Hootenanny, Roberta Flack's version of Stevie Wonder's Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer from an early edition of the OGWT, early adopter Dusty Springfield with Nowhere to Run on her 60s BBC TV show and The Flying Lizards with Barrett Strong's Money (That's What I Want) from Top of the Pops in 1979.

Of course, there are quite a few 80s hit covers from the decade that rediscovered Motown as a hitmaking machine, many of them from Top of the Pops including Kim Wilde's You Keep Me Hangin' On and Paul Young's 1983 Number 1 with Marvin Gaye's 1962 B-side, Wherever I Lay My Hat.

Then it's on into the 90s with Mercy Mercy Me from the late lamented Robert Palmer and Mariah Carey's take on The Jackson Five's I'll Be There. Plus of course, Phil Collins but, rightly or wrongly, not with You Can't Hurry Love but with his 21st-century reading of Stevie Wonder's Blame It on the Sun from Later with Jools.

SAT 01:40 Top of the Pops (b070mypz)
Peter Powell introduces the pop programme, featuring Sharon Redd, Bucks Fizz, Colin Blunstone & Dave Stewart, Toyah, The Who, Phil Collins, Shakin Stevens, Visage, Roxy Music and Duran Duran, and a dance performance from Legs & Co.

SAT 02:20 Top of the Pops (b070n0l9)
Richard Skinner introduces the pop programme, featuring Graham Bonnet, Hazel O'Connor, Tony Capstick, Gillan, Lene Lovich, Bad Manners, Shakin' Stevens, Linx, Landscape, the Polecats and Kim Wilde, and a dance performance from Legs & Co.

SAT 03:00 Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned (b048wwlk)
From My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock to God Save the Queen, this is the story of ten records from the 1930s to the present day that have been banned by the BBC. The reasons why these songs were censored reveals the changing controversies around youth culture over the last 75 years, with Bing Crosby and the Munchkins among the unlikely names to have met the wrath of the BBC.

With contributions from Carrie Grant, Paul Morley, Stuart Maconie, Glen Matlock, Mike Read and John Robb.

SUNDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2016

SUN 19:00 Horizon (b036bv0z)
2012-2013

Swallowed by a Black Hole

In summer 2013, the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way was getting ready to feast.

A gas cloud three times the size of our planet strayed within the gravitational reach of our nearest supermassive black hole. Across the globe, telescopes were being trained on the heart of our galaxy, some 27,000 light years from Earth, in the expectation of observing this unique cosmic spectacle.

For cosmic detectives across the Earth, it was a unique opportunity. For the first time in the history of science, they hoped to observe in action the awesome spectacle of a feeding supermassive black hole.

SUN 20:00 The Sky at Night (b07176xp)
Planet 9 from Outer Space

On January 20 2016, two American astronomers made an extraordinary claim - they had found evidence for a ninth planet in our solar system, a planet 20 times further out than Neptune which would take up to 20,000 years to orbit the sun. It is a discovery that could completely rewrite our understanding of our solar system and how it formed.

As the world's biggest telescopes start scanning the skies searching for Planet 9, the Sky at Night team investigates. If Planet 9 exists, where is it and where did it come from?

In California, Chris Lintott meets the astronomers whose study of the distant Kuiper Belt led them to predict the existence of the planet. And while some scientists are still sceptical, Maggie Aderin-Pocock discovers how our models of the formation of the solar system and the discovery of similar exoplanets around other stars all support the existence of Planet 9.

SUN 20:30 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?

SUN 21:00 Storyville (b07176xr)
Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran's Ultimate Party

In 1971, the Shah of Iran, the self-proclaimed 'king of kings', celebrated 2,500 years of the Persian monarchy by throwing the greatest party in history. Money was no object - a lavish tent city, using 37km of silk, was erected in a specially created oasis. The world's top restaurant at the time, Maxim's, closed its doors for two weeks to cater the event, a five-course banquet served to over sixty of the world's kings, queens and presidents, and washed down with some of the rarest wines known to man.

Over a decadent five-day period, guests were treated to a pageant of thousands of soldiers dressed in ancient Persian costume, a 'son et lumiere' at the foot of Darius the Great's temple, and the opening of the Azadi Tower in Tehran, designed to honour the Shah himself.

Every party leaves a few hangovers. This one left a country reeling, never to recover. It crystallised the opposition, led by the Ayatollah Khomeini. More than any other event, this party marked the break between the king of kings and the people of Iran he reigned over.

SUN 22:15 Therese Desqueyroux (b03jjchy)
In 1920s Landes, France, Therese Larroque, a thoughtful and independent young woman, marries her best friend's brother in the belief she wants a normal life and that marriage will change her. Becoming increasingly stifled by her husband and his family, she longs for a more intellectually and emotionally stimulating life, leading ultimately to actions that bring scandal upon the family.

In French with English subtitles.

SUN 00:00 Natural World (b01ntt8p)
2012-2013

Attenborough's Ark

David Attenborough chooses his ten favourite animals that he would most like to save from extinction. From the weird to the wonderful, he picks fabulous and unusual creatures that he would like to put in his 'ark', including unexpected and little-known animals such as the olm, the solenodon and the quoll. He shows why they are so important and shares the ingenious work of biologists across the world who are helping to keep them alive.

SUN 01:00 Canals: The Making of a Nation (b068c3zh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]

SUN 01:30 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.

SUN 02:30 Sounds of the Eighties (b0074sn5)
Episode 6

Rocking out with the loud guitars and manly hair of Motorhead, ZZ Top, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, INXS, The Cult and The Mission.

SUN 03:00 Singer-Songwriters at the BBC (b00tzpbq)
Series 1

Episode 1

Compilation which unlocks the BBC vaults to explore the burgeoning singer-songwriter genre that exploded at the dawn of the 1970s and became one of the defining styles of that decade.

Featuring Elton John's Your Song, whose line 'My gift is my song and this one's for you' helps define this new, more personal style of songwriting, alongside an eclectic selection of classic artists and songs. James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Harry Nilsson, Sandy Denny, Steve Goodman, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Judee Sill, Jackson Browne, Neil Diamond, Tim Hardin, Joan Armatrading, Tom Waits all feature next to more commercial hits from the likes of Terry Jacks and Gilbert O'Sullivan.

Programme sources include The Old Grey Whistle Test, In Concert, Top of the Pops, The Shirley Bassey Show and Twiggy's Show of the week.

MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2016

MON 19:00 World News Today (b070s3jm)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

MON 19:30 Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (b01mm3bn)
Shorts

Episode 1

We accompany presenter Paul Murton, as he travels round one of Scotland's best-loved holiday destinations, the Isle of Arran. Known as 'Scotland in miniature', Paul sets off to explore this diverse island that has something for everyone - ruined castles, rugged mountains, stunning wildlife. Arran has always been a popular tourist location - one particularly regal visitor was Prince Rainier of Monaco, as Paul discovers, when he calls on Lady Jean Fforde, at Brodick Castle.

MON 20:00 Natural World (b014hl48)
2011-2012

Animal House

Sir David Attenborough tells the stories of the world's best animal architects. There are house-proud bower birds, who only find a mate if they decorate their homes perfectly. There are hornets, who build electric central heating systems, and the star-nosed mole, whose house is designed so well that worms, his favourite meal, literally drop in for dinner. From larders to nurseries and from high-rises to subway systems, Attenborough shows that the animal architects have designed it long before humans.

MON 21:00 The Renaissance Unchained (b070sq9t)
Gods, Myths and Oil Paints

Waldemar Januszczak challenges the traditional notion of the Renaissance having fixed origins in Italy and showcases the ingenuity in both technique and ideas behind great artists such as Van Eyck, Memling, Van der Weyden, Cranach, Riemenschneider and Durer.

MON 22:00 Botticelli's Venus: The Making of an Icon (b070sqb0)
Sam Roddick explores the enduring appeal of Botticelli's masterpiece The Birth of Venus, one of the most celebrated paintings in western art and a joyous celebration of female sexuality. Its journey to worldwide fame was far from straightforward and it lay in obscurity for centuries. Artist and entrepreneur Sam explains why Botticelli's nude was so revolutionary and explores its impact on contemporary culture with artists such as Terry Gilliam, who memorably reinvented Venus for his Monty Python's Flying Circus animations.

MON 22:30 The Search for Alfred the Great (b03sbp73)
Neil Oliver is given exclusive access to a team of historians and scientists investigating the final resting place of Alfred the Great. Alfred's bones have been moved so many times over the centuries that many people concluded that they were lost forever. Following a trail that goes back over 1,000 years, the team wants to unravel the mystery of Alfred's remains. Travelling from Winchester to Rome, Neil also tells the extraordinary story of Alfred's life - in the 9th century, he became one of England's most important kings by fighting off the Vikings, uniting the Anglo-Saxon people and launching a cultural renaissance. This was the man who forged a united language and identity, and laid the foundations of the English nation.

The film investigates the equally extraordinary story of what happened to Alfred's remains after his death in 899. They have been exhumed and reburied on a number of occasions since his original brief burial in the Anglo-Saxon Old Minster in Winchester. The Saxons, the Normans, Henry VIII's religious reformers, 18th-century convicts, Victorian romantics and 20th-century archaeologists have all played a part in the story of Alfred's grave.

Neil joins the team as they exhume the contents of an unmarked grave, piece the bones together and have them dated. With the discovery of some unexpected new evidence, the film reveals the extraordinary outcome of an important investigation.

MON 23:30 The Great War (b0074p9n)
It Was Like the End of the World

This episode follows the German offensive of March 1918. It was the greatest offensive in the west since the beginning of the war - a desperate German gamble to achieve victory at a stroke, before the bulk of the American army arrived. Initially they succeeded in breaking through the trench system, pursuing the allies through open country. But their supply lines could not keep up with their advancing forces, and the momentum of the offensive fell away. The Germans had failed.

MON 00:10 The Great War (b0074p9q)
Damn Them, Are They Never Coming In?

This episode tells how the German army attempted to retrieve a desperate situation. They counter-attacked on 27 May 1918 and made the deepest penetration on any day of the war. Once again, French and British alike fell back in confusion. By June the Germans were once more on the Marne. But it was too late - the Americans had arrived. It was not the numbers of American troops that counted - only four divisions were battleworthy - it was the effect of their presence on Allied morale. Now, the combined efforts of the French, British, American and Italians were able to check the German's last offensive.

MON 00:50 Boxing at the Movies: Kings of the Ring (b01r5mhb)
Danny Leigh explores the elemental drama of the boxing movie. For over 120 years, boxing and film have been entwined and the fight film has been used to address powerful themes such as redemption, race and corruption. Film writer Leigh examines how each generation's fight films have reflected their times and asks why film-makers from Stanley Kubrick to Martin Scorsese have returned time and again to tales of the ring.

Interviewees include former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, Rocky director John G Avildsen and Thelma Schoonmaker, editor of Raging Bull.

MON 01:50 Fabric of Britain (b03bgrvf)
Knitting's Golden Age

Documentary exploring how knitting rose from basic craft to the height of popular fashion in the 20th century. It's a craft that has given us scratchy jumpers, sexy bathing costumes and the infamous poodle loo cover, has sustained Britain through the hardships of war and shown a mother's love to generations of little ones. Today, knitwear has become a staple of every wardrobe thanks to a prince's golfing taste, The Beatles and 80s breakfast television. Warm-hearted and surprising, this is the story of the people's craft, and a very British one at that.

MON 02:50 The Renaissance Unchained (b070sq9t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

TUESDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2016

TUE 19:00 World News Today (b070s3jw)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

TUE 19:30 Grand Tours of Scotland (b01mrdry)
Series 3

The Feminine Touch

The first travellers to come north were predominantly men. Scotland was considered to be very much a 'man's world' - full of unseen perils that could only be faced down by the brave and definitely not a place for ladies! Paul Murton travels through Dumfries and Galloway to uncover the stories of the pioneering female tourists who were determined not to be left at home and bravely headed north to explore Scotland.

TUE 20:00 Italy Unpacked (b01q02pf)
Series 1

Looking to the Future

Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli's journey takes Giorgio home to Lombardy, a region brimming with engineering innovations and the influences brought by the proximity to northern Europe, always with an eye to the future.

The first stop is Corgeno, Giorgio's hometown, where Andrew is the guest at a typical Sunday lunch at the Locatelli home.

Andrew repays him with a visit to some very unusual frescos by Lorenzo Lotto, hidden in a private chapel.

And then it is time to reach Milan, with its temples dedicated to the gods of religion (the Duomo), art (La Scala), and capitalism (the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the surrounding streets which are full of luxury shops).

At his restaurant inside La Scala, the chef Gualtiero Marchesi, father of the modern Italian cuisine, would intrigue his customers with a risotto made with saffron and gold.

But Milan is not just about beauty and style, it has a dark centre. It is an arena of extreme political contrasts. Fascism was very strong here and so was the opposition to it. In Milan the futurist movement embraced the world of modern art and expressed the violence that would shape modern Italy under fascism - a dark but fascinating story that Andrew and Giorgio investigate with a visit to the Museum of 900.

More amazing art is waiting for them outside Milan in Mantua, a town full of mesmerizing buildings. Among those, is Palazzo Te, a former hunting lodge built for the amusement of the Duke Federico Gonzaga and his guests, designed and covered in frescos by Giulio Romano, a disciple of Raphael.

And to end the trip, another well-kept secret - Cremona, hometown to the one of the most famous luthiers in the world, Antonio Stradivari, where Giorgio and Andrew witness a very private concert.

TUE 21:00 Royal Cousins at War (p01pw7nx)
A House Divided

At the outbreak of the First World War three cousins reigned over Europe's greatest powers - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and King George V of Britain. This two-part series looks at the role played by the three monarchs, and their relationships with each other, in the outbreak of war, arguing that it is far greater than historians have traditionally believed.

The first episode tells the story of the emerging divisions and rivalries between the interrelated royal houses of Europe and features the little-known story of the two Danish sisters, Princess Alexandra and Princess Dagmar, who had pulled off the dynastic coup of the 19th century by marrying the heirs to both the British and Russian thrones. Following the invasion of their native Denmark by Prussia in 1864 during the Wars of German Unification, the sisters became the core of an anti-Prussian coalition that prefigured the great anti-German alliance of 1914. Their sons, King George V and Tsar Nicholas II were close friends.

It looks too at the tangled relationship between the German Kaiser and his English mother, Vicky - the oldest daughter of Queen Victoria. Disabled from birth, Kaiser Wilhelm had a complex love/hate attitude towards Vicky, which transferred itself to Britain as a whole, strongly influencing his foreign policy.

TUE 22:00 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
Series 15

The People's Liners - Britain's Lost Pleasure Fleets

Timeshift casts off for a colourful voyage of 'high teas on the high seas' in the company of passengers and crew of the vintage steamers which were once a common sight on the rivers and coastal waters around Britain.

Far more than a means of transport, these steamers attracted a devoted following, treating their passengers, whatever their pocket, to the adventure and trappings of an ocean voyage whilst actually rarely venturing out of sight of land. A highlight of the great British seaside holiday from the 1820s until the early 1960s - and open to all - they were 'the people's liners'.

TUE 23:00 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m81f5)
Military Marvels

In the heady postwar years of the 1950s and 60s, British flying was at its zenith and its aircraft industry flourished in a dazzling display of ingenuity and design brilliance. Having invented the jet engine, Britain was now set to lead the world into the jet age with a new generation of fighters and bombers. The daring test pilots who flew them were as well known as the football stars of today, while their futuristic-looking aircraft, including the Meteor, Canberra, Valiant, Vulcan and the English Electric Lightning, were the military marvels of the age.

TUE 00:00 How Earth Made Us (b00qs5l2)
Fire

Professor Iain Stewart continues his epic exploration of how the planet has shaped human history.

Iain explores man's relationship with fire. He begins by embarking on an extraordinary encounter with this terrifying force of nature - a walk right through the heart of a raging fire.

Fire has long been our main source of energy, and Iain shows how this meant that the planet played a crucial role in Britain's industrial revolution, whilst holding China's development back.

Along the way he dives in a mysterious lake in Oregon, climbs a glacier of salt, crawls through an extraordinary cave in Iran and takes a therapeutic bath in crude oil.

TUE 01:00 Natural World (b014hl48)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]

TUE 02:00 Italy Unpacked (b01q02pf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

TUE 03:00 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]

WEDNESDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2016

WED 19:00 World News Today (b070s3kr)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

WED 19:30 Grand Tours of Scotland (b01mtkmd)
Series 3

A Walk on the Wild Side

If you want to experience the wild side of life, then the northern Highlands of Scotland is where you have to be.

Paul Murton crosses the country coast to coast, from the remote lighthouse at Tarbat Ness over to the iconic castle of Eilean Donan. Travelling off the beaten track, Paul encounters the beautiful bottlenose dolphins that live in the Cromarty firth and travels by horseback through one of Scotland's most spectacular locations, Glen Affric.

WED 20:00 Horizon (b01r6dys)
2012-2013

The Truth About Meteors: A Horizon Special

On a bright, cold morning on 15 February 2013, a meteorite ripped across the skies above the Ural mountains in Russia, disintegrating into three pieces and exploding with the force of 20 Hiroshimas. It was a stark reminder that the Earth's journey through space is fraught with danger. A day later, another much larger 143,000-tonne asteroid passed within just 17,000 miles of the Earth.

Presented by Professor Iain Stewart, this film explores what meteorites and asteroids are, where they come from, the danger they pose and the role they have played in Earth's history.

WED 21:00 The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves (b007c68n)
Professor Bruce Denardo attempts to prove whether there is any truth behind the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, where many ships and planes have disappeared in mysterious circumstances. New investigation techniques reveal the truth behind the infamous disappearance of Flight 19. Graham Hawkes is also able to reveal, by using a state-of-the-art submarine, how five wrecks mysteriously wound up 730 feet down in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.

WED 22:00 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (b010y7my)
The tale of an unlikely friendship between Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though the two are separated physically by a barbed-wire fence, their friendship grows and their lives become inescapably intertwined.

Based on the best-selling book by John Boyne.

WED 23:30 Horizon (b01r6dys)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

WED 00:30 Timeshift (b06jnzjx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Tuesday]

WED 01:30 Dancing in the Blitz: How World War II Made British Ballet (p01s4z2h)
David Bintley, director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, explores how the Second World War was the making of British ballet and how fundamental the years of hardship and adversity were in getting the British public to embrace ballet. Bintley shows how the then Sadler's Wells Ballet Company, led by Ninette de Valois and featuring a star-studded generation of British dancers and choreographers including Margot Fonteyn and Frederick Ashton, was forged during the Second World War.

It's the story of how de Valois and her small company of dancers took what was essentially a foreign art form and made it British despite the falling bombs, the rationing and the call-up. Plus it is the story of how Britain, as a nation, fell in love with ballet.

Using rare and previously unseen footage and interviews with dance icons such as Dame Gillian Lynne and Dame Beryl Grey, Bintley shows how the Sadler's Wells Ballet company survived an encounter with Nazi forces in Holland, dancing whilst the bombs were falling in the Blitz, rationing and a punishing touring schedule to bring ballet to the British people as an antidote to the austerity the country faced to emerge, postwar, as the Royal Ballet.

WED 02:30 Good Swan, Bad Swan: Dancing Swan Lake (p01s4wy9)
Tamara Rojo, world-famous ballerina and artistic director of English National Ballet, takes us backstage as she prepares for one of classical ballet's biggest challenges - the dual lead in Swan Lake. It is the ultimate role for any dancer, requiring her to play the completely contrasting characters - Odette the White Swan and Odile the Black Swan.

With unprecedented access, the disarmingly candid Rojo reveals her insights on the role's physical and psychological challenges. Through demonstration and masterclass, she reveals how to read the choreography of some of Swan Lake's most famous scenes.

Along the way Rojo gives us a glimpse of Swan Lake's history - its genesis through to 21st-century incarnations. She looks back at some of the greats that inspired her and leads the way forward, coaching the next generation of rising stars.

This film celebrates Swan Lake as an evolving and living work of art - the ultimate classic.

THURSDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2016

THU 19:00 World News Today (b070s3l0)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

THU 19:30 The Sky at Night (b07176xp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]

THU 20:00 Bombay Railway (b007t30p)
Pressures

Documentary about Bombay's vast suburban rail network, which serves six-and-a-half million commuters every day. As Bombay's population swells by tens of thousands each week, the railway and the people whose lives revolve around it struggle to cope with the pressure and the peaktime 'super-dense crush load'. From the train driver to the illegal hawker and the homeless shoe-shine boy, each has a story to tell about this remarkable railway system, often described as the lifeline of India.

THU 21:00 The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley (b05nyyhf)
Of all the wonders of the human body, there's one more mysterious than any other. Blood: five precious litres that keep us alive. Yet how much do we really know about this sticky red substance and its mysterious, life-giving force?

Michael Mosley gives up a fifth of his own blood to perform six bold experiments. From starving it of oxygen to injecting it with snake venom, Michael reveals the extraordinary abilities of blood to adapt and keep us alive. Using specialist photography, the programme reveals the beauty in a single drop. Michael even discovers how it tastes when, in a television first, he prepares a black pudding with his own blood.

Down the ages, our understanding of blood has been as much myth as science, but Michael reveals there might be truth in the old vampire legends, as he meets one of the scientists behind the latest research that shows young blood might be able to reverse the ageing process - the holy grail of modern medicine.

THU 22:00 The Brain with David Eagleman (b070ss9x)
Why Do I Need You?

Series in which Dr David Eagleman takes viewers on an extraordinary journey that explores how the brain, locked in silence and darkness without direct access to the world, conjures up the rich and beautiful world we all take for granted.

This episode explores how the human brain relies on other brains to thrive and survive. Dr Eagleman demonstrates how, from as young as ten months old, babies can discern who is trustworthy and who isn't.

Our fundamentally social brain draws us together into groups. An experiment with a simple game of catch reveals that the pain we feel when we are excluded from the group is the same kind of pain as when we hurt ourselves. The powerful testimony of Sarah Shourd, who was imprisoned in Iran for over a year and was kept in solitary confinement - and others like her - demonstrates the absolute need the human brain has for others. She describes the slow disappearance of her 'self'.

In groups, humans have accomplished great things - but there's a darker side. For every 'in group' there is always an 'out group'. Dr Eagleman reveals the results of an experiment he carried out in his lab showing that people who witness a hand getting stabbed with a needle feel less empathy at a deep neural level if that hand is labelled with a religion to which they do not belong.

He journeys to modern-day Bosnia to hear from an eyewitness about what happened in 1995 when genocide returned to Europe. What could have allowed for such horrific group-on-group violence? Dr Eagleman believes that neuroscience offers important answers. Dr Lasana Harris at Leiden University has discovered that there are certain circumstances under which the human brain stops perceiving others as human and it becomes easier to suspend the moral and social rules we normally live by.

Finally, Dr Eaglemen explores what can be done to prevent these neural effects, and reveals that our fundamentally social nature holds the key.

THU 22:55 Horizon (b036bv0z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Sunday]

THU 23:55 Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend (b04bf1lf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:40 on Saturday]

THU 00:55 Motown at the BBC (b00hq4qr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:40 on Saturday]

THU 01:55 Boxing at the Movies: Kings of the Ring (b01r5mhb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:50 on Monday]

THU 03:00 The Brain with David Eagleman (b070ss9x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]

FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2016

FRI 19:00 World News Today (b070s3l8)
The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (b071796z)
Simon Bates introduces the pop programme, featuring Stiff Little Fingers, Liquid Gold, Light of the World, Children of Tansley School, Sugar Minott, Lena Zavaroni, Spandau Ballet, Shakin' Stevens, Stevie Wonder, The Nolans and Bucks Fizz, and a dance performance from Legs & Co.

FRI 20:00 The Good Old Days (b070st3l)
Leonard Sachs presents an edition of the old-time music hall programme, from the stage of the City Varieties Theatre, Leeds. With Hylda Baker, Val Doonican, Richard Hearne, Robin Hunter and members of the Players Theatre, London.

FRI 20:45 Sounds of the Sixties (b07179dp)
Reversions

The Folk Revival 2

Tim Buckley and Richie Havens are the folk stars in this 1960s archive show.

FRI 20:55 Sounds of the Seventies (b00c45nf)
Solos

Roxy Music

Vintage rock, pop and soul performances from the BBC archives. Roxy Music perform Ladytron in 1972.

FRI 21:00 Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC (b06ns4gf)
Smash hits from 60 years of great cover versions in performance from the BBC TV archive. Reinterpretations, tributes and acts of subversion from the British invasion to noughties X Factor finalist Alexandra Burke. Artists as varied as The Moody Blues, Soft Cell, Mariah Carey and UB40 with their 'retake' on someone else's song - ultimate chart hits that are, in some cases, perhaps even better than the original.

Arguably The Beatles, alongside Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys, introduced the notion of 'originality' and self-generating artists writing their songs into the pop lexicon in the 60s. One of the most fascinating consequences of this has been the 'original' cover version, a reinterpretation of someone else's song that has transformed it into pop gold with a shift of rhythm, intent and context. The pop cover has proved a remarkably imaginative and durable form and this compilation tracks this pop alchemy at its finest and most intriguing.

FRI 22:00 Daft Punk Unchained (b05zlk3w)
Film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy awards.

Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV.

This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution, revealing two artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom. Between fiction and reality, magic and secret, future and reinvention, theatricality and humility, The Robots have built a unique world.

The film combines rare archive footage as well as exclusive interviews with their closest collaborators who talk about their work with Daft Punk, including Pharrell Williams, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers and Michel Gondry.

FRI 23:00 Kraftwerk: Pop Art (b050rbzb)
Documentary telling the amazing story of how a group of reclusive Rhineland experimentalists called Kraftwerk became one of the most influential pop groups of all time. It is a celebration of the band featuring exclusive live tracks filmed at their Tate Modern shows in London in February 2013, interwoven with expert analysis, archive footage of the group going back to 1970, newsreel of the era and newly shot cinematic evocations of their obsessions. With contributions from techno pioneer Derrick May, Can founder Holger Czukay, DJ and remixer Francois Kevorkian, graphic design guru Neville Brody, writer Paul Morley, band photographer Peter Boettcher, Tate Modern curator Caroline Wood and others.

FRI 00:00 Top of the Pops (b071796z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]

FRI 00:40 Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC (b06ns4gf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

FRI 01:40 Daft Punk Unchained (b05zlk3w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]

FRI 02:40 Kraftwerk: Pop Art (b050rbzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 today]

LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

... Sings Motown 00:40 SAT (b05nyyv5)

Bombay Railway 20:00 THU (b007t30p)

Botticelli's Venus: The Making of an Icon 22:00 MON (b070sqb0)

Boxing at the Movies: Kings of the Ring 00:50 MON (b01r5mhb)

Boxing at the Movies: Kings of the Ring 01:55 THU (b01r5mhb)

Britain's Most Dangerous Songs: Listen to the Banned 03:00 SAT (b048wwlk)

Canals: The Making of a Nation 20:30 SUN (b068c3zh)

Canals: The Making of a Nation 01:00 SUN (b068c3zh)

Daft Punk Unchained 22:00 FRI (b05zlk3w)

Daft Punk Unchained 01:40 FRI (b05zlk3w)

Dancing in the Blitz: How World War II Made British Ballet 01:30 WED (p01s4z2h)

Fabric of Britain 01:50 MON (b03bgrvf)

Good Swan, Bad Swan: Dancing Swan Lake 02:30 WED (p01s4wy9)

Grand Tours of Scotland 19:30 TUE (b01mrdry)

Grand Tours of Scotland 19:30 WED (b01mtkmd)

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands 19:30 MON (b01mm3bn)

Horizon 19:00 SUN (b036bv0z)

Horizon 20:00 WED (b01r6dys)

Horizon 23:30 WED (b01r6dys)

Horizon 22:55 THU (b036bv0z)

How Earth Made Us 19:00 SAT (b00qm6p0)

How Earth Made Us 00:00 TUE (b00qs5l2)

Italy Unpacked 20:00 TUE (b01q02pf)

Italy Unpacked 02:00 TUE (b01q02pf)

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies 23:00 TUE (b01m81f5)

Kraftwerk: Pop Art 23:00 FRI (b050rbzb)

Kraftwerk: Pop Art 02:40 FRI (b050rbzb)

Motown at the BBC 22:40 SAT (b00hq4qr)

Motown at the BBC 00:55 THU (b00hq4qr)

Natural World 00:00 SUN (b01ntt8p)

Natural World 20:00 MON (b014hl48)

Natural World 01:00 TUE (b014hl48)

Nelson's Caribbean Hell-hole: An Eighteenth Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered 20:00 SAT (b01s6gjx)

Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend 23:40 SAT (b04bf1lf)

Northern Soul: Living for the Weekend 23:55 THU (b04bf1lf)

Rock 'n' Roll America 01:30 SUN (b0623809)

Royal Cousins at War 21:00 TUE (p01pw7nx)

Singer-Songwriters at the BBC 03:00 SUN (b00tzpbq)

Sounds of the Eighties 02:30 SUN (b0074sn5)

Sounds of the Seventies 20:55 FRI (b00c45nf)

Sounds of the Sixties 20:45 FRI (b07179dp)

Storyville 21:00 SUN (b07176xr)

The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves 21:00 WED (b007c68n)

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 22:00 WED (b010y7my)

The Brain with David Eagleman 22:00 THU (b070ss9x)

The Brain with David Eagleman 03:00 THU (b070ss9x)

The Good Old Days 20:00 FRI (b070st3l)

The Great War 23:30 MON (b0074p9n)

The Great War 00:10 MON (b0074p9q)

The Renaissance Unchained 21:00 MON (b070sq9t)

The Renaissance Unchained 02:50 MON (b070sq9t)

The Search for Alfred the Great 22:30 MON (b03sbp73)

The Sky at Night 20:00 SUN (b07176xp)

The Sky at Night 19:30 THU (b07176xp)

The Wonderful World of Blood - with Michael Mosley 21:00 THU (b05nyyhf)

Therese Desqueyroux 22:15 SUN (b03jjchy)

Timeshift 22:00 TUE (b06jnzjx)

Timeshift 03:00 TUE (b06jnzjx)

Timeshift 00:30 WED (b06jnzjx)

Top of the Pops 01:40 SAT (b070mypz)

Top of the Pops 02:20 SAT (b070n0l9)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (b071796z)

Top of the Pops 00:00 FRI (b071796z)

Trapped 21:00 SAT (b06zz1pg)

Trapped 21:50 SAT (b06zz1pj)

Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC 21:00 FRI (b06ns4gf)

Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC 00:40 FRI (b06ns4gf)

World News Today 19:00 MON (b070s3jm)

World News Today 19:00 TUE (b070s3jw)

World News Today 19:00 WED (b070s3kr)

World News Today 19:00 THU (b070s3l0)

World News Today 19:00 FRI (b070s3l8)