The BBC has announced that it has a sustainable plan for the future of the BBC Singers, in association with The VOCES8 Foundation.
The threat to reduce the staff of the three English orchestras by 20% has not been lifted, but it is being reconsidered.
See the BBC press release here.

Radio-Lists Home Now on BBC 4 Contact

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



SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2020

SAT 19:00 Dog Tales and Cat Tales (m000mf93)
Series 1

Dog Tales: The Making of Man's Best Friend

No programme information found


SAT 20:00 Pole to Pole (p02j8sp7)
Shifting Sands

Civil war and poor conditions bring Michael to a near halt as he crosses Sudan, and it takes him over 24 hours to travel just 60 miles as he draws near the Ethiopian border.


SAT 21:00 The Bridge (b03glzzl)
Series 2

Episode 7

Saga and Martin face a complex puzzle when someone threatens to blow up a chemical plant. They collect all the clues and find a common denominator, confining the perpetrator to a specific area. But is there a single perpetrator or several? And what is the motive? Saga starts to realize that being a girlfriend and living with someone is harder than she thought. Martin has secretly been prying into Saga's past, something he may regret.

In Swedish and Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 22:00 The Bridge (b03gq3p9)
Series 2

Episode 8

Saga and Martin re-interview witnesses in the case and suspect someone within their own group has been doctoring information in their reports. But they need to gather more evidence before they can be sure. Laura, the key witness, regains consciousness and, despite feeling exhausted, finally manages to help piece together a composite sketch of the perpetrator.

Martin visits Jens in prison yet again, but will he ever achieve his aims? Saga tries to find a solution to her co-habitation problem, one that is not to Jacob's liking.

In Swedish and Danish with English subtitles.


SAT 23:00 The Bridge (b03jst8c)
Series 2

Episode 9

After a composite sketch of the perpetrator is made and Saga and Martin learn who it is, they must get to him in time. When they think the case is solved, it turns out there is one more final piece left. Their leads point to Kastrup Airport, but once they realise what it all means it may be too late.

Can Martin repair his marriage? Saga's and Martin's friendship is put to the test.

In Danish and Swedish with English subtitles.


SAT 00:00 The Bridge (b03kk8lv)
Series 2

Episode 10

Saga and Martin realise the case isn't over and that there is one more perpetrator. But who is Mikkel Host? It's a race against the clock to prevent a disaster in which many lives are at stake. Martin makes a crucial decision, and in the end Saga faces an extremely difficult choice that will change everything.

In Danish and Swedish with English subtitles.


SAT 01:00 Kate Bush at the BBC (b04f86xk)
Between 1978 and 1994, Kate Bush appeared on a variety of BBC programmes, including Saturday Night at the Mill, Ask Aspel, the Leo Sayer Show, Wogan and Top of the Pops. This compilation showcases her performances of hit songs such as Wuthering Heights, Babooshka, Running up That Hill and Hounds of Love, alongside other intriguing and lesser-known material in the BBC studios.


SAT 02:00 Pole to Pole (p02j8sp7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:50 Dog Tales and Cat Tales (m000mf93)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2020

SUN 19:00 James May's Cars of the People (b070k3ny)
Series 2

Episode 3

James explores the wilder shores of motoring to discover what happened to the cars of the future that we were promised. From improbable steam cars and ludicrous jet turbines, he reveals how the petrol engine and the power it gave us came to dominate the 20th century. He takes to the waves in an amphibious car, risks his life at the wheel of a notorious electric scooter and takes a hair-raising trip in the fastest driverless car on earth.


SUN 20:00 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.


SUN 21:00 Battlefield Britain (b0078s6r)
The Battle of Britain

Dan Snow experiences how the Battle of Britain was fought at the limits of human endurance when he takes flight in a high performance stunt plane. Recreating the spiralling turns of a dogfight, he feels the extraordinary side-effects of the high G forces felt by pilots in this critical battle of World War II.

Using revolutionary graphics, Peter Snow gives a blow-by-blow account of the pivotal moments of the battle and how the RAF held off the might of the German Luftwaffe during the summer of 1940. The future of the entire country was at stake in this, the first great air battle in history.


SUN 22:00 Plague Fiction (m000mmjf)
In light of the Covid-19 global outbreak, Professor Laura Ashe takes a look back at the Black Death of the 14th century, the deadliest pandemic in human history.

Going from one of the earliest accounts of plague in 1347 through to Samuel Pepys's record of the Great Plague of London in the 1660s, Professor Ashe explores how literature helped us cope with fear and tragedy, the importance of bravery and personal sacrifice, and whether the words of the past can offer us the comfort and healing that we need now.


SUN 23:00 Birth of the British Novel (b00ydj1p)
Author Henry Hitchings explores the lives and works of Britain's radical and pioneering 18th-century novelists who, in just 80 years, established all the literary genres we recognise today. It was a golden age of creativity led by Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Fanny Burney and William Godwin, amongst others. Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, Tom Jones and Tristram Shandy are novels that still sparkle with audacity and innovation.

On his journey through 18th-century fiction, Hitchings reveals how the novel was more than mere entertainment, it was also a subversive hand grenade that would change British society for the better. He travels from the homes of Britain's great and good to its lowliest prisons, meeting contemporary writers like Martin Amis, Will Self, Tom McCarthy and Jenny Uglow on the way.

Although 18th-century novels are woefully neglected today compared to those of the following two centuries, Hitchings shows how the best of them can offer as much pleasure to the reader as any modern classic.


SUN 00:00 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.


SUN 01:00 EastEnders 2008 (b00c4ylt)
Tanya gets a big surprise at Abi's birthday party, while Bianca struggles to organise a birthday treat for Morgan. Jean is overexcited about a hot date, and Vinnie has an unusual plan to choose a new cab driver.


SUN 01:30 EastEnders 2008 (b00c80m9)
Max is shocked by Tanya's reaction to his arrival. Jean is increasingly anxious at Fargo's. Bianca's family outing takes a dramatic turn.


SUN 02:00 EastEnders 2008 (b00cb10y)
Jack wonders how to deal with a forlorn Max. Jean and Dot take some drastic action, and Bianca's struggle to pay off her Fargo's bill has surprising results.


SUN 02:30 EastEnders 2008 (b00cb1l3)
Max pushes Tanya to reveal who she's been seeing, with dramatic consequences for both them and Jack. Bradley and Stacey's relationship takes a new turn.


SUN 03:00 Battlefield Britain (b0078s6r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2020

MON 19:00 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?


MON 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000mmjh)
Series 3

Wetlands

Feel the warm, swampy air and admire the overgrown trees with hanging Spanish moss and velvety bushes. All Bob Ross-style, of course!

American painter Bob Ross offers soothing words of encouragement to viewers and painting hobbyists in an enormously popular series that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1982. Ross is a cult figure, with nearly two million Facebook followers and 3,000 instructors globally. His soothing, nurturing personality is therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and wildlife helps heighten environmental awareness.

Across the series, Ross demonstrates his unique painting technique, which eliminates the need for each layer of paint to dry. In real time, he creates tranquil scenes taken from nature, including his trademark ‘happy’ clouds, cascading waterfalls, snow-covered forests, serene lakes and distant mountain summits.

Many of Bob’s faithful viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob’s gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic taking place on the canvas.


MON 20:00 Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (b01m9vjl)
The Shape of Things to Come

In the heady years following World War II, Britain was a nation in love with aviation. Having developed the jet engine in wartime, British engineers were now harnessing its power to propel the world's first passenger jets. By 1960 the UK's passenger airline industry was the largest in the world, with routes stretching to the furthest-flung remnants of Empire.

And the aircraft carrying these New Elizabethans around the globe were also British - the Vickers Viscount, the Bristol Britannia and the world's first pure jet-liner, the sleek, silver De Havilland Comet, which could fly twice as high and twice as fast as its American competitors. It seemed the entire nation was reaching for the skies to create the shape of things to come for air travel worldwide. But would their reach exceed their grasp?


MON 21:00 Spitfire (m0008rmy)
An epic, sweeping tale of determination, vision and courage, this documentary is the story of an aircraft that was forged in competition, shaped as the war clouds gathered, and refined in the white heat of combat.

Told in the words of the last-surviving World War II veterans, with stunning contemporary and historical aerial footage, Spitfire explores how an extraordinary plane became an international icon.


MON 22:30 The Sky at Night (m000mmjk)
Special Report

This month, the team investigates some exciting new developments in astronomy.


MON 23:00 Horizon (b05527mp)
2014-2015

Secrets of the Solar System

New planets are now being discovered outside our solar system on a regular basis, and these strange new worlds are forcing scientists to rewrite the history of our own solar system. Far from a simple story of stable orbits, the creation of our solar system is a tale of hellfire, chaos and planetary pinball.

It's a miracle our Earth is here at all.


MON 00:00 Art on the BBC (m000frc5)
Series 1

Constable: The Rural Rebel

Often dismissed as a chocolate box painter in his day, Constable is now acknowledged to have been a revolutionary. Art historian Rose Balston explores six decades of BBC archive to discover how TV has influenced our understanding of him.

Constable pushed the boundaries of landscape painting to such an extent that he was rejected by the establishment. Perhaps just as surprisingly, he poured his love for one woman onto the canvas as no painter of landscapes had done before. This programme goes beyond cliché to discover what the BBC archive has to say about a much misunderstood English master.


MON 01:00 Storyville (m000b8nd)
Maiden: War on the Waves

The inspirational story of how Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, became the skipper of the first all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.

Tracy’s dream was opposed on all sides: her male competitors thought an all-women crew would never make it, the chauvinistic yachting press took bets on her failing, and potential sponsors rejected her, fearing the girls would die at sea and generate bad publicity.

Tracy, however, refused to give up: she remortgaged her home and bought a second-hand boat, putting everything on the line to ensure the team made it to the starting line. With the support of her remarkable crew, she went on to shock the yachting world and prove that women are the equal of men.


MON 02:30 Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing (b070w5kk)
Series 2

Made in Belfast

Belfast-born Gavin Doherty is known internationally for his innovative dress designs and teaching techniques. Here, he shares the secrets of his success and introduces us to prodigy Ethan White from Carrickfergus.


MON 03:00 The Joy of Painting (m000mmjh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2020

TUE 19:00 The People’s War (m000mmjz)
September marks the 75th anniversary of the official end to the Second World War, which drew in millions of men and women from across the world. After six long years, the fighting had finally stopped.

Almost everyone has a connection to those who served. In this special programme, some of the BBC’s news presenters have been looking at the roles their families played – in ‘The People’s War’.


TUE 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000mmk1)
Series 3

Cool Waters

Bob Ross captures the beauty of Alaska on canvas - clear skies, soft cottony clouds, snow-covered mountains and a breathtaking crystal lake.

American painter Bob Ross offers soothing words of encouragement to viewers and painting hobbyists in an enormously popular series that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1982. Ross is a cult figure, with nearly two million Facebook followers and 3,000 instructors globally. His soothing, nurturing personality is therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and wildlife helps heighten environmental awareness.

Across the series, Ross demonstrates his unique painting technique, which eliminates the need for each layer of paint to dry. In real time, he creates tranquil scenes taken from nature, including his trademark ‘happy’ clouds, cascading waterfalls, snow-covered forests, serene lakes and distant mountain summits.

Many of Bob’s faithful viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob’s gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic taking place on the canvas.


TUE 20:00 Horizon (b02xcvhw)
2012-2013

The Secret Life of the Cat

Horizon discovers what your cat really gets up to when it leaves the cat flap.

In a groundbreaking experiment, 50 cats from a village in Surrey are tagged with GPS collars and their every movement is recorded, day and night, as they hunt in our backyards and patrol the garden fences and hedgerows.

The cats are also fitted with specially developed cat-cams which reveal their unique view of our world.

You may think you understand your pet, but their secret life is more surprising than we thought.


TUE 21:00 Dog Tales and Cat Tales (m000mmk3)
Series 1

Cat Tales: In from the Wild

In this episode, we take a close-up look at the world’s most popular furry pet, the cat. Detailed real-time brain scans reveal a possible explanation for why owners are besotted with their cats. A cat’s meow plugs straight into the emotional centres of our brains in exactly the same way as a baby’s cry. And adult cats only meow to humans. So they may not intend to manipulate us, but they do. It turns out owners literally can’t help loving their cats.

Can we tell what a cat is thinking and feeling? In a way, we can. Dr Lauren Finka has been studying cats’ enigmatic faces to try and read their thoughts and emotions. ‘Whilst cats definitely change their expressions, it's very, very subtle. For the average cat owner trying to look at the cat's face, it remains problematic.' So, unless you’re a scientist, cats remain hard to read.

By contrast, according to new research, it turns out that cats can read our emotions like a book.

We discover that the gap between our lovable pets and wildcats is paper-thin. So how did we end up with a wild animal living in our homes?

We meet vet Dr Ashlie Randal, who is working with domestic cats that have turned wild – feral cats. 'Feral cats are very different from domestic cats. They typically will fight or resort to flight when people come into play.' And yet, genetically, they are identical to your furry pet.

So what’s the origin of our nearly wild pets? Geneticist Carlos Driscoll explains how his research found their wildcat ancestors are Felix Silvestris Lybica, the North African wildcat. 'People have been speculating about it for hundreds of years. Now with the advent of molecular genetic techniques, we can really drill down and say definitively where domestic cats come from.'

Archaeology has pinpointed one of the earliest ever pet cats - the moment when human met cat 9,500 years ago. It was found in an ancient Cypriot burial by archaeologist Jean-Denis Vigne. 'They were facing each other in death. In the afterlife. And this is a scene that has been arranged by people.'

Using graphics and interviews, we reveal that what drew cats and humans together was a change in human behaviour - the beginning of agriculture. It attracted cats out of the wild and into human settlements.

The story of the pet cat takes an unexpected twist, one thousand miles and several thousand years away in Egypt. Things seemed to look up for cats as the ancient Egyptians turned them into gods. But Egyptologist Salima Ikram uncovers a trove of cat mummies to reveal the unpleasant downside of the Egyptian obsession with cats. 'Pilgrims would buy these cats to give a blood sacrifice.'

Things didn’t improve for Egyptian cats in Europe during the Middle Ages. It was all the fault of Pope Gregory IX, who said that cats were in league with Satan. Medieval expert Ronald Hutton paints a ghastly picture. 'In late medieval Europe, there were festivals formed around the torturing and killing of cats, regarding cats as essentially, nosy, menacing, intrusive, potentially satanic beings.'

But in the 21st century, the life of a cat has really turned around. They are now the most popular furry pet in the world. We visit Las Vegas’s largest cat show to see just how far the cat has come.

We also find out if it’s really true that you can’t train a cat. According to Samantha Martin of Acro-Cats, you actually can: 'Cats are brilliant. People really underestimate the brilliance of cats. By training them, they get to use their brain.'

So what’s next for the cat? We meet owners who are cross breeding other wildcats with domestic cats to create completely new species. Ironically, they’re trying to make domestic cats look wild, which under the skin of course, they still are.

What do cats make of all this? As usual, they’re not saying.


TUE 22:00 Battle of Britain: The Real Story (b00txmkk)
James Holland presents a fresh analysis into the Battle of Britain, exploring the lesser-told German point of view, and highlighting the role of those who supported 'The Few' during the summer of 1940.

Focusing on the tactics, technologies and intelligence available to both sides, Holland examines the ways in which both Germany and Britain used their resources: from aircraft to air defence, and from intelligence to organisation. And, by gaining rare first-hand testimony from German veterans, and access to the untapped diaries and documents, we reveal that this was a battle of two sides and many layers. Part of the Battle of Britain season to mark the 70th anniversary.


TUE 23:00 Timewatch (b00791l6)
2006-2007

The Princess Spy: Timewatch

In 1943 Noor Inayat Khan became the first woman wireless operator to be sent into war torn France. It was the most dangerous job in SOE (Churchill's secret army) and she was not expected to survive more than 6 weeks. The daughter of an Indian mystic and a writer of children's stories in pre-war Paris, she was a curious choice for a secret agent. But London was desperate. They had a traitor in their midst and that summer Noor would become their vital link with Nazi-occupied Paris. Betrayed, captured and tortured, Noor revealed nothing of SOE before she was executed. Awarded the George Cross for her bravery, Timewatch tells the story of the Princess Spy.


TUE 23:50 Storyville (b070jhq6)
The Toughest Horse Race in the World: Palio

The Palio is the oldest horse race in the world, and turns the Italian city of Siena into a high-stakes battleground of strategy, intrigue and simmering machismo. In the eye of the storm stand the jockeys - adored if they succeed, despised if they fail.

This film follows the legendary maestro Gigi Bruschelli, winner of 13 races and master of the intrigues that surround the Palio, and his former protégé Giovanni Atzeni, a handsome young contender driven by a fearless passion to become number one. It exposes the notoriously closed world of this ancient race and the larger-than-life personalities of those involved in an epic and cinematic tale of Italian life in microcosm.


TUE 01:20 The Joy of Painting (m000mmk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 01:50 Blackadder (b00819cc)
Blackadder Goes Forth

Plan C - Major Star

Sitcom set during the Great War. The October Revolution in Moscow produces three appalling results: a ceasefire by Russia, an offensive by Germany and a Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.


TUE 02:20 Blackadder (p00bf6s9)
Blackadder Goes Forth

Plan D - Private Plane

Edmund, George and Baldrick join the Royal Flying Corps. However, Edmund and Baldrick are shot down soon afterwards and are taken prisoner by the Red Baron. George persuades dashing pilot Lord Flashheart to mount a rescue attempt, but when they hear what the Red Baron has planned for them, Blackadder and Baldrick are in no hurry to be saved.


TUE 02:50 Dog Tales and Cat Tales (m000mmk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2020

WED 19:00 War Walks (b0074mbn)
Series 2

Blitz

One night and one image encapsulate the London Blitz - December 29th 1940, the night of the second great fire of London when St Paul's rose in its glory above the smoke and flames. Richard Holmes traces the night's events, from the sector control room where the incoming raiders were plotted through to the efforts of the firemen to save St Paul's.


WED 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000mmj8)
Series 3

Quiet Woods

Let Bob Ross take you on a journey through a majestic forest, where you can smell the sweet aroma of pines and taste cool mist in the air.

American painter Bob Ross offers soothing words of encouragement to viewers and painting hobbyists in an enormously popular series that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1982. Ross is a cult figure, with nearly two million Facebook followers and 3,000 instructors globally. His soothing, nurturing personality is therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and wildlife helps heighten environmental awareness.

Across the series, Ross demonstrates his unique painting technique, which eliminates the need for each layer of paint to dry. In real time, he creates tranquil scenes taken from nature, including his trademark ‘happy’ clouds, cascading waterfalls, snow-covered forests, serene lakes and distant mountain summits.

Many of Bob’s faithful viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob’s gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic taking place on the canvas.


WED 20:00 Digging for Britain (b073mr9r)
Series 4

East

Professor Alice Roberts explores the year's most exciting archaeological finds in the east of Britain. A team unearths a mass grave, divers search the Thames for clues to a 17th-century tragedy, and a metal detectorist makes the find of a lifetime.


WED 21:00 Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Winkle Brown (b045pbq2)
Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown recounts his flying experiences, encounters with the Nazis and other adventures leading up to and during the Second World War. Illustrated with archive footage and Captain Brown's own photos.


WED 22:00 The Evacuees (p04wb463)
Maureen Lipman stars as the mother of two young Jewish boys, billeted to Blackpool during the early days of the Second World War, in Jack Rosenthal's semi-autobiographical story.


WED 23:15 Face to Face (m000mmjc)
Alan Parker

British-born Alan Parker is one of the world's most successful film directors. His latest film, Evita, follows a string of often controversial box office hits such as The Commitments, Mississippi Burning, Birdy, Fame and Midnight Express. In a lively interview with Sir Jeremy Isaacs, Alan Parker talks about how he operates in Hollywood, violence in the movies, and his working-class childhood in Islington - including how he organised battle scenes between Romans and Pagans at school.


WED 23:55 Art of Scandinavia (b075dxdv)
Democratic by Design

In the final instalment of Andrew Graham-Dixon's windswept journey through the art of the Norselands, we arrive in Sweden - home of Ikea and a tradition of brilliant furniture design stretching back to the early years of the 20th century. Sweden has made its modern democratic mission one of comfort and civilised living for the masses - but has it got there?


WED 00:55 Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork (b01pyfd2)
The Glorious Grinling Gibbons

Series about great British woodworkers continues by looking at the life and work of Grinling Gibbons. He isn't a household name, but he is the greatest woodcarver the British Isles has ever produced. Working in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, Gibbons created delightful carved masterpieces for the likes of Charles II and William of Orange. This film explores the genius of the man they called the 'Michelangelo of wood'.


WED 01:55 The Joy of Painting (m000mmj8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 02:25 Digging for Britain (b073mr9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2020

THU 19:00 The Sky at Night (m000mmjk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 on Monday]


THU 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000mmjm)
Series 3

Autumn Days

In the still of the night, trees reflect off a glistening pond and a cool breeze blows as Bob Ross takes you on a black-canvas adventure.

American painter Bob Ross offers soothing words of encouragement to viewers and painting hobbyists in an enormously popular series that has captivated audiences worldwide since 1982. Ross is a cult figure, with nearly two million Facebook followers and 3,000 instructors globally. His soothing, nurturing personality is therapy for the weary, and his respect for nature and wildlife helps heighten environmental awareness.

Across the series, Ross demonstrates his unique painting technique, which eliminates the need for each layer of paint to dry. In real time, he creates tranquil scenes taken from nature, including his trademark ‘happy’ clouds, cascading waterfalls, snow-covered forests, serene lakes and distant mountain summits.

Many of Bob’s faithful viewers are not painters at all. They are relaxing and unwinding with Bob’s gentle manner and encouraging words, captivated by the magic taking place on the canvas.


THU 20:00 Casablanca (m000mmc2)
Classic romantic drama. Rick's Cafe is a centre for criminals, refugees, resistance fighters and Nazis. Its cynical owner takes risks for no-one - until the arrival of Ilsa.


THU 21:40 Parkinson: The Interviews (m000mmjp)
Series 2

Ingrid Bergman

Michael Parkinson looks back on his meeting with Ingrid Bergman - an actress he confesses to falling in love with the first time he saw her on screen at his local cinema.


THU 22:10 Hunting the Nazi Gold Train (b07yc9zf)
In August 2015, two amateur researchers declared they had found a lost Nazi train buried in a railway cutting near Walbrzych, southern Poland. Better still, they believed the train might be loaded with gold, armaments or precious treasure, all left behind by the Nazis at the end of World War II. The claim sparked a global media frenzy. Locals have long believed that at least one train, loaded with looted Nazi gold, left the provincial capital Wroclaw in early 1945. But until now, no one has discovered what happened to it.

Dan Snow follows the treasure hunters as they look for the gold train, while also carrying out his own investigation into this story, one that leads all the way to Adolf Hitler himself and his secret plans for this remote corner of the Third Reich during the last months of World War II.

Dan explores the astonishing underground tunnel complex called Riese, built on the fuehrer's orders almost certainly as an underground city to house armaments production beyond the reach of Allied bombing. Nearby, Dan visits the Ksiaz Castle, which at the end of the war was converted into a possible bolthole for Hitler and his high command. A door from the fuehrer's bedroom leads down to tunnels that could have linked the palace with the underground Riese complex.

Dan considers the evidence that Hitler was planning to retreat to this near impregnable complex and fight on. As Dan uncovers Hitler's possible plans for this region, it also lends weight to the theories and stories that there is a hidden tunnel here, a tunnel that could even contain the legendary train full of gold.

Finally, Dan joins the treasure hunters as they begin the excavation itself, and reveals the outcome of the hunt for the Nazi gold train.


THU 23:10 Tornado - the 100mph Steam Engine (b08rb16k)
The new A1 class steam engine Tornado tries to achieve 100mph on the main line. The secret speed attempt will be made in the dead of night. If it tops the ton it will be the first time in 50 years that steam has gone this fast. Tornado was built over two decades and financed by enthusiasts who want to show steam has a viable future on Britain's railways.


THU 23:40 Plague Fiction (m000mmjf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Sunday]


THU 00:40 Life Cinematic (m000dt6w)
Series 1

Sam Mendes

In this first episode of a new series, Life Cinematic, Oscar-nominated British director Sir Sam Mendes talks to Edith Bowman about the films that have influenced his life and career.

His choices range from classics such as Blue Velvet, Taxi Driver and The Godfather II to contemporary masterpieces, including Lost In Translation. Sam also provides insights into the making of his most recent film, 1917, and reflects on his early introduction to cinema, as well as his aspirations for the future.


THU 01:40 The Joy of Painting (m000mmjm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:10 Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Winkle Brown (b045pbq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]



FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2020

FRI 19:00 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 20:00 Top of the Pops (b01pmbdy)
1978 - Big Hits

A pick 'n' mix of Top of the Pops classics from 1978, when in-yer-face punk and new wave rebellion co-existed with MOR suburban pop, disco fever, soul balladry, reggae and prog rock, and when two mega-successful movie soundtracks in the shape of Grease and Saturday Night Fever squared up on the dancefloor. Featuring shouty Sham 69, the cool rebellion of Ian Dury, Elvis Costello and Blondie, the media-savvy clowning of The Boomtown Rats, Kate Bush's debut with Wuthering Heights, alongside Brotherhood of Man's perky Figaro, Dan Hill's sentimental Sometimes When We Touch and the high camp of Boney M's Rasputin. Bob Marley shares chart space with 10cc's Dreadlock Holiday, and ELO and Manfred Mann's Earth Band keep on rockin'.


FRI 21:00 Soul America (m000mmg6)
Series 1

Sweet Love

How, in the 70s and 80s, a second coming of soul men, led by Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross, offered a black female audience slow jams and sexual healing.

In the early 70s, Memphis was the capital of gospel-infused soul music, thanks to two key labels. One was Stax, the other was Hi Records - a high church of soul presided over by Al Green whose Let’s Stay Together pre-figured a new type of soul man, one who would come to dominate the 70s - a sensitive lover man.

In Philadelphia, a new record label was born that would also soften soul’s hard edges. Philadelphia International Records was home to Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, from whose ranks Teddy Pendergrass would emerge. PIR was also home to the O’Jays, who embodied Philadelphia’s message of love and togetherness.

Fresh from the monumental success of What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye went to work on his follow-up, shifting focus from the streets to the bedroom with Let’s Get It On. Bedroom soul was also epitomised by the sensitive, thoughtful Barry White, whose deep baritone put both black and white audiences in the mood.

In the mid-70s, disco became a lucrative sideline for female singers who delivered first-hand songs about love, loss and empowerment such as Candi Staton’s Young Hearts Run Free, whilst Millie Jackson did what the soul men did, only more so, telling it like it was.

This episode also looks at the Quiet Storm radio format, conceived by billionaire entrepreneur Cathy Hughes, targeted at a black female audience. The title was borrowed from Smokey Robinson’s 1975 album of laid-back soul ballads, and the genre helped make stars of artists such as Peabo Bryson, whose smooth ballads led the listener discretely to the bedroom door.

The tragic death of Marvin Gaye, on the back of his biggest success - Sexual Healing - and the paralysis of Teddy Pendergrass seemed like bad omens for soul in the 80s. But one artist filled the gap. New York-born Luther Vandross started out as one of the most in-demand backing vocalists before redefining soul with Never Too Much. Luther may have been the 80s soul king, but he did not rule alone. Anita Baker was the queen. Her 1986 hit album Rapture pursued a similar, contemporary yet retro take on soul.

However, Luther couldn’t hold back the tide forever. The birth of hip hop as a political force and the arrival of MTV closed the door on soul, ushering in a new era for black music. The soul epoch may have been over, but the music never went away and, from time to time, it resurfaces in all its glory.

With The O’Jays, Al ‘Fonzi’ Thornton, Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley Jr, Jerry Cummings, Charles Hodges, Candi Staton, Peabo Bryson, Millie Jackson and Cathy Hughes. Expert analysis from Mark Anthony Neal, David Ritz and Nelson George.


FRI 22:00 Classic Soul at the BBC (b0074pvv)
A collection of some of the greatest soul performances from the BBC's archive, featuring Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Dusty Springfield, Isaac Hayes, Solomon Burke and Percy Sledge.


FRI 23:00 Jimi Hendrix: The Road to Woodstock (b03p7p6v)
The definitive documentary record of one of Jimi Hendrix's most celebrated performances, now digitally remastered and featuring footage never seen on television before. It includes such signature songs as Purple Haze, Voodoo Child (Slight Return) and his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, as well as interviews with Woodstock promoter Michael Lang and Hendrix band members Mitch Mitchell, Billy Cox, Larry Lee and Juma Sultan among others.


FRI 00:00 Gregory Porter's Popular Voices (b09gvqj9)
Series 1

Truth Tellers

Gregory examines how early 20th-century blues growlers like Bessie Smith paved the way for the rhyme and flow of hip-hop, how truth became a quest of rock 'n' roll's greatest poets from Woody Guthrie to Gil Scott-Heron, from Lou Reed to Suzanne Vega, and why great popular voices, including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Kurt Cobain, don't have to be technically perfect to resonate so deeply and stir our souls. With Dave Grohl, Suzanne Vega and KRS-One.


FRI 01:00 Soul America (m000mmg6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 02:00 Classic Soul at the BBC (b0074pvv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 03:00 Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC (b06ns4gf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]




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

Art of Scandinavia 23:55 WED (b075dxdv)

Art on the BBC 00:00 MON (m000frc5)

Battle of Britain: The Real Story 22:00 TUE (b00txmkk)

Battlefield Britain 21:00 SUN (b0078s6r)

Battlefield Britain 03:00 SUN (b0078s6r)

Birth of the British Novel 23:00 SUN (b00ydj1p)

Blackadder 01:50 TUE (b00819cc)

Blackadder 02:20 TUE (p00bf6s9)

Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Winkle Brown 21:00 WED (b045pbq2)

Britain's Greatest Pilot: The Extraordinary Story of Captain Winkle Brown 02:10 THU (b045pbq2)

Canals: The Making of a Nation 19:00 MON (b068c3zh)

Carved with Love: The Genius of British Woodwork 00:55 WED (b01pyfd2)

Casablanca 20:00 THU (m000mmc2)

Classic Soul at the BBC 22:00 FRI (b0074pvv)

Classic Soul at the BBC 02:00 FRI (b0074pvv)

Dancing in the Blitz: How World War II Made British Ballet 00:00 SUN (p01s4z2h)

Digging for Britain 20:00 WED (b073mr9r)

Digging for Britain 02:25 WED (b073mr9r)

Dog Tales and Cat Tales 19:00 SAT (m000mf93)

Dog Tales and Cat Tales 02:50 SAT (m000mf93)

Dog Tales and Cat Tales 21:00 TUE (m000mmk3)

Dog Tales and Cat Tales 02:50 TUE (m000mmk3)

EastEnders 2008 01:00 SUN (b00c4ylt)

EastEnders 2008 01:30 SUN (b00c80m9)

EastEnders 2008 02:00 SUN (b00cb10y)

EastEnders 2008 02:30 SUN (b00cb1l3)

Face to Face 23:15 WED (m000mmjc)

Gregory Porter's Popular Voices 00:00 FRI (b09gvqj9)

Horizon 23:00 MON (b05527mp)

Horizon 20:00 TUE (b02xcvhw)

Hunting the Nazi Gold Train 22:10 THU (b07yc9zf)

James May's Cars of the People 19:00 SUN (b070k3ny)

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies 20:00 SUN (b01m81f5)

Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies 20:00 MON (b01m9vjl)

Jigs and Wigs: The Extreme World of Irish Dancing 02:30 MON (b070w5kk)

Jimi Hendrix: The Road to Woodstock 23:00 FRI (b03p7p6v)

Kate Bush at the BBC 01:00 SAT (b04f86xk)

Life Cinematic 00:40 THU (m000dt6w)

Parkinson: The Interviews 21:40 THU (m000mmjp)

Plague Fiction 22:00 SUN (m000mmjf)

Plague Fiction 23:40 THU (m000mmjf)

Pole to Pole 20:00 SAT (p02j8sp7)

Pole to Pole 02:00 SAT (p02j8sp7)

Soul America 21:00 FRI (m000mmg6)

Soul America 01:00 FRI (m000mmg6)

Spitfire 21:00 MON (m0008rmy)

Storyville 01:00 MON (m000b8nd)

Storyville 23:50 TUE (b070jhq6)

The Bridge 21:00 SAT (b03glzzl)

The Bridge 22:00 SAT (b03gq3p9)

The Bridge 23:00 SAT (b03jst8c)

The Bridge 00:00 SAT (b03kk8lv)

The Evacuees 22:00 WED (p04wb463)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 MON (m000mmjh)

The Joy of Painting 03:00 MON (m000mmjh)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 TUE (m000mmk1)

The Joy of Painting 01:20 TUE (m000mmk1)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 WED (m000mmj8)

The Joy of Painting 01:55 WED (m000mmj8)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 THU (m000mmjm)

The Joy of Painting 01:40 THU (m000mmjm)

The People’s War 19:00 TUE (m000mmjz)

The Sky at Night 22:30 MON (m000mmjk)

The Sky at Night 19:00 THU (m000mmjk)

Timewatch 23:00 TUE (b00791l6)

Top of the Pops 20:00 FRI (b01pmbdy)

Tornado - the 100mph Steam Engine 23:10 THU (b08rb16k)

Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC 19:00 FRI (b06ns4gf)

Ultimate Cover Versions at the BBC 03:00 FRI (b06ns4gf)

War Walks 19:00 WED (b0074mbn)