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 27 MARCH 2021

SAT 19:00 Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom (b0536hxc)
Winter

Alaska is one of the most iconic wildernesses on the planet - America's last frontier.

This three-part series follows a year in Alaska, revealing the stories of pioneering Alaskans, both animal and human, as they battle the elements and reap the benefits of nature's seasonal gold rush.

Alaska is huge - by far the biggest US state - and still one of the wildest places on earth. It has deep forests and vast mountain ranges, and a third of it sits above the Arctic Circle. The whole state goes through some of the most extreme seasonal changes: temperatures can reach into the 90s F (30s C) in the summer and can plummet to -80F (-60C) in the winter.

Yet plenty survives here - Alaska is home to some of the hardiest animals on the planet. Each one has its own quirky way of getting through the challenges of the seasons. Above all, this is a land of great characters.

Black bear cubs are faced with a daunting climb down from their tree den and a mother sea otter nurses her baby through the chilly days of early spring. Stealthy 50-tonne sperm whales steal fish from the end of fishermen's lines in an extraordinary marine 'heist', grizzly bears grow big on a sudden wealth of salmon, and a huge male moose finds unlikely ways to impress a female. Thousands of bald eagles gather for a winter feast, and arctic foxes risk everything to find food in the alien world of an oil boomtown. People, too, must go with the flow of the extreme seasons, facing winter storms at sea to catch snow crabs, rushing across ice rivers with teams of huskies and taking advantage of Alaska's endless summer daylight to grow world-class giant vegetables.

Surviving the bone-chilling cold, deadly blizzards and darkness of an Alaskan winter takes courage, cunning and remarkable endurance. In the raw beauty of windswept mountain peaks, icy tundra and snowbound forests, this is the story of the tough and resourceful characters that face up to the ultimate challenges of this untameable land.


SAT 20:00 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t4k)
Ice King

Explorer Paul Rose tells the story of his hero Fridjtof Nansen who, in 1892, announced a daring plan to be first to the North Pole, an idea considered so off-the-wall that no scientist would volunteer to join him on a venture they believed was nothing short of suicide.

He allowed his ship to become stuck in the crushing pack ice, hoping it would drift to the Pole, and then set off on foot across the frozen wastes. Nansen became the forefather of polar exploration, inventing practical techniques that today allow people to survive, travel and work in the most hostile and forbidding places on our planet.


SAT 21:00 Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals (b0377tb1)
The victory duel for the 1976 Formula 1 Championship has become the stuff of legend. The spectacular battle for supremacy that raged all season between Austrian Niki Lauda and 'True Brit' James Hunt has never been equalled. Could swashbuckling Hunt catch the scientific Lauda? Could Niki overcome an appalling crash to come back from the dead and fight James all the way to the last race of the season?

This powerful story captures the heart of the 1970s - told through unseen footage and exclusive interviews with the people who were really there - the team managers, families, journalists and friends who were in the front row of the season that changed Formula 1 forever.


SAT 21:50 Rush (m000kr94)
The story of the rivalry between legendary F1 racing champions Niki Lauda and James Hunt, two charismatic drivers with entirely different approaches and personalities.


SAT 23:40 Foxtrot (m000tpyv)
A family must come to terms with the sudden death of their son during his military service.

Shortlisted in the category of Best Foreign Language Film for the 2018 Oscars.

In Hebrew, Arabic and German with English subtitles.


SAT 02:25 Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom (b0536hxc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2021

SUN 19:00 Natural World (b013nhmg)
2011-2012

Heligan: Secrets of the Lost Garden

Looking at the secret lives of the wildlife in one of Britain's favourite gardens. Shot by Charlie Hamilton-James, this film follows various animals, from the family of foxes that play after hours in the pleasure gardens to the toads in the Italian garden and the badgers that clear up the tea rooms at night. Set against the background of the gardening year, these stories reveal life behind the scenes at Heligan.


SUN 20:00 Brotherhood: The Inner Life of Monks (m000tpzb)
The monks of Mount St Bernard Abbey, a community of 25 men, more than half of whom are over 80 years old, are opening the first Trappist brewery in the UK. For their historic, countercultural lifestyle to survive, the venture must succeed.

In the meantime, as the monks reflect on spirituality, ageing and the end of life, the number of burials in the abbey graveyard continues to grow.


SUN 21:00 Horizon (m000dl6q)
2020

Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting

According to the UN, it is predicted that the human population could reach ten billion people by the year 2050. For broadcaster and naturalist Chris Packham, who has dedicated his life to championing the natural world, the subject of our growing population and the impact it is having on our planet is one of the most vital – and often overlooked – topics of discussion in an era of increasing environmental awareness.

Chris is worried that a world of ten billion may simply be too many people for the earth to sustain, given the impact 7.7 billion humans are already having. Travelling around the globe in search of answers to difficult and sometimes controversial questions, Chris investigates why our population is growing so rapidly, what impact it is having on the natural world, and whether there is anything that can be done.

Chris travels to Brazil to discover a megacity on the verge of running out of water and an industry expanding to feed our growing numbers – with dire consequences for biodiversity. In Nigeria, a country set to become the third most populous nation on earth by 2050, overtaking the United States, Chris visits an extraordinary community surviving against the odds and a school that might hold the answer to a future fall in the birth rate. Back home in Britain, Chris interviews Sir David Attenborough – like Chris, he is a patron of the charity Population Matters. Chris also examines the role of falling birth rates around the world, the impact of an aging population, and meets a couple who are struggling to get pregnant through IVF.

With interviews from several population experts, Chris’s focus ultimately turns to the impact our levels of consumption are already having, and asks whether the world can rebalance to accommodate the needs of over two billion more people.


SUN 22:00 Between the Lines (m000tpzg)
Series 1

Private Enterprise

Hard-hitting police drama series about internal investigations. When Scotland Yard suspects corruption on the patch of DCI Tony Clark, the ambitious detective finds himself assigned the unenviable task of investigating his own station. His first target is a ring of officers who are taking kickbacks from laundered drugs money.


SUN 22:45 Between the Lines (m000tpzl)
Series 1

Out of the Game

Drama series about internal investigations within the police force. When a youth is shot by armed police, years of resentment are set to explode into violence. But the wrath of Chief Supt Jameson is even more destructive.


SUN 23:40 Talking Pictures (b01r711j)
Dirk Bogarde

A look at television appearances made over the years by Hollywood legend Dirk Bogarde, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.


SUN 00:25 Count Basie through His Own Eyes (m000nnyq)
This revealing biography, told in Count Basie’s own words, uncovers for the first time the private passions and ambitions that inspired the world-famous bandleader and pianist.

Until now, little was known about Basie’s private and family life, but director Jeremy Marre uncovered a treasure-trove of home movies and photo albums that expose Basie’s remarkable relationship with his wife Catherine, whose pioneering support for African-American causes placed her at the side of Martine Luther King. Through Basie’s intimate footage and letters - and interviews with friends like Quincy Jones and Annie Ross - we discover the Count’s protective love for his disabled daughter Diane who ‘was never out of his heart and mind: the hidden core of his creative life’.

Basie’s musical achievements were remarkable: the first African-American to win a Grammy, he brought the Blues to the big band podium. He was ‘the King of the Swing Kings’. We see rare performances with Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sammy Davies Jnr. and many others. But this film digs deeper, uncovering the inner motivation and passions that drove Basie’s career as he became a unique link between jazz and America’s turbulent social history.


SUN 01:40 Natural World (b013nhmg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 02:40 Horizon (m000dl6q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



MONDAY 29 MARCH 2021

MON 19:00 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bbzj2m)
Series 1

Windermere

Explorer Paul Rose digs out his rucksack and heads for Windermere in the first of a four-part series about the Lake District. The National Park attracts 18 million visitors each year, and is now a World Heritage Site. In this episode, Paul joins the crowds and finds out why the early tourists thought the Lakes were one of the most dangerous spots in the country. He plunges into the world of long-distance swimming and helps the staff who run the boats on the lake, before meeting a Holocaust survivor who was airlifted to Windermere in 1945, as part of a mercy mission involving 300 orphans after the Second World War.


MON 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000l9v9)
Series 3

Reflections

Truly picture perfect. American painter Bob Ross creates the illusion of a mountain on a bright day mirrored in still waters.


MON 20:00 Fake or Fortune? (b0bg6f43)
Series 7

Nicholson

Can the team prove that a beautiful still life of a glass jug and pears is the work of celebrated British artist William Nicholson?

The investigation began when viewer Lyn got in touch to ask for our help - a painting she owns recently suffered a fatal blow when it was rejected by the leading authority on William Nicholson and was left out of the artist's latest catalogue raisonnee - the official list of all his known works. Lyn bought the paining in 2006 for £165,000, believing it to be a genuine Nicholson, but now it's worth practically nothing. However, this damning ruling has divided art world opinion. Can Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould uncover enough new evidence to convince sceptics that this is a genuine Nicholson?

William Nicholson was one of the leading British artists of his generation. Born in 1872, he began his career as a graphic artist before forging success as a painter. Over five decades he created nearly 900 oil paintings from informal portraits to haunting landscapes, but it's his exquisite still lifes which are most admired. In the years after his death, William Nicholson was overshadowed by his more famous son, the abstract artist Ben Nicholson, but today his work is highly prized, often reaching six-figure sums. This programme has a highly personal element - Lyn grew to love Nicholson through her aunt, Lillian Browse, who was a legend in the art world and one of the first female art dealers. It was just a few months after her aunt's death that Lyn bought the picture from her gallery. Lillian Browse was renowned for her knowledge of William Nicholson, having published the first catalogue raisonnee in 1956.

For Lyn, this is as much about justice for her aunt - would she really have had a fake Nicholson in her gallery? - as a fight for the painting she loves and the money she's lost. Fiona and Philip build up a detailed forensic case, starting with a lucky find - Nicholson's very own paintbox, kept in William Nicholson's grandson's house. It's a gift for scientific analysis, but will paint samples from the painting match those from Nicholson's own paintbox? The back of the painting reveals more clues with handwriting that can be compared to letters written by Nicholson, and an x-ray shows there's more to this painting than first meets the eye.

As the team delve back into the provenance of the painting, they come across an alarming find - could this painting have been involved in one of the great art crimes of the 20th century? Fiona meets reformed art forger John Myatt to find out if he ever faked a Nicholson. In a final bid to put the name Nicholson to this painting, Philip travels to Canada, where he compares the painting to a very similar Nicholson painting of a glass jug and pears. Could this painting hold the key to authenticating Lyn's? A compelling forensic case is pieced together, but is it enough? Will Lyn get justice for her painting?


MON 21:00 Storyville (m000tpzn)
Collective: Unravelling a Scandal

In 2015, a fire at a nightclub in Bucharest, Romania, leaves 27 dead and 180 injured. Soon afterwards, the burn victims recovering in hospital - from seemingly non-life-threatening injuries - begin dying too. A doctor at the heart of the story acts as whistleblower to a team of journalists, who in turn uncover outrageous corruption in Romania’s hospitals that goes all the way to the top.

One revelation leads to another as the journalists begin to find fraud on a vast scale in the healthcare system. When a new health minister is appointed, the journalists follow his attempts, in the face of monumental obstacles, to reform a system riddled with corruption.

Oscar-shortlisted and Bafta-longlisted for best documentary, Collective: Unravelling a Scandal examines the explosive impact of investigative journalism.


MON 22:45 Art of France (b08cgjv7)
Series 1

Plus Ça Change

Art historian and critic Andrew Graham-Dixon opens this series with the dramatic story of French art, a story of the most powerful kings ever to rule in Europe with their glittering palaces and astounding art to go in them. He also reveals how art emerged from a struggle between tradition and revolution, between rulers and a people who didn't always want to be ruled.

Starting with the first great revolution in art, the invention of Gothic architecture, he traces its development up until the arrival of classicism and the Age of Enlightenment - and the very eve of the revolution. Along the way some of the greatest art the world has ever seen was born, including the paintings of Poussin, Watteau and Chardin, the decadent rococo delights of Boucher and the great history paintings of Charles le Brun.


MON 23:45 The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide (b0555v7v)
There are about 600 murders each year in the UK. So, what drives people to kill? Are some people born to kill or are they driven to it by circumstances?

Michael Mosley delves into the BBC archives to chart scientists' progress as they probed the mind of the murderer to try to understand why people kill, and to find out whether by understanding murder we can prevent it.


MON 00:45 The Joy of Painting (m000l9v9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 01:15 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bbzj2m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 01:45 Fake or Fortune? (b0bg6f43)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:45 Art of France (b08cgjv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:45 today]



TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2021

TUE 19:00 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bc6fg2)
Series 1

Derwentwater

Explorer Paul Rose packs his waterproofs and heads for Derwentwater and Borrowdale in his latest adventure in the Lake District. It's a place that's no stranger to tough weather - Borrowdale is officially the wettest place in England. He meets those who've battled against flooding and have learned to live with extreme weather events. Along the way, he tells the story of Millican Dalton, the professor of adventure, who ran his own expeditions in the Lake District more than 70 years ago. Paul also heads for the summit of Great Gable, one of the Lake's best-known peaks.


TUE 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000l9rs)
Series 3

Black and White Seascape

Using a canvas painted half black and half white, Bob Ross sets the mood for a unique seascape with an approaching storm and dramatic sky.


TUE 20:00 Yes, Minister (b0078356)
Series 1

The Right to Know

Sir Humphrey prevents Jim from getting to know too much about how the Department of Administrative Affairs operates and uses badgers in Hayward's Spinney to show him there are things it is better not to know.


TUE 20:30 The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (p00x9r9g)
Series 1

Episode 6

After his fake suicide, Reggie tries out his new life in which he be anyone and go anywhere. However, he realises that all he really wants is Elizabeth. He reveals his true identity to his daughter Linda but discovers that Elizabeth is to re-marry.


TUE 21:00 Treasures of the Anglo Saxons (b00t6xzx)
Art historian Dr Nina Ramirez reveals the codes and messages hidden in Anglo-Saxon art. From the beautiful jewellery that adorned the first violent pagan invaders through to the stunning Christian manuscripts they would become famous for, she explores the beliefs and ideas that shaped Anglo-Saxon art.

Examining many of the greatest Anglo Saxon treasures - such as the Sutton Hoo Treasures, the Staffordshire Hoard, the Franks Casket and the Lindisfarne Gospels - Dr Ramirez charts 600 years of artistic development which was stopped dead in its tracks by the Norman Conquest.


TUE 22:00 Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us (m00095q5)
Series 1

DNA

This episode begins in Leicestershire in the heart of England, in the 1980s.

In 1983 and then only three years later, in 1986, the villages of Narborough and Enderby were shaken by the murders of two local teenage girls who were attacked and killed in very similar circumstances.

Weaving together archive footage and interviews with police officers, local journalists and forensic scientists, as well as friends and close relatives of the victims, this programme tells the story of the investigation, and how the struggle to find the killer would lead to the very first use of a brand new forensic science – DNA fingerprinting.

Following the course of this incredible scientific breakthrough and its use in the Leicestershire murders investigation, the episode explores the creation of Britain’s DNA database, a world first, as well as the development and evolution of this investigative tool which would lead to convictions for crimes that had, until then, been impossible to solve.

Exploring the ripples of one single investigation and the coincidences, twists and turns that led to this historic breakthrough, the programme paints a portrait of the 1980s as well as revealing the unforeseen, unfolding consequences of this pivotal investigation that has changed crime detection around the world.


TUE 23:00 Lights Up (m000tq0n)
Pale Sister

Pale Sister is a retelling of the classic tale of Antigone seen through the eyes of Ismene as she recounts her sister’s infamous defiance of their uncle, the king of Thebes, and witnesses what happens when a woman speaks truth to power.

The play was written by Colm Toibin especially for Lisa Dwan, who gives a tour-de-force perofmance. Directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, Pale Sister asks the question of all of us: 'Who are we if we are not Antigone?'

The production was born out of a semester-long course, taught by Toibin and Dwan at Columbia University, which explores Antigone’s story and its many adaptations throughout history.


TUE 00:15 The Joy of Painting (m000l9rs)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 00:45 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bc6fg2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 01:15 Treasures of the Anglo Saxons (b00t6xzx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 02:15 Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us (m00095q5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 31 MARCH 2021

WED 19:00 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bcys6d)
Series 1

Coniston

Paul Rose has an adrenaline overdose on his way to Coniston in the latest episode of his Lake District journey. He starts by entering a retro-cycling event on a penny farthing, before joining the mountain bikers of Grizedale Forest. Paul also relives the final moments of Donald Campbell in his attempt to break the world water-speed record on Coniston Water. He ends his trek with a spot of rock climbing at Dow Crag, before the ascent of one of the area's best-known hills, the Old Man of Coniston.


WED 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000lpp0)
Series 3

Lazy River

Take a relaxing walk in the company of American painter Bob Ross through a bright green, grassy forest, where a smooth crystal waterway flows so, so quietly.


WED 20:00 A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley (p01ftzs2)
The New Taste for Blood

Lucy Worsley investigates the dark and revealing history of our curious relationship with killing. She explores notorious real-life crimes from the first half of the 19th century, finding out how these murders were transformed into popular entertainments.


WED 21:00 Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills? (b0bcy56k)
Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills? is a real-life murder mystery about the life and untimely death of a national boxing hero, who is often described as Britain’s first sporting celebrity.

Set in 1960s Soho, this film delves into the world of UK and US organised crime, with gangland figures such as the Krays, boxing, gambling, police corruption, and a string of brutal unsolved murders that would become synonymous with the name Freddie Mills.

With access to eight hours of previously unseen home movies, this is an intimate portrayal of a man who rose from the humble surroundings of the fairground boxing booth to become light-heavyweight champion of the world, and became a household name appearing in films and co-presenting the BBC music show Six-Five Special. But it all ended on the 25th July 1965, when he was found shot dead in the back seat of his car. 50 years after his death his family still challenge the coroner’s verdict of suicide. They have always maintained he was murdered.

High profile gangsters such as Eddie Richardson give first hand accounts of the criminal underworld that existed at the time, and ultimately a man comes forward who claims to have been involved in the murder of Freddie Mills. It’s a piece of testimony that could finally conclude a 50-year mystery for Freddie’s family; allowing a British boxing great to be remembered for the man he was, and his achievements in life, rather than for the single day of his death


WED 22:30 Lights Up (m000tpz7)
Sadie

The international premiere of a searing new play from David Ireland centres on a Belfast woman reflecting on her turbulent life amidst the Troubled past.

Sharp-witted cleaner Sadie develops an intense, dysfunctional yet passionate relationship with a much younger man, triggering a psychological showdown with the remnant demons of her past. She confronts these ghosts, calling out their contribution to the path life took her down.

Expect strong language, painful subjects and surprising consequences.

Sadie was rehearsed in isolation, following government Covid guidelines. The performance was filmed for television at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, without an audience, as part of BBC Arts’ Lights Up festival.


WED 23:40 Brotherhood: The Inner Life of Monks (m000tpzb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


WED 00:40 The Joy of Painting (m000lpp0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 01:10 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bcys6d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:40 Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills? (b0bcy56k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 01 APRIL 2021

THU 19:00 Wild (b008nkvk)
2007-08 Shorts

Dean the Diving Decorator

Wildlife documentary. Dean is a painter and decorator by trade, but he dreams of being a wildlife cameraman. He's spent the past few years filming in a freezing flooded quarry in Leicester. Although he's an amateur, Dean's footage of courting pike was so good it was used in The Nature of Britain. This film was made to share more of Dean's fantastic footage. It also features Dean talking about his experiences. Presented by Jenny Eclair.


THU 19:10 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bdpxs3)
Series 1

Eskdale

Remote Eskdale is the final destination in explorer Paul Rose's trek through the Lake District. This corner of the western Lakes is off the normal tourist track but it boasts England's highest mountain. Before heading for the tough Lakeland summit of Scafell Pike, Paul meets the folk who run one of the country's most scenic railways, he has a close encounter with a vulture, and gets to grips with the locals in a spot of Cumberland wrestling.


THU 19:40 The Joy of Painting (m000lppl)
Series 3

Black Waterfall

Hear the sounds of a bubbling stream and distant waterfall against a tumultuous sky in this spectacular Bob Ross painting.


THU 20:10 All Creatures Great and Small (p031d2pc)
Series 1

The Last Furlong

Some farmers like to do their own vetting, but James discovers that sometimes the vet can cure the farmer.


THU 21:00 The Third Man (b0074qmr)
Classic film noir about an American writer who visits postwar Vienna to see an old friend, but is told that his friend is dead. Incredulous at the suggestion his friend was a criminal, the writer attempts to clear the dead man's name, but soon finds events taking a strange turn - his friend is very much alive, dealing drugs on the black market.


THU 22:40 Brighton Rock (b01bzrfl)
Adaptation of Graham Greene's coming-of-age thriller, relocated to the mod/rocker-divided Brighton of the 60s.

After murdering rival gang member Fred Hale, Pinkie Brown decides to marry Rose - the only person who can prove he was behind the murder. However, he is up against Hale's sister and Rose's boss Ida Arnold, who turns detective to discover who is behind her brother's murder.


THU 00:25 Around the World in 80 Treasures (b0078w68)
Series 1

Mali to Egypt

Dan Cruickshank’s journey around the world reaches new heights of discomfort in the heat and dust of the desert. He takes in the astonishing cave paintings of the Dogon tribe before embarking on a love affair in Egypt with the most beautiful woman in history for whom he must brave two giant jackals. In between, he witnesses the grotesque masks of Mali that connect the world of the living with the world of the dead, survives a power cut in the middle of the deepest, darkest chamber of the dead in the Great Pyramid outside Cairo, lives a day in the life of a Roman trader in Leptis Magna and identifies with Laurence of Arabia in the desert of Libya.

One amazing surprise is the biggest mud building in the world, which cools down in the African sun by means of an installation of 104 saucepan lids on its roof - possibly the simplest ventilation system in the world but also the most ingenious. Finally, as he floats into the sunset down the Nile, he contemplates how it will feel to re-enter Europe after four months away.


THU 01:25 The Joy of Painting (m000lppl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:40 today]


THU 01:50 The Lakes with Paul Rose (b0bdpxs3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:10 today]


THU 02:20 A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley (p01ftzs2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Wednesday]



FRIDAY 02 APRIL 2021

FRI 19:00 Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts (m000hb4m)
Award-winning British choir Tenebrae, under the direction of Nigel Short, is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, renowned for its passion and precision. Normally before Easter, Tenebrae would be preparing for one of its busiest periods in the musical calendar. But as the world finds itself engulfed in one of the biggest health emergencies of modern history, Tenebrae, like many other artistic groups, has been forced to cancel its busy Easter season. Around the world, audiences are unable to attend and hear live music.

In this performance, filmed exclusively for BBC Music, Tenebrae once again breaks new ground in a programme of music for Easter, with all 20 of its singers filmed and recorded separately as they isolate themselves in their own homes. Under the direction of Nigel Short conducting via video link, Tenebrae sings a concert for Easter, including Gregorio Allegri's stunning Miserere, at a time when the world has never needed the medicine of music more.

Tenebrae's repertoire for this specially filmed performance includes the following:

JS Bach – Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden
Lobo – Versa est in luctum
Allegri – Miserere
Purcell/Croft – Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts
Parry – My soul, there is a country
JS Bach – Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein


FRI 19:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qd9)
Original Series

1968-69: The Progressive Tendency

The BBC's music archive programme reaches the end of the sixties and features Pink Floyd, Donovan, Fleetwood Mac and Joni Mitchell.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m000tpzf)
Bruno Brookes present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 15 November 1990 and featuring Black Box, Inspiral Carpets and Caron Wheeler.


FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (m000tpzk)
Anthea Turner presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 November 1990 and featuring EMF, The Proclaimers and Julee Cruise.


FRI 21:00 Fleetwood Mac's Songbird - Christine McVie (m0008k8q)
Christine McVie is undoubtedly the longest-serving female band member of any of the enduring rock ‘n’ roll acts that emerged from the 1960s. While she has never fronted Fleetwood Mac, preferring to align herself with ‘the boys’ in the rhythm section whom she first joined 50 years ago, Christine is their most successful singer-songwriter. Her hits include ‘Over My Head’, ‘Don’t Stop’ and ‘Everywhere’.

After massive global success in both the late 1970s and mid-1980s, Christine left the band in the late 1990s, quitting California and living in semi-retirement in Kent, only to rejoin the band in 2013. In this 90-minute film, this most English of singers finally gets to take centre-stage and tell both her story and the saga of Fleetwood Mac from her point of view.


FRI 22:30 Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop (b00nq7q9)
Fleetwood Mac are one of the biggest-selling bands of all time and still on the road. Their story, told in their own words, is an epic tale of love and confrontation, of success and loss.

Few bands have undergone such radical musical and personal change. The band evolved from the 60s British blues boom to perfect a US West Coast sound that saw them sell 40 million copies of the album Rumours.

However, behind-the-scenes relationships were turbulent. The band went through multiple line-ups with six different lead guitarists. While working on Rumours, the two couples at the heart of the band separated, yet this heartache inspired the perfect pop record.


FRI 23:30 Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History (m0001kz2)
Fellow musicians, journalists and fans celebrate Fleetwood Mac with a selection of their best-loved songs.

Fleetwood Mac are the great survivors of British and American rock music. For more than fifty years they’ve overcome break-ups and breakdowns to become one of the most successful bands of all time. They have sold over 100 million records worldwide, with their 1977 smash Rumours accounting for nearly half of those sales.

They have endured, like all great bands, because of the complimentary talents of its members. From Peter Green to Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, it has contained some extraordinary songwriters. With brilliant musicians on all instruments, the band has been able to turn the songs into commercial gold. Above all the tough determination of the two men who gave the band their name has seen Fleetwood Mac through thick and thin.

Fleetwood fan Edith Bowman provides a narrative overview alongside other celebrity fans, who all pay tribute to the band in this hit-filled hour. Contributors include KT Tunstall, Travis’s frontman Fran Healy, Toyah Willcox, Sian Pattenden and Emma Dabiri.


FRI 00:30 Sounds of the Sixties (b0074qd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 01:00 Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts (m000hb4m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


FRI 01:30 Fleetwood Mac's Songbird - Christine McVie (m0008k8q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


FRI 03:00 Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop (b00nq7q9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 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 Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley 20:00 WED (p01ftzs2)

A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley 02:20 THU (p01ftzs2)

Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 19:00 SAT (b0536hxc)

Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom 02:25 SAT (b0536hxc)

All Creatures Great and Small 20:10 THU (p031d2pc)

Around the World in 80 Treasures 00:25 THU (b0078w68)

Art of France 22:45 MON (b08cgjv7)

Art of France 02:45 MON (b08cgjv7)

Between the Lines 22:00 SUN (m000tpzg)

Between the Lines 22:45 SUN (m000tpzl)

Brighton Rock 22:40 THU (b01bzrfl)

Brotherhood: The Inner Life of Monks 20:00 SUN (m000tpzb)

Brotherhood: The Inner Life of Monks 23:40 WED (m000tpzb)

Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us 22:00 TUE (m00095q5)

Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us 02:15 TUE (m00095q5)

Count Basie through His Own Eyes 00:25 SUN (m000nnyq)

Fake or Fortune? 20:00 MON (b0bg6f43)

Fake or Fortune? 01:45 MON (b0bg6f43)

Fleetwood Mac's Songbird - Christine McVie 21:00 FRI (m0008k8q)

Fleetwood Mac's Songbird - Christine McVie 01:30 FRI (m0008k8q)

Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History 23:30 FRI (m0001kz2)

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop 22:30 FRI (b00nq7q9)

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop 03:00 FRI (b00nq7q9)

Foxtrot 23:40 SAT (m000tpyv)

Horizon 21:00 SUN (m000dl6q)

Horizon 02:40 SUN (m000dl6q)

Hunt vs Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals 21:00 SAT (b0377tb1)

Lights Up 23:00 TUE (m000tq0n)

Lights Up 22:30 WED (m000tpz7)

Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills? 21:00 WED (b0bcy56k)

Murder in Soho: Who Killed Freddie Mills? 01:40 WED (b0bcy56k)

Natural World 19:00 SUN (b013nhmg)

Natural World 01:40 SUN (b013nhmg)

Rush 21:50 SAT (m000kr94)

Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts 19:00 FRI (m000hb4m)

Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts 01:00 FRI (m000hb4m)

Sounds of the Sixties 19:30 FRI (b0074qd9)

Sounds of the Sixties 00:30 FRI (b0074qd9)

Storyville 21:00 MON (m000tpzn)

Talking Pictures 23:40 SUN (b01r711j)

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin 20:30 TUE (p00x9r9g)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 MON (m000l9v9)

The Joy of Painting 00:45 MON (m000l9v9)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 TUE (m000l9rs)

The Joy of Painting 00:15 TUE (m000l9rs)

The Joy of Painting 19:30 WED (m000lpp0)

The Joy of Painting 00:40 WED (m000lpp0)

The Joy of Painting 19:40 THU (m000lppl)

The Joy of Painting 01:25 THU (m000lppl)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 19:00 MON (b0bbzj2m)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 01:15 MON (b0bbzj2m)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 19:00 TUE (b0bc6fg2)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 00:45 TUE (b0bc6fg2)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 19:00 WED (b0bcys6d)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 01:10 WED (b0bcys6d)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 19:10 THU (b0bdpxs3)

The Lakes with Paul Rose 01:50 THU (b0bdpxs3)

The Mystery of Murder: A Horizon Guide 23:45 MON (b0555v7v)

The Third Man 21:00 THU (b0074qmr)

Top of the Pops 20:00 FRI (m000tpzf)

Top of the Pops 20:30 FRI (m000tpzk)

Treasures of the Anglo Saxons 21:00 TUE (b00t6xzx)

Treasures of the Anglo Saxons 01:15 TUE (b00t6xzx)

Voyages of Discovery 20:00 SAT (b0074t4k)

Wild 19:00 THU (b008nkvk)

Yes, Minister 20:00 TUE (b0078356)