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 10 JULY 2021

SAT 19:00 Treasures of Ancient Greece (b05ql1sf)
The Age of Heroes

In the first episode Alastair Sooke explores the surprising roots of Greek art, beginning his journey in Crete at the palace of Knossos, legendary home of the Minotaur. He travels to Santorini to the 'Greek Pompeii', and finds gold in the fabled stronghold of Mycenae and dazzling remains from Greece's Dark Ages. Alastair discovers the beginnings of a defining spirit in Greek art, embracing mythology, a passion for symmetry, and an obsession with the human body.


SAT 20:00 Coast (b07zcmsq)
The Great Guide

East Anglia

Neil Oliver and Tessa Dunlop present the ultimate guide to East Anglia - from The Wash to Canvey Island. Building on the best of ten years of Coast stories from these shores, Neil takes to the sea on a variety of boats to seek out new stories for the Great Guide and bring well-known ones up to date, from seal-watching at England's biggest grey seal colony to extreme coastal erosion at Happisburgh.

From its earliest prehistory, Neil explores the incredible stories that underpin this coastline, which was once our land bridge to the continent, and he also celebrates more recent times with a trip aboard a floating relic of the herring industry. Neil finishes his exploration at Orford Ness, where the battle between sea and land is still being fought out - and where one of East Anglia's most distinctive landmarks is at risk from the encroaching waters.


SAT 21:00 Beck (p09l2c7m)
The Fall Guy

Oskar and Josef make a macabre discovery in the boot of a car. But things are not what they seem and it takes an emotional toll on the Beck group.


SAT 22:30 The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story (b09w3m05)
Series 1

Episode 2

In April 1955 Ruth Ellis shot her lover David Blakely dead. It's a case that shocked the nation and it still fascinates today. It has its place in ushering in the defence of diminished responsibility and the eventual abolishment of capital punishment. We all think we know the story, but why, when it was seemingly such an open and shut case, does it still divide opinion on whether Ruth Ellis got the justice she deserved?

Film-maker Gillian Pachter wants to find out. The result is a fresh investigation with fascinating true-crime twists and turns that also shines a unique light on attitudes to class, gender and sex in 1950s London.

In episode two Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's trial which took just a day and a half. She starts with a tape-recorded conversation from the 1980s between Ruth's son Andre and the barrister who led the prosecution. Andre expresses doubts about his mother's trial, calling into question her state of mind and whether she was a cold-blooded killer.

Gillian is interested to know whether the defence shared these concerns and she turns her attention to Ruth's solicitor. There are immediate and compelling questions about how he was hired, by whom and why. Ultimately it seems he was determined that the jury should look beyond the tabloid stereotype of Ruth to understand her troubled background - that way, they'd be inclined to recommend mercy and save Ruth from execution. But Ruth and her barrister had other ideas - while she refused to play ball he pursued a defence strategy so risky that the judge was forced to put his foot down.

There's the ongoing question of Ruth's alleged accomplice and how much Ruth's defence team knew of his involvement and continuing revelations from the forgotten witness, Ruth's son Andre. Gillian draws on expert opinion from top legal minds who know the case intimately, and they paint a portrait of a woman trapped not only by the constraints of 1950s society but by the narrow parameters of English law.


SAT 23:30 The Killing (b01p2lyc)
Series 3

Episode 3

Following the dramatic murder of public prosecutor Peter Schultz, it becomes clear that Emilie Zeuthen's kidnapper will stop at nothing to recover his debt. However, police remain clueless about the perpetrator's motives. Lund and Mathias Borch try to cooperate on the case, while Lund makes a surprise reconciliatory visit to her son Mark. The prime minister's team try to limit his public involvement in the affair of the kidnapping, but yet more troubling information emerges which will make it difficult to focus on the election campaign.


SAT 00:30 The Killing (b01p2lyf)
Series 3

Episode 4

Another failed attempt to capture their man leaves Borch and Lund with a dilemma - should they obey the perpetrator's instructions or take action in spite of his directives, thereby risking Emilie's life? Further links to an old unresolved police case continue to emerge, shedding new light on the investigation while marring the prime minister's political life.


SAT 01:30 The Killing (b01p6pfy)
Series 3

Episode 5

The kidnapper continues to insist that he's seeking to recover a debt. If Lund is to save Emilie's life, it will be up to her to find out what the debt is and how it should be repaid. Following a request for Robert Zeuthen's life in exchange for Emile's, police set out to organise the exchange. Meanwhile, the integrity of a few high-ranking politicians is called into question, as Prime Minister Kamper takes a dramatic decision.


SAT 02:30 The Killing (b01p6pg0)
Series 3

Episode 6

Police are led to the Jutland region by their investigation. Here, Borch and Lund make an eerie discovery and find themselves in danger. Back at HQ, pressure grows on Brix, as management question his judgment. Prime Minister Kamper hesitates in implementing his decision following doubts about Emilie's fate. Ussing is found to have been harbouring a secret.



SUNDAY 11 JULY 2021

SUN 19:00 Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere (b00g81g7)
Simon Russell Beale tells the story behind Allegri's Miserere, one of the most popular pieces of sacred music ever written. The programme features a full performance of the piece by the award-winning choir the Sixteen, conducted by Harry Christophers.


SUN 19:30 Summer Night Concert from Vienna (m000xw4f)
2021

The Vienna Philharmonic’s annual Summer Night Concert takes place in the unique ambience of the Schönbrunn Palace Gardens in Vienna. British conductor Daniel Harding makes his Summer Night Concert debut, and the concert includes a performance by Russian-German pianist Igor Levit. Broadcasting to over 80 countries worldwide, this year’s theme is ‘Fernweh’ meaning ‘Yearning for Distant Places’ and the concert features music by Bernstein, Verdi, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Elgar, Debussy and Holst.


SUN 21:00 World War II: Behind Closed Doors (b00fy4gr)
Episode 4

Joseph Stalin was a tyrant responsible for the death of millions, yet he was also a vital ally of Britain and America during the Second World War.

How was it possible for Churchill and Roosevelt to deal with one tyrant, Joseph Stalin, in order to help beat another, Adolf Hitler? That's one of the key questions at the heart of this new six part landmark history series.

The series uses dramatic reconstructions, based on extensive fresh research in Russian and Western archives, and extraordinary testimony from witnesses of the time, including former Soviet secret policemen who have not spoken before on camera.

This fourth episode focuses on the behind the scenes story of the first meeting of the 'Big Three', Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, at Tehran, as well as the secret history of the Soviet attempt to cover up the mass murders at Katyn.


SUN 22:00 The Sky at Night (m000xw3l)
ET and the BBC

Chris and Maggie dive into the archives to discover how the hunt for extra-terrestrial life in the universe has been reported by the BBC over six decades. Such luminaries as Patrick Moore, Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, James Burke and Alan Whicker discuss the eternal question of whether we are alone. The story of how the BBC has covered advancements in this scientific field is told from the birth of radio astronomy in the 1960s to the discovery of the first planets outside of our own solar system in the 1990s, and right up to probes exploring our neighbouring planets in the present day. There are also some rather more offbeat claims of UFO sightings, alien abductions and accounts of humanoid-like beings that supposedly live on Venus.


SUN 23:00 Horizon (b08r3xr3)
2017

Strange Signals from Outer Space!

For decades some have suspected that there might be others out there, intelligent beings capable of communicating with us, even visiting our world. It might sound like science fiction, but today scientists from across the globe are scouring the universe for signals from extraterrestrials.

In 2006, husband and wife team Duncan Lorimer and Maura McLaughlin discovered an enigmatic signal from space, known as a fast radio burst. It was a pulse of radiation so bright, it didn't appear to be caused by any known object in the universe. Explanations ranged from colliding neutron stars to communication signals from an alien civilisation far more advanced from our own.

Scientists have been searching the cosmos for strange signals like the Lorimer Burst for more than 50 years. The film ends with scientists' latest search for extraterrestial intelligence. Horizon obtained exclusive access to film researchers at the Green Bank Telescope searching for radio signals from Tabby's Star, a star so mysterious that some scientists believe it might be surrounded by a Dyson Sphere, a vast energy collector built by advanced aliens.


SUN 00:00 Bottom Up: The Chauffeur's Tale (b00f7zyc)
Record-breaking novelist Barbara Cartland acquired millions of devoted readers, many accolades and a few eccentricities in her nine decades. Former chauffeur/butler Robert Alderson gives an affectionate view of what it takes to keep the sheen on such a glossy character.


SUN 00:15 Missions (b0b3969g)
Series 1

Ulysses

A European billionaire's venture to put the first people on Mars faces major crises on arrival, threatening to split an already fractious crew.


SUN 00:40 Missions (b0b39hgp)
Series 1

Mars

To save their stricken craft a sub-team seeks salvage, but the trio's discovery of a body means a surprisingly harsh reception on their return.


SUN 01:05 Summer Night Concert from Vienna (m000xw4f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


SUN 02:35 Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere (b00g81g7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



MONDAY 12 JULY 2021

MON 19:00 The Joy of Painting (m000m7jt)
Series 3

Purple Splendour

Bob Ross will fascinate you with this crimson winter scene, where cabin and snow are virtually undisturbed and the evergreens are full.

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 19:30 Return to... The Cruise (b00d212w)
Episode 1

Las Vegas-style shows and casinos, on-board romances above and below decks, passengers from hell and a singing diva heading for fame - all aboard a passenger ship and they can't escape the cameras. Jane McDonald and the characters who made The Cruise the big hit of the late 90s look back on their maiden voyage.


MON 20:00 Art of Persia (m000kjj2)
Series 1

Episode 3

In the last episode, Samira Ahmed travels to the crumbling ruins of an ancient walled city and goes back to when Persia faced her gravest threat, Genghis Khan. But from the death and destruction there emerged a golden age of Persian poetry and art.

In the fabled city of Isfahan, Samira encounters the dynasty of shahs that succeeded the Mongols - the Safavids, who gave Iran a powerful new identity through Shia Islam and carved its message in stone, brick and tile.

Finally, Samira travels to Persepolis to tell the story of Iran’s last shah and his ill-fated attempt to link his dynasty to Persia’s ancient kings, with momentous consequences for the world.


MON 21:00 Private Life of a Masterpiece (m000xw49)
Series 3

The Kiss

Auguste Rodin's The Kiss has had a more colourful life than most sculptures. At the time of its conception 100 years ago, the intertwined lovers' erotically charged embrace was seen as dangerous. Now housed in London's Tate Modern, The Kiss's byzantine history is told in this documentary.


MON 21:50 Romancing the Stone: The Golden Ages of British Sculpture (b00ydp2y)
Masons of God

Alastair Sooke reveals the astonishing range of our medieval sculpture, from the imposing masterpieces of our Gothic cathedrals to the playful misericords underneath church stalls.

He shows how the sculpture of the era casts a new light on medieval Britain, a far more sophisticated, fun-loving and maverick place than we in the modern world commonly believe. But despite the technical and emotional power of these works, the notion of a 'sculptor' did not even exist; most carving of the time was done by teams of itinerant masons and artisans working for the Church. The names of some, like William Berkeley, are known but most are lost to history.

This first golden age came to an end with Henry VIII's Reformation of the Church, unleashing a wave of destruction from which it would take centuries to recover.


MON 22:50 Fig Leaf: The Biggest Cover-Up in History (b00ydp38)
Writer and broadcaster Stephen Smith uncovers the secret history of the humble fig leaf, opening a window onto 2,000 years of western art and ethics.

He tells how the work of Michelangelo, known to his contemporaries as 'the maker of pork things', fuelled the infamous 'fig leaf campaign', the greatest cover-up in art history, how Bernini turned censorship into a new form of erotica by replacing the fig leaf with the slipping gauze, and how the ingenious machinations of Rodin brought nudity back to the public eye.

In telling this story, Smith turns many of our deepest prejudices upside down, showing how the Victorians had a far more sophisticated and mature attitude to sexuality than we do today. He ends with an impassioned plea for the widespread return of the fig leaf to redeem modern art from cheap sensation and innuendo.


MON 23:50 Missions (b0b3q6ps)
Series 1

Survivor

French sci-fi drama series. The rescued man is a reminder to Jeanne of her father's interest in space, and Mars.


MON 00:10 Missions (b0b3q6px)
Series 1

Stone

French sci-fi drama series. The crew has a sobering encounter with potential rescuers, and Jeanne tries to hypnotize the enigmatic Komarov.


MON 00:35 Missions (b0b4nqct)
Series 1

Alliance

French sci-fi drama series. Jeanne struggles to recall what she learnt from Komarov. Visitor Gemma Williams, the Z-2's captain, prompts a string of revelations.


MON 01:05 Return to... The Cruise (b00d212w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 01:35 Private Life of a Masterpiece (m000xw49)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


MON 02:25 Art of Persia (m000kjj2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



TUESDAY 13 JULY 2021

TUE 19:00 The Joy of Painting (m000mf9z)
Series 3

Majestic Mountains

On a clear day, Bob Ross creates an almighty mountain captured by a crystal blue sky – another spectacular masterpiece on canvas.

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 19:30 Return to... The Cruise (b00d212y)
Episode 2

Jane McDonald and the cast of The Cruise look back at the 1998 hit. With 2,000 passengers, Las Vegas-style shows and casinos, onboard romances and exotic locations, a cruise ship was the ideal vehicle for a docusoap. But behind the scenes, there was more real life drama and heartbreak than your average soap opera.


TUE 20:00 Yes, Minister (b036dcns)
Series 3

Skeleton in the Cupboard

A normally efficient local council is late with some paperwork, and Sir Humphrey wants to make an example of them.


TUE 20:30 The Good Life (b00784v0)
Series 1

The Weaker Sex?

Sitcom. Things are starting to happen in Tom's garden, but Barbara is feeling the effects of the boring and tiring work.


TUE 21:00 Hemingway (p09lp2vf)
Series 1

Episode 3

Having achieved a level of fame rarely seen in the literary world, Hemingway settles in Key West with Pauline Pfeiffer and spends his time seeking new conquests in the natural world – marlin fishing in the Gulf Stream and hunting in Africa.


TUE 21:50 Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure (p00xb71l)
Episode 3

Michael Palin continues to trace Hemingway's journey. He arrives in Key West in time for Hemingway's 100th birthday celebrations, where he is given boxing lessons from 83-year-old Shine Forbes who sparred with Hemingway.

In Uganda, Michael has his hair cut en route up the Nile. At Butiaba, Uganda he visits the site of a plane crash Hemingway was involved in. Finally, Michael reaches Venice in time for the carnival and then tries his hand at duck-hunting in nearby Caorle.


TUE 22:40 Philly DA: Breaking the Law (p09ljf4v)
Series 1

A Second Chance

For years, Philadelphia led America in sentencing juveniles to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Krasner and his team want to end a cycle of lifetime imprisonment that destroys lives and families.

They must evaluate each case carefully, recommending new and sometimes more lenient sentences that will give those imprisoned for committing serious crimes a second chance.

The complexities of bringing change are seen through a meeting with the parents of Sultan Ahmad Jr, who was killed as a teenager in 1992. The person who killed their son, Joseph Chamberlain, will soon be released.


TUE 23:35 Philly DA: Breaking the Law (p09ljfl2)
Series 1

The Heroin Fix

By the summer of 2019, a war is waging between Larry Krasner and the Philadelphia police. When Larry supports legal injection clinics to clean up the streets in the poorest parts of Philadelphia, local cops routinely blame Krasner for a spike in crime, but the numbers do not support it.

Council member Maria Quiñones-Sanchez, Krasner’s political mentor, calls a town hall meeting. Publicly frustrated, Krasner calls the cops liars and walks out. But when the council member considers pulling her support, Krasner rethinks his approach.


TUE 00:30 Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal (m0008zc5)
Series 1

Episode 1

Science journalist Angela Saini and disability rights activist Adam Pearson, reveal that eugenics - the controversial idea that was a driving force behind the Nazi death camps - originated in the upper echelons of the British scientific community.

The presenters uncover how shocking eugenic beliefs permeated the British establishment and intelligentsia; supporters included figures such as Winston Churchill and Marie Stopes. They see how eugenics influenced the Mental Deficiency Act of 1913, which resulted in thousands of disabled people being locked up for decades. Eugenics shaped immigration law, education policy and even town planning. The documentary uncovers disturbing links between British universities and German race scientists in the first half of the 20th century, and investigates how eugenics fed into the racist ideologies of Nazi Germany.


TUE 01:30 Missions (b0b4nqrw)
Series 1

Irene

French sci-fi drama series. Is Komarov the 'unicorn' Earth-bound billionaire Goldstein hunts? Gramat tries a desperate gambit to regain the initiative on Mars.


TUE 01:55 Return to... The Cruise (b00d212y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 02:25 Hemingway (p09lp2vf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 14 JULY 2021

WED 19:00 The Joy of Painting (m000mf91)
Series 3

Evening Seascape

Feel the cool breeze and admire the beauty of turbulent waves, jagged cliffs and dark night skies. Bob Ross paints a west coast seascape.

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 19:30 Return to... The Cruise (b00d213s)
Episode 3

Jane McDonald and the cast of The Cruise look back at the 1998 hit. With 2,000 passengers, Las Vegas-style shows and casinos, onboard romances and exotic locations, a cruise ship was the ideal vehicle for a docusoap. But behind the scenes, there was more real life drama and heartbreak than your average soap opera.


WED 20:00 Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands (p02n9v9x)
The Southwest Islands

In the far south west of Japan, there is a chain of islands stretching towards the tropics - a place where all life is influenced by the power of the sea, and where volcanoes and typhoons are forces to be reckoned with.

The journey begins at an island at the top of the chain and travels south, revealing unexpected stories of isolation, unique wildlife and unsolved mysteries.


WED 21:00 Tails You Win: The Science of Chance (p00yh2rc)
Smart and witty, jam-packed with augmented-reality graphics and fascinating history, this film, presented by professor David Spiegelhalter, tries to pin down what chance is and how it works in the real world. For once this really is 'risky' television.

The film follows in the footsteps of The Joy of Stats, which won the prestigious Grierson Award for Best Science/Natural History programme of 2011. Now the same blend of wit and wisdom, animation, graphics and gleeful nerdery is applied to the joys of chance and the mysteries of probability, the vital branch of mathematics that gives us a handle on what might happen in the future. Professor Spiegelhalter is ideally suited to that task, being Winton professor for the public understanding of risk at Cambridge University, as well as being a recent Winter Wipeout contestant on BBC TV.

How can you maximise your chances of living till you're 100? Why do many of us experience so many spooky coincidences? Should I take an umbrella? These are just some of the everyday questions the film tackles as it moves between Cambridge, Las Vegas, San Francisco and... Reading.

Yet the film isn't shy of some rather loftier questions. After all, our lives are pulled about and pushed around by the mysterious workings of chance, fate, luck, call it what you will. But what actually is chance? Is it something fundamental to the fabric of the universe? Or rather, as the French 18th century scientist Pierre Laplace put it, 'merely a measure of our ignorance'.

Along the way Spiegelhalter is thrilled to discover One Million Random Digits, probably the most boring book in the world, but one full of hidden patterns and shapes. He introduces us to the cheery little unit called the micromort (a one-in-a-million chance of dying), taking the rational decision to go sky-diving because doing so only increases his risk of dying this year from 7000 to 7007 micromorts. And in one sequence he uses the latest infographics to demonstrate how life expectancy has increased in his lifetime and how it is affected by our lifestyle choices - drinking, obesity, smoking and exercise.

Did you know that by running regularly for half an hour a day you can expect to extend your life by half an hour a day? So all very well... if you like running.

Ultimately, Tails You Win: The Science of Chance tells the story of how we discovered how chance works, and even to work out the odds for the future; how we tried - but so often failed - to conquer it; and how we may finally be learning to love it, increasingly setting uncertainty itself to work to help crack some of science's more intractable problems.

Other contributors include former England cricketer Ed Smith, whose career was cut down in its prime through a freak, unlucky accident; Las Vegas gambling legend Mike Shackleford, the self-styled 'Wizard of Odds'; and chief economist of the Bank of England, Spencer Dale.


WED 22:00 Storyville (m000xw3j)
Carlos Ghosn: The Last Flight

In December 2019, Carlos Ghosn, former CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, charged with financial crimes, stunned the world by fleeing Japan in a box supposedly containing a priceless cello. It was an audacious Hollywood-worthy escape. With exclusive access to Ghosn himself, this gripping Storyville documentary charts the rise and fall of a superstar CEO from celebrated industry leader to wanted fugitive, exploring themes of corporate greed, ruthlessness, vanity and racism.

Born in Brazil, raised in Lebanon and educated in France, Ghosn personified the globalized free-trade system he built his career on. He came to prominence in 1999, when he led one of the most improbable turnarounds in corporate history and saved Nissan from bankruptcy. The first businessman to serve simultaneously as CEO for two Fortune 500 companies, he attained a level of celebrity status in Japan seldom bestowed on chief executives. Fans asked for autographs, a comic book on his life became a best-seller, he was invited to talk shows, and other businessmen envied his success. But he was also representative of the bloated excesses of corporate CEOs. After his sudden arrest by Japanese authorities, his detractors painted a picture of a visionary leader turned despot who took advantage of his position of power for personal gain.


WED 23:40 The Sky at Night (m000xw3l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Sunday]


WED 00:40 Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal (m00095jf)
Series 1

Episode 2

Science journalist Angela Saini and disability rights activist Adam Pearson uncover the shocking story of eugenics, the controversial idea that the human race can be improved by selective breeding. It is commonly thought that eugenics disappeared after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, but the presenters discover how eugenic practices, such as the sterilisation of the poor, continued on a global scale for many more years. The presenters meet the victims of this ideology, including a woman who was sterilised.

Angela and Adam also ask if eugenic-style attitudes towards the poor and disabled continue to shape today’s society, and explore if breakthroughs in medicine, such as screening and gene editing, will combine with prejudice against the disabled to bring a form of eugenics back. They weigh the undoubted benefits of modern medicine with the possibility of their misuse in the name of human enhancement. They look into the story of the first attempts to edit the genomes of humans in China and explore the latest science on the issue of what’s more important—nature or nurture.


WED 01:40 Missions (b0b64dqk)
Series 1

Fault

French sci-fi drama series. Fateful past decisions affect Komarov and Jeanne, while the Ulysses crew find themselves under threat from the impatient Z-2 military men.


WED 02:05 Motherland (m000w753)
Series 3

Episode 2

The mums (and dad) join the merry-go-round of secondary school open days as they face the choice of where to send their kids at 11. Julia panics about which catchment area she lives in and even considers a fake religious conversion to beat the system. As Kevin’s divorce progresses, Liz helps him navigate the shark pool of lawyers and makes a worrying discovery about her own situation along the way. Meanwhile, queen bee Amanda struggles with playing second fiddle to Meg’s illness.


WED 02:35 Return to... The Cruise (b00d213s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]



THURSDAY 15 JULY 2021

THU 19:00 The Joy of Painting (m000mf8v)
Series 3

Warm Summer Day

Grab a cold lemonade and follow Bob Ross as he leads you through wooded beauty to a hot summer swimming spot.

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 19:30 Return to... The Cruise (b00d2149)
Episode 4

Jane McDonald and the cast of The Cruise look back at the 1998 hit. With 2,000 passengers, Las Vegas-style shows and casinos, onboard romances and exotic locations, a cruise ship was the ideal vehicle for a docusoap. But behind the scenes, there was more real life drama and heartbreak than your average soap opera.


THU 20:00 The Importance of Being Earnest (b0074tp4)
Screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde's celebrated play in which two Victorian gentlemen both adopt a double identity under the name of Ernest and end up in trouble when they both turn up at the same country house one weekend.


THU 21:30 The Importance of Being Oscar (m0004gm6)
A star-studded account of Oscar Wilde’s glittering and controversial career before his trial for homosexual crimes and tragic fall from grace.

Highlights from Oscar’s brilliant comedies such as The Importance of Being Earnest and stories such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Canterville Ghost are adapted and performed by a cast including Freddie Fox, Claire Skinner, Anna Chancellor and James Fleet. Wilde enthusiasts and experts, including Stephen Fry, Wilde’s grandson Merlin Holland and his latest biographers, provide revelatory accounts of how his own life informed his work. His Irish roots, his early career, his marriage and the importance of women as well as men in his life all combine in a complex and compelling characterisation and celebration that adds flesh to the bones of a man who is too often caricatured.


THU 22:55 Wilde (b0074nq6)
Poignant dramatisation of Oscar Wilde's life, telling the story of the devoted husband and kind father who also happened to be attracted to men - in particular to the spoilt Alfred Lord Douglas, or 'Bosie'. Their relationship outraged Bosie's father, the maniacal Marquess of Queensberry, and led to a sensational trial which spelled Wilde's downfall, vividly highlighting the brutal homophobia of the Victorian legal system.


THU 00:45 Missions (b0b64dqp)
Series 1

Phoenix

French sci-fi drama series. Jeanne, Simon and Gemma enter the sculpted mountain and discover underground tunnels and artefacts from a long-gone civilisation. On Ulysses, crew members are being threatened by Doisneau and Wayne, but Irene - the ship IA - unexpectedly wakes up.


THU 01:10 Missions (b0b6tvnq)
Series 1

Volodia

Beyond the cavern, Jeanne learns more of what is required of her and becomes the Z2 crew's prime target. On Ulysses, desperate measures take a terrible toll.


THU 01:30 Missions (b0b6tw4s)
Series 1

Storm

The survivors race for Zillion 2, but neither Gemma nor Goldstein, her boss on Earth, have rescue in mind. The mission is far from over...


THU 01:55 Return to... The Cruise (b00d2149)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 02:25 Tails You Win: The Science of Chance (p00yh2rc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Wednesday]



FRIDAY 16 JULY 2021

FRI 19:00 Gregory Porter's Popular Voices (p05d3p0d)
Series 1

Showstoppers

Gregory Porter explores 100 years of voices on the brink, those that go one note higher, turn it up to eleven and make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Starting with the world's first pop star, the legendary Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, Gregory explores the sound and work of his favourite vocal showstoppers - the genius of Ella Fitzgerald, the soul of Mahalia Jackson, the power and stagecraft of Freddie Mercury, the artistry and extravagance of Prince, and the modern melisma of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. With Dave Grohl, Beck, Adam Lambert, Wendy & Lisa.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m000xw3q)
Nicky Campbell presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 April 1991 and featuring EMF, Vic Reeves and Electronic.


FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (m000xw3v)
Simon Mayo presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 2 May 1991 and featuring KLF, Nomad and OMD.


FRI 21:00 Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (b0b95q4f)
Documentary charting the life of Eric Clapton, widely renowned as one of the greatest performers of all time. But behind the scenes lay restlessness and tragedy. The insatiable search to grow his artistic voice left fans surprised as he constantly quit successful bands, from the groundbreaking Yardbirds to 60s supergroup Cream. His isolated pursuit of his craft, and fear of selling out, served as a catalyst for his evolution as an artist.

Stretching from his traumatic childhood living in a 'house of secrets', to his long struggle with drugs and alcohol, and the tragic loss of his son in a heart-breaking accident, Eric Clapton always found an inner strength and healing in music.

Told through his own words and songs, as well as those of his family, friends, musical collaborators, contemporaries and many heroes - including BB King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison.


FRI 23:05 Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years (b0074r9l)
A journey through Eric Clapton's performing life at the BBC and elsewhere, from his 60s blues days to his noughties blues days. Clapton has been described as the best guitarist in the world and has a life story and career that would make anyone's hair curl.

By way of extensive BBC archive footage, the programme charts his varied and ever-changing career - from the beginnings with The Yardbirds until he left to join the purist blues of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, to the dynamism and musical synchronisation with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce, which produced the turbulent Cream, to Clapton's collaboration with Stevie Winwood that would spawn Blind Faith, to his brief sojourn in the Plastic Ono Band and his unforgettable contribution to Lennon's heroin hell tribute Cold Turkey, to his low-profile spell with rootsy US act Delaney and Bonnie, to the band he formed with Bobby Whitlock, Derek and the Dominoes, that produced one of the most famous unrequited love songs in Layla, and on to his successful solo career since then.

Along the way Clapton has successfully survived heroin and alcohol abuse, been accused of being a racist, stolen his best friend's wife, changed bands as often as his shirt, and lost a son in the most tragic of accidents. Through it all, he has produced some of the best music of the 20th century.


FRI 23:35 Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC (b049mtxy)
Compilation of BBC performances featuring some of the best axe men and women in rock 'n' roll, from Hendrix to The Kinks, Cream to AC/DC, The Smiths to Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead to Foo Fighters. Whether it is The Shadows playing FBI on Crackerjack, Jeff Beck with The Yardbirds, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream's Sunshine of Your Love from their final gig, Pixies on the Late Show, AC/DC on Top of the Pops or Fools Gold from The Stone Roses, this compilation is a celebration of rock 'n' roll guitar complete with riffs, fingerstylin', wah-wah pedals and Marshall amps.


FRI 00:35 Guitar Heroes at the BBC (b00llh2f)
Part III

Compilation of classic archive performances from the guitar gods of the late 60s and 70s. Status Quo appear playing Pictures of Matchstick Men on Top of the Pops in 1968, The Who perform Long Live Rock in the Old Grey Whistle Test studio, Dire Straits play Tunnel of Love and Lynyrd Skynyrd bring a taste of the Deep South with Sweet Home Alabama. The show also features rare performances from George Benson, Leo Kottke, Link Wray and Tom Petty.


FRI 01:25 Top of the Pops (m000xw3q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


FRI 01:55 Top of the Pops (m000xw3v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


FRI 02:30 Gregory Porter's Popular Voices (p05d3p0d)
[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 Persia 20:00 MON (m000kjj2)

Art of Persia 02:25 MON (m000kjj2)

Beck 21:00 SAT (p09l2c7m)

Bottom Up: The Chauffeur's Tale 00:00 SUN (b00f7zyc)

Coast 20:00 SAT (b07zcmsq)

Eric Clapton at the BBC: The Rock 'n' Roll Years 23:05 FRI (b0074r9l)

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars 21:00 FRI (b0b95q4f)

Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal 00:30 TUE (m0008zc5)

Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal 00:40 WED (m00095jf)

Fig Leaf: The Biggest Cover-Up in History 22:50 MON (b00ydp38)

Great Guitar Riffs at the BBC 23:35 FRI (b049mtxy)

Gregory Porter's Popular Voices 19:00 FRI (p05d3p0d)

Gregory Porter's Popular Voices 02:30 FRI (p05d3p0d)

Guitar Heroes at the BBC 00:35 FRI (b00llh2f)

Hemingway 21:00 TUE (p09lp2vf)

Hemingway 02:25 TUE (p09lp2vf)

Horizon 23:00 SUN (b08r3xr3)

Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands 20:00 WED (p02n9v9x)

Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure 21:50 TUE (p00xb71l)

Missions 00:15 SUN (b0b3969g)

Missions 00:40 SUN (b0b39hgp)

Missions 23:50 MON (b0b3q6ps)

Missions 00:10 MON (b0b3q6px)

Missions 00:35 MON (b0b4nqct)

Missions 01:30 TUE (b0b4nqrw)

Missions 01:40 WED (b0b64dqk)

Missions 00:45 THU (b0b64dqp)

Missions 01:10 THU (b0b6tvnq)

Missions 01:30 THU (b0b6tw4s)

Motherland 02:05 WED (m000w753)

Philly DA: Breaking the Law 22:40 TUE (p09ljf4v)

Philly DA: Breaking the Law 23:35 TUE (p09ljfl2)

Private Life of a Masterpiece 21:00 MON (m000xw49)

Private Life of a Masterpiece 01:35 MON (m000xw49)

Return to... The Cruise 19:30 MON (b00d212w)

Return to... The Cruise 01:05 MON (b00d212w)

Return to... The Cruise 19:30 TUE (b00d212y)

Return to... The Cruise 01:55 TUE (b00d212y)

Return to... The Cruise 19:30 WED (b00d213s)

Return to... The Cruise 02:35 WED (b00d213s)

Return to... The Cruise 19:30 THU (b00d2149)

Return to... The Cruise 01:55 THU (b00d2149)

Romancing the Stone: The Golden Ages of British Sculpture 21:50 MON (b00ydp2y)

Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere 19:00 SUN (b00g81g7)

Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere 02:35 SUN (b00g81g7)

Storyville 22:00 WED (m000xw3j)

Summer Night Concert from Vienna 19:30 SUN (m000xw4f)

Summer Night Concert from Vienna 01:05 SUN (m000xw4f)

Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 21:00 WED (p00yh2rc)

Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 02:25 THU (p00yh2rc)

The Good Life 20:30 TUE (b00784v0)

The Importance of Being Earnest 20:00 THU (b0074tp4)

The Importance of Being Oscar 21:30 THU (m0004gm6)

The Joy of Painting 19:00 MON (m000m7jt)

The Joy of Painting 19:00 TUE (m000mf9z)

The Joy of Painting 19:00 WED (m000mf91)

The Joy of Painting 19:00 THU (m000mf8v)

The Killing 23:30 SAT (b01p2lyc)

The Killing 00:30 SAT (b01p2lyf)

The Killing 01:30 SAT (b01p6pfy)

The Killing 02:30 SAT (b01p6pg0)

The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story 22:30 SAT (b09w3m05)

The Sky at Night 22:00 SUN (m000xw3l)

The Sky at Night 23:40 WED (m000xw3l)

Top of the Pops 20:00 FRI (m000xw3q)

Top of the Pops 20:30 FRI (m000xw3v)

Top of the Pops 01:25 FRI (m000xw3q)

Top of the Pops 01:55 FRI (m000xw3v)

Treasures of Ancient Greece 19:00 SAT (b05ql1sf)

Wilde 22:55 THU (b0074nq6)

World War II: Behind Closed Doors 21:00 SUN (b00fy4gr)

Yes, Minister 20:00 TUE (b036dcns)