Asked to imagine Australia’s wilderness many people immediately picture its arid outback, but its landscapes are in fact surprisingly varied. Traveling from the peaks of the aptly-named Snowy Mountains - touched by Antarctic winds - to tropical Queensland we discover how animals have learned to thrive across the continent’s harsh and beautiful extremes.
We meet an echidna, a curious creature related to the only other monotreme on the planet, the platypus, that has the rare ability to lower its body temperature to endure icy winters. The Dryandra Woodlands south of Perth provide the last stronghold for a native marsupial that once ranged all across Australia. The charming numbat, now reduced to less than a thousand individuals in the wild, survives on a diet of termites on the forest floor.
Elsewhere, where animals have been able to remain in their forest habitat, tree kangaroos can be found climbing along branches in the forest canopy alongside palm cockatoos, whose intelligence is comparable to that of dolphins. The male palm cockatoo, or 'palmie', breaks off sticks and uses them to beat out rhythmic messages to his partner. Bird intelligence is taken to even greater heights, however, by the black kite. Gathering burning sticks and embers from bush fires, it drops them into dry grass to spread a curtain of flame that flushes out insects and small prey. Only in Australia have these remarkable phenomena been witnessed.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam dives into the microworld of viruses, revealing how these invisible invaders can infect our bodies and how a revolution in testing may transform medicine forever. With the help of immunologist Professor Katie Ewer and virologist Professor Ravi Gupta, this action-packed lecture reveals the inner workings of the virus by blowing it up and inviting the audience to take part in a heist mission. Can they hijack our cell machinery to replicate? Up against the virus is our immune system, designed to fight back. We also dive into a nose to uncover the wonders of snot and whittle down the winner of a game of antibody bingo to crack how our immune system can defeat this invisible enemy.
One of the most impressive scientific advances of the past two years has been the development of new testing techniques in our battle against Covid-19. We peel back the mysteries of PCR, hack into a super-sized lateral flow and show how modern diagnostic technology could shape the future of medicine.
The Christmas Lectures are the most prestigious event in the Royal Institution’s calendar, dating from 1825 when Michael Faraday founded the series. They are the world’s longest-running science television series and always promise to inspire and amaze each year through explosive demonstrations and interactive experiments with a live theatre audience.
The tensions between rival gangs the Jets, whose members include 'white' Americans, and a Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, reach boiling point in a hot New York summer. At a neighbourhood dance, Tony, the co-founder of the Jets, meets Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. Their romance is thwarted by the gang rivalries.
Big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Broadway hit, featuring an ensemble cast who bring a host of fairy tale favourites to life.
As a childless baker and his wife search for their happily ever after, Cinderella looks to escape the wrath of her wicked stepmother. An unassuming Red Riding Hood skips to the bakery to buy her grandmother some bread, whilst a pre-beanstalk era Jack just wants his cow to give him some milk. As their paths begin to cross, the characters realise that they will have to help each other out if they want their dreams to become a reality.
WEDNESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2021
WED 19:00 Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom (m0003gbh)
Series 1
Ocean
This episode sets out to understand why marine species are drawn to the coasts of Australia and discovers that the country’s three surrounding oceans – the Southern Sea, the Pacific and The Indian Ocean - create a unique environment for ocean voyagers of all types.
In the clean waters of Pearson Island off South Australia, Australian sealions, once a rare sight are now protected from hunting and are thriving. Meanwhile in the wide shallows of Spencer Gulf, June is the time for a midwinter gathering of spectacularly colourful giant cuttlefish who battle for mates. The cold Southern Ocean also brings humpback whales from Antarctica to give birth and triggers the breathtaking spectacle of thousands of Australian spider crabs, the largest crustaceans in the world, congregating under the piers of Port Philip Bay to moult. It is a grisly time as the first to reveal their soft shells are cannibalised by their neighbours. Still, there is safety in numbers as bigger predators, smooth stingrays, sweep over the congregation sucking them from the seabed.
A hundred miles up the coast from Sydney, Cabbage Tree Island is home to one of only two breeding colonies of Gould’s petrel in the world. Chicks must find their way across rocky ground, scale the vertical trunks of giant cabbage tree palms and overcome their vicious spines in order to capture the breeze to become airborne. They will spend the next five to six years at sea.
Off the west coast the Lacepede Islands are bathed in the warm currents of the Indian Ocean. 18,000 pairs of brown boobies build makeshift nests here whilst further south Shark Bay lives up to its ominous name as tiger sharks sweep in to prey on a whale carcass. It is a sight that brings boatloads of onlookers.
WED 20:00 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (m0012tz5)
2021
The Perfect Storm
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam uncovers what drives a virus to world domination and reveals how maths may be the secret weapon to thwart it. Joined by airborne infection expert Professor Catherine Noakes and mathematician Professor Julia Gog, the team face the disgusting fallout of a super-sneeze, reveal the shocking invisible forces inside our masks and unravel the mathematical models of contagion with a gigantic game of lucky dip.
In this lecture, no science is off the table. From microbiology to engineering, the Covid-19 pandemic has pooled the talent of scientists in every discipline to work together in ways never seen before. Can the audience be the scientific heroes of the hour and crack the riddle at the end of the show?
WED 21:00 Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland (b0bwzhy6)
Series 1
Episode 1
In British comedy there is a line in the sand and that line is Billy Connolly. Before he found fame on an international level, British comedy was an end-of-the-pier kind of affair - but through sheer talent and force of personality, Connolly ploughed a different and deeply personal yet universal approach to comedy and in doing so he changed the face of British comedy forever.
He has been called the Beatles and Jesus of comedy by his peers and an immature 'manure mouth' by the leader of the Scottish Zion Baptist Church. So say what you like about him but you can't deny everyone wants to know him. And that is what Made In Scotland is about - it is Billy as you have never seen him before - intimate, deeply personal and very funny.
Weaved around personal accounts and interviews from famous faces, Billy's life is revealed in all its glory - a shaggy dog story approach to his work - and one that has turned him from Billy Connolly the welder into Billy Connolly - The Big Yin.
Part one of two one-hour specials features Eddie Izzard, Ross Noble, Micky Flanagan, Lord Grade, Tracey Ullman, AL Kennedy, Val McDermid, Sharleen Spiteri and Eddi Reader. The film shows a true reflection of his far influence and still maintaining his unique but personal approach to comedy.
WED 22:00 Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime (p0535lq5)
Celebrating Billy Connolly's seventy-fifth birthday and 50 years in the business, three Scottish artists - John Byrne, Jack Vettriano and Rachel Maclean - each create a new portrait of the Big Yin. As he sits with each artist, Billy talks about his remarkable life and career, which has taken him from musician and pioneering stand-up to Hollywood star and national treasure.
WED 23:00 Williams: Formula 1 in the Blood (m0002p1x)
In-depth documentary from BBC Films showing an interesting insight into Sir Frank Williams, his career and family. From nothing other than an obsession with speed, Williams builds one of the world's most enduring Formula One racing teams, but a near fatal car accident in 1986 at the height of this success leaves Frank fighting for his life and the future of the team hanging in the balance.
WED 00:45 Handmade in the Pacific (b0blhnjs)
Series 1
Pou
Maori master carver Logan Okiwi Shipgood crafts a beautiful 6ft tall 'pou' statue from native New Zealand timber. With chainsaws, adzes, and around 30 chisels, Logan gradually reveals the figure of Hene Te Akiri, a Maori warrior princess, as he lovingly chips away at the wood. Inlaid with sacred shells and given a powerful facial tattoo to denote her social rank, the finished statue is finally revealed to the public.
Logan explores the deep spiritual connection between Maori carvers and the objects they create, and the significance of his home - Rotorua - in the revival of Maori art and culture in the 20th century. For Maori today, carving remains a key way of telling stories and honouring ancestors, and Logan - an internationally famous sculptor and carver - is proud to be doing his bit to keep these traditions alive.
WED 01:15 Handmade in the Pacific (b0bm6pjv)
Series 1
Kapa
Indigenous Hawaiian artist Dalani Tanahy spends weeks painstakingly beating tree bark into a sheets of cloth-like fabric. This ancient Hawaiian artform known as 'kapa' was once the staple material of the islands. But after Captain Cook introduced cotton, and the Americans overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy, kapa-making completely disappeared.
Dalani is one of a handful of dedicated practitioners who has spent her life bringing this artform back. Why? Because kapa-making has become integral to the nascent Hawaiian cultural nationalism that is taking hold in indigenous communities of Hawaii. Kapa-making has become a powerful source of pride and identity, but it's a lot of work. Trees have to be planted and tended, cut, stripped, and the bark beaten and fermented. Then sheets of bark are joined together to make a single sheet. Natural dyes and paints are printed on. And only then is the kapa ready to be worn.
Dalani takes us through the process of making a piece of kapa from start to finish, and delivers her kapa to a dancer, who plans to use this kapa as a traditional 'hula' skirt.
The film ends with an emotional performance at the Royal Palace in Honululu, Hawaii. A traditional 'hula' dance is performed, to honour Hawaii's last monarch, Queen Lilo'uokalani. Like the kapa itself, the Queen, rudely overthrown by Americans, has become a symbol of reborn Hawaiian identity.
WED 01:45 Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom (m0003gbh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
WED 02:45 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (m0012tz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
THURSDAY 30 DECEMBER 2021
THU 19:00 Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom (m0003mxv)
Series 1
Human
Despite Australia’s relatively small population, the human impact on wildlife has been dramatic. This episode explores Australia’s natural history success stories and those being left behind as the continent undergoes rapid change.
Starting in Australia’s second largest city Melbourne, this film sees how possums, tree-dwelling marsupials, have taken to sharing trees in busy city parks. They are breeding successfully but when pressure from the neighbours becomes too great, they risk encounters with heavy traffic and domestic cats in order to find shelter in rooves and garden sheds. Meanwhile, the cold-blooded inhabitants of Brisbane’s parks are demonstrating evolution in overdrive. In a timescale of roughly 150 years, as the city has risen around them, eastern water dragons have become metropolitan dragons - genetically different and twice the size of their wild cousins. Without trees to climb their limbs are getting longer and claws shorter. A suburban garden is the stage for a flamboyant spider the size of a grain of rice. He taps out a colourful and rhythmic display for his suitor who will choose whether he will become her meal or her mate.
Far beyond the bustle of the city, dingoes eek out an existence in the inhospitable environment of a desert goldmine, while yellowtail grunters present the extraordinary spectacle of fish crossing a road. And with climate change and deforestation a growing and major threat one farmer is on a mission to save koalas on his land that are quite literally dying of thirst.
THU 20:00 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (m0012tzh)
2021
Fighting Back
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam explores the inner workings of vaccines to reveal how these medical marvels can help win the war on viruses and potentially fight diseases such as cancer. Joined by vaccine scientist Professor Teresa Lambe and microbiologist Professor Sharon Peacock, the team peel away the scabs of smallpox and inject the puss of a milkmaid to uncover the key milestones that led to vaccines over 200 years ago. Science has not stopped since. The Covid-19 vaccines are a triumph, but can the audience take them a step further? Can they use a vaccine to blow up cancer cells on the lecture theatre floor?
Viruses have a trick up their sleeve. They can mutate. A pack of dastardly dogs help unlock the secrets of variants, from Alpha to Omicron, but scientists are one step ahead. The pandemic has pushed the speed and scale of genetic sequencing technology to unprecedented levels and we can crack the virus’s genetic code to watch it evolve in near-real time. It’s a crucial tool to stay on top of Covid-19. Combined with solutions from nature, from fruit bats to furry llamas, science may never be the same again.
THU 21:00 Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland (b0bwzw0f)
Series 1
Episode 2
In British comedy there is a line in the sand and that line is Billy Connolly. Before he found fame on an international level, British comedy was an end-of-the-pier kind of affair - but through sheer talent and force of personality, Connolly ploughed a different and deeply personal yet universal approach to comedy and in doing so he changed the face of British comedy forever.
He has been called the Beatles and Jesus of comedy by his peers and an immature 'manure mouth' by the leader of the Scottish Zion Baptist Church. So say what you like about him, but you can't deny everyone wants to know him. And that is what Made In Scotland is about - it is Billy as you have never seen him before - intimate, deeply personal and very funny.
Weaved around personal accounts and interviews from famous faces, Billy's life is revealed in all its glory - a shaggy dog story approach to his work - and one that has turned him from Billy Connolly the welder into Billy Connolly - The Big Yin.
This final instalment (featuring Eddie Izzard, Ross Noble, Micky Flanagan, AL Kennedy, Tracey Ullman, Val McDermid, Sharleen Spiteri and Eddi Reader) finds Billy back in the Scotland of his childhood, where he reveals that knitted woolly swimming trunks were not a figment of his imagination.
THU 22:00 Billy Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic (p032kjf7)
'The Big Yin' embarks on a big adventure, as comedian Billy Connolly ventures from stage to ice - a frozen Arctic Ocean inhabited by ten-foot polar bears. The Scots mirth-maker is armed only with a small flimsy tent, a video camera and a BBC film crew. Not an ideal way to spend a week.
THU 22:50 A Star Is Born (1954) (b0078zpn)
Musical drama in which a famous actor with a drink problem decides to help a budding young singer after hearing her perform. He signs her up with a film studio, where she lands the lead role in a big musical. The two become close and later marry, but while her career continues to blossom, his takes a downward turn.
THU 01:40 Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom (m0003mxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
THU 02:40 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (m0012tzh)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRIDAY 31 DECEMBER 2021
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (b04wjt56)
New Year's Eve 2014
As we say goodbye to an incredibly memorable 2014, Fearne Cotton and Reggie Yates host a New Year's Eve party to celebrate the big hits of the year and cap the programme with the last number 1 of 2014.
With the biggest-selling album of 2014, record-breaking man of the year Ed Sheeran joins the Top of the Pops new year's eve celebration. Jess Glynne gets the party started with her dance floor filler Right Here before joining Clean Bandit to perform their latest collaboration. The Vamps make a welcome return to Top of the Pops, breakthrough artist Charli XCX joins in too, new kid on the block George Ezra makes a welcome appearance and understated disco diva La Roux joins in the revelry. Irish rockers the Script celebrate another great year, and home-grown talent Ella Henderson joins in the new year's eve party. Labrinth brings his soul-infused groove to the party, and Professor Green and Tori Kelly take to the stage.
Plus Fearne and Reggie take a look back at all the biggest pop headlines and stories of 2014. All in all Top of the Pops New Year's Eve is the party to start all parties on the last night of 2014!
FRI 20:00 TOTP2 (m000qpmv)
Party Special
Steve Wright presents a TOTP2 party special featuring Ricky Martin, Showstoppers, Hot Chocolate and Robbie Williams.
FRI 20:40 ABBA at the BBC (b03lyzpr)
If you fancy an hour's worth of irresistible guilty pleasures from Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha, this is the programme for you. ABBA stormed the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their winning entry Waterloo, and this programme charts the meteoric rise of the band with some of their greatest performances at the BBC.
It begins in 1974 with their first Top of the Pops appearance, and we even get to see the band entertaining holidaymakers in Torbay in a 1975 Seaside Special. There are many classic ABBA tunes from the 1979 BBC special ABBA in Switzerland, plus their final BBC appearance on the Late Late Breakfast show in 1982.
This compilation is a must for all fans and includes great archive interviews, promos and performances of some of ABBA's classics including Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know, Thank You for the Music, SOS, Fernando, Chiquitita and many more.
FRI 21:40 Radio 2 In Concert (b09ckn1w)
Chic featuring Nile Rodgers
Jo Whiley welcomes Grammy-winning Nile Rodgers and his multi-platinum selling band Chic, in an intimate performance in 2017 at the iconic Radio Theatre for BBC Radio 2 In Concert.
Bringing their seminal songs, sound and groove, the American disco legends take to the stage to not only celebrate the release of their album, It's About Time, but also to rejoice in a career that has spanned more than 40 years and included a string of influential, groundbreaking tracks like Freak, I Want Your Love, Good Times and Everybody Dance – all hits that have stood the test of time!
FRI 22:40 When Harry Met Sally (m000vthr)
Can a man and a woman be friends without sex getting in the way? Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal find out in Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron's classic romantic comedy.
FRI 00:10 Detectorists (b09f2ndg)
Series 3
Episode 1
Lance's flat isn't his own any more and Andy's staying with the mother-in-law. But at least they have their old faithful permission to escape. Or do they? The dark cloud of a solar farm threatens the tranquillity.
FRI 00:40 Detectorists (b09ffxyn)
Series 3
Episode 2
Just as they're losing their farm, Lance and Andy start finding good stuff. But old enemies are sniffing around. Home lives are chaotic as usual and Lance is persuaded to try hypnotherapy for an awkward affliction. With mixed results.
FRI 01:10 Detectorists (b09g64vk)
Series 3
Episode 3
With time running out, Andy and Lance go to great (action-packed) lengths to protect their land. Away from the fields, life is no less stressful as Andy quits his job and Lance finds an unwelcome guest in the spare room. An audacious theft leaves Lance reeling.
FRI 01:40 Detectorists (b09gvm77)
Series 3
Episode 4
Lance is obsessed with finding the thief that stole his gold, which means he can ignore the melodrama going on at home. Andy's lies are catching up with him too. They decide that camping out is the safest option.
FRI 02:10 Detectorists (b09hgdx2)
Series 3
Episode 5
Andy and Lance become eco-warriors when they find their beloved oak tree is due to be felled. But a 24-hour helpline turns out to be more of a hindrance. Andy stumbles upon treasure when, for once, he wasn't even looking.
FRI 02:40 Detectorists (b09j0qcs)
Series 3
Episode 6
'There's something about karma going on' is Lance's wise observation, and there certainly seems to be something in the air. They have one last day on the farm, one last chance to pull out all the stops and find that gold. Terry's got a new gazebo. Perfect time for a rally.
LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)
A Star Is Born (1954)
22:50 THU (b0078zpn)
ABBA at the BBC
20:40 FRI (b03lyzpr)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
19:00 TUE (m000388w)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
01:20 TUE (m000388w)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
19:00 WED (m0003gbh)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
01:45 WED (m0003gbh)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
19:00 THU (m0003mxv)
Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom
01:40 THU (m0003mxv)
BBC Proms
19:00 SAT (m000l3s7)
BBC Proms
19:02 MON (b00td8g6)
Billy Connolly: A Scot in the Arctic
22:00 THU (p032kjf7)
Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland
21:00 WED (b0bwzhy6)
Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland
21:00 THU (b0bwzw0f)
Billy Connolly: Portrait of a Lifetime
22:00 WED (p0535lq5)
Country Christmas
02:25 SAT (m0012twg)
Dancing the Nutcracker: Inside the Royal Ballet
19:30 SUN (b086kdzl)
Detectorists
00:10 FRI (b09f2ndg)
Detectorists
00:40 FRI (b09ffxyn)
Detectorists
01:10 FRI (b09g64vk)
Detectorists
01:40 FRI (b09gvm77)
Detectorists
02:10 FRI (b09hgdx2)
Detectorists
02:40 FRI (b09j0qcs)
Eric and Ernie: Behind the Scenes
20:35 SAT (b00x9b4n)
Face to Face
23:25 MON (m0012txq)
Handmade in the Pacific
00:45 WED (b0blhnjs)
Handmade in the Pacific
01:15 WED (b0bm6pjv)
Into the Woods
23:20 TUE (b068x2bm)
John Williams Live – Music from the Movies
19:10 SAT (m0013c0r)
La bohème from the Royal Opera House
21:00 SUN (m0012tyr)
Life of a Mountain
00:05 MON (b04y4gd7)
Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema
00:35 SUN (m0001ky5)
Moonstruck
23:00 SUN (m000wnn2)
Mrs Dickens's Family Christmas
23:25 SAT (b018nt6m)
Omnibus
22:35 MON (m0012txn)
Omnibus
02:45 MON (m0012txn)
Radio 2 In Concert
21:40 FRI (b09ckn1w)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
20:00 TUE (m0012tzd)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
02:20 TUE (m0012tzd)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
20:00 WED (m0012tz5)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
02:45 WED (m0012tz5)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
20:00 THU (m0012tzh)
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
02:40 THU (m0012tzh)
Sondheim at the BBC
21:05 MON (m0012txl)
Sondheim – A Tribute from Andrew Lloyd Webber
19:00 MON (m0013kjv)
TOTP2
20:00 FRI (m000qpmv)
The Chronicles of Erne
19:00 SUN (m000gjmz)
The Chronicles of Erne
01:35 SUN (m000gjmz)
The Great Mountain Sheep Gather
01:05 MON (m000hb4r)
The Turn of the Screw
02:05 SUN (b00pk76h)
Their Finest
21:35 SAT (m0008595)
Top of the Pops
01:25 SAT (b086trr9)
Top of the Pops
19:00 FRI (b04wjt56)
West Side Story
21:00 TUE (m0005hx1)
What We Were Watching
00:25 SAT (m0012tv1)
When Harry Met Sally
22:40 FRI (m000vthr)
Williams: Formula 1 in the Blood
23:00 WED (m0002p1x)