SATURDAY 02 SEPTEMBER 2023

SAT 19:00 Lost Land of the Volcano (b00mq3p1)
Episode 1

Series combining stunning wildlife with high-octane adventure, as a team of scientists and wildlife film-makers from the BBC's Natural History Unit explores one of the last great unspoilt jungle wildernesses on earth.

New Guinea is a rugged tropical island that is home to some of the strangest creatures on the planet. The team is based at the foot of Mount Bosavi, a giant extinct volcano covered in thick and largely unexplored rainforest. With the help of trackers from a remote tribe, they aim to search for the animals that live there, and make some amazing finds. The cameras follow the team every step of the way as they search for the evidence that may help preserve this last great jungle forever.


SAT 20:00 Ray Mears's Northern Wilderness (b00nsh7c)
The Company That Built a Country

Ray Mears goes on an epic adventure into Canada's unforgiving yet stunning wilderness.

As Ray travels across land and by canoe, he tells the story of one of the greatest companies the world has ever known - the Hudson's Bay Company that opened up Canada.

Ray discovers how those early traders were pioneers who laid the foundations of the modern Canadian state. He also demonstrates local crafts and bushcraft skills that bring the landscape to life.


SAT 21:00 DNA (p0g6mt4g)
Series 2

Box People

The health of Maria and Thorstein’s baby improves.


SAT 21:45 DNA (p0g6mvbw)
Series 2

Work-Force

A man breaks into Maria's house. Julita visits Rolf to learn the final truth about Hania.


SAT 22:25 Parkinson (m001q7qq)
The Dr Jacob Bronowski Interview

First transmitted in 1974. Michael Parkinson's guest is Dr Jacob Bronowski, the presenter and writer of the 1973 documentary series The Ascent of Man. Dr Bronowski shares his first impressions on arriving in England in the 1920s, his memories of filming at Auschwitz, his thoughts on science and his broader philosophy of life in a truly compelling interview.


SAT 23:35 Parkinson (m000z8tm)
Hollywood Women

Michael Parkinson looks back at his meetings with Hollywood's leading ladies, including Bette Davis, Raquel Welch, Bette Midler, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman and Miss Piggy.


SAT 00:15 Oppenheimer (p0g3jqbm)
Series 1

Episode 7

December 1953: Oppenheimer has been accused of being a Soviet agent and the President has cancelled his security clearance until his case is fully investigated. Oppenheimer has to choose between resignation or facing a security hearing.


SAT 01:25 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (b00786d4)
Series 1

The Hospital Visit

Classic comedy featuring one-man disaster area Frank Spencer. Frank causes chaos when he visits Betty in hospital.


SAT 01:55 Yes, Minister (b007832v)
Series 1

Big Brother

Sitcom about a British government minister and the advisers who surround him. Jim tries to implement a privacy safeguard for a new national computer database - but Sir Humphrey, as usual, does not approve.


SAT 02:25 The Thick of It (b00nxmmr)
Series 3

Episode 4

The civil servants at DoSAC are preparing for a visit from the DoSAC shadow minister Peter Mannion. For Mannion and his team, this informal pre-election briefing is a good opportunity to measure up for new curtains. For Terri Coverley, this principally means putting on a bit more make-up. For Nicola Murray, it is simply another distraction on a day when nothing seems to be going right. All she really wants to do is get Glenn and Olly to kick-start the Fourth Sector Pathfinder Initiative. And then she gets a call.


SAT 02:55 Scene by Scene (m001q1zb)
Rod Steiger

Rob Steiger talks to Mark Cousins about his celebrated roles in On the Waterfront, Dr Zhivago and In the Heat of the Night, and shares anecdotes about James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.

SUNDAY 03 SEPTEMBER 2023

SUN 19:00 Pappano's Greatest Arias (m0002w72)
Nothing pulls harder at the heartstrings than an opera aria – that key moment when the action stops and the character draws us right in to the heart of the drama, revealing his or her innermost feelings and thoughts. These are chances for the singers to really show off, to wow an audience with some of the most famous music in opera. In this film, charismatic conductor and music director of the Royal Opera House, Antonio Pappano, shares his personal selection of some of opera’s greatest arias.

Pappano’s choices stretch across the full 400-year operatic canvas and feature some of the most ravishing and famous arias in the repertoire. Along the way he identifies the various functions that arias perform in opera, from entrance arias, soliloquies and arias born of crisis to breathless declarations of undying love. Combining hands-on workshops featuring today’s international stars - such as Joyce DiDonato, Lucy Crowe, Bryan Hymel and Lawrence Brownlee - along with glorious archive of operatic legends including Placido Domingo, Gundula Janowitz and Piero Cappuccilli, Pappano shines a fresh light on the precise characteristics that transform these great theatrical moments into timeless masterpieces.


SUN 20:00 BBC Proms (m001q7qs)
2023

New Music at the Proms with Tom Service

Celebrating cutting-edge classical works, presenter of Radio 3’s New Music Show, Tom Service, chooses his standout moments of premieres and commissions from this year’s Proms. All pieces respond to the world around us with joy, beauty and optimism.

Highlights include Andrea Tarrodi’s atmospheric Birds of Paradise, inspired by footage from David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak’s spine-tingling Let There be Light, and Errolyn Wallen’s ecstatic new work for the National Youth Orchestra, The Whole World.


SUN 21:30 Uncle Vanya (m000qplz)
Sonya and her Uncle Vanya throw their lives into maintaining the crumbling family estate, only visited occasionally by the radical and inspiring local doctor, Astrov. However, when Sonya’s father, Professor Serebryakov, suddenly returns with his restless, alluring new wife Yelena, long-hidden truths start to emerge.

As the fractured family are forced to confront their longing, loneliness and each other, can the beauty of life help them find new hope? Following its critically acclaimed opening in London in early 2020, Sonia Friedman Productions’ stunning, five-star Uncle Vanya, Anton Chekhov's masterpiece, was abruptly halted as the world went into lockdown.

As the majority of theatres across the world remained in darkness, Uncle Vanya’s ensemble cast overcame the considerable challenges of working in a global pandemic, returning to the Harold Pinter Theatre to film an exciting new hybrid of film and theatre.

Full of tumultuous frustration and hidden passions, but brimming with hope and optimism for the future, Uncle Vanya is a must-see event for our times.


SUN 00:00 The Ascent of Man (p0g1kpd9)
The Long Childhood

From his home, Dr Jacob Bronowski takes stock of man's complex and often precarious ascent, drawing on experiences from his own lifetime.


SUN 00:50 Parkinson (m001q7qq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:25 on Saturday]


SUN 01:55 Pappano's Greatest Arias (m0002w72)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 02:55 Lost Land of the Volcano (b00mq3p1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

MONDAY 04 SEPTEMBER 2023

MON 19:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014c75)
Series 1

Farne Islands to Berwick-upon-Tweed

Michael’s journey along the coast of Northumberland continues towards the Farne Islands, takes in the holy island of Lindisfarne, and finishes in England’s northernmost town, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

On the largest of the Farne Islands, Inner Farne, Michael pitches in to help rangers clear a toxic plant which is invading the island. It’s so prolific that it’s threatening the native plants upon which seabirds depend for nesting.

From the mainland, Michael sets off on a two-mile pilgrimage along a single-track causeway, which twice a day is covered by the North Sea. His destination is the holy island of Lindisfarne. Michael discovers that the island was chosen in the seventh century by St Aidan as the site for a monastery. Northumbria’s patron saint, St Cuthbert, later became bishop there. The vicar of the island today shows Michael a full-sized reproduction of the beautifully illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels, the originals of which are held in the British Museum.

Back on the East Coast Main Line, Michael hugs the North Sea coast, crossing the River Tweed on Robert Stephenson’s Royal Border Bridge to reach Britain’s most northern town, Berwick-upon-Tweed. Struck by the variety of accents and dialects in the north east, Michael learns what distinguishes a Geordie from a Smoggie.

Only two-and-a-half-miles from Scotland, Berwick-upon-Tweed has a turbulent past and an intriguing custom, dating back to the 15th century. Michael begs permission from the town’s mayor to join horses and riders in a ceremony to mark the border between Scotland and England along a line agreed in 1438.


MON 19:30 Climbing Great Buildings (b00tr8nd)
Layer Marney Tower

Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, from the Normans to the present day, to reveal the buildings' secrets and tell the story of how our architecture and construction have developed over 1000 years.

The next step in Jonathan's journey takes him to Layer Marney Tower, a Tudor skyscraper nestled in the countryside near Colchester in Essex.

With unprecedented access to Layer Marney, Jonathan, aided by top climber Lucy Creamer, scales the building to reveal the innovations of the Tudor builders and craftsmen. On his adventure, Jonathan scales the highest and most majestic Tudor gatehouse in Britain to investigate why brick, an art form that died out with the Roman Empire, suddenly became the must-have building material for Tudor nobles. As he climbs all over the building, he walks a tightrope between the beams of a 500-year-old roof to investigate how Layer Marney's history is literally carved into the building; exposes the cunning Tudor tricks of the trade that make the house appear even more opulent than it actually is; and reveals the connection between parmesan cheese and the beautifully ornate terracotta carvings that adorn the building.


MON 20:00 The Riviera: A History in Pictures (b01ps9jr)
Painting Paradise

Two-part series in which Richard E Grant follows in the footsteps of artists who have lived, loved and painted on France's glorious Cote d'Azur.

Revealing the intertwined relationship between modern art and the development of the French Riviera as an international tourist haven, Grant explores how impressionist painters Cezanne, Monet and Renoir first discovered the region in the 19th century, when the newly built railway arrived there.

Captivated by the light and colour of this undiscovered landscape, the painters immortalised its shores on canvas, and in doing so advertised the savage beauty of the region. For neo-impressionists Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross, the region provided a vision of utopia, while for Henri Matisse, the vivid colours of the area inspired him to adopt a new palette, and in doing so set modern art en route to abstraction.

With visits to L'Estaque, St Tropez and Nice, Grant maps the progress of the region from cultural backwater to bohemian hotspot.


MON 21:00 Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific with James Fox (b0blhn4t)
Series 1

New Zealand

Concluding the series on the clash between the West and Pacific peoples and cultures, James Fox explores how New Zealand's indigenous Maori people resisted colonisation and marginalisation and maintained their distinctive culture, so much so that it is now an integral part of modern New Zealand.

He encounters some of the greatest works of Maori carving, from the exquisitely painted paddles given to Captain Cook, to works by one of the great masters of Maori art, Tene Waitere, and shows how, from the beginning of their encounters with Europeans, the Maori adapted outside influences, whether it was modern firearms or the new religion of Christianity and produced fascinating hybrid work that ranges from elaborately carved rifle butts to a Madonna and child statue adorned with the Ta Moko, the sacred Maori facial tattoo.

Today, James Fox finds Maori culture in the midst of a full-scale Renaissance, embraced not only by the Maori themselves but all New Zealanders.


MON 22:00 Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (m000frf0)
Series 1

The Spanish Armada

Lucy Worsley discovers how the history of the Spanish Armada has been manipulated and mythologised by politicians and artists for generations.

This is an inspiring tale of an underdog English navy defeating an ‘invincible’ Spanish fleet, the moment that set England on the path to imperial glory. Tales of Sir Francis Drake calmly finishing his game of bowls and Elizabeth I rousing her troops at Tilbury with the ‘heart and stomach of a king’ have become iconic. This, however, is a story full of fibs.

Lucy explores how Elizabethan propaganda spun this as a victory for the Protestant Virgin Queen. She then finds out how the Victorians celebrated it as the start of the British Empire, the point in time when Britain truly began to rule the waves.

Right up to the present day, the defeat of the Spanish Armada has been told and retold to show Britain as an island nation destined for greatness. But what if the story of that victory is built on sand?


MON 23:00 Invasion! with Sam Willis (b09hr5pc)
Series 1

Episode 1

Three-part series in which intrepid historian Dr Sam Willis reveals a remarkable story of invasion in Britain spanning thousands of years.

From the time continuous settlement began in Britain over 10,000 years ago to Iron Age hillforts and Viking ships, Sam explores the many invasions of Britain. He unearths hidden stories to build a vivid picture of both successful and unsuccessful invasions and examines how they have shaped our psyche, including fear of invasion.

In this first programme, Sam fells a tree with a flint axe in Kent, gets to grips with the technology of Viking boats and rides an Iron Age chariot. He also searches for clues of invasion at Silbury Hill and tracks down evidence of the Beaker people who brought ceramics, metalwork and beakers to Britain.


MON 00:00 Ray Mears's Northern Wilderness (b00nsh7c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Saturday]


MON 01:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014c75)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 01:30 Climbing Great Buildings (b00tr8nd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


MON 02:00 The Ascent of Man (p0g1kpd9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 on Sunday]


MON 02:50 Royal History’s Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley (m000frf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]

TUESDAY 05 SEPTEMBER 2023

TUE 19:00 Secret Life of Farm Animals (m0001jgg)
Series 1

Cows

It's summer and we follow the first 12 weeks of a Hereford calf's life as he makes friends and settles into the herd. We discover that cows are much more than mother nature's muck-spreaders, rather they are highly social animals with complex personalities. They are also brilliant problem solvers with a love of music and given freedom to roam, thanks to the matriarch, they can thrive in the wild just as their ancient ancestors did. Is it any surprise that Hamish the ram wants to be one? But it's not just about cows. We also discover that chickens use 24 different vocalisations to communicate.


TUE 20:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014kld)
Series 1

Fairlie to Port Glasgow

Michael Portillo explores the magnificent western coast of Scotland by rail and ferry, from the Firth of Clyde to the Outer Hebridean island of Lewis and Harris. Travelling aboard the awesome West Highland Line and the world-famous Jacobite Express, Michael glories in some of Britain’s most spectacular scenery, including magical islands, lochs and castles, rugged mountains and symphonic caves.

Michael’s coastal railway journey brings him face to face with Scotland’s critical role in energy production and highlights its shift from nuclear, gas and oil to renewable sources in response to climate change.

Beginning on the Hunterston Peninsula, Michael visits the nuclear power plant Hunterston B, which has been generating electricity since the 1960s. On top of the nuclear reactor, Michael hears from the station director about how it works and why it was built so close to the sea. Pride in the station’s contribution to energy production is tinged with sadness on the part of staff that the power station is shortly to be decommissioned.

At Largs, Michael discovers the region’s Viking past. The town was the scene of a fierce battle in 1263, when the Scots under King Alexander III defeated the Norwegians under King Haakon IV. The victory was messy but is still cause for celebration annually with a popular festival. Michael dons chainmail to tackle Ulfca the Berserker.

At Wemyss Bay, Michael admires one of the most beautiful railway stations in Britain. Designed by architect James Miller and planned by chief engineer Donald Mathieson, it served to bring 'toffs and trippers' 'doon the watter' from the grime of Glasgow to the fresh air of the seaside and ferries for the isle of Bute.

The importance of ferries to connect western Scotland with its many islands becomes plain to Michael at Port Glasgow in the deep waters of the Clyde, where he visits Ferguson Marine, the builders of Calmac ferries. The company has been in operation since 1903 and is now the last commercial shipbuilder on the Clyde. Michael is invited to lend a hand hoisting a six-and-a-half tonne unit on to the upper deck of a ferry under construction in the shipyard.


TUE 20:30 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (b0077t7n)
Series 1

The Psychiatrist

Classic sitcom about accident-prone Frank Spencer. Convinced he is a failure, Frank visits a psychiatrist.


TUE 21:00 Yes, Minister (b007833g)
Series 1

The Writing on the Wall

Jim Hacker's campaign against civil service overmanning is too successful. Now his own department faces closure.


TUE 21:30 The Thick of It (b00p270j)
Series 3

Episode 5

After weeks of trading bitter blows in the press, DoSAC minister Nicola Murray MP and her shadow Peter Mannion MP are invited onto BBC Radio 5Live for a debate on Richard Bacon's late-night phone-in programme.

Director of communications Malcolm Tucker and opposition PR guru Stewart Pearson decide to listen in the comfort of their respective offices, but when some breaking news threatens to make things difficult for the politicians, the programme quickly turns into a phone-in like no other. Malcolm and Stewart are left no choice but to start getting their people over to the studios.


TUE 22:00 Storyville (m001q7qz)
Blue Box

Blue Box is a brave account of how the Jewish National Fund acquired land in Palestine before and after the creation of the State of Israel. Film-maker Michal Weits' great-grandfather Joseph was a key figure in the organisation. In her family, and across Israel, he is celebrated as the father of the country’s forests, taking ‘a land without a people for a people without a land', but when Michal finds his private diaries, she discovers a very different story. In conversations with her family, she questions her great-grandfather's actions, resulting in an exploration of Israel's past and an uncomfortable truth.


TUE 23:25 The Violence Paradox (m000vsf4)
Series 1

Episode 1

Taking his clues from archaeology, modern laboratory experiments, historical criminology and literature, psychologist Steven Pinker traces the social and neurobiological roots of human violence and asks whether human beings are becoming less violent? And if so, why?


TUE 00:20 Parkinson (m000z8tm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:35 on Saturday]


TUE 01:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014kld)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


TUE 01:30 Secret Life of Farm Animals (m0001jgg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 02:30 Oceans Apart: Art and the Pacific with James Fox (b0blhn4t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Monday]

WEDNESDAY 06 SEPTEMBER 2023

WED 19:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014kz5)
Series 1

Helensburgh to Connel

From the 250-year-old 'new town' of Helensburgh on the north bank of the Clyde, Michael Portillo takes his favourite West Highland Line across epic landscapes to Garelochhead and Ben Cruachan and thence to Connel Bridge and the waters of Loch Etive.

Along the way, Michael investigates the Highland Boundary Fault, which separates the Highlands from the Lowlands, and learns how Scotland’s geology has influenced its history.

Between Loch Lomond and Loch Long, Michael explores the deep waters of Garelochhead at Faslane, where Britain’s nuclear-armed submarines are based.

Alighting next at the pretty Falls of Cruachan station, Michael ventures inside the hollow mountain of Ben Cruachan to visit a power station with a reservoir on top of it. Electricity is generated here using an ingenious method known as pumped storage. Michael meets one of the 'tunnel tigers' who dug out the mountain in the early 1960s.

At Connel Bridge, Michael joins a marine biologist on an RIB to collect phytoplankton from Loch Etive as part of a long-term project to monitor the health of the waters.


WED 19:30 Climbing Great Buildings (b00tv92l)
Burghley House

Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, from the Normans to the present day, to reveal the buildings' secrets and tell the story of how our architecture and construction has developed over 1000 years.

The next step in Jonathan's journey takes him to Burghley House in Lincolnshire. Built to impress Queen Elizabeth I on her many trips around the country, it is the finest example of an Elizabethan house in Britain.

With unprecedented access to Burghley, Jonathan, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, climbs the building, to reveal the innovations of the Elizabethan builders and craftsmen. On his adventures, Jonathan scales up to the roof of Burghley to reveal a unique playground of hidden ornate sculpture where royalty and ambassadors were entertained. He also zips 80 feet across the central courtyard to decipher the scores of mysterious symbols that adorn the building, and scales over a hundred feet to come face-to-face with a one-handed clock. Finally, Jonathan reveals why, although the house was built to accommodate Elizabeth I and her court, she never even set eyes on it.


WED 20:00 Caligula with Mary Beard (b037w0qh)
Two thousand years ago, one of history's most notorious individuals was born. Professor Mary Beard embarks on an investigative journey to explore the life and times of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus - better known to us as Caligula.

Caligula has now become known as Rome's most capricious tyrant, and the stories told about him are some of the most extraordinary of any Roman emperor. He was said to have made his horse a consul, proclaimed himself a living God and indulged in scandalous orgies, and that's before you mention building vast bridges across land and sea, prostituting senators' wives and killing half the Roman elite seemingly on a whim. All that in just four short years in power before a violent and speedy assassination in a back alley of his own palace at just 29 years old.

Piecing together the evidence, Mary puts Caligula back into the context of his times to reveal an astonishing story of murder, intrigue and dynastic family power. Above all, she explains why Caligula has ended up with such a seemingly unredeemable reputation. In the process, she reveals a more intriguing portrait of not just the monster, but the man.


WED 21:00 Colosseum (p0fwh669)
Series 1

Commodus

All Roman rulers put great value on spectacles and games, but only one, the son of Marcus Aurelius, steps out of the Imperial Box and onto the sands of the arena. As Emperor Commodus makes enemies amongst the ruling Senate, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues.


WED 21:50 Colosseum (p0fwh7bj)
Series 1

The Pagan

By the 4th century AD, a divided Roman Empire is rocked by devastating earthquakes, fires, barbarian invasions and deep religious divides. As Rome declines, the Colosseum, which once stood as a proud symbol of the Empire’s glory, lies empty. To restore Rome, one man, a devout worshipper of the Rome’s old gods, turns to the arena.


WED 22:35 I, Claudius (b0074ssj)
Fool's Luck

Claudius is happily married, while the mad Caligula has been assassinated. To his astonishment, Claudius has been proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard.


WED 23:30 I, Claudius (b0074ssm)
A God in Colchester

Claudius has ruled wisely for a year with the support of Messalina, whom he deeply loves. Convinced of her devotion, he is totally unaware that she is deceiving him.


WED 00:20 I, Claudius (b0074ssp)
Old King Log

Acclaimed historical drama series chronicling the reigns of the Roman emperors. Almost at the end of his family history, Claudius's thoughts turn to the future of Rome.


WED 01:15 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014kz5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:45 Caligula with Mary Beard (b037w0qh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:45 The Riviera: A History in Pictures (b01ps9jr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Monday]

THURSDAY 07 SEPTEMBER 2023

THU 19:00 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014l0t)
Series 1

Oban to Staffa

From the fishing port and ferry terminal of Oban, Michael heads to the Hebridean archipelago. En route to the Isle of Mull, he watches eagerly for sea mammals in a stretch of water where 24 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises have been recorded.

On the quay in the pretty pastel-painted fishing port of Tobermory, Michael checks out the daily catch before heading to a remote beach to help one woman and her dog with an unusual harvest. Seaweed was once an important resource on the island for making glass and soap, and its use is being revived today as a delicacy in the form of chutney. Michael enjoys a gourmet picnic with chutney, cheese and crackers, also from the Isle of Mull.

A short boat ride takes Michael to Iona, the cradle of Christianity in Scotland. Michael hears how, in the 6th century, an Irish monk named Columba founded a monastery on the island, from which he and his followers spread the gospel. Michael meets members of a modern-day community now active on the island and throughout the world.

Heading to the tiny isle of Staffa, Michael follows in the wake of a young German tourist of the early 19th century. The composer Felix Mendelssohn was only 20 years old when he set eyes on the volcanic sea cavern Fingal’s Cave, with its striking basalt columns. Michael is in awe of the natural wonder and amazed to hear how quickly and precisely Mendelssohn translated his feelings on seeing the cave into music. The Hebrides Overture is one of Mendelssohn’s most famous works.


THU 19:30 Climbing Great Buildings (b00tv973)
St Paul's Cathedral

Dr Jonathan Foyle, architectural historian and novice climber, scales Britain's most iconic structures, from the Normans to the present day, to reveal the buildings' secrets and tell the story of how our architecture and construction has developed over 1000 years.

The next step on Jonathan's journey celebrating Britain's architecture takes him to St Paul's Cathedral in London. If one structure captures the spirit of London, this is it. Beautifully crafted and designed by the great Sir Christopher Wren, it is simply stunning in its stature, with its iconic dome that has dominated London's skyline for over 300 years.

With unprecedented access to secret parts of St Paul's, Jonathan, aided by champion climber Lucy Creamer, climbs over 300 feet to investigate the innovations and tricks of the trade that architectural illusionist Christopher Wren employed to create this magnificent cathedral. He tests the limits of his courage to abseil over 220 feet straight down the centre of the dome from the cupola to get a completely unique view of St Paul's. He reveals how not everything at St Paul's is at it seems, as he uncovers the magic behind the greatest of Wren's architectural tricks, the dome.


THU 20:00 How the Celts Saved Britain (b00kps7h)
A New Civilisation

Dan Snow blows the lid off the traditional, Anglo-centric view of history and reveals how the Irish saved Britain from cultural oblivion during the Dark Ages, in this provocative, two-part documentary.

Travelling back in time to some of the remotest corners of the British Isles, Dan unravels the mystery of the lost years of 400-800 AD, when the collapse of the Roman Empire left Britain in tatters.

In the first episode, Dan shows how in the 5th century AD Roman 'Britannia' was plunged into chaos by the arrival of Anglo-Saxon invaders. As Roman civilisation disappeared from Britain, a new civilisation emerged in one of the most unlikely places - Ireland. Within a few generations, Christianity transformed a backward, barbarian country into the cultural powerhouse of early medieval Europe.

This is a visually and intellectually stimulating journey through one of the least known chapters of British history.


THU 21:00 Mercury Prize (m001q7r8)
2023

Mercury Prize 2023 with FREENOW: Album of the Year

Lauren Laverne presents live coverage of the 2023 Mercury Prize from the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, West London.

2023’s shortlist comprises twelve albums which reflect the diverse nature of British and Irish music over the past year and covers a wide range of contemporary genres. All of the shortlisted albums will be celebrated through live performances culminating in the announcement of 2023’s overall winner, as selected by an esteemed panel of judges comprised of broadcasters, previous winners and industry tastemakers including Anna Calvi, Hannah Peel and Jamz Supernova.


THU 22:15 The Hacienda - The Club That Shook Britain (m001dsm0)
The story of Manchester’s iconic Hacienda nightclub and music venue, 40 years after it opened, mixing insightful testimony from Peter Hook and Stephen Morris (members of New Order, the legendary band that funded it) with stories from famous regulars like Noel Gallagher and Shaun Ryder.

The film hears from those who ran it in its heyday and ordinary people whose lives were changed forever by the Hacienda. Newly discovered archive footage reveals the radical origins of the club, as well as the music and madcap stories behind it. Iconic and infamous performances build up to the story of acid house, the youth movement that transformed a generation and changed Britain forever.

This is the incredible true story of a revolution that rose up from within the walls of a former warehouse in central Manchester.


THU 23:15 Spike Island (b04lllrm)
Drama set in 1990. Five Manchester friends and bandmates will stop at nothing to get to Spike Island, Cheshire, to see the Stone Roses in concert.


THU 00:55 Great Coastal Railway Journeys (m0014l0t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


THU 01:25 Climbing Great Buildings (b00tv973)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 01:55 How the Celts Saved Britain (b00kps7h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


THU 02:55 The Hacienda - The Club That Shook Britain (m001dsm0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:15 today]

FRIDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2023

FRI 19:00 BBC Proms (m001q7r6)
2023

Mozart’s Great Mass at the Proms

A musical mystery awaits at the Royal Albert Hall as Scotland’s premiere baroque ensemble, the Dunedin Consort, led by John Butt, unveil the musical inspiration behind Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, a colossus of the choral repertoire.

The revered work comprises the entire second half of the concert, while audiences are first treated to a series of shorter pieces by JS Bach and CPE Bach, two men who inspired Mozart in the creation of his mighty Mass. The Dunedin Consort is joined on stage by an all-star roster of vocal soloists comprising of Nardus Williams, Lucy Crowe, Jess Dandy, Benjamin Hulett and Robert Davies. Katie Derham presents with special guest Anna Lapwood.


FRI 20:45 Top of the Pops (b096v1lg)
John Peel and Janice Long present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 6 September 1984. Featuring Bucks Fizz, Spandau Ballet, Sister Sledge, Level 42, Alphaville and Stevie Wonder.


FRI 21:15 Top of the Pops (b039gsjl)
Peter Powell presents the weekly pop chart show featuring the Jam, Leo Sayer, Boney M, Sylvester, Manhattan Transfer, Hi-Tension, Hylda Baker & Arthur Mullard, the Commodores and a Legs & Co dance sequence.


FRI 21:45 Adele at the BBC (b06pyvw0)
Accompanied by her live band, Adele performs some of her biggest hits. She also talks to host Graham Norton about her life and career.


FRI 22:50 Radio 2 In Concert (m001q7rd)
Michael Bublé

Radio 2 Live features Michael Bublé, recorded in concert with his Big Band at the BBC Radio Theatre.


FRI 23:35 BBC Four Sessions (m001q7rk)
Damien Rice

Series of unique concerts featuring musicians from around the world. In an exclusive performance at St Luke's church in east London, Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice and his band bewitch the audience with songs from his platinum-selling album O.


FRI 00:35 BBC One Sessions (b00f2dfx)
Duffy

Series of intimate performances by contemporary performers and musical legends.

Backed by a string section and five-piece band, Duffy runs through songs from her chart-topping debut album, Rockferry. Hits include Mercy, Rockferry and Warwick Avenue.


FRI 01:20 Radio 2 In Concert (m001q7rp)
Caro Emerald

Dutch singing sensation Caro Emerald performs a live concert from the BBC Radio Theatre.


FRI 02:10 Top of the Pops (b096v1lg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:45 today]


FRI 02:40 Top of the Pops (b039gsjl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:15 today]