SATURDAY 11 NOVEMBER 2023

SAT 19:00 Dan Cruickshank's Monuments of Remembrance (b0brk994)
Dan Cruickshank reveals the extraordinary story behind the design and building of iconic First World War memorials and explores the idea behind the creation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.


SAT 20:00 Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues (b06qskdx)
Pirates

Few figures in British history have captured the popular imagination as much as the outlaw. From gentleman highwaymen, via swashbuckling pirates to elusive urban thieves and rogues, the brazen escapades and the flamboyance of the outlaw made them the antihero of their time - feared by the rich, admired by the poor and celebrated by writers and artists.

In this three-part series, historian Dr Sam Willis travels the open roads, the high seas and urban alleyways to explore Britain's 17th- and 18th-century underworld of highwaymen, pirates and rogues, bringing the great age of the British outlaw vividly to life.

Sam shows that, far from being 'outsiders', outlaws were very much a product of their time, shaped by powerful national events. In each episode, he focuses not just on a particular type of outlaw, but a particular era - the series as a whole offers a chronological portrait of the changing face of crime in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sam takes to the high seas in search of the swashbuckling pirates of the golden age of piracy during the early 18th century. Following in the wake of the infamous Captain Kidd, Blackbeard, Calico Jack and others, Sam charts the devastating impact these pirates had during an era of colonial expansion and how, by plundering the vast network of seaborne trade, they became the most-wanted outlaws in the world.


SAT 21:00 Black Box (m001sftz)
Obsessive forensic analyst Mathieu Vasseur is disappointed to be sidelined in the examination of the black box of an Atrian 800 airliner which has mysteriously crashed in the Alps.

When his boss goes missing, Mathieu is asked to step in, and he concludes that there was an unauthorised entry into the cockpit. A press conference is held to announce the findings, but Mathieu is subsequently presented with conflicting evidence.

French thriller with English subtitles.


SAT 23:00 The Hollow Crown (b07cc779)
The Wars of the Roses

Henry VI - Part 2

After the Battle of St Albans, Plantagenet and the Yorkists ride to London to claim the throne. Henry negotiates to keep the crown for his lifetime but agrees to disinherit his son Prince Edward.

Margaret is outraged and attacks Plantagenet at his house, slaughtering the duke and his youngest son Edmund. Elder brothers Edward, George and Richard escape and swear to avenge the murders and destruction of their house.

The Yorkists are victorious at the Battle of Towton and Plantagenet's eldest son is crowned Edward IV. Henry VI is imprisoned in the tower and Margaret escapes to France with her son Prince Edward.

Warwick travels to the French court to find Edward a bride. Word arrives that Edward is already betrothed to Elizabeth Woodville. Humiliated, Warwick switches sides and joins the House of Lancaster. Together with Margaret and the French king, Warwick forms an alliance to place Henry back on the throne.

George, Edward IV's brother, also joins with Warwick after failing to secure a good marriage or advance at court, but returns to the Yorkist cause moments before the Battle of Tewkesbury. The Lancastrians are defeated and Warwick is killed.

In the aftermath of battle, Richard slays Prince Edward in front of a distraught Margaret. Richard returns to London and murders the former King Henry in his cell. The court of Edward IV congregates for the christening of a new heir to the throne. The Yorkist dynasty seems secure.


SAT 01:05 Yes, Minister (b0074rjz)
Series 2

A Question of Loyalty

Hacker and Sir Humphrey are called to appear before a select committee looking into government expenditure, and Hacker must choose between toeing the party line and doing what the civil service want him to do.


SAT 01:35 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (b00788s7)
Series 3

Wendy House

Classic sitcom featuring the accident-prone Frank and his long-suffering wife. Frank's attempt at building Jessica a doll's house in woodwork class gets out of hand.


SAT 02:10 Britain's Outlaws: Highwaymen, Pirates and Rogues (b06qskdx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023

SUN 19:00 Soprano Sundays (b08h918x)
Kiri Te Kanawa at the BBC

The charismatic New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa looks back at her life in song through forty years of classic performances from the BBC archives, from her first TV performance on The Harry Secombe Show in 1971 to her appearances on Top of the Pops to sing the rugby anthem World in Union in 1991, plus performances from the Last Night of the Proms and Terry Wogan's chat show.

Dame Kiri's dramatic and operatic skills are captured in the Royal Opera's production of Puccini's Manon, she describes working with Leonard Bernstein, Georg Solti and on Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, and she recalls the royal wedding in 1981 at which she sang Handel's Let the Bright Seraphim to a global TV audience of 700 million.

There's documentary footage of the house where Kiri grew up in New Zealand (now a car park), she vividly evokes the East End of London, where she studied as a student when she first came to London, and we see her goofing around on the golf course with Placido Domingo.

As Dame Kiri says in her candid new interview for this programme in which she reflects on her BBC appearances, "If I look back what you have is snippets of my life, I suppose.".


SUN 20:00 Soprano Sundays (m001sfvb)
Montserrat Caballé

Montserrat Caballé, the famous Spanish soprano, is interviewed by Bernard Levin and sings some of the operatic roles with which she is particularly associated. She is accompanied by tenor Keith Erwen and the New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by Reynald Giovaninetti.


SUN 21:15 Soprano Sundays (m001sfvp)
Kiri Te Kanawa

Opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa talks to Bernard Levin and sings scenes from Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Otello and La Boheme. With Ryland Davies, Elizabeth Bainbridge and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Robin Stapleton.


SUN 22:30 The Remarkable Journey of Bernard Levin (p0gjkfw1)
A look at the life and career of Bernard Levin, who grew up in the poor backstreets of Camden Town and became one of the most famous journalists of the 20th century and a prolific broadcaster on the BBC. For over 50 years, Levin wrote countless influential articles and books on his great enthusiasms - music, theatre and literature - and changed journalism forever with his attacks on political corruption, injustice and the oppression of minorities.

With contributions from Sir Trevor McDonald, Arianna Huffington, Sir Simon Jenkins, Matthew Parris and Michael Billington.


SUN 23:25 Arena (p032kjds)
Edward Hopper

Documentary about the great American realist painter Edward Hopper. His subject is the face of America - haunting, unforgettable images of late-night bars and lonely hotel rooms.


SUN 00:05 HMS Brilliant (m001s7wp)
Series 1

A Little Bit of England

A look at life onboard Royal Navy warship HMS Brilliant as it patrols the dangerous waters off the coast of Bosnia. A crew of 250 men and women on active deployment enforce the UN arms embargo on Yugoslavia. First broadcast in 1995.


SUN 00:55 HMS Brilliant (m001s7xb)
Series 1

Watchman Nine Zero

The crew are given the job of boarding and searching ships off the coast of former Yugoslavia to seek out gunrunners. On board, there are domestic dramas, as Captain Rapp is struck down with an eye infection, and the master-at-arms has a mysterious case when a box of chocolate bars goes missing during a replenishment of stores at sea.


SUN 01:45 Soprano Sundays (b08h918x)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


SUN 02:45 Dan Cruickshank's Monuments of Remembrance (b0brk994)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Saturday]

MONDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2023

MON 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w1pd)
Series 12

Rhyl to Anglesey

Michael Portillo’s 1930s Bradshaw’s-inspired railway tour of north Wales takes him to a coast lined by magnificent castles and sweeping bays.

In Colwyn Bay, he hears how an army of civil servants from the Ministries of Food and Agriculture in London invaded the quiet seaside town and masterminded a groundbreaking campaign to feed the nation. 'Dig for Victory' urged people to grow their own vegetables. Michael helps out at an allotment.

In the holiday resort of Rhyl, Michael discovers how its amusement park and lake were created and makes a delightful excursion aboard the oldest miniature railway in Britain.

Heading west to Gwynedd, Michael reaches the university city of Bangor, where he finds the largest number of Welsh speakers in the country. Michael investigates the Welsh tongue at the city’s BBC studios and makes a radio announcement in Welsh.

Crossing the Menai Strait by the Britannia Bridge, Michael arrives on Anglesey and the elegant seat of the Marquesses of the island. Michael is excited to find in their elegant mansion an impressive mural on a grand scale by the artist Rex Whistler and to hear how it was painted.


MON 19:30 Winter Walks (m000qfrw)
Series 1

Selina Scott

The sound of the countryside fills the air as broadcaster and author Selina Scott enjoys a gentle walk around Wharfedale in the Yorkshire Dales. Exploring quaint villages, magical waterways and breathtaking landscapes, Selina offers her personal take on this special corner of the Dales.

Filming herself and all that is around her on a 360-degree camera, Selina wanders through the countryside, often deep in thought and stopping only to chat, recite poetry and reflect.

Along the way, she learns of extraordinary philanthropy, meets walkers and a fisherman, and ends her journey drinking local ale in a pub famed for ferret racing.

Filmed in February 2020 before Covid restrictions were introduced.


MON 20:00 Simon Schama's Power of Art (b007941f)
Van Gogh

Simon Schama investigates what drove Van Gogh to paint Wheat Field with Crows.


MON 21:00 Art That Made Us (p0bvgvtc)
Series 1

To Kill a King

Architect Amanda Levete climbs the Tulip Stairs in the Queen’s House, Greenwich, and reassesses Inigo Jones’ elegant and innovative design, while portrait artist Tai Shan Schierenberg encounters Van Dyck’s monumental portrait of the Earl of Pembroke’s family and finds signs of the dysfunction and tensions which point to the civil war to come.

This was a war that would be waged across three kingdoms, and artist Rita Duffy explores some of the poisonous propaganda it created in Wenceslas Hollar’s Teares of Ireland woodcuts, while photographer Platon examines the Puritan aesthetic through Samuel Cooper’s ‘warts and all’ miniature of Oliver Cromwell.

The battle between royalist and parliamentary forces brought bloodshed but ultimately the rise of a more questioning culture. Actor Anton Lesser performs excerpts of John Milton’s daring Paradise Lost, which laments the fall of the republic through the figure of a charismatic Satan rebelling against God, the king.

The restoration of the monarchy saw a new creative flourishing in works by playwright Aphra Behn and the intricate baroque carvings of Grinling Gibbons. But it is in the rise of a more scientific mindset that creativity would find greatest expression: artist Angela Palmer marvels at the artistry of Robert Hooke’s Micrographia, and sculptor Thomas Heatherwick reveals the brilliant architectural deceptions in Christopher Wren’s dome of St Paul’s.


MON 22:00 The Sky at Night (m001sfvc)
The Sky at Night Meets The Infinite Monkey Cage

In this special episode to mark the end of another season of The Sky at Night, we team up with Radio 4’s The Infinite Monkey Cage to talk all things amateur astronomy. Join Maggie, Chris and Pete, alongside Professor Brian Cox and comedians Robin Ince and Dara Ó Briain, in front of a live audience at the BBC’s Radio Theatre. Together they discuss their love of stargazing and share their top tips and favourite kit for looking up at the night sky.

Outside the Radio Theatre, Pete hosts a Star Party. He joins fellow amateur astronomers hoping to get views of the Moon, as well as the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter, using binoculars, telescopes – and the naked eye. But will the clouds part for long enough?

We look back at 66 years of stargazing - and cloudy skies - with The Sky at Night, including some very familiar, but much younger, faces. And of course, Sir Patrick Moore.

Pete invites Professor Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester to the Star Party. Leigh explains how images from amateur astronomers on Earth have been used to direct the camera onboard Nasa’s Juno mission to Jupiter. And amateurs are playing a critical role in processing the data and images sent back from this gas giant.

And Dr George Dransfield meets Dr Martin Archer from Imperial College London to discover how we can get involved with space science - even when it’s cloudy. Martin is involved in a Nasa project called Harp, which is asking citizen scientists to listen to outer space. Martin took inspiration from his previous career as a radio DJ to convert plasma waves that travel through space into sound waves. By analysing these sound waves, we can help scientists work out the impact these plasma waves might have on us here on Earth.


MON 22:30 Eyewitness to History: Norma Percy on The Fifty Years War (m001sfvq)
Award-winning film-maker Norma Percy looks back on her acclaimed 1998 documentary series The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs.

Through interviews and analysis from key players of the time, the series forensically detailed the conflict’s origins and key moments, and here Norma shares how the programme came to life, how she gained the trust of some of the most significant figures of the day and what the lessons from history might be.


MON 22:45 The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (p0glc8xt)
Series 1

1948-56

In 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed. This episode recounts how the US, later Israel's greatest ally, came close to stopping the creation of the new state. Made in 1998.


MON 23:35 The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (p0glc9tr)
Series 1

1967

Tracing the pattern of dramatic and covert events leading to the Six Day War of June 1967. Made in 1998.


MON 00:25 The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs (p0glccdx)
Series 1

1967-1982

The Palestinian story, beginning with Yasser Arafat's first secret crossing of the River Jordan to launch raids on Israel and ending with his exile to Tunis. Made in 1998.


MON 01:15 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w1pd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 01:45 Simon Schama's Power of Art (b007941f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:45 Art That Made Us (p0bvgvtc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2023

TUE 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w21r)
Series 12

Bangor to Betws-y-Coed

Michael Portillo continues his 1936 Bradshaw’s-inspired railway tour of north Wales in the coastal city of Bangor before turning south from Llandudno Junction to travel the Conwy Valley line to Betws-y-Coed, the gateway to Snowdonia.

At Bangor Station, Michael hears how, when war broke out in September 1939, 2,000 children from the cities of northern England were evacuated by train to north Wales. Michael learns that while children’s lives were turned upside down by Operation Pied Piper, many evacuees would look back fondly on their days in rural Wales.

Heading inland alongside the River Conwy, Michael reaches Tal-y-Cafn, where he alights to visit the magnificent Bodnant Garden. Here, during the interwar era, a partnership flourished between the owner, Lord Aberconway, and his gifted head gardener, Frederick Puddle. Michael searches for lost rhododendron varieties with a metal detector!

At Dolgarrog, Michael investigates the worst dam disaster in Welsh history, which devastated the small community in 1925. On the memorial trail to the 16 people who lost their lives, Michael hears how the tragedy unfolded.

There's Welsh rarebit for lunch in Betws-y-Coed to fuel our intrepid traveller before he attempts to climb one of Snowdonia’s lesser peaks under the watchful eye of an expert from the first national climbing club exclusively for women, the Pinnacle Club, founded in 1921.


TUE 19:25 Winter Walks (m000qftx)
Series 1

Lemn Sissay

The picture-perfect setting of Cumbria’s Dentdale is the location for Lemn Sissay’s breathtaking journey into a world of snow-capped hills, blue skies and birdsong.

Starting high on the moorlands above Dent village, and carrying a 360-degree camera, Lemn walks along ancient drovers’ roads and the old postman’s path, with breathtaking winter views in every direction. Meeting locals, including a farmer who collects vintage tractors and a lone bagpiper, Lemn is inspired by the landscape and reflects on the power of being immersed in nature.

After a challenging climb to England’s highest mainline train station, Dent, Lemn reflects that he must find time to walk and explore the countryside more.

Filmed in March 2020 before Covid restrictions were introduced.


TUE 19:55 Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (b0078k6j)
Series 3

Scottish Dancing

Classic sitcom. When Betty comes home after a dance lesson with their neighbour, Frank becomes suspicious of his intentions and insists on getting involved.


TUE 20:30 Yes, Minister (b00784q2)
Series 3

Equal Opportunities

Sitcom about a British government minister and the manipulative civil service advisers who surround him. Jim wants to see more women in higher posts.


TUE 21:00 The Australian Wars (p0gjfgv5)
Series 1

Episode 2

In the 1820s, the colonist population doubled in Tasmania, and so too did the death count as settlers came into conflict with Tasmanian Indigenous people resisting their arrival.

In the second part of this authored series, film-maker Rachel Perkins, who has both European and Indigenous Australian ancestry, examines why – despite detailed public records of the extensive conflict in Tasmania – there are no public memorials to those who died. Governor Arthur Phillip’s military background led the new approach to securing the Empire’s interests, including armed fortification of the ‘settled districts.’ But as the population grew, these areas expanded into prime hunting grounds of the First Nations groups who lived there.

The 1828 killing of a white woman by unknown warriors saw a fierce escalation in tensions and the introduction of martial law by Governor Arthur, enforced by armed parties of colonists and soldiers. Arthur also authorised a propaganda campaign highlighting supposed equality between black and white populations under the law. That equality was not the experience of warriors such as Tongerlongeter, or of the population of Tasmania, who fought down to almost the last person, before accepting the terms of an armistice.


TUE 22:00 HMS Brilliant (m001sfvj)
Series 1

Rocking the Boat

The controversial issue of Wrens at sea is tackled, and both sides hold strong opinions. Some of the women involved feel that they have been victims of bad press.


TUE 22:50 HMS Brilliant (m001sfw1)
Series 1

Mickey Gets a Massage

The ship drops anchor in Istanbul, and the ratings transform the flight deck for the officers' cocktail reception.

Diplomatic duties completed, all ranks head for an exotic run ashore. While the Wrens make for the giant covered bazaar, Mickey Goble takes his body to the limit with a Turkish bath.

On the last night, after an uproarious party at the British Consulate, there is a tense stand-off with a gang of gloating Turkish football fans.


TUE 23:40 Little Ships - The Miracle of Dunkirk (b00snjw1)
To mark the 70th anniversary of the 'miracle of Dunkirk', 50 of the surviving 'little ships' which made the original perilous cross-channel voyage are returning to France. Dan Snow tells their extraordinary story: their role in the evacuation and the people who struggled to keep them afloat during those fateful days in 1940, when the future of Europe hung in the balance.


TUE 00:40 Arena (p032kjds)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:25 on Sunday]


TUE 01:20 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w21r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 01:50 Winter Walks (m000qftx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:25 today]


TUE 02:20 The Australian Wars (p0gjfgv5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2023

WED 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w22r)
Series 12

Blaenau Ffestiniog to Barmouth

In the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia, Michael Portillo reaches an abandoned mine, where in 1940 the wartime government sought sanctuary for the National Gallery’s priceless art collection. Michael hears how, as invasion appeared imminent, great masterpieces were transported by train and lorry to be stored hundreds of feet beneath the ground in a natural granite bunker.

At Tan y Bwlch, Michael meets 'Blanche', who used to haul slate at Penrhyn quarry and was built in 1893. Now beautifully restored, she takes Michael on a memorable ride on the oldest narrow-gauge line in the world, the Ffestiniog Railway.

In the harbour town of Porthmadog, Michael investigates the Welsh origins of a man forever associated with the Middle East, Lawrence of Arabia.

On the Welsh coast at Portmeirion, Michael discovers a fantasy village, begun in 1925 by architect Sir Bertram Clough Williams-Ellis. The unique folly with its colour-washed buildings and palm-lined central square is set in 85 acres of ornamental gardens. It became a favoured destination for the rich and found lasting fame in cult television series The Prisoner. Michael finds himself pursued by a large balloon and sucked into a game of human chess.

Further south at Barmouth, Michael encounters a different group of holidaymakers also drawn to the Welsh coast. Trainee Jesuits, members of the largest male order of the Roman Catholic Church, flocked to Barmouth during the interwar years to take a break from their strict regime of studies. Michael meets two present-day scholastics.


WED 19:30 Winter Walks (m000qd6r)
Series 1

Simon Armitage

A coastal walk is the setting for Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's ramble along Yorkshire’s enchanting and historic frontier with the North Sea.

Starting in Ravenscar, Simon Armitage takes the old Cinder Track - a disused railway line. Carrying a 360-degree camera, he passes former quarries and brickworks before taking a beach walk from Boggle Hole to the picture-perfect Robin Hood’s Bay.

Simon witnesses at first hand the impact of coastal erosion and meets farmers and locals living and working by the sea. He ends his journey with a seaside pint of local ale.

Filmed in January 2020 before Covid restrictions were introduced.


WED 20:00 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.


WED 21:00 Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time (m000wnk3)
Series 1

Aliens: Are We Alone?

Brian Cox looks at our attempts to answer one of the most profound questions we can ask – are we alone in the universe? With scientists sending space probes to the furthest reaches of our solar system and beyond, the scientific search for alien life has begun.

Inspired by a childhood love of science fiction, Brian still hopes to hear from ET. In this film, he explains why this search deserves to be taken seriously, and he explores the chances of it happening.


WED 22:00 Making Out (p0g1j7mf)
Series 1

Episode 5

Modern management techniques hit Lyne Electronics, in the form of efficiency expert Mr Parrot, and human resources manager Tamsin Carlyle.


WED 22:50 Making Out (p0g1j94l)
Series 1

Episode 6

Queenie and Chunky get wed.


WED 23:40 Making Out (p0g1jrnb)
Series 1

Episode 7

Executive manager Bella Grout arrives to supervise the business administration of the factory.


WED 00:30 Making Out (p0g1kgq6)
Series 1

Episode 8

Will Rex finally leave Stella? Who is Ray's new girlfriend? And what will happen if the Koreans pull out now? Orders from head office threaten chaos at Lyne Electronics.


WED 01:20 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w22r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:50 Winter Walks (m000qd6r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 02:20 Brian Cox's Adventures in Space and Time (m000wnk3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]

THURSDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2023

THU 19:00 The Sky at Night (m001sfvc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


THU 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w24q)
Series 12

Aberystwyth to Newtown

Armed with his 1930s Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael travels from Aberystwyth into the Cambrian Mountains at Devil’s Bridge and finishes in Newtown, Powys.

In the elegant coastal town of Aberystwyth, Michael visits the National Library of Wales, set high on a hill with views over Cardigan Bay. Michael hears how the idea of a repository for works in the Welsh language and an institution in which to preserve Welsh culture took shape and culminated, in 1937, in this prestigious institution. Michael is fascinated to see William Morgan’s Welsh translation of the Bible, published in 1588.

An unforgettable excursion on the Vale of Rheidol Railway takes Michael on a steep climb to Devil’s Bridge, past spectacular waterfalls and wooded hillsides.

Close by, in the Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest, Michael heads for a lake, where magnificent birds of prey come to feed. At the time of his Bradshaw’s Guide, the red kite was close to extinction. But Wales’s favourite bird now thrives, and in order to keep it that way, astonishing numbers are fed here daily. Michael dares to lend a hand.

High above Aberystwyth, Michael heads for a hilltop, where during the 1930s, amazing discoveries were made. At Pen Dinas, a young professor from Aberystwyth University dug deep below Roman remains and found an iron age settlement. Michael learns how archaeological methods have changed today.

Michael’s 250-mile tour of north Wales draws to a close in style at the birthplace of the nation’s first classical music festival, Gregynog Hall, near Newtown. Michael is intrigued to discover that its founders, sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, used the fortune they inherited from their grandfather, a noted Welsh railway builder, to establish the country estate as a centre for art and music from 1933. In the glorious music room, a Welsh harpist helps to evoke the spirit of festivals past and present.


THU 20:00 Planet of the Apes (m001gqgk)
Astronauts stranded on a hostile world are shocked to find it is an ape civilisation, with humans merely mute beasts and where being otherwise is deadly dangerous.


THU 21:50 Talking Pictures (b039j4xl)
Charlton Heston

A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Oscar winning Hollywood actor Charlton Heston, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.

Narrated by Sylvia Syms.


THU 22:30 All the President's Men (m000rgnx)
In the early 1970s, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the Watergate scandal - a conspiracy to cover up abuses of power leading all the way to the Oval Office and eventually to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.


THU 00:45 Talking Pictures (b04crt3r)
Robert Redford

The career of Robert Redford, one of the big screen's greatest heartthrobs, is examined in this exploration of the BBC archives, with rarely seen interviews showing that he was always much more than just a pin-up. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.


THU 01:25 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w24q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


THU 01:55 Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom (m0003mxv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Wednesday]


THU 02:55 Talking Pictures (b039j4xl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:50 today]

FRIDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2023

FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m001sfvr)
Mark Goodier presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 1 June 1995 and featuring Reef, Curtis Stigers, Baby D, Therapy?, Radiohead, Pulp, Ladysmith Black Mambazo & China Black, Black Grape and Robson & Jerome.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m001sfw6)
Nicky Campbell presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 8 June 1995 and featuring Loveland, Dodgy, Jam & Spoon, Michael Jackson, Whigfield, Annie Lennox, U2, Robson & Jerome and The Bluetones.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m0011f4t)
Tony Dortie and Claudia Simon present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 14 November 1991 and featuring Rozalla, Seal, Tina Turner, Altern 8, Sonia, R.E.M., Bassheads, Michael Jackson and Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff.


FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (b03f4qgp)
David Jensen presents a weekly look at pop charts featuring the Buzzcocks, Elton John, Showaddywaddy, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Heatwave, Blondie, Dean Friedman, Streetband, Queen, Child and the Boomtown Rats.


FRI 21:00 Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (m001jpjc)
Musical biography of Linda Ronstadt, one of the most successful and versatile female singers of the 20th century - and one of the most successful recording artists of all time. It tells Linda's story through her own words and music, and by such professional colleagues as Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Aaron Neville and many more.


FRI 22:35 Country Music Awards (m001sfwj)
2023

Highlights from the 2023 Country Music Awards.


FRI 23:35 The Old Grey Whistle Test (m00116fq)
Linda Ronstadt

Bob Harris introduces Linda Ronstadt in concert at the New Victoria Theatre, London, in 1976.


FRI 00:25 Sisters in Country: Dolly, Linda and Emmylou (b081sx50)
Documentary which explores how Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris's careers took off in the 1970s with very distinct takes on country before they ended up uniting as close harmony singers and eventually collaborated on 1987's four-million-selling debut album, Trio.

In the 60s country music was viewed by most of America as blue collar, and Dolly was country through and through. Linda Ronstadt's take on classic country helped make her the biggest female star in mid-70s America. Folkie Emmylou learned about country from mentor Gram Parsons and, after his death in 1973, she became a bandleader in her own right. It was Emmylou and Linda - the two west coast folk rockers - who voiced their mutual appreciation of Dolly, the mountain girl singer from Tennessee, when they became early students of her work.

The artists talk about uniting as harmony singers and eventually collaborating on their debut album, Trio. The album helped launch the mountain music revival that would peak with the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou. In 2012 Linda Ronstadt was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which left her unable to sing, but 2016 saw unreleased songs from their sessions compiled to create a third Trio album. This is the story of how their alliance made them pioneers in bringing different music worlds together and raising the game for women in the country tradition.

Contributors: Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Rodney Crowell, George Lucas, Peter Asher, Chris Hillman, Laura Cantrell, Robert K Oermann, John Boylan, Phil Kaufman, David Lindley, Albert Lee, Herb Pedersen, George Massenberg and Applewood Road.


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