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 07 SEPTEMBER 2024

SAT 19:00 Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez (m0008k83)
Series 1

The Olmec Heads

Janina Ramirez travels to Mexico, where, just before the outbreak of WWII, American husband-and-wife explorer team Matthew and Marion Stirling were lured into the jungle by the legend of a colossal stone head. They found the head – and a lot more than they bargained for – because it turned out to be the first clue in a trail that led to the discovery of a lost civilisation, now known as the Olmecs.

As Janina follows in their footsteps through the jungle, she discovers that the go-getting Stirlings embodied the adventurous determination of prewar archaeological explorers. Breaking new ground, the Stirlings realised that it was the Olmecs – not the much-later Mayans or the Aztecs – who built the very first pyramids, palaces and planned cities for which Central America is now so famous.

Janina’s journey takes her to some of the most stunning ancient sites in Mexico as she pieces together the evidence that led the Stirlings to the controversial conclusion that the Olmecs flourished there 3,500 years ago, the same period as ancient Egypt. It is extraordinary to think, before their finds, that we not only had no idea the Olmecs even existed, but no idea any civilisation this ancient existed in Central America. The Stirlings’ work was so important that, very unusually, their expeditions and excavations continued during the war, shot in glorious technicolor by National Geographic. This fantastic archive features throughout the film, intercut with Janina’s modern journey.


SAT 20:00 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t5l)
The Figure of the Earth

Explorer Paul Rose tells the story of three Frenchmen who couldn't stand each other, yet set off on an eight-year scientific mission in one of the most hostile places on the planet. Their plan, to settle an international row by measuring the shape of the planet, took them to the disease-ridden rainforests and oxygen-starved peaks of the Ecuadorian Andes.

Rose follows in the footsteps of the 18th-century explorers who were complete innocents abroad and had no idea of the horrors they were letting themselves in for. Despite disease, death and some highly disastrous sexual liaisons, the men made discoveries that fundamentally changed all our lives.


SAT 21:00 Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime (m0021ct2)
Series 1

Arlette (The Mayor)

Winter 2003. Arlette Caruso, the charismatic and energetic mayor of a small town on the Sambre, is horrified to learn that one of her employees has been raped. She cajoles the victim into attending a press conference - with unanticipated consequences for both of them.

In French with English subtitles.


SAT 21:55 Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime (m0021ct4)
Series 1

Cecile (The Scientist)

Winter 2007. Following a series of rapes committed on the other side of the border, a Belgian investigating judge asks a university researcher to use algorithms to try and determine where the rapist lives. Cecile Dumont agrees to undertake this novel approach to crime solving.

In French with English subtitles.


SAT 22:55 Wogan (m0022vtq)
Terry Wogan with Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Terry Jones, Sophia Loren and Bucks Fizz.


SAT 23:45 Parkinson (m001qwq5)
Kenny Everett, Roy Castle and Sammy Davis Jr

Chat show hosted by Michael Parkinson, with guests The Buddy Rich Orchestra, Kenny Everett, Roy Castle and Sammy Davis Jr.


SAT 00:50 Keeping Up Appearances (b007b7ty)
Series 2

Driving Mrs Fortescue

After listening to Emmet's piano playing from her garden, stopping a passer-by to listen with her and rebuking Liz for collecting milk in her dressing gown, Hyacinth receives a phone call from Mrs Fortescue asking for a lift into town.


SAT 01:20 Voyages of Discovery (b0074t5l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


SAT 02:20 Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez (m0008k83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



SUNDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2024

SUN 19:00 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands (b07n2hmt)
New Arrivals

New Zealand was one of the last land masses to be found and settled by people. Lush and fertile, almost everything brought here flourishes, often with surprising consequences.

Told through the experiences of its native species - in particular, a charismatic and peculiar giant, flightless parrot - this is the moving story of the changing fortunes of New Zealand's wildlife since humans first arrived.


SUN 20:00 BBC Proms (m0022vtx)
2024

New Music at the Proms 2024

A celebration of some of the most exciting new classical music premiered in the Royal Albert Hall this summer, chosen by Tom Service, presenter of Radio 3’s New Music Show, and featuring interviews with the composers.

From cutting-edge electronics, music for massed choirs and orchestral instruments as you’ve never heard them before, this whistlestop tour takes in the best of contemporary commissions, heard for the very first time at this year's Proms.

Highlights include a jazzy extravaganza for brass by Wynton Marsalis and an exuberant celebration of music itself by Sir James MacMillan.


SUN 22:00 Joan Rivers at the BBC (m0022vtz)
Acclaimed stand-up Katherine Ryan presents a celebration of one of the biggest comedy talents to ever appear on our small screens – the razor-sharp-tongued first lady of laughter that was Joan Rivers.

Showcasing the very best of Joan's appearances on a selection of BBC shows, Katherine demonstrates how she was breaking new ground from the very start, with some of the most uncompromising and hysterically funny material ever broadcast in the UK.

The archive clips show how viewers of traditionally ‘safe’ BBC programmes like Pebble Mill, Wogan and even Breakfast Time found themselves unexpectedly exposed to comic lines that were shocking, but also left them laughing despite themselves and wanting more – lots more.

At the same time, Joan’s interviews reveal the tragedy in her life that went hand-in-hand with the devastating comic lines - her rare openness being another factor, alongside her refusal to censor herself, that won her legions of fans and firmly established her as one of comedy’s all-time greats.


SUN 23:00 Bob Monkhouse Meets Joan Rivers (m0022vv1)
In a programme from 1985, Bob Monkhouse welcomes back to the UK American comedy sensation Joan Rivers, who made her British debut on his show the previous year.


SUN 23:45 Jack Dee Live at the Apollo (p00c2x05)
Series 1

Episode 1

Stand-up comedy performance series. Jack Dee performs live at the Apollo in Hammersmith, joined by Joan Rivers and an audience packed with celebrities.


SUN 00:30 Talking Pictures (b04y4dsw)
Michael Caine

A look at the life of acting legend Michael Caine, using rarely seen television interviews and classic archive clips to tell the story of one Britain's most successful actors. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.


SUN 01:20 Joan Rivers at the BBC (m0022vtz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


SUN 02:20 New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands (b07n2hmt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]



MONDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2024

MON 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn7rh)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Santa Fe, New Mexico, to the Grand Canyon

Michael Portillo arrives in the state capital of New Mexico, once the capital of the Spanish Kingdom of New Mexico. He explores the beautiful colonial architecture of the city and is privileged to be invited to visit a Native American pueblo. He eavesdrops on rehearsals at the glorious Santa Fe Opera House and at the Governor's Palace, discovers the author of the biblical epic Ben Hur. At La Fonda Hotel, Michael catches up with the famous Harvey Girls and hears about the railroad caterer from Lancashire who made his fortune in America.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the Rio Grande River, Michael discovers the headquarters of the Acheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and lends a hand with the restoration of an enormous locomotive. He feels the heat of New Mexico's most famous produce, the chilli pepper, and learns how to make enchiladas. In Williams, Arizona, Michael picks up the Grand Canyon Railway to his journey's end, one of the greatest sights on earth, and learns how the spectacular seven-million-year-old gorge of the Colorado River was preserved for the nation.


MON 20:00 Meet the Ancestors (b0074j5w)
Series 1

The Wolf Den

Archaelogical programme unearthing past secrets. Potholers in the Yorkshire Dales stumble upon the remains of human burials as well as prehistoric footprints in a cave. Julian Richards joins the experts to discover more.


MON 20:30 Meet the Ancestors (b0074j73)
Series 1

The Lady of the Sands

Archaeologist Julian Richards visits the site in Donegal where the bodies of several women were discovered on a remote beach under the sand dunes. Among them is evidence of cremations nearly 2,000 years ago, giving an extraordinary picture of the lives and deaths of the first Christians in Ireland. Julian helps Dr Betty O'Brien as various tests are done on the finds and the site itself.


MON 21:00 Call My Bluff (m0022vwq)
Robert Robinson presides over a duel of words and wit between Frank Muir, Angela Rippon, Tim Rice, Patrick Campbell, Hannah Gordon and Charles Gray.


MON 21:30 Going for a Song (m0022vws)
Max Robertson and Arthur Negus welcome guest connoisseur Simon Bull and customers Una Stubbs and Roger Whittaker to explore the world of antiques.


MON 22:00 The Sky at Night (m0022vwv)
2075: Our Place in Space

The Sky at Night is embarking on a journey into the future, as we explore how space will revolutionise life on Earth over the next 50 years. As humanity's reach extends into the cosmos, we face unprecedented challenges, from redefining what it means to be an astronaut, to confronting our own space junk, to dealing with the impact of life in space on our earth-adapted bodies. With privileged early access to a groundbreaking new report from the Royal Society on humanity’s future in space, the Sky at Night team are on a mission to find our destiny among the stars – our place in space.

The criteria for becoming an astronaut are famously tough. But if we want more people to go to space, maybe it’s time to start challenging that. That’s what the European Space Agency are doing with their pioneering study Fly!, which aims to figure out if someone with a physical disability can live and work in space. At the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, presenter Chris Lintott meets one of the newest members of ESA’s astronaut reserve: John McFall. John is already a medal-winning Paralympian and orthopaedic surgeon and – as if that wasn’t enough – he is now the first recruit to the Fly! study. Chris discovers what’s involved in John’s extensive and gruelling training, and finds out what his hopes are for improving access to space.

Training for space travel is one thing, but living on the moon or Mars is a whole new level for humanity. Our bodies are used to gravity, and being in environments with less gravity than Earth can make them go a bit haywire. At the Royal Society in London, Maggie Aderin-Pocock meets up with space medicine expert Professor Kevin Fong to find out all about the challenges of keeping humans healthy in space. What would an astronaut on Mars do in a medical emergency? What happens to our bones, muscles and organs if we are without Earth’s gravity for a long time? And could a baby be born in space?

While Maggie and Kevin unpack those mind-bending questions, George Dransfield heads to Astroscale in Oxfordshire, a company who are coming up with clever ways to take out space trash. There are already 130 million pieces of space debris in orbit around our planet, and that number is ticking up. George meets up with Dr Mekhi Dhesi to learn about Astroscale’s clever missions to clean up space junk – including ELSA-M, a spacecraft which uses magnets to tow defunct satellites out of orbit, and Cosmic, a spacecraft with a robot arm to grab onto debris.

Our increasing dependence on satellites isn’t just producing a lot of space junk though, it’s also becoming a nuisance for amateur astronomers around the world. Thankfully, our resident astronomer Pete Lawrence has some clever tips and tricks for telling satellites and meteors apart, and using smart telescopes to remove satellite trails from deep sky images.

Finally, back at the Royal Society, Maggie sits down with Professor Suzie Imber, planetary scientist and co-chair of the groundbreaking new Space: 2075 report. Together, they unpack some of the biggest questions about our journey into the cosmos over the next 50 years. How do we make sure space benefits us all, including those of us still down here on Earth? Should we be concerned about the commercialisation of space travel? And will there really be people on Mars by 2075?


MON 22:30 Artsnight (b084flz2)
Series 4

The Brits Who Designed the Modern World

If there were an Olympic league table for design, Britain would be right at the top. Since the Second World War, British designers have revolutionised our homes, our workplaces, our roads and our public institutions.

In November 2016, the Design Museum opened its new £83m home in Kensington. To mark this great moment for British design, BBC Arts profiles ten great living British designers.

Arts reporter Brenda Emmanus meets and profiles our 'Top 10', to find out what inspires them to make such phenomenal objects. She reveals how designers have responded to society's evolving tastes, from the brash 60s modernism of Margaret Calvert's road signs through to the colourful technology of Rick Dickinson's ZX Spectrum. She also meets Britain's most prolific designer, Sir Kenneth Grange (Intercity 125, bus shelters, the Kenwood Chef...), as well as Andrew Ritchie, who gave the world the Brompton Bike.

And we also hear from an illustrious panel of celebrities whose lives have been transformed by British design, including Will.i.am, Jeremy Paxman, Pete Waterman, Ade Adepitan and Jenny Eclair.


MON 23:30 Genius of the Ancient World (b064jf28)
Buddha

Historian Bettany Hughes embarks on an expedition to India, Greece and China on the trail of three giants of ancient philosophy: Buddha, Socrates and Confucius. All three physically travelled great distances philosophising as they went and drawing conclusions from their journeys. With Bettany as our guide, she gets under the skin of these three great minds and shines a light on the overlooked significance of the 5th century BC in shaping modern thought across the world. In this first episode, Bettany investigates the revolutionary ideas of the Buddha.


MON 00:30 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn7rh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


MON 01:30 Meet the Ancestors (b0074j5w)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


MON 02:00 Meet the Ancestors (b0074j73)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:30 today]


MON 02:30 Artsnight (b084flz2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:30 today]



TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2024

TUE 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn5tw)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Minneapolis - St Paul

Michael Portillo embarks on a new American rail journey that begins and finishes on the Mississippi River. It takes him 1,000 miles from the home of F Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby to Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. He discovers how Minneapolis harnessed the awesome power of the mighty Mississippi to become a great industrial centre, the Mill City of the nation. And he finds how the city became the artificial limb capital of the world.

In St Paul, Michael explores the birthplace of F Scott Fitzgerald and meets a jazz-age trumpeter and Fitzgerald fan who introduces him to the lifestyle of Fitzgerald's hero, Jay Gatsby. Michael discovers the tom tom beat of Hiawatha and his lover Minniehaha. He meets a Dakota Sioux expert on Native American culture to learn about a dark chapter in United States history and hears how it is marked today. Michael's diplomatic skills are tested at a Swedish American lunch, where the centrepiece of the menu is reconstituted dried cod. Chasing the Golden Age of luxury rail travel, he bounces on the bed in a beautifully restored Pullman carriage of the Lambert's Point.


TUE 20:00 Porridge (b00789bm)
Prisoner and Escort

The pilot episode of the classic comedy series about the inmates of HM Slade Prison. For wily old lag Fletcher, en route to incarceration, the prospect of spending the next five years studying woodwork and botany in the halls as a guest of the Queen provokes only one thought - escape.


TUE 20:30 Porridge (b007sf76)
Series 1

New Faces, Old Hands

Classic sitcom set in Slade Prison. Veteran inmate Norman Stanley Fletcher gives the benefit of his experience to his green young cellmate Godber.


TUE 21:00 Lucy Worsley Investigates (p0bvhk4z)
Series 1

Madness of King George

How did George’s mental illness change Britain? Lucy Worsley uncovers Royal papers and explores how the attempt on his life by a mentally ill subject changed psychiatry forever.


TUE 22:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx8)
Series 1

Libya – If You Break It You Own It

Barack Obama's first presidential trip abroad was to Cairo. He turned to the younger generation in the Arab world and told them 'you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world'. A year and a half later the Arab Spring broke out, but when Muammar Gaddafi declared his intention to go to Benghazi and 'disinfect it, street after street and house after house', Obama faced a dilemma. Should he heed the call to save innocent civilians from a potential massacre?


TUE 23:00 Thatcher & Reagan: A Very Special Relationship (m0016dvf)
Series 1

Episode 2

Journalist Charles Moore, who wrote Margaret Thatcher’s authorised biography, explores her extremely close relationship with US President Ronald Reagan. These two leaders came together in the shadow of the Cold War and nuclear armageddon, and Charles meets the people who were in the room with them as they faced the great challenges of their age.


TUE 00:00 Andy Warhol's America (p0b5mr4h)
Series 1

The American Nightmare

Charting Andy Warhol's response to the civil rights movement and the assassination of John F Kennedy, as well as other major historical events happening in America in the 1960s.

We hear stories about Warhol setting up the Silver Factory and managing The Velvet Underground, and also how he faced his own personal nightmare: he was shot by a Factory associate.


TUE 01:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08mn5tw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 02:00 Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? (m0020xx8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


TUE 03:00 Lucy Worsley Investigates (p0bvhk4z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2024

WED 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08nd5v8)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Minnesota - Wisconsin

Steered by his Appleton's guidebook, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey along the Upper Mississippi to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of Little House on the Prairie. Picking up the Empire Builder rail service, he travels to Winona, where he takes to the water to find out how in the 19th century, the US Army Corps of Engineers made the Mississippi navigable and how the river is maintained today - not just for freight but for bald eagles and pelicans. Michael joins in the dancing at a tribal gathering of the Dakota Sioux and hears about efforts towards reconciliation. In La Crosse, Michael learns about the Native American origins of the fast-moving, combative sport. A new take on pizza toppings including dirt and worms has Michael squirming before he moves on to Tomah, Wisconsin, where he wades in to harvest the nation's most important berry from the marshes at a century-old farm. He travels to Wisconsin Dells, where an innovative photographer first captured motion, then takes the plunge in the waterpark capital of the world. In Baraboo, he discovers the circus is in town and it travels by train. Guided by a former clown and ringmaster, Michael explores the spectacular wagons.


WED 20:00 Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (b04tqghf)
Original Series

Wind: The Invisible Force

Richard Hammond investigates how wind actually starts. He visits one of the windiest places on the planet, walks into the centre of a man-made tornado and creates a 10-metre high whirlwind - made of fire!

Along the way he is part of a world first when he joins up with American meteorologist Reed Timmer and a bizarre vehicle known as the Dominator III. Their aim is to succeed in doing what no one has ever done before, fire a probe into a tornado to measure its speed where it is at its fastest - right next to the ground. As Reed explains, 'near the base of the tornado is one of the biggest mysteries of tornado science and it's also the most important to understand because those are the wind speeds... that cause all the destruction'. To put that right, Reed and his team take The Dominator into the middle of a real live tornado and attempt to fire a probe into the very heart of it.

Richard also visits one of the few places on the planet capable of duplicating a real-life tornado. The Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment Research Institute (or WindEEE for short) in Ontario in Canada hadn't even opened its doors when Richard asked them to take part in an experiment. The $23 million facility is one of the the world's first hexagonal wind tunnels. As Richard says, 'I've got goosebumps. And that's not just because it's cold in here!'

Richard braves the winds and temperatures of -50 degrees Fahrenheit to take a trip outside on top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. On April 12th 1934, that station measured one of the highest wind speeds ever measured on land - 231 mph.


WED 21:00 Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (m000vc90)
Series 1

Episode 2

The second episode dives into the sleazy underbelly of London’s Soho in the early 1970s, where an explosion of dirty pornographic bookshops provides an open invitation for corrupt cops to be greedy.

With insider interviewers and archive footage, this episode continues to unearth the lawless underworld of 1970s London, audacious levels of police corruption and the birth of the internal force tasked with stopping the rot.


WED 22:00 Sally Wainwright Remembers... Happy Valley (m0022wlr)
Writer Sally Wainwright looks back on the origins of her Bafta-winning drama Happy Valley, which first appeared on the nation’s TV screens in 2014, and instantly established itself as one of the great television experiences of recent years.

With a cast led by Sarah Lancashire, James Norton and Siobhan Finneran, it was a case of characters, crime and countryside all combining beautifully to create unmissable television, that has continued to hook millions of viewers.

Here, Sally reveals just how happy those early days of Happy Valley really were - sharing the inside story of how the show first came together, the challenges faced in those early days and the pressures of living up to expectations once the series had established itself as an acclaimed success.


WED 22:20 Happy Valley (b042r1k2)
Series 1

Episode 1

Sergeant Cawood's world stops when the man who drove her daughter to suicide is released from prison, and Kevin's split-second decision devastates Nevison.


WED 23:20 This Cultural Life (m001ph0b)
Series 2

Sally Wainwright

Award-winning television dramatist and director Sally Wainwright talks to John Wilson about her formative cultural influences. After learning the art of screenwriting whilst working on Coronation Street, she made her name with her suburban comedy drama At Home With The Braithwaites. Her stories are usually set in the north of England including Last Tango in Halifax, and her 19th century historical series Gentleman Jack. Her most recent hit is Happy Valley, a crime drama that spanned a decade and three series, winning huge acclaim, viewing figures and multiple awards.

Sally talks about her early obsession with television, and how the 1970s musical drama Rock Follies inspired her to become a television writer at a young age. She recalls her early career writing for BBC Radio 4's The Archers and the ITV soap Coronation Street and discusses the inspirations behind some of her biggest hits.

Producer: Edwina Pitman


WED 23:50 The Sky at Night (m0022vwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 on Monday]


WED 00:20 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08nd5v8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:20 Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (b04tqghf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]


WED 02:20 Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (m000vc90)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]



THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2024

THU 19:00 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08nd8gr)
Series 2 (Extended Versions)

Milwaukee to Chicago

Michael Portillo is in Milwaukee, the cream city on the shore of Lake Michigan and home to an American icon: the Harley Davidson motorcycle. Michael learns how the first machine was built in 1903 and hitches a ride. German gymnastics is Michael's next challenge as he joins the Ladies' Auxiliary Exercise Class at the Turner Hall, a legacy of Milwaukee's 19th-century German settler community. In Racine, Michael discovers a man who knew how to sort the wheat from the chaff and made a business out of it. Michael is blown away by the skyscrapers in Illinois's Windy City, where he discovers how modern Chicago's skyline replaced a largely wooden city, destroyed in a fire shortly before his Appleton's Guide was published. Michael steps up to the plate with the Joliet Slammers, stars of the US national game of baseball, then sings for his supper at a quintessentially American restaurant bearing his name! Downtown at the Moody Church, Michael tracks down a pair of evangelists who toured Britain and the United States by rail at the time of his guide.


THU 20:00 London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank (p00r36lv)
Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of John Stow and John Strype, two of London's greatest chroniclers, to explore one of the most dramatic centuries in the history of London.

The 17th century saw London plunged into a series of devastating disasters. The Civil War, a murderous plague and the destruction that was the great fire should have seen the small medieval city all but destroyed. Yet somehow, London not only survived but emerged as one of the wealthiest and most influential cities in Europe.

Using two remarkable surveys written at either end of this momentous century, Dan discovers how a unique combination of innovation, ambition and sheer spirit of enterprise saw Londoners thrive. His journey reveals the twists and turns of a century that laid the foundations of one of the most important cities on the planet.


THU 21:00 How to Marry a Millionaire (m001n49g)
Three New York models, looking for rich husbands, rent a luxurious apartment together to impress affluent bachelors, but things do not go to plan.


THU 22:30 Scene by Scene (m0022wps)
Lauren Bacall

In a rare interview, Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall speaks to Mark Cousins about her career, her marriage to Humphrey Bogart and her friendships with Katharine Hepburn and Rock Hudson.


THU 23:20 Designing Woman (m001s1pk)
After a whirlwind romance in Beverly Hills, sports writer Mike Hagen marries fashion designer Marilla, but soon their different lifestyles begin to cause problems.


THU 01:15 Talking Pictures (b01rnc0b)
Lauren Bacall

A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall, following the changes and highlights of her life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.


THU 01:55 Great American Railroad Journeys (b08nd8gr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


THU 02:55 London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank (p00r36lv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]



FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2024

FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m0004j89)
Peter Powell and Simon Bates present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 10 September 1987 and featuring T'Pau, Level 42, W.A.S.P., Wax, Jonathan Butler, Rick Astley and U2.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m0015nq2)
Tony Dortie presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 10 September 1992 and featuring East 17, The Christians, Undercover, Freddie Jackson, INXS, Del Amitri, Boy George and Snap!


FRI 20:00 BBC Proms (m0022wbn)
2024

Unmissable Moments at the Proms 2024

Unmissable moments from the five-star 2024 BBC Proms season, celebrating a season of first-rate performers and an eclectic musical line-up. Enjoy the familiar, the unexpected, the craft and the joy from the stage at the Royal Albert Hall at the world's greatest classical music festival.

From Sam Smith’s highly anticipated Proms debut, Mancini’s magnificent Moon River and Sir Mark Elder’s poignant farewell with Mahler’s Fifth, there were innumerable highlights. Join the Proms presenters on a journey through this season’s best moments, including a Kanneh-Mason rendition of Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, Holst’s The Planets and Max Richter’s On the Nature of Daylight. Featuring remarkable performances from soloists Isata Kanneh-Mason, Anthony McGill and Yo Yo Ma.


FRI 22:00 Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music (m0022wbq)
Two stars of folk-rock music, Richard and Linda Thompson, sing songs about the night - songs romantic, ecstatic, sinister, compassionate and rousing. With musicians John Kirkpatrick, Dave Mattacks, Simon Nicol and Pete Zorn.


FRI 22:30 BBC Four Sessions (b0074sjm)
Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Sessions Band

Series of unique concerts by musicians from around the world.

Bruce Springsteen makes a departure from his rock 'n' roll superstar persona, singing the songs made famous by Pete Seeger in the 1950s. Backed by a hootenanny-style 18-piece ensemble including horns, fiddles and accordion, he performs songs from his album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.


FRI 23:30 Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person (m0022wbt)
American folk singer Pete Seeger in a concert recorded during a visit to England in 1964.


FRI 00:00 In Concert (b00h6wtr)
Joan Baez: Part 1

Folk singer Joan Baez performs live at the BBC Television Theatre, London, in 1965. Songs include Rambler Gambler, Don't Think Twice, It's All Right and We Shall Overcome.


FRI 00:40 In Concert (b00hd2dg)
Joan Baez: Part 2

Folk singer Joan Baez performs live in concert at the BBC Television Theatre, London, in 1965. Songs include Silver Dagger, It Ain't Me, Babe and Isn't It Grand, Boys.


FRI 01:10 Top of the Pops (m0004j89)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


FRI 01:40 Top of the Pops (m0015nq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


FRI 02:10 Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music (m0022wbq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


FRI 02:45 Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person (m0022wbt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:30 today]


FRI 03:15 In Concert (b00h6wtr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:00 today]




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

Andy Warhol's America 00:00 TUE (p0b5mr4h)

Artsnight 22:30 MON (b084flz2)

Artsnight 02:30 MON (b084flz2)

BBC Four Sessions 22:30 FRI (b0074sjm)

BBC Proms 20:00 SUN (m0022vtx)

BBC Proms 20:00 FRI (m0022wbn)

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty 21:00 WED (m000vc90)

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty 02:20 WED (m000vc90)

Bob Monkhouse Meets Joan Rivers 23:00 SUN (m0022vv1)

Call My Bluff 21:00 MON (m0022vwq)

Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? 22:00 TUE (m0020xx8)

Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? 02:00 TUE (m0020xx8)

Designing Woman 23:20 THU (m001s1pk)

Genius of the Ancient World 23:30 MON (b064jf28)

Going for a Song 21:30 MON (m0022vws)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 MON (b08mn7rh)

Great American Railroad Journeys 00:30 MON (b08mn7rh)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 TUE (b08mn5tw)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:00 TUE (b08mn5tw)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 WED (b08nd5v8)

Great American Railroad Journeys 00:20 WED (b08nd5v8)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 THU (b08nd8gr)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:55 THU (b08nd8gr)

Happy Valley 22:20 WED (b042r1k2)

How to Marry a Millionaire 21:00 THU (m001n49g)

In Concert 00:00 FRI (b00h6wtr)

In Concert 00:40 FRI (b00hd2dg)

In Concert 03:15 FRI (b00h6wtr)

Jack Dee Live at the Apollo 23:45 SUN (p00c2x05)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 22:00 SUN (m0022vtz)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 01:20 SUN (m0022vtz)

Keeping Up Appearances 00:50 SAT (b007b7ty)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 20:00 THU (p00r36lv)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 02:55 THU (p00r36lv)

Lucy Worsley Investigates 21:00 TUE (p0bvhk4z)

Lucy Worsley Investigates 03:00 TUE (p0bvhk4z)

Meet the Ancestors 20:00 MON (b0074j5w)

Meet the Ancestors 20:30 MON (b0074j73)

Meet the Ancestors 01:30 MON (b0074j5w)

Meet the Ancestors 02:00 MON (b0074j73)

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands 19:00 SUN (b07n2hmt)

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands 02:20 SUN (b07n2hmt)

Parkinson 23:45 SAT (m001qwq5)

Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person 23:30 FRI (m0022wbt)

Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person 02:45 FRI (m0022wbt)

Porridge 20:00 TUE (b00789bm)

Porridge 20:30 TUE (b007sf76)

Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez 19:00 SAT (m0008k83)

Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez 02:20 SAT (m0008k83)

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 22:00 FRI (m0022wbq)

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 02:10 FRI (m0022wbq)

Sally Wainwright Remembers... Happy Valley 22:00 WED (m0022wlr)

Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime 21:00 SAT (m0021ct2)

Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime 21:55 SAT (m0021ct4)

Scene by Scene 22:30 THU (m0022wps)

Talking Pictures 00:30 SUN (b04y4dsw)

Talking Pictures 01:15 THU (b01rnc0b)

Thatcher & Reagan: A Very Special Relationship 23:00 TUE (m0016dvf)

The Sky at Night 22:00 MON (m0022vwv)

The Sky at Night 23:50 WED (m0022vwv)

This Cultural Life 23:20 WED (m001ph0b)

Top of the Pops 19:00 FRI (m0004j89)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (m0015nq2)

Top of the Pops 01:10 FRI (m0004j89)

Top of the Pops 01:40 FRI (m0015nq2)

Voyages of Discovery 20:00 SAT (b0074t5l)

Voyages of Discovery 01:20 SAT (b0074t5l)

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond 20:00 WED (b04tqghf)

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond 01:20 WED (b04tqghf)

Wogan 22:55 SAT (m0022vtq)




LIST OF THIS WEEK'S PROGRAMMES ORDERED BY GENRE
(Note: the times link back to the details; the pids link to the BBC page, including iPlayer)

Comedy

Designing Woman 23:20 THU (m001s1pk)

How to Marry a Millionaire 21:00 THU (m001n49g)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 22:00 SUN (m0022vtz)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 01:20 SUN (m0022vtz)

Comedy: Sitcoms

Keeping Up Appearances 00:50 SAT (b007b7ty)

Porridge 20:00 TUE (b00789bm)

Porridge 20:30 TUE (b007sf76)

Comedy: Standup

Jack Dee Live at the Apollo 23:45 SUN (p00c2x05)

Drama

Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime 21:00 SAT (m0021ct2)

Sambre - Anatomy of a Crime 21:55 SAT (m0021ct4)

Drama: Crime

Happy Valley 22:20 WED (b042r1k2)

Drama: Relationships & Romance

Designing Woman 23:20 THU (m001s1pk)

Drama: Thriller

Happy Valley 22:20 WED (b042r1k2)

Entertainment

Call My Bluff 21:00 MON (m0022vwq)

Going for a Song 21:30 MON (m0022vws)

Parkinson 23:45 SAT (m001qwq5)

Wogan 22:55 SAT (m0022vtq)

Factual

Bob Monkhouse Meets Joan Rivers 23:00 SUN (m0022vv1)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 22:00 SUN (m0022vtz)

Joan Rivers at the BBC 01:20 SUN (m0022vtz)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 20:00 THU (p00r36lv)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 02:55 THU (p00r36lv)

Factual: Antiques

Going for a Song 21:30 MON (m0022vws)

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

Andy Warhol's America 00:00 TUE (p0b5mr4h)

Artsnight 22:30 MON (b084flz2)

Artsnight 02:30 MON (b084flz2)

BBC Proms 20:00 SUN (m0022vtx)

Genius of the Ancient World 23:30 MON (b064jf28)

Sally Wainwright Remembers... Happy Valley 22:00 WED (m0022wlr)

Scene by Scene 22:30 THU (m0022wps)

Talking Pictures 00:30 SUN (b04y4dsw)

Talking Pictures 01:15 THU (b01rnc0b)

This Cultural Life 23:20 WED (m001ph0b)

Factual: Crime & Justice

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty 21:00 WED (m000vc90)

Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty 02:20 WED (m000vc90)

Factual: History

Genius of the Ancient World 23:30 MON (b064jf28)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 20:00 THU (p00r36lv)

London: A Tale of Two Cities with Dan Cruickshank 02:55 THU (p00r36lv)

Lucy Worsley Investigates 21:00 TUE (p0bvhk4z)

Lucy Worsley Investigates 03:00 TUE (p0bvhk4z)

Meet the Ancestors 20:00 MON (b0074j5w)

Meet the Ancestors 20:30 MON (b0074j73)

Meet the Ancestors 01:30 MON (b0074j5w)

Meet the Ancestors 02:00 MON (b0074j73)

Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez 19:00 SAT (m0008k83)

Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez 02:20 SAT (m0008k83)

Voyages of Discovery 20:00 SAT (b0074t5l)

Voyages of Discovery 01:20 SAT (b0074t5l)

Factual: Life Stories

Talking Pictures 00:30 SUN (b04y4dsw)

Talking Pictures 01:15 THU (b01rnc0b)

Factual: Politics

Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? 22:00 TUE (m0020xx8)

Corridors of Power: Should America Police the World? 02:00 TUE (m0020xx8)

Thatcher & Reagan: A Very Special Relationship 23:00 TUE (m0016dvf)

Factual: Science & Nature

The Sky at Night 22:00 MON (m0022vwv)

The Sky at Night 23:50 WED (m0022vwv)

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands 19:00 SUN (b07n2hmt)

New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands 02:20 SUN (b07n2hmt)

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond 20:00 WED (b04tqghf)

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond 01:20 WED (b04tqghf)

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

The Sky at Night 22:00 MON (m0022vwv)

The Sky at Night 23:50 WED (m0022vwv)

Factual: Travel

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 MON (b08mn7rh)

Great American Railroad Journeys 00:30 MON (b08mn7rh)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 TUE (b08mn5tw)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:00 TUE (b08mn5tw)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 WED (b08nd5v8)

Great American Railroad Journeys 00:20 WED (b08nd5v8)

Great American Railroad Journeys 19:00 THU (b08nd8gr)

Great American Railroad Journeys 01:55 THU (b08nd8gr)

Voyages of Discovery 20:00 SAT (b0074t5l)

Voyages of Discovery 01:20 SAT (b0074t5l)

Music

BBC Four Sessions 22:30 FRI (b0074sjm)

In Concert 00:00 FRI (b00h6wtr)

In Concert 00:40 FRI (b00hd2dg)

In Concert 03:15 FRI (b00h6wtr)

Music: Classic Pop & Rock

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 22:00 FRI (m0022wbq)

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 02:10 FRI (m0022wbq)

Top of the Pops 19:00 FRI (m0004j89)

Top of the Pops 19:30 FRI (m0015nq2)

Top of the Pops 01:10 FRI (m0004j89)

Top of the Pops 01:40 FRI (m0015nq2)

Music: Classical

BBC Proms 20:00 FRI (m0022wbn)

Music: Folk

Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person 23:30 FRI (m0022wbt)

Pete Seeger: Tonight in Person 02:45 FRI (m0022wbt)

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 22:00 FRI (m0022wbq)

Richard and Linda Thompson: A Little Night Music 02:10 FRI (m0022wbq)