SATURDAY 17 JANUARY 2026

SAT 19:00 Ulster in Focus (p00bywjg)
The Mountains of Mourne

The life and culture of the skilled craftsmen and farmers of the Kingdom of Mourne in Northern Ireland is explored.


SAT 19:20 The Good Old Days (b075f6zf)
Leonard Sachs presents a 1972 edition of the old-time music hall programme from the stage of the City Varieties Theatre, Leeds. With guests Eartha Kitt and Arthur Askey.


SAT 20:10 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b008m8gt)
Series 1

Fingers

Hetty takes on a new case while on holiday with Robert. But who exactly is she dealing with?


SAT 21:00 Blackshore (m002q7d9)
Series 1

Episode 1

When her career in Dublin is threatened due to a series of undue force allegations, DS Fia Lucey is sent back to her hometown of Blackwater to cool off and investigate a missing person case. There, she finds herself right back in the centre of a community who have never forgotten her family’s tragic past. A tight-knit community that is steeped in secrets and lies.


SAT 21:55 Blackshore (m002q7dc)
Series 1

Episode 2

With the case now confirmed a murder, Fia suspects her new partner, Detective Furlong. But she soon discovers the dark secrets of the town have their roots in a more powerful source.


SAT 22:50 Parkinson: The Interviews (m000mmjp)
Series 2

Ingrid Bergman

Michael Parkinson looks back on his meeting with Ingrid Bergman - an actress he confesses to falling in love with the first time he saw her on screen at his local cinema.


SAT 23:20 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b03zcxc7)
Joanna Trollope

Novelist Joanna Trollope talks to Mark Lawson about creativity, divorce and the inescapable drama of domestic life. Her hugely popular novels include The Rector's Wife, The Choir and A Village Affair, which have all been adapted into major television dramas.


SAT 00:20 The Hunt for Lady Olive and the German Submarine (m0023k9p)
A great maritime mystery lies deep beneath the waters of the Channel Islands. On the morning of 19 February 1917, German submarine UC-18 opened fire on Royal Navy Q-ship the Lady Olive. As the U-boat drew near to assess the damage it had inflicted, the Lady Olive counter-attacked. Both vessels were said to have sunk. For decades, divers and historians have searched to discover their fate and understand the fascinating story that led to this encounter, but no-one has come close to finding the wrecks.

The documentary follows film-maker Karl Taylor and his specialist team over four years as they search to discover what happened on that fateful February day in 1917.

Principal underwater photography: Karl Taylor and Peter Frankland


SAT 01:20 Timeshift (b0074qnd)
The History of Pubs

The pub has been the mainstay of British society since medieval times, a cornerstone of any community playing a unique role in national life. But in the past 50 years the pub has undergone massive change. This programme examines the core values of this definitively British institution and questions its survival. With contributions from Jeremy Hardy, Rowan Pelling and Pete Brown. Narrated by Arthur Smith.


SAT 02:00 The Good Old Days (b075f6zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:20 today]


SAT 02:50 Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (b008m8gt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:10 today]

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY 2026

SUN 19:00 A Wild Year (b08flyr2)
Series 1

The Lake District

For the wildlife and people who live amongst the epic scenery of the Lake District, life is one of continuous change. Cutting-edge camera techniques give a new and unique perspective on a turbulent year in the life of England's largest national park.

Time-lapse photography shows months and weeks passing in seconds - snow and ice giving way to sunshine or the frequent rain showers - whilst the animals, plants and people find extraordinary ways to cope with the challenges of this stunning, ancient landscape.


SUN 20:00 Wainwright: The Man Who Loved the Lakes (b0074tfq)
Capturing the beauty of the English Lake District, a documentary which traces the life of writer and artist Alfred Wainwright, the eccentric Lancastrian who created a series of iconic fell-walking books which he hand-wrote, illustrated and published himself in the 1950s.

Celebrating the centenary of his birth, the film captures his passionate love affair with the Lakeland landscape and explores how his books have become guide-book classics for millions of fell-walkers.


SUN 21:00 The Fairy-Tale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank (b036f9vc)
Ludwig II of Bavaria, more commonly known by his nicknames the Swan King or the Dream King, is a legendary figure - the handsome boy-king, loved by his people, betrayed by his cabinet and found dead in tragic and mysterious circumstances. He spent his life in pursuit of the ideal of beauty, which found expression in three of the most extraordinary, ornate architectural schemes imaginable - the castle of Neuschwanstein and the palaces of Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee. Today, these three buildings are among Germany's biggest tourist attractions.

In this documentary, Dan Cruickshank explores the rich aesthetic of Ludwig II - from the mock-medievalism of Neuschwanstein, the iconic fairy-tale castle that became the inspiration for the one in Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty, to the rich, baroque splendour of Herrenchiemsee, Ludwig's answer to Versailles. Dan argues that Ludwig's castles are more than flamboyant kitsch and are, in fact, the key to unravelling the eternal enigma of Ludwig II.


SUN 22:00 Remembers... (m002q94s)
Richard Eyre Remembers... Ibsen

With a career spanning seven decades, acclaimed theatre, film and TV director Richard Eyre has been involved in a number of hugely successful Ibsen productions. His adaptation of Ghosts in 2013 won him the Evening Standard Best Director award. He directed John Gabriel Borkman for the National, starring Paul Schofield and Vanessa Redgrave, and a notable Hedda Gabler with Eve Best, again adapted by Richard. Thus, he is perfectly placed to give us an introduction to this complex yet still very relevant playwright.

Richard talks about how much contemporary drama owes to Ibsen and about the key characters - Nora in A Doll’s House and Mrs Alving in Ghosts - and how their depictions were drawn from the playwright’s own experience and world view. He also discusses the darkness in Ibsen’s subject matter, how he was often vilified when his plays were first performed. Yet it is this bravery that has kept the plays relevant and a mainstay of the arts world to this day.


SUN 22:15 Ibsen (m002q7n4)
Hedda Gabler

Henrik Ibsen's classic play about an unscrupulous woman. From 1962 with Ingrid Bergman, Michael Redgrave, Ralph Richardson and Trevor Howard.


SUN 23:30 Ibsen (p031g4x7)
Certainties and Doubts

From 1979, exploring the life of Henrik Ibsen, through his plays and the words of his critics and admirers. With excerpts from the Ibsen canon.


SUN 01:15 Firestarter: The Story of Bangarra (m0014rg7)
Marking the thirtieth birthday in 2019 of Bangarra Dance Theatre – an Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander organisation, and one of Australia's leading performing arts companies – Firestarter takes audiences on a tour of Bangarra’s birth and spectacular growth. It presents its founders and tells the story of how three young Indigenous Australian brothers – Stephen, David and Russell Page – turned the newly born dance group into a First Nations cultural powerhouse.

Through the eyes of the brothers and company alumni, the film explores the loss and reclaiming of culture, the burden of intergenerational trauma and – crucially – the power of art as a messenger for social change and healing.


SUN 02:15 A Wild Year (b08flyr2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]

MONDAY 19 JANUARY 2026

MON 19:00 Wild China (b00bf5b0)
Heart of the Dragon

The fairy-tale hills of Guilin and the cormorant fishermen of the Li River form the heart of this exploration of the colourful rice-growing cultures and strange creatures of southern China - a land of endless hills, mysterious caverns, spectacular rock pinnacles and traditional cultures with a taste for wildlife.


MON 20:00 Art of Persia (m000k48g)
Series 1

Episode 1

Since Ayatollah Khomeini brought revolution to Iran in 1979, the country has become a byword for radical Islam. Western documentary teams are seldom given access, but broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed has been given a rare opportunity to discover Iran’s rich, colourful culture and extraordinary history.

In this first episode, Samira journeys to places rarely seen by western audiences to reveal how the Persian Empire was born, the mysterious writing of its early people and how Iran’s powerful kings built a vast empire that became the envy of the ancient world.


MON 21:00 Call My Bluff (m002q94z)
Robert Robinson hosts as Frank Muir, Penelope Keith and Miles Kingston take on Patrick Campbell, Sinead Cusak and Ian Ogilvy in the panel game of word definitions and deceptions.


MON 21:30 Face the Music (m002q951)
Joseph Cooper invites viewers to match their musical wits against guests Angela Down, Robin Ray and John Julius Norwich. With guest musician Bernard Haitink.


MON 22:00 I Am Martin Parr (m002j0v1)
Who are you, Martin Parr? Since the 1970s, Martin Parr has fearlessly held out his unique photographic mirror and given us some of the most extraordinary and unique visual clichés of modern times.

We follow this tireless adventurer on a road trip, his camera trigger finger always at the ready to capture the smallest details of everyday life. Sometimes serious, often absurd but always playful, his work has been a subject of debate and discussion. His images often amuse and entertain those who witness them, yet he makes us feel slightly uncomfortable, caught between a silent laugh and the frightful realisation of recognising ourselves in his uncompromising portrait of consumerist society.

Featuring interviews with various individuals who have crossed paths with Martin Parr, including close family, fellow photographers, artists and filmmakers, the documentary offers a dynamic, intimate and well-rounded portrait of the artist. While Martin Parr's work is now showcased globally, his early photography faced challenges and criticism. Why? Perhaps, in retrospect, he was highlighting aspects of class in Britain that were often overlooked. Could it be that provoking discomfort was precisely his intention? Why this use of garish colour, previously reserved for advertising and fashion?

Here, we bring to life Parr's distinctive photographic language and showcase his incredible eye for the absurd. Bright, colourful and saturated, the film takes us into Parr's world. From Bristol, where he lives and has set up his incredible foundation, to the seaside resort of New Brighton, where he returns with us after 40 years to reshoot his most famous work, The Last Resort, I Am Martin Parr is a portrait of an extraordinary photographer who revolutionized contemporary photography.


MON 23:05 Norman MacCaig at 80: None a Stranger (b00w003d)
Documentary first shown on Scottish poet Norman MacCaig's 80th birthday in 1990 to mark the centenary of his birth, featuring archive footage and readings of nine of his celebrated poems.


MON 23:35 Personal Pursuits: A Poet's Workshop (m002q953)
Magnus Magnusson interviews Scottish poet Norman MacCaig.


MON 00:05 The Fairy-Tale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank (b036f9vc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 on Sunday]


MON 01:05 I Am Martin Parr (m002j0v1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 22:00 today]


MON 02:10 Face the Music (m002q951)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:30 today]


MON 02:40 Art of Persia (m000k48g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

TUESDAY 20 JANUARY 2026

TUE 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001n4p3)
Series 14

Preston to Rawtenstall

Michael Portillo strikes out to explore the Britain of his youth. He’s a 'boomer', born in the decade after the end of the Second World War, and he recalls the optimism and excitement of rebuilding a nation exhausted by conflict. He relives the agony and the ecstasy of British Rail and marvels at the new society and culture that emerged in postwar Britain.

At Preston’s Fulwood Barracks in Lancashire, Michael is called up for National Service but fails to impress the drill sergeant. Two veterans share their memories of postwar military action.

At the Preston Bypass, now part of the M6, he hears how the pioneering project aimed to tackle congestion and link the north of England to the south. In Blackburn, Michael investigates the town’s political heritage and its fiery red-headed MP, Barbara Castle.

At Bury Bolton Street station in Greater Manchester, Michael meets the volunteers who operate the fabulously preserved East Lancashire Heritage Railway and learns how the Beeching cuts affected rail services in the area.


TUE 19:30 Wainwright Walks (b007vlhx)
Series 2

Helvellyn

Julia Bradbury presents a series of classic walks and climbs in the Lake District. Armed with Wainwright's famous Pictorial Guides, Julia is setting out on some of the biggest and most popular fell walks in the country. Through sunshine and rain, Julia explores the stunning landscape that inspired the late Alfred Wainwright to produce his beautifully crafted guide books.

Nobody can call themselves a true fell walker until England's most popular mountain has been conquered. Julia Bradbury sets off to reach the summit of Helvellyn via the Lake District's most talked-about ridge - Striding Edge. And just like legendary fell walker Alfred Wainwright, Julia discovers herself reaching the Edge for the very first time, just as the cloud and the rain descend.


TUE 20:00 Yes, Prime Minister (b0074rxz)
Series 2

Official Secrets

Jim Hacker's predecessor is publishing his memoirs and must be cleared by the PM's office for security reasons. One chapter shows Hacker in a very bad light - but has he got grounds for refusing to publish?


TUE 20:30 Yes, Prime Minister (b0074rz4)
Series 2

A Diplomatic Incident

Classic political sitcom. When Jim Hacker discovers the French are planning some dirty tricks to get political advantage, the PM turns the tables on them.


TUE 21:00 JLB: The Man Who Saw the Future (b0074ntb)
In 1926, John Logie Baird became the first man in history to give a successful public demonstration of television. During WWII, with the help of one assistant, a part-time glassblower and a refugee from Germany, he built his masterpiece and swansong - the Telechrome. It was the foundation of all modern electronic colour television.

In a lifetime blighted with ill health, JLB - as he was known - produced 178 patents crucial to the technology that would define the 20th century. But since his early death in 1946, his achievements have been allowed to slip from view, obscured by ignorance about what he pioneered.

Few are aware that much of his greatest work was done in complete seclusion, in his personal laboratory and entirely at his own expense.

Filmed in the UK, USA and Germany between 1994 and 2002 and featuring previously unseen archive and historic eyewitness testimony led by his son Malcolm, this documentary reveals the unknown story of the central figure behind the most powerful technology on earth.


TUE 22:15 The Birth of Television (m002q94w)
Leslie Mitchell traces the origins of television, from the beginning of the 20th century to the first outside broadcast - the coronation of George VI in 1937.


TUE 23:45 The Lost World of Tibet (b0093677)
Dan Cruickshank presents a documentary revealing the story of the Dalai Lama, his secret Himalayan kingdom and the story of his exile, using eyewitness accounts from Tibetans including the Dalai Lama himself and colour archive footage of Tibet from the 1930s to 50s.


TUE 00:45 Great British Railway Journeys (m001n4p3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


TUE 01:15 Wainwright Walks (b007vlhx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


TUE 01:45 JLB: The Man Who Saw the Future (b0074ntb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 21:00 today]


TUE 03:00 Wild China (b00bf5b0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 on Monday]

WEDNESDAY 21 JANUARY 2026

WED 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001n47c)
Series 14

Urmston to New Islington

Michael Portillo’s railway journey through north west England from Preston to Hebden Bridge reaches Greater Manchester, where Michael celebrates new beginnings for the nation in the years after the Second World War.

At Trafford General Hospital, he investigates the birth of the National Health Service. William Roache, star of the nation’s longest-running soap, Coronation Street, meets Michael to tell him about the first episode, broadcast in 1960.

At the city’s Science and Industry Museum, Michael encounters a fellow post-war 'Baby', a replica of the first computer in the world to run a stored programme and the forerunner of all modern computers. Close by at Manchester University, Michael is introduced to the latest supercomputer, a million times more powerful than Baby, the SpiNNaker machine.

The tram takes Michael east to New Islington, where he admires a fresh new look for an old textile mill.


WED 19:30 Wainwright Walks (b007vyqb)
Series 2

Catbells

Series in which Julia Bradbury explores the work of the great British fell walker and author, Alfred Wainwright. The beautiful outline of Catbells is familiar to all who visit Derwent Water and the Lakeland town of Keswick.

By boat and by foot, Julia sets out to discover the secrets of a classic fell climb for all the family. The famous views are rich in history; where visitors walk today, miners once trod, when Catbells produced minerals more valuable than gold.


WED 20:00 The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves (b007c68n)
Professor Bruce Denardo attempts to prove whether there is any truth behind the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, where many ships and planes have disappeared in mysterious circumstances. New investigation techniques reveal the truth behind the infamous disappearance of Flight 19. Graham Hawkes is also able to reveal, by using a state-of-the-art submarine, how five wrecks mysteriously wound up 730 feet down in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.


WED 21:00 Victoria: A Royal Love Story (b00rl81c)
Fiona Bruce traces the story of one of history's great royal love affairs: the love between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It was a love based on a powerful physical attraction, and it grew into a marriage that set the tone for the Victorian age.

Over the 20 years they spent together, until Albert's tragic death, they gave each other a dazzling collection of paintings, sculptures and jewellery. That collection was on show - much of it for the first time - at a major exhibition in London, and it reveals a new and passionate side of the royal couple.

Fiona meets HRH Prince Charles and travels to the royal palaces that Victoria and Albert made their own, as well as the royal workshops where artworks for the exhibition are being restored, to tell the story behind a collection that is one of the wonders of the nation.


WED 22:00 Smiley's People (b0074tpb)
Episode 1

Madame Ostrakova was desperate to believe the sweating Russian who promised the return of her daughter. Then there was the Paris letter which rang old bells for General Vladimir. These two events summoned master spy George Smiley from retirement.


WED 23:00 Smiley's People (b0074tpt)
Episode 2

'Tidy him up, keep us out of it and don't wander'. Lacon's instructions to Smiley are specific, but Vladimir had two proofs and was bringing them with him.


WED 00:00 Sleuths, Spies & Sorcerers: Andrew Marr's Paperback Heroes (p040pvpp)
Detectives

In the first episode of a series that explores the books we (really) read, Andrew Marr investigates the curious case of detective fiction. This is a genre that been producing best-sellers since the 19th century, and whose most famous heroes - Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Inspector Rebus - are now embedded in our collective psyche. But how does detective fiction work- and how do the best crime writers keep us compulsively turning the pages?

Andrew deconstructs detective stories by looking at their 'rules' - the conventions we expect to be present when we pick up a typical mystery. Because detective fiction is an interactive puzzle, these rules are the rules of a game - a fiendish battle of wits between the reader and the writer. What is remarkable is that instead of restricting novelists (as you might expect), these rules stimulate creativity, and Andrew reveals how clever writers like Agatha Christie have used them to create a seemingly infinite number of story-telling possibilities.

The fictional detective is a brilliant invention, a figure who takes us to (often dark) places that we wouldn't normally visit. While we are in their company, no section of society is off-limits or above suspicion, and Andrew shows how writers have used crime fiction not merely to entertain, but also to anatomise society's problems.

Andrew interviews modern-day crime writers including Ian Rankin, Sophie Hannah and Val McDermid, while profiling important pioneers such as Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett and Ruth Rendell. Along the way, he decodes various great set-pieces of the detective novel such as Hercule Poirot's drawing room denouements, and the 'locked room' mysteries of John Dickson Carr.


WED 01:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001n47c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]


WED 01:30 Wainwright Walks (b007vyqb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:30 today]


WED 02:00 Wainwright: The Man Who Loved the Lakes (b0074tfq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 on Sunday]


WED 03:00 The Bermuda Triangle: Beneath the Waves (b007c68n)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

THURSDAY 22 JANUARY 2026

THU 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m001n4rc)
Series 14

Oldham to Wakefield

Greater Manchester’s Metrolink tram delivers Michael to the former cotton town of Oldham on the edge of the Peak District. In the stalls of the Oldham Coliseum, the town’s Victorian repertory theatre, Michael hears how the lifting of censorship allowed theatres to stage risqué productions from playwrights such as Tennessee Williams.

Michael takes the Hope Valley Line to Edale in the Peak District with a hiking guide, who is encouraging black women to enjoy the national park. Next stop is Sheffield, where Michael visits Cutlers’ Hall and sharpens his skills at a knife-making workshop.

Michael ends this part of his journey by admiring the striking postwar sculptures of Barbara Hepworth in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.


THU 19:30 Wainwright Walks (b007wg5d)
Series 2

Crinkle Crags and Bowfell

Series in which Julia Bradbury explores the stunning Lake District landscape that inspired the great British fell walker and author Alfred Wainwright to produce his beautifully crafted guidebooks.

Julia faces a new physical challenge as she experiences the world of Wainwright - not one summit, but two. The Lake District's most famous walker loved to explore routes that link fell tops together, and Julia aims to find her way along the best ridge-mile in Lakeland, reaching the summits of Crinkle Crags and Bowfell, two of the biggest peaks in the area.


THU 20:00 The Stuarts in Exile (b06l1vxh)
Episode 2

The Jacobite struggle has often been dismissed as a dynastic spat that culminated in Bonnie Prince Charlie's tragic defeat at Culloden in 1745. But rather than a Scottish story, Dr Clare Jackson reveals the Jacobite campaign took place on a European stage and inspired a nexus of international intrigue and covert plots. In this second episode, Dr Clare Jackson reveals why so many law-abiding Scots and English were prepared to support the catholic Stuarts and how the new protestant Hanoverian regime hung by a thread, as George I and II struggled to impose their authority on frequently hostile and anti-European subjects.


THU 21:00 Wogan (m002q94q)
Terry Wogan is joined by dancer and actress Moira Shearer, choreographer Gillian Lynne, film director James Ivory, actress Hayley Mills and singer Kit Harvey, who also sings Trashy Novels with his group Kit & The Widow.


THU 21:40 ArtWorks Scotland (m002qb5s)
Moira Shearer - The Reluctant Star

The life of acclaimed Scottish ballerina Moira Shearer, best known for her performance in the film classic The Red Shoes. Includes photos and excerpts from Moira's life and work.


THU 22:10 The Red Shoes (b0074t6v)
Eager young ballerina Victoria Page is delighted at being given the opportunity to dance with the renowned Ballet Lermontov, little realising the demands of its brilliant yet arrogant impresario will force a tragic choice between her career and her lover.


THU 00:20 The Elephant Man (m000hrgj)
In 1884, an ambitious young surgeon is intrigued by a sideshow freak billed as the Elephant Man. He finds, behind the disfigured exhibit, an intelligent person whose rehabilitation he undertakes.


THU 02:20 The Stuarts in Exile (b06l1vxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:00 today]

FRIDAY 23 JANUARY 2026

FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m002q94f)
Kate Thornton presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 19 February 1999 and featuring Blondie, Next of Kin, Unkle ft Ian Brown, The Moffats, Barenaked Ladies, Blur, Lenny Kravitz and Sister Sway.


FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m002q94h)
Jayne Middlemiss presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 26 February 1999 and featuring The Corrs, NSYNC, Lauryn Hill, Lucid, Lenny Kravitz, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears and Alberta.


FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (b06whnr0)
Peter Powell introduces the pop programme, with performances from The Look, Spandau Ballet, XTC, Adam and the Ants, Bad Manners and Blondie.


FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (m001349p)
Mark Franklin and Steve Anderson present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 23 January 1992 and featuring 2 Unlimited, Shakespears Sister, Curtis Stigers, Genesis, Kylie Minogue, Public Enemy, Mariah Carey and Wet Wet Wet.


FRI 21:00 Top of the Pops (m002q94k)
Noel Edmonds presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 8 April 1976 and featuring Abba, Hot Chocolate, Brotherhood of Man, Sheer Elegance, Paul Nicholas, Linda Lewis, The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli, 10CC and The Bay City Rollers.


FRI 21:40 Top of the Pops (b010jsrm)
'Diddy' David Hamilton presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 April 1976 and featuring Jimmy James and the Vagabonds, John Miles, Harpo, Sheer Elegance, The Rubettes, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Abba and Brotherhood of Man.


FRI 22:20 Carole King and James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name (m0027gbg)
Documentary feature with live performances of the songwriting partnership between multiple Grammy Award-winning artists Carole King and James Taylor.

Legendary director film-maker Frank Marshall looks at the early history of both performers through their early partnerships of writing and performing together and their hugely successful solo careers.

The film features specially shot performances at the SNHU Arena in New Hampshire, early archive footage and film from the Troubadour reunion shows in 2007.

Beautifully told and crafted, this film features stunning performances of Carole King classics, including You’ve Got a Friend, Up on the Roof, It’s Too Late, I Feel the Earth Move, Natural Woman, Beautiful, So Far Away, and James Taylor classics such as Sweet Baby James, Fire and Rain, Long Ago and Far Away, Shower the People, Country Road, Your Smiling Face, Carolina in My Mind and Copperline.


FRI 23:55 In Concert (b0074sq9)
Carole King

Vintage footage of the singer-songwriter performing her songs I Feel the Earth Move, (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman, So Far Away, It's Too Late, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Up on the Roof for a BBC live studio performance in 1971. James Taylor guests on guitar.


FRI 00:25 In Concert (m0014l9q)
James Taylor

Music concert from 1971 featuring American singer-songwriter James Taylor, with a special guest appearance by Carole King.


FRI 01:10 Carole King: Home Again - Live in Central Park (m001l5ck)
On Saturday May 26, 1973, before more than 100,000 fans on the Great Lawn of Central Park in New York City, singer-songwriter Carole King, at the undeniable top of her game, enjoyed a humbling homecoming a mere 14 miles from the house in Brooklyn where she grew up. The historic event highlighted the earth-moving power she had unleashed with her watershed Tapestry (already being touted as one of the highest selling albums in history a mere two years after its release), all the way through her soon-to-be released song-cycle album Fantasy, (her fourth consecutive album to land in Billboard’s Top Ten). Carole King’s performance that day was, according to Jack Nicholson, one of only two current events “proper” to be seen at in public.

Carole King Home Again is a previously unseen concert recording and a stunning document of one of the greatest contributors to the American songbook. Professionally filmed on 16mm film, this concert is presented with a new scan and full restoration, and in its entirety the visual tableaux of the concert absolutely shines. Kicking off the show solo by expressing gratitude that a threatening storm had held off, the first portion of the performance highlights recent songs that were nigh-canonical at this point, from Beautiful to Smackwater Jack to It’s Too Late. Carole’s deft piano and voice accompaniment is both enrapturing and riveting.

Later joined by her 11 piece band, all bedecked in customized St. Louis Blues hockey jerseys, the second half of the gig is resplendent and lush, highlighting the bulk of the songs from Fantasy, and overall, the epitome of a crack band gelling on the material and connecting with the audience. Closing out the evening with You’ve Got a Friend, dedicated to dear friend James Taylor, the overall feeling conveyed here is simple: joy.


FRI 02:30 Carole King and Her Songs at the BBC (m001l5ch)
She was just 17 when she wrote the pop classic Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - a calling card that over the years Carole King has delivered on time and time again. The most successful female singer-songwriter of all time, and one of modern music’s standout geniuses, Carole’s catalogue of hits, many written with her songwriting partner and first husband Gerry Goffin for both herself and some of pop and rock’s biggest stars, is second to none.

This celebration of the best of Carole King features a collection of irresistible performances from her and a range of other great artists, taken from a selection of BBC shows from over the decades.