SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2024
SAT 19:00 Rick Stein's Long Weekends (b07bpc4c)
Vienna
This week, Rick Stein visits Vienna - the city that once ran the Austro-Hungarian Empire and continues to be home to comfort dishes like tafelspitz and goulash and which gave its name to one of Europe's most popular dishes - the wiener schnitzel. It even produces its own unique white wine produced in vineyards overlooking the city's imperial architecture.
Whilst enjoying the sights and sounds of the hometown to Klimt and Freud and the rather eccentric architecture of Hundertwasser, Rick also learns the essential etiquette to its coffee house culture and indulges in the city's sweet tooth by enjoying a plate or two of apple strudel and sacher torte. And no visit to Vienna would be complete without a concert of Mozart or Strauss, whose music was undeniably inspired by this unforgettable city.
SAT 20:00 Amazon with Bruce Parry (b00dlrc8)
Episode 1
Bruce Parry begins an epic adventure in the Amazon, following the river from source to sea. The first part of his journey takes him from the source in the High Andes through Peru's dangerous cocaine-producing valleys to visit the Ashaninka tribe.
SAT 21:00 The Gone (m001wrv4)
Series 1
Episode 3
Diana and Theo are forced to let their key suspect go when it’s clear they are innocent, but now they must find kidnapped journalist Aileen Ryan before it’s too late. And there’s a tragic development in the mountain rescue operation which suggests a sinister new lead.
SAT 21:50 The Gone (m001wryn)
Series 1
Episode 4
Has the Mountain Murderer returned, or is there a copycat killer on the loose?
SAT 22:45 Parkinson: The Interviews (b01f7x12)
Series 1
Tommy Cooper and Frankie Howerd
Michael Parkinson introduces a recut of two interviews he did with Frankie Howerd during the Parkinson show series and a Christmas interview with Tommy Cooper.
Frankie Howerd wanted everything scripted, resulting in an unprompted and unrehearsed interview, whilst Tommy Cooper managed to run rings around a delighted Parkinson. Includes clips from Up Pompeii, The Main Attraction and The Bob Monkhouse Show.
SAT 23:20 Arena (b009w2yc)
Oooh, Er, Missus! The Frankie Howerd Story
Documentary about the life of Frankie Howerd, with help from friends and colleagues and including highlights from his TV and film career.
SAT 00:20 Talking Comedy (b05xgpnn)
Frankie Howerd
A look back at Frankie Howerd's appearances over the years on a selection of BBC talk shows.
SAT 00:50 To the Manor Born (b00787b0)
Series 2
The Honours List
Stately sitcom. Fearing that DeVere's plans to enlarge the fields will destroy the surrounding countryside, Audrey leads the local community's campaign to stop him.
SAT 01:20 To the Manor Born (b00787fd)
Series 2
Vive le Sport
Stately sitcom. Audrey puts her back out fetching in the firewood.
SAT 01:50 Rick Stein's Long Weekends (b07bpc4c)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SAT 02:50 Amazon with Bruce Parry (b00dlrc8)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2024
SUN 19:00 The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank (b01jv5nr)
Dan Cruickshank explores the mysteries and secrets of the bridges that have made London what it is. He uncovers stories of Bronze-Age relics emerging from the Vauxhall shore, of why London Bridge was falling down, of midnight corpses splashing beneath Waterloo Bridge, and above all, of the sublime ambition of London's bridge builders themselves.
SUN 20:00 The Classical Collection (m001gc7k)
Series 1
Daniel Barenboim
Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim is one of the legendary cultural forces of his generation, and has been a regular and familiar presence on BBC Television since the 1960s. In this programme, we revisit some of the standout moments of an extraordinary career, including performances with his first wife Jacqueline du Pré, intimate chamber music, solo recitals, masterclasses and epic orchestral concerts.
SUN 21:00 BBC Proms (b01llhwg)
2012
Beethoven's 9th Symphony
Daniel Barenboim's complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies reaches its climactic conclusion.
The ninth 'choral' symphony, with its passionate vision of human reconciliation, is performed at the Royal Albert Hall by the young musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and an international quartet of soloists - Anna Samuil, Waltraud Meier, Peter Seiffert and René Pape.
SUN 22:25 Daniel Barenboim: In His Own Words (m0012ttj)
A feature-length documentary in which legendary conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim speaks more candidly than he has ever done before about his life and music. Told entirely through interviews with the maestro, the film starts with his earliest musical experiences as a child piano prodigy in Buenos Aires, before following his meteoric rise to fame, including his encounters with other musical giants such as Nadia Boulanger and Arthur Rubinstein, who gave the 14-year-old Daniel his first vodka and cigar!
We also learn of Barenboim’s move to Israel when he was a teenager, where he lived a double life as a musical genius and an ordinary schoolboy. He then talks with unusual intimacy about his relationship with cellist Jacqueline du Pré and her long battle with multiple sclerosis. The film also charts Barenboim’s stellar career as an orchestral conductor, his move into opera and the founding of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Edward Said.
Simply told, through just his own words and a wealth of archive from over 70 years performing on the stage, this is the definitive account of an iconic musician.
SUN 23:40 Hemingway (m000xh55)
Series 1
Episode 1
Ernest Hemingway is considered to be one of the great American writers, with his work remaining influential around the world. This documentary series paints an intimate picture of Hemingway the writer, whilst also penetrating the myths surrounding him to reveal a deeply troubled, controversial and ultimately tragic figure.
The series combines a close study of the biographical events of the author’s life, with excerpts from his writings and the controversies in both his personal life and work. It features readings by actors including Jeff Daniels, Meryl Streep, Keri Russell and Patricia Clarkson alongside interviews with acclaimed writers and biographers including Edna O’Brien, Tobias Wolff, Abraham Verghese and Mary Dearborn.
In the first episode, Ernest Hemingway enjoys an idyllic childhood in Oak Park, Illinois. Yearning for adventure, he volunteers for the Red Cross during World War I. After the war, Hemingway marries Hadley Richardson, moves to Paris and begins his life as a writer.
SUN 00:30 Hemingway (p09lp18q)
Series 1
Episode 2
In Paris, Hemingway publishes In Our Time and The Sun Also Rises. He finds critical and commercial success with his second novel, A Farewell to Arms.
SUN 01:20 The Bridges That Built London with Dan Cruickshank (b01jv5nr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
SUN 02:20 The Classical Collection (m001gc7k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
MONDAY 25 MARCH 2024
MON 19:00 Indian Hill Railways (b00qvk99)
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
From the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south - for a hundred years these little trains have climbed through the clouds and into the wonderful world of Indian hill railways.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a line so close to the people that it flows like a river through their lives. The relationship between the train and the people is changing, however, as a new generation of Gurkhas populates these hills, demanding an independent state and fighting for a new identity as they journey into the modern Indian world.
MON 20:00 Write Around the World with Richard E. Grant (p09nlfbm)
Series 1
Episode 3
Book and travel lover Richard E. Grant journeys to Andalucia, visiting Granada, the Alpujarras, the Taja Gorge, Almuñécar and Marbella, in the footsteps of writers inspired by the country, its culture and history.
Reading key passages from their books as he goes along, including works by Federico García Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, Laurie Lee and JG Ballard, Richard not only learns about the lives of these great authors, but also experiences many of the places immortalised in the literary classics they created.
MON 21:00 Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed (m000s5xm)
In a world exclusive, Professor Alice Roberts follows a decade-long historical quest to reveal a hidden secret of the famous bluestones of Stonehenge.
Using cutting-edge research, a dedicated team of archaeologists led by Prof Mike Parker Pearson have painstakingly compiled the evidence to fill in a 400-year gap in our knowledge of the bluestones – and to show that the original stones of Britain’s most iconic monument had a previous life.
From the grand fantasy of medieval Merlin legends, to the chemical signatures in microscopic rock fragments, no stone is left unturned in the search for new evidence. By combining innovative 3D scanning techniques, traditional field archaeology and novel laboratory analysis, the team have discovered when and where the stones for Stonehenge were quarried and where they first stood.
Alice shows how the team discovered that the stones must have been quarried 400 years before they were first erected at Stonehenge. The team then focuses on trying to find out if the same stones had an earlier life.
Alice joins Mike as they put together the final pieces of the puzzle – not just revealing where the stones came from and how they were moved from Wales to England, but also solving one of the toughest challenges that archaeologists face.
Their revelations will rewrite the history of Stonehenge forever – this is the story of Stonehenge’s lost circle.
MON 22:00 Panorama (m001f0j7)
Mariupol: The People's Story
In a little under three months, residents of what was a thriving city witnessed the deaths of women and children in a maternity hospital and bodies left abandoned on the streets of Mariupol. Filmed and told by many of the citizens of Mariupol, this powerful documentary records the deaths of thousands and daring escapes, and is the story of their loss, bravery and determination.
MON 23:30 Paula Rego: Secrets and Stories (b08kz9qz)
A unique insight into the life and work of celebrated painter Paula Rego directed by her son, film-maker Nick Willing. Notoriously private and guarded, Rego opens up for the first time, surprising her son with secrets and stories of her unique life, battling fascism, a misogynistic art world and manic depression.
Born in Portugal, a country which her father told her was no good for women, Rego nevertheless used her powerful pictures as a weapon against the dictatorship before settling in London, where she continued to target women's issues such as abortion rights. But above all, her paintings are a cryptic glimpse into an intimate world of personal tragedy, perverse fantasies and awkward truths.
Nick Willing combines a huge archive of home movies and family photographs with interviews spanning 60 years and in-depth studies of Rego at work in her studio. What emerges is a powerful personal portrait of an artist whose legacy will survive the years, graphically illustrated in pastel, charcoal and oil paint.
MON 01:00 What Do Artists Do All Day? (m0005ws0)
Frank Bowling's Abstract World
Internationally renowned abstract artist Frank Bowling became the first black Royal Academician in 2005. Now 85 years old and the subject of a major retrospective at Tate Britain, Bowling talks to Brenda Emmanus about his long career. Featuring interviews with critics and fellow artists who discuss the significance of his work in the history of British art.
MON 01:30 Indian Hill Railways (b00qvk99)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
MON 02:30 Write Around the World with Richard E. Grant (p09nlfbm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
TUESDAY 26 MARCH 2024
TUE 19:00 Indian Hill Railways (b00qzzlm)
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway
From the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south - for a hundred years these little trains have climbed through the clouds and into the wonderful world of Indian Hill Railways.
The Nilgiri Mountain Railway is a romantic line, popular with honeymooners and driven by love and devotion as well as steam. It chugs through the south Indian jungle up to a hill station, once known as Snooty Ooty.
The current guard is Ivan. Married for twenty years, he is concerned about his friend Jenni, the ticket inspector, because he's still a bachelor - but Jenni has a secret.
In the engine shed, Shivani, the railway's first female diesel engineer, is working on a steam loco. She has to make it look its best, as in the year of filming, 1999, the railway celebrated its centenary. The high point is the Black Beauty competition to pick the best engine on the line, but rains and landslides threaten the proceedings and the tourist business. Will love win out in the end?
TUE 20:00 To the Manor Born (b00787k2)
Series 3
The New Scout Hut
Stately sitcom. Audrey upbraids Richard for not sponsoring a charity event in aid of a new scout hut.
TUE 20:30 To the Manor Born (p04bsv48)
Series 3
Station Closing
British Rail decides to close down the local station and Audrey goes into battle.
TUE 21:00 Timewatch (m001xqqn)
2000-2001
The Houdini Myth
Escapologist Harry Houdini was one of the icons of the early 20th century. Restored archive footage and interviews with historians and illusionists recall his extraordinary impact on audiences and reveal the secrets behind some of his most amazing escapes.
TUE 21:50 Space Dive (b01nts6t)
Base jumper Felix Baumgartner embarks on an historic journey to the edge of space. His mission is to complete the highest and fastest free-fall ever, becoming the first person to skydive through the sound barrier. But he can't do it alone. The man who has held the record for over 50 years, retired Colonel Joe Kittinger, will train Felix to overcome his fears and break the record he set as a test pilot taking one of mankind's first steps towards space.
TUE 23:20 How to See a Black Hole: The Universe's Greatest Mystery (m00042l4)
For two years BBC cameras have followed, Dr Sheperd Doeleman of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the work of the Event Horizon Telescope project team, a collective of the top scientific minds from around the world. The project combines radio observatories and telescope facilities from around the world to make up a virtual telescope with a diameter spanning the entire planet. This mega-telescope’s ultimate mission is to capture the first image ever of a black hole. Although the concept of black holes has been long assumed to be fact, the Event Horizon Telescope’s success would definitively prove the existence of this scientific phenomena for the first time – and provide clear visual evidence.
The programme brings viewers into the laboratories, behind the computer screens and beside the telescopes of what may prove to be one of the great astrophysical achievements in human history.
TUE 00:20 Arena (b009w2yc)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:20 on Saturday]
TUE 01:20 Indian Hill Railways (b00qzzlm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
TUE 02:20 Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed (m000s5xm)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
WEDNESDAY 27 MARCH 2024
WED 19:00 Indian Hill Railways (b00r5wk7)
The Kalka-Shimla Railway
From the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south - for a hundred years these little trains have climbed through the clouds and into the wonderful world of Indian hill railways.
Shimla was once the summer capital of the Raj. They built churches, schools, a town hall and the railway and left behind their symbols of empire and an ethos of duty, loyalty and ambition - but they also left a divided subcontinent.
Characters featured include Maqsood, a refugee and a porter from Kashmir, and John Whitmarsh-Knight, a teacher looking for a home. Sanjay the stationmaster is hoping for promotion, and his boss Bataljit is waiting for a transfer, but everybody is waiting for the snow.
WED 20:00 Himalaya with Michael Palin (b0074qpt)
Annapurna to Everest
Michael Palin continues his Himalayan trek. During a Gurkha recruitment Palin is disturbed by Maoist insurgents, but survives to suffer as he climbs to 15,000 feet and sees the majesty of Annapurna Sanctuary. In Kathmandu he is blessed by the Nepalese king before meeting some holy men. Crossing into Tibet he meets his first yaks at the highest monastery in the world before heading up the Rongbuk glacier towards the summit of Everest.
WED 21:00 Rise of the Nazis (p0d3fkdr)
The Downfall
Hitler's Birthday
At the end of March 1945, with the German army utterly depleted and his circle of trust rapidly shrinking, Hitler invites a group of Hitler Youth to the Reich Chancellery gardens to be congratulated. These are the people upon whom he now relies – children.
Nazi Germany is on the brink of collapse, and with Berlin under daily bombardment, Hitler has permanently retreated to his bunker, a series of 30 cramped rooms under the Reich Chancellery where night and day merge into one. As his life becomes increasingly bizarre, Hitler and Joseph Goebbels look for signs from German folklore that fate will intervene.
WED 22:00 Daphne (b007971t)
Drama charting the story of Daphne du Maurier's unrequited passion and showing how her inner struggles with her sexuality informed the writing of her compelling stories. It focuses on the most emotionally fraught yet creatively fertile period of the author's life: the years between the Rebecca trial and the writing of her short story The Birds.
WED 23:30 Daphne du Maurier Talks to Wilfred De'Ath (p00nw1z9)
First transmitted in 1971, Daphne du Maurier, author of Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, talks to writer Wilfred De'Ath about her life from her Cornish clifftop home. In her first television interview, the cameras follow du Maurier as she walks through her house and its grounds, recalling key events from her life and revealing memorabilia from her famous theatrical family. She also reflects on the inspirations and influences that shaped her writing and shares archived manuscripts of some of her famous works.
WED 00:20 Parkinson: The Interviews (b01f7x12)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:45 on Saturday]
WED 00:55 Timewatch (m001xqqn)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:45 Indian Hill Railways (b00r5wk7)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
WED 02:45 Rise of the Nazis (p0d3fkdr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
THURSDAY 28 MARCH 2024
THU 19:00 India's Hospital Train (b00jf4jq)
The story of a special train, the Lifeline Express. It is known as the Magic Train. With two state-of-the-art operating theatres, recovery rooms, offices and accommodation, each project requires a team of volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses to give their services for free. For four weeks, cameras follow the Mandsor project as operations are carried out on poor rural people while the train is standing in a station in the middle of India.
Dashrath is going deaf, Bharat can't walk and baby Shiva was born with a cleft lip. They cannot reach a hospital and they can't afford the operations. The operations change the lives of both patients and doctors. With compelling, dynamic and moving stories, the Magic Train opens a gateway to another India, where 21st-century medicine meets village India.
THU 20:00 Death on the Nile (b016r4hj)
Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit. The great Belgian detective Hercule Poirot cannot believe how many enemies beautiful American heiress Linnett Ridgeway has made. When she is murdered on her honeymoon cruise, Poirot has only one problem - everybody on board could have done it, and everybody had a reason for doing it.
THU 22:15 Parkinson (b0074q5h)
Peter Ustinov
In a selection of highlights from Sir Peter Ustinov's appearances on his show, Michael Parkinson looks back at a multitalented and multilingual writer, director, actor, raconteur, Oscar winner and tireless ambassador for Unicef. The interviews offer a poignant reminder of Ustinov's intelligence and ability to entertain.
THU 23:15 Evil Under the Sun (b013rlr3)
Investigating the theft of a diamond, Hercule Poirot finds himself in an exclusive Mediterranean island resort, surrounded by rich socialites. When a guest is found murdered on the beach, it falls to the eccentric Poirot to apply his methods and find the killer.
THU 01:05 Space Dive (b01nts6t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:50 on Tuesday]
THU 02:35 Himalaya with Michael Palin (b0074qpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 on Wednesday]
FRIDAY 29 MARCH 2024
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m001xqx3)
Louise Redknapp presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 16 November 1995 and featuring Happy Clappers, Sean Maguire, Coolio ft LV, Enya, Madonna, The Beautiful South, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Robson & Jerome.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m001xqx8)
Nicky Campbell presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 23 November 1995 and featuring M-People, Bon Jovi, Blur, Everything but the Girl, Boyzone, Passengers, Björk, Whale, Robson & Jerome and The Beatles.
FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (b08fsfy0)
Steve Wright and Richard Skinner present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 31 March 1983. Featuring New Order, The Style Council, Mari Wilson, U2, Kajagoogoo, Tracey Ullman and Duran Duran.
FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (b01rk27l)
Kid Jensen introduces the weekly pop chart programme featuring performances from Mud, Tina Charles, Richard Myhill, Suzi Quatro, Don Williams, Elvis Costello, Dan Hill, Andy Cameron, Kate Bush, Gerry Rafferty, Tavares and Bob Marley and the Wailers. Plus and Legs & Co.
FRI 21:00 Terry Hall at the BBC (m001xqxb)
When Terry Hall died in December 2022, at the age of 63, we lost one of British music’s most influential, unpredictable and adored singer-songwriters of recent times.
Here, take a trip into the BBC’s archives to look back on Terry’s extraordinary, genre-hopping career - from his early, decade-defining days as front man with The Specials, to Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield and his acclaimed solo career.
Along the way, there were also multiple collaborations, ranging from Mark Ronson to Bananarama, the best of which are captured here in performances of hits including Gangsters, Thinking of You, Sense and Our Lips Are Sealed from shows like Top of the Pops, Whistle Test, Live in Session for BBC 6 Music, Glastonbury, the pioneering Oxford Road Show – and even some Cheggers Plays Pop.
What shines through in these performances is Terry’s love of all kinds of music and his desire to never stand still and always try something different.
FRI 22:00 Rock Goes to College (b00yk22l)
The Specials
The student-taunting Specials perform at the Colchester Institute in 1979, playing hits such as Rat Race, Too Much Too Young and Gangsters, throwing tambourines at the bouncers and indulging in a little moon-stomping during a stage invasion.
FRI 22:45 Arena (m001xqxf)
Rudies Come Back: The Rise and Rise of 2 Tone
In this Arena film from 1980, Adrian Thrills investigates 2 Tone, an exhilarating new musical blend that was taking the country by storm.
Originating in Coventry in 1979, 2 Tone derived its name and identity from black and white musicians coming together to create a unique fusion of reggae, rock, soul, ska, blue beat and punk.
FRI 23:20 The Specials Live in Session for 6 Music (p09x7rmj)
The Specials started making music in the late 1970s and pioneered the 2 Tone movement. They are live in session for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music.
FRI 23:55 2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry (m00105h9)
Using music, archive and new interviews, this is the story of 2 Tone – a unique musical phenomenon that exploded out of Coventry in the summer of 1979. 2 Tone not only dominated the charts and got the nation dancing to a ska beat, it played a vital part in the movement against racism in Britain and beyond. Including a rare interview with Jerry Dammers, the architect of 2 Tone, and contributions from other key players, the film explores the music style and ethos of the genre and charts the remarkable story of how this independent ‘do it yourself’ record label from Coventry went on to have a global impact and a unique place in popular music.
FRI 00:55 Later... with Jools Holland (m001xrvn)
Reggae and Ska
Jools presents a look back at archive treats from the stars of reggae and ska music, including reggae greats such as Gregory Isaacs in 1995 and Jimmy Cliff in 2008, and some of the joyous performances from the Annual Hootenanny, with the likes of Desmond Dekker and his big hit ‘Israelites’ to Dawn Penn and Lee Thompson, and not forgetting the inimitable Amy Winehouse, who shared her love for the genre with a rendition of a Toots and the Maytals song.
Plus a look back at some of the biggest ska bands to have performed on the show, such as The Specials and Madness, along with the new stars of the reggae scene like Chronixx and Grammy award-winning Koffee, who performed for the show during lockdown from the world-famous Tuff Gong Studios in Kingston, Jamaica.
FRI 01:55 Top of the Pops (b08fsfy0)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRI 02:25 Top of the Pops (b01rk27l)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:30 today]
FRI 02:55 Terry Hall at the BBC (m001xqxb)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]