SATURDAY 18 MAY 2024
SAT 19:00 Wild (b0078zwm)
2005-06 Shorts
Eider Duck Island
Each year the eider ducklings of Inner Farne undertake a great trek across the island. On their way they pass puffins being mugged by black-headed gulls and terns brooding their fluffy chicks. The eider families gather together in crèches for safety as the predatory gulls wheel overhead. But will they reach their ultimate and rather unlikely destination? Narrated by Simon King.
SAT 19:10 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qsc2h)
Episode 2
Simon King, wildlife cameraman and Springwatch presenter, sets off on an adventure to the Shetland Islands to live there with his family through the changing seasons. Simon has travelled the world for 30 years, but his boyhood dream was always to visit Shetland. And now he has the chance to try to capture some of the remarkable wildlife and experience the beauty and the wild weather of Britain's most northerly isles.
Spring arrives in Shetland, bringing with it an influx of wildlife from all over the world. Simon dives in the sea and discovers starfish, dead man's fingers and moon jellyfish. He also gets very close to a seal.
Simon follows the heartrending struggle at a wildlife sanctuary to teach Kirikoo, an injured baby otter, to use her back legs.
And with a little help and hindrance from his two-year-old daughter Savannah, he sets up a hide and gives her a lesson in birdwatching.
SAT 20:10 Betjeman and Me: Rick Stein's Story (b00792l4)
Chef Rick Stein celebrates John Betjeman's long love affair with the English seaside holiday and his deep affection for Cornwall. He travels around the area, speaking to people who remember the poet's visits, including Cliff Snell, who founded the Betjeman Centre. The programme culminates in a seafood feast cooked by Rick for guests including Betjeman's daughter Candida.
SAT 21:00 Spy/Master (m001xgdv)
Series 1
The Bomb Maker
After learning of Ileana’s interrogation back home, Victor demands the Americans get a message to her and leverages Ingrid’s intel about an imminent bomb attack in Bonn.
SAT 21:45 Spy/Master (m001xgdz)
Series 1
The Trojan Horse
Though Victor’s intel proves useful, the German police and CIA are left scrambling when a second target emerges. Amid the chaos, Victor and Frank attempt to neutralise the attackers, and make a last-ditch effort for Victor’s escape to America.
SAT 22:30 Ian Rankin's Hidden Edinburgh (b007vbm9)
Edinburgh is often described as the 'Athens of the North' but its most famous detective Inspector Rebus views Scotland's capital in quite a different light - it is a crime scene waiting to happen.
As his creator Ian Rankin prepares to write the last ever Rebus case, the award-winning author re-visits the key locations from the books. From the city's 'pubic triangle' and the home of Scotland's most infamous madam to a police station where he was interviewed about a real murder, Rankin explores the hidden Edinburgh into which tourists never venture.
SAT 23:30 Ian Rankin's Criminal Records (m001zj0w)
A profile of crime writer Ian Rankin, following him as he researches his latest book. From sources in pubs frequented by off-duty policemen, to lawyers with the background on cases that never reach the papers, to cuttings on unsolved murders, we see how Rankin goes about piecing together his stories.
SAT 00:00 To the Manor Born (b0078986)
Series 3
Back to the Manor
Stately sitcom. Audrey's hopes of regaining her position as lady of the manor look like being dashed when Richard's business crisis forces him to sell up.
SAT 00:30 No Place Like Home (p0hl32k3)
Series 1
Episode 5
Arthur arranges alternative accommodation for his sons but his plans misfire and he finds himself left out in the cold.
SAT 01:00 Hancock's Half Hour (p032kj08)
The Reunion Party
Hancock decides to hold a reunion for all his old wartime pals - but times change and so do people, much to Hancock’s annoyance.
SAT 01:30 Hancock's Half Hour (p032kj0s)
The Bowmans
Hancock has a part on a long-running radio show but his behaviour is causing alarm and his character is killed off. Listeners demand his return and the producer has an idea.
SAT 02:00 Hancock's Half Hour (p032khzm)
Twelve Angry Men
Hancock and Sid are members of a jury and Hancock alone thinks the suspect is innocent. Sid changes his mind at the thought of cash, and the jury ends up in the dock.
SAT 02:30 Hancock's Half Hour (p032kj0z)
The Blood Donor
Hancock decides to donate some blood but is aghast to find out how much he has to give. When he discovers he has a rare blood type he resolves to find out where it will end up.
SAT 02:55 Simon King's Shetland Adventure (b00qsc2h)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:10 today]
SUNDAY 19 MAY 2024
SUN 19:00 The Queen's Realm (m001ll1f)
England
An aerial anthology of film, poetry and music with commentary by Sir John Betjeman. A look from the air at England through the seasons of the year. From the cliffs of Cornwall to the Fame Islands, from Castle Howard to Harlow New Town - this is a land of wild uplands and tamed suburbia, of rural solitude and seaside holiday camps, of industrial chimneys and landscaped gardens, of Roman walls, Georgian canals, steam engines and motorways.
For his commentary, Sir John Betjeman has chosen verse from the English poets, ranging from Shakespeare to Philip Larkin.
SUN 19:55 Reputations (m001zj85)
John Betjeman: The Last Laugh
Intimate portrait of Sir John Betjeman, the UK's poet laureate from 1972 until his death in 1984 and one of the most popular English poets of the 20th century.
Betjeman's life was full of contrasts. He entertained the world with his warmth and enthusiasm, but, inwardly, he was haunted by fear, religious doubt, remorse and guilt.
Highlighting his achievements as a conservationist and broadcaster, the film features contributions from the Prince of Wales and Lord Snowdon.
SUN 21:00 Late Flowering Lust (m001zj87)
Nigel Hawthorne stars in this lyrical comedy-drama, inspired by some of John Betjeman's poems. It combines Jim Parker's music, played by the Nash Ensemble, and dance, by members of Adventures in Motion Pictures, as well as the words of Betjeman, spoken by the poet himself.
Cousin John, an amiable elderly gentleman, visits a country house one weekend. His fellow guests are an energetic group of young people, leaving Cousin John on the fringes of the activity, watching wistfully.
SUN 21:55 Monitor (b00drs8w)
Larkin and Betjeman: Down Cemetery Road
Philip Larkin talks to John Betjeman in 1964 about his life, his poetry and the city of Hull, where he lived and worked as university librarian.
SUN 22:15 Metroland (b00cyyqw)
An exploration of the English rural idyll with John Betjeman's 1973 meditation on the residential suburbs which grew up alongside the Metropolitan Line, the first steam underground in the world.
SUN 23:05 Bird's Eye View (p013ypx0)
The Englishman's Home
A helicopter trip over some of Britain's extraordinary houses provides us with a glimpse into the country's deep history. From Iron Age forts to gentrified seaside pavilions, this travelogue reveals Britain's changing face through time. Written and narrated by poet Sir John Betjeman.
SUN 00:00 A Passion for Churches (p022ktzy)
Sir John Betjeman, poet laureate, visits and explains the architecture of various churches in the Diocese of Norwich.
Among the churches he visits are Sandringham church on the Queen's private estate, the Holy House of Our Lady of Walsingham and Norwich Cathedral.
SUN 00:50 The Secret History of Writing (m000n18t)
Series 1
Words on a Page
In 1448, in Mainz, Germany, a goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg was experimenting with a lead alloy and a hand-held mould. His aim was to speed up the process of putting ink on paper. But what he did was speed up history. Gutenberg’s printing press spelled the end of the Middle Ages and ushered in the modern world of science and industry. Every innovation since has been built on this foundation.
Yet behind Gutenberg’s invention lay centuries of development and change in the way words were written, without which he could never have succeeded. In this film, presenter Lydia Wilson and calligrapher Brody Neuenschwander set out to explore history’s most important technology - the technology of putting words on a page.
Writing itself is 5,000 years old, and for most of that time words were written by hand using a variety of tools. As a calligrapher, Brody can still use those tools in a form of experimental historical research. The insights gained in this way reveal how the changing methods people used to create written texts helped to change the course of history.
Arguably, the history of writing begins in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians created the world’s first nation state, and they ran it with the help of one of the very earliest writing systems: hieroglyphs. Today, hieroglyphs can still be read in monumental inscriptions carved in stone. But, the Egyptians also had a portable, everyday medium on which to write: papyrus.
Papyrus is a type of sedge that grows all along the banks of the Nile. Readily available and easily harvested, this unassuming plant was turned by the Egyptians into one of the foundations of civilisation: the papyrus scroll. And as civilisation spread from Egypt across the Mediterranean world, so did papyrus. The Romans were able to run an empire thanks to documents written on papyrus, and when they conquered Egypt in 30 BC, one of the biggest prizes of conquest was domination of the Mediterranean papyrus trade.
Brody’s experiments with a reed pen and a papyrus scroll reveal just what an efficient combination they are for the rapid production of written text. That meant that scroll books could be made quite cheaply, and Roman bookshops could sell one for as little as one denarius, a soldier’s daily wage. As a result, ancient Rome had a thriving literary culture.
But, by the end of the third century, Rome’s control over the Mediterranean had begun to slip. Papyrus became more and more difficult to obtain, and Roman book production plummeted. Europeans were forced to turn to a much more expensive surface on which to write: parchment. From being a relatively affordable and available commodity, books would become rare and costly. The fall of the Roman Empire and the onset of the European Middle Ages coincides with this shift from papyrus to parchment.
Medieval handwritten books, with their sumptuous illuminations, represent a pinnacle of medieval art, but since a large book could cost as much as a house, they also represent a limitation on literacy and scholarship.
No such limitations were felt in China, where paper had been invented in the second century. Paper was the foundation of Chinese culture and power, and for centuries how to make it was kept secret. But, in 751 AD, the westward expansion of the Tang Dynasty was checked by Arab forces at the River Talas. It was a defeat which ensured that, to this day, central Asia would be part of the Muslim world. And in the captured baggage train of the Chinese army there were paper-makers. The secret was out, and paper mills soon sprang up across central Asia.
The result was an intellectual flourishing known as the Islamic Golden Age. Muslim scholars made discoveries in biology, geology, astronomy and especially mathematics. By contrast, Europe was an intellectual backwater.
That changed with Gutenberg’s development of movable type printing. The secret of Gutenberg’s printing press was his ability to mass-produce multiple copies in metal of each individual letter. And in this he had a hidden advantage: the letters of the Latin alphabet are very simple block-like shapes, which made it relatively simple to turn them into type pieces.
On the other hand, when printers tried to use movable type to print Arabic texts, they found themselves hampered by the cursive nature of Arabic writing, where the letters of a word often join together to form one single flowing shape. It was more than two hundred years before the first Arabic print shop was established in the Muslim world, in 1727 in Istanbul.
The success of movable type printing in Europe led to a thousand-fold increase in the availability of information, an explosion of ideas that led directly to the European Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution that followed. That these developments began in Europe is one of the most important facts that shapes the world we live in today, and it is down in part to the simple accident of the shape of the Latin alphabet.
SUN 01:50 Betjeman and Me: Rick Stein's Story (b00792l4)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:40 Reputations (m001zj85)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:55 today]
MONDAY 20 MAY 2024
MON 19:00 Wild (b00796w0)
2006-07 Shorts
Dancing Cranes of Sweden
Wildlife documentary. Each year in the heart of southern Sweden, a special lake hosts a natural spectacle. It's a stop-off point for more than 10,000 cranes migrating northwards. The sight of these huge birds milling around on the icy banks of the lake is a remarkable sight in itself, but the best is yet to come. As the spring sunshine melts the snow and ice, the cranes start to dance. Once seen, the dance of the cranes is never forgotten.
MON 19:10 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w7fr)
Series 13
Deal to Margate
From the Kent Cinque Port of Deal, Michael heads to the splendid Walmer Castle, home during the 1920s to a Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Beauchamp. Michael’s guide, the founder of the LGBTQ working group for English Heritage, tells Michael of the lavish homosexual parties Lord Beauchamp held at the castle and how his openly hedonistic lifestyle, at a time when homosexuality was illegal, resulted in his exile from the country.
Tracking the east Kent coast, Michael reaches the Royal Harbour of Ramsgate, where he remembers the courage of the little ships that evacuated men from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. Michael goes deep underground to see where the town’s residents sheltered from enemy bombs in a two-and-a-half mile long disused railway tunnel, some for up to five years.
Next stop is Margate, 'an exuberant resort' according to Bradshaw’s and the holiday destination of choice for Londoners drawn by the town’s pioneering amusement park, Dreamland. Michael helps to get the scenic railway in shape for the season.
On the seafront, Michael discovers that Margate was the choice for an American-born author’s convalescence from illness during the interwar years. TS Eliot found inspiration here for his poem The Wasteland.
MON 19:40 Yorkshire Walks (m000brvk)
Series 1
Bolton Abbey to Simon's Seat
The Bolton Abbey Estate provides the picturesque location for this Yorkshire Walk. Beginning at Bolton Priory, and armed with her handheld 360-degree selfie-style camera, artist Shanaz Gulzar meanders along the banks of the treacle-coloured River Wharfe before climbing up through the Valley of Desolation. She later heads onwards over moorland to Simon’s Seat and its breathtaking views across Wharfedale, Nidderdale and beyond.
Meeting fellow walkers along the way, Shanaz finds inspirational spots to sketch and recite poetry, while discovering Yorkshire’s hidden woodlands and waterfall.
MON 20:10 The Abbey with Alan Bennett (m001zhxx)
Series 1
A Mirror of England
Alan Bennett watches the main daily service of Evensong and reflects on his boyhood religion.
MON 21:00 Mysterious Origins of Insects (m001zhxz)
Insects are vital to life on our planet, yet almost 40 per cent of known species are in danger of extinction. This film explores the eye-opening realm of these creatures to better understand how they evolved.
Travelling from the rain forests of French Guiana to the Arctic Ocean, scientists are using traditional and cutting-edge techniques to examine both modern insects and the fossil record in their search for a single, common insect ancestor.
MON 22:00 Civilisation (b0074r5v)
The Smile of Reason
Kenneth Clark looks at the beginnings of revolutionary politics in the 18th century.
His theme takes him from great palaces like Blenheim and Versailles, to Edinburgh, and to the hills of Virginia where Thomas Jefferson made his home in the 1760s.
MON 22:50 Civilisation (b0074r6m)
The Worship of Nature
Kenneth Clark examines a new force - the belief in the divinity of nature. This takes him to Tintern Abbey and the Lake District of Wordsworth, to the Swiss Alps and the ideas of Rousseau, and to the landscapes of Turner and Constable.
MON 23:40 Ian Rankin's Hidden Edinburgh (b007vbm9)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:30 on Saturday]
MON 00:40 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w7fr)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:10 today]
MON 01:10 Yorkshire Walks (m000brvk)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:40 today]
MON 01:40 The Abbey with Alan Bennett (m001zhxx)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:10 today]
MON 02:30 Mysterious Origins of Insects (m001zhxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
TUESDAY 21 MAY 2024
TUE 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w773)
Series 13
Herne Bay to Leeds Castle, Kent
Armed with his interwar copy of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways, Michael reaches the Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay, where he learns about a pioneering aviatrix who began her working life as a typist in Hull but whose epic achievements made her an international celebrity.
Michael takes the train five miles west along the coast before heading offshore into the entrance to the Thames Estuary. He is amazed by seven enormous steel sea forts, which loom out of the water 90 feet above the seabed. The engineering involved in constructing these impressive structures is awe-inspiring, as is their role in protecting the nation from enemy bombing during the Second World War.
In the seaside town of Whitstable, Michael tucks into its famous staple, oysters. He then crosses the North Downs to Lenham, from which he visits Leeds Castle, the 'loveliest castle in the world' and home between the wars to the visionary Lady Olive Bailey.
TUE 19:30 War Walks (b0074m7q)
Series 1
Waterloo
Wellington's victory against Napoleon in 1815 ended the most powerful European empire since the Romans. Professor Holmes visits the farms and fields where history hung in the balance.
TUE 20:00 Yes, Prime Minister (b0074s2b)
Series 2
Power to the People
Classic political sitcom. Jim Hacker meets a local councillor who has radical ideas about local government. The PM likes what he hears, unlike Sir Humphrey.
TUE 20:30 No Place Like Home (p0hl33l9)
Series 1
Episode 6
Now all the family have decided to leave again, Arthur and Beryl can enjoy a second honeymoon - but their return home is full of surprises.
TUE 21:00 Florence Nightingale (b00c0nqz)
Drama about the life of Florence Nightingale, based largely on her own words, which tells the true and unexpected story behind this most unusual woman - adored by the masses, hated by the few and credited by historians as the brilliant birth-mother of modern nursing.
Bringing to life the story of Florence Nightingale's spiritual and emotional revolution after the Crimean War - a moment of crisis, doubt and failure that ultimately inspired her career in medicine - the film features a raucous music hall troupe, who dip in and out of the action with songs in the style of the times.
Bent on vengeance, Florence badgers the authorities into allowing her to investigate the ineptitude of the military commanders through a Royal Commission. This ultimately leads to despair, however, and forces Florence to withdraw from even her closest family following a complete breakdown and a massive crisis of faith.
TUE 22:00 Storyville (m001zhyk)
The Gullspång Miracle: A Nordic Mystery
When two sisters buy an apartment in the small Swedish town of Gullspång, they experience their own divine premonition. To their surprise, the seller is identical to their older sister who died by suicide 30 years earlier. What begins as an eerie story of family reunification soon becomes a Pandora's Box, as all three women's lives spiral out of control. A real-life Nordic mystery, the film takes the audience on a wild ride of unbelievable twists and turns.
TUE 23:50 Mission: Joy – With Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama (m0014rhk)
Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Mission: Joy gives unprecedented access to the friendship between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the late Archbishop Tutu. The self-described ‘mischievous brothers’ were filmed over five days by an award-winning team who captured a relationship built on truth, honesty and, most importantly, joy.
The film goes behind the scenes at the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala, where Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama recount stories from their lives, both having lived through periods of incredible difficulty.
With genuine affection, mutual respect and a healthy dose of teasing, the two friends impart lessons gleaned from experience, ancient traditions and cutting-edge science to show that it is possible to live with joy in the face of all of life’s challenges, from the extraordinary to the mundane. Mission: Joy is an antidote for our times.
TUE 01:10 Great British Railway Journeys (m000w773)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
TUE 01:40 War Walks (b0074m7q)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
TUE 02:10 Civilisation (b0074r5v)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:00 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 Civilisation (b0074r6m)
[Repeat of broadcast at
22:50 on Monday]
WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 2024
WED 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000wgxd)
Series 13
Chislehurst to Kennington
Michael continues his journeys in greater London. Beginning on its southeastern fringe in the leafy and historic village of Chislehurst, Michael finds surprising imperial connections and a dark labyrinth beneath. Michael discovers that during the years between the wars, a mushroom farm thrived in the 22 miles of man-made passages and tunnels. Once war broke out, however, he finds that the caves became one of the largest public air raid shelters in the land, offering refuge to up to 15,000 people.
Next stop is Eltham, boyhood haunt of Henry VIII, who grew up in its grand royal palace. Michael investigates how, in the early 1930s, a wealthy couple rescued it from dereliction and created their own 'grand design' of the day. Stephen and Virginia Courtauld restored the magnificent great hall and added a vast new mansion, which embraced the art deco style and mod cons of the period. Michael marvels at the opulent design and the glamorous cocktail parties hosted by the pair.
Heading into the heart of London, Michael stops in Peckham, where he is keen to find out about the founder of Britain’s first civil rights movement, Jamaican-born doctor Harold Moody. At Theatre Peckham, Michael joins a cultural historian and campaigner and an artist to explore Dr Moody’s landmark fight against racial discrimination.
After a meat pie and eels with liquor at a Peckham pie and mash shop help to keep body and soul together, Michael takes the tube to Kennington to investigate the south London roots of a child born into poverty who became, after the First World War, the most famous man in the world. At the former grim Victorian workhouse that now houses the Cinema Museum, Michael discovers that Charlie Chaplin was once a resident. Michael learns about his extraordinary life and films, including his most enduring role as the Tramp.
WED 19:30 War Walks (b0074m8k)
Series 1
Arras
Twelve journeys through six centuries of warfare in the company of Professor Richard Holmes.
In May 1940 the Germans staged a lightning invasion of Belgium and France in a new kind of armoured warfare called blitzkrieg. Richard Holmes traces their route to the French city of Arras, where a small British force launched a counterattack that gave the allies vital breathing space.
WED 20:00 Full Circle with Michael Palin (p00xb81f)
Japan and Korea
Michael Palin undertakes a 50,000-mile journey around the Pacific Rim through 18 countries. On arriving in Japan, he tracks down Japan's most loyal Monty Python fan, visits a reproduction Dutch village, and stands on the site of the epicentre of the Nagasaki atom bomb. In South Korea, however, he faces obstacles to his trip and must find an alternative route to China.
WED 20:50 Michael Palin: The Art of Travel (m001k9mf)
Series 1
LNER
Michael Palin takes his golf clubs to St Andrews on a journey up the 'drier side of Britain', where the London North Eastern Railway's publicity department of the 1920s and 1930s promoted an industrial service alongside more familiar holiday resorts and the glamour of fast trains.
WED 21:00 John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely (b01gybpn)
Michael Palin, Clive Dunn and Ian Lavender are among those who contribute to this candid portrait of actor John Le Mesurier, from his turbulent marriage to Hattie Jacques to his life-changing role as Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army.
WED 22:00 Play For Today (p032kjfk)
Series 2
Traitor
A Foreign Office defector in Moscow is interviewed by hostile journalists, in Dennis Potter’s play. Starring John Le Mesurier and Jack Hedley.
WED 23:00 Ian Rankin Investigates: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (b007qyzv)
Crime writer Ian Rankin investigates The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Starting with Robert Louis Stevenson's nightmare in September 1885, Rankin traces the roots of this story, which stretches back to Stevenson's childhood. Grave-robbers, hallucinatory drugs and prostitution all play their part in the disturbing account of Henry Jekyll's double-life, as Rankin's journey takes him into the yeasty draughts and unlit closes of the city that inspired the tale - Edinburgh.
WED 00:00 Ian Rankin's Criminal Records (m001zj0w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
23:30 on Saturday]
WED 00:30 Mysterious Origins of Insects (m001zhxz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Monday]
WED 01:30 Great British Railway Journeys (m000wgxd)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
WED 02:00 War Walks (b0074m8k)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
WED 02:30 Florence Nightingale (b00c0nqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THURSDAY 23 MAY 2024
THU 19:00 Great British Railway Journeys (m000wgss)
Series 13
Hackney Wick to Oxford Circus
Michael continues his travels through the capital in the heart of London’s East End. Michael explores Hackney Wick, today transformed from the time of his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide, when factories belched smoke and the Communist Party of Great Britain launched The Daily Worker. Michael hears about the newspaper’s origins and aims from the editor of its modern incarnation, The Morning Star.
A bout in the ring at Repton Boxing Club has Michael floating like a butterfly - if not stinging like a bee - as he discovers one of Britain’s greatest fighters, Ted 'Kid' Lewis. Michael is captivated by the story of the Jewish refugee from the Russian pogroms, who twice became welterweight champion of the world.
A night at one of the earliest railway hotels, the Great Northern, sets the scene for Michael to explore the railway revolution of the interwar years, when around 150 companies were rationalised into the 'big four', heralding a golden age of glamour, speed and style.
In the West End, Michael hunts down London’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant, Veeraswamy, to hear how it was established after its owner found success at the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. Under the watchful eye of the restaurant’s master chef, Michael learns how to make chapatis.
THU 19:30 War Walks (b0074m8w)
Series 1
Goodwood
Military historian Richard Holmes follows in the tracks of the tanks of the British armoured break-out from the Normandy bridgehead in 1944.
THU 20:00 A House Through Time (m000zqtp)
Series 4
Episode 2
Digging into the affairs of the house’s next resident, Benjamin Wild, David discovers a factory owner with a history of questionable business dealings, including an employee mangled to death on the factory floor. But when his business is burned down, allegedly by a disgruntled employee, will Wild’s luck finally run out?
David then explores the story of Mary and Andrew Mellish, whose one-year-old child fell victim to one of the Victorian city’s most deadly diseases.
Next in our house are William and Mary Lucy Whiting. Committed pacifists, the Whitings take a stand against the Boer War, but with nationalistic fervour running high, their principles come at a cost.
Finally, David uncovers the story of Edward Partridge Fearnley. Working on a luxury cruise ship through the 1920s, Edward rubs shoulders with the rich and famous, but his life below decks proves anything but glamorous when there’s an outbreak of tuberculosis.
THU 21:00 El Cid (b0077tfh)
The epic story of the 11th-century Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid. Involved in a tempestuous marriage to the beautiful Chimene, Rodrigo plots against various royal factions to gain power after the death of King Ferdinand, but his greatest campaign is to rid Spain of its Moorish invaders. He drives the Moors to their last outpost - Valencia - for a tumultuous and decisive battle.
THU 23:50 Talking Pictures (b039j4xl)
Charlton Heston
A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Oscar winning Hollywood actor Charlton Heston, capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career.
Narrated by Sylvia Syms.
THU 00:35 Great British Railway Journeys (m000wgss)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:00 today]
THU 01:05 War Walks (b0074m8w)
[Repeat of broadcast at
19:30 today]
THU 01:35 Florence Nightingale (b00c0nqz)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 on Tuesday]
THU 02:35 A House Through Time (m000zqtp)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRIDAY 24 MAY 2024
FRI 19:00 Top of the Pops (m001zj09)
Justine Frischmann presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 15 February 1996 and featuring Ocean Colour Scene, Alcatraz, Luniz, Diana Ross, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Supergrass, Mariah Carey, Sting and Babylon Zoo.
FRI 19:30 Top of the Pops (m001zj0c)
Lisa I'Anson presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 22 February 1996 and featuring Technohead, Robert Miles, Björk, Lighthouse Family, 3T, Blur, Oasis and Babylon Zoo.
FRI 20:00 Top of the Pops (m0007zd3)
Steve Wright and Mark Goodier present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 26 May 1988 and featuring Debbie Gibson, LA Mix, Ofra Haza, Climie Fisher, Aswad, The Style Council, Hothouse Flowers, Mica Paris, Scritti Politti, Wet Wet Wet and Heart.
FRI 20:30 Top of the Pops (b01skwnt)
Tony Blackburn introduces the weekly pop charts featuring performances from Blondie, Heatwave, Tavares, Black Sabbath, Ian Dury and the Blockheads, Sham 69, Boney M and Cilla Black and dance troupe Legs & Co.
FRI 21:00 Top of the Pops (b0955wql)
John Peel and Tommy Vance present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 12 July 1984. Featuring Shakatak, Tina Turner, Alison Moyet, Phil Fearon and Galaxy, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Bluebells and Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
FRI 21:30 Top of the Pops (b09dx48t)
Peter Powell and Janice Long present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 29 November 1984. Featuring Nik Kershaw, The Eurythmics, Slade, Tina Turner, Kool & The Gang, Madonna, Alvin Stardust and Jim Diamond.
FRI 22:10 Tina Turner at the BBC (m000wvxb)
A collection of performances from one of the greatest singers and live performers in modern music - the legendary Tina Turner. This selection of tracks comes from appearances Tina made on various BBC programmes over the years, featuring some of her biggest hits from the 1970s, 80s and 90s.
FRI 23:10 When Tina Turner Came to Britain (m001gnqq)
Using previously unheard interviews and told in her own words, When Tina Turner Came to Britain is the story of Tina Turner’s 50-year relationship with the UK, also featuring interviews with British musicians and fans who shared her journey.
From her first visit alongside Ike Turner, supporting the Rolling Stones in 1966, to her legendary 1983 comeback performance on C4’s The Tube and working with Heaven 17, Tina has always had a soft spot for the UK. With powerful and revealing testimony from the likes of Martyn Ware, Glenn Gregory, PP Arnold, Arlene Phillips and Skin, this one-hour documentary charts Tina’s incredible journey, overcoming challenge after challenge to become the undisputed queen of rock with a little help from her many British friends.
FRI 00:10 Tina Turner: Simply the Best (b0bt4c3p)
Tina Turner gives an exclusive, in-depth interview to BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz, discussing the highs and lows of her extraordinary career and bringing her well-documented life story up to date. In a wide-ranging conversation, Tina talks about the tragedy of her eldest son's recent suicide, how an unexpected stroke affected the early days of her second marriage, and how her life was saved when her husband became her kidney donor. She also discusses the musical collaborations that saw her become one of the icons of the 1980s, and the abusive relationship with former husband Ike Turner that first set her on the road to stardom but also nearly destroyed her.
FRI 00:55 The 80s - Music’s Greatest Decade? (m0011gkf)
Series 1
Alternative Voices
The 1980s was a time when artists in both the UK and US were delivering powerful social commentary in their songs. Dylan Jones selects some of the finest alternative voices from this era.
From The Cure on Top of the Pops at the beginning of the decade to The Stone Roses' debut TV performance in 1989, this episode takes a comprehensive look at the alternative music of an entire era. It also features powerful live performances from Billy Bragg, Tracy Chapman, Bronski Beat and The Selecter. In addition, there are archival gems from Pixies, The Smiths, Suzanne Vega, The Fall, REM and many more.
FRI 01:55 Top of the Pops (m0007zd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at
20:00 today]
FRI 02:25 Top of the Pops (b0955wql)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:00 today]
FRI 02:55 Top of the Pops (b09dx48t)
[Repeat of broadcast at
21:30 today]