BBC four

This documentary by acclaimed director Vanessa Engle tells the extraordinary story of a strange cult, which came to light in 2013 when a sensational news story broke about three women emerging from a small flat in Brixton in south London after decades in captivity. Tracing the group back to its roots in the 1970s, the film describes how its leader Aravindan Balakrishnan, a student of Indian origin

Investigating the use of modern medical technology to scan Egyptian animal mummies from museums across the world. By creating 3D images of their content, experts are discovering the truth about the strange role animals played in ancient Egyptian belief. This episode of Horizon also meets the scientists working in Egypt who are exploring the ancient underground catacombs where mummies were original

It was the officials of the palace, a sort of privy council, who helped the pharaoh to govern. They controlled the revenue of the land, the growing of food and the raising of herds. Many were practical experts who supervised the building of irrigation canals and the construction of temples, tombs and pyramids. Introduced by Cyril Aldred from the Tutankhamun Exhibition at the British Museum.

Hieroglyphs are among the most easily recognisable features of ancient Egyptian culture. With their eyes, hands, animal figures and so on, they are probably the most beautiful form of writing ever invented. But most of the time, the ancient Egyptian scribes put their hieroglyphs and other scripts derived from them to very businesslike purposes. On their papyrus writing paper, they amassed a formid

The ancient Egyptians did not have any science in the modern sense. Though they had some knowledge of mathematics and chemistry, their technical talents really lay in building on an enormous scale. Some of their achievements in this field would still pose problems for us even today, and sometimes we still do not know quite how they went about things. But we do know how they carved out the great ob

Chris Beardshaw visits inspirational gardens by helicopter. A look at fine examples of vertical gardening found in the castles and villages of the Cotswolds, plus climbing plants.

The beginning of 1642 has seen John Pym spurn the King's attempt to bring him onside with a job offer and now Charles's options are running short. He has just one chance left: arrest Pym and his colleagues. On Monday 3 January, Charles strikes, accusing the "Five Members" of high treason. The Commons prevaricate. Pym hopes that Charles will throw caution to the wind and resort to violence. Pressur

Tim Dunn visits the Ffestiniog in Wales, originally built to transport slate to the coast.

Chris Beardshaw follows in the footsteps of the Scottish adventurers who travelled the globe and risked their lives to bring back plants that are now taken for granted.

Michael Palin continues his Himalayan trek by travelling from K2 in Pakistan to Ladakh in India – a short distance as the crow flies but, due to politics, a huge loop. He passes through the Sikh city of Amritsar, with its Golden Temple, and through Shimla, with its Vice Regal Lodge, Gaiety Theatre and cosy half-timbered teahouses. He then meets the fourteenth Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, where the Ti

A film from 1971 about writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon and the countryside where he grew up.

From 2001, the centenary year of his birth, this is the story of Scottish novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon's exile from his home town of Arbuthnott. Various contributors talk about his life and works.

Actor Vivien Heilbron and director Moira Armstrong look back on the 1971 BBC Scotland drama Sunset Song, based on Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic novel. Together, the friends discuss how their collaboration worked and the pressures of filming nude scenes, arguing over accents and working with animals. The pair also consider why Sunset Song was such a significant production and the legacy it has lef

Another opportunity to see the BBC's 1971 dramatisation of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's novel about a young girl's intellectual and sexual development within a repressive peasant community in Scotland just before the First World War. "But for all my reading and schooling, two Chris Guthries there were that fought for my heart and tormented me.".

'You knew you'd never be the same again, but the world went on, and you went with it.'.

"But a worse thing came as slow September dragged to its end.".

Following a public vote Kirsty Wark reveals the top ten countdown leading to the nation's favourite book. Along the way, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Susan Calman, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Sanjeev Kohli are among the celebrities championing their personal favourite.

A film from 1971 about writer Lewis Grassic Gibbon and the countryside where he grew up.

From 2001, the centenary year of his birth, this is the story of Scottish novelist Lewis Grassic Gibbon's exile from his home town of Arbuthnott. Various contributors talk about his life and works.

This documentary by acclaimed director Vanessa Engle tells the extraordinary story of a strange cult, which came to light in 2013 when a sensational news story broke about three women emerging from a small flat in Brixton in south London after decades in captivity. Tracing the group back to its roots in the 1970s, the film describes how its leader Aravindan Balakrishnan, a student of Indian origin

Michael Palin continues his Himalayan trek by travelling from K2 in Pakistan to Ladakh in India – a short distance as the crow flies but, due to politics, a huge loop. He passes through the Sikh city of Amritsar, with its Golden Temple, and through Shimla, with its Vice Regal Lodge, Gaiety Theatre and cosy half-timbered teahouses. He then meets the fourteenth Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, where the Ti

Tim Dunn goes behind the scenes at London's Kings Cross station.

A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Some Like It Hot and Days of Wine and Roses star Jack Lemmon, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.

Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis und Jack Lemmon in Billy Wilders Top-Film. Chicago, 14.02.1929. Die Musiker Joe (Jack Lemmon) und Jack (Tony Curtis) sehen zufällig, wie in einer Garage unter Gangstern aufgeräumt wird – das berühmte Massaker am Valentinstag! Von Killern gejagt, schlüpfen die unfreiwilligen Zeugen in Frauenkleider – und bei einer Damenkapelle unter, die gerade nach Florida aufbricht. In

1969. Young Buddy's happy home life is rocked by the eruption of the Troubles, on top of his concerns about ailing grandparents, a crush on a girl at school, and doing maths. But street violence means the family face a stark future.

Actor and film-maker Sir Kenneth Branagh talks to John Wilson about the key influences and inspirations that have shaped his own work. In a wide-ranging conversation, he reveals some of his formative artistic experiences and discusses his creative process. Branagh discusses his working-class upbringing in late 1960s Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles, as explored in his most personal fi

Documentary following director Shiori Ito's brave investigation of her own sexual assault.

A retrospective look at television appearances made over the years by Some Like It Hot and Days of Wine and Roses star Jack Lemmon, with interviews from the archive and classic clips capturing the milestones and highlights of his life and career. Narrated by Sylvia Syms.

Archaeologist Richard Miles shows how discoveries in the 18th and 19th centuries overturned ideas of when and where civilisation began as empires competed to literally "own" the past.

Kylie Minogue presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 21 March 1997 and featuring Lisa Stansfield, INXS, Damage, Gina G, The Divine Comedy, Wet Wet Wet, Boyzone, Spice Girls and No Doubt.

Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 4 March 1997 and featuring Cast, 3T, No Doubt, N-Trance, The Charlatans, DJ Quicksilver, Livin' Joy, The Chemical Brothers and Spice Girls.

Simon Bates presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 5 February 1981 and featuring Stray Cats, Blondie, Spandau Ballet, Fred Wedlock, Rainbow, Dire Straits, XTC, Cliff Richard, The Passions, Joe Dolce and John Lennon.

Janice Long and John Peel present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 5 February 1987 and featuring The Blow Monkeys, Randy Crawford, The Smiths, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Michael Crawford, and Aretha Franklin with George Michael.

If you fancy an hour's worth of irresistible guilty pleasures from Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha, this is the programme for you. ABBA stormed the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their winning entry Waterloo, and this programme charts the meteoric rise of the band with some of their greatest performances at the BBC. It begins in 1974 with their first Top of the Pops appearance, and we even

2024 is the 50th anniversary of ABBA's iconic performance and victory at Eurovision. With the contest taking place in Sweden, this film celebrates that historic occasion by telling the epic story of ABBA's greatest period of musical achievement.

Between 1974 and 1982, ABBA plundered the Anglo-Saxon charts but divided critical opinion. This documentary explores how they raised the bar for pop music as a form and made us fall in love with the sound of Swedish melancholy. A saga about the soul of pop.