BBC four

As Hetty Wainthropp (Patricia Routledge) reaches retirement age at 60 and faces an uncertain future financially, she decides that the life of a pensioner is not for her and opens a detective agency instead. Armed only with her no-nonsense Lancashire attitude and her notebook, she embarks on a series of criminal investigations. Aided by her teenage sidekick and reformed thief, Geoffrey, and her dev

An unrivalled talk-show host, Michael Parkinson was the voice of British conversational television for almost 40 years, inviting famous people from business, politics, sports and entertainment to discuss their lives and careers. In this series, Michael remembers some of his most entertaining and memorable guests from the 1970s and 1980s. Guests include Richard Burton, Orson Welles, Kenneth William

Elevated to the highest governmental office in unusual circumstances, the Rt Hon James Hacker MP sets about implementing his dream of reshaping Britain, introducing a host of exciting reforms, reinvigorating the economy and cementing his place in political history as a bold public benefactor and inspiring leader. Nothing less than a root and branch upheaval of the stuffy Whitehall machinery will d

Elevated to the highest governmental office in unusual circumstances, the Rt Hon James Hacker MP sets about implementing his dream of reshaping Britain, introducing a host of exciting reforms, reinvigorating the economy and cementing his place in political history as a bold public benefactor and inspiring leader. Nothing less than a root and branch upheaval of the stuffy Whitehall machinery will d

As Hetty Wainthropp (Patricia Routledge) reaches retirement age at 60 and faces an uncertain future financially, she decides that the life of a pensioner is not for her and opens a detective agency instead. Armed only with her no-nonsense Lancashire attitude and her notebook, she embarks on a series of criminal investigations. Aided by her teenage sidekick and reformed thief, Geoffrey, and her dev

In the far south west corner of Wales lies Pembrokeshire's wild and rugged coast. Life on this ancient coastline is defined by the rhythm of the seasons and the power of the sea. Fishing these fertile waters has long been a tradition here. Every day, local fisherman Jono Voyce heads out from Solva harbour into St Brides Bay to fish for the lobster and crab he supplies to these coastal communities.

Dr Helen Czerski examines the extraordinary messages sound waves carry and how they help us understand the world around us. Visiting a hidden location buried beneath the hills of Scotland, Helen experiences some of the most extreme acoustics in the world. Here she learns just how much information can be carried by sound. She discovers how sound has driven the evolution of truly incredible biologic

In the far south west corner of Wales lies Pembrokeshire's wild and rugged coast. Life on this ancient coastline is defined by the rhythm of the seasons and the power of the sea. Fishing these fertile waters has long been a tradition here. Every day, local fisherman Jono Voyce heads out from Solva harbour into St Brides Bay to fish for the lobster and crab he supplies to these coastal communities.

A look at the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures that live in China's most beautiful landscapes. The extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall have shaped some of China's most colourful people and wildlife. From nomadic tribes hunting with eagles to camel trains crossing the Silk Road, from frozen Siberian wastes to baking deserts of central Asia, life in northern China is alway

The Moon is such a familiar presence in the sky, that most of us take it for granted. But what if it wasn't where it is now? How would that affect life on Earth? Space scientist and lunar fanatic, DR MAGGIE ADERIN-POCOCK, explores our intimate relationship with the Moon. Besides orchestrating the tides, it dictates the length of a day, the rhythm of the seasons and the very stability of our planet

When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969, America went down in popular history as the winner of the Space Race. But that history is bunk. The real pioneers of space exploration were the Soviet Cosmonauts. This remarkable history combines rare and unseen archive footage with interviews with the surviving cosmonauts to tell the fascinating – and at times terrifying – story of how the Russia

A series examining horizon-broadening stories from the perspective of science and philosophy. Each item is a comprehensive examination of a certain topic or issue, diving into the heart of the story to uncover the truth about a particular subject. The series has investigated a wide variety of stories, from the perceived link between the MMR vaccine and autism, to the decline in Switzerland's estee

The Moon is such a familiar presence in the sky, that most of us take it for granted. But what if it wasn't where it is now? How would that affect life on Earth? Space scientist and lunar fanatic, DR MAGGIE ADERIN-POCOCK, explores our intimate relationship with the Moon. Besides orchestrating the tides, it dictates the length of a day, the rhythm of the seasons and the very stability of our planet

A look at the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures that live in China's most beautiful landscapes. The extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall have shaped some of China's most colourful people and wildlife. From nomadic tribes hunting with eagles to camel trains crossing the Silk Road, from frozen Siberian wastes to baking deserts of central Asia, life in northern China is alway

Michael Portillo completes his railway journey through the east of England during the post-war period. At RAF Lakenheath, he discovers a slice of America dropped into the British countryside, watching the US Air Force's Strike Eagles as they climb 10,000 feet per minute in an almost vertical trajectory. In the market town of Brandon, Michael visits Quorn Foods to find how a seemingly modern meat s

Comedy series takes the lid off the lifestyles of the working class inhabitants of a typical northern town in the 1970s and early 80s. Arkwright is a penny-pinching shopkeeper with a cheeky approach to entrepreneurship in a terraced street in south Yorkshire. Jason is the nephew who works as an errand boy, dreaming of a romantic encounter somewhere behind any one of the net curtains twitching as h

The story revolves around Hyacinth Bucket, a housewife from a lower class whose only aim in life is to impress others with her etiquette and social skills and climb the social ladder. She is terrified that her background will be revealed one day, and goes above and beyond to hide it. She insists her inharmonious surname is pronounced Bouquet. All her attempts as a rule lead to awkward comic situat

Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of John Stow and John Strype, two of London's greatest chroniclers, to explore one of the most dramatic centuries in the history of London. The 17th century saw London plunged into a series of devastating disasters. The Civil War, a murderous plague and the destruction that was the great fire should have seen the small medieval city all but destroyed. Yet s

Dr George McGavin and Dr Zoe Laughlin set up base camp at one of the UK's biggest sewage works to investigate the revolutionary science finding vital renewable resources and undiscovered life in human waste. Teaming up with world-class scientists, they search for biological entities in sewage with potentially lifesaving medical properties, find out how pee can generate electricity, how gas from po

They are some of the most famous and mysterious monuments on the planet. Nearly 900 giant stone heads scattered across a remote island in the middle of the Pacific. Now, brand new evidence is challenging everything we thought we knew about Easter Island's awe-inspiring statues – and those who made them. Drawing on the latest science, this authoritative documentary radically rewrites the story of E

A series examining horizon-broadening stories from the perspective of science and philosophy. Each item is a comprehensive examination of a certain topic or issue, diving into the heart of the story to uncover the truth about a particular subject. The series has investigated a wide variety of stories, from the perceived link between the MMR vaccine and autism, to the decline in Switzerland's estee

Dr George McGavin and Dr Zoe Laughlin set up base camp at one of the UK's biggest sewage works to investigate the revolutionary science finding vital renewable resources and undiscovered life in human waste. Teaming up with world-class scientists, they search for biological entities in sewage with potentially lifesaving medical properties, find out how pee can generate electricity, how gas from po

Michael Portillo completes his railway journey through the east of England during the post-war period. At RAF Lakenheath, he discovers a slice of America dropped into the British countryside, watching the US Air Force's Strike Eagles as they climb 10,000 feet per minute in an almost vertical trajectory. In the market town of Brandon, Michael visits Quorn Foods to find how a seemingly modern meat s

Dan Cruickshank follows in the footsteps of John Stow and John Strype, two of London's greatest chroniclers, to explore one of the most dramatic centuries in the history of London. The 17th century saw London plunged into a series of devastating disasters. The Civil War, a murderous plague and the destruction that was the great fire should have seen the small medieval city all but destroyed. Yet s

Michael Portillo explores the post-war Britain of his youth on a railway journey from the Midlands to the West Country. Beginning in Derby's famous 19th-century railway works, Michael hears how the Victorian sheds now house some of the most up to date assembly lines in Britain for building electric trains. In Leicester, Michael looks back to the early 1970s, when around 10,000 Asians arrived in th

England's south west peninsular is the nation's holiday jewel in the crown, with long sandy beaches, breathtaking sea cliffs, fishing villages, caravan and campsite parks, wild moors and tourist town hotspots. There are 630 miles of unbroken pathways, snaking along the coastlines of Dorset, Cornwall and Devon, which are part of the national trail network. Explorer Paul Rose embarks on a mammoth tr

Brian takes a fresh look at the concept of gravity, revealing it to be far more than just the force that makes things fall to the ground. Recent scientific breakthroughs are challenging physicists' ideas of the very nature of reality. He recalls some of his most iconic TV moments: being first on the scene to meet a space capsule returning three astronauts from the International Space Station; demo

Former Royal Marine and expedition leader Bruce Parry sheds the trappings of a western existence and journeys to meet some of the world's oldest and most remote tribes. Daring to go where other presenters fear to tread, he immerses himself in the traditions and practices of these indigenous people. In this series, he travels to the so-called 'Cradle of Mankind', the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia

Sam Willis looks at the history of the castle from its first appearance with the Normans in 1066 to the longest siege on English soil at Kenilworth Castle 200 years later. The castle arrived as an instrument of invasion but soon became a weapon with which unruly barons challenged the Crown. Tintagel Castle, the place where King Arthur is said to have been conceived, is also on the itinerary. It re

Michael Portillo explores the post-war Britain of his youth on a railway journey from the Midlands to the West Country. Beginning in Derby's famous 19th-century railway works, Michael hears how the Victorian sheds now house some of the most up to date assembly lines in Britain for building electric trains. In Leicester, Michael looks back to the early 1970s, when around 10,000 Asians arrived in th

England's south west peninsular is the nation's holiday jewel in the crown, with long sandy beaches, breathtaking sea cliffs, fishing villages, caravan and campsite parks, wild moors and tourist town hotspots. There are 630 miles of unbroken pathways, snaking along the coastlines of Dorset, Cornwall and Devon, which are part of the national trail network. Explorer Paul Rose embarks on a mammoth tr

Former Royal Marine and expedition leader Bruce Parry sheds the trappings of a western existence and journeys to meet some of the world's oldest and most remote tribes. Daring to go where other presenters fear to tread, he immerses himself in the traditions and practices of these indigenous people. In this series, he travels to the so-called 'Cradle of Mankind', the Omo Valley in Southern Ethiopia

Brian takes a fresh look at the concept of gravity, revealing it to be far more than just the force that makes things fall to the ground. Recent scientific breakthroughs are challenging physicists' ideas of the very nature of reality. He recalls some of his most iconic TV moments: being first on the scene to meet a space capsule returning three astronauts from the International Space Station; demo

In Coventry, Michael recalls the destruction by the German Luftwaffe of the city's gothic cathedral in November 1940. He hears how architect Basil Spence won a competition to build it anew and tours the breathtakingly modernist concrete structure built alongside the medieval ruin. And from the city's recently redeveloped station, he heads to the factory of the London Electric Vehicle Company, manu

England's south west peninsular is the nation's holiday jewel in the crown, with long sandy beaches, breathtaking sea cliffs, fishing villages, caravan and campsite parks, wild moors and tourist town hotspots. There are 630 miles of unbroken pathways, snaking along the coastlines of Dorset, Cornwall and Devon, which are part of the national trail network. Explorer Paul Rose embarks on a mammoth tr

A glorious national obsession is explored in this archive-rich look at the evolution of the weather forecast from print via radio to TV and beyond – and at the changing weather itself. It shows how the Met Office and the BBC have always used the latest technology to bring the holy grail of accurate forecasting that much closer – even if the odd messenger like TV weatherman Michael Fish has been sh