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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

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

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

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

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Aretha Franklin's Don't Play That Song is a message that's thankfully ignored in this collection of tracks with tears, with some of music's biggest stars pouring their hearts out in a selection of classic performances from the BBC's archives. Alongside the Queen of Soul are a diverse range of artists, including Dolly Parton, the Arctic Monkeys, One Direction, Boyz II Men and George Michael – all g

The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That HillWith the announcement of her first concerts in 35 years commencing at Hammersmith Apollo on August 26 through to October 1, everyone has been talking about what Sir Elton John calls the "beautiful mystery" that is Kate Bush. This documentary explores Bush's career and music from January 1978's Wuthering Heights til her recent album, 50 Words for Snow (2011)

Travel back in time with a compilation of legendary performances of classic acts straight from the archive of one of the most popular music chart shows in history. Top of the Pops was broadcast weekly from 1964 until 2006, welcoming the greatest stars who performed their biggest hits. This special brings you unforgettable musical moments of pop and rock icons like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles,

Former politician-turned-travel journalist Michael Portillo takes to the tracks around the British Isles, armed with a copy of the definitive 19th century Bradshaw railway guide, to see how life has changed over the years. Stopping off at busy city interchanges, commuter town stations and village request stops on country lines, Michael meets and chats to people with fascinating stories to tell of

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

There are very few famous personalities who have not sat on the interview couch with veteran broadcaster Michael Parkinson, for an in-depth conversation exploring their childhoods, early career starts and professional successes and occasional failures. World leaders, top sports people, filmmakers, legendary actors, political campaigners, business chiefs and famous musicians have shared stories and

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

Former politician-turned-travel journalist Michael Portillo takes to the tracks around the British Isles, armed with a copy of the definitive 19th century Bradshaw railway guide, to see how life has changed over the years. Stopping off at busy city interchanges, commuter town stations and village request stops on country lines, Michael meets and chats to people with fascinating stories to tell of

Fiona Bruce and the team travel to Portchester Castle in Hampshire on the south coast of England, where treasures include an extraordinary set of RAF medals awarded for extreme bravery to an airman who served in Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain. The team also admire some rare punk clothing by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and a roll of ornate Arts and Crafts wallpaper destined for the bonfir

In the first programme in this 3-part series, Lucy Worsley debunks the foundation myth of one of our favourite Royal dynasties: The Tudors. According to the history books, after 30 years of bloody battles between the white-rosed Yorkists and the red-rosed Lancastrians, Henry Tudor rid us of civil war and the evil king Richard III. But Lucy reveals how the Tudors invented the story of the "Wars of