BBC four

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

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

Timothy Lumsden is a 40-something librarian, still living with his parents and under the thumb of his domineering mother Phyllis. Although Timothy has sporadic attempts at standing up for himself and abandoning his home in order to lead an independent life, all his attempts prove futile as his mother always stands in the way. It might be that the only force strong enough to break Timothy's bond wi

In this first episode, art historian James Fox explores the art of the ancient world to reveal the story of our earliest relationships with nature. From the art of prehistoric hunters and the advent of agriculture and our first cities to the arrival the great faiths, including Hinduism and Christianity, James shows how we began to wrestle with our place in nature and tried to control the great for

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

Kedleston Hall is a grand stately home nestled in the Derbyshire countryside. In its grounds lives one of the most elusive of British mammals, the stoat. On the estate at the end of winter, we catch a rare glimpse of a stoat in ermine. A visiting shrike, or butcher bird, is another unusual sight. The stately stoats have resided in Kedleston for many years, and each spring an old walled garden is w

Hidden away in the most easterly part of the British Isles are the Fens of East Anglia, a landscape of big skies and distant horizons, wild wetlands and fertile farmland. Water has always been the driving force here – its ebb and flow has shaped the Fens for thousands of years. The ancient wetlands covered hundreds of square miles and overflowed with wildlife. Today, well over 90% has gone, draine

How does connecting with the images and sounds of the natural world help us gain a greater sense of ease, perspective and connection? This first episode is about breathing. By immersing ourselves in images of jellyfish floating, elephants swimming and lemurs swinging through the rainforest, we learn to focus on our breathing and are reminded that we are not separate from the world around us. What

Documentary series perusing the wonders of three natural areas in Britain, the Pembrokeshire Coast, the Fens of East Anglia, and the North York Moors, with each region examined over the course of a year in its own respective episode. Dive into the emboldening beauty of each unique environment, explore the stunning wildlife that inhabits each landscape, and follow the changing of the seasons that b

Ireland's Treasures Uncovered, tells the story of the iconic Irish artefacts that have helped to shape and create modern Ireland, both North and South. The programme reveals the surprising tales behind treasures such as the Tara Broach, the Broighter Hoard, the Waterford Charter Roll and others, revealing new stories behind the artefacts that we thought we knew. It also reveals the most recent ast

2018 has been an extraordinary year for British artist Tracey Emin. With large-scale commissions catapulting her from London's St Pancras station to the streets of downtown Sydney – only pausing for breath with exhibitions in Hong Kong and Brussels along the way – she has proven yet again that she packs a punch like no other. But as she turns 55 and enters what she likes to call the "last stage" o

This winter sees the opening of The Loneliness of the Soul, a ground-breaking new exhibition at London's Royal Academy, showcasing the work of Tracey Emin, alongside paintings by her great hero Edvard Munch. Munch's work has long inspired Emin, from her early video piece Homage To Edvard Munch and All My Dead Children to her monumental new nine-metre high bronze sculpture, The Mother, set to be in

James Fox uses art to explore how humans began to try to understand nature for the very first time. From the Song dynasty in China and the Islamic world, through to the Scientific Revolution and the advent of the industrial era, James shows the very different ways in which humans came to both appreciate and understand nature, whilst at the very same time beginning to dominate and control it. With

How does connecting with the images and sounds of the natural world help us gain a greater sense of ease, perspective and connection? This first episode is about breathing. By immersing ourselves in images of jellyfish floating, elephants swimming and lemurs swinging through the rainforest, we learn to focus on our breathing and are reminded that we are not separate from the world around us. What

A series exploring some of the most fascinating coastal communities of Britain. Presented by archaeologist Ben Robinson, the series takes the viewer to picturesque locations which are rich in history and culture. These former fishing villages are increasingly attractive to holidaymakers, but looking into the past throws a light on significant events, as these places were medieval ports, important

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast. This was Wainwright's last great venture and has become his greatest legacy – a beautifully simple proposition, linking three national parks that lie between the Irish and the North Sea. Thirty-six years after its creation, Julia i

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

Timothy Lumsden is a 40-something librarian, still living with his parents and under the thumb of his domineering mother Phyllis. Although Timothy has sporadic attempts at standing up for himself and abandoning his home in order to lead an independent life, all his attempts prove futile as his mother always stands in the way. It might be that the only force strong enough to break Timothy's bond wi

Documentary series taking a comprehensive look at British history. Henry II built one of the greatest empires the medieval world had seen – only to see his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his scheming sons tear it all to pieces. He also created the jury system and the first legal statute books, but is best remembered as the man who ordered the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket,

Film following Irish ornithologist Seán Ronayne's mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland – that's nearly 200 birds. Often joined by his partner, Alba, Seán travels to some of the country's most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael; a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; th

2018 has been an extraordinary year for British artist Tracey Emin. With large-scale commissions catapulting her from London's St Pancras station to the streets of downtown Sydney – only pausing for breath with exhibitions in Hong Kong and Brussels along the way – she has proven yet again that she packs a punch like no other. But as she turns 55 and enters what she likes to call the "last stage" o

This winter sees the opening of The Loneliness of the Soul, a ground-breaking new exhibition at London's Royal Academy, showcasing the work of Tracey Emin, alongside paintings by her great hero Edvard Munch. Munch's work has long inspired Emin, from her early video piece Homage To Edvard Munch and All My Dead Children to her monumental new nine-metre high bronze sculpture, The Mother, set to be in

A series exploring some of the most fascinating coastal communities of Britain. Presented by archaeologist Ben Robinson, the series takes the viewer to picturesque locations which are rich in history and culture. These former fishing villages are increasingly attractive to holidaymakers, but looking into the past throws a light on significant events, as these places were medieval ports, important

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast. This was Wainwright's last great venture and has become his greatest legacy – a beautifully simple proposition, linking three national parks that lie between the Irish and the North Sea. Thirty-six years after its creation, Julia i

A series exploring some of the most fascinating coastal communities of Britain. Presented by archaeologist Ben Robinson, the series takes the viewer to picturesque locations which are rich in history and culture. These former fishing villages are increasingly attractive to holidaymakers, but looking into the past throws a light on significant events, as these places were medieval ports, important

Julia Bradbury follows in the footsteps of legendary guidebook writer Alfred Wainwright by walking across the whole of northern England from the west to the east coast. This was Wainwright's last great venture and has become his greatest legacy – a beautifully simple proposition, linking three national parks that lie between the Irish and the North Sea. 36 years after its creation, Julia is off th

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,

What would the universe look like if you were a billion times smaller or a billion times bigger? In this mind-bending series, Jim Al-Khalili looks at the various sizes in the universe, ranging from the tiniest objects measuring just a few atoms to vast structures consisting of hundreds of thousands of interconnected galaxies. Investigating these astonishing objects reveals fundamental truths about

Timeshift digs into the archive to discover the unwritten rules that have governed the way we drink in Britain. In the pubs and working men's clubs of the forties and fifties there were strict customs governing who stood where. To be invited to sup at the bar was a right of passage for many young men. It took years for women to be accepted into these bastions of masculinity. As the country prosper