BBC four

Spring marks the start of an epic race for life where timing is everything; trees explode with blossom and mornings fill with the magical chorus of bird song. Long tailed tits frantically build nests, whilst in our oceans, seahorses sway to a graceful courtship dance. As we celebrate Easter, a stoat mother hunts the young rabbits to feed her own playful young. As spring becomes Summer, Guillemot c

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

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

Spring marks the start of an epic race for life where timing is everything; trees explode with blossom and mornings fill with the magical chorus of bird song. Long tailed tits frantically build nests, whilst in our oceans, seahorses sway to a graceful courtship dance. As we celebrate Easter, a stoat mother hunts the young rabbits to feed her own playful young. As spring becomes Summer, Guillemot c

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

Multi-award-winning star of stage and screen Cynthia Erivo takes the Proms by storm as she sings the great American songbook of the 1950s and 60s. Backed by the BBC Concert Orchestra, she celebrates the legendary female voices that have shown her the way – artists such as Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey, Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Gladys Knight. From showtunes to pop, from soul to French chanson,

Africa – home to the greatest wildlife gatherings on earth. But even in this land of plenty, wildlife faces huge challenges. At its heart is a vast tropical rainforest full of life. Here young chimpanzees learn how to use tools to make the most of the jungles riches. With knowledge passed down from generation to generation, they can access the best forest foods. Rivalling the jungle for it sheer a

The great history of Egypt is inscribed on its monuments, temples and tombs, but hieroglyphs – the written language of the ancient Egyptians – fell silent until 1822 when a young French scholar, Jean-François Champollion, became the first person to decipher their texts for over a thousand years. Champollion's insights and the work of other scholars helped bring an entire civilisation back to life.

2022 marks the fiftieth year since an astronaut last stepped on the moon's surface. We look back at the legacy of the Apollo programme and forward to the future of lunar exploration. Maggie and Chris visit the Science Museum in London, where Maggie discovers from space curator Doug Millard that one of the museum's star attractions – Apollo 10's command module – nearly did not make it back to Earth

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

An alternative history of the Black Death of the Middle Ages and its bitter – but profoundly creative – aftermath. Contemporary artists and performers, alongside historians and curators, reveal how a century of creative renewal emerged from the chaos of plague as survivors found their voice, questioning authority and challenging status and class. Above all, writing in English was revived by works

Africa – home to the greatest wildlife gatherings on earth. But even in this land of plenty, wildlife faces huge challenges. At its heart is a vast tropical rainforest full of life. Here young chimpanzees learn how to use tools to make the most of the jungles riches. With knowledge passed down from generation to generation, they can access the best forest foods. Rivalling the jungle for it sheer a

The great history of Egypt is inscribed on its monuments, temples and tombs, but hieroglyphs – the written language of the ancient Egyptians – fell silent until 1822 when a young French scholar, Jean-François Champollion, became the first person to decipher their texts for over a thousand years. Champollion's insights and the work of other scholars helped bring an entire civilisation back to life.

Various contemporary acclaimed creatives and cultural historians look back on important works of art across 1,500 years of British history, including painting, sculpture, architecture, music, design and literature. The art pieces explored offer a look at pivotal and turbulent moments of historical changes in which they were created, such as the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution or World War I.

Join Fred Dibnah as he explores Britain's industrial history, examining the groundbreaking examples engineering that helped spark the industrial revolution and propel the country to the forefront of the world. In each episode of the six-part series, which originally aired in 1999, he visits important factories and vital structures that were hugely significant during the industrial revolution. On h

Join Robbie Cumming as he embarks on an adventure across the Midlands and North of England from the comfort of his narrowboat, along the Victorian waterways of Britain on a journey of self-discovery. Intersecting various towns and cities, this documentary follows Robbie as he navigates these winding waterways, whilst maintaining his beloved narrowboat the 'Naughty Lass'. Each leg of his journey is

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

Queen Elizabeth I was one of the country's most intelligent monarchs, ruling a Protestant rogue state in a Catholic world. But it was her long, tangled relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots that would test her the most. Elizabeth never married. Mary married twice but it ruined her. A magnet for conspiracy and intrigue, Mary tormented Elizabeth until finally executed for treason. But it

2022 marks the fiftieth year since an astronaut last stepped on the moon's surface. We look back at the legacy of the Apollo programme and forward to the future of lunar exploration. Maggie and Chris visit the Science Museum in London, where Maggie discovers from space curator Doug Millard that one of the museum's star attractions – Apollo 10's command module – nearly did not make it back to Earth

Documentary-maker David Malone delves into the secrets of ocean waves. In this elegant and original film he finds that waves are not made of water, that some waves travel sideways and that the sound of the ocean comes not from water but from bubbles. Waves are not only beautiful but also profoundly important, and there is a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and the life of huma

Join Fred Dibnah as he explores Britain's industrial history, examining the groundbreaking examples engineering that helped spark the industrial revolution and propel the country to the forefront of the world. In each episode of the six-part series, which originally aired in 1999, he visits important factories and vital structures that were hugely significant during the industrial revolution. On h

Join Robbie Cumming as he embarks on an adventure across the Midlands and North of England from the comfort of his narrowboat, along the Victorian waterways of Britain on a journey of self-discovery. Intersecting various towns and cities, this documentary follows Robbie as he navigates these winding waterways, whilst maintaining his beloved narrowboat the 'Naughty Lass'. Each leg of his journey is

Documentary-maker David Malone delves into the secrets of ocean waves. In this elegant and original film he finds that waves are not made of water, that some waves travel sideways and that the sound of the ocean comes not from water but from bubbles. Waves are not only beautiful but also profoundly important, and there is a surprising connection between the life cycle of waves and the life of huma

Fred Dibnah visits the North East, which is rich in railway history. At Bowes Railway he sees an early engineering project by George Stephenson, which was a stationary engine that pulled coal wagons uphill with a rope. At Darlington Railway Museum he admires Stephenson's original Locomotive No 1, the first to run from Darlington to Stockton. At the National Railway Museum, York, he rides on a repl

Join Robbie Cumming as he embarks on an adventure across the Midlands and North of England from the comfort of his narrowboat, along the Victorian waterways of Britain on a journey of self-discovery. Intersecting various towns and cities, this documentary follows Robbie as he navigates these winding waterways, whilst maintaining his beloved narrowboat the 'Naughty Lass'. Each leg of his journey is

For decades, UFOs have intrigued the world, but many scientists avoided studying them. In the United States, after highly publicised sightings of unidentified objects by US Navy pilots, UFOs are moving out of the shadows and into the light as NASA pledges to study them scientifically. So what does science have to say? Though some are identified as balloons, drones, weather phenomena or optical ill

In the second episode, our cameras pick up and follow the projects' next major construction milestones. We get up close and personal with the world's largest land-based crane during the biggest lift on the project to date. We learn how the team has created an extensive flood defence system to protect the site from the worst imaginable weather events – including a once-in-10,000 year storm surge –

Sherlock has his mind palace, Morse his music – every detective has an edge. For most, it's forensic science. This three-part series provides a rare and fascinating insight into the secret history of catching murderers, charting two centuries of the breakthroughs that have changed the course of justice. Surgeon and writer Gabriel Weston explores this rich history through some of the most absorbing

Join Robbie Cumming as he embarks on an adventure across the Midlands and North of England from the comfort of his narrowboat, along the Victorian waterways of Britain on a journey of self-discovery. Intersecting various towns and cities, this documentary follows Robbie as he navigates these winding waterways, whilst maintaining his beloved narrowboat the 'Naughty Lass'. Each leg of his journey is

Fred Dibnah visits the North East, which is rich in railway history. At Bowes Railway he sees an early engineering project by George Stephenson, which was a stationary engine that pulled coal wagons uphill with a rope. At Darlington Railway Museum he admires Stephenson's original Locomotive No 1, the first to run from Darlington to Stockton. At the National Railway Museum, York, he rides on a repl