BBC four

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

Celebrated British naturalist Sir David Attenborough examines the diversity and origins of "Life on Earth." The film work is outstanding and the camera teams have employed techniques which remain ground-breaking to this day. The series focuses on the story of how life emerged from simple cells to the plants and animals that are abundant on every continent. Pioneering filming techniques capture bir

Timeshift journeys back to a lost era of rail travel, when trains had names, and character and style. Once the pride of the railway companies that ran them, the named train is now largely consigned to railway history. In Timeshift: 'The Trains That Time Forgot', writer and presenter Andrew Martin asks why we once named trains and why we don't do so anymore. Andrew embarks on three railway journeys

Michael Palin continues to trace Hemingway's journey. He arrives in Key West in time for Hemingway's 100th birthday celebrations, where he is given boxing lessons from 83-year-old Shine Forbes who sparred with Hemingway. In Uganda, Michael has his hair cut en route up the Nile. At Butiaba, Uganda he visits the site of a plane crash Hemingway was involved in. Finally, Michael reaches Venice in time

Michael Palin stays in Ernest Hemingway's favourite Cuban hotel and samples a few of his favourite hangouts including Bodeguita del Medio and the Floridita in old Havana. He meets 101-year-old Gregorio Fuentes, considered an Old Man of the Sea, and who sits in the sun, smoking cigars. He peers into Hemingway's Havana house that has now become a shrine where visitors aren't allowed to tread. Back i

A celebration of the work of one of the great songwriters and lyricists, Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021 at the age of 91. A giant of musical theatre, Sondheim first found international fame in 1957 as the lyricist for Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story and would inspire generations from that moment on. This selection includes some of Sondheim's finest songs, broadcast on the B

Historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass, the East Window at York Minster. This is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country and the creative vision of a master craftsman called John Thornton. Within its 311 panels is the entire history of the world, from the first day to the Last Judgment, and the scale of Thornton's achievement is rev

Michael Palin continues to trace Hemingway's journey. He arrives in Key West in time for Hemingway's 100th birthday celebrations, where he is given boxing lessons from 83-year-old Shine Forbes who sparred with Hemingway. In Uganda, Michael has his hair cut en route up the Nile. At Butiaba, Uganda he visits the site of a plane crash Hemingway was involved in. Finally, Michael reaches Venice in time

Michael Palin stays in Ernest Hemingway's favourite Cuban hotel and samples a few of his favourite hangouts including Bodeguita del Medio and the Floridita in old Havana. He meets 101-year-old Gregorio Fuentes, considered an Old Man of the Sea, and who sits in the sun, smoking cigars. He peers into Hemingway's Havana house that has now become a shrine where visitors aren't allowed to tread. Back i

A series that looks at the social and cultural changes incurred across Britain. A country small in size but vast in history, Britain has often been looked to as an inspiration, a trendsetter, for other countries across the world. Forever at the forefront of engineering and social improvements, Britain, much like the rest of the world, has seen monumental changes to its culture over the last centur

Long-running general knowledge quiz that tests the intellectual powers of the brightest undergraduates in Britain. Launched in 1962 and hosted by Bamber Gascoigne, the show achieved cult status with teams from two different rival colleges pitting their wits against each other each week. The questions are as varied and as tough as they can be, and competitors risk having hard-earned points deducted

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

Art historian Dr Nina Ramirez reveals the codes and messages hidden in Anglo-Saxon art. From the beautiful jewellery that adorned the first violent pagan invaders through to the stunning Christian manuscripts they would become famous for, she explores the beliefs and ideas that shaped Anglo-Saxon art. Examining many of the greatest Anglo Saxon treasures – such as the Sutton Hoo Treasures, the Staf

In the final episode, Simon Sebag Montefiore follows the Habsburgs to their dramatic demise. From his struggles with Napoleon III and Bismarck and the suicide of his son Rudolf, to the assassination of his beautiful wife Sisi, Emperor Franz Josef's empire and his family proved impossible to control. But while the Habsburgs headed for extinction, Vienna blossomed. As the theories of Freud and the s

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

Art historian Dr Nina Ramirez reveals the codes and messages hidden in Anglo-Saxon art. From the beautiful jewellery that adorned the first violent pagan invaders through to the stunning Christian manuscripts they would become famous for, she explores the beliefs and ideas that shaped Anglo-Saxon art. Examining many of the greatest Anglo Saxon treasures – such as the Sutton Hoo Treasures, the Staf

Historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass, the East Window at York Minster. This is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country and the creative vision of a master craftsman called John Thornton. Within its 311 panels is the entire history of the world, from the first day to the Last Judgment, and the scale of Thornton's achievement is rev

Long-running general knowledge quiz that tests the intellectual powers of the brightest undergraduates in Britain. Launched in 1962 and hosted by Bamber Gascoigne, the show achieved cult status with teams from two different rival colleges pitting their wits against each other each week. The questions are as varied and as tough as they can be, and competitors risk having hard-earned points deducted

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

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

Much-loved BBC comedy series following the exploits of prematurely retired, ever-grumbling security guard Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) and his exasperated, level-headed wife Margaret (Annette Crosbie). The series is a bitter-sweet sitcom set in suburban England, based on the maxim that idle hands make mischief. Victor is unsuited to a life of leisure but finds himself at just the wrong age to b

Cumbria is one of the last major strongholds for one of the British Isles' iconic native mammals – red squirrels. An endangered species as well as a national favourite, affectionately known as 'red scamps', these beautiful creatures have lived here for thousands of years. Award-winning Cumbrian film-maker Terry Abraham reveals how Lakeland charities, volunteers, businesses and scientists are pulli

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

Long-running general knowledge quiz that tests the intellectual powers of the brightest undergraduates in Britain. Launched in 1962 and hosted by Bamber Gascoigne, the show achieved cult status with teams from two different rival colleges pitting their wits against each other each week. The questions are as varied and as tough as they can be, and competitors risk having hard-earned points deducted

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

Professor Brian Cox continues his epic exploration of the cosmos by looking at the faint band of light that sweeps across the night sky – our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The Sun is just one of almost 400 billion stars that form this vast, majestic disk of light, our own home in the universe. We've longed to understand our galaxy's secrets since the time of the ancient Greeks, yet it's only very rec

Adolf Hitler loved to watch feature films, and he liked one film in particular, the Hollywood epic The Lives of a Bengal Lancer. 'It was certainly his favourite film,' says Herbert Dohring, a member of Hitler's SS bodyguard, 'and he would always talk about it – this huge English empire – how such a relatively small people could establish and manage something like that.' Hitler would later say, 'Wh

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

Scientist Brian Cox gives the viewer a front-row seat on a journey into the farthest reaches of outer space, exploring alien worlds, exo-planets, zombie stars, gigantic black holes and other amazing sights that inhabit constellations millions of light years apart. Telescopes peer deep into the cosmos, and graphic artists get to work turning distant images into fascinating, up-close encounters with

Long-running general knowledge quiz that tests the intellectual powers of the brightest undergraduates in Britain. Launched in 1962 and hosted by Bamber Gascoigne, the show achieved cult status with teams from two different rival colleges pitting their wits against each other each week. The questions are as varied and as tough as they can be, and competitors risk having hard-earned points deducted

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect

The story of D-Day has been told from the point of view of the soldiers who fought in it, the tacticians who planned it and the generals who led it. But that epic event in world history has never been told before through the perspective of the strange handful of spies who made it possible. D-Day was a great victory of arms, a tactical coup, and a moral crusade. But it was also a triumph for espion

Adventurer and journalist Simon Reeve heads to Vietnam to uncover the stories behind the nation's morning pick-me-up. While we drink millions of cups of the stuff each week, how many of us know where our coffee actually comes from? The surprising answer is that it is not Brazil, Colombia or Jamaica, but Vietnam. Eighty per cent of the coffee we drink in Britain isn't posh cappuccinos or lattes but

Broadwayproduzent Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) ist bankrott. Der schüchterne Buchprüfer Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) hat die rettende Idee: Bialystock, ein Meister im Umgarnen und Abzocken einsamer Witwen, soll sich von seinen weiblichen Fans Geld für eine Musicalproduktion pumpen – und dann einen derartigen Flop produzieren, dass niemand eine Rückzahlung erwartet. Das Stück, das die erhoffte Pleite br

As BBC Four marks the 50th anniversary of the classic film comedy 'Blazing Saddles', Alan Yentob looks back on his experiences working with the great Mel Brooks, recently presented with an Honorary Oscar in recognition of a boundary-breaking career that shocked audiences, but always left them laughing too. Here Alan reflects on what it was like being a producer encountering the comic genius who cr

At the age of 91, Mel Brooks is unstoppable, with his musical Young Frankenstein opening to great critical acclaim in London in late 2017. Alan Yentob visits Mel at home in Hollywood, at work and at play. With the aid of BBC archive stretching back decades, together they embark on an unpredictable, irresistible journey through the city of stars, meeting the legendary Carl Reiner along the way. The

British quiz show, presented by Victoria Coren Mitchell, in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections between seemingly unrelated clues. Each episode features two teams of three people competing in four rounds of gameplay. Each of the four rounds involve connections but they are not obvious or easy. The four rounds are ''What is the Connection?'', ''What Comes Fourth?'', ''Connect