BBC four

Coverage of the concerts and special musical events that take place each summer over an eight-week period. The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts – or The Proms as they are now more popularly known – have a rich history. Originally founded at the end of the 19th century, The Proms are now a highlight of Britain's cultural calendar. Boasting internationally renowned conductors and musicians and focussin

Jane Austen is one of the most celebrated writers of all time, but apart from a rough sketch by her sister Cassandra, we have very little idea what she looked like. Biographer Dr Paula Byrne thinks that is about to change. She believes she has come across a possible portrait of the author, lost to the world for nearly two centuries. Can the picture stand up to forensic analysis and scrutiny by art

Coverage of the concerts and special musical events that take place each summer over an eight-week period. The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts – or The Proms as they are now more popularly known – have a rich history. Originally founded at the end of the 19th century, The Proms are now a highlight of Britain's cultural calendar. Boasting internationally renowned conductors and musicians and focussin

Join our host, railway expert and transport historian Tim Dunn, as he takes us on a journey to explore the fascinating architecture that was created along the railway lines of the UK and Europe. From ground-breaking designs, challenging structural engineering and Victorian grandeur to simple single storey brick constructions and from viaducts to stations, bridges, tunnels, hotels, swimming pools a

Michelangelo was not merely a giant of the Renaissance. He was also one of the era's most controversial personalities. Art historian Sona Datta explores six decades of BBC archive to discover how TV has influenced our understanding of him. Sona reveals how TV has tried to reconcile Michelangelo's art with his difficult personality, bringing to life the story of a man who rose from humble beginning

Capturing the beauty of the English Lake District, a documentary which traces the life of writer and artist Alfred Wainwright, the eccentric Lancastrian who created a series of iconic fell-walking books which he hand-wrote, illustrated and published himself in the 1950s. Celebrating the centenary of his birth, the film captures his passionate love affair with the Lakeland landscape and explores ho

Michelangelo was not merely a giant of the Renaissance. He was also one of the era's most controversial personalities. Art historian Sona Datta explores six decades of BBC archive to discover how TV has influenced our understanding of him. Sona reveals how TV has tried to reconcile Michelangelo's art with his difficult personality, bringing to life the story of a man who rose from humble beginning

Join our host, railway expert and transport historian Tim Dunn, as he takes us on a journey to explore the fascinating architecture that was created along the railway lines of the UK and Europe. From ground-breaking designs, challenging structural engineering and Victorian grandeur to simple single storey brick constructions and from viaducts to stations, bridges, tunnels, hotels, swimming pools a

A gentle sitcom set in the fictional village of Grantleigh, and the aristocratic family seat of the fforbes-Hamilitons. The widow of the deceased Lord of the Manor is Audrey, who inherits the Grantleigh Manor, which has been in her family for hundreds of years. But her husband's debts have left the estate bankrupt and Audrey has no option but to sell up. The new Lord of the Manor is Richard DeVere

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

Drawing on the BBC's rich archive, this documentary reveals the working practices, lives and opinions of some of the greatest photographers since the 1950s. From Norman Parkinson to David Bailey, Eve Arnold to Jane Bown, Henri Cartier-Bresson to Martin Parr, for decades the BBC has drawn our attention to the creators of what has become the most ubiquitous, contemporary art form. Pioneering BBC pro

Series in which Eamonn McCabe celebrates Britain's greatest photographers, sees how science allowed their art to develop, and explores how they have captured our changing lives and country. In the first of three programmes, Eamonn goes back to the 19th century to trace the astonishingly rapid rise of the photograph in British life. Eamonn explores the science behind early photography, and shows ho

Gardening expert Chris Beardshaw explores where soil comes from, what it's made of and what makes it so essential to life. For billions of years our planet was devoid of life, but something transformed it into a vibrant, living planet. That something was soil. It's a much-misunderstood substance, often dismissed as 'dirt', something to be avoided. Yet the crops we eat, the animals we rely on, the

Series in which Eamonn McCabe celebrates Britain's greatest photographers, sees how science allowed their art to develop, and explores how they have captured our changing lives and country. In the first of three programmes, Eamonn goes back to the 19th century to trace the astonishingly rapid rise of the photograph in British life. Eamonn explores the science behind early photography, and shows ho

Drawing on the BBC's rich archive, this documentary reveals the working practices, lives and opinions of some of the greatest photographers since the 1950s. From Norman Parkinson to David Bailey, Eve Arnold to Jane Bown, Henri Cartier-Bresson to Martin Parr, for decades the BBC has drawn our attention to the creators of what has become the most ubiquitous, contemporary art form. Pioneering BBC pro

Ben Robinson travels to Cushendall, one of the finest planned Georgian villages in Northern Ireland. It was owned and shaped by a series of owners but most notably its 19th-century merchant landlord Francis Turnly. The forward-thinking man hoped to try out his ideas for a new global order – ideas akin to such organisations as today's UN and the WHO. He also built an intriguing tapered tower, from

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

Simon Sebag Montefiore looks at how every event in ancient Rome revolved around religion. From the foundation myth through to the deification of emperors, nothing could happen without calling upon the pantheon of Roman gods. Simon investigates how the Romans worshipped and sacrificed to the gods. He discovers that sacredness defined what was Roman and it was the responsibility of every Roman to pl

In the third episode Mary takes an in-depth look at the question of identity and citizenship within the Roman Empire. What did it mean to be, or to become, Roman, and how did the very different parts of the empire react to Roman rule? In the beautifully preserved cities of Algeria, incomers and locals mixed to create flourishing communities with a distinct 'more Roman than Rome' frontier identity.

Intertribal conflict was a familiar fixture for Australia's First Nations people, but nothing could prepare them for the conflict with the British and European arrivals over land and livelihood. In the first part of this authored series, film-maker Rachel Perkins, who has both European and First Nations ancestry, examines these first encounters following the British arrival in 1788. The British Em

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