BBC four

On one of the wettest days in Roadshow history, over 2,000 visitors queue to see Fiona Bruce and the experts sheltering under the canopy at Minehead Station, which is run by West Somerset Railway. Objects brought to camera include a bracelet made from jewels once owned by the last of the Romanovs, the Russian royal family, photographs from the day The Beatles came to film A Hard Day's Night and a

Documentary series that combines biography, art and the history of fashion as host Amber Butchart, a fashion historian, explores the lives of historical figures – Marie Antoinette, Charles II, Dido Belle, Edward the Black and others, by examining the clothes that they wore. Amber looks into the history of the garments and the people depicted, visiting collections and speaking with experts. Alongsi

Shakespeare's life and legacy is threatened when the Gunpowder Plot unearths a secret he has worked all his life to bury: his family are Catholics, traitors to the crown. When his daughter is implicated in the fallout, Shakespeare unleashes his most epic work to date: Macbeth, which appeals to the new monarch, King James I. As Shakespeare teeters towards death, he reflects on his successes and fai

The story of the Christmas truce On Christmas Eve 1914 on the Western Front, British and German soldiers sang carols to each other across a frosty, moonlit No Man's Land. The next morning, on Christmas Day, hundreds of men of both nations emerged from the trenches to talk, joke, take photographs and exchange souvenirs, in the most famous fraternisation of the First World War. This remarkable event

Documentary series that combines biography, art and the history of fashion as host Amber Butchart, a fashion historian, explores the lives of historical figures – Marie Antoinette, Charles II, Dido Belle, Edward the Black and others, by examining the clothes that they wore. Amber looks into the history of the garments and the people depicted, visiting collections and speaking with experts. Alongsi

Shakespeare's life and legacy is threatened when the Gunpowder Plot unearths a secret he has worked all his life to bury: his family are Catholics, traitors to the crown. When his daughter is implicated in the fallout, Shakespeare unleashes his most epic work to date: Macbeth, which appeals to the new monarch, King James I. As Shakespeare teeters towards death, he reflects on his successes and fai

Antiques valuation programme. A team of well-respected experts travel around the UK visiting a string of beautiful locations such as castles, stately homes, mansions, gardens and museums. They are met by members of the public who have brought along an antique, family heirloom or curio, eager for a current valuation. The experts have their own specialisms and are always on the lookout for a surpris

Alaska is one of the most iconic wildernesses on the planet – America's last frontier. In this three-part series, we follow a year in Alaska, and reveal the stories of pioneering Alaskans, both animal and human, as they battle the elements and reap the benefits of nature's seasonal gold rush. Alaska is huge – by far the biggest US state, and still one of the wildest places on earth. It has deep fo

The story of Scottish art and its impact on the international art world is celebrated in this four-part series presented by acclaimed artist Lachlan Goudie. The series spans 5,000 years of Scotland's history, from the earliest Neolithic art to the present day. In the first programme, Lachlan explores Scotland's earliest art. He visits the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, where standing stones have watch

Documentary exploring the life and work of the writer and art critic John Berger. On the occasion of his 90th birthday John Berger or the Art of Looking is an intimate portrait of man whose ground-breaking work on seeing has shaped our understanding of the concept for over five decades. The film introduces Berger's art of looking with theatre wizard Simon McBurney, film-director Michael Dibb, visu

Dan Cruickshank visits Britain's finest country houses, museums and factories as he uncovers the 18th- and 19th-century fascination with silver. Delving into an unsurpassed era of shimmering opulence, heady indulgence and conspicuous consumption, Dan discovers the Georgian and Victorian obsession with this tantalising precious metal which represented status, wealth and excellent taste. He gives us

With sumptuous palaces, exquisite artworks and stunning architecture, every great city offers a dizzying multitude of artistic highlights. In this new series, art historians Dr Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke take us on three cultural citybreaks, hunting for off-the-beaten-track artistic treats – and finding new ways of enjoying some very famous sights. In this opening episode, they head to Amst

The story of Scottish art and its impact on the international art world is celebrated in this four-part series presented by acclaimed artist Lachlan Goudie. The series spans 5,000 years of Scotland's history, from the earliest Neolithic art to the present day. In the first programme, Lachlan explores Scotland's earliest art. He visits the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney, where standing stones have watch

The American documentary TV series uncovers dark secrets and mysteries of the subterranean environment and culture beneath various cities of the world. It's hard to believe but there are entire cities beneath the modern ones, ancient temples and stadiums are buried under present-day buildings. The host is peeling back layers of time and explores the Tomb of the Lost Mummies in Cairo, Rome's Hidden

Why are male mandrill faces (big bold primates from West Africa) red and blue? How are birds' feathers so colourful? What do ringtail lemurs do to talk to one another? Their skin holds the key. As Professor Ben Garrod explores how animals communicate with one another, he uncovers a myriad more wonderful ways. Skin has evolved in some remarkable ways to enable animals to communicate with each other

In the first of two special walks celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth, Derek Brockway walks in Dylan's footsteps around his home town of Swansea. With his guide, actor Adrian Metcalfe, Derek sets off from Dylan's childhood home on Cwmdonkin Drive. He then walks through the city's beautiful parks and down to the seafront before visiting some of Dylan's haunts in later life. Derek even

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

Professor Robert Bartlett explores the impact of the Normans on southern Europe and the Middle East. The Normans spread south in the 11th century, winning control of southern Italy and the island of Sicily. There they created their most prosperous kingdom, where Christianity and Islam co-existed in relative harmony and mutual tolerance. It became a great centre of medieval culture and learning. Bu

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

Why are male mandrill faces (big bold primates from West Africa) red and blue? How are birds' feathers so colourful? What do ringtail lemurs do to talk to one another? Their skin holds the key. As Professor Ben Garrod explores how animals communicate with one another, he uncovers a myriad more wonderful ways. Skin has evolved in some remarkable ways to enable animals to communicate with each other

In the first of two special walks celebrating the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth, Derek Brockway walks in Dylan's footsteps around his home town of Swansea. With his guide, actor Adrian Metcalfe, Derek sets off from Dylan's childhood home on Cwmdonkin Drive. He then walks through the city's beautiful parks and down to the seafront before visiting some of Dylan's haunts in later life. Derek even

UK history professor Robert Bartlett gives you a crash course in Norse history, outlining some of the most significant Norse (Viking) leaders. Robert travels across the British Isles, to Jerusalem over to Italy, exploring the extent of Norse influence between the 10th and 13th century. Watch as the professor visit historical landmarks and examine artefacts in relation to the greatest Norse conquer

What is the most toxic animal on earth? How are porcupine quills helping us in medicine? Why is a rhino armour plated, and it is not to protect them from lions? Professor Ben Garrod discovers the complex ways, from camouflage to deadly toxins, in which the skin helps defend animals against threats of all kinds. From the barbed quills of the North American porcupine to the battering ram of a rhino'

In the second of his two special Dylan's Walks programmes, which celebrate the centenary of Dylan Thomas's birth, Derek Brockway travels to the seaside town of New Quay on Cardigan Bay, where Dylan and his wife Caitlin lived during the war. Derek's hitting the Dylan Thomas trail with his guide Jeff Towns to find out why their time here was so dramatic and how it inspired Dylan to write some of his

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 a unique experiment, Dallas Campbell, Professor Danielle George and Dr Hugh Hunt join forces in an attempt to restage the very first official broadcast on British television, exactly 80 years after it made history. The very first official broadcast came from Alexandra Palace on 2nd November 1936 – but there are no surviving recordings. To find out just what went on, this 21st-century team attem