BBC four

In 1964, a young Steven Berkoff was cast in one of his earliest screen roles, as a junior player in Hamlet in Elsinore, a BBC co-production with Danish television. Shot in Denmark by director Philip Saville, it starred Christopher Plummer as Hamlet and Michael Caine, in his only Shakespeare role, as Horatio. Here, Berkoff shares his memories of the production and how he got involved, gives his ver

Sweden, 1863. A country not much visited by Englishmen. An exception is the inquisitive Mr. Wraxhall, whose innocent rummaging through the archives of the noble de la Gardie family takes a sinister turn. Wraxhall becomes fascinated by the long-dead founder of the dynasty, the fearsome Count Magnus, a tyrannical ruler who dabbled in alchemy and who once made a strange journey to the Holy Land on mo

1923. Edward Williams, gentleman and amateur golfer, lives an untroubled life as the curator of a small university museum. His speciality is the topography of the British Isles. So when an art dealer sends him details of an interesting engraving – a mezzotint – of an old country house, he's intrigued. When the picture arrives, however, it seems perfectly ordinary – until Williams notices a figure

Lucy Worsley tells the story of Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire, where she first embarked on her career as a curator. Built in the early 17th century, Bolsover Castle became the pleasure palace of playboy Cavalier and ambitious courtier William Cavendish.Guiding us on a tour of the castle and its remarkable collection of artworks, Lucy brings to life the spectacular Masque held by Cavendish to win t

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 18th century heralded the greatest blossoming of Scottish artistry in its history. The most powerful and influential figures in Britain clamoured to have their portraits painted by Allan Ramsey and Henry Raeburn and their houses designed by Robert Adam; they stood in awe at the epic Highland landscapes of Horatio McCulloch and wept at the sensitive genre paintings of David Wilkie. Scots artist

First airing in 1957, The Sky at Night is a long-running documentary series that offers an in-depth examination of our majestic night sky. Containing a number astronomical and space-related topics, the series is a highly informative exploration of the night sky, providing viewers with incredibly detailed knowledge on items such as black holes, planets, meteor showers, stellar life cycles, and more

Soprano Joan Sutherland talks to Bernard Levin and sings scenes from some of her most celebrated roles. With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Erich Gruenberg and conducted by Richard Bonynge. (Senderinfo).

Art historian and curator Tobias Capwell celebrates the great age of armour. Referencing the unstoppable rise of the Royal Almain Armoury at Greenwich, he tells the forgotten story of how Henry VIII fused German high technology with Renaissance artistry in the pursuit of one aim – to become the very image of the perfect knight. Using the talents of foreign craftsmen and his court artist Hans Holbe

In this second episode of the series, Dr Janina Ramirez and Alastair Sooke are on a mission to get to know one of the most popular cities in the world through its art and architecture. Although Barcelona is famous for its exuberant modernista buildings, the Gothic Quarter and artistic superstars such as Picasso, in this film, Janina and Alastair are determined to discover some less well known cult

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

Another chance to join Fred Dibnah as he celebrates Britain's great building and engineering feats, from prehistoric stone circles to the Humber Bridge. Fred travels around Britain to discover how some of our great buildings were constructed. Along the way, he meets the craftsmen who are preserving these buildings for future generations. In the programme, Fred considers the development of castles

Join Professor Richard Holmes as he traverses the routes, roads, beaches and bunkers of historic battles that have taken place across Europe. The British military historian shares his knowledge and passion of these destructive events, venturing to battle locations and immersing himself in the stories that surround the fighting. Professor Holmes describes in great detail the events that led to thes

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

Presented by Dr Clare Jackson of Cambridge University, this three-part series argues the Stuarts, more than any other, were Britain's defining royal family. We tend to take today's modern United Kingdom for granted, but there was nothing inevitable about its creation. During the 17th century, the Stuarts grappled with the chaos of three separate Kingdoms, multiple religions and civil war. Britain

In the concluding episode of the series, Jim encounters ever larger cosmic structures to reveal the latest breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe. For example, there's the heliosphere, a vast cloud of solar plasma that surrounds and protects the solar system. Its unique physics help us understand why life is possible. Larger still, Jim comes face to face with our galactic home the Milk

First airing in 1957, The Sky at Night is a long-running documentary series that offers an in-depth examination of our majestic night sky. Containing a number astronomical and space-related topics, the series is a highly informative exploration of the night sky, providing viewers with incredibly detailed knowledge on items such as black holes, planets, meteor showers, stellar life cycles, and more

Another chance to join Fred Dibnah as he celebrates Britain's great building and engineering feats, from prehistoric stone circles to the Humber Bridge. Fred travels around Britain to discover how some of our great buildings were constructed. Along the way, he meets the craftsmen who are preserving these buildings for future generations. In the programme, Fred considers the development of castles

Join Professor Richard Holmes as he traverses the routes, roads, beaches and bunkers of historic battles that have taken place across Europe. The British military historian shares his knowledge and passion of these destructive events, venturing to battle locations and immersing himself in the stories that surround the fighting. Professor Holmes describes in great detail the events that led to thes

Presented by Dr Clare Jackson of Cambridge University, this three-part series argues the Stuarts, more than any other, were Britain's defining royal family. We tend to take today's modern United Kingdom for granted, but there was nothing inevitable about its creation. During the 17th century, the Stuarts grappled with the chaos of three separate Kingdoms, multiple religions and civil war. Britain

Fred Dibnah tours across Britain in this fascinating documentary series to examine the country's most spectacular marvels of engineering. Each episode in the six-part series follows Fred as he unravels the history behind a respective monument or structure, detailing each projects development and the innovative minds that brought them to life. A compelling examination of some of Britain's grandest

Join Professor Richard Holmes as he traverses the routes, roads, beaches and bunkers of historic battles that have taken place across Europe. The British military historian shares his knowledge and passion of these destructive events, venturing to battle locations and immersing himself in the stories that surround the fighting. Professor Holmes describes in great detail the events that led to thes

One family. Worlds apart. Saturn is the jewel of the solar system, the most seductive of all the planets, but as Professor Brian Cox reveals – it wasn't born that way. Raised in the freezing outer reaches of the solar system Saturn began life as a strange planet of rock and ice. Born outside the snow line, with an abundance of building materials, it soon grew to dwarf the Earth, drawing in colossa

Tune into 1960s one-off plays, which marked the debut of many distinguished British writers and directors, the likes of Ken Loach, Dennis Potter, and John Hopkins. Some of these plays involve "Son of Man.

Actors and directors talk about their careers with fellow artists and contemporaries. Actor Cillian Murphy, who played the lead role in Ken Loach's Palme d'Or-winning film The Wind That Shakes the Barley, talks to the director about a prolific career dedicated to documenting social and political injustice, the importance of artistic collaboration, the often-overlooked humour in Loach's films, and