BBC four

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

Antiques Roadshow is at Aston Hall in Birmingham, where treasures include some rare trading beads, memorable items from an Aston Villa legend and a collection of climbing gear from one of history's great mountaineers. Expert Will Farmer meets local man and celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who has brought along his own intriguing collection, and Fiona explores the Civil War-era history of the ha

In this episode, Lucy Worsley debunks another of the biggest fibs in British History: the "Glorious Revolution". In 1688, the British Isles were invaded by a huge army led by Dutch prince, William of Orange. With his English wife Mary he stole the throne from Mary's father, the Catholic King James II. This was the death knell for absolute royal power and laid the foundations of our constitutional

In the 1820s, the colonist population doubled in Tasmania, and so too did the death count as settlers came into conflict with Tasmanian Indigenous people resisting their arrival. In the second part of this authored series, film-maker Rachel Perkins, who has both European and Indigenous Australian ancestry, examines why – despite detailed public records of the extensive conflict in Tasmania – there

Antiques Roadshow is at Aston Hall in Birmingham, where treasures include some rare trading beads, memorable items from an Aston Villa legend and a collection of climbing gear from one of history's great mountaineers. Expert Will Farmer meets local man and celebrated poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who has brought along his own intriguing collection, and Fiona explores the Civil War-era history of the ha

Documentary series featuring pioneering images that capture the dazzling array of mysterious and wonderful creatures populating China's most beautiful landscapes. Ancient tea-growing cultures, traditional seaweed-thatched villages, bird-filled wetlands, rare white dolphins, snake-infested islands and futuristic cities jostle along China's fertile eastern seaboard, which marks the front line in the

Dr Janina Ramirez follows the footsteps of some of the greatest archaeologists and explorers from the past who discovered incredible treasures from the ancient world. She travels around the world to visit the locations where these groundbreaking discoveries were made, offering a new understanding of the origins of civilisation. Ramirez takes the viewers on an amazing and unforgettable journey, fro

Professor Jim Al-Khalili takes a sharp-witted and refreshingly optimistic look at how we have created machines that can simulate, augment, and even outperform the human mind – and why we shouldn't let this spook us. Following in the footsteps of BBC Four's award-winning maths films like ''The Joy of Stats' and 'The Joy of Data', and the recent "Joy of Winning" this latest gleefully nerdy adventure

The BBC's flagship science strand Horizon first began transmitting in 1964 – and since then has regularly produced films looking at computer technology and the emergence of 'artificial intelligence'. Horizon cameras have tracked the growth of computing power and AI systems and technologies; but uniquely it has also tracked our very human relationship with AI, and what emerges in this special archi

By the middle of the 18th century, Britain was in possession of a vast empire. It required a new way of seeing ourselves and so we turned to the statues of ancient Greece and Rome to project the secular power and glory of the British Empire. The message was clear: Britain was the new Rome, our generals and politicians on a par with the heroes of the ancient world. The flood of funds, both public a

In the 1820s, the colonist population doubled in Tasmania, and so too did the death count as settlers came into conflict with Tasmanian Indigenous people resisting their arrival. In the second part of this authored series, film-maker Rachel Perkins, who has both European and Indigenous Australian ancestry, examines why – despite detailed public records of the extensive conflict in Tasmania – there

Captivating six-part nature documentary series that explores some wonderful and wild regions of China- paddy fields of Yuanyang County, south-western Yunnan province, the Tibetan Plateau, extreme landscapes north of the Great Wall, China's 14,500 km coastline, and many more. See the fascinating landscapes, meet some incredible people and encounter some amazing and mysterious wildlife of the large

Presenter Liz McIvor tells the story of the people who operated the canal boats, carrying fuel and goods around the country. Conditions were tough, days were long. Victorian society began to grow suspicious of these "outsiders" and they gained reputations for criminality, violence and drinking. But was this reputation really deserved? Liz discovers grisly canal crimes, investigates health and welf

Rugby legend Gareth Edwards and wife Maureen head to one of Wales's most popular holiday destinations. They arrive just as a heatwave hits, turning Llandudno into a resort to rival the best sunny seaside locations. Llandudno is known for its seafront hotels and B&Bs and the pair check in to a room with a sea view before going in search of the pier and ice cream. Once, people flocked here for a tra

Hyacinth insists that her name Bucket is pronounced bouquet. In her house everything in its proper place and everything is perfectly clean and shiny. Her husband must always wear a tie and has to follow endless instructions as he chauffeurs her around in their immaculately kept car. Hyacinth's guests live in fear of her invitations. However, there is one very enormous drawback to Hyacinth's preten

Elevated to the highest governmental office in unusual circumstances, the Rt Hon James Hacker MP sets about implementing his dream of reshaping Britain, introducing a host of exciting reforms, reinvigorating the economy and cementing his place in political history as a bold public benefactor and inspiring leader. Nothing less than a root and branch upheaval of the stuffy Whitehall machinery will d

The story of an epic 1930s quest to find the origins of the earliest Irish men and women on the island of Ireland using archaeology. Ardal goes back to world-famous archaeological sites to see how Ireland had some of the most important finds in Europe at the time. Further beneath the surface, Ardal discovers how both in Northern Ireland and what was then called the Irish Free State, archaeology wa