1h

In this programme, David Attenborough asks three key questions: how, and why, did Darwin come up with his theory of evolution? Why do we think he was right? And why is it more important now than ever before? David starts his journey in Darwin's home at Down House in Kent, where Darwin worried and puzzled over the origins of life. David goes back to his roots in Leicestershire, where he hunted f... Read more

1h

Dan Cruickshank presents a documentary revealing the story of the Dalai Lama, his secret Himalayan kingdom and the story of his exile, using eyewitness accounts from Tibetans including the Dalai Lama himself and colour archive footage of Tibet from the 1930s to 50s.

1h

Charles Rangeley Wilson, author, journalist and BBC 2's Accidental Angler, travels to Japan to explore the Japanese people's passionate relationship to fish.

1h

Documentary in which George Lamb dives into the world of legal party pills and herbal highs. Legal highs are sold openly and legally in shops across the UK and on the internet. There are thousands of different pills, powders and herbs that promise the same effects as illegal drugs, but for much less hassle - no arrests for possession and no backstreet dealers to visit. Lamb sets out to disco... Read more

1h

Writer Paul Morley takes a journey back through time to revisit his own adventures and misadventures in fashion and meets the pop stars who he feels are responsible for the way he looks now.

1h

Cleopatra - the most famous woman in history. We know her as a great queen, a beautiful lover and a political schemer. For 2,000 years almost all evidence of her has disappeared - until now. In one of the world's most exciting finds, archaeologists believe they have discovered the skeleton of her sister, murdered by Cleopatra and Mark Antony. From Egypt to Turkey, Neil Oliver investigates th... Read more

1h

British novelist Marcel Theroux is fascinated by Wabi Sabi, a theory of Japanese aesthetics in which imperfection and transience are the touchstone of beauty. The Japanese say that if you can understand Wabi Sabi, you will understand Japan and the Japanese. Yet at the same time they have immense difficulty in explaining the concept themselves, so Marcel travels across Japan, from Tokyo to Kyoto... Read more

1h

An extraordinary insight into the secretive world of the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When two radical Amish men, Ephraim and Jesse Stoltzfus, start to question some of the most fundamental aspects of their Amish culture, they face excommunication from their church and total rejection by their friends and family.

1h

Andrew Graham-Dixon takes a journey into the art and soul of the Samurai, who ruled Japan for 700 years and were much more than mere warriors.

1h

Documentary which tells the story of evolution theory since Darwin postulated it in 1859 in 'On the Origin of Species'. The theory of evolution by natural selection is now scientific orthodoxy, but when it was unveiled it caused a storm of controversy, from fellow scientists as well as religious people. They criticised it for being short on evidence and long on assertion and Darwin, being the h... Read more

1h

There are some who believe that Darwin's theory of evolution has weakened religion, fuelled in part by Richard Dawkins' publishing phenomenon The God Delusion. Conor Cunningham argues that nothing could be further from the truth. Cunningham is a firm believer in the theory of evolution, but he is also a Christian. He believes that the clash between Darwin and God has been hijacked by extremists... Read more

1h

An estimated 70 per cent of women try to lose weight before they get married and Claire Richards, one fifth of superstar pop group Steps, is no exception.

1h

A documentary exploring the causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Over six terrifying, desperate days in October 1929, shares crashed by a third on the New York Stock Exchange. More than $25 billion in individual wealth was lost. Later, three thousand banks failed, taking people's savings with them. Surviving eyewitnesses describe the biggest financial catastrophe in history. In 1919, the US... Read more

1h

We explore the story behind the discovery of an early primate fossil, Darwinius masillae, nicknamed Ida, in a shale quarry in Germany. The fossil is believed to be around 47 million years old, and is extraordinarily well-preserved. Originally unearthed in 1983, Ida lay in the hands of a private collector for 20 years before it was shown to a Norwegian paleontologist, Dr Jørn Hurum. Realising that ... Read more

1h

Documentary bringing to life Gavin Pretor-Pinney's international bestseller, The Cloudspotter's Guide, which draws on science, meteorology and mythology for a magical journey through the world of clouds. Presented by the obsessive and excitable Pretor-Pinney, it is no dry treatise on the science of nephology, but a playful trip through the varied beauty and distinctive personalities of the ten ... Read more

1h

Fulfilling a life long dream to be an astronaut, May was given the opportunity to fly to the edge of space in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane. To do this he first had to spend three days training with the United States Air Force at Beale Air Force Base and then learning how to use a space suit correctly. Following this he was shown being taken on a 3 hour flight reaching an altitude of over 70,000 feet, ... Read more

1h

In this programme James May commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings. The show saw May interviewing Apollo moonwalkers Harrison Schmitt, Alan Bean, and Charlie Duke, before himself experiencing weightlessness and G-forces similar to that of a Saturn V rocket launch. As a passenger in a Lockheed U-2 spy plane, May flies to the edge of space where he is able to clearly vie... Read more

1h

Can we trust the food we eat? Reporters Tom Heap and Simon Boazman set off on a mission to find out, revealing the tricks of food labelling and uncovering the world of food fraud.

1h

On July 20th 1969, the ‘Great Southern Land’ of Australia had just twelve and a half million inhabitants and was known more for its kangaroos then its space program. But at the moment Neil Armstrong planted the first human footstep on the moon, all that would change in an instant. One Small Step – The Australian Story, produced exclusively for BBC Worldwide Channels by Freehand premieres on BB... Read more

1h

Documentary about the love affair between the British and their caravans, which saw the country establish the world's largest caravan manufacturer and transformed the holiday habits of generations of families. In telling the intriguing story of caravanning in Britain from the 1950s through to the present day, the film reveals how caravans were once the plaything of a privileged minority but aft... Read more

1h

Top chefs and celebrities pay tribute to one of the most original broadcasters of his generation, Keith Floyd. Rick Stein, Marco Pierre White and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are among those honouring the legendary chef and bon viveur, whose ground-breaking shows changed the face of TV cookery for ever.

1h

Poet and gadget lover Simon Armitage explores people's obsession with upgrading to the latest technological gadgetry. Upgrade culture drives millions to purchase the latest phones, flatscreen TVs, laptops and MP3 players. But is it design, functionality, fashion or friends that makes people covet the upgrade, and how far does the choice of gadgets define identity? Simon journeys across Britain ... Read more

1h

Bees are dying in their millions. It is an ecological crisis that threatens to bring global agriculture to a standstill. Introduced by Martha Kearney, this documentary explores the reasons behind the decline of bee colonies across the globe, investigating what might be at the root of this devastation.

1h

Through the life cycle of one mobile phone, this documentary investigates the million and one ways in which the mobile has made itself indispensable to modern life. One in every two human beings has a mobile, and this inanimate lump of plastic and minerals is made privy to people's innermost secrets - conversations with friends, lovers and family. It holds family photos, plays favourite music a... Read more

1h

Choirmaster Gareth Malone joins forces with the BBC Singers to explore the styles and techniques that create a choir. He finds out why there are four sections, what is polyphony, what links Bach and the Beach Boys, what difference the venue makes and what is the choral combination that is guaranteed to touch an emotional chord.

1h

Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage. In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Volatire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain. T... Read more

1h

Dan Snow travels to Mexico to investigate the history, character and legacy of Montezuma, the last great ruler of the Aztecs of central America. He uncovers the extraordinary story of the Aztecs themselves, a cultured and civilised people whose lives were governed by eleborate ceremony and blood-curdling ritual. Dan Snow also discovers how, in a titanic clash of cultures, their leader Montez... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the story of silicon chip inventor Robert Noyce, godfather of today's digital world. Re-living the heady days of Silicon Valley's seminal start-ups, the film tells how Noyce also founded Intel, the company responsible for more than 80 per cent of the microprocessors in personal computers. Noyce defined the unconventional, innovative culture of Silicon Valley - the likes of Appl... Read more

1h

Documentary which looks at how a radical generation of musicians created a new German musical identity out of the cultural ruins of war. Between 1968 and 1977 bands like Neu!, Can, Faust and Kraftwerk would look beyond western rock and roll to create some of the most original and uncompromising music ever heard. They shared one common goal - a forward-looking desire to transcend Germany's grues... Read more

1h

An eccentric team of British engineers attempts to break the longest standing land speed record in the world in a steam-powered car built in a shed in Hampshire. Driven by Hampshire-based tycoon Charles Burnett III and grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell, Don Wales, the attempt takes place at Edwards Air Force Base in California as the team goes in search of a runway big enough to break records on.

1h

At 72, actor Richard Wilson - who famously died himself as Victor Meldrew - wonders why, when it's life's one certainty, people have such difficulty discussing death. In that Palinesque style that he's developed, Richard travels around the country meeting people and finding out how death is dealt with in the 21st century - how people face it, what happens when we die, and the different ways peo... Read more

1h

The untold story of two infamous labourers, Burke and Hare, who embarked upon a year-long killing spree in Edinburgh during the 19th century to provide corpses for the most famous anatomist of the day, Dr Robert Knox. The common perception is that Burke and Hare were Scottish graverobbers but, as this programme reveals, they were serial killers from Northern Ireland. Presented by Dr Alice Roberts ... Read more

1h

Documentary which explores television's fascination with forensics, revisiting classic shows like Quincy and Marius Goring's The Expert and looking at the appeal of contemporary dramas such as Silent Witness, Waking The Dead and CSI. The film examines how scientific advances like genetic fingerprinting have been reflected in the crime drama, finds out how pathology got so sexy, how accurate the s... Read more

1h

Peter Capaldi reveals a flair for presenting in this new documentary looking at the art of Scotland, as it reflects the changing face of the nation as part of BBC Four's This is Scotland season. The actor, a graduate of the Glasgow School Of Art, brings an interesting perspective to this feature-length piece, admitting that his early gift for drawing fell by the wayside as a young man but that he... Read more

1h

Bogey, Bacall and Mitchum play it tough as Matthew Sweet celebrates the hardboiled world of noir movies.

1h

Sue Perkins charts the changes in British taste towards domestic art by delving into the stories of contemporary bestsellers, charting the history of post-war prints and aiming to see first hand what the average British person displays above their mantelpiece. Half of British living rooms have art on their wall bought from high street stores, and many of the British artists who created them are am... Read more

1h

Documentary in which artist and writer Matthew Collings explores the concept of beauty in art. Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder, or is there something more universal we can say about it? Collings takes the viewer on a sumptuously illustrated tour of 10 of his favourite beauty experiences from the history of art. The works of art he chooses each illustrate one of the timeless principles wh... Read more

1h

Documentary charting the history of the supernatural on British television, and how ghosts have been portrayed on the small screen. From Hamlet to Most Haunted, the apparitions have abandoned their traditional haunts of drama and comedy and crossed over into factual and reality TV. Ghosts in the Machine celebrates classic ghost stories like The Stone Tape, and Whistle and I'll Come to You. It r... Read more

1h

To mark his 75th year, a rare glimpse into the life and work of Alan Bennett, one of the UK's best-loved writers. Given exclusive access to the key moments in his year, including final rehearsals of his new play, The Habit of Art, the programme gains unique insight into someone who can truly be described as a national treasure - a title Bennett would, no doubt, hate. Through candid interview... Read more

1h

In 1979, artist Kit Williams turned Britain into a giant treasure map, promising a golden hare, buried in the earth, to the first person who solved the riddle of his book Masquerade. The hysteria that followed the hunt drove Williams underground, where he has continued to create complex and beautiful art, which he refuses to publicly exhibit. In his first interview in two decades, Kit lifts the... Read more

1h

Documentary which explores the most important day in the career of the legendary Johnny Cash. Cash's concert at Folsom State Prison in California in January 1968 touched a raw nerve in the American psyche and made him a national hero at a troubled time in American history. Using the stark images of rock photographer Jim Marshall, graphic techniques, archive footage and interviews with Merle ... Read more

1h

Every year millions of people in Britain try to lose weight, and most fail. We are constantly bombarded with advice about dieting and the latest slimming fads. But what really works? In this programme, medical journalist Michael Mosley investigates the latest scientific breakthroughs in slimming, uncovering ten of the simplest ways you can shed those pounds. From the slimming secrets of soup to ou... Read more

1h

Professors Iain Stewart and Professor Kathy Sykes take a timely look at global warming ahead of the Copenhagen summit, exploring the world's leading climate scientists' vision of the planet's future.

1h

For the first time since 1990, Delia returns to television screens at Christmas time to unveil a celebration feast packed with indulgent, scrumptious recipes.

1h

The story behind Not The Nine O'Clock News, which launched the careers of its key performers Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones and Pamela Stephenson.

1h

Documentary about progressive music and the generation of bands that were involved, from the international success stories of Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson and Jethro Tull to the trials and tribulations of lesser-known bands such as Caravan and Egg. The film is structured in three parts, charting the birth, rise and decline of a movement famed for complex musical structures, weird time signat... Read more

1h

Professor Jim Al-Khalili shows how chaos theory can answer a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being mag... Read more

1h

Aminatta Forna tells the story of legendary Timbuktu and its long hidden legacy of hundreds of thousands of ancient manuscripts. With its university founded around the same time as Oxford, Timbuktu is proof that the reading and writing of books have long been as important to Africans as to Europeans.

1h

Documentary which tells the story of the British love affair with the American dream cars made at Ford in Dagenham in the 1960s and 70s. Ford helped put the nation on wheels with its fast, sexy cars such as the Zephyr, the Cortina and the Capri, which were pure rock'n'roll and hugely appealing to the younger generation.

1h

Documentary about Falklands War veteran and ex-firefighter Jim Armstrong, who is now a farmer in Dorset. The film follows Jim through 2007 as he helps to raise a herd of traditional Longhorn cattle and his own flock of sheep. Sad echoes of his war experiences 25 years earlier resurface at times, but they never dent his optimistic spirit or his delight in selling meat locally and spending his da... Read more

1h

Documentary unfolding the science behind the idea of six degrees of separation. Originally thought to be an urban myth, it now appears that anyone on the planet can be connected in just a few steps of association. Six degrees of separation is also at the heart of a major scientific breakthrough; that there might be a law which nature uses to organize itself and that now promises to solve some of i... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the story of Rolls-Royce in India through the fortunes of India's princes.

1h

Paul Merton continues his love affair with silent cinema in an exploration of Alfred Hitchcock's British films. Before Hitchcock became the master of suspense, he made all kinds of movies while learning his profession and honing his technique. His later, much loved American pictures are full of visual sequences which owe a huge debt to his early days as a silent film director.

1h

Stars of the hit drama series Merlin, Colin Morgan and Bradley James, set off across Wales to explore the country's centuries-old connections to the legend of King Arthur and his wizard Merlin. Along the way they encounter enthusiasts and experts in Arthurian lore, and visit some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Wales.

1h

Penelope Keith tells the story of Edwardian 'it girl' and motoring pioneer Dorothy Levitt. She retraces Levitt's 1905 journey from London to Liverpool in a De Dion motor car, with the aid of Dorothy's handbook The Woman and the Car and advice from motoring historians and veteran car enthusiasts. The story is further illustrated by archive material from the period.

1h

In September 2009, the Girl Guides celebrated their centenary. With a membership of over 600,000, nearly half the female population of Britain has been involved with the Brownies and Girl Guides at some time during their lives. Throughout its history, the movement has given girls the opportunity to have fun and form life-long friendships. Narrated by Dominic West (The Wire), 100 Years of the Gi... Read more

1h

An exclusive TV premiere, Attenborough Explores... Our Fragile World, a documentary looking at the impact of climate change in the UK. Our planet is the hottest it has been since records began - and it's getting hotter. Many predictions have been made about the future fate of a warming planet and its wildlife but, Attenborough Explores... Our Fragile World takes a look at the impact on the anim... Read more

1h

Nation on Film documentary telling the story of youth hostelling, which was founded in 1909 in Germany and was established in Britain in 1930, through fascinating archive films discovered in a storeroom at the Youth Hostel Association's headquarters in Derbyshire.

1h

Tristram Hunt shows how motoring has gone from allowing us to explore the beautiful English countryside to the present day of speed cameras, congestion charges and environmental issues. Along the way, he looks at different cars through the ages that define a decade and a generation.

1h

As the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew prepare to celebrate their 250th anniversary, Dan Cruickshank unearths some of the surprising stories that shaped the famous gardens. His travels take him from the royal gardens to the corridors of power and the outposts of the Empire as he pieces together Kew's story, uncovering tales of bravery, high adventure, passion and drama.

1h

Damian Lewis-narrated documentary telling the colourful story of Island Records, the Jamaican-founded record label built by maverick boss Chris Blackwell which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. The film features a rare, in-depth interview with Blackwell alongside contributions from former Island artists Grace Jones, Toots Hibbert, Amy Winehouse, Sly and Robbie, PJ Harvey, U2, Brian Eno, ... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the story of Balmoral, the Royal Family's most private residence. For over 150 years this Scottish castle has been home to royal traditions of picnics, stag hunting and kilts. From prime ministers to Princess Diana, life at this tartan-bound holiday home hasn't appealed to everyone. But there's another story of Balmoral, of how the Royal Family has played a role in shaping m... Read more

1h

Whether in his golden youth or premature old age, legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker's musical virtuosity always shone through. In this frank and revealing documentary made a year before his death, interviews, recording sessions, archive footage and home movies are used by director Bruce Weber to show a man ravaged by his long involvement with drugs.

1h

The story of a special train, the Lifeline Express. It is known as the Magic Train. With two state-of-the-art operating theatres, recovery rooms, offices and accommodation, each project requires a team of volunteer doctors, surgeons and nurses to give their services for free. For four weeks, cameras follow the Mandsor project as operations are carried out on poor rural people while the train is st... Read more

1h

The story of Frank Chalmers, an open water swimmer setting off on the challenge of his life. Having successfully swum the English Channel, Frank has been training for over a year in preparation for his toughest swim yet - to cross the Pentland Firth.

1h

Little more than 100 years ago, Scottish mountains standing at more than 3,000 feet were virtually unknown. Today they are familiar terrain to many thousands of climbers, thanks to Victorian adventurer Hugh Munro's determination to list the high peaks which now define the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. This documentary tells the story of the magnificent peaks that bear his name and the peop... Read more

1h

Historian Michael Wood returns to his first great love, the Anglo-Saxon world, to reveal the origins of our literary heritage. Focusing on Beowulf and drawing on other Anglo-Saxon classics, he traces the birth of English poetry back to the Dark Ages.

1h

Is Margaret Thatcher the mother of the Scottish Parliament? BBC World Affairs Correspondent Allan Little looks back at the tumultuous Thatcher years, and assesses the effect they had on Scotland.

1h

Poet Simon Armitage goes on the trail of one of the jewels in the crown of British poetry, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written about 600 years ago by an unknown author. The poem has got just about everything - it is an action-packed adventure, a ghost story, a steamy romance, a morality tale and the world's first eco-poem. Armitage follows in the footsteps of the poem's hero, Gawain, throu... Read more

1h

Actress Melissa Suffield plays teenage tearaway Lucy Beale in EastEnders, a character famous for her bad behaviour. But now Melissa is coming of age - she has turned 16, is paying tax and is leaving school - and thinks she wants a say in how things are run. So she hits the road to find out whether 16-year-olds should get the vote. On her journey across Britain, Melissa meets teenage protesters,... Read more

1h

Documentary looking at events in Gloucester, Massachusetts, when an unusually large number of teenage girls turned up for pregnancy tests at the clinic of a school. Within hours the news of an alleged 'pregnancy pact' had travelled round the world, appearing in newspapers, TV bulletins and chat shows. Town officials denied the rumours, but was there any truth in them? Featuring interviews with ... Read more

1h

Singer and Strictly Come Dancing star Alesha Dixon investigates the potential fallout of not knowing who your father is. Alesha talks to children and experts as she examines both the emotional and practical implications of not knowing where and who you come from; from the extreme case scenario of potentially sleeping with a half brother or sister that you did not know you had, to the possible b... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the little-known story of how Darwin came to write his great masterpiece, On the Origin of Species, a book which explains the wonderful variety of the natural world as emerging out of death and the struggle of life. In the twenty years he took to develop a brilliant idea into a revolutionary book, Darwin went through a personal struggle every bit as turbulent as that of the na... Read more

1h

Kirsten O'Brien takes a warm-hearted and irreverent tour of Britain's Most Embarrassing Parents. We get a peek into the lives of ten families across the UK and hear first-hand from the mortified kids who've been brought up by some of the country's most unconventional parents.

1h

Fashion photographer Rankin recreates seven of his favourite images as he takes a journey through a brief history of the fashion photograph. By re-staging iconic images by Cecil Beaton, Erwin Blumenfeld, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, David Bailey and Guy Bourdin, Rankin exposes the ways in which fashion photography uses fantasy and beauty to communicate something about reality.

1h

Central Valley, California, is home to some of the most impoverished rural towns in America, where crystal meth addiction is prolific. In Fresno, Louis finds a community ravaged by this cheap and highly addictive drug. As he infiltrates the town, he experiences the reality of meth abuse, as addicts who are high (or 'tweaking', as it is known) invite him into their homes to see them take hit after... Read more

1h

Fleetwood Mac, one of the biggest-selling bands of all time, are back on the road again. Their story, told in their own words, is an epic tale of love and confrontation, of success and loss. Few bands have undergone such radical musical and personal change. The band evolved from the 60s British blues boom to perfect a US West Coast sound that saw them sell 40 million copies of the album Rumours. ... Read more

1h

Professor Brian Cox takes a look through nearly 50 years of BBC archive at the story of man's relationship with the moon. From the BBC's space fanatic James Burke testing out the latest NASA equipment to 1960s interviews about the bacon-flavoured crystals that astronauts can survive on in space, to the iconic images of man's first steps on the moon and the dramatic story of Apollo 13, Horizon a... Read more

1h

In 1926 John Logie Baird became the first man in history to give a successful public demonstration of television. During WWII, with the help of one assistant, a part-time glassblower and a refugee from Germany, he built his masterpiece and swansong - the Telechrome. It was the foundation of all modern electronic colour television. In a lifetime blighted with ill health, JLB - as he was known - pr... Read more

1h

A documentary celebrating the golden age of air travel, when in the 1920s and 1930s Britain ruled the skies, and style and glamour were a passport to adventure.

1h

In 1988, teenager John Davidson featured in a BBC documentary about Tourettes. At that time, few people had even heard of Tourettes Syndrome, let alone knew anything about the neurological condition which, at its worst, causes violent body movements and outbursts of swearing. John was 16, and trying to come to terms with a frightening world where his language and behaviour was a constant form o... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the forgotten story of a heroic battle fought by the children of the British Memorial School to help liberate Europe from the Nazis. The school served a unique horticultural community of ex-First World War soldiers and their families living in Ypres in Belgium who lovingly tended the war graves. Steeped in ideals of patriotic service and sacrifice, many pupils and ex-pupils ... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the story of what happened to blues music on its journey from the southern states of America to the heart of British pop and rock culture, providing an in-depth look at what this music really meant to a generation of kids desperate for an antidote to their experiences of living in post-war suburban Britain. Narrated by Nigel Planer and structured in three parts, the first, B... Read more

1h

Documentary in which writer and journalist Christopher de Bellaigue explores the fraught but often surprisingly intimate history of Britain's relations with Iran, and asks why Iranians think that if something goes wrong in Iran then Britain must have something to do with it. De Bellaigue has lived in Tehran, speaks fluent Persian and knows well the phenomenon of 'Uncle Napoleonism', the notion ... Read more

1h

Most young adults take their freedoms for granted - they can choose their friends, stay out late, learn to drive and decide what they want to do as a career. But for people growing up on the autistic spectrum, life is very different. Stuck in a strange limbo between childhood and adulthood, they are unable to make these choices. This documentary follows three people with autism at pivotal momen... Read more

1h

Documentary following writer and broadcaster Stephen Smith on the trail of Vladimir Nabokov, the elusive man behind the controversial novel and 1962 film, Lolita. The journey takes him from the shores of Lake Geneva to Nabokov's childhood haunts in the Russian countryside south of St Petersburg to the streets of New York City and a road trip through the anonymous world of small-town America. A... Read more

1h

Award-winning 87-year-old actress Liz Smith does the one thing she has never managed to achieve in her life - go on a proper holiday. Liz, known and loved by millions as Nana in The Royle Family and Leticia in The Vicar of Dibley, finally fulfils her modest ambition to join a group of like-minded individuals on a summer cruise across the Adriatic to Venice. The film gives an intimate and per... Read more

1h

Documentary about the pioneering computer animation studio Pixar, featuring contributions from the studio's bosses and a host of actors who have lent their voices to their creations, including Tom Hanks. Films such as Toy Story and A Bug's Life have led to the studio becoming one of the most consistently successful, both critically and financially, of recent years.

1h

Documentary which sheds new light on the greatest crisis to rock the British monarchy in centuries - the abdication of King Edward VIII. Usually, it has been presented as the only possible solution to his dilemma of having to choose between the throne and the woman he loved. Using secret documents and contemporary diaries and letters, this film shows a popular monarch whose modern ideas so unse... Read more

1h

A look at the legacy of actress, singer and comedienne Gracie Fields who, during her lifetime, was a national institution. Through interviews and some previously unseen archive footage, the programme explores the extraordinary singing voice, comic genius and unique talent that made her arguably the greatest female entertainer Britain has ever produced. 'Our Gracie' was one of the world's first ... Read more

1h

Sir Jackie Stewart is one of Britain's all time great sporting personalities - winner of three Formula 1 world championships and 27 grand prix, and ranked as one of the ten greatest racing drivers of all time. With his black cap and sideburns, he became an unmistakable icon in the glorious era of style, glamour and speed of the 1960s and 70s. Venturing beyond the world of motor sport, this d... Read more

1h

The film recreates the life and loves of France's most famous king, Louis XIV. Dubbed the Sun King by his admiring court, Louis conquered half of Europe, conducted dozens of love affairs and dazzled his contemporaries with his lavish entertainments. But perhaps his greatest achievement - and certainly his longest lasting love - was the incredible palace he built at Versailles, one of the wonders o... Read more

1h

Just after midnight on Good Friday 1989, the giant supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound to create one of the biggest man-made ecological disasters of the 20th century. Eleven million gallons of crude oil gushed from the stricken tanker into the pristine waters of the Sound, killing whales, millions of fish and birds, and thousands of sea otters. The ... Read more

1h

The Berlin Wall was the ugly, concrete obstacle that for more than a generation (from 1961 to 1989) split the city and divided its families. Hundreds of people, mainly young, were killed there trying to escape to the West. The people who built the Wall thought they were building a brave new socialist world. But their dream turned into a nightmare as over time the Wall poisoned, corrupted and br... Read more

1h

Duran Duran came out of Birmingham and conquered the world during the 1980s. Originally a New Romantic band in full make-up and cossack pants, they rapidly became bedroom pinups for a generation of teenage girls. Led by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, Duran Duran dominated the British and American charts in the mid 1980s with classic singles such as Rio, Save a Prayer and Wil... Read more

1h

An unconventional look at the best of Steve Coogan's television work and character comedy. With classic archive moments and some rarely seen early appearances, this one-hour special includes interviews with well-known faces who have collaborated with Steve, and others who are simply fans of Alan Partridge, Paul and Pauline Calf, Tony Ferrino and Tommy Saxondale - to name only a few of his great co... Read more

1h

Documentary which explores the ways that cars have been presented on television in the motoring programmes that have tapped into our collective subconscious. It looks at the classic motoring magazine shows of the 1960s and 70s like Wheelbase, which showcased some of the world's latest innovations and spawned the next generation of programming such as the original Top Gear with Angela Rippon and N... Read more

1h

Celebrating the achievements of Ballets Russes under Diaghilev's guidance and their continuing influence on dance, art and music today. The English National Ballet perform extracts from two Ballets Russes' masterpieces, Les Sylphides and Scheherazade, as well as a new version by David Dawson of the iconic Nijinsky ballet Afternoon Of A Faun. Karl Lagerfeld talks about the influence of Coco C... Read more

1h

Documentary which follows the story of Mark Devlin and his team of scientists as they try to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary new telescope under a NASA high-altitude balloon. Their adventure takes them from Arctic Sweden to Inuit Canada, where failure forces the team to try again on the desolate ice of Antarctica. The obsessions, personal and family sacrifices,... Read more

1h

In a special programme showing on St. David's Day, we celebrate the awesome beauty of some of Wales' iconic engineering achievements, structures which help define the landscape of Wales. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in the Dee Valley is a masterpiece of engineering. Completed in 1805, Thomas Telford's design was extraordinarily ambitious and marked the beginning of a new confidence in 19th century... Read more

1h

Gary Lineker presents a special tribute to the late Sir Bobby Robson. Recorded in 2003, the former England player and manager talks about his life, from humble beginnings as the son of a Durham coal miner through to his days as one of the most successful managers in history. Contributors include Paul Gascoigne, Terry Butcher and Alan Shearer.

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Science writer Rita Carter tells the story of how modern neuroscience has revealed that reading, something most of us take for granted, unlocks remarkable powers. Carter explains how the classic novel Wuthering Heights allows us to step inside other minds and understand the world from different points of view, and she wonders whether the new digital revolution could threaten the values of classic ... Read more

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Do you get enough sleep? Many of us don't. 10 Things You Need to Know About Sleep reveals the science behind why so many find it difficult to nod off, and offers practical tips on the best ways to get a good night's sleep. In a series of experiments, presenter Kate Silverton sets out to help those insomniacs desperate to get some shut eye, help travelers beat jet lag, and see if there is anythi... Read more

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Art historian explores the state of British art in 2009 and asks whether a new era in art is dawning and whether there is a reason to be optimistic.

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Has beauty disappeared from modern art? Several influential modern thinkers insist that it has. Art critic Waldemar Januszczak fiercely disagrees, believing that great art is as interested in beauty as ever.

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Philosopher Roger Scruton presents a provocative essay on the importance of beauty in the arts and in our lives.

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Coverage of the 2009 Barclaycard World Freerun Championship from London's Trafalgar Square, presented by Reggie Yates and Kirsten O'Brien. The best athletes in the world compete at the foot of Nelson's Column on a specially-constructed stage, with a crowd of nearly 10,000 fans packed in around them. The runners leap, tumble and vault across the konk and cat boxes, bars, kicker walls, pipes and ... Read more

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Portrait of Jim Clark, one of the most talented and intriguing characters of the 1960s. From unlikely beginnings on a farm in Scotland, the introverted and media-shy Clark emerged to become the most successful racing driver of his time, and forged a reputation as one of the all-time great heroes of motor sport. Using previously unseen archive footage, testimonials from friends, family and forme... Read more

1h

Glamorous, talented and decidedly unconventional, Lee Miller led one of the most fascinating lives of the 20th century. A model for Vogue in 1920s New York, pupil and lover of Man Ray in Paris and the only female photojournalist covering the Second World War, her photographic work encompassed striking surrealist images and shocking reportage from Dachau. Having given up photography in later life a... Read more

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An insight into the world of design through 12 stories, shot across a range of countries, ranging from product design to world class feats of engineering and design projects which have a social impact.

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When the Japanese ambassador saw Rick Stein preparing sushi on a boat off Cornwall, he was not impressed. However, this sparked off an idea where Rick would go on a voyage of discovery to the ultimate seafood lover's destination - Japan. On his return he promised to create a banquet fit for an ambassador and his friends.

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Documentary in which artist and writer Matthew Collings explores the concept of beauty in art. Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder, or is there something more universal we can say about it?

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Documentary about 13-year-old Deborah Drapper, who, unlike other British teens has never heard of Britney Spears or Victoria Beckham. She has been brought up in a deeply Christian family and her parents have tried to make sure she and her ten brothers and sisters have grown up protected from the sins of the outside world. Deborah is a bright, confident girl who has big ambitions for her life an... Read more

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Documentary telling the amazing true story of a top secret US government-backed attempt to build a spaceship the size of an ocean liner and send it to Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, propelled by thousands of miniature nuclear bombs. Awesome, fantastic and possibly crazy, Project Orion employed some of the best scientists in the world, including the brilliant British mathematician and physicist Freeman ... Read more

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Documentary featuring interviews with soldiers on the act that defines them: killing. For civilians, it is a crime. For soldiers, it is a job. Soldiers who have done it usually do not talk about it, but five former British infantrymen recall the reality of combat in compelling and candid detail. Through powerful personal testimonies, the programme traces the journeys of these men, from young recru... Read more

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In 1962 an unknown group from Liverpool entered Abbey Road Studios to record their debut single. During the next eight years they created what is arguably regarded as the greatest collection of studio recordings of the 20th century. This film charts how The Beatles developed as musicians, matured as songwriters and created a body of work that sounds as fresh now as the time it was recorded.

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It has been said that ten thousand years from now, only one name will still be remembered - that of Neil Armstrong. But in the four decades since he first set foot on the moon, Armstrong has become increasingly reclusive. Andrew Smith, author of the best-selling book Moondust, journeys across America to try and discover the real Neil Armstrong.

1h

Naoki 56, had it all in Japan's bubble economy days: he ran a business with 70 staff, drove a brand new BMW, and lived in a 6 bedroom house. But when Japan's economy crashed in the early 1990's he lost everything, ending up divorced (for the third time) and penniless. He was saved from being homeless by his new girlfriend, Yoshie 29, who took him in, despite living in a tiny one-room apartment ... Read more

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The Rough Trade story begins more than thirty years ago on 20th February 1976. Britain was in the grip of an IRA bombing campaign; a future prime minister was beginning to make her mark on a middle England in which punk was yet to run amok; and a young Cambridge graduate called Geoff Travis opened a new shop at 202 Kensington Park Road, just off Ladbroke Grove in west London. The Rough Trade shop ... Read more

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Few musicals can claim to capture the mood of a historical period as well as the 1972 classic Cabaret. In this documentary, actor Alan Cumming explores the truths behind the fiction. He meets many of those closely involved with the original film, including Liza Minnelli, and talks to cabaret artists, among them acclaimed performer Ute Lemper.

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1959 was the seismic year jazz broke away from complex bebop music to new forms, allowing soloists unprecedented freedom to explore and express. It was also a pivotal year for America: the nation was finding its groove, enjoying undreamt-of freedom and wealth; social, racial and upheavals were just around the corner; and jazz was ahead of the curve. Four major jazz albums were made, each a high... Read more

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Slapstick comedy special narrated by Miranda Hart, charting the highs and lows of physical comedy and examining the audience's love of visual humour. Featuring pies and pratfalls from over a century of comedy and entertainment programming including Monty Python, Charlie Chaplin, Morecambe and Wise and even Hole in the Wall. From the craft of the Buster Keaton classics to the cartoon antics of T... Read more

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Documentary examining claims that CS Lewis's Narnia Chronicles contain a hidden meaning. CS Lewis wrote the Narnia Chronicles over 50 years ago, yet they are more popular today than ever. When they were first published, many critics thought them little more than childish scribblings, replete with random characters and unexplained events. Even Lewis's good friend JRR Tolkien thought them confuse... Read more

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One in four people have a mental illness at some point in their lives. No-one likes to think it could happen to them, or someone close to them. David Tennant narrates a documentary showing what living with mental illness is like.

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Thirty years on from the no confidence vote that brought down the 1979 Labour Government, Carolyn Quinn tells the story of one of the most dramatic nights in Westminster history.

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If Peter Green had only written Black Magic Woman, his name would still have a place in blues rock history forever. His three short years leading Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac saw the band established as one of the biggest-selling groups of the 1960s. Featuring archive performances and interviews with Carlos Santana, Noel Gallagher, founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Green himself, this film t... Read more

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To mark the 175th anniversary of the destruction of the Palace of Westminster by fire, Mark D'Arcy looks back at the disaster and its aftermath.

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Updating the impression of life on the Isle of Lewis given by the MacDonald Sisters. First broadcast in 1969.

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Manet is one of the main candidates for the title of the most important artist there has been. As the reluctant father of Impressionism, and the painter of Dejeuner sur l'herbe, he can probably be accused of inventing modern art. Using the life of Manet as his narrative arch, Waldemar Januszczak tells the story of a complex and difficult man who started a revolution that continues to rumble on ... Read more

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A personal history of the Thatcher years and their legacy, told through the stories of three Welsh children born the year Margaret Thatcher came to power. Thirty years on, this film traces the course their lives have taken, and the way one woman's vision shaped the fortunes of three families.

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Alexander Armstrong travels the country to explore the state of the great British holiday. It is widely acknowledged that 2009 is a bumper year for the UK tourist industry. With the Euro and the Dollar strong, and consumers tightening their belts, Visit Britain, the national tourism body, reckons around one in five Brits - or some 4,000,000 people who holidayed abroad in 2008 - will holiday in ... Read more

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The date is 1959. The place is Le Mans racing circuit, France. A little known Texan racing driver, Carrol Shelby, wins the most prestigious event in motor racing at his first attempt and is universally acclaimed as one of the best drivers in the world. But Shelby had a secret that was to prevent him ever driving again. This is the comeback story of a man driven by the desire to beat the world o... Read more

1h

In this moving and sometimes disturbing film, actress and writer Meera Syal meets young people who self-harm to find out why they do it, and how parents like herself can avoid it happening to their own children.

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Phill Jupitus looks at how we thought the car of the future was going to turn out and finds out why it didn't happen that way, focusing on the classic era of the 1950s and 60s, a time when they hadn't quite yet worked out how to make cars fly and instead just made them look like they could.

1h

BBC FOUR pays tribute to musical maverick John Martyn, who died at the age of 60 on 29th January 2009, with an intimate documentary portrait originally transmitted in 1994. This honest and often blackly hilarious film shows Martyn at home in Ireland, during the lead-up to and aftermath of an operation to have one of his legs amputated below the knee. Contributors include sometime collaborator a... Read more

1h

an Hislop takes an amused look at one of the most peculiar offices in the British establishment, that of Poet Laureate. Its 341-year history produces a gloriously eccentric picture of who we are, how we are ruled, what we want to say about ourselves and just how hard it is to do that in verse. We know that Poets Laureate write about royal weddings but Hislop discovers a whole lot more, such as ... Read more

1h

The untold story of how a giant of science was erased from history by the jealous rival who owed him more than most - Isaac Newton. A drama revealing the extraordinary, prolific, bizarre and conflict-riddled life of Robert Hooke, one of the greatest scientists in English history, on the tercentenary of his death. In science, Hooke was a colossus. As Curator of Experiments at the Royal Society h... Read more

1h

In the years after the second world war, in preparation for sending the first man into orbit, the Soviets began sending dogs into space. Featuring unique archival footage, including that of the first 'dog flight' into space taken inside the capsule, this documentary tells the secret history of dog cosmonautics in Russia. Alongside famous dog cosmonauts Belka and Strelka were a large team of oth... Read more

1h

Felix Mendelssohn was a passionate Christian. He was also born a Jew. This film, marking the 200th anniversary of his birth, tells the extraordinary story of what happened, generations later, both to Mendelssohn's family and to his music, when the Nazis remembered the Jewish roots of Germany's most celebrated composer. It also examines how the influences of both Judaism and Christianity affecte... Read more

1h

Anorexia and bulimia were once more commonly associated with teenage girls but are now on the increase among older women. This film goes into the seemingly perfect world of four housewives who are struggling with the fallout from their eating disorders. They may seem to have it all with their nice houses, perfect children and middle class lives, but behind the wisteria, they are having a consta... Read more

1h

Happy Birthday OU - 40 Years of the Open University In 1969 change was in the air. Man stepped on the moon and Britain launched a revolutionary new kind of university, one where the lectures were televised and the students could study at home. It was greeted with scepticism, both by politicians and academics, but went on to become a much-loved, and often spoofed, British institution. Lenny H... Read more

1h

Documentary which joins former hobo and festival favourite bluesman Seasick Steve on a trip back to his old stomping grounds in America's Deep South. Filmed in Mississippi and Tennessee, the programme follows the musician into his natural habitat of run-down juke joints, roadside diners and freight-train yards, as he reflects on his past life and recent rise to fame. In addition to Steve's raw... Read more

1h

The watchwords of the French Revolution were liberty, equality and fraternity. Maximilien Robespierre believed in them passionately. He was an idealist and a lover of humanity. But during the 365 days that Robespierre sat on the Committee of Public Safety, the French Republic descended into a bloodbath. 'The Terror' only came to end when Robespierre was devoured by the repressive machinery he'd... Read more

1h

When Chairman Mao died in 1976, he left China in chaos and poverty. He was succeeded by Deng Xiaoping, who overturned Maoism and taught the Chinese to love capitalism, creating special investment zones for the West. But Deng's crash course in capitalism went wrong when inflation grew and workers lost jobs. By 1989, China faced disaster. Now, 20 years after the tragic events in Tiananmen Square ... Read more

1h

Warren Buffett is the greatest investor of all time. His decisions about buying shares and companies have beaten the stock market year after year and made him the richest person in the world - thought to be worth 37 billion dollars. Yet Buffett lives modestly in his native Omaha, in America's mid-West, and runs his 150 billion dollar business with a staff of just twenty. Evan Davis meets him to... Read more

1h

Documentary looking at one of Britain's worst mining disasters, in 1934 in Gresford, when 265 men were killed. Eye witness accounts and archive footage tell a story of sadness, courage, cover-ups and lies.

1h

In the years after the second world war, in preparation for sending the first man into orbit, the Soviets began sending dogs into space. Featuring unique archival footage, including that of the first 'dog flight' into space taken inside the capsule, this documentary tells the secret history of dog cosmonautics in Russia. Alongside famous dog cosmonauts Belka and Strelka were a large team of oth... Read more

1h

Live Performance from 1974

1h

Documentary examining the thoughts and observations of writer, raconteur and national treasure, Sir John Mortimer. He enjoyed a successful career as a QC before becoming a full-time writer, a staunch defender of civil liberties who was involved in the Oz magazine obscenity trial in the 1960s and the man who won the Sex Pistols the right to put the word 'bollocks' in the title of their infamous ... Read more

1h

Ten extraordinary women, all in their seventies, come to Arizona for a special reunion. They are each different but have one thing in common - each was married to an Apollo astronaut. These women were right at the heart of the most ambitious journey ever made, as America shot for the moon. In exclusive interviews, they tell how it felt to watch their husband blast off into space and about the d... Read more

1h

Documentary telling the story of the US space programme, from the early days of the space race with the Soviet Union to the first moon landing in 1969. Includes interviews with astronauts and ground staff, rare archive footage and an introduction by Neil Armstrong.

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On 14th November 1940, the Luftwaffe launched the most devastating bombing raid so far on Britain. The target was Coventry, deep in the heart of England. In a 12-hour blitz, the Luftwaffe dropped thousands of tons of bombs. Three-quarters of the city centre was devastated, including the ancient cathedral. The Nazis coined a phrase - 'to Coventrate' - to describe the intense destruction. It w... Read more

1h

Lord Richard Attenborough makes a moving and very personal contribution to The Kindertransport Story, to mark the 70th anniversary of the unique British rescue mission to save nearly 10,000 children, mostly Jewish, from the Nazis. As the dark clouds of the Second World War descended upon Europe, Lord Attenborough's parents were among those who responded to the urgent appeal for foster families. Th... Read more

1h

TV producer and presenter William G Stewart investigates the allegation that journalist and prominent MP Tom Driberg, who died in 1976, was a KGB spy. Stewart was Driberg's secretary in the 1960s and goes in search of the man he thought he knew well, talking to some of his surviving friends and colleagues and to experts in the murky world of spying. It is a journey that encompasses public sc... Read more

1h

In 1835 the mummified remains of Takabuti were unwrapped in Belfast. Now for the first time in thousands of years, her true face is revealed. In October 2006, the Ulster Museum closed its doors to allow major refurbishment to take place. Its contents were stored away in a dark, secret location. Light was soon to be shed, however, on one of the museum's most beloved exhibits, the mummy Takabuti.... Read more

1h

A look back at Victoria Wood's hugely successful television career. Featuring sketches, stand-up, characters and songs from her incredible repertoire as well as exclusive interviews with Victoria and friends and fans, including Dawn French, Julie Walters and Sir Roger Moore.

1h

Skin lightening is big business. The market for cosmetics to lighten darker skin is now reported to be worth millions of pounds; Anita Rani (presenter of Watchdog and The One Show) is on a journey to find out why. Starting in her own family, with her mother's preference for lighter skin, she explores the pressures within the Asian community that lead a growing number of people to want to "lighten ... Read more

1h

English literature professor John Mullan explores the dramatic increase in reading which took place in 18th-century Britain, as it went from being the preserve of the rich to the national pastime it is today. In 1695 a tiny amendment to the British constitution allowed for a flood of publications, without which Britain would be almost unrecognisable. This was the era that gave us the first ever... Read more

1h

In 1979 Scotland went to the polls to vote on the Scottish Devolution Referendum Bill to define her place in the United Kingdom. Thirty years later Scotland's first minister is proposing Scotland go to the polls again to vote in a new referendum on Scottish independence. Scotland's Conspiracy Files takes a fresh look at the events building up to the 1979 referendum and asks if all the truth has... Read more

1h

With the Moogs turned up to 11, a 1970s and 80s journey through the BBC's synthpop archives from Roxy Music and Tubeway Army to New Order and Sparks.

1h

Documentary looking at how going on strike became almost a rite of passage at one time.

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To commemorate the centenary of the birth of one of Britain's most influential and best-loved poets, this film combines dramatisations of telling events in the life of WH Auden with interviews from the TV and radio archives and extracts from Auden's poetry, notebooks, letters and journals.

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Documentary film looking at the poetry of W H Auden, revealing how it came not just from inspiration but from a rigorous scientific analysis of love itself. When he died in 1973, he left behind some of the greatest love poems of the 20th century. Most of his unpublished material was destroyed, apart from two short journals and a series of jottings, containing diagrams and notes about the nature of... Read more

1h

In the autumn of 2008, Al Gentry from Albemarle, North Carolina, achieved his goal of 22 years hard work - he had Betty Neumar arrested for the murder of his brother Harold who was Betty's husband back in 1986. Only then did it emerge that Harold Gentry was just one of Betty's former husbands. She'd in fact been married five times in total - and all five husbands appear to have died in suspicio... Read more

1h

In 1968, John Betjeman, the poet and architectural critic, was asked by the BBC to make a television programme about Leeds. The film was never broadcast, but now, 40 years on, extracts are being shown by Inside Out Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

1h

Elvis is alive and well and in Porthcawl - at least at the Elvis Porthcawl Festival. This programme tracks some of the performers as they pay tribute to the King, and looks at how this seaside town is transformed, for one weekend a year, into a veritable Elvisfest.

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To mark Previn's 80th birthday, this profile of the celebrated pianist, conductor and composer follows his long journey from escaping Nazi Germany to the studios of Hollywood and fame.

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Milton is often considered too difficult and obscure for today's reader, but to Armando Iannucci Paradise Lost is a thrilling work of creative genius that we ignore at our peril. In this film, Iannucci journeys through Milton's life and his great poem, taking in everything from Satan and the start of spin to farting angels and the questioning of God's existence, offering his own passionate and ... Read more

1h

Mark Benton narrates a step-by-step guide to how the Brits tie the knot. From the stag do to the table plan, from the rings to the first dance, this is a look at how the Brits just about manage to rise to the occasion on one of the most momentous days of our lives - the wedding day.

1h

Mark Benton has been abroad, he knows all about it: 'The British are an island race - abroad is really abroad, not just across the border but actually over the horizon. It's far away - outlandish, exotic and scary. Frankly, we're terrified of it.' The Brits, foreign travel and all points in between - how we got there, what we did there and how we got back.

1h

To commemorate the 'Ruby Jubilee' of Monty Python, this film takes us on a journey telling the story of the Pythons from start to finish. Starting with the very humble beginnings of how the legendary British comedy troupe emerged, we learn how the cast met, their early influences and how they went on to create groundbreaking television, and their transition into movies that would change the face o... Read more

1h

Documentary using specialist photography and 3D animation to show how the common fruit fly has been crucial to a hundred years of genetic research.

1h

When Orson Welles went into self-imposed exile in Europe, he first found stardom with The Third Man and then immersed himself in challenging films, television, theatre and bullfighting. Simon Callow trails the complex actor-director.

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When Orson Welles went into self-imposed exile in Europe, he first found stardom with The Third Man and then immersed himself in challenging films, television, theatre and bullfighting. Simon Callow trails the complex actor-director.

1h

Colombia now accounts for 62% of the world's cocaine production, estimated to be worth US$70 billion worldwide. In this very personal documentary, former cocaine addict Alex James, bassist of Britpop band Blur, travels to Colombia to see firsthand what the cocaine industry is doing to the country and its people.

1h

Writer Andrew O'Hagan asks what made Robert Burns one of the world's favourite poets, as Scotland celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of its most famous sons. He travels through the landscape of modern Scotland in a poetic journey to the places that inspired Burns and to discover the story of his wild and dramatic life.

1h

Twenty-year-old Gary Mannion calls himself Britain's youngest psychic surgeon, channelling a spirit from the dead to operate on the sick. He is a rising star in the world of spiritual healing, travelling the world to bring his alleged ability to effect miracle cures to a devoted following. In Young, Psychic and Possessed filmmaker Emeka Onono follows Gary as he tries to prove he really does hav... Read more

1h

BBC correspondent Clive Myrie traces the life story of America's first black president. From Obama's broken home childhood in Hawaii, through his political awakening in the rough neighbourhoods of Chicago, to his arrival in Washington, Myrie follows the extraordinary journey that transformed the son of a Kenyan student into the most powerful man in the world.

1h

Determined to prevent it if he possibly can, Terry Pratchett took a personal journey through the science and the reality of what it's like to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This two part documentary followed Terry's race to find a cure as he endeavoured to find ways of slowing, mitigating or even reversing its course.

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Steeped in cunning, guile and forensic knowledge, the notorious Johnson Gang ran rings around the law as they stole from some of England's grandest stately homes. It eventually took five police forces to end their 20-year crime spree - this is the inside story.

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From semi-naked women to prize-winning goats, this documentary examines the weird and wonderful ways the Government has tried to promote Britain's image abroad.

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An alternative vision of Britain during the 1930s, challenging the commonly held perception that the period was defined by unemployment, gloom and recession.

1h

Using archival footage, this film explores the American space program, from the Mercury program through Gemini program through the return to space after the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster.

1h

Documentary looking at the extraordinary changes and crazes that have happened to British gardening since the Second World War, from garden gnomes and crazy paving to Leylandii and decking. As recently as the 1960s, garden centres didn't exist and gardening was strictly for old boys in sheds, yet today it has become the height of cool. Contributors include Penelope Keith, Laurence Llewellyn ... Read more

1h

A decade on, and after an emotional split tore the original team in half, six of the Calendar Girls are reuniting to strip for the cameras one final time, baring all for charity once more. They joke that they'll need bigger props to pose behind, but little else has changed for the ladies of Rylstone and District WI. This is the story of how a group of normal middle aged women from the Yorkshire Da... Read more

1h

A feast of old chestnuts from the glory days of Christmases past with this look at the rise and demise of the Christmas light-entertainment spectacular. From Christmas Night with the Stars to Val Doonican and Christmas Snowtime special, the programme revisits a world of snow made from soapflakes, chorus lines sweating in winter woolies and recycled sleighs.

1h

Jonathan Ross takes a look into the life and times of one of the greatest film directors of our time, David Lean.

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Documentary looking at Nationwide, Britain's first truly regional TV programme, which ran on BBC in the early evenings from 1969 to 1983. Featuring contributions from many of those involved, including Sue Lawley, Michael Barratt, Richard Stilgoe, Bob Wellings, Hugh Scully, Frank Bough, Esther Rantzen and John Stapleton

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Documentary journey into actor Brian Cox's past, and on to Kolkata in the footsteps of the Dundee jute workers who left to seek their fortunes in India.

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Twenty years ago, novelist Salman Rushdie was a wanted man with a million pound bounty on his head. His novel, The Satanic Verses, had sparked riots across the Muslim world. The ailing religious leader of Iran, the Ayatollah Khomeini, had invoked a little-known religious opinion - a fatwa - and effectively sentenced Rushdie to death. Never before had a novel created an international diplomatic cri... Read more

1h

The Guinea Pig Club is an exclusive drinking club with gruesome initiation rights. You have to have been a WWII pilot, cheated death and have a disfigurement to prove it. The president of the club was Archibald McIndoe, a plastic surgeon who pioneered experimental surgery in order to rebuild their faces and hands to give them a chance of a normal life. The Guinea Pig Club's legacy could hold... Read more