Today 01:50 - 03:00
Intimate portrait of Sir John Betjeman, one of the most popular English poets of the 20th century. Featuring contributions from the Prince of Wales and Lord Snowdon. [S,AD]
106: BBC FOUR HD
Tue Aug 25
Today 03:00 - 03:55
1/3. Richard Miles goes back 2,000 years to explore how archaeology began by trying to prove a biblical truth, a quest that soon got archaeologists into dangerous waters. [S,SL]
Today 03:55 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Today 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Today 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Today 19:00 - 19:45
6/10. Tim Dunn explores St Pancras station in London and its sister hotel, built to show off the might of the Midlands, and learns about Castle Howard station in North Yorkshire. [S,AD] [HD]
Today 19:45 - 20:00
Chris Beardshaw travels by helicopter to find Britain's most inspirational garden. She goes to South West Ireland, where exotic plants grow outside. [S]
Today 20:00 - 20:25
4/8. Stately sitcom. DeVere moves his multinational grocery business to the manor and crosses swords with Audrey over a fireplace. [S]
Today 20:25 - 21:00
3/7. Sitcom. Hyacinth invents the outdoors indoors luxury barbecue - a complicated description for an even more complicated culinary event. [S]
Today 21:00 - 22:00
1/2. Dan Snow reveals how the Irish saved Britain from cultural oblivion in the Dark Ages. He examines the demise of civilisation in Britain after the Romans left. [S,AD] [HD]
Today 22:00 - 23:00
2/3. Eamonn McCabe traces the emergence of photojournalism in the early 20th century. Contains scenes which some viewers may find disturbing. [S,AD] [HD]
Today 23:00 - 23:55
2/2. Technical developments are enabling us to see the world of plants in ever greater detail, giving us insights into their remarkable abilities to adapt and survive. [S,AD] [HD]
Today 23:55 - 00:55
Space scientist and lunar fanatic Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock explores people's intimate relationship with the moon, a familiar presence in the sky that most take for granted. [S] [HD]
Wed Aug 26
Tomorrow 00:55 - 01:10
Chris Beardshaw travels by helicopter to find Britain's most inspirational garden. She goes to South West Ireland, where exotic plants grow outside. [S]
Tomorrow 01:10 - 02:05
2/2. Technical developments are enabling us to see the world of plants in ever greater detail, giving us insights into their remarkable abilities to adapt and survive. [S,AD] [HD]
Tomorrow 02:05 - 03:05
1/2. Dan Snow reveals how the Irish saved Britain from cultural oblivion in the Dark Ages. He examines the demise of civilisation in Britain after the Romans left. [S,AD] [HD]
Tomorrow 03:05 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Tomorrow 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Tomorrow 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Tomorrow 19:00 - 19:30
5/10. Ben Robinson discovers some of the impressive and well-preserved lime kilns in Solva, Wales, and learns how this industry helped feed a growing nation. [S] [HD]
Tomorrow 19:30 - 20:00
3/4. Autumnal fog and an overheating engine prove to be problems for narrowboater Robbie Cumming as he navigates a Roman waterway and a tidal river. [S] [HD]
Tomorrow 20:00 - 21:00
2/3. Simon Sebag Montefiore charts Rome's rise to become the capital of western Christendom and its impact on the lives of its citizens, elites and high priests. [S,AD] [HD]
Tomorrow 21:00 - 22:00
4/4. Mary tackles the biggest puzzle of all: why, and how, did the Roman Empire fall? [S,AD] [HD]
Tomorrow 22:00 - 22:55
9/12. Acclaimed historical drama. As Caligula's erratic behaviour continues, many in the Praetorian Guard come to realise that something needs to be done. Deals with adult themes. [S]
Tomorrow 22:55 - 23:50
10/12. Drama series chronicling the reigns of four Roman emperors. The mad Caligula is assassinated, and Claudius is proclaimed emperor by the Praetorian Guard. [S]
Tomorrow 23:50 - 00:50
2/3. How the growing number of European arrivals in Tasmania saw the death count grow, too. Contains some violence and some upsetting scenes. [S,AD] [HD]
Thu Aug 27
Thursday 00:50 - 01:20
3/4. Autumnal fog and an overheating engine prove to be problems for narrowboater Robbie Cumming as he navigates a Roman waterway and a tidal river. [S] [HD]
Thursday 01:20 - 02:20
2/3. Simon Sebag Montefiore charts Rome's rise to become the capital of western Christendom and its impact on the lives of its citizens, elites and high priests. [S,AD,SL]
Thursday 02:20 - 03:20
4/4. Mary tackles the biggest puzzle of all: why, and how, did the Roman Empire fall? [S,AD,SL] [HD]
Thursday 03:20 - 03:50
5/10. Ben Robinson discovers some of the impressive and well-preserved lime kilns in Solva, Wales, and learns how this industry helped feed a growing nation. [S,SL] [HD]
Thursday 03:50 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Thursday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Thursday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Thursday 19:00 - 19:30
6/10. Ben Robinson heads to Beer, Devon, home to beer stone, which has been quarried since Roman times and used in many of England's cathedrals and iconic buildings. [S] [HD]
Thursday 19:30 - 20:00
4/4. Robbie Cumming has issues with ice before taking on the famous Foxton lock flight. His destination is Braunston, the spiritual home for narrowboaters. [S] [HD]
Thursday 20:00 - 21:00
Film following the work of archaeologists, divers and historians as they make new discoveries about a remarkably well-preserved 17th-century galleon raised from the Baltic in 1961. [S] [HD]
Thursday 21:00 - 23:00
A great white shark begins preying on humans off the beaches of New England. Contains horror. [1975] [S,AD]
Thursday 23:00 - 23:45
Celia Imrie dives into the BBC's archives to tell the behind-the-scenes story of Steven Spielberg's classic aquatic horror, Jaws. [S] [HD]
Thursday 23:45 - 01:35
The beach-goers of Amity are threatened again by a giant, man-eating shark. Contains some violent scenes. [1978] [S,AD]
Fri Aug 28
Friday 01:35 - 02:05
4/4. Robbie Cumming has issues with ice before taking on the famous Foxton lock flight. His destination is Braunston, the spiritual home for narrowboaters. [S] [HD]
Friday 02:05 - 03:05
Film following the work of archaeologists, divers and historians as they make new discoveries about a remarkably well-preserved 17th-century galleon raised from the Baltic in 1961. [S] [HD]
Friday 03:05 - 03:35
6/10. Ben Robinson heads to Beer, Devon, home to beer stone, which has been quarried since Roman times and used in many of England's cathedrals and iconic buildings. [S,SL] [HD]
Friday 03:35 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Friday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Friday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Friday 19:00 - 20:45
The world-class ensemble from the Big Apple makes its long-awaited Proms debut in style. [S] [HD]
Friday 20:45 - 21:15
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, featuring Santana, Savage Garden, Moloko, Precious, M2M, N'n'G ft Kallaghan, Beck and Melanie C ft Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes. [S]
Friday 21:15 - 21:50
David Jensen presents the pop chart programme, featuring Bilbo, Blondie, Jilted John, The Motors, David Essex, Hi-Tension, The Jam, The Commodores and dance sequences by Legs & Co. [S]
Friday 21:50 - 22:20
Gary Davies and Nicky Campbell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 August 1988 and featuring Brother Beyond, Womack & Womack, Status Quo, Breathe and Tanita Tikaram. [S]
Friday 22:20 - 22:55
The Specials started making music in the late 1970s and pioneered the 2 Tone movement. They are live in session for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music. [S] [HD]
Friday 22:55 - 23:55
The story of how 2 Tone, a record label from Coventry, went on to have a global impact. The brainchild of Jerry Dammers saw dance music with a message dominate the charts from 1979. [S] [HD]
Friday 23:55 - 00:40
The Specials perform at the Colchester Institute in 1979, playing hits such as Gangsters. Contains some strong language. [S]
Sat Aug 29
Saturday 00:40 - 01:15
Adrian Thrills investigates 2 Tone and its unique blend of ska, reggae, new wave and punk. Contains very strong language. [S]
Saturday 01:15 - 01:50
The Specials started making music in the late 1970s and pioneered the 2 Tone movement. They are live in session for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music. [S] [HD]
Saturday 01:50 - 02:25
David Jensen presents the pop chart programme, featuring Bilbo, Blondie, Jilted John, The Motors, David Essex, Hi-Tension, The Jam, The Commodores and dance sequences by Legs & Co. [S]
Saturday 02:25 - 03:00
Gary Davies and Nicky Campbell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 August 1988 and featuring Brother Beyond, Womack & Womack, Status Quo, Breathe and Tanita Tikaram. [S]
Saturday 03:00 - 03:30
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, featuring Santana, Savage Garden, Moloko, Precious, M2M, N'n'G ft Kallaghan, Beck and Melanie C ft Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes. [S]
Saturday 03:30 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Saturday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Saturday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Saturday 19:00 - 20:00
Day 3 highlights from the second Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord's. [S] [HD]
Saturday 20:00 - 20:55
11/13. David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted on the plains of East Africa. [S]
Saturday 20:55 - 21:00
Maya is a newborn elephant calf, just hours old; she is the newest arrival in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. But she and her mum Zadie face many challenges. [S] [HD]
Saturday 21:00 - 21:55
5/6. The Americans capture an Isis emir and discover an imminent plan to bomb Kabul airport. Contains very strong language and some violent scenes. [S] [HD]
Saturday 21:55 - 22:50
6/6. As most of the protagonists gather at Kabul airport, an explosion rips through Abbey Gate. Contains strong language, some violence and upsetting scenes. [S] [HD]
Saturday 22:50 - 23:15
4/8. Stately sitcom. DeVere moves his multinational grocery business to the manor and crosses swords with Audrey over a fireplace. [S]
Saturday 23:15 - 23:45
3/7. Sitcom. Hyacinth invents the outdoors indoors luxury barbecue - a complicated description for an even more complicated culinary event. [S]
Saturday 23:45 - 00:30
Timeshift. A bank holiday celebration of the history of the British seaside holiday experience. [S]
Sun Aug 30
Sunday 00:30 - 01:30
Survival expert Ray Mears gives Ewan McGregor the chance to go on a trek of a lifetime. They go deep into the Honduran jungle in search of a lost civilisation. [S,AD]
Sunday 01:30 - 02:25
11/13. David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted on the plains of East Africa. [S]
Sunday 02:25 - 03:10
Timeshift presents a bank holiday celebration of the British seaside holiday experience from its Victorian origins and heyday in the 1950s to its slow decline and attempts at reinvention since. [S]
Sunday 03:10 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Sunday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Sunday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Sunday 19:00 - 20:00
Documentary featuring home movies of the diehard enthusiasts and boat owners who helped to save the inland waterways for the nation and create a second golden age of the canals. [S]
Sunday 20:00 - 22:00
The world's greatest classical music festival celebrates this year's future masterpieces. Presented by Tom Service, expect bold compositions and illustrious orchestral pieces. [S] [HD]
Sunday 22:00 - 22:15
.. Absurd Person Singular. Maureen Lipman looks back on the filming of the 1985 TV adaptation of Alan Ayckbourn's Absurd Person Singular. [S] [HD]
Sunday 22:15 - 00:10
Three couples meet on three separate Christmas Eves in their three respective kitchens. Classic comedy drama, with a sting in the tail, by Alan Ayckbourn. Deals with adult themes. [S]
Mon Aug 31
Monday 00:10 - 00:40
Bernard Levin interviews playwright and director Alan Ayckbourn. [S] [HD]
Monday 00:40 - 02:40
The world's greatest classical music festival celebrates this year's future masterpieces. Presented by Tom Service, expect bold compositions and illustrious orchestral pieces. [S] [HD]
Monday 02:40 - 03:40
Documentary featuring home movies of the diehard enthusiasts and boat owners who helped to save the inland waterways for the nation and create a second golden age of the canals. [S,SL]
Monday 03:40 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Monday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Monday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Monday 19:00 - 19:45
7/10. Tim Dunn rides up Yr Wyddfa's (Snowdon's) railway to visit the summit station and discovers how a glass structure envelopes Strasbourg's 19th-century station. [S,AD] [HD]
Monday 19:45 - 20:00
Chris Beardshaw visits Britain's most inspirational gardens. He meets an enthusiastic group of organic farmers in Kent and helps a family trying to grow their own produce. [S]
Monday 20:00 - 21:00
2/3. Richard Miles shows how 18th- and 19th-century discoveries overturned ideas of when and where civilisation began as empires competed to own the past. [S] [HD]
Monday 21:00 - 21:30
Magnus Magnusson presents the quiz programme from City University. Specialist subjects include Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir Francis Drake and lady members of the House of Commons. [S]
Monday 21:30 - 22:00
Robert Robinson hosts as Frank Muir, Elizabeth Knight and Patrick Lichfield face Arthur Marshall, Anna Ford and Derek Jacobi in the panel game of word definitions and deceptions. [S]
Monday 22:00 - 23:20
Film following renowned Vermeer expert Gregor Weber as he explores the latest techniques and new discoveries that are bringing us closer to understanding Vermeer and how he worked. [S] [HD]
Monday 23:20 - 00:20
Documentary looking into what killed King Tutankhamun, the boy pharaoh. Dallas Campbell reveals new scientific research and carries out unique experiments to get to the truth. [S,AD] [HD]
Tue Sep 01
Tuesday 00:20 - 01:20
1/3. James Fox uses art to chart humankind's earliest attempts to gain control over nature. [S] [HD]
Tuesday 01:20 - 01:35
Chris Beardshaw visits Britain's most inspirational gardens. He meets an enthusiastic group of organic farmers in Kent and helps a family trying to grow their own produce. [S]
Tuesday 01:35 - 02:50
Film following renowned Vermeer expert Gregor Weber as he explores the latest techniques and new discoveries that are bringing us closer to understanding Vermeer and how he worked. [S] [HD]
Tuesday 02:50 - 03:50
2/3. Richard Miles shows how 18th- and 19th-century discoveries overturned ideas of when and where civilisation began as empires competed to own the past. [S,SL]
Tuesday 03:50 - 05:30
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Tuesday 05:30 - 18:58
Daily from 7.00pm. [HD]
Tuesday 18:58 - 19:00
Programmes start at 7.00pm. [HD]
Tuesday 19:00 - 19:40
8/10. Tim Dunn visits the former HQ of London Underground, 55 Broadway, which was the capital's first skyscraper, and sees the timber-framed Barmouth Bridge in north Wales. [S,AD] [HD]
Tuesday 19:40 - 20:00
Chris Beardshaw visits inspirational gardens by helicopter. This time he is in Devon to help Carol Cooper and her husband Stephen develop a spring woodland garden. [S]
Tuesday 20:00 - 20:30
5/8. Sitcom. DeVere hosts the traditional hunt ball but asks Marjory to organise it instead of Audrey, who in turn arranges an exquisite revenge. [S]
Tuesday 20:30 - 21:00
4/7. Sitcom. Hyacinth volunteers to meet a special guest for the ladies' luncheon club, a retired commodore. It is a task that puts Hyacinth in a compromising position. [S]
Tuesday 21:00 - 22:00
2/2. Dan Snow reveals how the Irish saved Britain from cultural oblivion in the Dark Ages, as missionaries brought literacy and technology to Scotland and England. [S,AD]
Tuesday 22:00 - 23:00
3/3. How the colour boom and digital revolution have shaped modern British photography. [S,AD] [HD]
Tuesday 23:00 - 00:05
Discover the maverick behind some of the most iconic images of the past century. [S,AD] [HD]
Wed Sep 02
Wednesday 00:05 - 01:05
Brenda Emmanus meets and profiles ten great living British designers, to find out what inspires them and explore how they have responded to society's evolving tastes. [S] [HD]