Season 2012 2011 - 2012

TV-PG

Armando Iannucci presents a personal argument in praise of the genius of Charles Dickens. Through the prism of the author's most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, Armando looks beyond Dickens - the national institution - and instead explores the qualities of Dickens's work which still make him one of the best British writers.

While Dickens is often celebrated for his powerful depictions of Victorian England and his role as a social reformer, this programme foregrounds the elements of his writing which make him worth reading, as much for what he tells us about ourselves in the twenty-first century as our ancestors in the nineteenth.

Armando argues that Dickens's remarkable use of language and his extraordinary gift for creating characters make him a startlingly experimental and psychologically penetrating writer who demands not just to be adapted for television but to be read and read again.

A two-part portrait of Elizabeth II's grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, which examines the lasting legacy of the couple who rescued the monarchy from potential disaster, and whose influence persists to this day.

Episode one focuses on King George V. George could not have been a more unlikely moderniser. Born and brought up in the Victorian age he was conservative to his fingertips. Yet in the face of unstoppable social change after the First World War he turned out to be a remarkable innovator, creating the House of Windsor, embracing democratic reform, and reinventing many of the royal traditions that we know today. When he celebrated his silver jubilee in 1935 the monarchy was more popular than ever.

But as a parent King George V was far less successful - he bullied his children and alienated his eldest son and heir, Prince Edward. As one courtier remarked at the time, 'the royal family are like ducks, they sit on their children'. By contrast, King George had a loving relationship with his granddaughter, and much of Queen Elizabeth's style and commitment to duty can be traced back to this early influence.

A two-part portrait of Elizabeth II's grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, which examines the lasting legacy of the couple who rescued the monarchy from potential disaster, and whose influence persists to this day.

Episode two focuses on Queen Mary, who came from a relatively humble royal background, but was picked as a future queen consort by Queen Victoria. At first she was betrothed to Prince Eddy, heir to the throne. But when Eddy died she was unceremoniously passed to his brother George.

Despite the arranged marriage, King George and Queen Mary had a loving relationship. Mary revered the monarchy and obeyed her husband in all things - even the length of her dresses. She always put duty and service first. But when King George died in 1935, this once rigidly formal character emerged as a determined if eccentric royal matriarch with a mind of her own.

When the abdication crisis threatened the future of the House of Windsor she was the rock to which the nation turned as a symbol of stability and continuity. Queen Mary died in 1953, having lived to see her granddaughter, Elizabeth, ascend to the throne.

A special spin off programme of the BBC Four programme After Life for learners aged 7 - 11 years.

A team of young science detectives investigate rot and decay through a series of experiments and activities, assisted by Dr George McGavin. The team find out not just about the bacteria all around us, but the bacteria on our skin, in our mouths and in our stomachs. They look at the life cycle of flies and how they play an important part in the natural process of recycling and composting. They even make their very own rot boxes which they fill with food and leave for six weeks.

The First Time: This episode seeks to understand what's going on in our minds and bodies on the road to losing our virginity and to find out just what happens when we fall in love.

Jeff Leach is the archetypal ladies' man - ask him what the most important thing in the world is and he will say women. His innate charisma has made him a stand-up comedy sensation, but viewers will soon see he is equally talented off stage. He has got stats to back it up too - at just 27 he has slept with nearly 300 women and has even kept a list of every single one of them. But now he wants to settle down.

This hilarious but heartfelt documentary sees Jeff taking a long-overdue look at his sexual exploits. Asking for help from the plethora of exes who have helped him build this Don Juan reputation, he tries to understand what it is that keeps him notching his bedpost and why he cannot be a one-woman man.

Will Jeff finally uncover the route to emotional fulfilment and, for once, go home alone?

Nathalie Emmanuel investigates how the internet is changing the sex lives of 16-24 year-olds across Britain. Nathalie meets young people who rely on social networking sites, the latest mobile technology and webcams. For the first time she reveals figures from an academic study which shows how many people have taken their sex lives online, and exactly what they are doing.

Cricket star Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff talks to sporting professionals about the serious effects of depression. He confronts his own issues as captain of England - under pressure and under fire at the top of his game.

Freddie reveals the stigma attached to talking about depression in the face of an often unforgiving public. Freddie discovers that many suffer in silence or hide behind irresponsible behaviour, until it all becomes too much. The film includes moving interviews with Steve Harmison, Vinnie Jones, Ricky Hatton and a host of sporting heroes. We hear from Journalist Piers Morgan, coaches and managers about this hidden side of sport.

As Steven Spielberg's movie version of War Horse arrives on UK cinema screens, the author of the novel on which it is based is among the contributors to How to Write. Michael Morpurgo reveals the sources of his inspiration and the techniques he uses to 'just get the stupid thing down on paper'.

Philip Pullman, writer of the His Dark Materials trilogy, discusses the need for discipline, the importance of memory, and how it is crucial to stand inside a scene and imagine what is seen and not seen.

Also taking part are poets Caroline Bird and Kate Clanchy, and novelists Rebecca Abrams and Charles Cummins. They are among a group of top authors gathered at Broughton Castle in Oxfordshire to share the secrets of creative writing with almost 400 young people

Alastair Sooke explores the mysterious appeal of unfinished works of art. From Dickens's unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Jane Austen's Sanditon to Coleridge's Kubla Khan, he talks to those who have attempted to finish these literary enigmas and those who believe that any such task is impossible.

In a film that picks through literature's leftovers, Sooke explores the moral dilemmas as well as the commercial opportunities finishing presents. And he considers how, in the modern era, artists have purposefully left their work unfinished.

Paul Morley, Mark Lawson, John Mullan, Robert McKee, Sarah Churchwell, Gwyneth Hughes, Andrew Motion and Mike Figgis amongst others, help Sooke work his way through a never-ending story.

Following the recent death of Ken Russell, Alan Yentob looks back over the career of the flamboyant film director responsible for Women In Love, Tommy and The Devils. Friends and admirers - including Glenda Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Twiggy, Melvyn Bragg, Robert Powell and Roger Daltrey - recall a pioneering documentary-maker, talented photographer and fearless film director.

When at the BBC in the Sixties, Russell first established his name with brilliant documentaries on Elgar, Delius and Debussy. Not only did he bring alive their music with inspiring images, he also humanised them by using actors, something unthinkable in factual film-making at the time. His unfettered imagination soon led to feature films. Women In Love earned Glenda Jackson an Oscar and notoriety for a nude wrestling scene featuring Oliver Reed and Alan Bates. Although infamy dogged him with The Devils, he enjoyed considerable commercial success with The Boyfriend and his extravagant take on The Who's Tommy. Furiously creative to the end, Russell showed himself determined to pursue his original ideas, sometimes regardless of the personal cost.

Coming Out Diaries follows the conflicts and dilemmas faced by three young people as they navigate their way through telling their family and friends that they are gay or transgender.

17-year-old Natalie was born a boy, but now wants to dress and live fully as a girl. Her mum Arlene is reeling from the shock of the news and is finding it very difficult to accept that her 'son' is now her 'daughter'. Arlene will not allow Natalie to dress as a girl at home and still calls her Kieran, Natalie's birth name. Natalie can only wear female clothes away from home so she gets changed in public toilets when she is out in town. The film follows Natalie's battle for acceptance and her mum's attempt to understand.

17-year-old Tori feels she was bullied at school for being a lesbian. She wants to come out to her new friends at beauty college so she can become closer to them, but she is terrified after her previous experiences. This is compounded by the fact that at beauty school all the treatments are intimate and she is worried that the other girls will not want her to practice beauty treatments on them in class.

19-year-old Jamie has not told his uni course-mates that he was born a girl. He loves being accepted as one of the lads and is thrilled that for the first time no-one has guessed his secret. But on the flip side, Jamie worries all the time that he is deceiving his course-mates and is thinking about coming out so he can stop feeling like he is living a lie.

Augustus Northmore Welby Pugin is far from being a household name, yet he designed the iconic clock tower of Big Ben as well as much of the Palace of Westminster. The 19th century Gothic Revival that Pugin inspired, with its medieval influences and soaring church spires, established an image of Britain which still defines the nation. Presenter Richard Taylor charts Pugin's extraordinary life story and discovers how his work continues to influence Britain today.

At a time when the lap dancing industry is expanding onto every British high street, Table Dancing Diaries is a documentary that unflinchingly explores this world.

In December 2011, Secrets, London's largest chain of table dancing clubs, opened its doors to give unprecedented access to the dancers, customers and the backroom staff of their venues. The film offers a direct, intelligent approach that tells fascinating human stories of young women within the industry. Featuring predominantly young female characters, it tells its stories from the perspective of the industry's girls themselves. Their hopes, dreams, beliefs, values, experiences and views reveal the real people behind the make-up and lights.

There is no such thing as a typical stripper, and the young women at Secrets are multi-dimensional. Amongst them are university undergraduates, mothers, a world champion kick boxer and recent immigrants, and together they describe themselves as a family, led by their formidable 'house mothers' - the older women who run the day-to-day goings-on in the clubs. A club's house mother is disciplinarian, bodyguard, quality controller and therapist all rolled into one. They have seen it all before and keep all 600 girls across the six clubs on the straight and narrow.

The film gives the girls and the 'girls that run the girls' a voice and in doing so explores their lives beyond the stage.

Just as Young Doctors gave a fresh, doctor's-eye perspective on the seemingly familiar hospital precinct, this film gives a revealing look at a profession viewed by many as a glamorous career option. Does the reality match the perception?

To mark Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday, David Frost charts the life and career of the world's greatest sportsman through a series of interviews and meets Ali at his Michigan ranch. [S]

Programme featuring footage of Simon and Garfunkel on stage, in the studio and on tour, which also integrates video montages of key events of the turbulent times in the late 60s. [S]

A factual programme taking a journey into the future of television, from Silicon Valley to Vegas, meeting the people battling to shape it - from the software giants at Google to the hardware designers at Sony.

TV historian Dan Snow travels across the old Kingdom of Mercia unravelling the secrets of one of Britian's most significant discoveries - the Staffordshire Hoard. The Hoard offers 1500 new clues into the Dark Ages and Dan pieces together the lives of the people living in these long-forgotten kingdoms.

From Vogue magazine fashion photographer to filmmaker, painter and sculptor, David Bailey is a cultural icon who has been at the cutting edge of contemporary art for 50 years. A working-class Londoner, he befriended the stars, married his muses and still captures the spirit and elegance of his times with his refreshingly simple approach and razor-sharp eye.

Approaching his 73rd year, Bailey is showing no sign of slowing up. In his London studio and his country home in Devon, he continues to create one of the most varied and pertinent collections of any modern artist.

Featuring interviews with art critic Martin Harrison, former wife Catherine Deneuve, current wife Catherine Dyer and close friend Jerry Hall, this is a portrait of a private man who bared the soul of the swinging sixties and seventies with his photographs and films. Grounded, honest, open and ferociously creative, Bailey makes art the way Count Basie played jazz - four beats to the bar and no cheating.

Amal Fashanu goes on a mission to discover why no professional football player has followed in her late uncle Justin's boots in over twenty years and come out publicly as gay.

Lives lived through music, lives saved by music.

Toni and Rosi Grunschlag were piano prodigies in Vienna in the 1920s. In this documentary made over ten years, they tell their story: of the German takeover of Austria; of being pushed out of their apartment by a local Nazi - 'He came with his concubine. They had a German shepherd dog and I can tell you he was the nicest of them'; and of escaping the Nazis together, fleeing to England and then the United States, where they forged a career as a two-piano team. Neither married, so they practised, performed and lived together for 80 years. 'There were suitors', says Rosi, 'But you have to be strong.'

In the apartment building in New York where they have lived since 1943 and in their summer home on Cape Cod they play and show how music saved them, inspired them, bound them together, and was their living. Rosi has advice for the young: 'When you have to run for your life, you leave everything behind. But your education is yours to keep. It is your transportable asset.'

It is an inspirational story of two talented, determined and funny women.

Special programme telling the dramatic story of Cutty Sark, the world famous clipper ship, from her launch in 1869 to the modern-day conservation work to save her.

2011 marks 30 years since AIDS descended. In 1981, the flourishing gay community in San Franscisco was hit with an unimaginable disaster. Through the eyes of those whose lives changed in unimaginable ways, this film tells how their beloved city was changed from a hotbed of sexual freedom and social experimentation into the epicentre of a terrible sexually transmitted 'gay plague'. From their different vantage points as caregivers, activists, researchers, friends and lovers of the afflicted and as people with AIDS themselves, it shares stories which are intensely personal. Speaking to our capacity as individuals to rise to the occasion, this is the story of the incredible power of a community coming together with love, compassion and determination.

In the early 1960s British pop groups conquered the world. But as the Beatles, the Stones, the Shadows, the Dave Clark Five, the Yardbirds and many others took to the stage they had one thing in common - they shared the platform with Vox amplifiers. Some of the nation's top professional musicians including Queen's Brian May and Bruce Welch of the Shadows, along with the factory workers of the time, recount the story of how an unlikely small company in unglamorous Dartford hit the big time and defined the sound of the 60s in Britain. Presented by Iain Lee.

Brothers Colin and Ewan McGregor follow up their documentary The Battle of Britain with a film exploring Bomber Command, a rarely-told story from the Second World War.

The film focuses primarily on the men who fought and died in the skies above occupied Europe, with numerous examples of individual heroism and extraordinary collective spirit, and Colin learns to fly the key aircraft of the campaign: the Lancaster bomber. But this is also the story of a controversy that has lasted almost 70 years.

The programme covers six years of wartime operations, and traces the obstacles and challenges that were overcome as the RAF developed and deployed the awesome fighting force that was Bomber Command.

This film follows the story of giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang, who arrived in the UK to great fanfare in December 2011. David Tennant narrates as Edinburgh Zoo's vet and head keeper travel to China to see how giant pandas are looked after in their homeland. Head keeper Alison also visits a remote panda reserve in Wolong to witness the efforts to reintroduce giant pandas back into the wild.

Painted Life explores the life and work of Lucian Freud, undoubtedly one of Britain's greatest artists. Freud gave his full backing to the documentary shortly before his death. Uniquely, he was filmed painting his last work, a portrait of his assistant David Dawson.

Lucian Freud: Painted Life also includes frank testimony from those who knew and loved this extraordinary personality. Members of his large family (he had at least fourteen children by a number of different women), close friends including David Hockney and Brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles, his dealers, his sitters and his former lovers recall for the first time a complex man who dedicated his life to his art and who always sought to transmute paint into a vibrant living representation of humanity.

The film shows how Freud never swam with the flow and only achieved celebrity in older age. He rejected the artistic fashions of his time, sticking to figurative art and exploring portraiture, especially with regards to nude portraiture, which he explored with a depth of scrutiny that produced some of the greatest works of our time.

This documentary is both a definitive biography and a revelatory exploration of the creative process.

Documentary showcasing how the latest forensic science is used to bring some of the most dangerous criminals to justice. Officers use fingerprint and ballistics analysis when they are called to a shooting on the streets of Luton, and the painstaking examination of the scene of an assault leads to a gang of attackers being arrested.

Jo Brand is outraged and appalled by the latest outburst of public crying. It is happening on X Factor, Who Do You Think You Are and even the politicans are at it. It would appear we are awash with tears. Jo is particularly baffled by this outpouring of weepiness as crying is something she rarely does.

In this documentary, Jo decides it's time to get to the bottom of crying: why we do it, who does it and whether we have always done it. And once she discovers crying is in fact good for you, she has no choice but to see if she can actually make a handkerchief soggy too.

To find out more about crying she talks to friends Phill Jupitus, Shappi Khorsandi and Richard E Grant; interviews crying historians, psychologists and biochemists; and, in her quest to discover her own tears, visits Moorfields Eye Hospital to check her tear ducts are in good working order. She subjects herself to joining a class of crying drama students, discovers the world's weirdest crybabies at the Loss Club and finally opens up to Princess Diana's psychotherapist, Susie Orbach.

Following on from her popular exploration of crying, Jo Brand is back - and this time she has got a bee in her bonnet about kissing. Jo is convinced that the kiss has lost its value - we are either air kissing people we have never even met before or snogging each other's faces off in public. Either way Jo has had enough of it and decides it is time to find out whether the kiss really is 'kisstory'. Along the way she meets some voracious kissers in our closest animal relatives, the bonobo monkeys, learns a bit about the history and science of 'locking lips' and discovers the beauty of the kiss in some rather extraordinary oral sculptures.

Then Jo starts to realise that she needs to figure out her own relationship with the kiss. Visiting her mother uncovers some clues as to Jo's phobia of public kissing. Maybe the key is to find someone she really wants to kiss - and perfect her technique a bit while she's at it. A drama workshop proves decidedly awkward, but a few tips from an American kissing guru and Jo is well on her way to tracking down her mystery man. But what then?

On March 11th 2011 Japan was hit by the greatest tsunami in a thousand years.

Through compelling testimony from 7-10 year-old survivors, this film reveals how the deadly wave and the Fukushima nuclear accident have changed children's lives forever.

The story unfolds at two key locations: a primary school where 74 children were killed by the tsunami; and a school close to the Fukushima nuclear plant, attended by children evacuated from the nuclear exclusion zone.

We're used to hearing the bad news about our food. What's the good news? Cherry Healey puts some favourite supermarket staples to the test and uncovers the surprising secrets and unexpected powers of the food that people take for granted. With the help of members of the public from around the country, plus a team of experts, she investigates how milk can help muscles recover from exercise; what effect the way tea is brewed has on its health benefits; why there is more to baked beans than meets the eye; and whether it's really possible to be addicted to chocolate.

Documentary about how a much-derided music actually changed the world. Between 1969 and 1979 disco soundtracked gay liberation, foregrounded female desire in the age of feminism and led to the birth of modern club culture as we know it today, before taking the world by storm. With contributions from Nile Rogers, Robin Gibb, Kathy Sledge and Ian Schrager.

Phil Agland revisits the Baka Pygmy family he filmed 25 years ago in his Bafta-winning documentary Baka – People Of The Rainforest.

He explores how life has changed for the new generation: the children of the old film are now parents; Camera, who was born at the end of the first film and named after Phil’s film camera, now has a seven-year-old daughter, Ambi. Camera’s brother Ali also has a young daughter, who is disabled.

For the first time the Baka watch themselves in the original film on a huge screen in the forest. Seeing how their parents used to live prompts an epic journey deep into the forest to rediscover the old life of their fathers. The story that unfolds is a tragic one of a family caught helplessly between the world of the forest and the outside world that rejects them. But it is also a story of redemption inspired by the children, especially Ambi, who attends school for the first time.

In 2011, 19-year old Nic Hamilton dreamed of following his brother Lewis in to motor racing. But as well as the pressure of being a Hamilton and never having raced a car in his life, Nic also has a disability that had him using a wheelchair until he was 16.

This powerful and intimate film follows the family as they try to help Nic achieve his dream. With unprecedented access we see Nic embark on a season that will determine whether he has what it takes to make a career of his own in the glamorous and dangerous world of motorsport.

Graham Norton profiles the leading ladies of the disco era, including Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Madonna and 'honourary disco queen' Sylvester. Includes contributions from the queens themselves, plus Antonio 'Huggy Bear' Fargas, choreographer Arlene Phillips, songwriters Ashford and Simpson, and disco artists Verdine White from Earth Wind and Fire, Bonnie Pointer of the the Pointer Sisters and Nile Rodgers of Chic.

A footstomping return to the BBC vaults of Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later with Jools as the programme spins itself to a time when disco ruled the floor, the airwaves and our minds. The visual floorfillers include classics from luminaries such as Chic, Labelle and Rose Royce to glitterball surprises by the Village People and Gladys Knight.

Phil Agland's acclaimed double BAFTA award-winning documentary first shown on Channel Four in 1987. Now 25 years old, the film has prompted Phil's return to CameroOn to shoot the update, Baka: A Cry from the Rainforest, for BBC Two.

Baka is the extraordinarily intimate story of a Baka family living a traditional life in the rainforests of Cameroun. The Bakas' special understanding of the ecology of the forest is shown in great detail, including how they use the natural chemicals of the trees as medicines and truth drugs - together with the great animals of the forest, elephant, gorilla and golden cat.

But the charm of the film is the soap opera in the forest, where the film follows the twists and turns of everyday family drama building to the exciting climax of the birth of Ali's sister, Camera - much to Ali's instant jealousy when he asks his father to throw her out with the rubbish.

Chris Packham, Kate Humble and Martin Hughes-Games are at the Brecon Beacons National Park to reveal how the UK's wildlife is faring this winter. The mild start followed by plummeting temperatures are setting a real challenge. The team find out how plants and animals are managing to survive, and what viewers can do to help.

Television interviews seem to have been around forever - but that's not the case. They evolved in confidence and diversity as television gradually came of age. So how did it all begin? With the help of some of its greatest exponents, Sir David Frost looks back over nearly sixty years of the television interview.

He looks at political interviews, from the earliest examples in the post-war period to the forensic questioning that we now take for granted, and celebrity interviews, from the birth of the chat show in the United States with Jack Paar and Johnny Carson to the emergence of our own peak time British performers like Sir Michael Parkinson and Sir David himself.

Melvyn Bragg, Joan Bakewell, Tony Benn, Clive Anderson, Ruby Wax, Andrew Neil, Stephen Fry, AA Gill, Alastair Campbell and Michael Parkinson all help trace the development of the television interview. What is its enduring appeal and where does the balance of power actually lie - with the interviewer or the interviewee?

In 2007 Queens Park Rangers Football Club, facing relegation and bankruptcy, was rescued by four high-profile billionaires. The new owners, risking ridicule and commercial failure, allowed cameras unprecedented access to record the roller-coaster ride. Though they paid for much of the filming they did not control where the cameras pointed or what ended up in the film.

Anger over votes for prisoners and the release of Abu Qatada shows just what a toxic issue human rights law has become. In this provocative film, Andrew Neil travels to Europe and across Britain to find out why Britain follows these laws and asks can anything be done to restore our faith in them?

In 2008 Pedigree Dogs Exposed lifted the lid on the true extent of the health and welfare problems faced by pedigree dogs in the UK.

The startling expose of harmful breeding practices generated a massive reaction from the public and from those involved in dog breeding.

Now the programme's producer Jemima Harrison returns to explore what has happened since she made the original film. Deeply affected by the issues that she uncovered, Jemima has become a campaigner on dog welfare.

In this programme, she takes a personal look at the positive changes that have been introduced since the first film and investigates areas of continuing concern, particularly among breeds like the Pug, the Bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Jemima hears from dog breeders and a range of experts, many of whom express grave worries about the future of some of our best loved breeds.

At the British Museum, a collection of artefacts from the Muslim world is on show which tells the history of a journey to Mecca always forbidden to non-Muslims. It features a succession of examples of the rich visual language of Islamic culture past and present, artwork created to reflect the powerful experience for any Muslim making the Hajj pilgrimage to Islam's most sacred city and its most sacred building, the Ka'aba. However, an artform not usually associated with Islam is also on show, a form many believe is prohibited by Islam - portraits, depictions of human figures and whole tableaux showing pilgrims performing the most important pillar of the Muslim faith.

In this documentary, Rageh Omaar sets out to find out that if human depiction is the source of such controversy, how is it that the art displayed here shows a tradition of figurative art at the heart of Islam for century after century? He explores what forms of art are acceptable for a Muslim - and why this artistic tradition has thrived - in the hidden art of the muslim world

The smallpox outbreak in South Wales in 1962 led to the vaccination of nearly a million people, claimed 19 lives and forced the quarantine of thousands. On the fiftieth anniversary of the outbreak, this programme tells the full story of how the deadly virus brought South Wales to a standstill.

Broadcaster Richard Bacon has been targeted by an obsessive tirade of anonymous online abuse over the last two years, aimed not just at him but at his wife, mother and baby son. Motivated by his own experience, in this documentary Richard attempts to hunt down and confront three online bullies, including his own, only to learn that unmasking these so-called trolls can be a dangerous pursuit.

Star of BBC Three's hugely popular The Real Hustle, Alexis Conran is definitely someone you don't want to be playing cards with. An expert poker player and a man thoroughly at home in a casino, Alexis enjoys the thrill that comes with gambling. But what for Alexis is a pleasurable pastime and part of a lucrative career, ruined his father.

In this documentary, Alexis travels around Britain, to Las Vegas and to Athens, meeting gambling addicts, experts and members of his own family to try and understand what makes gambling, for some, a compulsion that can end in ruin.

They are constantly circling hundreds of miles above our heads, driving our daily lives - yet we barely give satellites a second thought. Satellite engineer Maggie Aderin Pocock wants to change all that. She wants to make us realise and appreciate what these unsung heroes of the modern world have done for us.

Maggie reveals how satellites have revolutionised exploration, communication, location-finding and spying. She discovers how they have transformed not only the way we see our planet but our understanding of the dangers within it, like volcanoes and earthquakes. Plus, she discovers the jaw-dropping power of the technology used by satellites to make our lives run smoothly.

As a kid growing up on a council estate, government benefits and negative distractions were a huge part of his childhood. Today, Reggie Yates is a successful TV and radio presenter.

Setting off with the belief that with enough hard work and determination, teenagers can escape a life of crime, Reggie meets people who have been inside some of Britain's notorious teen gangs. He learns what drives them to join the gangs at a young age, and the challenges some of them now face trying to stay on the straight and narrow.

Documentary laying bare the joys and hurdles of disabled parenting over a six month period, following comedian Laurence Clark and his wife Adele, who both have cerebral palsy.

Ancient Egypt was vandalised by tomb raiders and treasure hunters until one Victorian adventurer took them on. Most of us have never heard of Flinders Petrie, but this maverick genius underook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt's prehistoric roots - and in the process invented modern field archaeology, giving meaning to a whole civilisation.

Charles Dickens began his literary career while a journalist at Westminster. In his bicentenary year, Carolyn Quinn reports on how his time at Parliament inspired him.

In the 1980s rallying was more popular than Formula 1. 'Group B' machines had taken the world by storm. De-regulation opened the way for the most exciting cars ever to hit the motorsport scene. Nothing like it has ever happened since.
'This is the fastest rallying there has ever been' - Peter Foubister.

For four wild and crazy years manufacturers scrambled to build ever more powerful cars to be driven by fearless mavericks who could handle the extreme power. The sport was heading out of control and the unregulated mayhem ended abruptly in 1986 after a series of horrific tragedies. This is the story of when fans, ambition, politics and cars collided.

'The fans were crazy. As the cars sped by the spectators ran into the road!' - Ari Vatanen

'They were playing with their lives'.

'To go rallying is madness. This was refined madness' - John Davenport

Featuring world champions Ari Vatanen, Walter Rohrl, Stig Blomqvist, plus Michel Mouton, Cesar Fiorio, Jean Todt and many many more

Professor Alice Roberts reveals the natural history of the most famous of Ice Age animals - the woolly mammoth. Mammoths have transfixed humans since the depths of the last Ice Age, when their herds roamed across what is now Europe and Asia. Although these curious members of the elephant family have now been extinct for thousands of years, scientists can now paint an incredibly detailed picture of their lives thanks to whole carcasses that have been beautifully preserved in the Siberian permafrost. Alice meets the scientists who are using the latest genetic, chemical and molecular tests to reveal the adaptations that allowed mammoths to evolve from their origins in the tropics, to surviving the extremes of Siberia. And in a dramatic end to the film, she helps unveil a brand new woolly mammoth carcass that may shed new light on our own ancestors' role in their extinction.

An affectionate look at the Queen's relationship with Scotland and the Scots. It is an association that has grown in strength throughout her sixty-year reign. What is the nature of that rapport and what does the future hold for the Royal family and Elizabeth - Queen of Scots

Lloyd Coleman is a 19-year old student composer. He's been asked to write a thirty minute piece for full orchestra - a tough job for any composer, but Lloyd is partially sighted and has severe hearing loss. Can he break through the wall and rise to the challenge?

Featuring exclusive interviews with surviving band members Ray Manzarek, John Densmore, Robby Kreiger and their closest colleagues and collaborators, along with exclusive performances, archive footage and examination of the original multi-track recording tapes with producer Bruce Botnick, this film tells the amazing story of landmark album LA Woman by one of the most influential bands on the planet.

Once every two minutes someone in Britain is mugged.

What does it feel like for someone to hold a knife to your throat and demand your cash, to punch you to the ground and wrench your bag from your hands? If it happened to you, would you fight back, try to run or hand over your prized possessions?

This documentary hears both victim's and mugger's powerful stories.

Gabby Logan explores sexism in football, hearing stories from influential women working across the men's game. Just how bad is it? From Karren Brady in the boardroom to the most powerful woman in football, UEFA's Karen Espelund, one thing is common - they have all experienced discrimination.

A woman is raped every ten minutes in the UK yet thousands of rapes go unreported and conviction rates remain low. Presenter Pips Taylor explores why in powerful interviews with young rape survivors. She confronts those in authority about the failures in the system and speaks to young men about their views of the crime. Ultimately Pips asks - who is really to blame for rape?

Three former bomb disposal officers who served at the height of the Northern Ireland conflict, return for the first time in 30 years
to revisit the defining moments of their careers, and the moments when they almost lost their lives.

Three Welsh veterans of the Falklands War return to the South Atlantic three decades on, to make peace with their past and lay their ghosts to rest.

Contributions from Dilwyn Rogers, David Jones and Stephen Dawkins.

Thirty years after the Falkland's War, journalist and military historian Max Hastings explores the conflict's impact and its legacy.

Hastings, who sailed with the Task Force in 1982 and reported on the Falklands campaign first-hand, looks at how victory in the South Atlantic revived the reputation of our armed forces and renewed Britain's sense of pride and its image abroad after years of decline as an imperial and military power.

Documentary tracing the fortunes of boys who were filmed in the residential school Ballikinrain, where children aged from 10 to 16 are placed by social work departments.

Seven years ago, one unit of seven boys was filmed over the course of a year. The boys had to leave at the age of 16, and many still do not have stable environments to return to. The programme tells the stories of these boys, now men, and examines how the system has helped or damned them.

Bench presses, barbells, rowing machines and electric shock mittens - just some of the tortures revealed by Mark Benton in this funny look at the British way of keeping fit.

Wales rugby legend Shane Williams reveals the inside story of his rollercoaster rugby career. This candid portrait of one of Wales's most treasured stars follows the ups and downs of his life, culminating in his emotional retirement at the Millennium Stadium.

Featuring interviews with Shane Williams, Martyn Williams, Lyn Jones and Bryan Habana.

Yorkshireman Frank Wild was the unsung hero of the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. He was Sir Ernest Shackleton's loyal companion, following him to the very ends of the Earth. Now, 90 years after Shackleton's death, Frank Wild's newly discovered remains are heading back to Antarctica to be laid beside his beloved boss in the icy lands they both loved so much.

Dr Yan sets primary-aged children a series of challenges that explore the science behind the exciting Bloodhound project to build the fastest car in the world. What makes it move? What will it be like to drive? How does it slow down?

In September 2011, Sikhs from all over Britain gathered in Parliament Square to protest. The focus of their concern was the turban. Since the terrorist attacks of the 21st century Sikhs believe their turbans have singled them out for discrimination and subjected to increased airport security searches.

This documentary traces the history of the turban in the Sikh religion, from its roots in Moghul India, through the battlefields of Europe, to the fight for British Sikhs to wear it without fear. It reveals that the turban is a crucial symbol of the Sikh faith - one that Sikhs will even risk their lives for.

In 1981 the BBC series The Self Help Society looked at the co-operative movement run by communities in the Western Isles and in particular its impact on Eriskay. This programme offers the opportunity to view the excerpts original version and also find out what impact the co-operative and the many other changes which have taken place since have had on the island and the residents.

Matthew Pinsent catches up with athletes from across the globe as they prepare for London 2012.

Belgian twin brothers Jonathan and Kevin Borlee endure a gruelling trek across an Icelandic glacier in their attempt to be selected for their national relay squad at London 2012.

With so few survivors of the Holocaust left to share their first-hand testimony, what is the right approach to those with accounts that can it be proved?

Ninety-three-year-old Denis Avey is a British hero of the Holocaust who helped save the life of an Auschwitz inmate. He wrote about this heroic act, verified by the man he saved, in a best-selling book. But its publication generated a heated debate. That's because Denis also claimed to have broken in to the Nazi concentration camp itself. Why would anyone do such a thing and was it even possible?

Witness to Auschwitz examines the controversy surrounding this latest Holocaust account and asks why is it so important to know the truth?

A unique blend of music and documentary, the show features special performances from Bryan Ferry, Joss Stone, Nicola Benedetti, Alfie Boe, Charlie Siem, Maverick Sabre and the Ulster Orchestra. The performances wrap around a documentary which tells the story of the ill-fated ship, those who built her, the people who sailed on her and the enduring legacy of the tragedy.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of Titanic, actor Bernard Hill who played Captain Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film, discovers the impact the tragedy had on the port of Southampton.

Around 550 crew from Southampton died in the disaster. The unwritten rule of the sea 'women and children first' ensured the loss of husbands, fathers, sons. It plunged streets and houses into weeks of mourning and changed lives forever.

An epic 1970s tale about a group of rebel rock bands who rose up from one of the most unpopular, marginalised parts of the USA - the Deep South - and conquered the world.

The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and others that followed did this entirely on their own terms, blending the music of the region - blues, country, rock and roll - with a gung-ho attitude that set the South, and then America, on fire.

Their diverse styles, from juke joint boogie and country-rock honks to cosmic blues blasts, had a huge cultural and political impact, even helping to elect Jimmy Carter as president in 1976.

Their extraordinary adventure is brought to life through vivid period archive and contributions from the survivors of those crazy times, including Gregg Allman, REM's Mike Mills, Doug Gray, Al Kooper, Bonnie Bramlett, Charlie Daniels and other key figures in the movement.

The story the company behind Titanic didn't want you to know.

On the 20th June 1913 a sensational court case opened in London. It pitted an ordinary farmer from County Limerick against the might and power of the company which built the Titanic, the Oceanic Steam Navigation Company, better known as the White Star Line. Heartbroken father Thomas Ryan's single ambition was to hold the company to account for the death of his son Patrick. Their story has been lost under the weight of Titanic's romantic folklore, but in Ryan Versus The White Star Line, BBC Northern Ireland uncovers the truth with the help of Thomas's descendants. Reporter Julie McCullough tracks down Thomas's grandson and follows the family's journey of discovery as they learn more about their ancestor's place in the story of Titanic.

Chris Birch is a Welsh lad who claims a stroke turned him gay.

It's the nation's most cherished and respected children's hospital, but senior consultants are now claiming that all is not well at Great Ormond Street. Through a series of exclusive interviews, Freedom of Information requests and a surprising paper trail, BBC London's Political Editor Tim Donovan asks: just how far will this world-famous hospital go to protect its unblemished reputation?

Actor David Harewood has just five days to take a group of inner city teenagers and turn them into Shakespearean actors. David, currently starring in the hit television drama Homeland, returns to his old school to select his cast and prepare for a final showcase performance in Stratford-upon-Avon. Can he inspire them to put on a passionate and polished production from one of the Bard's greatest works?

Stammering or stuttering is a debilitating affliction which can impact on a person's life every single day. Finding the right words to say how you feel can be hard for anyone, but for Britain's 600,000 stammerers it can be impossible. This documentary follows a group of young people who have taken that important decision to tackle their stammers by enrolling on an intense speech therapy course led by pop star Gareth Gates. At the end of the course, they have to face an audience and deliver a speech. Can Gareth help them take control of their stammers?

Michael Palin, Clive Dunn and Ian Lavender are among those who contribute to this candid portrait of actor John Le Mesurier, from his turbulent marriage to Hattie Jacques to his life-changing role as Sergeant Wilson in Dad's Army.

Samira Hashi is a 21 year old model living in London. After 18 years away Samira is going back to her birthplace, Somalia.

Film which follows Salisbury Cathedral's current child choristers over Easter and through the summer term of 2011. The separate boy and girl choirs each contain 16 of the most musically gifted eight-to-13 year-olds in the country. Their role, now as always, is to sing some of the most sublime music ever written in one of Britain's most beautiful buildings. Indeed there are many who believe the chorister's pure, clear, treble voice is the finest instrument in all music. The film spends four months with the choristers as they go about their day-to-day lives, discovering their own history and singing some of the most loved music from a sacred canon spanning six centuries from medieval plainsong to the present day. Under the direction of indefatigable choir master David Halls, they rehearse and perform works by Sheppard, Byrd, Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Stanford, Parry, Alcock and Rutter.

In 1978, the BBC television series The British Connection visited the district of Ness on the Isle of Lewis, speaking to residents about their sense of identity and what it meant to them. This programme offers the opportunity to watch the original version, discover how locals feel the community has changed in the intervening years and what their identity means to them in 2012.

One of the legends of Welsh sport, Ray Reardon, is 80 this year. The tough competitor with the twinkling eyes returns to his home town of Tredegar and visits the Welsh Open championship in Newport, where he reflects on a glittering career that brought him six World titles.

The true story of May McMurray, the little girl whose Titanic letter inspired a giant to find her. Three days, three giants - the Sea Odyssey extravaganza which brought Liverpool to a standstill.

Sir David Jason narrates a revealing and intimate insight into the life of Barry Hearn, one of the most powerful and colourful characters in sport.

Featuring contributions from former snooker world champions Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry, darts legend Phil 'The Power' Taylor as well as Greg Dyke, boxing promoter Frank Maloney and son and daughter Eddie and Katie Hearn.

What is it about subtitled Danish TV dramas that make them such compulsive viewing? Emma Jane Kirby talks on set to Danish stars, writers and creators of the shows.

In 1901, a group of divers excavating an ancient Roman shipwreck near the island of Antikythera, off the southern coast of Greece, found a mysterious object - a lump of calcified stone that contained within it several gearwheels welded together after years under the sea. The 2,000-year-old object, no bigger than a modern laptop, is now regarded as the world's oldest computer, devised to predict solar eclipses and, according to recent findings, calculate the timing of the ancient Olympics. Following the efforts of an international team of scientists, the mysteries of the Antikythera Mechanism are uncovered, revealing surprising and awe-inspiring details of the object that continues to mystify.

In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was arrested for the murder of a 43-year-old man. Cyntoia was a prostitute and he was her client. Film-maker Daniel Birman was granted unique access to Cyntoia from the week of her arrest, throughout her trial and over a period of six years. His documentary explores the tragic events in her life that led up to the murder, and Cyntoia's biological mother meets he daughter for the first time since giving her up for adoption 14 years earlier. The film explores the history of abuse, violence, drugs and prostitution back through three generations. As Cyntoia faces a lifetime in prison, the programme asks difficult questions about her treatment by the American justice system.

Michael Cockerell sheds new light on the tragi-comedy of the 1970s by focusing on some of its most controversial characters. With fresh filming and new interviews, along with a treasure trove of rare archive, the film presents the inside story of giant personalities who make today's public figures look sadly dull in comparison.

Part 1 of Francesco da Mosto's documentary series Shakespeare in Italy.

Part 2 of Francesco da Mosto's documentary series Shakespeare in Italy.

In the middle of the 17th century, Britain was devastated by a civil war that divided the nation into two tribes - the Roundheads and the Cavaliers. In this programme, celebrities and historians reveal that modern Britain is still defined by the battle between the two tribes. The Cavaliers represent a Britain of panache, pleasure and individuality. They are confronted by the Roundheads, who stand for modesty, discipline, equality and state intervention.

As Facebook heads for its 100 billion dollar flotation, Emily Maitlis updates her recent documentary on the prospects for Mark Zuckerberg's social network phenomenon.

She examines how Facebook, now with 900 million users, plans to earn the billions its new investors will expect from it. With exclusive access to Mark Zuckerberg and senior executives, Emily tells the Facebook story, and reports on its challenge - to build its advertising business from the personal information its users provide, without losing their trust

Their family name alone evokes horror: Himmler, Frank, Goering, Hoess. This film looks at the descendants of the most powerful figures in the Nazi regime: men and women who were left a legacy that indelibly associates them with one of the greatest abominations in history. What is it like to have grown up with a name that immediately raises images of genocide? How do they live with the weight of their ancestors' crimes? Is it possible to move on from the crimes of their ancestors?

Pearl Harbor and the Fall of Singapore: 70 years ago these huge military disasters shook both Britain and America, but they conceal a secret so shocking it has remained hidden ever since. This landmark film by Paul Elston tells the incredible story of how it was the British who gave the Japanese the knowhow to take out Pearl Harbor and capture Singapore. For 19 years before the fall of Singapore to the Japanese, British officers were spying for Japan. Worse still, the Japanese had infiltrated the very heart of the British establishment - through a mole who was a peer of the realm known to Churchill himself.

Former Miss Great Britain, Gemma Garrett, investigates how she - and 50,000 other British women - ended up with toxic breast implants made by the French company PIP. After her own implants ruptured and the silicone pieces had to be tweezered out, Gemma wants to know not just what the long-term effects will be on her body, but also why such high numbers of women remain so desperate to make their breasts bigger - and what risks they face as a result. Can they be confident about the other products on the market, or even breast surgery itself?

As she explores the implant industry as a whole, she meets the first woman to ever have them and some of the women with PIPs now terrified they have been left with 'ticking timebombs' in their chest. And with her own experience still painfully raw, Gemma challenges a friend who is still dead set on having implants - but is a boob job really the best way to boost her assets?

For more than two years Europe has teetered on the edge of an economic precipice - one of the factors that has pushed Britain back into recession. How exactly did Europe get itself into the current financial mess? Talking to historians, economists and politicians, BBC business editor Robert Peston takes a long view of the euro - from Churchill's vision of a United States of Europe to the bail-outs of Greece, Portugal and Ireland. Meeting a property developer in Ireland, a taxi driver in Rome and a German manufacturing worker, the film exposes the high cost being paid by European workers today for the dream of monetary union - and how close Europe came to a complete banking meltdown. The crisis could yet claim another victim - Britain, with its vast financial sector, would be dragged down by the collapse of the euro. The cost for saving the euro may be high, but the alternative would be a return to the economic mayhem of the 1930s

Documentary which recalls the heyday of one of Britain's most iconic buildings, BBC Television Centre, through the memories of stars and staff. A rich variety of archive includes moments from studio recordings of classic programmes and vintage behind-the-scenes footage from the home of many of the most celebrated programmes in British TV history.

John Edginton's documentary explores the making of Pink Floyd's ninth studio album, "Wish You Were Here."

Featuring new interviews with band members Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason alongside contributions from the likes of guest vocalist Roy Harper, sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson and photographer Jill Furmanovsky, the film is a forensic study of the making of the follow-up to 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon."

This documentary evokes London as seen by painters, photographers, film-makers and writers through the ages; the perspectives of Dickens, Hogarth, Turner, Virginia Wolfe, Monet and Alfred Hitchcock alongside those of contemporary Londoners who tread the streets of the city every day. All these people have found beauty and inspiration in London's dirt and grime. Architects and social engineers have strived to organise London, but painters, writers and many more have revelled in its labyrinthine unruliness. This is the story of a city that tried to impose order on its streets, but actually discovered time after time that its true character lay in an unplanned, chaotic nature.

David Croft, the comedy writer, director and producer whose hand was felt on shows as diverse as Dad's Army, Steptoe & Son, Up Pompeii!, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Are You Being Served?, died in September at the age of 89.

This special programme pays tribute to one of the true greats of British comedy. His name may not have been as well-known as those of the stars he made in his series, but his words and creativity have brought laughter to billions across the globe for more than 7 decades.

Internationally-renowned chef Yotam Ottolenghi returns to his home town of Jerusalem to discover the hidden treasures of its extraordinarily rich and diverse food culture. He meets and cooks with both Arabs and Jews in restaurants and at home who draw on hundreds of years of tradition to create the dishes that define the city, and explores the flavours and recipes that have influenced his palate. From the humble street foods of hummus and falafel to the cutting edge of Jerusalem cuisine, Yotam uncovers the essence of what makes the food of Jerusalem so great.

Starting in the Old City, Yotam samples the Palestinian fast foods like falafel and hummus that he remembers from his childhood. This is the food that has been feeding the throngs of pilgrims who have visited the city for centuries - loved alike by Jew, Arab and Christian. In the west of the city, Yotam discovers how waves of immigration from the Jewish diaspora from such varying origns as Poland, Hungary, Morocco and Turkey have each brought with them a different flavour, ingredient or technique that adds to the ever-evolving Jerusalem cuisine, keeping it fresh, varied and exciting. Here he eats stuffed aubergine with cinnamon, tries fiery zhoug from Yemen and learns how to make kibbeh soup, a staple of the Sephardic Jewish kitchen.

In both Arab and Jewish homes he discovers the family recipes that have been passed down through generations - recipes such as kollage, a sweet sheep's cheese pastry, or swiss chard with cracked wheat and pomegranate molasses. Finally, he visits some of Jerusalem's trailblazing chefs, discovering how modern Jerusalem cuisine is drawing from all of these influences to create food that is both locally sourced and true to its culinary roots, and at the same time truly innovative. Collaborating with these chefs in the kitchens, Yotam adds his own distinctive flair to the dishes they create.

Through Yotam's eyes we are given an insight into the depth and breadth of the food of

The composer Frederick Delius is often pictured as the blind, paralysed and caustic old man he eventually became, but in his youth he was tall, handsome, charming and energetic - not Frederick at all for most of his life, but Fritz. He was a contemporary of Elgar and Mahler, yet forged his own musical language, with which he always tried to capture the pleasure of the moment.

Using evidence from his friend, the Australian composer Percy Grainger, who reported that Delius 'practised immorality with puritanical stubbornness', this film by John Bridcut explores the multiple contradictions of his colourful life. Delius has long been renowned for his depiction of the natural environment, with pieces such as On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, yet his music is usually steeped in the sensuality and eroticism that he himself experienced.

The documentary features specially-filmed performances by the widely-acclaimed Danish interpreters of Delius, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bo Holten, as well as the chamber choir, Schola Cantorum of Oxford.

Documentary about the greatest public ceremony of the twentieth century. As well as recounting the events of Coronation Day, 2nd June 1953, the film focuses on the months of meticulous planning beforehand. What took place behind the scenes is told using diaries, letters, official records and government papers, together with much rare, evocative archive. There are interviews with historians and experts on royal ceremonial as well as participants in the ceremony.

The Coronation was an immense challenge - the views of forceful personalities from die-hard traditionalists to forward-thinking innovators had to be reconciled, the movements of thousands had to be marshalled like clockwork, and the BBC had to mount its most ambitious television outside broadcast to date in the teeth of prime minister Winston Churchill's opposition. At the centre of it all was the 27-year-old Queen, bearing an immense responsibility while remaining apparently calm and unperturbed throughout.

This is a story of precision planning, last minute nerves and an ancient ceremony which brought together church, state, aristocracy and monarchy in a glorious panoply - the like of which will never be seen again.

To launch the diamond jubilee weekend, BBC One is broadcasting a personal tribute to Her Majesty the Queen by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

Through previously-unseen photographs and cine films from Her Majesty's private collection - many of them shot by the Queen herself - the prince reflects on various public events and private family moments during the sixty years of the Queen's reign. In some cases, the prince himself has never seen the footage before.

The prince is filmed in the private quarters of Windsor Castle and Balmoral, as well as at Buckingham Palace and Highgrove.

Huw Edwards, Matt Baker and Sophie Raworth host live coverage of one of the biggest events of the year, the diamond jubilee Thames pageant. For the first time in 350 years, a flotilla of 1,000 boats will sail down the River Thames from Battersea to Tower Bridge in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen's 60-year reign. The Queen will lead the floating procession in an ornately-decorated royal barge.

A team of presenters will be reporting on this historic event from bridges, banks and boats along the seven-mile route. Special guests include Sue Johnston, Omid Djalili, Griff Rhys Jones, Frank Skinner, Richard E Grant, the Horrible Histories team, and some of the many people from across the UK and the Commonwealth who have made their way to London to take part in this extraordinary pageant.

Documentary telling the double-edged story of the grave risks we pose to our own survival in the name of progress. With rich imagery the film connects financial collapse, growing inequality and global oligarchy with the sustainability of mankind itself. The film explores how we are repeatedly destroyed by 'progress traps' - alluring technologies which serve immediate need but rob us of our long term future. Featuring contributions from those at the forefront of evolutionary thinking such as Stephen Hawking and economic historian Michael Hudson. With Martin Scorsese as executive producer, the film leaves us with a challenge - to prove that civilisation and survival is not the biggest progress trap of them all.

It's one of the most corrupt countries in the world and widely criticised for its human rights record but this year Azerbaijan is hosting Eurovision.

A look at how a British invasion led by the Beatles conquered the US in the 1960s.

How Led Zeppelin spearheaded a British stadium rock assault on the States in the 70s.

How the Sex Pistols and Duran Duran led new rock and pop invasions in the 70s and 80s.

Huw Edwards introduces full, uninterrupted live coverage of the final day of Her Majesty the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations. To mark this special occasion, the Queen together with other members of the royal family, attend a national service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.

Throughout the morning a team of BBC reporters consisting of Fiona Bruce, Sophie Raworth, Jake Humphrey, Fearne Cotton, Chris Hollins, Sonali Shah and Clare Balding, will be capturing all the stories, reactions and celebrations on a day of unadulterated national celebration.

09.30
As the members of the congregation take their seats in St Paul's Cathedral, Sophie Raworth will be inviting some of the people involved in the service to share their thoughts and feelings about the day. At the Palace of Westminster, Fiona Bruce mingles with the people who've travelled from all over the country to share lunch with the Queen.

10.00
All eyes will be on the cathedral for the arrivals of the royal family, the prime minister and other leading dignitaries, whilst at Buckingham Palace Huw Edwards will be joined by expert guests to give their perspective on this momentous day.

10.30
The national service of thanksgiving begins, and James Naughtie provides commentary on the service presided over by the dean of St Paul's Cathedral.

11.30
The streets of London will be lined with jubilant spectators as the Queen travels to Mansion House to begin the next stage of the day's celebrations. Chris Hollins and Sonali Shah will be on the route to meet the royal fans who have the prized front row seats.

12.00
Join Fearne Cotton and Jake Humphrey as they host their own exclusive jubilee party with some special guests. Meanwhile, at Knightsbridge Barracks, Clare Balding gets a first-hand glimpse of the household cavalry preparations for the big afternoon ahead.

12.30
The Queen travels to the Palace of Westminster to have lunch with over 700 people in the stunning setting of Westminster H

In the presence of HM the Queen and the royal family, an array of stars from the last sixty years of rock, pop and classical music perform on a spectacular stage built around the Queen Victoria Memorial, right in front of Buckingham Palace.

Hit songs and show stopping performances are promised, with hosts including Rob Brydon, Miranda Hart, Lenny Henry and Lee Mack. Proceedings conclude with HM the Queen lighting the National Beacon

The diamond jubilee celebrations continue with a stunning display of pomp and pageantry. Huw Edwards is joined by celebrities, historians and royal commentators at the majestic setting of Buckingham Palace to present live coverage of the afternoon's events. Senior members of the royal family will travel by magnificent carriage procession from the Palace of Westminster to Buckingham Palace to mark 60 years of the Queen's reign. At the end of the afternoon, all eyes will be turned on Buckingham Palace for the climactic balcony appearance and fly-past.

A diamond jubilee message from HM the Queen

Jools Holland embarks on a personal journey through the streets, historical landmarks, pubs, music halls and rock 'n' roll venues of London to uncover a history of the city through its songs, the people who wrote them and the Londoners who joined in the chorus.

Unlike Chicago blues or Memphis soul, London has no one definitive sound. Its noisy history is full of grime, clamour, industry and countless different voices demanding to be heard. But there is a strain of street-wise realism that is forever present, from its world-famous nursery rhymes to its music hall traditions, and from the Broadside Ballad through to punk and beyond.

Jools's investigation - at once probing and humorous - identifies the many ingredients of a salty tone that could be called 'the London sound' as he tracks through the centuries from the ballads of Tyburn Gallows to Broadside publishing in Seven Dials in the 18th century, to Wilton's Music Hall in the late 19th century, to the Caribbean sounds and styles that first docked at Tilbury with the Windrush in 1948, to his own conception to the strains of Humphrey Lyttelton at the 100 Club in 1957.

Along the way, he meets musicians such as Ray Davies, Damon Albarn, Suggs, Roy Hudd, Lisa Hannigan, Joe Brown and Eliza Carthy who perform and talk about such classic songs as London Bridge is Falling Down, While London Sleeps, Knocked 'Em in the Old Kent Road, St James Infirmary Blues and Oranges and Lemons.