Season 2016 2015 - 2016

TV-PG

Tom Service takes a cinematic journey through Russia on the trail of the wondrous yet melancholic melodies of Russian giant Sergei Rachmaninoff. A celebration of a composer's musical triumph over critical adversity and Soviet terror, with performances and contributions from Vladimir Ashkenazy, Denis Matsuev, Steven Isserlis, Stephen Hough, Vladimir Jurowski, Lucy Parham and James Rhodes.

In August 1942, a concert took place in Leningrad that defies belief. A year earlier, the Germans had begun the deadliest siege in history which would kill three quarters of a million civilians. In the midst of the terror, a group of starving musicians assembled to perform Shostakovich's 7th Symphony in what would become a defiant moment in the city's ultimate survival. Historian Amanda Vickery and BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom Service reveal the extraordinary story of triumph of the human spirit over unspeakable terror.

Amanda shows how Leningrad was simultaneously persecuted by Stalin and Hitler, the 'twin monsters' of the 20th century. Meeting with siege survivors and uncovering diaries and photographs, she reveals the reality of life in Leningrad as it literally starved to death.

Meanwhile, Tom explores the thin line walked by Dmitri Shostakovich as the composer came perilously close to becoming a victim of Stalin's paranoia, and reveals how, as Leningrad starved, his 7th Symphony was performed around the world, uniting audiences against a common enemy before finally returning to the city.

Shot entirely on location in St Petersburg, the story is interwoven with excerpts of the symphony performed specially by the St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maxim Shostakovich, the composer's son.

This timely one-off documentary follows the story of the restoration of a forgotten and dilapidated burial ground for 27 Muslim soldiers who gave their lives fighting for Britain in two world wars.

Shot over three years, the film shows the struggle of two understated pioneers - Zafar Iqbal, a Muslim from Woking Borough Council, and Elizabeth Cuttle, a local Surrey history enthusiast - as they battle to get this small plot of land restored and recogonised as a symbol of an important and largely unknown part of British history. Using archive material and interviews with historians and surviving descendants, the film also reveals the stories of some of the Muslim soldiers once buried here, and through their experiences the history of the Muslim contribution to the British war effort in World War I unfolds.

The film ends with the voices of modern Muslims who believe this shared narrative is one of the ways that prejudice and distrust of Islam in modern Britain might be overcome.

It has been said that this is the 'Age of Loneliness' and Britain was recently reported to be 'the loneliness capital of Europe'.

This film by award-winning director Sue Bourne explores why the loneliness epidemic in Britain is affecting so many people of all ages with the problem so widespread and deep rooted that it is now seen as a major public health issue.

Bourne travels the length and breadth of the country to find people brave enough to admit how lonely they are and go on camera and talk about how loneliness affects their lives. From Isobel, the 19-year-old student, Ben the divorcé, and Jaye the 40-year-old singleton, through to Olive, the 100-year-old who says she lives on 'lonely street', this film will strike a chord with many, many people.

Each story in the film reveals the painful reality of loneliness, but these stories also offer hope because they also show how different people can and have alleviated their loneliness in some small, but hugely significant, way.

Loneliness is a difficult subject to make a film about because no one really wants to admit they are lonely and, as a society, we are scared of being alone. But we are going to have to learn to deal with loneliness because more and more of us are now living alone and every year the numbers are rising.

Loneliness is something we have to look at and understand better. This film could be the first important step in that process.

In the early 1970s Hollywood actor Jerry Lewis started working on a Holocaust film so bizarre he ended up hiding all the footage. In this programme comedian David Schneider discovers exclusive unseen material from the film.

1964 saw the birth of a very British institution. Spanning over four decades, Top of the Pops has produced many classic moments in pop culture.

Digging deep within the darkest depths of the BBC's archive, this compilation offers some memorable performances from 1964 through to 1975 from the likes of the Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, Status Quo, Procol Harum, Stevie Wonder, Queen and the Kinks, and opens the vintage vaults to rare performances from Stealers Wheel, Julie Driscoll, Peter Sarstedt and the Seekers.

So sit back and witness once again where music met television.

Enter the world of luxury through the eyes of the planners and suppliers who help the super rich spend their money. High-end event planners Sophie and Charlotte are launching a new venture at a stately home - a kids' Christmas party with real reindeer, a unicorn, balloons that cost £50 a pop and a cake worth £10,000.

Vintage watch dealer Tom travels to Geneva for the world's top watch auction to learn whether his prized timepiece is worth the quarter of a million he wants for it. Personal stylist Daniel is in Mayfair to meet a client who, in just 10 minutes, signs off on several hundred thousand pounds of gifts.

A revealing new look at the abdication crisis of 1936 through the eyes of the two women at its very heart. In a series of dramatised monologues set in 1967, Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Wallis Simpson look back at the dramatic events which led to King Edward VIII giving up the throne for the woman he loved.

Combining drama reconstructions, archive footage and a chorus of acquaintances and biographers, Royal Wives at War returns to the some of the original words and opinions of the two women at the heart of that battle and unravels the story of a frosty relationship between the Queen Mother and Wallis that lasted for decades.

For some of the UK's biggest companies, paying corporation tax seems to be optional. Using devilishly complicated - but completely legal - accounting techniques, they can run rings around HMRC. Now, the small businesses of one Welsh town are fighting back. The local traders of Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons are embarking on a mission to copy the techniques used by their multinational rivals, and to set up a DIY tax avoidance scheme of their very own.

Presented by Heydon Prowse, co-presenter of BBC Three's The Revolution Will Be Televised, this film follows the owner of the local coffee shop, clothing stores, smokery, optician and bookshop of on their offshore mission. It is a journey that will take them to secretive tax havens, smart tax lawyers and even force a showdown with the taxman himself. Can they crack the secrets of the big tax avoiders and level the playing field for the small guy?

A special programme on the life and music of David Bowie, presented by Jeremy Vine. Bowie was one of the most influential musicians of his time, constantly re-inventing his persona and sound, from the 1960s hippy of Space Oddity, through Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke to his later incarnation as a soulful rocker.

Following the court verdict, which saw more members of the gang responsible for Britain's biggest ever burglary convicted, this is the full, inside story of how they nearly pulled off Easter 2015's £14 million record-breaking heist. With exclusive access to the elite Flying Squad and their dramatic investigation, including remarkable covert surveillance of the thieves boasting at what they'd done and the moment loot was discovered hidden in a cemetery, this is the definitive story of the Hatton Garden heist.

David Attenborough tells the story of the discovery and reconstruction in Argentina of the world's largest-known dinosaur, a brand new species of titanosaur. Measuring 37m long - close to four London buses put end to end - and weighing 70 metric tons, it now holds the record as the biggest animal ever to walk the Earth.

In 2014, a shepherd spotted the tip of a gigantic fossil bone sticking out of a rock in La Flecha Farm in the Chubut Province in the Argentinian desert. Palaeontologists soon uncovered a massive 2.4m long (femur) thigh bone, the largest ever found. By the end of the dig they had uncovered more than 220 bones. As the programme reveals, these all belong to a new species of the giant plant-eating titanosaur.

Filmed over the next two years, the documentary follows the twists and turns of this forensic investigation. Attenborough witnesses the uncovering and examination of these stupendous fossils and the dramatic construction of the complete skeleton. And using state-of-the-art graphics, the film also reveals the internal secrets of this dinosaur and what it means to be a giant.

A teenage boy is targeted by an online predator after befriending him while gaming.

Murder Games tells the true story of Breck Bednar, a 14-year-old schoolboy who was lured to his death after being groomed online by Lewis Daynes.

For the first time, in this gripping docudrama Breck's young gaming friends have decided to tell their story - a tale of manipulation and deceit which engulfed their friend and sent shockwaves through the gaming community.

The programme also follows Breck's parents and siblings as they struggle to come to terms with their son's murder, and hears from investigators tasked with piecing together the crime - working backwards from a chilling 999 call.

It is 1939 and Europe is on the brink of war. Hitler has invaded Czechoslovakia, threatening the lives of the Jewish population. Nicholas Winton, a young British stockbroker, decides he will do everything possible to save the lives of as many Jewish children as he can. This film, transmitting on Holocaust Memorial Day, tells the extraordinary story of how Nicholas Winton rescued 669 children from the clutches of the Nazis, bringing them by train to Britain.

In order to provide a degree of credibility with both the British and Nazi governments of the day, Nicholas single-handedly established the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia - Children's Section, using it to obtain passports and visas for the children. He then organised for each child to be adopted by families throughout the country and their safe passage across Europe and into Britain.

For nearly fifty years, Nicholas told no-one of his heroic deeds. His incredible story might never have come to light were it not for his wife who, fifty years later, found a suitcase in the attic containing a remarkable scrapbook full of documents and transport plans.

The story then emerged in 1988 when the BBC's That's Life programme reunited over two dozen of his 'children' with their rescuer for the first time in a highly emotional broadcast.

Featuring Nicholas's final film interview before his death last year aged 106, dramatic reconstruction of events and the testimonies of the rescued children.

An entertaining and insightful look at the modern-day entrepreneurs behind Britain's black market - and the dogged investigators out to get them. Director Max Shapira gains unique access into the lives of these characters as they use their wit and charm to try and make a living under the radar, away from the prying eye of the authorities.

The film features fast-talking veteran tout of 35 years, Slim, who hopes to make a killing during the Rugby World Cup, former slick ad man-turned-tobacco smuggler Mark as he runs the gauntlet of Dover's customs officers, market trader Eric, busted for selling fake football shirts not long ago and put on tag, and partner Mary, purveyors of Smell-a-Like perfumes.

On the other side of the chase, we ride along with ex-cop Graham, who runs Britain's premier anti-counterfeiting agency, and Trading Standards officer Lee, leading raids against shops selling dodgy fags across East Sussex, clad in her stab vest and armed with her trusty handbag.

Documentary in which actor and presenter Adam Pearson explores the world of freak shows and meets people who use their medical conditions to educate, entertain and make money.

Adam has neurofibromatosis, a genetic condition that causes non-cancerous tumours called fibromas to grow along his nerve endings. Whilst these can grow anywhere, most of Adam's have grown on his face, causing severe disfigurement.

Adam has been called 'monster', 'freak' and 'Elephant Man' because of his similarity to Joseph Merrick - one of the most famous freak show performers in history. It's a name he despises and something he has tried to distance himself from, even avoiding watching the film, but he was inspired to make this programme after being approached to work with a famous American freak show.

To find out if his concerns regarding exploitation are true, Adam travels to America and spends time with travelling freak show 999 Eyes, meeting its most famous 'born freaks', Black Scorpion and Vlad Vendetta. He travels to Mexico to meet world-famous performer Jesus 'Chuy' Aceves, who is known onstage as Wolf Boy due to a condition that causes excess hair to grow on his face. Adam also meets people from modern-day freak shows such as actor Mat Fraser, who starred in the cult TV series American Horror Story: Freak Show.

Will spending time with the performers change Adam's viewpoint, and could he be closer to the Elephant Man than he ever thought? Will he be inspired to take to the stage and put on his first one-man freak show?

A compelling documentary following top motorcycle road racer Ryan Farquhar, who retired from competitive racing following the tragic death of his uncle, Trevor Ferguson, in a crash at the Manx GP. Within 18 months Ryan was back on the bike again, competing at the highest level while managing his own road-racing team and building their bikes in his garage.

The Cayman Islands. It is a Caribbean paradise of sun, sea and cocktails, but there is something else going on. Big money, big corporations... and seemingly no one paying a penny of tax.

Now Jacques Peretti travels to Cayman in search of the truth about this controversial British tax haven, and uncovers some shocking revelations for what this sun-drenched island means for everyone back in Britain.

Jacques meets the politicians, playboys and ex-pats on the islands in a bid to unravel the truth about a place with the population of Bognor Regis... but a trillion pounds in the bank!

Ian Fraser Kilmister, a.k.a. Lemmy & Motörhead frontman/songwriter is credited with introducing punk sounds into the heavy metal mix, paving the way for a generation of thrash metal and speed metal followers.

Lemmy was a one-off who walked it like he talked it and while he embodied the rock n roll lifestyle up until his recent death, his influence as a musician and songwriter should not be underestimated.

This programme offers Lemmy's own overview of his journey through interviews he gave for various BBC documentaries including Metal Britannia and features material never previously broadcast, along with classic Motörhead Top of the Pops' studio performances to celebrate one of rock music's most charismatic frontmen who helped pioneer hard rock and heavy metal.

Bill McCue was a TV star in the 70s and 80s and one of the founding singers with Scottish Opera. With his powerful bass voice and endless enthusiasm for all things Scottish, Bill introduced many a Scot to the songs of Robert Burns. As a teenager, his daughter Kirsteen felt that Robert Burns was an unwanted intrusion into her life: 'Burns was on such a pedestal in our house, it almost put me off'. Now a professor at Glasgow University and a leading expert on Burns, Kirsteen has changed her tune.

With Karine Polwart, Jamie MacDougall and rare archive footage.

Throughout their artistic career, Jake and Dinos Chapman have returned again and again to a single artwork by the great Spanish artist Francisco de Goya. The Disasters of War are a set of 83 etchings that offer a harrowing account of the atrocities of the Peninsular War (1807-14), but for Jake Chapman they are much more than a matter of historical record. They have provided the inspiration for countless Chapman Brothers artworks across more than two decades, from model recreations and 'rectified' prints to shop mannequins and full-scale sculptures in bronze, some of which were nominated for the Turner Prize.

In this film, Jake explores why Goya's famous etching series is so central to his art. He re-examines his relationship to the Spanish artist by visiting Goya's hometown Zaragoza for the first time, and by spending time at the Prado in Madrid where some of Goya's greatest works hang on the walls.

As Jake works on a new 'Disasters of War' model in his London studio, he explains why for him there is a fundamental conflict at the heart of Goya's art - in their gruesome detail his images seem to celebrate violence rather than protest against it. Jake explores this contradiction that art history has chosen to ignore, and explains how it tells us something profound about the way we see ourselves and our past.

Patrick Kielty's journey to find the truth about William Mulholland, the man who provided water for Los Angeles. Patrick's family are water men - from his great-grandfather to his father, they all worked for the water company in Northern Ireland. Water runs in his veins, along with gin on a Sunday night. Nowadays his second home is Los Angeles, so he was surprised to discover that the man who gave LA its water, and hence made the city we know today possible, was from Belfast. That man was William Mulholland, and this is Patrick's journey to find out why no-one has really heard of him.

High-profile beauty vlogger Em Ford was a victim of online abuse and fought back. Now she targets the alarming rise of online abuse in Britain by trying to track down the trolls responsible.

With the help of technology journalist David McClelland, Em investigates this very modern menace. She is on a mission to put a face to these anonymous bullies and to confront them with their victims.

In its most extreme form, trolling is a criminal offence - one that is being increasingly pursued by the British police - but anonymity remains a major barrier to conviction. The film investigates online anonymity and proves that it is possible to track down a troll. It shines a light on the real-world impact of online bullying and encourages cyber-victims to put a stop to the hatred levelled at them by standing up to their trolls.

Trolling is a phenomenon that has swept across the web in recent years. On a daily basis, an audience of millions sits back and witnesses the ultimate humiliation of civilians and celebrities alike on social networking sites. Opponents say it is the internet equivalent of assault, while supporters argue it is about humour, mischief and freedom of speech. In any case, trolling has escalated to levels so severe that some victims are succumbing to anxiety, depression and, in the very worst cases, suicide.

Ultimately, Troll Hunters is here to name, shame and lay down the law to Britain's worst offenders and to unpick the psychology of what makes a troll tick.

Tom Service presents 40 years of great BBC archive featuring the French composer, conductor and musical icon Pierre Boulez, who died on 5th January 2016 at the age of 90. Opinionated and challenging, Boulez transformed the way that musicians and audiences all over the world think about contemporary music. With orchestras including the BBC Symphony, he rehearses and performs Debussy, Stravinsky and Bartok, as well as a selection of his own extraordinary compositions. Boulez's relationship with the BBC began in the 1960s and blossomed during his years as chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra - leaving a vivid legacy in the BBC's TV archive.

As YouTube celebrates its tenth birthday, vloggers now sell out stadiums and have fanbases boy bands would kill for. Jim Chapman, himself a superstar vlogger with quarter of a billion views of his videos, takes us behind the scenes of the biggest vloggers on the planet.

Jim meets Tyler Oakley, whose vlogs have earned him an audience with President Obama. He hangs out with Ingrid Nilsen, whose 'coming out' video drew an audience of twelve million and hears from her viewers about the impact it has had on them. He visits Alfie Deyes, who is now immortalised in wax in Madame Tussaud's alongside his vlogging girlfriend Zoella. We hear from KSI about how a vlogger from Watford was named by Variety magazine as more influential than Taylor Swift, and from Joe Sugg, whose new movie became the fastest selling DVD on Amazon.

Jim investigates just how powerful vlogs can be to legions of fans and how vlogging is being used for everything from sex education to supporting those with mental health conditions. He also investigates the darker side of vlogging, from inappropriate interactions with young fans to prank videos that lead to abuse. Jim asks just what makes vlogging so popular, and where its future lies.

Of all the dangers Elizabeth I had to survive - the Spanish Armada, a Catholic continent plotting against her incessantly, restless nobles uneasy at serving a queen who refused to marry - none was so personally intense as her rivalry with another woman - her cousin and fellow queen, Mary, Queen of Scots. This was her longest, most gruelling battle - lasting over two decades, it threatened to tear apart both Elizabeth and her kingdom. In the end, it would force her to make the hardest decision of her life.

The two queens stared across the ultimate divides of their time: Protestant and Catholic, Tudor and Stuart, English and Scottish. Their fascination with one another grew into the greatest queenly face-off in our entire history. And yet, in 26 years of mutual obsession, they never actually met. Their confrontation was carried out through letters - a war of words so heartfelt and revealing that the two queens' passions can still be felt.

For the first time on television, this chronicle of love turned to hatred, of trust betrayed by plot and bloodshed, is dramatised purely from the original words of the two queens and their courtiers. Expert historians examine, interpret and argue over the monarchs' motives for their 'duel to the death' - for in the end only one queen could survive such emotional combat.

Documentary which opens a window on the bizarre community of e-sports that has been almost invisible to the outside world up to now. Three young British gamers at different stages of their careers all have dreams of reaching the very top. The overnight sensation from Tottenham - gamers' name KaSing - lives in Berlin, playing in one of Europe's top teams. His 20-year-old former teammate Matt, nicknamed Impaler, is having a crisis of confidence about his once-flourishing career. And the 17-year-old hopeful Greensheep is struggling to break through on to the big stage.

Over a summer of competition, we follow these three in training, at school, and at the enormous tournaments where they pit their skills against elite gamers from all over the world. Competition is fierce, and those at the top in team games need to practise for up to 12 hours a day - living together, eating together and training together in houses paid for by multinational sponsors.

The film is presented by YouTube star and gaming addict Dan Howell, who's watched gaming change from a hobby into a mass spectator sport watched by millions around the world. He knew about the incredible keyboard dexterity of these gamers, but on his travels around Europe he tries to understand the risks and sacrifices they've made to reach the top of their chosen profession.

Tyger Drew-Honey has never really experienced virtual reality. But all that is about to change. With high-spec virtual reality headsets expected to become widely available within the next few months, Tyger explores how they could change everything - from how we meet up with our friends to the way we have sex.

He experiences one of the most successful virtual worlds and has his own lifelike avatar created. And he meets the man who makes robot sex dolls that you can programme via an app on your tablet to be the perfect partner. 'If you don't want her to be smart she won't be smart, if you want her to be shy she will be shy.'.

Over the last five years more than 100,000 British men have done webcam shows for money. Following the lives of four men, this documentary goes inside this multi-billon-pound global industry.

Martyn works full-time as a webcam model, performing sex shows, often with his male friends, for anyone who's willing to pay. 'We never touch each other. We're just in the same room.' Martyn is only 22, but has been webcamming since he was 16 and dreams of building a webcam business that will make him rich.

Joseph cams five nights a week from the comfort of a shed that his parents have refurbished especially for his online career. 'Webcamming has been very good for Joey's social life', explains his mother.

With astonishingly intimate and unique access, this film tells the dramatic, unfolding story of the demise of one of Britain's best-known charities and the ultimate fall from grace of its founder Camila Batmanghelidjh. Throughout a summer of accusations and allegations award-winning documentary director Lynn Alleway follows Camila at close quarters and witnesses first-hand her fight to save the charity she founded 19 years previously.

As filming begins it isn't yet public knowledge that the charity is teetering on the edge of insolvency and that the government is demanding that Camila stands down as CEO. Lynn films inside Kids Company HQ as the story breaks and the charity finds itself hitting the headlines on a daily basis.

As allegations of mismanagement and money being misspent mount, Camila stands firm, resisting moves to downsize and make staff redundant, and she vows to fight on and save the charity.

The film addresses questions about what really happened to Kids Company. The director shifts from confidante to interrogator, bringing an emotional resonance to a familiar news story.

But while the charity is no more, those in need have not gone away. As for Camila, she remains defiant - she is down, but not out.

The latest estimates show that the number of young people in the UK who experience homelessness every year is over three times the official figures (1) and (2). In this thought-provoking new BBC Three documentary, Professor Green - aka Stephen Manderson - sets out to discover the modern face of homelessness in the UK, aiming to change our perceptions of who the young homeless are while exploring the harsh reality of their lives.

With recent UK-based statistics showing that more than half of those seeking help with homelessness are under 25 (3), Stephen investigates this pressing issue which is affecting young people in greater numbers. But what do we recognise as homeless today?

From the streets of Manchester, where rough sleeping has shockingly doubled in the last year (4), Stephen spends time with a 21 year-old man who has already fallen through the cracks in the system. Yet homelessness is not always so visible to society, as Stephen finds when he meets others trapped in the cycle of temporary hostel life and sofa surfing.

On this eye-opening journey he’ll uncover a generation of people without access to normal society or a future - and ask whether rising levels of youth homelessness could bring us dangerously close a national epidemic.

(1) Over 80,000 young people experience homelessness every year in the UK

(2) Homelessness statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government

(3) 52 percent of those seeking help with homelessness are under 25

(4) In Manchester rough sleeping has doubled in the last year

Made in partnership with The Open University, How To Die: Simon’s Choice tells the poignant story of one man facing the unimaginable decision of whether to end his life at a suicide clinic.

"I thought they'd be indifferent to the timing of my demise,” says Simon Binner in this observational documentary about his life and eventual death. “I was so wrong.”

Simon, whose story went public and became the subject of media attention following his death last year, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease in January 2015 and given just two years to live.

After telling his loved ones that he was considering ending his life at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, Simon and his family and friends grapple with huge moral, emotional and legal dilemmas around his choice.

As this moving film shows, their conflicting perspectives mean that his heart wrenching decision lies in the balance until the very end.

In a British television first, the documentary gains access to Switzerland’s second largest assisted suicide clinic, the Eternal Spirit centre, where Simon initially makes an appointment to end his life on a set date - his birthday.

Simon’s final moments were filmed by medical professionals at the clinic, who are legally required to record their patients’ final decision to take the lethal dose. This has been included within the film, however it does not show the moment of death.

Cardiff Sixth Form College opens its doors to reveal the secrets behind staying on top of the independent schools' league table.

Set up just ten years ago, it's the brainchild of 32-year-old self-confessed 'Tiger Mum' Yasmin, who blends Eastern and Western approaches to education, and adds her own brand of passion and discipline.

But how will she deal with disgruntled students when she increases the length of the school day? And there's a difficult decision to be made when a desperate scholarship student doesn't make the grade. Showing as part of How Wales Works.

Showing as part of How Wales Works. Some children just don't fit into school life - so where do they go to learn? The programme follows the lives of the students whose daily routine is very different from school.

It was 1985. Guns N' Roses were soon to be known as the last mammoth rock entity to come out of LA after selling over 100 million albums. Jon Brewer brings alive never-before-seen video footage of Guns N' Roses in their earliest days as a fledgling band, filmed and meticulously archived over the years by their close friend. They became known as 'the most dangerous band in the world' and retained the title for reasons this film portrays, via interviews with band members and those who were there on, and off, tour. Venture down seedy Sunset Strip to the Whiskey, the Rainbow and the Roxy, all known as 'the Jungle'.

Ten years since Stephen Fry’s The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive started a national conversation about mental health, The Not So Secret Life Of the Manic Depressive: 10 Years On looks at the experiences of Stephen and others with bipolar (as it is now called) now.

As a society, do we need to do more for those with the illness? Is the treatment better? Has the stigma reduced?

In the new film we see how different people of all ages deal with bipolar: we meet Alika, whose manic episode on the London Underground became a YouTube sensation - damning evidence that the stigma of mental illness isn’t diminishing quickly enough; Scott, who is battling to hold down his job as a chef and his role as a husband and father, but whose early attempts to control his bipolar with medication caused intolerable side-effects; and Rachel, whose first manic episode at age 19 led to life-changing injuries when she believed she could fly, leaving her in a wheelchair.

And we return to meet Cordelia who featured in the original series, an academic high-achiever struggling to find a place for herself in the world. Now in her 30s, Cordelia is still battling with bipolar so powerful that it eclipses even the cancer she is dying from.

Interviews with Stephen Fry give a privileged insight into what living with bipolar really means: he talks about the time he attempted suicide when he was filming in Uganda in 2012; how his busy lifestyle exacerbates his condition and the moment he realised his condition couldn't be cured, but only managed.

Stephen is now the president of Mind. Looking at the changes of the past decade, he finds cause for optimism in the increased awareness of bipolar, especially among the young. And the film gives a powerful insight into what it meant to live with bipolar in the past, what it means in the present and - most significantly for the contributors - in the future.

In this 1x30’ film for BBC Four, artist and entrepreneur Sam Roddick, founder of Coco de Mer, explores the enduring appeal of a Renaissance masterpiece: Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus. A joyous celebration of female sexuality, its journey to worldwide fame was far from straightforward and it lay in obscurity for centuries.

My Baby, Psychosis And Me reveals the frightening rollercoaster journey of two mums, for whom childbirth triggers Postpartum Psychosis, one of the most severe forms of mental illness there is, but from which there can be recovery with the right treatment.

It is a condition most expectant mothers and their families have never heard of, but it affect around one in every 500 women who give birth. The sudden onset of a psychotic episode causes new mothers to be overwhelmed by extreme low or high moods, strange and dangerous thoughts, paranoia, delusions such as the belief that they have given birth to Jesus or the devil. This is the untold story of what it means to battle this terrifying condition. Filmed over six months, we closely follow the intense experiences of two women, Jenny and Hannah, and their families, as they are cared for at Winchester’s Mother And Baby Unit.

Behind the closed doors of this specialist psychiatric ward, Dr Alain Gregoire and his expert team give women the care and intensive treatment needed to bring them back to recovery. While psychosis is the most severe form of mental distress psychiatrists see, with the right medication and psychological support most women can return home within six weeks. And round-the-clock support with childcare enables mums and their babies to stay together, rather than face a damaging separation.

From the bedroom to the nursery, the hospital theatre to the psychiatrist’s chair, we see the most personal moments of motherhood and mental illness play out for Jenny and Hannah, as Dr Gregoire and his team face two of the most challenging cases they’ve experienced. But in one respect Jenny and Hannah are fortunate - they have access to the expert treatment they desperately need. With a severe shortage of specialist psychiatric care for mums-to-be and new mothers, it’s a postcode lottery whether women get the expert help they urgently need.

Highly sought-after British model Neelam Gill takes viewers on a Private View of the Vogue 100: A Century Of Style showcase at the National Portrait Gallery.

The exhibition will celebrate 100 years of cutting edge fashion, beauty and portrait photography by British Vogue, and Neelam, the first British-Indian model to be cast by leading fashion brands, will take the audience on an exclusive tour of the collection.

Annabel's has long been the playground for the rich and famous, and now its story comes to life in this 50-year history of the most celebrated nightclub in the world. Renowned for its discretion, and as a haunt of some of our greatest celebrities, the film offers a hitherto unseen glimpse into the rarefied worlds behind the doors of 44 Berkeley Square.

As London's very first members-only nightclub, Annabel's remains the only nightclub visited by the Queen, and once courted infamy for refusing entry to the Beatles. The documentary provides a cultural biopsy of London since the Second World War, and the club's history from inception through to the present day.

Who is the man behind Inspector Montalbano? An intimate portrait of acclaimed Italian novelist Andrea Camilleri gives us access to the man himself, his work and personal history, including Camilleri's undying attachment to his native Sicily.

In Italian with English subtitles.

Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in the world and is rapidly expanding, but has it hung on to its culinary roots? Rick Stein wants to find out.

'We all love a Chinese - the sweet and the sour, the freshness, the crunchiness, the colours, the smell of five spice and soy. I'll be finding the pockets of traditional food still left in this city - the dishes that the Shanghainese long for away from home. I'm going to taste rich red braised pork, Chairman Mao's favourite, the city's cherished hairy crabs and mouthwatering dumplings, unique to Shanghai, so delicate they sag under the weight of the hot liquid inside and burst at the lightest touch. And I want to add a few more dishes to your Chinese repertoire. I'm going to share my favourite Shanghainese dishes from this trip. If, like me, you thought you knew Chinese food, you're in for a surprise.'.

Set in the North Pennines, an intimate portrait of a year in the life of tenant hill farmers Tom and Kay Hutchinson as they try to breed the perfect sheep. Through the sun, rain, sleet and snow, we watch the Hutchinsons toil away against the stark, stunning landscapes of north east England and witness the hard work it takes just to survive. Their three young children are growing up close to the land, attending the local primary school entirely comprised of farmers' children, all thoroughly immersed in their remote rural world. While the odds often seem stacked against them, the film conveys the importance of a balanced family life and the good humour that binds this tight-knit community together. An entertaining and subtle reminder of how important farming is to the economy and the social fabric of our communities. Following your passion does have its rewards, although not always financial. Beautifully observed, this heartwarming film provides an insight into the past, present and future of a way of life far removed from the high-tech hustle and bustle of modern life.

Twenty years after the Docklands bomb exploded in London, this film tells the dramatic story of the IRA operation to end its ceasefire and how the security forces in London and Northern Ireland tracked down the bombers. When US President Bill Clinton visited Northern Ireland in November 1995, there was a celebration of peace on the streets. But, unknown to him, on the same day the IRA was already planning the attack that would end its 17-month ceasefire. Against the backdrop of an extraordinary political climate and knife-edge road to peace, The Docklands Bomb: Executing Peace unpacks the events that led to the bombing and follows the trail that led police to the South Armagh team behind it.

They criss-cross Scotland going into places where others fear to tread, an all-girl extreme cleaning team led by Marie Fagan and her best friend Lesley. Running your own business isn't easy and as Marie struggles to keep her business alive, the pressure is on her daughter Rhiannon to step up to the mark and become a Grime Scene Queen.

In Cologne, large numbers of women reported being sexually assaulted and robbed on New Year's Eve by groups of men described as of North African or Arab in appearance. Stacey Dooley travels to the city to investigate the fall-out of these attacks. She gets to the heart of both the pro- and anti-immigrant protests which have broken out in the city since the attacks, but are activists just jumping on the bandwagon to further their political agenda?

A film about the sound of Australian rock and the emergence of one of the world's greatest rock bands - AC/DC, or Acca Dacca as they are known in Australia, and the legendary music company, Albert Music (Alberts) that helped launched them on to the global rock scene.

Through the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Alberts created a house of hits in Australia that literally changed the sound of Australian popular music.

It started with the Easybeats and their international hit Friday On My Mind back in the 60s. In the 1970s when Australia was in the midst of a deep recession, a rough and ready pub rock sound emerged, characterised by bands like Rose Tattoo who were promoted by family-run company, Alberts. The raw power and fat guitar sound that characterised Aussie rock was pioneered by the Alberts and took Australia and the world by storm.

Ireland's Treasures Uncovered tells the story of the iconic Irish artefacts that have helped to shape and create modern Ireland, both north and south.

The programme reveals the surprising tales behind treasures such as the Tara Broach, the Broighter Hoard, the Waterford Charter Roll and others, revealing new stories behind the artefacts that we thought we knew. It also reveals the most recent astounding finds that are adding to the list of Ireland's Treasures.

Using key access to Ireland's two largest museums, in Belfast and Dublin, the programme brings together archaeologists and curators who have spent their lives working to understand the true context for these emblematic treasures.

In this up-to-date and extended version of the original programme, we catch up with the extraordinary Rowena Kincaid - young, beautiful, exceedingly funny and terminally ill. Prepare for more heartwarming revelations, side-splitting laughter and heartache as she finally reveals what's really on her bucket list and then fights against time and her illness to try to achieve it.

Going under the knife - or the needle - to improve our looks is no longer solely the preserve of Hollywood stars. This film gives a remarkable insight into what is now a huge part of everyday life in modern Scotland - the mission to stay forever young. Our cameras have been given exclusive access to follow the doctor and patients at one of Scotland's busiest cosmetic medicine clinics - we will seek to discover just why Scots are flocking to get botox, fillers and facelifts, and will meet the everyday people fuelling this multimillion-pound industry.

Film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy awards.

Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV.

This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution, revealing two artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom. Between fiction and reality, magic and secret, future and reinvention, theatricality and humility, The Robots have built a unique world.

The film combines rare archive footage as well as exclusive interviews with their closest collaborators who talk about their work with Daft Punk, including Pharrell Williams, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers and Michel Gondry.

This documentary film follows the footsteps of Rudyard Kipling, 19th-century English writer and a Noble Prize-winner.

Patrick Hennessey travels to Lahore to reassess Kipling's adventures and their impact on his literature.

As spokesman for America’s busiest execution chamber, Larry Fitzgerald’s job was to witness every execution carried out by the state of Texas. He became notorious for his appearances on television, during which he detailed the final moments of the condemned. Over the course of his career, Larry watched as 219 people were put to death. The Man Who Witnessed 219 Executions follows Larry as he comes to terms with the emotional impact of watching death on an industrial scale. Originally an unapologetic supporter of the death penalty, Larry’s views changed over time. As he watched the executions of men he’d become friends with during their years on death row, Larry started to have doubts about capital punishment – and began to believe that many of those condemned to die deserved a second chance.

With unparalleled access to Pompeii and featuring cutting-edge modern technology, Mary Beard guides us through this amazing slice of the ancient world.

For the first time ever, CT scanning and x-ray equipment bring new light to the secrets of the victims of the 79 AD eruption. Mary unpacks the human stories behind the tragic figures - gladiators, slaves, businesswomen and children.

She goes behind the scenes of the Great Pompeii Project, where restoration teams have gradually removed the layers of time and deterioration from the frescoes and mosaics of houses closed to the public for decades. And with the help of point-cloud scanning technology, Pompeii is seen and explained like never before.

Mary has unprecedented access to hidden storerooms and archaeological labs packed to the hilt with items from daily life: plumbing fittings, pottery, paint pots, foodstuff and fishing nets. As she pieces it all together, Mary presents a film that is a celebratory and unique view of life in this extraordinary town.

David Owen Norris takes us on a journey through 60 years of BBC archive to showcase some of the greatest names in the history of the piano. From the groundbreaking BBC studio recitals of Benno Moiseiwitsch, Solomon and Myra Hess in the 1950s, through the legendary concerts of Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein to more recent performances including Alfred Brendel, Mitsuko Uchida and Stephen Hough, David celebrates some of the greatest players in a pianistic tradition which goes back to Franz Liszt in the 19th century. Filmed at the Cobbe Collection, Hatchlands Park.

Investigative journalist Darragh MacIntyre (pictured) exposes the reality of modern-day slavery and exploitation in Britain.

From our factories and food producers, our carwashes and nail bars this one-off current affairs documentary lifts the lid on how exploited workers are embedded in parts of our economy.

In Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, Darragh hears from one of the Hungarians trafficked to work at Kozee Sleep, a bed factory which supplied to major high street retailers. He reveals how the workers were promised a good job but were paid as little as £10 a week and forced to live in slum-type conditions.

The film reveals how people are exploited up and down the country, from the fishing industry in Scotland to the car washes in London. And shockingly, it reveals that this problem not only affects migrants from Europe and other parts of the world - but also people from the UK.

Darragh speaks to a vulnerable British man who was abducted off the streets, taken to a South Wales farm and forced to work unpaid for 13 years.

The context and scale of modern-day slavery is outlined by Kevin Hyland, the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner. The Police, outreach workers, and psychologists explain how these exploited people are controlled and are often too scared to even think of escaping.

The programme comes just as the National Crime Agency reveals that the number of suspected victims identified here has risen by 40 percent in just one year. Officials believe that the increase is down to better enforcement, but others worry it might be because of ever increasing exploitation.

We follow the Flying Scotsman, the world's most famous steam engine, as it returns to the tracks following a ten-year restoration which cost more than £4 million. We climb on board and join the celebrations as the 93-year-old engine sets off on its inaugural run from Kings Cross Station in London, pulling a train-load of enthusiasts and supporters 200 miles north on the mainline to York and the engine's home at the National Railway Museum.

Chris and Xand van Tulleken - doctors, part-time aid workers and twin brothers - want to see for themselves what conditions are like for migrants fleeing through Europe at the height of winter. They travel to Lesbos in Greece, through the Balkans and on to Berlin and Calais to understand what's being done on a medical and humanitarian level in response to the refugee crisis.

Spending time with medics, charities and volunteers in camps and clinics, at border crossings and transit points, they find out what the situation is like on the ground and, wherever possible, lend a hand in the biggest migration crisis of our times.

'I call it the shooting, because, well... I was shot', Amy Hutchison, survivor.

On 13 March 1996, a gunman walked into a primary school in the small Scottish town of Dunblane near Stirling, and shot dead 16 pupils and their teacher in a Primary 1 gym class. To date, it is one of the deadliest firearms atrocities in the UK.

In a landmark film to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragedy, 'Dunblane: Our Story' interviews many people who have never before talked publicly about what happened on that day. It features, for the first time, testimony from a survivor who was shot as a five-year-old and who details her own terrifying experience that no child should endure.

Other interviewees include Ron Taylor, the headmaster of Dunblane Primary School at the time of the shootings, Debbie Mayor, the daughter of Gwen Mayor, the primary teacher who was shot dead, and two young women from separate families who talk about the sisters they never knew and the gap it has left in their lives. Other contributors include parents of the survivors and the deceased. Between them, they construct a powerful exploration of whether time can heal all wounds and love can triumph over evil.

People who are sexually aroused by disability are known as devotees. This ground breaking documentary investigates the secret world of disabled fetishes and devotee porn. Wheelchair user Emily Yates meets people who are turned on by amputated limbs, wheelchairs and leg braces; she even makes her own “porn” video to see their reactions. Emily also hears about the dark side and comes to understand just how sinister the world of devoteeism can be from disabled people who’ve fallen victim to online predators.

Violinist Nicola Benedetti explores 60 years of BBC archive to celebrate the world of the violin and its most outstanding performers. From Nathan Milstein, Mischa Elman and Isaac Stern to Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman and Nigel Kennedy, Nicola gives us a violinist's perspective on what makes a great performance in a tradition which stretches back to the 19th-century virtuoso Paganini. Filmed at the Royal Academy of Music Museum, London.

With unprecedented access to the Thames Valley Police domestic abuse teams and the victims of violence they are helping, this documentary gives an insight into the most common violent crime to take place in the home. Shot over 12 months, and starting from the moment a 999 call is received, the film follows three brave women who each waive their right to anonymity to show how insidious and terrifying domestic abuse can be. The complex emotions involved when someone you love becomes violent are also exposed, as are the difficulties for police when those feelings mean victims are not completely honest.

The film also exposes the lack of consistency in terms of the length of sentence given to offenders. When the police repeatedly take one perpetrator to court only to have magistrates release him again and again, the film demonstrates how the huge ordeal of going to court for these victims of domestic abuse does not mean that, in their eyes, justice will automatically follow.

Documentary. Eight years as mayor of London have turned Boris Johnson into the bookmakers' favourite to be the next prime minister. Jo Coburn takes a behind-the-scenes look at how he did it and asks if the capital has done as well out of the arrangement as its mayor.

Live from Westminster Abbey in London, Her Majesty the Queen is joined by senior members of the royal family to lead a service of celebration for Commonwealth Day. Presented by Mishal Husain, the service features a live music performance by Ellie Goulding and a contribution from Kofi Annan.

Lansbury Park in Caerphilly is officially Wales's most deprived estate. We follow a group of women as they fight to improve their lives and rid the estate of its unenviable reputation.

Filmed over a year by Fran Robertson, this one-off follows homeowners and council tenants on the West Hendon estate in Barnet as they fight to save their houses and avoid eviction due to impending redevelopment. The estate was built in the 1960s to provide housing for families on low incomes, but now the local council have deemed that the buildings are beyond repair and, in partnership with private developers, the estate is being demolished to make way for a multi-million-pound regeneration which will transform the area into a luxury housing development - leading to uncertainty and stress for the long-term residents.

A rare and compelling glimpse of life on the frontline in war-torn Syria from a grandmother who is living amongst the ruins of Aleppo. Week In Week Out follows her daughter thousands of miles as she tries to rescue her. Will they get a visa and make it to Wales?

In a deeply personal film, writer and comedian Brendan O'Carroll, star of Mrs Brown's Boys, tells the story of the Irish Easter Rising.

A hundred years ago, in Easter week 1916, 1,600 Irish rebels took over the centre of Dublin. Despite overwhelming odds, the rebels held out against the forces of the British Empire for six days until they were shelled into submission. Three of those rebels were Brendan's uncles.

Now, on the centenary of the revolt, Brendan tells the dramatic story of the Rising and looks into the part his family played in it. He explores how the Rising, though a complete military failure, sent shock waves through the British Empire and signalled the birth of today's Republic of Ireland.

Back in January, Jo Brand embarked on a seven-day challenge to walk 135 from east to west across the country - and cameras followed her every step of the way. The comedian took on the challenge to inspire all overweight, middle-aged women across the nation - as well as raise money for Sport Relief 2016. Starting out on the Humber Bridge with the aim of reaching Liverpool within seven days, she was tested physically and mentally as she battled extreme cold, gale force winds and torrential rain. But she still found time to share a joke or two with Alan Davies, Lee Mack, Bill Bailey, John Bishop, Gabby Logan and Davina McCall, who joined her on various days.

Across Britain transgender women are competing in a pageant with a difference. Over 40 women will battle it out to be crowned the UK’s first Miss Transgender. But they’re not just fighting for first place, they're battling to be accepted as the women they were born to be. Fed up of living in the shadows and determined to take centre stage, we follow three contestants on their extraordinary personal journeys, exploring what it’s really like to be young and transgender in Britain today.

Fifty years of performances from guitarist John Williams that takes in classical masterworks, the prog rock of Sky and comedy with Eric Sykes, as well as duets with Julian Bream.

Robbie Savage on what can go wrong on the platforms used by billions. The programme speaks to a student who has shared x-rated pictures and hears how people are risking their lives for a like or a retweet.

Professor Robert Beckford looks at how immigration, radical social action, conservative morality and charismatic worship are all transforming the face of the faith and asks what that might mean for the future in an increasingly secular society.

Swansea Sparkle is the biggest transgender event in Wales - an event that is staged in the traditional heavy-industry city of Swansea. The programme follows three people from the transgender community as they overcome personal challenges in the lead-up to the event and explores themes of gender and identity. With a mix of ages and backgrounds, including the steel industry, they challenge perceptions about trans people, but also about the modern society in which we live. Will the city embrace the occasion? And are Welsh transgender people ready to stand up and be counted?

Materialist scientist Professor Mark Miodownik challenges two-Michelin-star chef Marcus Wareing to the ultimate cookery competition. Over the course of 90 minutes they cook up some of the nation's best-loved dishes, from starter to dessert, in a head-to-head contest to see who can create the most flavoursome food. Marcus has flair, passion, and experience, while Mark an understanding of cooking at the molecular level and access to state-of-the-art technology. Ultimately the question they will try to answer is this: is cooking a science or an art?

Hayley Pearce - lovable yet outspoken tea lady from BBC Three's Call Centre - is addicted to spray-tanning. And she's not alone. Nearly half of Welsh women and a third of Welsh men have self-tanned in the last 12 months. What's behind the triumph of the tan, and could there be a dark side to tanning? Hayley examines the rise in extreme tanning - 'tanorexia' - meeting tanning addicts, tanning experts and celebrity spray tanners. She investigates the illegal ways to fake it, visiting a science lab to learn just how toxic these unregulated products can be. And in a bid to understand the nature of her own addiction, Hayley attempts to forgo the glow and embrace the pale. It will be the first time she'll be her natural colour for over ten years, but how long can she last without her beloved spray tan?

Reverend Kate Bottley re-opens the case against the Bible's greatest villain, Judas Iscariot. In Jerusalem she visits the places associated with his betrayal and death and asks: can Judas be forgiven?

Every parent wants the best for their kids, and Shahzad is no exception. Ever since his wife died he’s been trying to keep his two kids Salma and Hassan on track. Salma is growing up quickly, and Shahzad wants to make sure she’s set up with the right guy to settle down with. It’s a promise he made his wife, and part of what he considers his duty as a dad. But what does Salma want? Unbeknown to Shahzad, she’s caught up in a whirlwind romance with charismatic charmer Imi. Salma knows Imi is not what her dad is expecting, but can she find a way to make everyone happy? A hard-hitting drama with a devastating finale, Murdered by My Father is a story about the power and the limits of love in communities where ‘honour’ means everything.

This warm, witty and entertaining documentary meets the pet dogs with the character and class to compete in the final of Scruffts, Crufts' competition for crossbreeds.

Documentary following Alan Gifford, who is being given the chance to receive a state of the art £30,000 bionic hand after having had his hands removed at the age of three.

This eye-opening film goes behind the scenes at two head shops in Portsmouth – businesses selling powerful legal highs, in bright packets. From cocaine substitutes 'Blow' and 'Rush', to the zombifying effects of 'Spice', these over-the-counter highs have changed the face of the local drug scenes across the country. But now, with a radical new blanket ban due to come into force, it looks like its game over for Britain’s 335 head shops. This film follows the owner Peter as he rushes to clear his stock; the users as they prepare to cope without their legal fix; and the inventor of the drugs, the elusive chemist Dr Zee, as he scrambles to figure out a way around the new law. Will the new law stamp out this trade, or just drive it underground?

BBC Chief Athletics Commentator Steve Cram, himself a former track and field athlete, goes behind-the-scenes at the IAAF to quiz president Sebastian Coe about recent controversies that have plagued the governing body. Since taking over as the the organisation's head in August last year, Cram's one-time rival Coe has witnessed his sport bear the brunt of damaging headlines, from doping scandals to allegations of widespread corruption, and here he identifies what he intends to do to stop the cheats, clean up the sport and win back the trust of the public.

Martha Kearney is joined by author Helen Oyeyemi and journalist Lucy Mangan to mark the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë's birth by exploring the life and times of the author and her siblings Emily and Anne. Travelling to the Haworth Parsonage in West Yorkshire, the trio discover how just two years before their most famous novels were published in 1847, the sisters' prospects were bleak. Charlotte was in love with a married man, their clergyman father Patrick was going blind, and their brother, Branwell, was battling alcoholism. However, by 1848, Charlotte, Emily and Anne were literary sensations, and Martha, Helen and Lucy immerse themselves in the personal lives of the sisters to find out how this happened.

This extraordinary documentary brings to life the paradox of Janis Joplin - both insecure and brazen, with interviews from old band members, unseen audio and video, plus readings from Janis's letters home to her parents. It offers new understanding of a bright, complex woman whose surprising rise and sudden demise changed music forever.

Janis Joplin is one of the most revered singers of all time. She thrilled millions of listeners with her powerful, soulful voice and blazed new creative trails before her death in 1971 at the age of 27. The film includes some of her most iconic performances which embodied the musical and cultural revolution of the 1960s.

Yet her onstage bravado and uninhibited sexual persona hid hurt and insecurity stemming from her childhood in conservative Texas. On relocating to San Francisco and discovering the blues, Janis found an outlet for her loneliness and fell into a community that would embrace and celebrate her talent.
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An exploration of the BBC's long love affair with the lives and works of the Bronte sisters - Charlotte, Emily and Anne. For over half a century, the ill-fated literary dynasty has proved irresistible to drama and documentary makers alike, keen to reinvent their novels for new audiences. So we get Bronte heroines reimagined for each emerging generation, first as classic 1950s housewife material, then wild child '60s 'chicks', Gothic waifs and, finally, empowered modern women. The Bronte males, meanwhile, are restyled as assorted prigs, wife-beaters, even brooding prog rockers and, of course, wouldn't you know it, new men. Wonderful stuff.

Tim Rhys-Evans shares his personal experience of mental illness in this one-off documentary. A few years ago Tim's career was on a high - his choir Only Men Aloud won Last Choir Standing, they signed a major record deal and Tim was awarded an MBE by the Queen. But internally he was struggling to survive - he had a serious mental health crisis and had to rebuild his life. In this moving and heartfelt film, Tim reveals what happened to him with the aim of helping others going through similar experiences.

Eddie Izzard pushes his body and sense of humour to the limit for Sport Relief as he takes on an immense challenge - travelling to South Africa to run 27 marathons in 27 days to mark the 27 years that his hero Nelson Mandela spent in prison.

It is a gruelling, uplifting and hilarious journey through baking heat, high roads and hospitals - but can Eddie make it to the final finish line?

BBC Newsline Special. Coverage of the commemorations in Dublin marking 100 years of the Easter Rising.

Liam Neeson narrates an account of the Dublin Easter uprising of 1916 as seen through Irish eyes. Using archival narratives of the participants, together with contributions from academics from the US, Ireland and Britain, the film puts the uprising into the context of hundreds of years of Anglo-Irish history, reveals the rebellion as its participants experienced it, and assesses its tragic cost in lives, both civilian and military, then, and in the decades that followed.

A champion of the Irish language, he founded the Gaelic League, an organisation which aimed to encourage the use of Irish in everyday life, in 1893.
He was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers, a group that played a major role in the Easter Rising, in 1913 and became its chief of staff.
But, he has gone down in history as the man who tried to stop the Easter Rising.

A warm and heartfelt observational documentary looking at lives lived on a shoestring in the Welsh Valleys.

In one of the poorest parts of Britain, people still find ways to get what they want and to live their dreams. 34-year-old Maria is doing everything she can to find a job and keep her head above water as a single mum with a mountain of debt. Sue, a carpenter by trade, struggles to keep the bailiffs at bay while trying to find a way to give her daughters a holiday to remember. And Julie, burdened with a weight problem and a family tragedy, turns to local weight loss guru Linda to help her deal with both.

While many Valleys residents are living a hand-to-mouth existence, some businesses are thriving. Linda's slimming class does a roaring trade in this obesity hotspot while pawnbroker David turns a tidy profit off the back of other people's need.

Every parent wants the best for their kids, and Shahzad is no exception. Ever since his wife died he’s been trying to keep his two kids Salma and Hassan on track. Salma is growing up quickly, and Shahzad wants to make sure she’s set up with the right guy to settle down with. It’s a promise he made his wife, and part of what he considers his duty as a dad. But what does Salma want? Unbeknown to Shahzad, she’s caught up in a whirlwind romance with charismatic charmer Imi. Salma knows Imi is not what her dad is expecting, but can she find a way to make everyone happy? A hard-hitting drama with a devastating finale, Murdered by My Father is a story about the power and the limits of love in communities where ‘honour’ means everything.

Connie Fisher won't go out without make-up. For her and many women in Wales, putting on her face is part of her daily routine. The average woman spends two years of her life putting on an estimated £12,000 worth of cosmetics. Connie asks why she and countless other women do it - and who they are doing it for. Is it to find a mate, is it insecurity or is it pressure from society? While Connie investigates women's commitment to make-up, a group of football boys find out how hard it is to put on the perfect mascara.

Welsh teenagers are among the first generation to be bombarded daily by digital images of 'perfect' bodies and lifestyles on social media. Illnesses like anorexia and body dysmorphia are on the rise, and more Welsh teenagers than ever before need support for mental health problems. Body image has never been more important and more misunderstood. Teenagers have instant access to a global selection of role models, but it's impossible to compete with the 'perfect' bodies and 'glamorous' lives on show.

Tom Service presents a tribute to the provocative composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, who died in March at the age of 81. Extraordinary performances and documentary from the BBC's television archive that follow Max's journey from his radical origins as an Angry Young Man in the 1950s to his later life and work on his adopted home in the Orkney Islands and his surprise appointment as Master of the Queen's Music in 2004. With performances by the Fires of London, the Sixteen and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

In 1916, at the height of WW1, armed insurgents rose up against the British in Dublin, the empire's second city. Using secret documents, cabinet papers, intelligence reports, military orders, diaries and letters, Michael Portillo pieces together the story of this uprising from the British point of view.

Was Dublin just another battle at a time of war where military justice was immediate and brutal or, by their actions, did the British men who wrote these documents hasten the end of an empire? Did an unlikely band of Irish rebels, led by playwrights and poets, do more to advance the cause of Irish freedom in five days than nationalist politicians had done in the previous 50 years, or did they damage the cause and condemn the island to a history of violence? Michael looks for the answers. This is the story of Ireland's Easter Rising as told by British politicians, soldiers, spies and bureaucrats.

Dan Snow uncovers the lost Vikings in America with space archaeologist Dr Sarah Parcak. Sarah uses satellites 383 miles above the earth to spot ruins as small as 30cm buried beneath the surface. As Sarah searches for Viking sites from Britain to America, Dan explores how they voyaged thousands of miles when most ships never left the shoreline. He also tracks their expansion west, first as raiders and then as settlers and traders throughout Britain and beyond to Iceland and Greenland. In North America they excavate what could be the most westerly Viking settlement ever discovered.

Musician and advocate Bob Geldof examines the life and work of one of the 20th century's greatest poets, William Butler Yeats. Geldof argues that as a poet and statesman, at the vanguard of a cultural revolution, Yeats brought about immense change in Ireland's struggle for independence, without firing a bullet.

Written by Geldof and Roy Foster, this incisive and moving documentary features readings by Bill Nighy, Van Morrison, Richard E Grant, Colin Farrell, Bono, Edna O'Brien, Ardal O'Hanlon, Noel Gallagher and Liam Neeson.

An entertaining, provocative film in which Ian explores the colourful history behind one of the most explosive issues of our times - welfare: who deserves to be helped, and who doesn't.

With his customary mix of light touch and intelligence, Ian tells the stories of five individuals whose Victorian attitudes remain incredibly resonant, inspiring some revealing interviews. Iain Duncan Smith is visibly moved when describing the lack of aspiration he has encountered as minister in charge of benefits, Deirdre Kelly, also known as 'White Dee' from Benefits Street, gets on famously with Ian, teasing him for being middle class, and Owen Jones and Tristram Hunt MP provide illuminating food for thought on the questions that still haunt us.

Pioneer of the workhouse Edwin Chadwick feared that hand-outs would lead to scrounging and sought to make sure that workers were always better off than the unemployed. That sounds fair - but was his solution simply too unkind? James Greenwood, Britain's first undercover reporter, made poverty a cause celebre through sensational journalism - but is the media voyeuristic when it comes to reporting on those on benefits? Helen Bosanquet, an early social worker, believed that poverty was caused by 'bad character'. Are some people genuinely more deserving than others? Bosanquet came to blows with Beatrice Webb, whose economic explanations for the causes of poverty led her to argue for the first foundations of a welfare state. Finally, even if we want to be generous, are there limits on how much we can afford to help? That question faced Margaret Bondfield, Britain's first female cabinet minister, who, despite her own working-class trade unionist credentials, controversially ended up advocating cuts at a time of national austerity.

In this 1x30’ film for BBC Four, artist and entrepreneur Sam Roddick, founder of Coco de Mer, explores the enduring appeal of a Renaissance masterpiece: Botticelli’s Birth Of Venus. A joyous celebration of female sexuality, its journey to worldwide fame was far from straightforward and it lay in obscurity for centuries.

This original and compelling documentary depicts one father’s long-term struggle with heroin addiction, told through the uniquely intimate perspective of his own son. After years of acrimony and estrangement, young film-maker Phillip Wood seeks out his father to try and understand what’s happened to him. But his father is now seriously ill and over the next few months Phillip’s visits force both to confront some uncomfortable truths about their past. Developed from Philip’s graduation film – Chasing Dad offers a strikingly stark exploration into a subject that significantly affected his childhood. This intimate, revealing documentary will show addiction from a different side and challenge our assumptions about how families can rebuild their broken relationships.

Landmark documentary telling the story of those who stood up and broke their silence about sexual abuse, changing Britain forever. This is the definitive account of a national scandal, assembling an unprecedented range of voices, from the survivors and their friends and family to the professionals who led reform of some of the country's biggest institutions. Through candid and revealing testimony, the film not only explores the devastating long-term effects of abuse, it celebrates the extraordinary resilience and spirit of ordinary British people.

In 2012 Britain was shaken by horrific revelations of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile, abuse that had gone unchecked for decades. Thousands of people came forward to talk about their own experiences - many for the first time - and the shocking scale of abuse was revealed. It reached far beyond Savile and into the very heart of British society. Some of those victims speak publicly for the first time about the consequence of abuse in their relationships and in their families.

Alongside those survivors, this film brings together for the first time the professionals at the very heart of the story: the journalists who met the first victims of Savile to speak publicly, the police commander of Operation Yewtree who would uncover the shocking scale of his crimes, the former director of public prosecution who was forced to accept mistakes made by the CPS and overhaul the way it dealt with abuse cases, and the charities who were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people coming forward.

These multiple perspectives build into a gripping account of how secrets and silence took hold of British society but in the end couldn't stand in the way of people's need to tell the truth.

Lepht is a 'transhumanist', someone who wants to improve the quality of human life through technology. Over the last eight years she has performed 50 surgical procedures to implant microchips into her body, including inserting magnets into her fingertips. We follow Lepht on her latest quest: upgrading a microchip in her hand so she can make contactless payments.

Is Lepht's so-called 'biohacking' paving the way for future human integrated technology, or is it simply futile self-harm?

Penelope Keith looks into the BBC's secret dealings with some of the 20th century's most intriguing figures, including Winston Churchill, Tony Hancock and Alec Guinness.

Welcome to Sunseeker, Britain's biggest superyacht builder who has been hand-building customised boats for the world's super rich for the past 50 years. For the first time ever, they have allowed the BBC behind the scenes of their extraordinary production line in Poole and into the rarefied world of the multi-millionaire's favourite plaything.

The company built their reputation on making small to mid-size yachts, but the recession saw this market flounder as even the super-rich tightened their belts, seeing Sunseeker sink into the red. So in a high stakes move, they're sinking millions into building a larger opulent superyacht to reel in the uber-rich who still have cash to splash on life's ultimate luxuries to help sail them back into profit. The film follows the build of a new £20m, forty-metre superyacht and their most challenging specification to date when a customer takes full advantage of their made to measure service and asks for more extras than any other yacht in the history of the company. When it falls behind schedule we discover it's not all plain sailing when you're in the business of engineering luxury for the super-rich.

Whilst the Poole shipyard works hard to meet the customer's exacting standards, the London sales team are working just as hard to fill the order book during the all-important Boat Show season where they hope to sell over £40m worth of boats in just thirty days. Every boat is built in Poole but is found basking in the international playgrounds of the rich and famous and, filming across the summer season, we also hop on board the charter side of the business to meet the people paying £60,000 for just a week's holiday.

Horizon looks at dark energy - the mysterious force that is unexpectedly causing the universe's expansion to speed up.

The effects of dark energy were discovered in 1998 but physicists still don't know what it is. Worse, its very existence calls into question Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity - the cornerstone of modern physics.

The hunt for the identity of dark energy is on. Experiments on earth and in space generate data that might provide a clue, but there are also hopes that another Einstein might emerge - someone who can write a new theory explaining the mystery of the dark energy.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili takes us back in time to tackle the greatest question in science: how did the universe begin? Uncovering the origins of the universe is regarded as humankind's greatest intellectual achievement. By recreating key experiments Jim unravels the cosmic mystery of science's creation story before witnessing a moment, one millionth of a second, after the universe sprang into existence.

In this second part, Professor Jim Al-Khalili carries us into the distant future to try to discover how the universe will end - with a bang or a whimper? He reveals a universe far stranger than anyone imagined and, at the frontier of our understanding, encounters a mysterious and enigmatic force that promises to change physics forever.

Unlike the 60s, says Tom Jones as he recalls his teenage years in Pontypridd, South Wales, people who lived through the 50s can usually remember them.
Many of those interviewed in this enjoyably nostalgic documentary – including the Shadows’ rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch, broadcaster Joan Bakewell and journalist Michele Hanson – agree the early postwar years were grey, boring and flat. But what they experienced during this decade, whether it was American films, music, TV shows such as The Six Five Special, teddy-boy fashion or just being a teenager, excited and shaped them all. “I was 15 when rock ’n’ roll kicked in – perfect!” says Jones.
It’s a glorious reminder of the cultural changes of the 50s.
About this programme
Former The Voice UK coach Tom Jones fronts the first of four retrospective documentaries in which celebrated musicians look back at the decades that defined them. For Tom, that decade is the 1950s, the era following the austerity of the Second World War that saw a boom in popular culture, which swept aside the old order and ushered in a new era of entertainment. The veteran singer provides a first-hand guide to his formative years in a small mining community in South Wales, revealing how he - much like many people of his generation - turned to TV, movies, radio and music to find a voice for himself. Revisiting Treforest and Pontypridd, where he spent his childhood and teenage years, Tom recalls his joy when rationing finally ended, his encounter with American GIs stationed near his home, and the arrival of rock n' roll and theTeddy Boys'. Includes contributions by writers Joan Bakewell, Katherine Whitehorn and Michele Hanson, and historians Alwyn Turner, Dr Martin Johnes, Tony Russell and Francis Beckett.

Documentary exploring the history of five Hindu temples across Britain, tracing their stories and the spread of Hinduism in the UK. Featuring the elaborate rituals and the moving stories of Hindu worshippers, the film gives an insight into the sheer variety of Hindu beliefs across Britain. A story of protest and love, beauty and hope.

Stacey Dooley travels to Greece to follow children on the migrant trail, as they flee wars and seek new lives in Western Europe. From small toddlers travelling with families to unaccompanied teenagers journeying thousands of miles alone, Stacey witnesses their experiences first hand. During her trip, Greece closes its borders to migrants and Stacey sees the striking impact of this on the young and vulnerable.

Kirsty Young presents live coverage of Her Majesty the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations from Royal Windsor. Together with His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen embarks on a walkabout through the town to greet well-wishers, as she becomes the first reigning British monarch to celebrate this milestone. Kirsty is joined by a host of well-known faces to celebrate this very special day.

A unique celebration of the Queen's ninety years as she reaches her landmark birthday in April. Film-maker John Bridcut has been granted special access to the complete collection of Her Majesty's personal cine films, shot by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself, as well as by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Much of it has never been seen publicly before.

Various members of the Royal Family are filmed watching this private footage and contributing their own personal insights and their memories of the woman they know both as a member of their own close family and as queen.

Among those taking part are the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent and his sister Princess Alexandra, who has never before given an interview.

Documentary which celebrates, over the period covering the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 60s, the phenomenon of the Everly Brothers, arguably the greatest harmony duo the world has witnessed, who directly influenced the greatest and most successful bands of the 60s and 70s - the Beatles, the Stones, the Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel to name but a few.

Don and Phil Everly's love of music began as children, encouraged by their father Ike. Little Donnie and Baby Boy Phil sang on Ike's early-morning radio shows in Iowa.

After leaving school, the brothers moved to Nashville where, under the wing of Ike Everly's friend, the highly talented musician Chet Atkins, Don and Phil signed with Cadence Records. They exploded onto the music scene in 1957 with Bye Bye Love, written by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.

After Bye Bye Love came other hits, notably Wake Up Little Susie, followed by the worldwide smash hit All I Have to Do Is Dream and a long string of other great songs which also became hits.

By 1960, however, the brothers were lured away from Cadence to Warner Bros with a $1,000,000 contract. Their biggest hit followed, the self-penned Cathy's Clown, which sold 8 million copies. Remaining at Warner Bros for most of the 60s, they had further success with Walk Right Back, So Sad and the King/Greenfield-penned track Crying in the Rain.

Documentary which recounts the story of Billy Fury and the birth of British popular music. His first album, The Sound of Fury (released in 1960), has become a landmark record in British rock 'n' roll history.

Born in Liverpool during the Second World War, Ronnie Wycherley became an overnight sensation in 1958 when he was asked to go on stage and sing a couple of his self-penned songs by showbiz impresario Larry Parnes. Ronnie's knees shook with nerves, but over 2,000 screaming girls welcomed the new star of British rock 'n' roll and the headline in the local newspaper the following day was 'Dingle boy with a hot guitar'.

With more Top 40 hits than the Beatles during the 1960s, Billy Fury's major hits included Halfway to Paradise, Wondrous Place, Jealousy, Last Night Was Made For Love and many more.

Aged just 42, Billy died of heart failure after a recording session. But his fans have never forgotten him, and every year on the anniversary of his death they gather to pay their tributes at Mill Hill cemetery. Lord Puttnam sums up Fury's contribution to modern music in the programme by saying that, 'without Billy Fury, I honestly don't think the Beatles would have happened'.