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A selection of songs by one of soul music's biggest-ever voices, illustrating why the world sat up and listened when Whitney Houston burst onto the scene in 1985 with Saving All My Love for You. This playlist traverses the '80s, '90s and '00s, leading to the star's early death in 2012, which was wildly regarded as a tragic loss to the world of contemporary music.
A look back over the decades at some of the brightest and best BBC moments from legendary singer-songwriter Neil Diamond. This compilation features performances from the early 1970s of hits like Sweet Caroline, Forever in Blue Jeans and Solitary Man, and appearances on a range of BBC programmes including Wogan, The Shirley Bassey Show, Later... with Jools Holland and, of course, Top of the Pops.
Alongside all the hits are some rarely seen interview clips that capture Neil’s feelings about his enduring career and show how his dislike of fame has always sat in conflict with his passion for performing the songs that he and his fans love so much.
To mark 100 years since the birth of comedy legend Tommy Cooper, Sir Lenny Henry - one of Tommy’s biggest fans - takes a look back through the BBC’s archives and shares some of the great man’s finest and funniest moments. This collection features some of Cooper’s most famous routines, and shows that his reputation for terrible tricks that inevitably went wrong was all based on an act.He was actually a master magician, perfectly suited to television’s golden age.
Actor and comedian John Thomson looks back at the life and work of his friend and comedy colleague, the late and greatly missed Caroline Aherne. From rarely seen early routines from Caroline’s days on the Manchester stand-up circuit, through to some favourite moments from The Fast Show, Mrs Merton and The Royle Family, John is our guide as we wallow in a special selection of clips, characters and magic moments. To misquote Mrs Merton’s famous line to Debbie McGee – this is a collection that reveals exactly what it was that first attracted us to one of British television’s best-loved writers and performers.
U2 - Beautiful Day
The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
The Pogues - Streams of Whiskey
Sinead O'connor - Nothing Compares To You
Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap
Cranberries - Zombie
The Divine Comedy - Something In The Woodshed
Thin Lizzie - Whiskey In The Jar
The Coors - Breathless
The Saw Doctors - Small Bit Of Love
Boyzone - Love Me For A. Reason
Ash - Girl From Mars
Enya - Orinoco Flow
B*Witched - C'est la vie
Westlife - Swear It Again
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
Van Morrison - Gloria
The Pogues & The Dubliners - Irish Rover
A celebration of the finest performances and appearances by the New Romantic sensations on the BBC. They came out of Birmingham in the early 80s, took over the world, and helped define the look and sound of an entire decade. Then, through constant reinvention, they kept themselves relevant even to this day.
Although pioneers of the pop video age, this collection of hits and rarities – from Planet Earth to Ordinary World and beyond - captures the impact and excitement of their music on a huge selection of BBC shows, from the Old Grey Whistle Test to Wogan and, of course, Top of the Pops.
To mark St George’s Day, join BBC Four for a trip through the archives and a selection of songs celebrating English history, landmarks and places. This eclectic mix features a huge array of musical styles and tastes, ranging from Elton John to Maddy Prior and Joe Strummer, as well as one of English football’s oddest cheerleading combinations in The Spice Girls and Echo & The Bunnymen
Turn back time on a journey through the BBC archives to celebrate singing superstar Cher and her 75th birthday. This selection of songs and chat show moments features many of the hits that have made Cher the only artist to have US number ones in each of the past six decades.
Including favourites like Believe, Love and Understanding, Walking in Memphis and her first UK chart topper I Got You Babe, recorded with ex-husband and singing partner Sonny Bono
A collection of performances from one of the greatest singers and live performers in modern music - the legendary Tina Turner. This selection of tracks comes from appearances Tina made on various BBC programmes over the years, featuring some of her biggest hits from the 1970s, 80s and 90s
A look back through the BBC’s archives with the man who, against all odds, went from being the drummer in Genesis to one of the biggest solo performers of the 1980s and 90s.
It’s time to Canuck n’ Roll as we celebrate Canada Day with a trip through the best of the BBC’s music archives, exploring some of that great nation’s finest music stars. It’s a collection encompassing song-writing legends like Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang and Leonard Cohen, with added pop perfection in the shape of Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne. You Oughta Know, we’ve also got Alanis Morisette, Arcade Fire, Nickelback and Bryan Adams, and with some added Celine Dion, Michael Buble and Shania Twain, the one thing you won’t be saying is: “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
A musical celebration for International Pride Month, with a collection of the BBC archives' biggest stars– including Kylie, Elton John, and Lady Gaga.
Our Pride playlist features controversial classics like Relax and Smalltown Boy; enduring anthems like Born This Way, I Will Survive and Glad to Be Gay; and the unforgettable sounds of disco, Dolly and Dusty. These are the songs and performances that helped to create some of the entertainment world’s greatest icons - capturing the delight, desire and defiance of the Pride movement, whilst also dominating the charts.
A collection of the some of the finest female voices and performances ever broadcast, showcasing those special superstars who, thanks to a combination of tonsils, talent and temperament, are so much more than just singers.
Featuring the likes of Whitney, Beyonce, Mariah, Grace, Cher, Aretha, Tina, Diana and Adele: it’s a list of leading ladies all music fans are on first name terms with - and all crazy in love with too
Since his breakthrough in the 1970s, Sir Simon Rattle has performed alongside the world’s leading orchestras and soloists. This collection focuses attention on some of his finest broadcast moments from the BBC archive.
Renowned for interpreting the work of composers such as Mahler, Stravinsky and Gershwin, the programme also features his work at the BBC Proms as well as his love of contemporary music. It is a compilation that highlights the breadth of a career that to date spans five decades and which shows no signs of slowing.
Cerys Matthews takes us on a journey through the archives to celebrate one of Britain's greatest drummers and his musical projects and passions.
Including a Later… with Jools Holland performance from his side outfit The ABC & D of Boogie Woogie, a recently recorded jazz session for BBC Four, and a Rolling Stones gem.
To celebrate Beyonce reaching her fortieth birthday, this gift to her fans takes a trip through the archives for a selection of the best of Queen Bey at the BBC. The collection shows why we are all Crazy in Love with her and features several iconic live performances, with hits like Naughty Girl, Irreplaceable and of course Single Ladies, underlining how she has become one of the biggest musical stars on the planet.
To mark 25 years since Geri, Emma, Victoria and the Mels first exploded onto the world stage, we take a trip into the music archives to uncover the performances that every Spice Girls devotee really, really wants to see again.
These are the Fab Five’s finest appearances on a range of BBC shows from over the years and includes all the favourites, from their breakout number one Wannabe through to their final release as a girl band, Headlines. Our playlist also contains a selection of the hits the girls enjoyed when they’d said ‘Goodbye’ and launched themselves as solo stars.
A collection of classic hits from the stable of one of Britain’s greatest and most successful music producers, the legendary Trevor Horn.
From his early days as frontman with The Buggles right up to recent collaborations with the likes of Robbie Williams, this film examines how Trevor has become the go-to producer for acts keen to tap into the musical genius that defined the sound of the 1980s.
Featured artists include Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones, ABC, Seal and Pet Shop Boys, and of course the song that kicked things off for the MTV generation, Video Killed the Radio Star.
Since winning BBC Young Musician in 2005, Nicola Benedetti has become one of the country’s leading classical soloists. She has performed across the globe, alongside many of the world’s most renowned ensembles and conductors. Her passion for the music she plays has made her one of the most high profile advocates for the genre, and she combines this with a huge commitment to music education and the mentoring of young talent.
She has been recording music throughout her career, won a Grammy for her work on Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto in 2020, and Brits in 2012 and 2013 for Best Female Artist. She is known for her interpretation of composers such as Bruch, Korngold, Saint-Saëns and many others.
This compilation draws on the breadth of her work at the BBC, from the Proms to Blue Peter. Throughout, her drive to share the work that she so obviously loves shines through.
A compilation of TV appearances from the post-Beatles career of Britain’s most successful singer-songwriter. This playlist shows how the Fab Four’s split didn’t stop the hits and features some of Paul McCartney’s most popular songs and iconic performances on some of the biggest BBC shows of the past five decades, from Top of the Pops to the Electric Proms. Alongside tracks like Band on the Run, Jet, Coming Up and Live and Let Die, there is rarely seen backstage footage, interviews and a range of familiar faces, including a recent encounter with die-hard Beatles fan Bob Mortimer.
A trip through the archives that serves up an hour of killer Queen material, featuring some of the band's greatest musical moments ever delivered to our screens.
The legendary band’s huge international status and punishing touring schedules meant that over the years they made surprisingly few appearances on programmes like Top of the Pops, and tragically for their fans, several of those performances were either lost or never recorded.
This collection brings together the very best of what’s survived from one of the most enduring and best-loved acts in British rock, featuring perhaps the most charismatic and best-loved frontman of all time. Amongst the gems are moments from the band’s celebrated 1975 concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon and highlights from their trips to the prestigious Montreux Pop Festival in the 1980s – an event that would attract the cream of the world’s music acts every year.
Songs featured take us from the band’s first ever UK hit, Seven Seas of Rhye, through to These Are The Days of Our Lives, Queen’s last hit before Freddie’s untimely death, as well as all the biggest hits, including the iconic Bohemian Rhapsody, frequently voted the nation’s favourite ever song.
From Texas to Travis, Annie Lennox to Lulu, and Primal Scream to The Proclaimers, this collection of the best of Scottish rock and pop is the perfect way to celebrate St Andrew’s Day. With performances from a range of BBC shows across the decades, this selection also features the likes of Emeli Sande, Simple Minds, Sheena Easton and Deacon Blue.
A look back at a selection of magical Madonna moments on various BBC shows, from her first Top of the Pops appearance with Holiday in 1984 right up to the present day. This collection covers Madonna's journey from Material Girl to Queen of Pop and captures how over the years her ability to combine charisma, controversy and classic pop tunes has made her the female icon of her times and a true global superstar.
A celebration of the work of one of the great songwriters and lyricists, Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021 at the age of 91. A giant of musical theatre, Sondheim first found international fame in 1957 as the lyricist for Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and would inspire generations from that moment on.
This selection includes some of Sondheim’s finest songs, broadcast on the BBC over a period of 60 years, with performances from a cast of his friends and fans that features some of the biggest names of stage and screen, including Shirley Bassey, Sammy Davis Jr, Michael Ball and Liza Minnelli.
From the moment her debut single Just Dance hit the top of the UK charts, Lady Gaga has captivated music fans across the world. This collection of her appearances on the BBC over the years, including her duet with Tony Bennett on Strictly Come Dancing, underlines why she's considered one of the most creative, innovative stars of the 21st century.
