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Private Notes
A special 60th anniversary programme in which
Leo McKern walks the fields of Picardy and retells the story of this heroic and tragic battle. With the letters, diaries, and memories of men who took part.
1 July 1916 - the first day of the Battle of the Somme -was the worst day in British military history. In less than 24 hours 60,000 British soldiers became casualties; and nearly 20,000 of them died. The battle dragged on for another four-and-a-half months. It turned a gracious part of northern France into a landscape like the moon's. It produced anger and cynicism, but also incredible gallantry and courage. During it 1,200,000 British, French and Germans were killed or wounded. By the end of it the armies of Britain and her Empire had advanced about seven miles.
First transmitted in 1976, to celebrate the Poet Laureate's 70th birthday, Sir John Betjeman recalls in vivid detail the agonies and the delights of growing up, set against the background of his Highgate and Chelsea homes, holidays in Cornwall, boarding school and Oxford. The commentary is taken entirely from Betjeman's autobiographical poem, Summoned By Bells, first published in 1960.
Part of the BBC's 50th Anniversary celebrations, this documentary chronicles the history of BBC television.
Sea in the Blood
Thalassaemia - meaning ' sea in the blood ' - is the name given to a once mysterious disease which was found in Mediterranean countries. More recently it was shown to be one of the most common genetic diseases in the world.
Today, as a result of the applica-, tion of the most advanced methods of biology, more is known about this form of anaemia than any other disease. But this knowledge will not simply affect the sufferers; there is no doubt that its consequences for genetics are widespread and will affect us all. In less than a generation it is likely that many people will face difficult, many think dangerous, choices as a result of the new biology.
Robert Reid looks at the work, how it affects people in underdeveloped countries, how it is 'already affecting people in Britain ', and what its wider effects might be.
Raymond Baxter, a former fighter pilot himself, talks to some of the men who built and flew the plane that played a key part in preventing the invasion of Britain in 1940. We learn how the Spitfire narrowly escaped being called the Shrew and find out about the significance of the elliptical wings. Douglas Bader explains the flying tactics Spitfire pilots used against Messerschmitts and Gordon Mitchell recalls his father Reginald, who designed the plane but died before it went into full-scale production.
Called up in 1941, Raymond Baxter flew his first Spitfire when he joined No 65 Squadron in August 1942. He was mentioned in dispatches for his dive-bombing of V2 sites in 1944. After the war, in 1949, he joined the BBC and went on to have an illustrious career as a reporter, covering events such as the funeral of King George VI (1952) and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953). He was also a presenter on major science series including Eye on Research and Tomorrow's World.
The Search for Life in Outer Space.
Documentary presented by James Burke to coincide with the arrival of Viking 1 on Mars in July 1976.
Can you marry your first cousin? Whom did the God of Love, love? Is that famous Lover John Barrymore or Rudolph Valentino? Who are the Romantic Runaways of 1953? Grab a pencil and see if you know more about Love than the studio teams.
Ladies: Marjorie Proops, Daily Mirror columnist; Elizabeth Jane Howard, novelist; Gemma Craven, actress
Gentlemen: Kingsley Amis, author; Bryan Forbes, film producer; Patrick Mower, actor
Cliff Michelmore asks the questions and gives the answers.
Christopher Cazenove and his wife Angharad Rees express the language of Love, but do you know who wrote it?
