Freeview 9 · Sky 116 · 78 programmes this week
BBC Four is the BBC's arts, culture and documentary channel. It broadcasts music performances, archive television, history documentaries and international drama. Available on Freeview and Sky. Much of its content is also available on BBC iPlayer.
Freeview 9 · Sky 116
00:00 â 01:00 · 0.4.0
Robert Hughes returns for episodeâŻ5 of the eightâpart series, turning his keen eye to how poverty and slum life have been captured in American art. He walks you through the gritty canvases and the social backstory that shaped them, all with his trademark wit and noânonsense commentary. If youâre curious about the darker side of the USâs artistic legacy, this episode gives you a clear, informed look without any fluff.
Next: 01:00 · Only Connect
17 programmes
Robert Hughes returns for episodeâŻ5 of the eightâpart series, turning his keen eye to how poverty and slum life have been captured in American art. He walks you through the gritty canvases and the social backstory that shaped them, all with his trademark wit and noânonsense commentary. If youâre cuâŠ
Only Connect is a brainâteasing quiz where teams hunt for links between seemingly unrelated clues. VictoriaâŻCorenâŻMitchell hosts, and youâll watch a group of insurance professionals square off againsâŠ
2.6.0
This BBCâŻFour documentary looks at the winter of 1776 when the British broke GeorgeâŻWashingtonâs army, forcing him to retreat from NewâŻYork into NewâŻJersey. It then follows the Continental attack on âŠ
0.2.0
"The American Revolution" on BBCâŻFour is a sixâpart documentary that follows how the thirteen colonies broke free from Britain. This episode covers the British capture of Philadelphia, the ContinentaâŠ
0.3.0
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
University Challenge pits university teams against each other in a fastâpaced quiz covering science to pop culture. In the quarterâfinals, two fresh squads return for another qualification match, witâŠ
21.30.0
Only Connect is a BBC quiz where teams look for hidden links between seemingly random clues. VictoriaâŻCorenâŻMitchell hosts. One episode pits three bookstore managers against a team of bowlingâalley fâŠ
2.7.0
BBC Twoâs âUniverseâ takes you into the newest spaceâmission data on the Milky Way. Professor BrianâŻCox explains how our galaxy survived a string of smashâups as rival galaxies fought for dominance. âŠ
0.2.0
The Nazis: A Warning from History is a sixâpart documentary series presented by historian LaurenceâŻRees. It unpacks the rise of Hitlerâs regime and the mindset behind it. In episode three, âThe WrongâŠ
E3
Kirsty Wark goes behind the scenes of some of Britainâs grandest houses. She explains how kitchens and servantsâ quarters are being opened to the public. Youâll see inside Erdigg, HamâŻHouse and ChatsâŠ
2001.15.0
Peter Flannery sits down on BBCâŻFourâsâŻRemembers⊠to recount the decadeâlong fight to bring *Our Friends in the North* from its 1982 stage version to the 1996 BBCâŻTwo series. He explains how the nineâŠ
E182
Our Friends in the North is a nineâpart drama that follows four Geordie friends from 1964 to 1995. In the first hour Nicky decides he wants to change the world, Geordie heads for London, and Mary andâŠ
0.0.0
Set in 1966 while HaroldâŻWilson and The Beatles dominate the charts, this episode follows four Newcastle friends as their lives take a sharp turn. It stars DanielâŻCraig, ChristopherâŻEccleston, GinaâŻMâŠ
0.1.0
15 programmes
Episode three sees Geordie start an affair with Barratt's mistress, while Mary and Tosker's flat and marriage both fall apart. The drama, set in 1967, follows the tangled lives of these NorthâEast frâŠ
0.2.0
Only Connect is a BBC quiz where teams look for hidden links between seemingly random clues. VictoriaâŻCorenâŻMitchell hosts. One episode pits three bookstore managers against a team of bowlingâalley fâŠ
2.7.0
Universe is a BBC Two documentary series fronted by Professor BrianâŻCox. He walks you through the Milky Wayâs past. In the third episode a new space mission reveals how our galaxy survived a series oâŠ
0.2.0
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
University Challenge pits two university teams against each other in a fastâfire quiz, with JeremyâŻPaxman asking the questions. This is the second round of the quarterâfinals, so both sides have bounâŠ
21.31.0
Only Connect is VictoriaâŻCorenâŻMitchellâs quiz where teams look for links between unrelated clues. This episode pits three Archers fans against three flatmates who met at Exeter Uni, so expect a mix âŠ
2.8.0
Ben Macintyre presents a look at the five double agents whose tricks helped make DâDay work, pulling back the curtain on the espionage side of the invasion. Drawing on his bestselling book, the film âŠ
Simon Reeve flies to Vietnamâs central highlands to follow the beans that end up in our morning coffee. He talks with smallâscale farmers, pickers and packers, and even meets the countryâs biggest coâŠ
Mel Brooks's 1967 comedy follows a downâandâout Broadway producer who tries to raise cash by deliberately mounting a flop. He teams up with a clueless accountant and a neurotic playwright, deliveringâŠ
Alan Yentob sits down with comedy legend Mel Brooks, fresh off Brooksâs Honorary Oscar in 2024 and the 50th anniversary ofâŻBlazingâŻSaddles. He talks about their producerâstar dynamic and why the man âŠ
Alan Yentob joins 91âyearâold comedy legend Mel Brooks for a rambling tour of Hollywoodâs golden haunts. The program includes BBC archive footage and a chat with Carl Reiner. The pair move from BrookâŠ
2017.0.0
16 programmes
Only Connect is VictoriaâŻCorenâŻMitchellâs quiz where teams look for links between unrelated clues. This episode pits three Archers fans against three flatmates who met at Exeter Uni, so expect a mix âŠ
2.8.0
Ben Macintyre presents a look at the five double agents whose tricks helped make DâDay work, pulling back the curtain on the espionage side of the invasion. Drawing on his bestselling book, the film âŠ
Alan Yentob joins 91âyearâold comedy legend Mel Brooks for a rambling tour of Hollywoodâs golden haunts. The program includes BBC archive footage and a chat with Carl Reiner. The pair move from BrookâŠ
2017.0.0
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
Top of the Pops rolls into the new millennium with Jamie Theakston at the helm, serving up the weekâs biggest chart hits. The episode features the Vengaboys, Steps, Shania Twain, SâŻClubâŻ7, AliceâŻDeejâŠ
Jamie Theakston hosts this Top of the Pops roundup, rolling out the biggest chart hits of the year. Youâll catch ArtfulâŻDodger with CraigâŻDavid, PetâŻShopâŻBoys, Len, DJâŻLuck & MCâŻNeat, TinaâŻTurner, DaâŠ
Top of the Pops: 1983 airs the JuneâŻ23 episode, presented by Simon Bates and Peter Powell. The show plays the weekâs chartâtoppers from Freeez, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Shakatak, Mike Oldfield, H2O aâŠ
1982.4.0
Top of the Pops from 1979 has PeterâŻPowell spin the weekly chart and cue live performances by ThinâŻLizzy, Squeeze, TubewayâŻArmy and GerryâŻRafferty, plus newcomers ThomâŻPace, JanetâŻKay, QuantumâŻJump, âŠ
1978.2.0
American singerâsongwriters SuzanneâŻVega, JamesâŻTaylor, JanisâŻIan and WarrenâŻZevon sit down to talk about when and how they wrote their bestâknown songs, then play strippedâback acoustic versions. YoâŠ
E1
A BBCâŻInâŻConcert set from NovemberâŻ1970 captures a 22âyearâold James Taylor playing early favourites â âFire and Rainâ, âCarolina in My Mindâ, the SweetâŻBabyâŻJames title track and more. The strippedââŠ
E1
Bob Harris interviews JanisâŻIan during a 1976 OldâŻGreyâŻWhistleâŻTest session at the BBC Television Theatre in London. Ian performs a live set of her most famous songs, from âAtâŻSeventeenâ to âWhen theâŠ
Acoustic at the BBC is a 55âminute roundup of classic acoustic guitar sets from the BBC vaults â Jimmy Pageâs 1958 TV debut, Oasisâs strippedâdown âWonderwallâ, Biffy Clyroâs âMountainsâ, and more. YâŠ
17 programmes
Top of the Pops rolls into the new millennium with Jamie Theakston at the helm, serving up the weekâs biggest chart hits. The episode features the Vengaboys, Steps, Shania Twain, SâŻClubâŻ7, AliceâŻDeejâŠ
Jamie Theakston hosts this Top of the Pops roundup, rolling out the biggest chart hits of the year. Youâll catch ArtfulâŻDodger with CraigâŻDavid, PetâŻShopâŻBoys, Len, DJâŻLuck & MCâŻNeat, TinaâŻTurner, DaâŠ
Top of the Pops: 1983 airs the JuneâŻ23 episode, presented by Simon Bates and Peter Powell. The show plays the weekâs chartâtoppers from Freeez, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Shakatak, Mike Oldfield, H2O aâŠ
1982.4.0
Top of the Pops from 1979 has PeterâŻPowell spin the weekly chart and cue live performances by ThinâŻLizzy, Squeeze, TubewayâŻArmy and GerryâŻRafferty, plus newcomers ThomâŻPace, JanetâŻKay, QuantumâŻJump, âŠ
1978.2.0
American singerâsongwriters SuzanneâŻVega, JamesâŻTaylor, JanisâŻIan and WarrenâŻZevon sit down to talk about when and how they wrote their bestâknown songs, then play strippedâback acoustic versions. YoâŠ
E1
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
Jungle Animal Hospital follows a team of vets in a Guatemalan jungle clinic as they tend to rescued orphansâspider monkeys, scarlet macawsâand try to return them to the wild. John Hannah narrates, anâŠ
2021.80.0
In this episode of the classic 1979 series *Life on Earth*, David Attenborough heads to the Great Barrier Reef to look at the living creatures and ancient fossils that hint at how the earliest sea anâŠ
0.1.0
Paul Rose takes you back 500 years to Magellanâs quest for a westward route to the Spice Islands, the first circumnavigation of the globe. He unpacks the daring navigation, the crewâs hardships and tâŠ
0.0.0
Goolagong follows Aboriginal tennis star Evonne Goolagong (LilaâŻMcGuire) as she grieves her dad, parts ways with the controlling coach Vic Edwards (MartonâŻCsokas), marries fellow player Roger Cawley âŠ
0.2.0
After Allenâs wake, Martin finds that the boy at the center of the story isnât as innocent as he appears, pushing the plot into darker territory. Expect strong language, some sexual content and violeâŠ
0.2.0
Australian thriller *Scrublands* follows journalist Martin Scarsden (Luke Arnold) as he digs into a deadly town tragedy. In the final episode he finally links the local priest Byron Swift (Jay Ryan) âŠ
0.3.0
A sitcom about socialâclimbing housewife Hyacinth Bucket (who insists itâs pronounced âBouquetâ) and her longâsuffering husband Richard. Patricia Routledge and Clive Swift lead the cast, with JosephiâŠ
2.1.0
13 programmes
Victor Meldrew (RichardâŻWilson) and his longâsuffering wife Margaret (AnnetteâŻCrosbie) reluctantly agree to mind Kylie the tortoise while Margaretâs godâdaughter Jennifer is away. Their wellâintentioâŠ
1.1.0
In this episode of the classic 1979 series *Life on Earth*, David Attenborough heads to the Great Barrier Reef to look at the living creatures and ancient fossils that hint at how the earliest sea anâŠ
0.1.0
Paul Rose takes you back 500 years to Magellanâs quest for a westward route to the Spice Islands, the first circumnavigation of the globe. He unpacks the daring navigation, the crewâs hardships and tâŠ
0.0.0
Terry Abrahamâs 59âminute film follows Cumbriaâs red squirrels through the year. The little âred sc
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
The schedule kicks off at 7âŻpm, broadcast in HD.
Dolly: The Sheep That Changed the World is a 60âminute BBC documentary that tells the full story of the Scottish scientists who cloned Dolly, the first mammal made from an adult cell. It has neverâseâŠ
BBC Proms presents Grammyâwinner Samara Joy singing from the Great American Songbook, including classics by Billie Holiday, DukeâŻEllington, FrankâŻSinatra and SunâŻRa. She is backed by the BBC Concert âŠ
2024.3.0
In this oneâhour special, IgorâŻStravinsky conducts the New Philharmonia Orchestra in his Variations in Memory of Aldous Huxley and TheâŻFirebird Suite. The show is introduced by RichardâŻBaker. HughâŻBeâŠ
Architectural historian Jon Cannon follows clues that reveal how medieval builders lifted the massive cathedrals that still dominate our skylines. He talks with craftsmen, monks and engineers whose aâŠ