BBC Four

The Book Quiz

The Book Quiz is a literary panel show. The first series, broadcast in 2007, was hosted by David Baddiel with a second 2008 series was hosted by Kirsty Wark.

The Protestant Revolution

This is a story of a revolution which has affected every person in the West, and nearly every country in the world. It is a revolution which influences the very fabric of existence – from what we do for a living, to who we vote for, who we go to war with and how we see ourselves as individuals and as nations. The series investigates the scientific, cultural, economic and political aspects of the movement with the aid of key academic witnesses, and concludes that the reach of Protestantism is so profound that it is impossible to imagine the modern world without it.

Monsoon Railway

Director Gerry Troyna, painting an affectionate portrait of the Indian railway culture.

Crisis at the Castle

Three British aristocratic families struggle to hang on to their historic homes. Their lifestyle is assumed to be idyllic, but constant battle with roof-leaks, falling visitor numbers, and mounting debts all put pressure on their personal relationships and peace of mind.

Children's TV on Trial

A look at kids' telly from the 1950s to the 1990s, covering the social trends and behind-the-scenes stories in each decade.

Paul Merton's Silent Clowns

Paul Merton profiles some of the great stars of silent comedy, examining their lives and works, and uncovering seldom-seen material

The Wonderful World of Albert Kahn

Documentary series about Albert Kahn's photographic Archive of the Planet. For a quarter of a century, Kahn supplied a team of photographers with the world's first colour camera system and dispatched them across the globe. Their films and 72,000 photographs offer a unique insight into the formative years of the 20th Century.

Racism: A History

Racism: A History is a three-part British documentary series originally broadcast on BBC Four in March 2007. It was part of the season of programmes broadcast on the BBC marking the 200th anniversary of the Slave Trade Act 1807, a landmark piece of legislation which abolished the slave trade in the British Empire. The series explores the impact of racism on a global scale and chronicles the shifts in the perception of race and the history of racism in Europe, the Americas, Australia and Asia. The series was narrated by Sophie Okonedo.

Wainwright Walks

An exploration of the work of Britain's greatest fell walker and author, Alfred Wainwright.

Party Animals

Party Animals presents Westminster from the ground up – the young researchers and advisors shouldering huge responsibility in a frantic, high-stakes world. It's no wonder their personal lives are so messy. Sons of an ex-Labour MP, Scott and Danny Foster have politics in their blood.

Art of Eternity

How should art depict the relationship between man and God? How can art best express eternal values? Can you, and should you, portray the face of Christ? For over a thousand years these were some of the questions which taxed the minds of the greatest artists of the early West. In this three-part series, art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon sets out to unravel the mysteries of the art of the pre-perspective era. Why has this world been so frequently misunderstood and underrated? His journey takes him from the mysterious catacombs of ancient Rome to Coptic Egypt, to the Orthodox Christian world of Istanbul and then onwards to medieval Italy and France. This programme was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2007, and later repeated on BBC Two.

Tales from the Jungle

Documentary series about famous anthropologists.

More Dawn French's Girls Who Do: Comedy

Dawn French, interviews her favorite comediennes and asks about their upbringing, family life, entree into comedy, routines for generating material, whether they hang out with other funny people, comedic influences, professional jealousy and how being funny affects one's love life. The series began as three episodes comprised of clips from 36 interviewees, but returned four months later with these six full-length interviews of Whoopi Goldberg, Catherine Tate, Kathy Burke, Julie Walters, Victoria Wood and Joan Rivers. —Samb Hicks

Planet Earth: The Future

The three-part complementary series features eminent scientists, theologians and conservationists discussing the environmental and conservation issues at stake and asks how much of the world revealed in Planet Earth will ever be seen again.

Voyages Of Discovery

Series in which explorer Paul Rose celebrates the achievements of famous seamen and explorers

Legends

The story of the big names that have shaped the musical genres, plus an occasional stopgap for the new rock 'n' roll - comedy.

The Martians and Us

Documentary series about the history of British science fiction.

Lead Balloon

Lead Balloon is a British television series produced by Open Mike Productions for BBC Four. The series was created and is co-written by comedian Jack Dee and Pete Sinclair. It stars Dee as Rick Spleen, a cynical and misanthropic comedian whose life is plagued by petty annoyances, disappointments and embarrassments. Raquel Cassidy, Sean Power and Tony Gardner also star. The first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC Four in 2006, with the first episode achieving the highest ratings for a comedy on the channel. Repeats of the series were run on BBC Two and BBC HD, bringing it to a larger audience. A second series of eight episodes aired on BBC Two in November 2007, and a third series began airing in November 2008. A fourth and final series commenced broadcast on 31 May 2011 on BBC Two and ended on 5 July. Comparisons were made by critics to the successful American comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm, and positive comments were made about Lead Balloon's characters, particularly Magda, the Eastern European housekeeper. The first series was released on DVD in November 2007. The show's theme tune is a cover version of "One Way Road", written by Noel Gallagher and performed by Paul Weller.

Lost Cities of the Ancients

Never Mind the Full Stops

Never Mind the Full Stops is a British television panel game based on the English language, its idiosyncrasies, and its misuse. It is hosted by the British actor, author and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Julian Fellowes. Each episode lasts 30 minutes. The series was filmed in March 2006 at Channel 4's studios in Horseferry Road, Westminster. It was originally broadcast on BBC Four, and aired on BBC Two from 9 October 2006. Two teams of two people are faced with various questions and challenges concerning English grammar, spelling and usage. The show is divided into rounds, with themes such as identifying the famous author of a badly spoken sentence and correcting the punctuation in a written sentence. There is also a quick-fire round with questions such as "What is a malapropism?" Points are awarded throughout the show to determine the winning team. Each show starts with the host giving a 'difficult-to-spell' word and an example mnemonic to help remember that spelling, and by the end of the show the panellists have to have devised their own. In episode one Julian Fellowes gave the example arithmetic: A Rat In The House Might Eat The Ice Cream; and Ned Sherrin's version was: As Richard Interred The Head Master Every Tiny Infant Cheered. By the end of series 1, even Julian Fellowes had realized that these so-called mnemonics were invariably harder to remember than the spellings – particularly as they were rarely related to the words in question.