Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm 1968

7.00

Adaptation of Stella Gibbons's comic novel of the same name. Following the death of her parents, 20-year-old Flora Poste (Sarah Badel) finds herself alone with insubstantial means in 1930s London. Fascinated by the little she knows of her distant relatives the Starkadders of Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex, she goes to stay with her aunt Judith Starkadder (Rosalie Crutchley) and a colourful array of cousins. There she finds a variety of earthy, passionate relations, dominated by Great Aunt Ada Doom (Fay Compton) who long ago saw "something nasty in the woodshed" and now holds the rest of the household in thrall. Flora decides to put to rights the lives of all of them.

1968

Last Chance to See

Last Chance to See 2009

7.00

A follow-up to the 1990 Radio 4 series in which the late Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine travelled around the world in search of endangered species. 20 years later Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine go back to see what has become of the animals in two decades, and to discover what has affected their fortunes.

2009

Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius

Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius 2025

4.00

An immersive look at how a young woman from a small village in 18th-century England became one of the UK's best-loved novelists.

2025

Q...

Q... 1969

7.20

Q... was a surreal television comedy sketch show from Spike Milligan which ran from 1969 to 1982 on BBC2. There were six series in all, the first five numbered from Q5 to Q9, and a final series titled There's a Lot of It About. The first and third series ran for seven episodes, and the others for six episodes, each of which was 30 minutes long. Various reasons have been suggested for the title. One possibility is that it was inspired by the project to construct the Cunard liner QE2, launched in September 1967, which was dubbed Q4. Another theory is that Milligan was inspired by the BBC 6-point technical quality scale of the time, where "Q5" was severe degradation to picture or sound, and "Q6" was complete loss of sound or vision. This was extended by some engineering departments to a 9-point scale, finishing at "Q9". According to Milligan's autobiography, the final series was renamed There's a Lot of It About after the BBC felt the public might find Q10 too confusing.

1969

Lame Ducks

Lame Ducks 1984

6.00

Lame Ducks is a British television sitcom made by the BBC in 1984 and written by Peter J. Hammond. In one of the more dark and surreal plotlines, it starred John Duttine as Brian Drake, a man who, when suffering a serious injury after being hit by a truck, can no longer work and decides to head off to live as a hermit. As he goes along, he is joined by various other outcasts, including a woman called Angie. Later, a private detective called Ansell, hired by Drake's wife, locates the group, but as an outcast himself, decides to join them. The show ran for two series.

1984

A House Through Time

A House Through Time 2018

5.00

David Olusoga tells the story of those who lived in one house, from the time it was built until now. Searching through city archives, scouring records, and tracking down their living descendants, presenter David Olusoga tells the untold stories of the people who once lived in the house and gains a unique insight into the making of modern Britain.

2018

The Verdict

The Verdict 2007

1

Following a fictional rape case in a real court room, argued by leading barristers and presided over by a real judge.

2007

Broken News

Broken News 2005

7.30

Broken News is a comedy programme shown on BBC Two in autumn 2005 and in Australia on SBS-TV from the 17 July 2006. The show poked fun at the world of 24-hour rolling news channels. The title of the show is a play on the phrase "breaking news". The show jump cut between its various spoof TV channels, which covered both the central story and other stories that would be of interest to their audience. A large part of the comedy came from observations about the nature of news presentation rather than the stories themselves.

2005

Weatherman Walking

Weatherman Walking 2007

1

Weatherman Derek Brockway laces up his boots and heads outdoors for a seasonal tour of Wales's best walks

2007

RHS Chelsea Flower Show

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 1970

6.80

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London. Held at Chelsea since 1912, it is the most famous flower and landscape gardens show in the United Kingdom, and perhaps in the world. The show is attended by members of the British Royal Family and attracts visitors from all continents. Highlights to the Chelsea Flower Show include the avant-garde show gardens designed by leading names with Floral Marquee at the centrepiece. The Show also features smaller gardens such as the Artisan and Urban Gardens.

1970

The Real McCoy

The Real McCoy 1991

6.00

The Real McCoy was a BBC Television comedy show that ran from 1991 to 1996, featuring an array of black and Asian comedy stars performing material aimed at an across-the-board black audience. UK comedy stars that featured in the series included: the comedy double-act of Curtis and Ishmael, Collette Johnson, Llewella Gideon, British Asian standup Meera Syal, Perry Benson, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Leo Chester, Felix Dexter, Robbie Gee, Kulvinder Ghir, Judith Jacob, Rudi Lickwood, Eddie Nestor, Marcus Powell, Junior Simpson and Curtis Walker and Jo Martin. The producer of the first two series, Charlie Hanson, was the co-founder of the Black Theatre Co-operative and had produced No Problem! and Desmond's before creating The Real McCoy. He was working with Curtis and Ishmael on the 291 Club at the Hackney Empire and suggested making a television version, but instead, the BBC opted for a totally new sketch series, launching The Real McCoy. In spite of its popularity it has yet to be released on DVD.

1991

The Politician's Husband

The Politician's Husband 2013

6.84

A drama about the shifting power in a marriage when the personal and political collide.

2013

Restoration

Restoration 2003

1

Restoration, Restoration, Restoration is a set of BBC television series where viewers decided on which listed building that was in immediate need of remedial works was to win a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund. It first aired in 2003. The host of all 3 series is Griff Rhys Jones, whilst investigating each building in the heats are the show's resident "ruin detectives", Marianne Suhr and Ptolemy Dean.

2003

Hider in the House

Hider in the House 2007

1

Hider in the House was a British children's game show presented by Jason King and Joel Ross. In the programme, a celebrity had to be hidden in a family's house by three children and a parent. If the family have fewer than three children, they use friends or related children to make up the numbers. The other parent of the family thinks they are taking part in a totally different programme. The children involved must undergo a series of tasks to win prizes which they will receive if the unaware parent does not work out what is really happening. The tasks are sometimes very messy or involve getting the unaware parent to do strange things. The format, was devised by Eyeworks UK, won the Best Entertainment prize at the 2008 Rose d'Or ceremony.

2007

Surgeons: At the Edge of Life

Surgeons: At the Edge of Life 2018

7.20

Documentary series going beyond the theatre doors of Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, where surgeons push medical boundaries to the limits.

2018

The Mekong River with Sue Perkins

The Mekong River with Sue Perkins 2014

8.00

Sue Perkins embarks on a life-changing, 3,000-mile journey up the Mekong, South East Asia's greatest river, exploring lives and landscapes on the point of dramatic change.

2014