Jools Holland on walking back to New Orleans, breaking down barriers and one very big bang
The pianist and presenter recalls his explosive 1985 documentary, a time in television that no longer exists – and meeting his musical heroes.
They say you should never meet your heroes, but Jools Holland has been ignoring that advice his whole career. “Absolutely right,” says the musician, bandleader and broadcaster. “Although I’d rephrase that advice to ‘Don’t expect your heroes necessarily to be saintly figures’.” The friendly, enthusiastic host of BBC Two’s long-running music show Later... is looking back on his career, triggered by his new programme New Orleans Jukebox (Sunday, BBC Four). The heart of it is the reshowing of a Channel 4 film called Walking to New Orleans, which first aired 40 years ago, repackaged with eye-opening insights and performances of artists from that fabled US city, lifted from the BBC archives. Jools was 27 when he made the documentary, a spin-off from music show The Tube, which he co-hosted for more than four years. “It was a particular time and place in television which doesn’t exist any more," Holland tells Radio Times. "The Tube was a huge success and they had a budget to other things and they said, 'Jools, what would you like to do?' I said, 'I’d really like to go to New Orleans.' "I’d always loved the New Orleans music and it was a great opportunity for me to learn about it, but also to meet some of the people who were at the very heart of it." A reconnaissance trip proved successful. “It was very wintry and rather romantic, there were no tourists there and all the things in the film fell into place, in that all the important people in New Orleans music at the time were in it... We never did what we have to do today, which is to write out a script, work out exactly what’s happening. It was just like, ‘Well, go off and give it a go, see what you come up with!’” What they come up with was a fantastic, on-the-fly journey by Oldsmobile from Louisiana to the titular city (ie not “walking”), meeting music legends along the way. Lee Dorsey customises his car, Allen Toussaint pays touching tribute to Professor Longhair, the Gospel Soul Children sing roadside and Holland shares a piano stool with Fats Domino, whose song Walking to New Orleans provided the film with its title, though probably his most famous hit was Blueberry Hill. The "Domino effect" turned out to be a life highlight for Holland, not that everything went smoothly... American music festival producer Quint Davis introduced the two at the star’s house, when Holland was on his reconnaissance trip. "He had a huge pink mansion on the hill, literally, with powder-blue Lincolns being polished outside. He had this shotgun shack at the bottom, almost like an entrance lodge, and that’s where he liked to spend his time. He made me some food and he had a piano there. “Quint said, ‘Tell him what you’re doing, Jools,’ so being young and stupid and a bit nervous I spoke to him about the whole film. All I needed to say was ‘You’re the greatest ever, it would be fantastic if you could be in it,’ but I just went on and on. After about 20 minutes he looked at his friend on the sofa and said, ‘I can’t understand a word he’s saying.’ “So Quint said, ‘Jools, play him something on the piano,’ so I played him something and he said, ‘Ahh, you’re playing my music.’ I said, ‘I love your music, that’s all I’ve ever listened to.’ He said, ‘I’ll be in your film!’" However, the star’s heavy touring schedule meant the actual filming of their side-by-side piano duet had to wait till he was in London – even though it looks as though they're still at Domino's house! "When we filmed him it was actually in the dressing room of the Royal Festival Hall. So it was a little trick of the television there. You’re probably not allowed to do something like that now, pretend it’s his house when it's not, but anyway we were just trying to make the bloody thing work!" It makes for a joyous moment of television, as Domino enters into the spirit of things, his face lights up and the two embrace after their duet. “It was so great to have him and I did almost cry after we’d done it. I thought, ‘I can’t believe that’s happened.’” Delightful cameos abound, proving how well connected Holland was comedically as well as musically. There's Robbie Coltrane, and Stephen Fry on narrating duties – as well as Holland's Tube co-host Paula Yates. A longer edit of the film also featured Rik Mayall and guru of gobbledegook Stanley Unwin. After a Holland-written closing number called Dr Jazz, a lovely shuffle of a song that conjures up New Orlean allure, the film goes out with a bang: Holland and drummer Gilson Lavis walk towards a car, which then unexpectedly blows up. But the plunger wasn’t pressed until the pair were beyond a point indicating when the car was supposed to be detonated (marked by a twig on the road that was covered with twigs). “It was like the opposite of health and safety – it was dangerous and unhealthy! "I’ve learnt that the man that was in charge of it is no longer with us. He was great but he was so loose with everything. The reason we cut the roof off my car, it was supposed to be a convertible and then we got there and it wasn’t a convertible. He said, 'Well it’s no problem, we’ll just take the roof of it.' Everything was like that. "And when we blew up a car at the end, he made my mum do it. Because if he pressed the plunger and it went wrong, then it would be his fault and in America, with the suing culture... so my mum did it. He had no idea what to do and he was screaming at her to press the plunger and she was looking mystified, and we got closer and closer and closer until you know, you’ve only got one chance at this, we thought, 'We can’t stop and look back.' “When it went off it literally blew us back into the air. If we’d have been another few steps forward... I remember Gilson saying to me, ‘If you do another film, maybe I'll be doing something else next time!'” New Orleans Jukebox is dedicated to Lavis, his “dear friend”, who died on 5 November, aged 74. Holland says, “I’d known him from the very beginning” – they were bandmates in Squeeze – and explains how Walking to New Orleans had been, “importantly, for me and for him, a way of us getting back together. "Him coming there also rebonded us for the beginnings of what was my Big Band. Just after Walking to New Orleans went out, I started doing small shows on my own here and there, and I’d play a couple of solo songs on the piano and then I’d say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome my big band to the stage' and just Gilson would walk on. He was the big band. And then it did morph into literally a big band." The Jools Holland Big Band later became his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, and Lavis stayed with him. Jukebox also includes BBC archive – much of it from Later... – of other famous New Orleans artists, from Dr John and Allen Toussaint to Mahalia Jackson and Louis Armstrong. “Many are sadly no longer with us but their spirits and the music, of course, carry on wonderfully.” Other artists to feature include Irma Thomas, the Neville Brothers and Trombone Shorty. Holland is tighter-lipped about guests on this year's Hootenanny: “I can’t reveal that at the moment, partly because I haven’t got the list in front of me but also I don’t think we’re supposed to say yet. But I think there will be a Rolling Stone, that narrows it down, and I’ll leave it at that!” Few TV and radio presenters have promoted music in all its forms with greater energy than Holland. And few were better qualified to interview the Beatles for their Anthology, a TV series that first aired in 1995 and which has now been spruced up and extended for streaming on Disney+. Holland has spoken about that to Radio Times... coming next week! <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2025/11/48shutterstockeditorial3234505z-643f3cd.jpg" width="4662" height="3072" alt="Mandatory Credit: Photo by Andre Csillag/Shutterstock (3234505z) Jools Holland and Sir Paul McCartney 'Later with Jools Holland' TV programme, Maidstone, Britain - 21 Oct 2013" title="'Later with Jools Holland' TV programme, Maidstone, Britain - 21 Oct 2013" /> Holland is still spreading the gospel of music, which, as his duet with Fats Domino proved, is always capable of breaking down barriers. "Absolutely right. Do you know, I’ve often said that and never used that example. But music is a language without any borders and that was it because it was a wordless language and he understood that I was his friend and loved him. Which I did." Jools Holland’s New Orleans Jukebox is on Sunday 16th November at 9.30pm on BBC Four and on BBC iPlayer, where viewers can also catch up on the autumn series of Later… with Jools Holland. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch the Proms 2025 – confirmed schedule of programmes
Here's your complete guide to the musical extravaganza.
The BBC Proms is back for another summer, with some of the world's leading musicians, orchestras and conductors coming together to perform across the UK over the next several weeks. Running from Friday 18th July to Saturday 13th September, it's an event in the music calendar you won't want to miss, with some extra special performances already confirmed. The BBC recently announced that The Traitors host Claudia Winkleman would be taking part in this year's special The Traitors Prom, alongside a group of fan-favourite contestants from season 3, including Minah Shannon, Linda Rands and Alexander Dragonetti. The special concerts will also feature the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus and a selection of guest vocalists, conducted by Karen Ní Bhroin. Read on for the full list of concerts from BBC Proms 2025, including which are currently confirmed to be shown on TV and where to watch them. (Please note, any listed as TBC have not had a scheduled airdate confirmed at the time of writing.) And bear in mind that you can listen to every Prom live on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Sounds. Friday 18th July 2025 18:45 - First Night of the Proms 2025 (Royal Albert Hall, airs same night on BBC Two) Saturday 19th July 2025 19:00 - Prom 2: The Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy (Royal Albert Hall, airs Sunday 27th July on BBC Four) Sunday 20th July 2025 11:00 - Prom 3: Vivaldi and Bach (Royal Albert Hall, airs Friday 25th July on BBC Four) 19:30 - Prom 4: Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Royal Albert Hall, airs same night on BBC Four) Monday 21st July 2025 19:30 - Prom 5: Mahler's Seventh (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 22nd July 2025 19:30 - Prom 6: Berlioz's 'Symphonie fantastique' (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 23rd July 2025 18:30 - Prom 7: French Night with the Orchestre National de France (Royal Albert Hall) 22:15 - Prom 8: Boulez and Berio: 20th - Century Giants (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 24th July 2025 19:30 - Prom 9: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto (Royal Albert Hall) 20:00 - The Fire Station: 'Round Midnight with Soweto Kinch (Sunderland) Friday 25th July 2025 18:30 - Prom 11: Beethoven's Fifth (Royal Albert Hall, airs Saturday 2nd August on BBC Two) 20:15 - The Glasshouse: JADE & Royal Northern Sinfonia (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, airs TBC on BBC) Saturday 26th July 2025 10:00 BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: Gateshead (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 15:00 - Prom 12: The Traitors (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Two airs TBC on BBC) 17:30 - The Glasshouse 2: Angeline Morrison: The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience) (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 19:30 - The Glasshouse 3: Bach and Mendelssohn with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, airs Friday 1st August on BBC Four) 19:30 - Prom 12: The Traitors (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC) Sunday 27th July 2025 13:30 - Prom 13: CBeebies Prom - Wildlife Jamboree (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 15:00 - The Glasshouse 4: Sean Shibe and Friends (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 16:00 - Prom 14: CBeebies Prom - Wildlife Jamboree (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) 19:30 - Prom 15: Mozart and Bruckner (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 28th July 2025 19:30 - Prom 16: Beethoven and Birtwistle (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 29th July 2025 19:30 - Prom 17: Arooj Aftab and Ibrahim Maalouf (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 30th July 2025 19:30 - Prom 18: Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 31st July 2025 18:30 - Prom 19: Rachmaninov and Copland (Royal Albert Hall) 22:15 - Prom 20: Arvo Pärt at 90 (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 1st August 2025 19:30 - Prom 21: Yunchan Lim Plays Rachmaninov (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 2nd August 2025 11:00 - Prom 22: Viennese Waltzes (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC) 20:00 - Prom 23: Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 3rd August 2025 19:30 - Prom 24: Soul Revolution (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Two) Monday 4th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 25: Mahler and Boulez (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 5th August 2025 19:00 - Prom 26: Great British Classics (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Two) Wednesday 6th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 27: Beethoven and Bartók from Budapest (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 7th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 28: Dvořák’s 'New World' Symphony (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Friday 8th August 2025 18:00 - Prom 29: Rachmaninov's 'Paganini' Variations (Royal Albert Hall) 21:00 - Belfast: 100 Years of the Shipping Forecast (Ulster Hall) 23:00 - Prom 30 - From Dark Till Dawn (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 9th August 2025 19:00 - Prom 31: The Planets and Star Wars (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Two) Sunday 10th August 2025 11:00 - Prom 31: Relaxed Prom: The Planets (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 32: Edward Gardner Conducts the LPO (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 11th August 2025 19:00 - Prom 33: Mahler's Third (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 12th August 2025 19:00 - Prom 34: Anoushka Shankar: 'Chapters' (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) 22:15 - Prom 35: The Cavemen (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 13th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 36: Boléro and The Rite of Spring (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 14th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 36: Joe Hisaishi and Steve Reich (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 15th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 37: Benjamin Grosvenor Plays Ravel (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 16th August 2025 10:00 - BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: London (Royal Albert Hall) 19:00 - Prom 38: Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Sunday 17th August 2025 11:00 - Prom 39: Shostakovich's Fifth by Heart (Royal Albert Hall, BBC Four) 19:30 - Prom 40: Le Concert Spirituel (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 18th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 41: Elder Conducts 'A Mass of Life' (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 19th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 42: Pappano Conducts Puccini and Strauss (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 20th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 43: Bruce Liu Plays Tchaikovsky (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 21st August 2025 19:30 - Prom 44: Beethoven's Ninth (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Friday 22nd August 2025 18:00 - Bristol Beacon 1: Paraorchestra and The Breath (Bristol Beacon) 19:30 - Prom 45: Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Royal Albert Hall) 21:00 - Bristol Beacon 2: Late Junction (Bristol Beacon) Saturday 23rd August 2025 10:00 - BBC Young Composer Free Workshop: Bristol (Bristol Beacon) 11:00 - Prom 46: András Schiff Plays Bach (Royal Albert Hall) 14:00 - St George's 1: Danish National Vocal Ensemble (Bristol) 17:30 - Bristol Beacon 3: Mozart, Arvo Pärt and Gavin Higgins (Bristol Beacon) 20:00 - Prom 47: Mäkelä Conducts Mahler's Fifth (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Sunday 24th August 2025 14:00 - Prom 48: Mäkelä Conducts Mozart, Prokofiev & Bartók (Royal Albert Hall) 19:00 - Bristol Beacon 4: Under the Italian Sun (Bristol Beacon) Monday 25th August 2025 12:30 - CBeebies Prom: A Magical Bedtime Story (Royal Albert Hall, CBeebies, airs TBC on CBeebies) 15:30 - CBeebies Prom: A Magical Bedtime Story (Royal Albert Hall, CBeebies, airs TBC on CBeebies) Tuesday 26th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 49: Sibelius's Second (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 27th August 2025 18:30 - Prom 50: 'The Marriage of Figaro' from Glyndebourne (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 28th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 51: Saint-Saëns's 'Organ' Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 29th August 2025 19:30 - Prom 52: Khatia Buniatishvili Plays Tchaikvosky (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 30th August 2025 11:00 - Prom 53: Rattle Conducts Folk Songs and Dances (Royal Albert Hall) 19:30 - Prom 54: Handel's 'Alexander's Feast' (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 31st August 2025 19:30 - Prom 55: Pekka Kuusisto and Katarina Barruk (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 1st September 2025 18:30 - Prom 56: Shostakovich's 'Lady Macbeth' (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 2nd September 2025 19:30 - Prom 57: Adès Conducts the BBC SO (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 3rd September 2025 20:00 - Prom 58: St. Vincent (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC) Thursday 4th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 59: Classic Thriller Soundtracks (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Friday 5th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 60: Rattle Conducts Chineke! (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) Saturday 6th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 61: Golda Schultz Sings Gershwin and Bernstein (Royal Albert Hall) Sunday 7th September 2025 11:00 - Prom 62: Vaughan Williams's 'A London Symphony' (Royal Albert Hall) 15:00 - St George's Hall 1: Angélique Kidjo: African Symphony (Bradford) 19:30 - Prom 63: Greig's Piano Concerto (Royal Albert Hall) Monday 8th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 64: Vienna Philharmonic Plays Bruckner's Ninth (Royal Albert Hall) Tuesday 9th September 2025 18:30 - Prom 65: Vienna Philharmonic Plays Mozart and Tchaikovsky (Royal Albert Hall, airs TBC on BBC Four) 22:15 - Prom 66: Avi Avital: Between Worlds (Royal Albert Hall) Wednesday 10th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 67: Rachmaninov's Second Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Thursday 11th September 2025 pics 19:30 - Prom 68: Brahms's Second Symphony (Royal Albert Hall) Friday 12th September 2025 19:30 - Prom 69: John Wilson Conducts Bernstein and Ravel (Royal Albert Hall) Saturday 13th September 2025 19:00 - Last Night of the Proms 2025 (Royal Albert Hall, airs same night on BBC Two and BBC One) Sunday 14th September 2025 15:00 - End of Proms Service (Holy Sepulchre London) Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Gone season 2: UK release date, cast and latest news
The crime drama has proven popular since airing on BBC Four, but can we expect more?
When it aired on BBC Four last year, The Gone quickly became the crime drama that everyone was left talking about. Led by Grey's Anatomy alum Richard Flood as Irish detective Theo Richter and Acushla-Tara Kupe as New Zealand detective Diana Huia, the pair investigated the disappearance of a young Irish couple who vanished from a rural New Zealand town. Across the six episodes, the investigation certainly intensified, but the season 1 finale delivered quite the cliffhanger – only cementing the need for more. Well, it's a good thing that season 2 is coming our way, with a UK release date having now been confirmed. But when can we expect the second season to air? Read on for everything you need to know about The Gone season 2 – but be warned, there are major spoilers ahead. Will there be a The Gone season 2? Yes! The Gone was given the green light early last year by broadcasters RTÉ and TVNZ for a second season. Filming kicked off in February last year in Auckland, New Zealand and continued in Dublin and other parts of Ireland. New Zealander Michael Bennett and Ireland’s Anna McPartlin, are on board the second season, joined by Peter Burger and Hannah Quinn, who are directing the second season episodes. The Gone season 2 release date The Gone season 2 will premiere on Thursday 31st July on BBC Two at 9pm. The series will also be released as a box set, ready to binge watch to your heart's content on BBC iPlayer. At the time of BBC's acquisition of season 1, Sue Deeks, head of BBC Programme Acquisition, said: “Set amongst the beautiful New Zealand landscape, The Gone is an atmospheric and suspenseful mystery thriller, guaranteed to keep viewers guessing until the very end.” The Gone season 2 cast One of the main draws of The Gone season 1 was, undoubtedly, its leads – so fans of the crime drama will be pleased to know that Richard Flood will return as detective Theo Richter alongside Acushla-Tara Kupe as Kiwi cop Diana Huia. In previously revealed images of the filming of season 2, Games of Thrones star Michelle Fairley was spotted with Flood, so there's plenty more to dig into in regards to her character judge Hannah Martin. As for who may not be making an appearance in season 2, the end of season 1 obviously left on the cliffhanger that hints that Aileen Ryan (Carolyn Bracken) may have been murdered. So, it remains to be seen whether we can anticipate Aileen's continuation on in the series. Another person who won't be seen in season 2 will be Ronan (Simon Mead) who was murdered by Mayor Ken Armstrong (Matt Whelan). Despite trying to turn a gun on himself to evade going to prison, Sinead managed to intervene and stop the fatal shot. That means we could be seeing Ken again – but will most likely be from behind bars. The cast we'd expect to see in The Gone season 2 are as follows. Richard Flood as Theo Richter Acushla-Tara Kupe as DS Diana Huia Rachel Morgan as Sinead Martin Michelle Fairley as Hannah Martin Vanessa Rare as Wiki Huia Wayne Hapi as Buster Huia Manu Bennett as Tamati Davidson What will The Gone season 2 be about? Things definitely ended on quite the shocking note at the end of season 1, with the fate of Irish investigative journalist Aileen Ryan (Carolyn Bracken) looking rather bleak indeed. At the end of the season 1 finale, Aileen visited the mountain shack and came across some bones but was interrupted by a mysterious figure – one she seemed to recognise. Things get even darker when Theo called her from the airport to board their flight back to Ireland now that the case is solved – but we then see that her blood-stained mobile phone is left ringing. The official synopsis reads: "At the end of season 1, viewers were left on a cliffhanger as Irish journalist Aileen Ryan had gone missing. Series two picks up at the same point, continuing the drama. "Having solved the case of a missing Irish couple, Dublin detective Theo Richter is about to leave Mount Affinity in New Zealand when he discovers that Aileen is missing. Once again, he pairs up with Kiwi detective Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe), who leads a desperate search for Aileen." It continues: "When it appears she went missing while chasing a lead on the town's historical Mountain Murders, the detectives enter a game of cat and mouse with 'The Goatman', who is back and more dangerous than ever. "Game of Thrones actress Michelle Fairley reprises her role as Judge Hannah Martin in season two of The Gone. Her character is still in the small rural town of Mount Affinity trying to heal her traumatised daughter Sinéad, who is unravelling after her experience of being abducted." Is Aileen dead? Or has she been seriously hurt? Either way, we're sure Aileen stumbled across something larger afoot in New Zealand. Whether it's connected to the Fallon family remains to be seen, but seeing as Aileen has spent years investigating the Irish drug family, it's certainly likely that it could be someone Aileen's come across in her own research. Lest we forget that the local people also thought that Sinead and Ronan's disappearance had the same hallmarks as a 17-year-old mountain murder, so it's very likely that season 2 could delve further into that larger case and its implications on the community. Is there a trailer for The Gone season 2? There is! You can get a taste of the drama to come below. View oEmbed on the source website The Gone is available to watch on iPlayer, with season 2 landing on BBC Two on Thursday 31st July at 9pm. Add The Gone to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Diamond League Rome Golden Gala 2025 on TV: Event schedule and coverage
Your guide to watching Diamond League Rome 2025, including TV coverage and live stream information.
The 45th edition of the Golden Gala kicks off with a host of Olympic champions on the slate at the Stadio Olimpico. Beatrice Chebet, who won 5,000m and 10,000m gold at Paris 2024, is one of the high-profile names on the early list and will race over 5,000m against rival – and world record holder – Gudaf Tsegay in Italy. Chebet set the women's world 5k record at the end of last year, becoming the first woman to dip below 14 minutes – with six seconds to spare. Elsewhere, Olympic 400m gold medallist Quincy Hall and Greek long jump superstar Miltiadis Tentoglou will also go to battle in Rome this week. RadioTimes.com brings you our guide to watching the athletics at Diamond League Rome 2025 on TV and online. Diamond League Rome 2025 on TV and live stream Diamond League Rome takes place on Friday 6th June 2025. Coverage of Diamond League Rome will be shown live on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. The broadcast will start at 8pm UK time and run for two hours until the end of the meet. Diamond League Rome 2025 TV schedule All UK time. BBC coverage starts at 8pm and runs until 10pm. 18:15 – Pole Vault Women 18:30 – Discus Throw Women 18:48 – Triple Jump Women 20:04 – 400m Hurdles Women 20:11 – High Jump Men 20:16 – 1500m Men 20:27 – Shot Put Men 20:31 – 5000m Women 20:38 – Long Jump Men 20:59 – 400m Men 21:13 – 200m Women 21:27 – 110m Hurdles Men 21:38 – 100m Men 21:49 – 1500m Women Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Is The Black Forest Murders on BBC Four based on a true story?
The German series has arrived on BBC Four.
As well as offering us up plenty of stellar original dramas, the BBC is also known for lots of exciting acquisitions from all around the globe. Coming to BBC Four and iPlayer, The Black Forest Murders is the new four-part series which takes viewers right into the heart of gritty investigative work. As per the synopsis: "A young woman is missing. After an intensive search, her body is found, bludgeoned to death by an unknown assailant. "Senior Detective Barbara Kramer (Nina Kunzendorf) of the Lauburg police and her team, including Thomas Riedle (Tilman Strauß), begin the search for the perpetrator. They speak with witnesses and gather evidence but quick successes elude them. "The team grows into a large special investigation unit, securing hundreds of clues and attempting to connect them. In addition, they must deal with a second murder, unclear whether it is connected to the first, and parallels to a similar case in Austria that occurred four years earlier are emerging. "Under the watchful eye of the concerned public, the police officers face mounting pressure for months, until their persistence is finally rewarded." But is The Black Forest Murders based on a true story? Read on to find out. Is The Black Forest Murders on BBC Four based on a true story? Yes and no – while the drama is a work of fiction and dramatised scenes, it is inspired by two real-life cases that occurred in 2016 in southern Baden, Germany. The four-parter is based on the non-fiction book SOKO Erle, written by Walter Roth, which digs into the investigative and forensic sides of the case. Series writers Robert Hummel and Martina Mouchot have stated that they were fascinated with the way that Roth's book dealt with the work at the centre of the murder cases of three young women. Speaking about the The Black Forest Murders, Hummel wrote on his website: "Four years ago, I read about these crimes and the investigations in Walther Roth's non-fiction book SOKO Erle and found the events so moving and the work of the police and forensic scientists so admirable that I thought: 'This has to be made into a film.'" Also speaking about the book and how it inspired the series, Mouchot said (via SBS): "In this remarkable book, Roth describes in detail the meticulous and ultimately successful search for the murderers of three young women from his perspective as a police press spokesman." "We were fascinated by how persistently and how much time and effort the police put into their investigation: every lead was followed, national borders were crossed, and numerous overtime hours were put in to solve the crimes," the pair say in a joint statement about the series. Mouchot continued: "We were very quickly able to impress the experienced producer Nils Dünker, who worked with us to formulate the narrative in a committed and competent manner: We wanted to fictionalise the crimes in a classic way, but portray the police work in a detailed and realistic way. "This means that we traced the investigations, but invented our investigators and their backgrounds. We also invented the locations. We also changed the order of the murder cases and alienated the victims and families. "We did not want to exploit the suffering of the victims and their families in the media, nor did we want to give the perpetrators too much attention, out of respect for the environment and to protect the dignity of the people involved. "In the points where we were concerned with adapting and changing the material, we turned to a case analyst, a professor of forensic medicine and research contacts with a criminalistic background with our questions in order to do justice to the claim of realism beyond the literary original." The Black Forest Murders premieres on BBC Four on Sunday 31st May at 9pm, with all episodes available to stream from that day on iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Doctor Who will gain more than it loses by remastering The War Games - don't underestimate it
The epic serial is being colourised and cut to 90 minutes.
Doctor Who's The War Games is a stone-cold classic, a brutal final bow for Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor and his two companions, the ever-loyal Scot, Jamie McCrimmon, played by Frazer Hines, and the resourceful Zoe Herriot, Wendy Padbury’s 21st-century astrophysicist. It was the Doctor Who serial that broke new ground back in 1969 - it introduced the Time Lords, affirmed the concept of regeneration and cemented the Doctor's place in Time Lord society as a fugitive on the run from his own people. But perhaps most significantly of all, it revealed a level of darkness hitherto unseen of a show that was still loosely being dubbed a "children's programme". The 10-part epic sees the TARDIS materialise in no man's land. Wondering where on earth they've turned up, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe promptly find themselves apprehended and consequently separated from their TARDIS. At first, it appears that they've landed at some point during the First World War. However, things are far from how they appear - dark forces are operating from the sidelines. To stop them, the Doctor will be locked in a battle of wits against the mysterious War Lord (Philip Madoc). With emotional stakes at its heart, The War Games is a classy high-brow thriller of Shakespearean proportions. View oEmbed on the source website In short, it's perfect. There's just one thing that's holding it back: The War Games is long - really long. In fact, it's historically, infamously, notoriously long. It was initially broadcast from 19th April to 21st June, seasons changed, spring turned to summer, and still The War Games went on. Its full runtime clocks in at an impressive four hours and 10 minutes. But it was actually never really intended to be an epic of Lord of the Rings’ towering scale. A number of factors contributed to its length: several scripts for other serials either fell through or were scrapped altogether before the team essentially ran out of time and The War Games was hastily given the green light on 23rd December 1968. Its two writers, Doctor Who legend Terrance Dicks and his former mentor (the man who gave Dicks his first big break in television) Malcolm Hulke, got to work straight away, churning out episodes every two or three days to be in time for an early February deadline. At one point, they found themselves struggling to such an extent that they moved on to the ending, and actually handed the finale’s script in at the same time as episode 5. Dicks reportedly said that they knew how it would start and they knew how it would finish, but they found it difficult to sustain the momentum in the middle episodes. But this Christmas, 55 years on from its initial broadcast, The War Games is getting a 21st-century makeover, with a new colourisation and an edit that will attempt to condense over four hours’ worth of storytelling into 90 minutes. We will also see an entirely new regeneration scene as the Second Doctor becomes the Third. However, should this classic really be reconfigured to such an extent? Some fans say that it's heresy, others just want to see Jamie screaming "Creag an tuire!" in vibrant HD. Whatever the case, it's fair to say that early Doctor Who suffers from a problem - that of accessibility for the casual viewer. This is largely because so many episodes are missing, especially from Patrick Troughton's tenure. Vital stories, such as the handover from the First Doctor to the Second and all of the serials that introduced his companions, were wiped after initial broadcast (although they still exist via audio recordings and some have been animated). This only serves to hamper the most pivotal era in the show's rich history. Of the 119 episodes starring the Second Doctor, 53 are missing. That The War Games survives at all (and in its full majesty) is a blessing. It's a beautifully directed story by David Maloney, an Orwellian tale, one full of dark corners and a foreboding tension that builds to the serial's climax (a Blackadder Goes Forth style ending – but decades before Blackadder existed). Our heroes are in a desperate struggle to get away, advancing in slow-motion towards the TARDIS. Surely, they will escape? The Doctor will think of something at the last moment... won't he? There's no doubt that audiences of 1969 would have been shocked by just how dark the story got. But that's what Doctor Who does best: it takes risks, it pushes the boundaries. That The War Games is causing controversy 55 years on seems only right. And while there's no doubt that something will be lost by not seeing the Time Lords standing before the Doctor in a palette of deathly grey, we know that something will be gained by seeing the blue of the Doctor's eyes as he grapples in a battle of wits against Philip Madoc’s fantastically menacing War Lord (the actor was yet to make history in Dad’s Army’s iconic "Don’t tell him, Pike!" moment). While many fans have said that this colourisation and hefty edit should not be happening, I say that if it makes just one person reconsider, who might never have given the early years of Doctor Who a chance, then it is more than worth it. This 23rd December, make it your destiny to watch one of the greatest actors ever to play the Doctor starring in his own definitive blockbuster - a landmark moment in sci-fi fantasy history, but as we've never seen it before. The War Games' special edition will air on 23rd December 2024 on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
What became of the child star of The Box of Delights?
Devin Stanfield found stardom difficult in 1984 – now, 40 years later, he looks back with pride at the BBC classic, co-starring Patrick Troughton.
The BBC’s adaptation of The Box of Delights has become a cult classic since it first aired in the run-up to Christmas in 1984. Based on John Masefield’s 1935 fantasy novel, the six-part serial tells of the adventures of schoolboy Kay Harker, who is entrusted with a magical box that he must protect from evil forces. With pioneering visual effects, the production won three BAFTAs. Now, for its 40th anniversary, The Box of Delights is being released in new Blu-ray and DVD editions on Monday 25th November. It will also be repeated on BBC Four from Saturday 7th December. The series starred famous actors such as Doctor Who’s Patrick Troughton as a kindly magician, and Robert Stephens and Patricia Quinn as the villains. But what became of the boy star, Devin Stanfield, whose face lit up the cover of Radio Times but who gave up acting soon afterwards? RT: What's it been like revisiting The Box of Delights after 40 years? Devin Stanfield: It’s been an odd experience. I’d put the whole thing to bed and moved on with my life and hadn't really given it a great deal of thought, to be honest. It's just kind of a childhood chapter. So revisiting it was very interesting. I've said no to almost every request for publicity or interviews over the years. RT: Chris Chapman has produced a new feature-length doc for the Blu-ray/DVD – Time and Tide: The Making of The Box of Delights. How did you get involved with that? Devin Stanfield: When Chris phoned me about doing something, I said that I’d already done the 20th anniversary. Back then I’d met Renny Rye [the director of The Box of Delights] at Pinewood and we shot a little interview for a DVD extra. I didn't have much to add to that. But then when Chris said he’d actually like to get me and Renny out on location, I thought... well, I have a huge amount of respect and love for Renny, so I said, "OK, I'll do that." Really, it was just a chance to spend the weekend with Renny and catch up over a few glasses of wine and talk – and oh God, did we talk! Probably more than Chris would’ve liked. Couldn't shut us up in the end, so yes, that was lovely. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/11/2024-Devin-Stanfield-and-director-Renny-Rye-with-the-box-at-Arley-Station-0c5d216.jpg" width="4032" height="3024" alt="Devin Stanfield and director Renny Rye at Arley Station in 2024 with one of the original box props. Photographed by Chris Chapman" title="2024 Devin Stanfield and director Renny Rye with the box at Arley Station" /> RT: What parts of the country did that take you to? Devin Stanfield: We filmed a good deal of it around Hereford and the Wye Valley. That's where the book’s set and where Masefield lived at one point in his life. So we were at the Severn Valley Railway, we went to Eastnor Castle and Hereford Cathedral. And the house where we shot Seekings [Kay’s home], which is a beautiful architectural oddity somewhere in the countryside. So yes, it was an evocative trip down memory lane. I think maybe walking those paths again as a grown-up – having left all the baggage of childhood stardom behind – was quite cathartic. RT: Chris says he interviewed about 30 people – cast and crew – who were involved in the 1984 production. Devin Stanfield: He even interviewed my mother! It was the high point of her year, I'm sure. Yes, they dug up a lot of people. Obviously, some of the older cast are now sadly dead, but he got nearly all the key cast and technical people. RT: What was it like acting alongside Patrick Troughton as a child? Devin Stanfield: I'd been on camera before and had just played the best friend in Chucky for Thames Television, but I'd largely been acting against other children. I hadn't had a lead role or chunky scenes. So the first time I realised what I was up against was quite early in the shoot on The Box of Delights. Patrick and I were at the train station and we did that very close-up scene. I can still remember to this day the intensity of him, how suddenly he came alive as this almost mesmeric presence. The twinkle in his eyes. I was never a good actor of any kind and a lot of what you're seeing in those scenes is my reaction – it's pretty much genuine. I was so lucky to have those actors because they did all the heavy lifting, and a lot of the time I was wrapped up and carried by them. They were so giving and so patient, and they allowed me to feel my way into the right emotions. They carried me along, basically. They were all very helpful to a very inexperienced and largely talentless little boy. RT: What age were you at that time? Devin Stanfield: I had my 13th birthday on set, so I was 12 quite early into the shoot. RT: What are your chief memories of making the series? Devin Stanfield: It was a very big thing to take on. It was a year of my life. It got extended too because I got chicken pox, there was a strike and there were technical difficulties, snow, all kind of things. So it took a lot more of my time than I was anticipating and a lot of it was me working alone, or working to nothing on chromakey [in a blue screen studio for special effects]. Or working in the freezing cold in snow and canals in the dark, or in the studio in a Norfolk suit, sweating constantly. <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2024/11/RT-1984-Box-of-Delights-Devin-Stanfield-and-Patrick-Troughton-in-bluescreen-studio-7ef43b6.jpg" width="3822" height="2754" alt="Devin Stanfield and Patrick Troughton in a bluescreen studio for The Box of delights in 1984. Photographed for Radio Times by Don Smith" title="RT 1984 Box of Delights Devin Stanfield and Patrick Troughton in bluescreen studio" /> The other kids came in and out and did odd scenes, but I think I was in 95 per cent of the shots. It was a relentless schedule. Quite hard work. It felt like a job, though I realise I was lucky to be doing it. Looking back recently, I appreciate the opportunity it gave me to work with such extraordinary people – more on the technical side than the actors. RT: So that steered you away from acting? Devin Stanfield: I grew up in a theatrical family. My grandfather Leslie Sands was quite famous as a playwright and actor, and my mother was an actress and my father was a production manager. So I was never really enraptured by the business. I knew it was a s**t thing to do, and I wasn't particularly keen to get into that line of work, because I didn't feel I was talented. I now realise that while I was on set all that time, I was watching legends like Renny Rye and an absolutely stellar team at work behind the cameras. The very best the BBC had. The actors basically sat in their caravans for 90 per cent of the time, then got hauled out and told to do something, and then went back again. Whereas the people actually driving it and making the decisions were at the heart of it all, and also the last ones up in the bar drinking and having fun. Whether consciously or unconsciously, being exposed to that had an effect on my later career. For years, I was a technical director and a production manager in theatre and television. Now I run production for one of the UK's major scenic companies, putting together big things like X Factor. We did the set for the BBC's Olympics and just finished Coriolanus for the National Theatre and The Elixir of Love at the Coliseum. So quite large-scale, prestigious stuff. RT: In 1984, Radio Times gave The Box of Delights a haunting cover with you as the focus. How did it feel as a child to have your face plastered on every newsstand? Devin Stanfield: Total nightmare! I'm a relatively private person and have no desire for fame or celebrity. So I was very visible. And I didn't go to a private school. I went to a very normal comprehensive. So I was a target with that haircut, and as soon as I turned 15/16 I grew my hair as long as I could and turned suitably rebellious. I was keen to shake that off. RT: So you were you teased by your schoolmates? Devin Stanfield: Horribly. I don't think child stardom is a particularly healthy thing. In the end it probably did me more good than harm, but it could definitely be quite a difficult thing to live with to be recognised not just at school but in the street. RT: Your family must have been proud, though. You said your mum is pleased to be on Chris’s new documentary. Devin Stanfield: Yes. And when Chris started asking me what I’d got in the way of memorabilia and photographs, he was under the impression that the box was lost. That none had survived. But they’d given me one at the end of the shoot, and it’s been at my mum’s ever since. I collected the box so that Chris could film it. He was quite taken aback that it was just shoved in a rucksack. "It’s not even wrapped!" It had suffered worse on set. He told me that it's probably worth quite a bit now. RT: The Box of Delights is still very popular – some people love it so much they watch it every year. Devin Stanfield: Coming at it now as a grown-up and being less defensive about it, I'm touched and surprised by how it has endured and by the loyalty of the fanbase. It's lovely that it means so much to them. I'm proud and pleased to have been involved in something that has clearly given so many people so much happiness and pleasure. The Box of Delights will air on BBC Four on Saturday 7th December from 7:10pm. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Box of Delights 40th anniversary airing confirmed by BBC Four
The wolves are running again this Christmas.
BBC Four has confirmed a repeat showing of beloved series The Box of Delights this Christmas. The six-part adaptation of John Masefield's children's fantasy novel, starring Doctor Who legend Patrick Troughton, will return to screens to mark its 40th anniversary. Following the exploits of schoolboy Kay Harker (Devin Stanfield), who takes possession of a magical box which gifts him the ability to shape-shift and time travel, the series first aired on BBC One in November/December 1984. Viewers can enjoy the festive magic all over again when a repeat airing kicks off with a double-bill of episodes 1 and 2 on Saturday 7th December from 7:10pm. The first episode will be preceded by a new introduction from director Renny Rye, which will air from 7pm. Utilising a then-innovative mixture of live action and animation, The Box of Delights cost £1 million to make in 1984, making it the most expensive children's series the BBC had produced. The series won critical acclaim, as well as three BAFTAs, on original broadcast, and has gone on to earn a passionate cult following. In addition to its BBC Four re-broadcast, the television adaptation is also being released as a new Blu-ray set, featuring all six episodes remastered as well as a new accompanying documentary film, Time and Tide – Making The Box of Delights. Masefield's original novel – a sequel to his earlier effort The Midnight Folk – was also adapted as an audio drama by Big Finish in 2021. The Box of Delights will air on BBC Four on Saturday 7th December from 7:10pm. Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Doctor Who star credits fans for "inevitable" Sutekh revival: "They've kept him alive"
Gabriel Woolf said he was "over the moon" to be asked to return.
The Legend of Ruby Sunday answered some age-old questions fans have had since season 14 of Doctor Who kicked off, and while the Doctor has already fought off many villains, the One Who Waits has returned for an ultimate battle. Following the reveal, it was confirmed that the upcoming episode of Tales of the TARDIS will feature Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday in a remastered Pyramids of Mars. The original four-parter saw Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor and Elisabeth Sladen's Sarah Jane Smith having to battle the Sutekh. In a new Q&A, Gabriel Woolf said it felt "inevitable" to be reviving Sutekh after 50 years. "I'd never lost Sutekh because of the fans," he said. Read more: Doctor Who 7-day ratings for Rogue confirmed after season high Doctor Who shares first-look pictures of epic finale – what is Mrs Flood up to? "They've kept him alive, organised conventions all over the place, so it feels kind of natural." Reflecting on being asked to return to the iconic villain role, Woolf said: "I was over the moon, delighted and thrilled. It was wonderful. "The fans have always said, 'Oh, you must come back!' and I always said back, 'It's not up to me!' - and now it's happened. Extraordinary." Fans will, of course, meet a new and improved Sutekh as he takes on the Doctor and Ruby, and Woolf has teased "some development of the character". "But we do have the same classic lines here and there, so he is recognisable, and he is destroying the same universe," he teased. Tales of the TARDIS: Pyramids of Mars airs on Thursday 20th June at 8pm on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer. Doctor Who continues on Saturday 22nd June on BBC iPlayer and BBC One. Previous seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer with episodes of the classic series also available on BritBox – you can sign up for a 7-day free trial here. Check out more of our Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto see what's on tonight. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
What channel is Tottenham v Chelsea Women's Super League match on? TV coverage, live stream and kick-off time
Check out how to watch Tottenham v Chelsea in the Women's Super League, including TV channel, radio coverage and kick-off time.
Chelsea will dramatically climb back to the top of the Women's Super League table if they beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in their penultimate fixture of the 2023/24 season on Wednesday. Blues boss Emma Hayes conceded defeat to Manchester City in the title race after a 4-3 loss at Liverpool at the start of the month, but a fifth-consecutive crown is back on the cards after the Sky Blues were subsequently downed by Arsenal. A victory at Brisbane Road would see Chelsea move ahead of City on goal difference with one game left to play, although Tottenham could prove a dangerous opponent intent on bouncing back from last Sunday's disappointing 4-0 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Women's Cup final. Watch Tottenham v Chelsea on BBC Four Spurs - guaranteed to finish sixth in the WSL - had been enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions to that point, and have not tasted defeat on home soil since February's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa. Chelsea secured all three points in the reverse fixture on the opening day of the WSL season, when Mia Fishel and Lauren James found the back of the net before Martha Thomas hit a late consolation for Tottenham at Stamford Bridge last October. RadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch Tottenham v Chelsea on TV and online. Read more football features: Best players in the world | Best players of all time | Live football on TV today | Premier League TV schedule | Championship TV schedule When is Tottenham v Chelsea? Tottenham v Chelsea will take place on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Check out our live football on TV guide for the latest times and information. Tottenham v Chelsea kick-off time Tottenham v Chelsea will kick off at 7:15pm. What TV channel is Tottenham v Chelsea on? Fans can tune in to watch the game for free on BBC Four from 7pm. How to live stream Tottenham v Chelsea online You can live stream the match via BBC iPlayer on a range of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets. Is Tottenham v Chelsea on radio? Unfortunately, the match has not been selected for live radio commentary in the UK. Tottenham v Chelsea odds In working partnership with the Radio Times, bet365 has provided the following betting odds for this event: bet365 odds: Tottenham (15/1) Draw (6/1) Chelsea (2/9)* For all the latest football odds and more, visit bet365 today. Bet £10 & Get £30 in Free Bets for new customers at bet365. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of bets to value of qualifying deposit. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply. *Odds subject to change. 18+. T&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org. Note – The bonus code RT365 does not change the offer amount in any way. Check out more of our Sport coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Shoulder to Shoulder, the TV classic about the suffragettes, is 50 years old – we speak to Dame Siân Phillips, Waris Hussein and Moira Armstrong
We celebrate the making of Shoulder to Shoulder with its star and directors - plus rare photos from the Radio Times archive.
Shoulder to Shoulder was a landmark BBC drama series in 1974 – six 75-minute plays about the struggles of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in their fight for equality and to win the right to vote. Radio Times even published a special magazine on the subject 50 years ago. The series is now being repeated on BBC Four for its 50th anniversary – and to mark the 90th birthday of its star, Dame Siân Phillips. We speak to her and to the programme’s two directors, Waris Hussein and Moira Armstrong. Dame Siân Phillips Dame Siân has had a long and illustrious acting career, taking in theatre, film, TV and radio, as well as writing her two-volume autobiography. She won a BAFTA in 1977 for playing Empress Livia in I, Claudius, and is soon to guest star in the 2024 season of Doctor Who. In the 1970s, she was even an occasional Radio Times columnist. Now she shares her memories of 1974’s Shoulder to Shoulder with RadioTimes.com. "It was an important series and a very good one. It was also highly unusual because there were lots of women in the cast and the producers were all women too – Midge Mackenzie, Georgia Brown and, of course, Verity Lambert. She was a very distinguished person. "I'd never been in a play in my life that had nearly all women in it. At first I was doubtful, because I thought, 'It's going to be all rows and complaining about make-up and hair and who's doing what… but never mind, it's going to be worth doing.' "But there was not one disagreement from beginning to end. I've never known such camaraderie. It was a life-changing show to be on because it just showed what we women could do left to ourselves. I enjoyed it so much. I really loved it. "Quite honestly, I was very pleased to get the part of Mrs Pankhurst. We all started reading up on the suffragettes and became experts on the subject. They laid all the textbooks out in the rehearsal rooms so everybody could read them. "We wanted script changes. We would say, 'Well, what about the scene where they did this? And why haven't you put in this in?' The poor writers were going mad! And it had very good scriptwriters – Ken Taylor, who was the chief one, and Alan Plater. "It took seven months in all. There was a huge cast of women and even a woman camera person at one point. Moira Armstrong was one of the directors, and Waris Hussein was brought in, according to all accounts, by Verity, who was a friend of his, to address the balance of all women doing the whole thing. He was a wonderful director with women, actually. "Very often we were filming on the run. We had to film all the speeches at dawn when nobody was about. I remember climbing onto the plinth of Nelson's Column to deliver one speech when there was no traffic. We had to fit shots in between buses and modern taxis, which happened to be about. "Obviously, a lot of it was not enjoyable, because the suffragettes had a pretty bad time – all the arrests, the police brutality, the force-feeding. "What was amazing, after the programme finished, I went off to the west of Ireland and somebody said, 'You know, there’s a suffragette living in this neighbourhood. A Miss Robinson. Would you like to meet her?' I said, 'I certainly would!' "Margaret Robinson was nearly 100 and almost blind but had baked a cake for me. She’d been a headmistress and chair of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. One day she’d received a message from Mrs Pankhurst – my character – to go to London with a brick and, on a certain cue, smash a window. That was the day all the glass on Regent Street was broken. "But she wouldn't have dreamt of not coming on Mrs Pankhurst's request. How wonderful to make that connection." Director Waris Hussein Well-known to RadioTimes.com readers as one of the founding fathers of Doctor Who, Waris Hussein, 85, has had a wide-ranging career: directing prestigious BBC Plays of the Month including A Passage to India; working with Bette Davis, Shirley MacLaine and Barry Manilow in Hollywood; and winning a BAFTA for Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978). In 1973 and '74, he directed episodes one, two, three and six of Shoulder to Shoulder. "I’d just had a disaster with Divorce His – Divorce Hers, a movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and the phones went silent in America. Nobody wanted to employ me, and I was literally hiding in the hills with a friend when I got a phone call from Verity. "'I want you to stop hiding, Waris, because I've got a job for you. It's about the Pankhursts, the suffragettes.' I said I hadn't a clue about them, but she said, 'Get on a plane to England and we'll talk about it.' That was Verity. She was persistent, thank God. "She went to the BBC’s head of drama, Christopher Morahan, and told him, 'I'm thinking of Waris for the suffragettes.' And he said, 'Oh dear, really? Do you think he knows enough about our history?' And Verity said, 'Christopher, he's been here since he was nine.' 'Oh, well, in that case it should be all right…' That was the kind of dialogue I used to get, questioning my ability. It was very loaded. "So I joined the show. Siân was already cast and was perfect for the role of Emmeline Pankhurst, because she really does look rather like her, though she's a taller version of her. "I cast Angela Down as her daughter Sylvia. She was perfect as the socially conscious artist who is dedicated to a cause, and Angela gave it that kind of depth I really respect. I believed in Angela totally as a woman who becomes a suffragette. "For her sister Christabel, Verity originally wanted Helen Mirren, and Helen desperately wanted to do it but was working in America and couldn’t be released. So we cast Patricia Quinn, who had just done The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court. She became a very apt addition. In her later years, Christabel ended up in Los Angeles surrounded by adoring movie stars and became this mystical figure who would lead women to freedom. "As Mr Pankhurst, I had Michael Gough, who I loved working with. A very good actor. And I cast Pam St Clement, who ended up in EastEnders as Pat Butcher – she played a big butch wardress in Holloway Prison, going, 'All right then, love…' "In episode three, Judy Parfitt became Lady Constance Lytton, who was sent to Holloway Prison. She went on hunger strike and was force-fed. That script was all about social discrimination – if you were an aristocrat, you’d be treated very softly in Holloway, but they thought she was a working-class woman and she was treated like s**t. She had a heart condition and later she died from it. That's part of the cruelty of it all. "When we were rehearsing, I found out the mechanics of force-feeding and realised it’s not very pleasant – tubes down the nose – and had to be careful how we showed it. I chose to shoot it from above, looking down, so you weren’t in proximity to the instruments of torture. "We only had five minutes left in the studio at Television Centre – the crew were going to close down at 10pm because of the union rules. I was panicking and Judy was lying on her back with this tube being put into her nose. Everyone in the studio and control room was in absolute panic. But we managed to get it done. When you look at it now, because there was such tension setting into the studio and beyond, it works really well - and is pretty horrifying. "It was fascinating for me to do this. As an example, we were supposed to be shooting in Manchester 1904, whereas we actually shot in Hebden Bridge, which resembled Manchester at the time. "There were all these Bengali immigrants who had recently arrived. Here am I, this little brown number calling 'Action!' and 'Stop!', being watched by lots of little brown numbers who’d climbed the tops of trees, looking down at me, wondering, 'Who the f**k is this guy!?' ordering about the middle-class Pankhurst family with their horses and carriages, and long dresses and hats. It was quite a funny sight. "The very last image in episode six is of two women – Sylvia Pankhurst and a friend – discussing their achievement. They are walking away from us, and I was determined to shoot the Houses of Parliament in the background, but this was a period drama, we were terrified we might not be able to do it because of the traffic. "Funnily enough, the season was with us. It was a grey day, there was a mist, and these two women are walking away from camera, tiny dots on the landscape. It was almost surreal as they walk away into the future. To me it was a significant ending, and said everything about the achievement of these two women and where they had come from. And that was the end of the series." Director Moira Armstrong Moira Armstrong directed episodes four and five of Shoulder to Shoulder in 1974. She had a remarkable TV career, with credits ranging from the mid 1960s (Z Cars and Dr Finlay’s Casebook) to the acclaimed Sunset Song in 1971. She directed the creepy Armchair Thriller serial Quiet as a Nun in 1978, and won a BAFTA for Testament of Youth (1979). She was still working well into her 70s in 2010 on Lark Rise to Candleford. Now 94, she lives in West London, close to the offices of Radio Times. "I was very pleased to be asked to direct Shoulder to Shoulder. I knew Verity Lambert very well because she produced Adam Adamant Lives! [1966–67] and I’d directed a few of those. I respected her and thought she was a very good producer. I liked her work. She was clever and good at getting on with people and making everyone work together. "Working on Shoulder to Shoulder was very enjoyable altogether. We all got on with each other well, which I suppose isn’t a surprise, but it was unusual to have so many women around in positions of influence. Back then, they would usually be helping other people but, in this case, were actually doing the job. "I remember complaining to Verity that if you read about the funeral of Emily Davison – the woman who threw herself in front of the king's horse – there were a thousand people in Piccadilly Circus that day, but I had only 36 extras. 'How do I make them like a thousand people?' Verity said, 'That’s your problem.' So I thought, 'OK then, I'll have to solve it somehow…' "My AFM [assistant floor manager] was a very industrious girl, and she said, 'I want to research what actually happened at the funeral.' We covered up the fact that we didn't have a lot of people by choosing a lot of colours – the peonies they were carrying and the velvet of the coffin. We solved it by concentrating on colour. "In those days I didn't find any difficulties as a woman director. I suppose what helped was I’d been a PA [production assistant] for Jim McTaggart – a very good director – for quite some time before I became a director myself. I got to know all the camera crews, so they knew I knew what I was doing on the studio floor, which was a great help. "I'm amazed and very pleased that Shoulder to Shoulder is being repeated, because the present generation probably doesn't know what actually went on with the suffragettes. And it’s very good, I think, looking back on it." Shoulder to Shoulder episode guide A series of six plays created by Midge Mackenzie, Verity Lambert and Georgia Brown. Principal cast Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst – Siân Phillips Sylvia Pankhurst – Angela Down Christabel Pankhurst – Patricia Quinn Dr Pankhurst – Michael Gough Annie Kenney – Georgia Brown Lady Constance Lytton – Judy Parfitt Emily Wilding Davison - Sheila Ballantine Dame Ethel Smyth – Maureen Pryor 1: The Pankhursts (First shown 3 April 1974 on BBC2) Written by Ken Taylor, directed by Waris Hussein 1898: Dr and Mrs Pankhurst and their four children are living comfortably in Manchester. However, in that year an event occurs which will radically change all their lives 2: Annie Kenney (First shown 10 April 1974 on BBC2) Written by Alan Plater, directed by Waris Hussein 1904: Annie Kenney – a mill worker since the age of 10. What has Women's Suffrage to offer her? 3: Lady Constance Lytton (First shown 17 April 1974 on BBC2) Written by Douglas Livingstone, directed by Waris Hussein 1908: Constance Lytton: daughter of the Viceroy of India, she came from one of the leading families in the land. Almost any door was open for her 4: Christabel Pankhurst (First shown 24 April 1974 on BBC2) Written by Ken Taylor, directed by Moira Armstrong Black Friday – 18th November 1910. A violent struggle in Parliament Square between suffragettes and police. But why don't the police arrest the suffragettes...? 5: Outrage (First shown 1 May 1974 on BBC2) Written by Hugh Whitemore, directed by Moira Armstrong The campaign grows: suffragettes destroy property and Emily Wilding Davison becomes a martyr to the cause 6: Sylvia Pankhurst (First shown 8 May 1974 on BBC2) Written by Ken Taylor, directed by Waris Hussein 1914: War is declared, and women still do not have the vote The first three episodes will be shown on BBC Four on Wednesday 17th April. The final three the following week. Dame Siân Phillips, Waris Hussein and Moira Armstrong reunite to discuss the series in a special introduction on 17th April (BBC Four). Catch up on BBC iPlayer. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
The Gone ending explained: Yes, [spoiler] really was the killer
Who killed Ronan? Is Alieen dead, and who was the mystery character?
*Warning: Contains full spoilers for The Gone on BBC iPlayer* The Gone – BBC Four's latest crime drama series – is a collaboration between the Irish RTE and New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ. The plot revolves around the disappearance of an Irish couple, Ronan Garvey (Simon Mead) and Sinead Martin (Rachel Morgan), from a remote town in New Zealand. But how did everything wrap up in the end? Read on to have the ending of The Gone explained, but be warned for there are spoilers ahead. The Gone ending explained: What happened in episode 6? To investigate the case, Dublin detective Theo Richer (Richard Flood), who is fighting his own personal demons, flies out to New Zealand after a call from Sinead's worried mum, Hannah (Michelle Fairley), despite the fact he has resigned from his job at the Garda after two decades of service. Hannah is a judge in Ireland who has recently imprisoned the head of an Irish drug operation run by the Fallon Family. The Fallons are notorious for their violent retaliation, and Hannah herself had recently survived a revenge attack from the family. However, we later discover that Ronan himself was a drug dealer, dealing steroids and had a violent temper. Could he have been the intended target? Theo joins the newly promoted Māori cop Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe). The couple happened to have disappeared from Diana's home town, and she is reluctant to return there after years away because of the memories it holds for her; it's obvious she is carrying a lot of sadness around. Then, to add fuel to the fire, Irish investigative journalist Aileen Ryan (Carolyn Bracken), who has been following the Fallon family for years, starts digging around, putting herself in grave danger, as a Fallon has also flown over to New Zealand. Sinead and Ronan's disappearance has the same hallmarks as a mountain murder in the town that was committed seventeen years earlier, so could the murderer have returned? Or has a copycat killer struck? Sinead worked at a new giant recycling and fertilising plant in the town, striving to acquire sacred Māori land for its development. However, the Māori community responded with protests led by Diana's estranged Auntie and Uncle Wiki (Vanessa Rare) and Buster Huia (Wayne Hapi). In the first episode, we meet Mayor Ken Armstrong (Matt Whelan) and his sister Valerie, who are town natives and know the mountain landscape like the back of their hands. They lead the search for the missing couple. While Sinead is found alive, Ronan has been stabbed to death. Who killed Ronan? In episode 6, Sinead visits Valerie, holding her clay pigeon shooting rifle, and asks to go inside the house. During a chat between the two women, Sinead accuses Valerie of murdering Ronan. In the meantime, the police have discovered video evidence of her brother, Mayor Ken Armstrong, driving the car that was used in the murder. In pursuit of Mayor Ken, who is opening the town's new cycle trail, the police arrive, and Mayor Ken runs for cover at Valerie's house only for the police detectives, Diana and Theo, to turn up, and a shoot-out begins. Mayor Ken admits to Ronan's murder, and Valerie was the one who cleaned up the evidence and made it look like the copycat killing from years earlier. He had visited Ronan's home to give him a warning because Ronan was blackmailing him. Ronan grabbed a knife to defend himself and the pair wrestled on the veranda before Ken stabbed him to death. Ken shoots Valerie, then turns the gun on Diana and Theo and then on himself, because he doesn't want to go to jail, but his bullet misses him when Sinead hits him from behind with a spade, so he survives to face justice and he is arrested. Valerie survives the shooting and is taken to hospital. Theo and Diana have faced their own demons after the case is solved. They share a drink in a bar and let each other know they're okay. What happens to Aileen? Alieen visits the mountain shack and stumbles across bones, only to turn around and look puzzled when she recognises a mysterious character behind her – but who is it? The scene then flips to Theo calling her from the airport to board their flight back to Ireland; with the final scene showing her mobile phone ringing with blood on it, hinting that she has been murdered – but who by? We'll have to wait until season 2 for some answers! The Gone is available to watch on iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Last of the Summer Wine, One Foot in the Grave restorations to air on BBC
The specials will air on BBC Four to mark their respective anniversaries.
Newly-restored instalments of Last of the Summer Wine and One Foot in the Grave are set to air on the BBC for the first time this festive period. To mark the comedies' 40th and 30th anniversaries respectively, two feature-length specials will air on BBC Four on Sunday 24th December. Last of the Summer Wine's Getting Sam Home was the first example of a television film based on an existing British television series. The original sitcom aired for 31 seasons from 1973 to 2010, with restorations overseen by Richard Latto and additional work carried out by Paul Venezis and Andrew T Smith. Filmmaker and Last of the Summer Wine historian, Andrew T Smith, said: "I think Getting Sam Home is amongst the greatest works in writer Roy Clarke's long career – a beautifully filmed black comedy featuring a stellar cast firing on all cylinders. I have long wanted to see it in better quality than the existing master tape – with its reduced resolution and overly dark appearance. "When the town of Holmfirth decided to celebrate the series 50th anniversary this year, I approached Richard about the possibility of tackling a restoration and although logistical factors prevented us from screening the final version in the town over the summer, I'm incredibly pleased to see it premiere in its refreshed splendour this Christmas." One Foot in the Grave aired for six seasons, over the course of 10 years, and unlike many of the episodes of the series produced at the time, the feature-length episode was filmed entirely on 16mm and Super16 film rather than the traditional UK sitcom approach. BBC producer, broadcaster and archive expert, Richard Latto, said the two feature length specials are "perfect examples of the genius of classic British television comedy." He continued: "1983's Getting Sam Home set the bar for many festive feature-length specials that were to follow, and in 1993 One Foot In The Algarve delivered what so many other comedies struggled to achieve, by taking familiar sitcom characters and placing them in an entirely different setting, but with great success and over 20 million viewers enjoying it on original transmission. Roy Clarke and David Renwick are masters of writing for the small screen and these specials continue to stand the test of time." Last of the Summer Wine: Getting Sam Home will air at 7pm, Christmas Eve on BBC Four. One Foot in the Grave: One Foot in the Algarve will follow at 9.30pm. Read more: Fear, Stress & Anger: Peter Davison and Georgia Tennant's lost sitcom Blackadder voted funniest sitcom of all time ahead of 40th anniversary Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight. Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
How to watch Mark Gatiss in A Christmas Carol on TV
The stage production is coming to the small screen just in time for Christmas.
The critically acclaimed stage production of Mark Gatiss's A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story may have been released in cinemas earlier this winter, but it's now making its way to the small screen. Landing just in time for Christmas, the festive special is just the thing to get viewers into the festive spirit. The show has not only been adapted by Gatiss (Sherlock, Nolly), but he also stars as Jacob Marley in the retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic tale, A Christmas Carol, alongside Nicholas Farrell (The Crown) as Scrooge. So, how can you watch Mark Gatiss's A Christmas Carol and when is it coming to our TV screens? Read on to find out everything you need to know. How to watch Mark Gatiss's A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story The original show was directed by Adam Penford at the Nottingham Playhouse and was later filmed during its run at London's Alexandra Palace Theatre last year. It was then released in UK cinemas nationwide for a short period between 27th November and 1st December. But fans will be pleased to learn that A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story will air on BBC Four on Christmas Day (Sunday 25th December) at 7pm. It will also be available to watch online on BBC iPlayer from the same date. Speaking about the news, Gatiss told RadioTimes.com exclusively: "I was very glad we got to record it – it was on in a few cinemas, but obviously BBC Four is a much wider audience. So I'm very proud – it's really nicely done and what I love about it is it's extremely theatrical. It's not a movie, it is a very good record of the show, with all its inherent theatricality. I’m very pleased it’s got another life." While many may already know the tale, it's always worth a refresher. As the synopsis reads: "It’s a cold Christmas Eve and mean-spirited miser Ebenezer Scrooge (Farrell) has an unexpected visit from the spirit of his former business partner Jacob Marley (Gatiss). "Bound in chains as punishment for a lifetime of greed, the unearthly figure explains it isn’t too late for Scrooge to change his miserly ways in order to escape the same fate, but first he’ll have to face three more eerie encounters." Joining Gatiss in the show are James Backway as Fred, Jo Eaton-Kent as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Joe Shire as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Zak Ford-Williams plays Tiny Tim, Aoife Gaston is Belle, Christopher Godwin is the Narrator, Edward Harrison plays Bob Cratchit and Sarah Ridgeway is Mrs Cratchit. View oEmbed on the source website As well as the stage production getting five star reviews across the board, Gatiss has very fond memories of the 1970 film, which left an imprint on him regarding a future portrayal of Marley. Speaking to RadioTimes.com, he revealed: "I saw the Albert Finney film [1970’s Scrooge] when I was four. It’s one of the first films I have very vivid memories of – about the first half dozen movies I saw have all left a very big imprint on me and that… I loved it so much. I was scared to death, but I loved Alec Guinness as Marley. "Weirdly, more than Scrooge, I always thought, ‘That's the part I'd love to play.’ Maybe because he's doomed? It’s quite moving – he intervenes seven years after his death on his friend’s behalf, to do a good thing. It’s too late for him but it’s not too late for Scrooge… "The weird thing was after all these years of planning to do it in one form or another, when I finally got to do it, I suddenly thought, ‘God, I’m hardly in this, am I?’ – the part of Marley looms so large, it was like ‘Oh yeah, it’s just that scene there, really'." A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story will air on BBC Four on Christmas Day (Sunday 25th December) at 7pm. It will also be available to watch online on BBC iPlayer from the same date. Looking for something to watch? Visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to see what's on. The Christmas double issue of Radio Times magazine is on sale now – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast.
BBC Four will air The Singing Detective plus more classics to mark BBC's centenary
The BAFTA-winning series is the latest classic to be added to BBC Four's centenary line-up.
BBC Four has added more classic dramas to its centenary line-up including The Singing Detective and The Roads to Freedom, the channel has announced. Earlier this year, BBC Four opened up a new weekly slot on Wednesdays, dedicated to airing seminal shows to commemorate 100 years of the BBC. BBC Two's adaptation of The Roads to Freedom will be one of the first to take over the weekly Wednesday slot this month, with the Daniel Massey drama airing for the first time on the BBC since 1970s. Each drama will be introduced by a key figure from the production, with Doctor Who's Colin Baker presenting The Roads to Freedom, which was his first TV appearance, on Wednesday 27th July. Other archival gems that are set to air on BBC Four include Dennis Potter's musical The Singing Detective – the BAFTA-winning drama starring Harry Potter's Michael Gambon, The Crown's Imelda Staunton and Fleabag's Bill Paterson. The BBC's adaptation of Richard Llewellyn's How Green Was My Valley and 1979's Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy starring Alec Guinness, will also be airing in BBC Four's Wednesday slot, along with Sunset Song, introduced by Vivien Heilbron and Moira Armstrong. Back in April, BBC Four announced the first slate of classic dramas that would be broadcast in the centenary slot, kicking off with Our Friends in the North starring Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong. The line-up also included dramas like Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, The Boys from the Blackstuff and A Man from the Sun. Amazon Prime Day 2022 is here Taking place on 12th-13th July, Prime Day is an exclusive sales event for Prime members. With early Prime Day deals already live, we are seeing discounts across Amazon devices like the <a style="color: #1155cc" title="https://www.amazon.co.uk/all-new-echo-dot-4th-generation-smart-speaker-with-alexa-charcoal/dp/B084DWCZXZ" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/all-new-echo-dot-4th-generation-smart-speaker-with-alexa-charcoal/dp/B084DWCZXZ?tag=radtim0b-21&ascsubtag=radiotimes-1680529" target="_blank" rel="sponsored" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.co.uk/all-new-echo-dot-4th-generation-smart-speaker-with-alexa-charcoal/dp/B084DWCZXZ&source=gmail&ust=1657790658929000&usg=AOvVaw05xelUfgxaajs_1lno5G0n">Echo Dot and up to 50% off movies and TV shows on Prime Video. Along with access to Amazon Prime Day, a Prime membership also gets you free premium delivery and a subscription to Prime Video and Amazon Music. Sign up for a 30-day free Amazon Prime trial Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide or visit our dedicated Drama hub for the latest news. The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.
BBC Four might be changing but it remains a vital place for overseas drama
The news that changes to BBC Four won't be affecting the channel's international drama offering is cause for celebration, says Patrick Cremona.
When news broke last month that BBC Four was set to be turned into the "home of archive content", the response from many viewers was understandably one of consternation. That the channel which had brought us such brilliant shows as Detectorists, Only Connect and The Thick of It was to become what amounts to little more than a repeats channel seemed like a huge mistake on the part of the BBC, a repeat of their ill-fated (and now reversed) decision to take BBC Three off-air in 2016. One of the main reasons for this dismay was that many assumed the news would also spell an end for international acquisitions on the channel. Since BBC Four was launched in 2002, it has been the UK home of several hit shows from overseas, both American series such as Mad Men and foreign-language imports like The Killing. This alternative drama programming, alongside its arts coverage and wide-ranging selection of documentaries, has always been one of BBC Four's greatest strengths, and would arguably be just as much of a loss to the channel as original programming. The good news is that those lamenting the demise of the channel's overseas output were in fact premature with their protestations. In a clarification send to RadioTimes.com shortly after the news broke, the BBC confirmed that BBC Four will remain as "the home of International drama" and will continue to build "on its rich history of bringing the very best drama series from around the world to UK audiences”. Original commissions might have been put on hold, in other words, but overseas dramas are going nowhere. Now, while there's still reason to be frustrated at the cancellation of new commissions, the news that foreign acquisitions won't be affected is cause for celebration. That's because, despite increased competition from the likes of Netflix and Channel 4's superb Walter Presents strand, BBC Four continues to be one of the best places to watch overseas drama in this country. Let's look at Scandinavian drama, for example – a genre in which the channel has gained a specifically stellar reputation thanks to the breakout success of Nordic noirs like The Killing and The Bridge. While recent acquisitions haven't quite reached the immensely successful heights of those two programmes, there have nonetheless been some terrific Scandinavian shows broadcast on BBC Four in the last couple of years. 2020 saw the debut of a handful of excellent Norwegian series: Game of Thrones star Kristofer Hivju took on a dual role in the twisty crime thriller Twin, while The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss appeared in detective drama Wisting – which boasted the record of being Norway's most expensive series of all time. Then there was State of Happiness, an enjoyable period drama which explored the inhabitants of the town of Stavanger following the discovery of vast reserves of oil in 1969. These series are all very different from one another, but each has clear merits, and each also offered something a little different from the dramas we might normally see on BBC channels. This has continued into 2021, with two series in particular having caught our eye. First, there was The Investigation, the latest series from Borgen co-writer Tobias Lindholm, which explored the real-life investigation into the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall, who was killed in Denmark in 2017. It’s a grisly case, but the series never leans into the sensationalism that is so often a major part of true-crime drama, eschewing salaciousness entirely in favour of a more sober-minded, forensic approach. The murderer never appears, nor is he mentioned by name throughout the whole series, and yet the programme is no less absorbing or compelling for his absence. Following shortly afterwards was Man in Room 301, the first-ever Finnish drama to air on a BBC channel. The series is a more straightforward crime drama, following a family who appear to encounter the man who killed their infant son while they were on holiday in Greece 12 years ago. It's the kind of crime drama that is perhaps a little reliant on contrivance and coincidence but is nonetheless a tremendously engaging and suspenseful watch, anchored by some terrific performances. It's another programme which, like so many of those mentioned above, would simply not have been seen by nearly as many people had the BBC not shown it in a Saturday night slot. While we can be disappointed at the decision to scrap original content, then, as long as BBC Four keeps acquiring exciting, high-quality series from overseas, the channel will continue to stand out as a vital part of the broadcaster's offering. Here's to many more years of Nordic noir. The Investigation and Man in Room 301 are both currently available on BBC iPlayer. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or check out our TV Guide to see what’s on TV this week.
Exclusive – BBC Four will continue to be the home of international drama after cost-cutting moves
The channel will still acquire and air international dramas despite the recent cost-cutting measures.
BBC Four will continue as a home for international dramas despite the channel's recent cost-cutting measures, RadioTimes.com can exclusively reveal. Earlier this week, the BBC announced that BBC Four is shifting away from commissioning lots of lower-cost programmes and would instead air archival content, as proposed in the broadcaster's Annual Plan Report for 2021/22. However, a BBC spokesperson has since confirmed to RadioTimes.com that BBC Four will continue to acquire and air international dramas, "building on its rich history of bringing the very best drama series from around the world to UK audiences". "As we have done in the past, we will also, when appropriate, play international drama on BBC Two and it will continue be a key part of our drama offer on BBC iPlayer," a BBC spokesperson said. The terrestrial channel, which currently timeshares with CBeebies, has imported a number of hugely successful dramas over the years, from Nordic noir The Bridge, Danish procedural The Killing and Israeli title Hostages. BBC Four was established in 2002, becoming a channel for alternative programming within the arts, comedy, documentaries, music and international film and drama. The channel originated series such as Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, Detectorists, Only Connect, Twenty Twelve and Hattie, however the BBC announced on Tuesday that BBC Four would be shifting away from commissioning lots of lower-cost programmes as they are "less effective at reaching audiences on the channel and on iPlayer". For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides. While the channel will continue to broadcast live performances as part of BBC Proms, BBC Young Dancer and BBC Young Musician, and new programming like a behind-the-scenes observational documentary about the Royal Ballet school, it will otherwise "become the home of the most distinct content from across the BBC's archive". In March, the BBC confirmed that online-only channel BBC Three would be returning to the TV guide in January 2022, as part of the broadcaster's drive to deliver more value to audiences. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide. You can also visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.
BBC Four to become home of archive content in cost-cutting move
The channel will no longer commission new programmes, according to the BBC's Annual Plan Report.
The BBC has announced plans to make BBC Four the home of archive content, with the channel no longer set to commission new programmes. The move was revealed in the corporation's Annual Plan Report for 2021/22 as the latest cost-cutting initiative put into place by the broadcaster, which aims to significantly reduce its costs before 2022. According to the report, the channel will be shifting away from commissioning a high volume of lower-cost programmes as they are "less effective at reaching audiences on the channel and on iPlayer". It said "BBC Four will become the home of the most distinctive content from across the BBC’s archive" and added that the channel would also continue to broadcast live performances as part of the BBC Proms, BBC Young Dancer and BBC Young Musician. "The proposed changes to BBC Four will build on the channel’s current archive content offer which already comprises 76 per cent of BBC Four’s broadcast hours and 69 per cent of the channel’s broadcast viewing hours," the report continued. Since it was launched in 2002, BBC Four has been the originator of a wealth of programming across drama, arts and documentaries, in addition to broadcasting a number of overseas acquisitions. Several hit shows have debuted on the channel, including political satire The Thick of It, Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, Mackenzie Crook's sitcom Detectorists, and popular quiz show Only Connect, with many of them subsequently moving to BBC Two. The news follows the announcement earlier this month that BBC Three will return as a linear channel next year, and those plans are outlined further in the report, which states that it aims to broadcast from 7pm to 4am every day. Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out our TV Guide.
Everything you need to know about the BBC's celebration of Reading and Leeds over the years
It's August, which means we're welly-deep into festival season and while summer 2020 has been arguably the worst time for live music, that doesn't mean the show can't go on! Like many festivals due to take place this month, Reading and Leeds Festival was forced to cancel its 2020 events for the first time in 65 years due to COVID-19, however the BBC has swept in to save the day by dedicating various channels to the iconic British music celebration. From Billie Eilish to Biffy Clyro, BBC channels will be airing some of the most memorable sets from Reading and Leeds throughout the years for you to experience without leaving your living room. Here's everything you need to know about Reading and Leeds Festival BBC Weekend. How to watch Reading and Leeds Festival BBC Weekend From Friday 28th August to Sunday 30th August, a number of BBC channels and radio stations will be airing highlights and sets from previous years. From BBC Four and BBC iPlayer, to Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra and BBC Radio 6 Music, you'll be able to get your Reading and Leeds fill across a variety of mediums next weekend. What is the Reading and Leeds Festival BBC Weekend? In absence of the Reading and Leeds festivals this year, the BBC is stepping in to provide music-lovers with a nostalgic look-back at some of the event's greatest sets from the last 65 years. BBC Four will be showcasing highlights from Reading Festival 2019, featuring Foo Fighters, The 1975 and Post Malone, on Saturday 29th August from midnight until 2am. While over on BBC iPlayer, a pop-up Reading and Leeds channel will be launching over the weekend. Fans of the festival will be able to stream some of Reading and Leeds' most iconic sets throughout the weekend from midday to midnight. As well as some of the bigger acts that took the main stage in previous years, like Kendrick Lamar, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Charli XCX, you'll also find a handpicked selection of performances from the BBC Music Introducing Stage, which marked the musical beginning for a number of big names. If you'll be near a radio this weekend, a number of the BBC's stations will be revisiting the cultural mammoth that is Reading and Leeds Festival. On Saturday and Sunday, Dev and Jordan North will be hosting two specials featuring their favourite live performances from the festival from 11am-3pm, while Dan P Carter and Jack Saunders are battling it out with their top rock vs indie tracks on the Sunday, before airing a special show on the Bank Holiday Monday from 7pm-9pm. BBC Radio 1 Xtra will also be airing Reading and Leeds-dedicated shows on Friday and Saturday, featuring the performances of AJ Tracey, J Hus and Wizkid, while BBC Radio 6 Music is airing a special edition of The BBC Introducing Mixtape. Which performances will be airing? Reading and Leeds has confirmed that the BBC weekend will feature past live performances from the likes of The 1975, AJ Tracey, Anne Marie, Foo Fights and Radiohead. While there are more acts to be announced, you can find the current list below: The 1975 (2013, 2014, 2016, Headlined 2019) AJ Tracey (2017, 2018, 2019) Anne-Marie (2017) Biffy Clyro (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, Headlined 2013, 2016) Billie Eilish (2019) Charli XCX (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) Enter Shikari (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019) Foo Fighters (1996, 1998, 2000, headlined 2002, headlined 2005, headlined 2012, headlined 2019) Georgia (2019) J Hus (2017, 2018) The Libertines (2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, headlined 2015) Muse (1999, 2000, 2002, headlined 2006, headlined 2011, headlined 2017) Olivia Nelson (2019) Pale Waves (2018, 2019) Queens of the Stone Age (2000, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2010, headlined 2014, 2017) Radiohead (1993, 1994, headlined 2009) Red Hot Chili Peppers (1994, headlined 1999, headlined 2007, headlined 2016) Sigrid (2017, 2018) Stefflon Don (2017, 2019) The Big Moon (2017) Wizkid (2018) Wolf Alice (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018) While you’re waiting visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
Where is Cardinal filmed? Canadian drama's locations revealed
Here's everything you need to know about the Canadian drama's filming locations...
Cardinal returned to BBC Two yesterday with its fourth and final season set in the fictional town of Algonquin Bay. Adapted from Giles Brunt's novels, the series follows detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and his partner Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse), the crime-investigating team based in the fictional Canadian city. Though the murders are ice cold, viewers have been captivated by the snow-covered landscapes showcased throughout the series. Here's everything we know about the filming locations for Cardinal's final season. North Bay, Northern Ontario Cardinal's fourth series was primarily shot in North Bay, Northern Ontario. The city, based in the Nipissing District, has a population of just 51,500 and straddles both the Ottawa River and the Great Lakes Basin. The Algonquin Bay police station is located in North Bay, with news station CBC Sudbury's old office being used as Cardinal's workplace. Sudbury, Ontario Additional filming took place in Sudbury – the largest city in Canada's Northern Ontario district, with a population of just over 161,000. Speaking to The Sun about filming in Sudbury, executive producer Julia Sereny said: "It was about -40. It was so cold that our sound recordist could not get his truck started." "So we had no sound because we had to go and pick him up from afar," she added. “When we tried to affix something — I can’t remember what it was — to a camera car, the windows shattered because it was so cold … Welcome to the north.” Cardinal is not the only series filmed in Sudbury, with other Canadian dramas including Hard Rock Medical, Letterkenny and Bad Blood filming in the city as well. Atikameksheng Anishnawbek Cardinal series four also filmed in Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, an First Nation reserve in Ontario. Just 386 people living on the land, which is located on the shores of Whitefish Lake, 20 kilometres away from Sudbury. Cardinal airs Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC Two.
BBC considering bringing BBC Three back as on-air channel
The broadcaster hopes to double BBC Three's budget, and has no plans to axe BBC Four.
The BBC is considering the reintroduction of BBC Three as a TV channel, four years after it was moved to online exclusively, and has no plans to close BBC Four. The channel, which targets a younger audience, left linear TV in 2016 to save £30 million, as the BBC said youth audiences were "watching more online". However, ahead of the BBC's annual plan today, a spokesman for the broadcaster said it was now "considering the case" for BBC Three's return to "linear television". "We'd be wrong not to back a serve that is doing better than anyone could have ever conceived," the spokesman continued. The corporation also announced that it plans to double BBC Three's budget, which will mean reductions in other areas as, during the coronavirus crisis, the BBC's income is being reduced by £125 million. Earlier this year, director general Tony Hall told the House of Commons that the Beeb were looking into diverting more resources into BBC Three "to build the kind of creative content they're delivering". BBC Three has commissioned a number of the broadcaster's biggest hits in recent years, including Fleabag and Normal People, which contributed to BBC iPlayer recording its biggest viewing figures in history last week. The channel, which launched in 2003, has also attached its name to hugely popular British comedies, including Gavin & Stacey, This Country and People Just Do Nothing. Whilst purely online, BBC Three has branched into reality series, with RuPaul's Drag Race UK and Glow Up launching last year. The BBC also said that it has no plans to close BBC Four at this time, despite widespread rumours of the 20-year-old channel getting the axe following its editor's move to BBC Studios and the need to make budget cuts. Comment: Taking BBC Three back on-air would reward innovation that’s helped keep the BBC relevant In its annual plan released today, the BBC said that it is looking into developing BBC Four into "a new global subscription service" and intends for 60 hours of factual programmes to air on the channel this year. "Arts will continue to be a centrepiece of Four as we carry on showcasing Culture in Quarantine through this period," the broadcaster wrote. However, the broadcaster has announced that it will be "taking the best of BBC Four's originations" and taking them to BBC Two, to give the programmes "a bigger shop window". Prior to the BBC's annual plan, a petition calling for BBC Four to be saved had attracted over 58,000 signatures so far. Check out what’s on BBC Three and other channels using our TV Guide.
Meet the cast of State of Happiness, BBC Four's Norwegian drama
The series about the oil boom in the city of Stavanger is airing on BBC Four on Saturday nights.
A Nordic drama airing on BBC Four is usually a good earmark of quality, and the latest Scandinavian series to be shown on the channel is State of Happiness, which was first broadcast in Norway under the title Lykkeland in 2018. The show has been described as a Norwegian version of Mad Men, and follows a group of characters living in the city of Stavanger in 1969 against the backdrop of the country's oil boom. The series calls on a large and talented cast - here are all the main players, and where you might have seen them before... Anne Regine Ellingsaeter plays Anna Kellevik Who is Anna Kellevik? Anna is a secretary at the town hall, where the important political decisions at the time are being made. What else has Anne Regine Ellingsaeter been in? State of Happiness is Ellingsaeter's biggest role to date, although she also previously appeared in the Norwegian comedy film Kiss Me You F**king Moron. Bart Edwards plays Jonathan Kay <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366521-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-09b9f50.jpg" width="2000" height="1334" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - generics (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: in Stavanger Jonathan Kay (BART EDWARDS) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Marius Vervik" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Jonathan Kay? Kay is a young American lawyer from Texas, who has been sent to Stavanger by his employers Phillips Petroleum - originally to negotiate an end to the company's agreement with the Norwegian government. What else has Bart Edwards been in? Edwards is actually from Surrey - and his previous credits include appearing in episodes of Peep Show, Fresh Meat and The Witcher as well as eight episodes of EastEnders in 2008. He also had a recurring role in the Hulu series Unreal and will portray Captain James Ehrendorf in upcoming ITV drama The Singapore Grip. Amund Harboe plays Christian Nyman <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366723-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-9ec43e0.jpg" width="2000" height="1334" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - ep 4 (No. 4) - Picture Shows: surfing Christian Nyman (AMUND HARBOE) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Marius Vervik" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Christian Nyman? Christian, who has just become engaged to Anna, comes from a wealthy family in the city and works as a diver on a North Sea rig, although his future work is in jeopardy. What else has Amund Harboe been in? Harboe is a newcomer to the small screen, with State of Happiness marking his first major TV role. Malene Wadel plays Toril Torstensen <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366681-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-2e95e8e.jpg" width="2000" height="1250" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - ep 2 (No. 2) - Picture Shows: Toril Torstensen (MALENE WADEL) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Petter Skafle Henriksen" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Toril Torstensen? Toril comes from a deeply religious background, and has an American boyfriends who works for Shell - though her family have hopes for her to marry someone else. What else has Malene Wadel been in? As with much of the young cast, State of Happiness is Wadel's first appearance on a major TV show. Per Kjerstad plays Fredrik Nyman <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366736-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-ae7086c.jpg" width="2000" height="1250" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - ep 4 (No. 4) - Picture Shows: Ingrid Nyman (PIA TJELTA), Fredrik Nyman (PER KJERSTAD) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Petter Skafle Henriksen" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Fredrik Nyman? Frederik is Christian's father and the owner and managing director of one of the cornerstone companies of the town, Nyman Shipping and Cannery. What else has Per Kjerstad been in? Kjested has a wealth of experience on Norwegian TV, with previous series on his CV including Monster, Eyewitness and Hotel Caesar. Pia Tjelta plays Ingrid Nyman <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366801-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-14d37a5.jpg" width="2000" height="1250" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - ep 4 (No. 4) - Picture Shows: Ship baptizing Ingrid Nyman (PIA TJELTA), Fredrik Nyman (PER KJERSTAD) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Petter Skafle Henriksen" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Ingrid Nyman? Ingrid is Frederik's wife and Christian's mother. What else has Pia Tjelta been in? One of Norway’s most sought-after actors, Tjelta's credits include roles on series such as Beck, Helt Perfekt and En god nummer to and films such as Mongoland and Blind Spot. Vegar Hoel plays Arne Rettedal <img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2020/05/18366658-low_res-state-of-happiness-lykkeland-ac03ea7.jpg" width="2000" height="1251" alt="Programme Name: State of Happiness (Lykkeland) - TX: n/a - Episode: State of Happiness - ep 2 (No. 2) - Picture Shows: Arne Rettedal (VEGAR HOEL) - (C) NRK_Maipo Film - Photographer: Petter Skafle Henriksen" title="State of Happiness (Lykkeland)" /> Who is Arne Rettedal? Arne Rettedal is a true historical figure and was the mayor of Stavanger at the time of the series as well as an engineer and businessman. What else has Vegar Hoel been in? Hoel has appeared in a range of Norwegian films including Mongoland and Dead Snow, while he was also part of the cast for fantasy series Heirs of the Night. State of Happiness continues on Saturdays on BBC Four at 9pm
Mark Gatiss’ creepy new ghost story has a small but perfectly-formed ensemble
This Christmas Eve, Mark Gatiss is reviving the Christmas ghost story tradition with The Dead Room, a new half-hour drama set in a haunted radio studio. And the Sherlock and Dracula co-creator has a small but well-cast team of actors to tell his self-contained tale, some of whom have a connection to Gatiss' time working on Doctor Who. Check them all out below. What is on TV this Christmas? When is The Dead Room on TV this Christmas? View oEmbed on the source website Simon Callow plays Aubrey Judd Who is Aubrey Judd? A veteran actor, Aubrey has presented the radio horror series The Dead Room for years among other jobs – but the latest recording might prove to be more terrifying for him than any before… "He's a magnificent actor who has a bit of a past," Simon Callow told RadioTimes.com of his character. "He's a legendary broadcaster. "He's very modest, he likes to talk himself down a bit. There's nothing seedy about Aubrey. He's been doing this radio show for 40 years – he's one of these fixtures. Nobody admits listening to The Dead Room, but they absolutely do, in the car." Where have I seen Simon Callow before? A well-known face of stage and screen, Callow’s film roles have included Amadeus, Four Weddings and a Funeral, James and the Giant Peach, Shakespeare in Love, Viceroy’s House, Mindhorn (as an exaggerated version of himself) and Victoria & Abdul. On the smaller screen, he’s worked on TV shows including David Copperfield, Rome, various Agatha Christie dramas, Outlander, Death in Paradise and Doctor Who, where he played Charles Dickens in an episode penned by The Dead Room’s writer/director Mark Gatiss. Still, it’s probably Callow’s theatre work that has been his biggest success, with the actor also starring in and directing many plays over the decades. Anjli Mohindra plays Tara Lohia Who is Tara Lohia? An up-and-coming radio producer, Tara’s new style of working clashes slightly with Aubrey’s old-fashioned techniques at first. "She's a very ambitious producer who is getting her toes trampled on a little bit by Aubrey," Anjili told us. "It's a future meets past of radio productions, if that makes sense." Where have I seen Anjli Mohindra before? Anjili got her big break playing Rani Chandra in BBC Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah-Jane Adventures, later taking large roles in Russell T Davies’ Cucumber, Cuffs, Paranoid, The Boy with the Topknot and Dark Heart. However, it’s probably her role as Nadia in smash-hit BBC drama Bodyguard that’s given her the most attention in recent months, with the actor’s performance as a potential suicide bomber with a secret receiving a positive reception from viewers. Susan Penhaligon plays Joan Who is Joan? A ‘foley artist’ of the old school, Joan’s (far left) job is to create the background noise and sound effects for radio plays. "I make all the noises," Susan Penhaligon told RadioTimes.com during filming. "She's the sort of character that's been walking around these corridors for years. She's never gotten out." Where have I seen Susan Penhaligon before? An experienced TV, film and theatre actor, Susan’s screen credits include Upstairs Downstairs, Bergerac, Remington Steele, Doctor Who, Casualty and Emmerdale, as well as film roles in Say Hello to Yesterday, Under Milk Wood, No Sex Please, We’re British and The Land That Time Forgot. Like Callow she’s also a veteran of the stage for the last few decades. Joshua Oakes-Rogers plays Paul View oEmbed on the source website Who is Paul? You’ll have to wait and see, as this character’s significance is being kept under wraps. Where have I seen Joshua Oakes-Rogers before? Oakes-Rogers is fairly new to acting, with his only other screen credit before The Dead Room seeing him play a young Harry Hill in Sky Christmas anthology series Little Crackers. He has also appeared in plays and musicals including Romeo and Juliet, Roseline, Body and Sold, Sweeney Todd and West Side Story. The Dead Room airs on BBC4 on Monday 24th December (Christmas Eve) at 10.00pm
What time is All Aboard! The Great Reindeer Migration on TV this Christmas, and where was it filmed?
BBC4’s latest Slow TV offering is a must-watch for anyone who needs a breather over the Christmas period
After previously broadcasting a sleigh ride, bus route and train journey in real time, BBC4’s “Slow TV” series continues this Christmas as viewers are invited to watch a wondrous natural phenomenon – the Great Reindeer Migration. Here’s everything you need to know about the one-off documentary. What is on TV this Christmas 2018? Call the Midwife, Strictly and an emotional Jodie Whittaker in BBC’s Christmas trailer RadioTimes.com newsletter: get the latest TV and entertainment news direct to your inbox What time is All Aboard! The Great Reindeer Migration on TV? The two hour-long programme airs on BBC4 on Christmas Eve (Monday 24th December) at 8pm, concluding at 10pm. What’s it about and where was it filmed? All Aboard! The Great Reindeer Migration follows Norway’s Sami reindeer herds as they travel around 160 miles across the Finnmark mountains to the far north of the Arctic Circle. In real life the journey to the herd’s summer pastures takes a week, so despite the “Slow TV” label this is actually a relatively zippy version of the whole thing by reindeer standards. Anything else? According to the BBC the journey is “fraught with hazardous weather conditions,” so expect some minor drama as the herd try their best to reach the island of Kvaløya Fálá. And it’s also worth noting it’s not just reindeer in this programme – also travelling alongside the animals will be the Sara family, whose specific herd of reindeer are the focus of the two hours.
BBC to show night of programmes dedicated to George Michael
BBC4 will dedicate an entire evening to the pop singer following his death on Christmas Day
BBC4 has rejigged its schedules to turn the evening of Friday 30th December into a night dedicated to George Michael. Fans of the singer and former Wham! member were shocked by the news that he had died of heart failure, aged 53, on Christmas Day. BBC1 paid tribute by showing Michael's 2012 concert at the Palais Garnier in Paris on 27th December and BBC4 will now follow suit with "a night of programmes in memory of George Michael", including another airing of the concert. The full schedule is as follows: 9pm George Michael: A Different Life Documentary about the late singer's life and career, featuring candid interviews with the man himself, talking about his childhood, the Wham! years, the pain of losing his boyfriend to Aids in 1992, his battles with his record label Sony in the early 90s, the infamous LA toilet incident, and his attempts to attack US foreign policy in song. With contributions from Elton John, Mariah Carey, Boy George, Simon Cowell and Noel Gallagher. 10:30pm TOTP2: Wham! Special Mark Radcliffe introduces a selection of Top of the Pops performances by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's duo, featuring Young Guns (Go For It!), Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), Bad Boys, Club Tropicana, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Freedom, Everything She Wants and Edge of Heaven. 11pm George Michael Live at the Palais Garnier George Michael introduces his solo performance at the historic Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris, recorded in 2012 for his live album Symphonica. The film brings together a compilation of live stage performances interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage and insights featuring George, his orchestra and the legendary producer Phil Ramone, shortly before his death in 2013. In between performances of his classic songs, George describes the stories behind some of his favourite tracks, along with rehearsals with the Symphonica orchestra and George's backing singers. Includes tracks Through, My Baby Just Cares for Me, A Different Corner, Cowboys and Angels, John & Elvis Are Dead, You've Changed, Going to Town, Brother Can You Spare a Dime, Let Her Down Easy, You've Been Loved, Roxanne, Wild is the Wind, Praying for Time, Feeling Good. Freedom, a Channel 4 documentary about Michael's second album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1, is set to air in March 2017, Michael's Instagram account revealed in November. George Michael night begins on BBC4 at 9pm tonight, Friday 30th Decemeber
Danny Cohen's successor as BBC director of television set to have a smaller role
The Corporation's new TV boss is likely to have a reduced influence, with the proposed head of BBC Studios Peter Salmon enjoying a much larger brief, RadioTimes.com understands
The successor to BBC director of television Danny Cohen is set to have a diminished and redefined role under proposals currently being thrashed out within the Corporation, RadioTimes.com understands. Under the current thinking, the role which Cohen is due to vacate next month is set to “shrink” and be “re-shaped” according to top level sources, with enormous power being handed to the new boss of BBC Studios Peter Salmon if plans to bolster the reach and remit of the new production base are approved by the Government and the BBC Trust. The Corporation declined to comment on the claims, or say whether this was partly responsible for Cohen’s decision to stand down from his job last week. In his statement, Cohen said he was keen to find a new challenge and wanted to quit to avoid rumours and speculation about his future. But it is understood that the director of television job, previously considered the second most powerful position at the BBC, will be ”diminished”, with the new incumbent likely to lose additional powers to the new head of BBC Studios. In fact the director of television role could be reduced to a director of content brief - which means it will cover radio and television and online commissioning but have no oversight of production. Already Salmon is responsible for the entirety of the Corporation’s in-house content production after being made head of BBC Studios in July. However the BBC has further ambitions for the role. Under the plans for BBC Studios, director-general Tony Hall said he wanted independent producers to be able to pitch for virtually all of the BBC’s output, with the Corporation's 2,000-strong production base in turn freed up to pitch ideas to other broadcasters. This has caused some alarm for commercial broadcasters and independent production companies and the proposals need to be effectively rubber-stamped by the Government because they have been rolled into Whitehall’s renewal of the BBC’s royal charter. The Trust has already indicated that it is broadly supportive of the plans. When his appointment was announced, Hall said Salmon had a “great track record as a programme-maker and a creative leader", adding "I believe he’s the right person to help shape and mould BBC Studios”. Salmon has not received a pay rise on top of the existing salary of £375,000 he earned last year but with a new job overseeing the production of hit shows such as Doctor Who and Top Gear, it's fair to say his power within the BBC has significantly increased. His salary is also in excess of the £320,000 figure earned by Cohen at the time of his departure.
Mackenzie Crook: “People do go on about how skinny I am - you couldn’t get away with just focusing on a woman’s size"
“People project things on to you. Gareth [from The Office] was an odd-looking bloke… so people will always think of me as a pale, unhealthy, pasty-looking weirdo"
Detectorists and The Office star Mackenzie Crook has said that he avoids social media because he is tired of having his personal appearance mocked. In an interview in this week’s Radio Times magazine to mark the upcoming second series of his comedy Detectorists, he reveals: “People do go on about how skinny I am… You couldn’t get away with just focusing on a woman’s size these days, but it seems to be all right to do that [to a man]. It makes me a bit cross sometimes. “So when I go out, I am particularly recognisable, I think. The only person I hang out with who is more recognisable is Matt Lucas, who is recognisable from 100 yards away. And he gets it constantly… people taking photos or double-taking." The actor, who writes and directs Detectorists, which also stars Toby Jones, adds: “People project things on to you. Gareth [his character from The Office] was an odd-looking bloke, with the hair… so therefore people will always think of me as a pale, unhealthy, pasty-looking weirdo. And people also hear a West Country accent when I’m talking, when there isn’t one. I am from Kent! My accent is Kentish!" Crook also reveals that he has called time on his comedy cameos in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He said no to reprising the part of the glass-eyed Ragetti, member of Captain Barbossa’s crew in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales. “When it comes down to it, it’s a choice between doing the character again that I did 12 years ago, and it’s a little part in a big Hollywood movie, or doing my own passion project.” Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times magazine, on sale from Tuesday 20th October
Mackenzie Crook to talk Detectorists at the Radio Times Festival
The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean star will be reflecting on his bittersweet BBC4 comedy which has just started filming a second series in Suffolk
Mackenzie Crook will be appearing at the Radio Times Festival in September to talk about the return of his Bafta-winning comedy Detectorists. Crook, who writes, directs and stars in the BBC4 show, will take to the stage alongside producer Adam Tandy on September 25th, offering an insight into their uniquely British story of love, companionship and eccentricity. The first series of Detectorists won an army of fans as well as a Bafta Award with its tender story about the lives of the members of the Danebury Metal Detecting Club. Crook played Andy, a dreamy metal detectorist hoping to strike gold in the fields of Suffolk. Toby Jones (Marvellous, The Hunger Games) stars as his best friend Lance, while Rachael Stirling plays the part of Andy's long-suffering girlfriend Becky. The second series, plus a Christmas special, began filming last week.“To be back in Suffolk filming in the glorious English countryside for a second summer is more than I could have hoped for," said Crook as the cameras began rolling. "I’m thrilled that people warmed to the first series of Detectorists and I can’t wait to show them the next instalment.” Radio Times Festival runs from 24th-27th September on The Green at Hampton Court Palace. READ MORE Toby Jones joins Mackenzie Crook in new BBC4 comedy about metal detecting Gareth Keenan won't be enjoying Life on the Road with David Brent, says Mackenzie Crook Why it’s great that Mackenzie Crook comedy Detectorists will be back for another series Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright and Detectorists' Mackenzie Crook win Bafta writer awards
Yes, the Government has struck a hard bargain with the BBC. But don't worry too much, writes Ben Dowell, it's not all doom and gloom and at least the Corporation has some form of financial stablity
When the Chancellor George Osborne rattled his sabre over the weekend and threatened the BBC with his plans to force it to pay for licences for the over 75s there was consternation among the BBC’s supporters. The cost of the commitment – around £650m – represented a little under one fifth of the BBC’s total licence fee revenue (£3.17bn) and would cripple the Corporation, many believed. Osborne's warnings came complete with veiled threats about the BBC’s “imperial” ambitions regarding its online offerings and suggestions that this was an area where it spent £171m in 2013 and could find more room for savings. Here, the doom-mongers wailed, was final proof that the Government was paying back Rupert Murdoch and others for the support most newspapers gave the Tories in the 2015 general election. Here was final proof that the dire warnings issued by the likes of Russell T Davies before the election that the Tories really had it in for the liberal pinko BBC and were determined to kill it had come true. But the truth is rarely that simple. And while there were obvious problems with the process – a behind-the-scenes stitched up deal hurried together in less than a week – greater detail has made it seem less perilous. First the way it was handled. The Chair of the BBC Trust Rona Fairhead didn’t like the way the deal was cooked up, writing to culture secretary John Whittingdale and Osborne with the not unsniffy complaint: “We accept this decision is a legitimate one for the government to take, although we cannot endorse the process by which it has been reached“. But the fact is, in the 20 years I have been writing about the BBC, charter renewal is always done this way – months of posturing, claims of a measured and open process, always coming down to a late night game of brinkmanship between the director-general and the Government. And the fact is that the current DG Lord Hall really has struck quite a good deal for the BBC given the circumstances. The over 75s cost will be phased in, for starters. The first impact of taking on the cost of free licence fees for over-75s will be felt by the BBC in 2018/19, when it will amount to £250m. Its financial commitment will nearly double to £450m the following year, and £750m by 2020/21. There were fears before charter renewal that the BBC would have its licence fee frozen for another ten years, a very real possibility that people like Russell T Davies said would see the BBC endure “death by a thousand cuts”. That is not to be. The licence fee will, the signs are, remain in place for at least another five years, by which time the BBC may be able to work out a way of charging for services in our multi-platform world. And the BBC will have its £145.50 increased in line with inflation. That is what I call a secure financial footing. Hall also secured a promise to introduce legislation within the next year to modernise the licence fee and close a loophole covering catch-up TV. Yes, there are problems. Former DG Lord Birt said yesterday in the House of Lords that the “deeply shocking deal” amounted to a breach of the BBC’s independence. “This has happened again, taking a huge slice out of the BBC’s budget. Again it happened with no public discussion of any kind. This government and the last government have essentially set a very dangerous precedent,” he said. And yes, while people are claiming that the BBC’s independence is compromised by the commitment to pay for over 75s – is it now in the business of funding the Government’s welfare budget? – it is not as if this kind of cost burden is a new thing. Under the terms of the current charter the BBC was committed to funding superfast broadband around the country by 2020 at a cost of around £80m – something Hall has now freed the BBC from in the current pact with the Government. The BBC was always going to face a tough financial future and it is no good pretending that this deal is flawlessly brilliant. There is trouble ahead, many more cost savings to be made, and threats by Whittingdale that decriminalising non-payment of the licence fee will be "carefully considered" by the Government which will not make Hall sleep any easier. Already the perception among a growing section of the population that use iPlayer is that the TV licence is optional. The BBC boss is also not ruling out closing services in future, a threat no doubt dismissed in Whitehall as political posturing, but one which people who enjoyed watching BBC3 on terrestrial TV know can be all too real. But at least the BBC has some sort of security. At least it has not been killed by a thousand cuts. And this is something it can build on. READ MORE BBC faces the calamitous loss of a fifth of its income in the Budget - surely channels and radio stations will soon be under threat A simpler, leaner BBC? Does this just mean more job cuts and even less money? Drama boss Ben Stephenson labels criticism of the BBC "effing nonsense" No Tory plans to replace licence fee says George Osborne Wolf Hall producer: "Freezing the licence fee would be death by attrition" for the BBC Senior Tory MP: TV licence fee is less fair than poll tax Influential committee of MPs calls for abolition of the BBC as we know it I fear for the future of the BBC if the Conservatives win the next election says Russell T Davies
BBC faces the calamitous loss of a fifth of its income in the Budget - surely channels and radio stations will soon be under threat
As George Osborne prepares to hand the BBC a £650 million bill for free TV licences for over-75s, Ben Dowell asks what radical decisions the Corporation could be forced into to avoid being pushed "down the cliff"
In 2010 even the suggestion was enough to prompt the BBC’s Trustees and then BBC director general Mark Thompson to consider resigning en masse. Now, the move that Thompson said in his memoirs would have pushed the BBC “down the cliff” looks like a dead certainty. Chancellor George Osborne has indicated that his budget on Wednesday will include plans for the BBC to pick up the £650m bill for free licence fees for the over-75s – meaning that the Corporation will have to fork out nearly a fifth of its annual £3.7bn licence fee income on what some critics regard as a welfare expense. The decree, briefed by Treasury officials to the Sunday Times at the weekend, is likely to be phased in by 2017. As the Treasury seeks to make a promised £12bn of budget savings, the logic from the Government perspective is clear. For Osborne's number crunchers, more than half a billion pounds taken from a BBC often portrayed as bloated, management-heavy and in need of a trim is clearly perceived as low-hanging fruit when you are in the business of making welfare cuts from groups like children and the disabled. But the move could prove disastrous for the Corporation. Already, the BBC is being required to shoulder massive cuts. A licence fee freeze since 2010 has seen its income plummet in real terms, forcing the Corporation to embark on making accumulated savings of £1.5bn by 2016-17 in its Delivering Quality First initiative. The BBC has also been forced to close BBC3, the popular youth service which is now migrating online, despite BBC management’s avowal that the decision is not one it would have liked to have taken. So what next for the BBC? It can try to fight the latest Treasury plan, claiming that it may have to cut a channel or radio station in the face of such a drastic reduction in income and hoping the public reacts. But the popular response to the closure of BBC3 –and the bid by Jimmy Mulville and Jon Thoday to buy the channel – has been relatively muted. In any case, Osborne has already pre-empted this, telling the Andrew Marr show on Sunday that the new financial burden would not automatically result in the closure of services. He pointed to the 2010 licence fee deal, where the BBC was asked to take on £500m of extra responsibilities, including the World Service and broadband rollout. “I was told at the time by people 'they’re going to shut down BBC2, they’re going to close Radio 4'. They always seem to pick the juiciest fruit on the tree,” Osborne said. He also cited the BBC’s growth of its online services as something that is ripe for cutting. “If you’ve got a website that’s got features and cooking recipes – effectively the BBC website becomes the national newspaper as well as the national broadcaster. There are those sorts of issues we need to look at very carefully. “You wouldn’t want the BBC to completely crowd out national newspapers. If you look at the BBC website it is a good product but it is becoming a bit more imperial in its ambitions.” That may be the perception, but according to the actual figures the BBC's online spend in 2013/14 was £174.4m –admittedly a lot more than the £117.8 million it has promised to reduce it to by 2017, but still not huge in the scheme of things. But even if the BBC closed down its online operation entirely there is still the small matter of another half-a-billion pounds to save – around half the entire content budget of its flagship channel BBC1 (£1.02bn in 2013) and more than the total programming spend of BBC2 (£400m in 2013). Somewhere, the BBC will have to make radical cuts. The 1,000 proposed job losses from middle management announced recently are designed to balance the estimated £150m shortfall from those who avoid the licence fee by claiming they only watch online via iPlayer (Osborne's offer to allow the BBC to charge for the use of iPlayer could recoup some of that but, given the practicalities involved, probably not all of it, and certainly not enough). Those savings are not intended to offset any losses from the over-75s move. And anyway, the Corporation cannot keep salami slicing its existing programming infrastructure for much longer. The question now is, which channels or radio stations should we be prepared to lose? Something big will have to go. Either that or it really will be cliff time. READ MORE A simpler, leaner BBC? Does this just mean more job cuts and even less money? Drama boss Ben Stephenson labels criticism of the BBC "effing nonsense" No Tory plans to replace licence fee says George Osborne Wolf Hall producer: "Freezing the licence fee would be death by attrition" for the BBC Senior Tory MP: TV licence fee is less fair than poll tax Influential committee of MPs calls for abolition of the BBC as we know it I fear for the future of the BBC if the Conservatives win the next election says Russell T Davies