Thank you Valerie, a bit more on than there was last week but I wonder how much will get cancelled in favour of the tennis?
I was a bit surprised to see Jenny Agutter fronting a programme about "our cultural heritage" seeing as how she and her husband were fined for trashing a bit of it a year or two ago.
Yes - apart from the Big Dig programmes, there has been a definite lack of good stuff for the past two or three weeks. But I think the Five "Britain's Finest..." might be worth a look next week.
SATURDAY 5th BBC 2 8.25pm Wellington: the Iron Duke Another chance to see the last of a three-part series from last year chronicling the life of the military hero the Duke of Wellington. From Soldier to Statesman. Richard Holmes explores how Waterloo sealed the Duke's place in History, but, propelled into politics, he found new battles to fight.
BBC 2 9.15pm In Search of Shakespeare. Historian Michael Wood in the second of a four-part investigation into the turbulent and dangerous world of Elizabethan England to chart the extraordinary life of arguably the world's greatest writer - William Shakespeare. The Lost Years. Little is known about Shakespeare's life between the ages of 18 and 28 - however, there are some intriguing theories. Did he serve in a Catholic house during a dangerous time of Protestant reform? Or did he spread propaganda for the Elizabethan government in the acxtor's company the Queen's Men? MW investigates the Bard's secret history, watches actors of the RSC bring his scripts to life, and learns more about the violent death of Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's great rival.
Channel 4 5.30pm Crime Team. Continuing the series presented by Jerome Lynch QC in which celebrities get the chance to try to solve some fascinating and macabre crimes from British history. Using only the evidence that was available to the police at the time, magician Paul Daniels and journalist Janet Street-Porter seek to uncover the truth behind the murder of affluent 17th-century MP Thomas Thynne. Starting with only a gun and a green ribbon as clues, they trace his public and personal life to find out who may have killed him - but can they solve the mystery in just three days.
TUESDAY 8th BBC 2 9.00pm Rebels and Redcoats: the American Revolutionary War. Historian Professor Richard Holmes sheds light on the American War of Independence in a new four-part series. The Shot Heard Around the World. The war for Independence is often regarded as a people's struggle for liberty in the face of colonial oppression - however, the truth is that many men and women remained loyal to the British crown, and chose sides simply to lay claim to their neighbour's land. Reconstructions illustrate how the rebels' advanced military tactics sparked a conflict that raged beyond the control of the idealists behind the uprising: Boston brewer Sam Adams, silversmith Paul Revere and merchant smuggler John Hancock.
Five 7.30pm The Naked Pilgrim: the Road To Santiago. Second in a six-part series in which art critic Brian Sewell follows in the footsteps of Mediaeval pilgrims to the religious shrine of Santiago de Compostella in spain. On this leg of his voyage, Sewell continues through France and visits the unusual Gothic cathedrals at Chartres and Orleans.
WEDNESDAY 9th BBC 2 7.30pm Homeground. The Alexander Archive. The extraordinary story of a wealthy Wirral family's life captured on film between the 1920s and 1960s starts a new 11-part run of the regional documentary series. Revealing stories of love, obsession and tragedy, the archive was discovered by a movie buff at a car-boot sale.
Five 9.00pm Search for the Lost City of Gold. Travel writer Tahir Shah travels to Peru to find the legendary lost city that the Incas fled to escape the marauding Spanish Conquistadors in 1532. However, his quest is soon hampered by a combination of inhospitable terrain, bad luck and local superstition.
THURSDAY 10th BBC 2 9.00pm Darien: Disaster in Paradise. Three centuries ago an attempt by Scotland to establish a colony in the jungles of Panama ended in catastrophe - 2,000 of the pioneers died - and the financial repercussions led directly to the unification of Scotland and England in 1707. This documentary follows a team of archaeologists on an expedition to Panama to try and discover what went wrong. Their evocative finds reveal how the Darien colony, led by William Patterson, embarked on a road to ruin. *** There is a feature on this programme (including pics of Mark Horton) on p25 of RT.
Channel 4 8.00pm No. 57: the History of a House. In the first of the six-part documentary series, architect and broadcaster Maxwell Hutchison uses a Georgian House in Bristol to take a 200-year journey through the history of interior design, showing how fashions have mirrored the nation's social, political and economic trends. This edition covers the period from 1849 to 1879. The novelty of running water came to 57 Kingsdown Parade for the first time with a tap in the kitchen, and commercial traderrs in the port of Bristol - including a ships' chandler and a watchmaker - became the house's most significant occupants.
FRIDAY 11th BBC 2 9.00pm Royal Mistresses - Alice and Camilla. Alice Keppel was mistress to Edward VII from 1898 until his death in 1910. Two months before Keppel's death in 1947, her great-granddaughter Camilla Shand was born, who grew up to become mistress to Edward's great-great-grandson, Prince Charles. Comparing and contrasting the lives of these two women from the same family, this revealing documentary - that will appeal to royal fans and cynics alike - explores how attitudes towards the monarchy, sexual infidelity and the role of the press have changed across a century.
Five 7.30pm Tim Marlow on Tate Modern. Third in a four-part series examining in detail exhibits at the London gallery. Art historian Marlow explores the Nude/Action/ Body section including works by Rodin, Lucien Freud, Giacometti and Mark Wallinger.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 5th, and 7.00am on Sunday 6th.
Monday Excavating an Iron Age chamber in Cornwall. Tuesday A Civil War siege house in Shropshire. Wednesday In Throckmorton, Worcestershire. Thursday Putting Castleford on the Roman map. Friday A mediaeval castle at Henley-in-Arden.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
SATURDAY 12th BBC 2 8.15pm The Lost World of Tyntesfield. Secrecy surrounded the Tyntesfield Estate near Bristol for over 100 years while the outside world was oblivious to both its existence and treasures. But all that changed in 2002 when it hit the headlines after being bought by the National Trust for over £20 million. Dan Cruickshank crosses a threshold that has, for over 150 years, been open only to family, friends and servants. Beyond a blanket of dense trees lies a Gothic fantasy and a monument to the Victorian age. Aided by family members, DC coaxes forgotten secrets out of hiding.
BBC 2 9.15pm In Search of Shakespeare. Historian Michael Wood in the third of a four-part investigation into the turbulent and dangerous world of Elizabethan England to chart the extraordinary life of arguably the world's greatest writer - William Shakespeare. The Duty of Poets. Shakespeare's rise to fortune and fame is featured. With "Romeo and Juliet" and "Midsummer Night's Dream" he became England's top entertainer. But tragedy struck when his only son died aged 11. Plunged into a midlife crisis, Shakespeare fell for a teenaged nobleman, had an affair with a married woman and was summonsed for GBH. Meanwhile, his theatre company built the Globe and, in the midst of it all, he created some of literature's most enduring characters.
Channel 4 5.30pm Crime Team. More celebrities get the chance to try to solve fascinating and macabre crimes from history. Presented by Jerome Lynch QC. Trouble at Mill. Using only the evidence that was available to the police at the time, comedian Sean Hughes and writer Jane Goldman turn detective in a bid to nail a poisoner who was at work in deepest Yorkshire back in 1807.
Channel 4 8.00pm The Story of The Novel. The rapid rise of English-language fiction is the focus of this new four-part series, which begins by tracing the controversial origins of the novel and its development through the 18th century. Starting with a look at Daniel Defoe's 1719 work Robinson Crusoe, this documentary charts how the new literary creation became more and more sophisticated, culminating in less than a century in the works of Jane Austen.
TUESDAY 15th BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the devleopment of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station in a new six-part series. The Early Pioneers. A visit to Cornwall illuminates the early history of the steam engine in Britain, which was developed to pump water from the tin mines.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One.Designer and inventor Garry Lavin tackles the mechanics of domestic life in a new six-part series. Power Mad. Lavin charts the development of power in the home, incorporating everything from Fred Flintstone's Stone Age living room to gas-powered hairdryers.
BBC 2 9.00pm Rebels and Redcoats: the American Revolutionary War. Historian Professor Richard Holmes sheds light on the American War of Independence in the second of a four-part series. American Crisis. As Washington is forced out of New York, his army begins to desert, until a daring raid across a frozen river gives him victory in New Jersey. But the British still seem to be masters in this war, despite being overstretched in this vast continent. The tide begins to turn however, when American rebels find a new ally.
Five 7.30pm The Naked Pilgrim: the Road To Santiago. Third in a six-part series in which art critic Brian Sewell follows in the footsteps of Mediaeval pilgrims to the religious shrine of Santiago de Compostella in Spain. As his pilgrimage becomes arduous he tires of Gothic architecture. He enjoys an 11th century Romanesque church in Poitiers, but his pleasure is countered by poor accomodation in Bordeaux and the commercialism of the famous shrine at Lourdes.
WEDNESDAY 16th BBC 2 7.30pm Homeground. For Those in Peril. The Seas of the South West are among the most treacherous off the British coast. For 200 years men and women have crewed the region's lifeboats - but entire communities have paid the price for their bravery.
BBC 2 8.00pm Building the Impossible. The Roman War Machine. An enormous catapult was the key to the Roman armoury when they laid seige to Jerusalem in AD70. It towered over eight metres, fired 26 kilo missiles and was so powerful only the elite 10th legion could build it. Followed by 10 minutes of AHD in What The Victorians Did For Us.
BBC 2 9.00pm Our Top Ten Treasures. The British Museum's top ten treasures are revealed in a MTA special. The exhibits include the Mold gold cape, the Snettisham treasure and the Sutton Hoo burial ship. Presented by AHD.
THURSDAY 17h Channel 4 8.00pm No. 57: the History of a House. In the third of the series, architect and broadcaster Maxwell Hutchison uses a Georgian House in Bristol to take a 200-year journey through the history of interior design, showing how fashions have mirrored the nation's social, political and economic trends. Here, he examines the period from 1880 to 1905 and shows how Victorian Gothic and the influence of the Arts and Crafts movement affected the house, which by now was not as fashionable as it had once been.
FRIDAY 18th Five 8.00pm Cleopatra's Lost Cities: the Underwater Mystery. A team of underwater archaeologists seeks to find explanations as to how, in about 900AD, three major cities - Alexandria, Menouthis and Herakleion - were submerged beneath the Mediterranean Sea.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 12th.
Monday From Brading on the Isle of Wight. Tuesday From Braemore in Hampshire. Wednesday Dinosaur hunting in the USA's Rocky mountains. Thursday In Spain. Friday Cirencester.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
SATURDAY 19th BBC 2 9.15pm In Search of Shakespeare. Historian Michael Wood focuses on the life of the Bard in the reign of King James I in the conclusion of a four-part investigation into the turbulent and dangerous world arguably the world's greatest writer - William Shakespeare. For all time. As well as a visit to the present Queen's royal robe-makers that provides evidence of Shakespeare's role in the coronation, Wood examines the popular effect of the Gunpowder Plot, to which the playwright responded with a tale of regicide, and also sheds new light on Shakespeare's strange bequest to his wife Anne in his will.
Channel 4 5.30pm The Real George V Documentary exploring the contrasting views of King George V, whose subjects saw him as a father figure, but whose family were forced to suffer his incessant bullying.
Channel 4 8.00pm The Story of The Novel. Great Expectations. The second of a four-part series, focusing on the development of English-language fiction concentrates on 19th century novels. Works by novelists such as Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray and George Eliot painted a vivid picture of a country in the grip of social turmoil, while an abundance of strong female characters allowed authors to explore a different perspective and set the stage for the writers who followed.
MONDAY 20th Channel 4 9.00pm Machines Time Forgot. Crane. Forgotten feats of technological invention are the focus of this new four-part series. In part one, a team including a film-set designer, an engineer, carpenters and blacksmiths travel to a ruined Abbey in Normandy, where they make an ambitious attempt to reconstruct the mediaeval cathedral crane using traditional methods.
TUESDAY 22nd BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the devleopment of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station in the second of a new six-part series. The Transport Revolution. How the advent of steam power radically changed the way people travelled.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One. Designer and inventor Garry Lavin tackles the mechanics of domestic life in the second of a new six-part series. Keeping Life Easy. Lavin looks at the gadgets and inventions that take the strain around the home, from the washing machine to the evolution of the telephone.
BBC 2 9.00pm Rebels and Redcoats: the American Revolutionary War. Historian Professor Richard Holmes sheds light on the American War of Independence in the penultimate of a four-part series. The War Moves South. The British open a new front in the southern colonies, winning a series of victories and finding a new army of recruits among former slaves. RH looks at how war in the South became a savage battle.
Five 7.30pm The Naked Pilgrim: the Road To Santiago. Fourth in a six-part series in which art critic Brian Sewell follows in the footsteps of Mediaeval pilgrims to the religious shrine of Santiago de Compostella in Spain. BS continues his pilgrimage with a trip to Guernica, the industrial Basque town which inspired Picasso to paint arguably his most renowned work. Next stop is Bilbao, and a visit to Frank O Gehry's Guggenheim Museum.
WEDNESDAY 23rd BBC 2 8.00pm Building the Impossible. The First Airship. 1783 saw the first pioneering days of aviation. The Montgolfier brothers manned a hot-air ballon, Jacques Charles the first gas ballon and Jean Baptiste Meusnier designed the first-ever airship. But the latter was such an ambitious project that it was never built. Now a team of engineers and scientists construct - and test - a vessel based on the design. Followed by 10 minutes of What The Romans Did For Us, with AH-D.
Five 7.30pm Weapons of World War II Rockets. This edition of the series about the arsenal employed during WWII focuses on the development of rockets, particularly the German V1 and V2.
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Catastrophe. This first edition begins with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on 28 June 1914. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh.
Five 10.00pm Battlefield Detectives: What Sank the Armada? A documentary which examines why the awesome Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 ships and 19,000 troops, failed to defeat the English in 1588.
THURSDAY 24th Channel 4 8.00pm No. 57: the History of a House. In the fourth of the series, architect and broadcaster Maxwell Hutchison uses a Georgian House in Bristol to take a 200-year journey through the history of interior design, showing how fashions have mirrored the nation's social, political and economic trends. Edwardian and Art Nouveau themes emerge as the main influences of the period from 1902 to 1930. During this time, the Georgian House is home to the Nash family, whose grown-up seamstress daughter uses one of the rooms to work.
FRIDAY 25th Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. In the first of a six-part series which tries to establish links between controversial modern sculptures and great works of the past, LG explores definitions of of the term "sculpture" and the significance of the materials used.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 19th and 7.00am on Sunday 20th.
Monday A Spitfire. Tuesday Exploring the tiny village of Wadden, Dorset. Wednesday The team exhume a Roman cemetery. Thursday A Stone Age site at Elveden in Suffolk. Friday A mediaeval cathedral in Coventry.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
Sorry I'm so late tonight folks - too much time spent on the Big Brother website!
From Radio Times 26th July - 1st August
SATURDAY 26th Channel 4 8.00pm The Story of The Novel. Forbidden Territory. As the 20th century ushered in an age of experimental writing, a new breed of authors set about revolutionising the novel. Modernist writers such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence threw out the rulebook and began to tackle taboo areas of the human experience. But, in doing so, they alienated much of the reading public, who began to turn to populist authors such as H.G. Wells and Arnold Bennett. The third in the four-part series on the devleopment of English-language fiction asks what the modernist experiment achieved, and at what cost.
MONDAY 28th Channel 4 8.00pm Mummies That Made Themselves. A documentary film that follows a team of scientists as they investigate the remains of Japanese Buddhist monks who underwent an astonishing process of self-mummification while still alive over 200 years ago. Can the scientists manage to unravel the mysteries behind the monks' perfect preservation?
Channel 4 9.00pm Machines Time Forgot. Fireship. In the second of a four-part series celebrating some of history's best unsung inventions, two teams of specialists try to re-create a seventh-century weapon of mass destruction: a ship capable of projecting fire over long distances. Armed with a complicated catapult and a dangerous flame-thrower, it proves a major challenge.
TUESDAY 29th BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the development of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station in the third of a new six-part series. Driving the Wheels of Industry. Charting the role of steam in Britain's 18th- and 19th-century industrial expansion, and the use of huge stationary steam engines in mills, collieries and steel works until well into the 20th century.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One. Designer and inventor Garry Lavin tackles the mechanics of domestic life in the third of a six-part series. Making a Meal of It. Lavin looks at the development of our culinary habits, uncovers the origins of the term "upper crust", and explains the seminal role of a bar of chocolate in the evolution of the microwave.
BBC 2 9.00pm Rebels and Redcoats: the American Revolutionary War. Historian Professor Richard Holmes sheds light on the American War of Independence in the concluding episode of a four-part series. The World Turned Upside Down. By 1781, the British had enjoyed command of the sea and with it the ability to move thousands of troops. RH examines how an extraordinary naval blunder allowed the French fleet to isolate a large British garrison at Yorktown. Surrender was now inevitable.
Five 7.30pm The Naked Pilgrim: the Road To Santiago. Fifth in a six-part series in which art critic Brian Sewell follows in the footsteps of Mediaeval pilgrims to the religious shrine of Santiago de Compostella in Spain. BS continues his pilgrimage by stopping off at the fine Spanish cathedrals in Burgos and Leon. But he is feeling drained and thinks next week's 50-mile horse ride will be too much.
Five 8.00pm The Search for King Midas's Tomb. King Midas, ruler of Phrygia - now part of Turkey - legendarily turned all he touched to gold. Two archaeologists's attempts to find the truth by using carbon dating on a tomb dating back 2.500 years reveal that Midas may have been a wise leader of a sophisticated civilisation.
WEDNESDAY 30th Five 7.30pm Weapons of World War II Fast Attack Boats. Focussing on high-speed shallow boats used by the British, Germans and the USA.
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Slaughter in the Trenches. This week's episode focusses on the horrors of the trenches. Narrated by Kenneth Branagh.
Five 10.00pm Battlefield Detectives: Agincourt's Dark Secrets An examination of Henry V's historic victory against the French in 1415 that suggests factors, in addition to the superior English longbow, which may account for a triumph over far greater French forces. It also sheds new light on Henry's ruthlessness.
THURSDAY 31st Channel 4 8.00pm No. 57: the History of a House. The Georgian house in Bristol reaches its nadir in tonight's programme, which covers the period between 1930 and 1965. Following two world wars, the whole area is run down and interior design is not high on the agenda. However, in this penultimate edition, Maxwell Hutchinson notes the influence of modernism, the space age and the Festival of Britain within the walls of No 57.
FRIDAY 1st BBC 2 9.00pm A Country Estate. In its heyday, Loton Park in Shropshire employed 19 servants and six gardeners. However the estate has now shrunk to just three farms, and owner Sir Michael Leighton lives alone in the "big house". This documentary follows him as he struggles to reconcile his controversial views on estate management with a pressing need to make money through events such as public open days and weddings. Followed by ten minutes of AH-D with What The Romans Did For Us.
Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. In the second of a the series which tries to establish links between controversial modern sculptures and great works of the past, LG investigates public sculpture, from famous examples in London to modern monuments like "The Angel of the North".
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 26th and 7.00am on Sunday 27th.
Monday Tudor pile, Basing House in Hampshire. Tuesday From Flag Fen in Cambridgeshire. Wednesday To Hereford, to search for the palace of Anglo-Saxon king Offa. Thursday A Roman temple in Greenwich Park, London. Friday An Anglo-Saxon monastery in Hartlepool.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
Was going through the threads at work today - as you do - when I came to this TV thread. The firewall let me onto page 1, but when I requested the current page (7), I was denied access on the grounds that there was "a forbidden word" or that the page had "exceeded the quota of questionable words"!!!! Heavens above ..... questionable words on the TV thread! Any guesses as to what they might be??
Sorry to be late with this - I stupidly left the RT on my desk at work yesterday. Anyway here goes:-
From Radio Times 2nd - 8th August
SATURDAY 2nd BBC 2 6.30pm A rerun of this epic 26-part series, updated for broadcasting on both digital and analogue channels. First shown in 1964, the series - showing on both BBC 2 and BBC 4 - uses eyewitness accounts and archive film to bring to life the 1914 - 1918 conflict. Narrated by Michael Redgrave. What are our Allies Doing? The conflict continues on all fronts in part ten as the series reaches 1915. Towering over all was the German offensive of Gorlice-Tarnow, in which Russia lost two million men. Britain, France and new ally Italy made little progress - but the end of the year brought a ray of hope. The Allied conference at Chantilly decided on the strategy for 1916:simultaneous attacks on the Central Powers.
BBC 2 9.30pm Gaugin - The Full Story. Myths surround one of the world's most popular yet least understood artists, Paul Gaugin, painter of "Vision after the Sermon" (1888) and "Where do we Come From? What are We? Where are we Going?" (1897-1898). One hundred years after his death, the life story of the French Impressionists and his development as an artist is traced from childhood in Peru to final years in the South Pacific by art critic and broadcaster Waldemar Januszczak.
Channel 4 8.00pm The Story of The Novel. The Great Divide. The final episode in the series tracing the development of English-language fiction considers the different writing styles of British and American authors. While American novelists strove to construct "The Great American Novel", a new breed of British writers, led by Kingsly Amis, favoured smaller, ironic works. Tonight's episode investigates how today's current generation of authors reconciled the two approaches.
MONDAY 4th Channel 4 8.00pm The Oldest Mummies in the World. Thousands of years before the birthof the Egyptian civilisation, the Chinchorro people of what is now northern Chile were skilled in the art of mummification. In this documentary experts paint a picture of a highly complex Stone Age civilisation and its burial practices.
Channel 4 9.00pm Machines Time Forgot. Turtle. In the third of a four-part series celebrating some of history's best unsung inventions, a group of amateur enthusiasts attempt to re-create - using only the technology available at the time - the vessel which allegedly mounted the world's fist submarine attack in 1776. But was the "turtle" real or just an item of war propaganda?
TUESDAY 5th BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the development of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station in the fourth of a six-part series. Steaming Down the Road. Looking at experiments in the use of steam for road transport that took place a full century before the invention of the car.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One. Inner Space. In the fourth of a six-part series, designer and inventor Garry Lavin explains how things were kept cool before fridges, discovers the role that lampshades played in the origin of wire coat-hangers, and tells us how Napoleon was responsible for the tin can.
BBC 2 9.00pm Journeys to the Bottom of the Sea. The Monitor's Final Mission. Eighty metres down in a stretch of water known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic lies the Monitor, a ship commissioned by Abraham Lincoln to fight in the Americn Civil War. A valuable piece of history, the vessel is the focus of a massive rescue mission involving elite navy divers.
Five 7.30pm The Naked Pilgrim: the Road To Santiago. In the concluding episode of the series, Brian Sewell reaches his destination, Santiago de Compostella, on the day before the Feast of St James. He completes the final 50km on horseback so that he will be considered a true pilgrim by the ecclesiastical authorities.
Five 8.00pm Stonehenge: The True Story. Stonehenge is one of the world's archaeological enigmas. It was, until now, believed to be a place where Stone Age man worshipped the sun. This documentary examines a new theory which posits that this ancient monument honours both the sun and the moon.
WEDNESDAY 6th Five 7.30pm Weapons of World War II Machine Guns. How the machine gun developed, from the Thompson Gun, as favoured by US gangsters in the 1920s, to the Anglo-Czech Bren gun.
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Blood in the Air. This week's episode focusses on the intense and perilous battles fought in the skies over Europe.
Five 10.00pm The Charge of the Light Brigade: Battlefield Detectives. Held up as an example of British heroism and immortalised in Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, the truth about this disasterous action which took place during the Crimean War of the 1850s is rarely examined. Here, new research suggests that Britain's Turkish Allies were the true heroes of the Charge of the Light Brigade.
THURSDAY 7th Channel 4 8.00pm No. 57: the History of a House. In the last programme of the sreies, Maxwell Hutchinson examines No 57 from 1969 to the present day. Current owner John Macey recalls how he lovingly restored the practically derelict Georgian House during the late 1960s. Today No 57 resides in one of the most desirable areas in Bristol, but what influences might affect the design choices of a contemporary family?
FRIDAY 8th BBC 2 9.00pm Restoration. Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. North West. The romantic ruin of Bank Hall, Bretherton, the art nouveau Victoria Baths in Manchester and the bloody brakenhill Tower at Carlisle compete for votes in tonight's programme, with celebrity advocates Loyd grossman, Richard E. Grant and Martin Bell, respectively, putting the cases for saving their beloved buildings. Viewers can vote for the building they wish to see restored and also donate to the "Restoration" fund. Griff Rhys Jones hosts, with experts Ptolomey Dean and Marianne Suhr acting as guides to the buildings. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. This week, depictions of the human form, and how British figurative sculpture has evolved from the middle Ages to such modern practicioners as Antony Gormley and Sarah Lucas.
Five 8.00pm The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Renowned architects, archaeologists and civil engineers explore how structures such as the hanging Gardens of babylon and the Pyramids of Giza may have been created.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 2nd and 7.00am on Sunday 3rd.
Monday Roman and Viking footwear finds in York. Tuesday An American trip to find dinosaur bones. Wednesday Part one of a trip to the Caribbean island of Nevis. Thursday The former colonial capital on the Caribbean island of Nevis. Part two. Friday Featuring a dig in Kings Lynn in Norfolk.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
I can't believe I did that - I had this all ready to go, and then forgot to post it last night!!
From Radio Times 9th -15th August
SATURDAY 9th BBC 2 6.30pm A rerun of this epic 26-part series, updated for broadcasting on both digital and analogue channels. First shown in 1964, the series - showing on both BBC 2 and BBC 4 - uses eyewitness accounts and archive film to bring to life the 1914 - 1918 conflict. Narrated by Michael Redgrave. Hell Cannot be so Terrible. For ten months in 1916, fighting around the heavily fortified town of Verdun in north-eastern France continued almost non-stop. Exemplifying the war of attrition pursued by both sides, Verdun was the longest battle of WWI and has gone down as one of the bloodiest and costliest military encounters in history.
SUNDAY 10th Channel 4 8.00pm Gods in the Sky. In this three-part study, Oxford historian Professor Allan Chapman reveals how the astronomical religions of our early ancestors laid the basis for civilised life. He travels to Egypt, where he tells the story of the ancient astronomer priests and their flamboyant deities. Visiting the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings - and aided by Patrick Moore - he reveals how the worship of star-gods helped us to develop the modern calendar.
MONDAY 11th Channel 4 8.00pm Fire Mummies of the Phillipines. Deep in the caves of the Luzon mountains in the northern Phillipines lie the centuries-old mummies of the local Ibaloi people. This documentary follows Orlando Abinion, curator at the Museum of Manila, as he attempts to rescue these unique artefacts from possible desecration.
Channel 4 9.00pm Machines Time Forgot. Chariot. The last of a four-part series celebrating some of history's best unsung inventions comes from the plains of southern Turkey, where a team of experts and local artisans construct and road-test two Assyrian chariots in a bid to learn more about the true function of these impressive vehicles on the battlefields of ancient history.
TUESDAY 12th BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the development of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station. The penultimate episode of a six-part series. Steam on the Water. Following the progression of steam ships from early paddle steamers to the use of steam turbines in modern vessels.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One. Next to Godliness. In the fifth of the series, designer and inventor Garry Lavin investigates developments in personal hygiene and inventions for keeping homes tidy.
BBC 2 9.00pm Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in the second of this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. East. Celebrity advocates John Peel, Richard Holmes Tim Wonnacott put the cases for saving King's Lynn's Greyfriars Tower, Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury and Britain's tallest windmill, at Moulton. Hosted by Griff Rhys-Jones. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The Story of Art Deco. The post-WWI Art Deco design movement is examined in the first of a three-part series with Mark Irving. Born in Paris. This edition looks at how Art Deco's extravagant style helped to brighten up a war-weary Britain.
WEDNESDAY 13th Five 7.30pm A documentary series in three parts about the ships that have changed the course of history. Battleships. From Trafalgar to WWII the battleship was the British Navy's first line of attack. Presenter Major Gordon Corrigan explains how its design was influenced by technological change and how it was eclipsed by the aircraft carrier.
Five 8.00pm Battlefield Detectives: Bloodbath at Hastings. Popular historical accounts of 1066 are re-examined using modern scientific techniques to verify key factors such as whether William the Conqueror was the cannier war strategist.
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Killers of the Sea. This episode charts how the introduction of the German U-boat revolutionised the war at sea leading to an increase in ships sunk.
THURSDAY 14th BBC 2 9.00pm Horizon. The Secret of Easter Island. For years adventurers and scientists have been bewitched by the Pacific Ocean island of Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, and its huge stone statues. Why were they built, and who were the original settlers? Scientific research unfolds a tale of one of the greatest and most tragic adventures in the history of human civilisation.
FRIDAY 15th BBC 2 9.00pm Restoration. Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. Scottish Lowlands. Palladian villa Mavisbank in Edinburgh, a lino factory in Kirkcaldy and Glasgow's Britannia Music Hall compete for votes, with celebrity advocates Kirsty Wark, Michael Portillo and Steve Punt putting the cases for saving their beloved buildings. Griff Rhys-Jones hosts. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. When Henry VIII founded the Church of England, he declared all religious art with a Catholic bent idolatrous, which led to the destruction of many of the finest works during the Reformation. LG examines the impact of this purge.
Five 8.00pm The Great Stink. TV producer Peter Bazalgette presents a documentary about his great-great-grandfather, civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who in the 1860s designed London's pioneering and life-saving Victorian sewage system.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 9th and 7.00am on Sunday 10th.
Monday An Iron Age village in the Malvern Hills. Tuesday The Team return to the site of a Roman villa at Turkdean in the Cotswolds. Wednesday An excavation at marshland in Norfolk. Thursday The site of a Roman bath house in Sussex. Friday A visit to the Kent seaside town of Smallhythe.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
Picking up on the Stonehenge thread, did anyone see the C4 prog on "Gods" last night? Quite an experience! Some OK stuff in amongst the pure hokum and bizarre play-acting, but some of it that purported to be new wasn't.
SATURDAY 16th BBC 2 6.30pm A rerun of this epic 26-part series, updated for broadcasting on both digital and analogue channels. First shown in 1964, the series - showing on both BBC 2 and BBC 4 - uses eyewitness accounts and archive film to bring to life the 1914 - 1918 conflict. Narrated by Michael Redgrave. For Gawd's Sake Don't Send Me. Following Lord Kitchener's appeal in 1916, the British Army was reinforced by over two million volunteers. Despite the reservations of General Sir Douglas Haig, the new Commander-in-Chief, many of these new recruits were sent to the scene of Britain's biggest military endeavour - the Battle of the Somme.
SUNDAY 17th Channel 4 8.00pm Gods in the Sky. In the second of this three-part study, Oxford historian Professor Allan Chapman reveals how the astronomical religions of our early ancestors laid the basis for civilised life. He travels to Athens and, with the help of Patrick Moore, discovers how the seafaring Greeks became the greatest astronomers of the ancient world when their desire to trade with neighbouring countries led to an urgent need for accurate navigation and timekeeping.
MONDAY 18th BBC 2 7.30pm What The Romans Did For Us. AH-D explores innovations from the days of the Roman Empire which have left a lasting legacy.
Channel 4 8.00pm The Big Monster Dig. The first of seven intriguing prehistoric investigations, presented by Lucy Taylor, with Dr Sarah Gabbott, Professor John Howell and Dr Dave Martill. Hastings Iguanadon. The team delve into the discovery of 144-million-year-old dinosaur remains on an East Sussex beach. Was this iguanadon of a type that was thought not to have existed so long ago and how did it meet its fate?
TUESDAY 19th BBC 2 8.00pm Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam. Dibnah traces the development of steam power from the earliest experiments in the ancient world to the modern nuclear power station. Conclusion of the series. Steam in the Modern Age. Looking at powerful steam turbines that generate electricity and the preservation of our steam heritage in museums.
BBC 2 8.30pm Every Home Should Have One. Next to Godliness. In the last of the series, designer and inventor Garry Lavin traces the development of in-house entertainment, from families gathering around their upright pianos to contemporary fun involving digital pictures and surround sound. Plus how to make a camera out of a wheelie bin.
BBC 2 9.00pm Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in the second of this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. South West. Advocates Lucinda Lambton, Joan Bakewell and Roy Hattersley argue the cases respectively for saving Bristol's Arnos Vale cemetery, Poltimore House in Devon and Whitfield Tabernacle, Kingswood. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The Story of Art Deco. The second of a three-part series with Mark Irving. Off to America. A look at how the US embraced Art Deco following a visit to New York by the French liner Normandie.
WEDNESDAY 20th Five 7.30pm Warship. A documentary series in three parts about the ships that have changed the course of history. Submarines. Major Gordon Corrigan traces how modern nuclear submarines developed from the first submersible vessel, the "Turtle" - a glorified leaky wooden barrel invented during the American Civil War.
Five 8.00pm Massacre at Waterloo: Battlefield Detectives. Napoleon's historic defeat in 1815 is analysed by a team of experts. Was he outsmarted by Wellington or beaten by a combination of fatigue, bad weather and adverse battlefield conditions?
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Mayhem on the Eastern Front. The war on the Eastern Front was fought differently to the Western Front but led to equal carnage. This episode charts the entry of Turkey and Italy into the fray and the abdication of Russia's Tsar Nicholas II put the Allies in a tight corner.
FRIDAY 15th BBC 2 9.00pm Restoration. Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. Northern Ireland. GRJ finds three more historic buildings in need of repair: Lissan House, an enchanting 17th-century home in Tyrone; Herdmans Mill in Tyrone, a flax-spinning enterprise built in 1835; and Belfast's Crescent Arts Centre, a rapidly decaying Victorian building that started life as a girls' school. Actress Fiona Shaw, TV host Dermot Murnaghan and artist Antony Gormley are the respective advocates. Griff Rhys-Jones hosts. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. This week, how significant social and economic changes during Queen Victoria's reign laid the foundation stones for modernism, great sculptors including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth and - ultimately - modern practitioners such as Anish Kapoor.
Five 8.00pm Who Killed Julius Caesar? Renowned historians and criminologists attempt to uncover the hidden conspirators behind the great Roman emperor's assassination.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 16th and 7.00am on Sunday 17th.
Monday A Norman castle at Plympton in Devon. Tuesday On the trail of cavemen at Cheddar Gorge. Wednesday Thetford. Thursday Papcastle. Friday Burslem - the site of Josiah Wedgwood's first pottery factory.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
Sorry to be late again - was away in Wales until late last night!
From Radio Times 23rd - 29th August
SUNDAY 24th Channel 4 8.00pm Gods in the Sky. In the third and final part of Oxford historian Professor Allan Chapman's unusual look at the history of astronomical religion, he travels to Rome and Cairo, where he argues that - contrary to widely held belief - it was the Christian church that was largely responsible for the rise of scientific astronomy. Drawing on Greek philosophy, mediaeval priests such as Copernicus insisted that astronomical bodies were natural objects whose movements were logical and predictable. They argued that the universe was infinite and that a spinning earth was merely one planet among many.
MONDAY 25th Channel 4 8.00pm The Big Monster Dig. Isle of Wight Pterosaur. In the second of seven intriguing prehistoric investigations, presented by Lucy Taylor, with Dr Sarah Gabbott, Professor John Howell and Dr Dave Martill, the team visit the Isle of Wight to examine the finds of a local fossil hunter who has unearthed some puzzling 128-million-year-old pterosaur remains. What will the palaeontological sleuths discover about their origins?
TUESDAY 26th BBC 2 9.00pm Restoration. Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. Hosted by Griff Rhys Jones. Midlands. Advocates Matthew Parris, Ulrika Jonsson and Simon Jenkins argue the cases respectively for saving Derbyshire's Cromford Mill, the Newman Brothers' coffin factory in Birmingham and Bethesda Chapel in Stoke-on-Trent. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The Story of Art Deco. The conclusion of a three-part series with Mark Irving. Back to Britain. Examining how Art Deco fell out of favour with the onset of WWII.
WEDNESDAY 27th BBC 2 6.55pm What The Romans Did For Us. Edge of an Empire. AH-D looks at the advances in communication made by the Roman military machine.
BBC 2 7.30pm Homeground. Steamtown. As Doncaster prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary, Brian Blessed narrates the story of the south Yorkshire town with steam in its blood.
Five 7.30pm Warship. The third and final part of the series about the ships that have changed the course of history. The Aircraft Carriers. Focussing on the development of the modern aircraft carrier, from its vital role during WWII to the enormous nuclear-powered carriers of today.
Five 8.00pm Custer's Last Stand: Battlefield Detectives. The defeat of General Custer by Sioux chief Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Big Horn is re-examined. New evidence reveals that the native Americans didn't depend solely on traditional weapons, that the health of Custer's men was extremely poor, and that the "last stand" in fact took place at Deep Ravine.
Five 9.00pm World War I in Colour. Using computer technology this new six-part series offers, for the first time, footage of WWI in colour. Victory and Despair. As 1918 began, millions had died on the Western Front as the stalemate dragged on. The final episode of the series describes how a newly co-ordinated Allied attack, bolstered by the arrival of American troops, signalled the beginning of the end of the conflict.
FRIDAY 29th BBC 2 9.00pm Restoration. Viewers can vote to help save one of Britain's endangered architectural treasures in this 11-part series produced in consultation with many heritage societies. Griff Rhys-Jones hosts. Scottish Highlands. Spotlighting a tiny croft house on the Shetland Isles, Kinloch Castle on the Isle of Rhum and the former TB sanatorium at Banchory near Aberdeen. Countryfile's Ben Fogle, writer and comedian Arabella Weir and newscaster Fiona Bruce are the respective advocates. Restoration Secrets follows on BBC 4 at 10.00pm.
Five 7.30pm The History of British Sculpture with Loyd Grossman. The final episode looks at the last three decades, during which British artists such as Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley achieved worldwide success.
Five 8.00pm Great Military Clashes. Notable military head-to-head comparisons throughout history are examined in a new six-part series WWII Tanks: Sherman v. Tiger. The German Tiger, a 56-tonne vehicle which fired huge shells is compared with the smaller American Sherman tank which was lighter and cheaper to make.
Five 8.30pm Royal Inca Mummies. Following archaeologists who had 10 weeks to excavate Inca remains from a site in Peru before it was bulldozed. The expedition aimed to learn more about an empire that lasted only a century and had no written language.
TIME TEAM REPEATS ON DISCOVERY
A TT programme is scheduled for 7.00am and 5.00pm on Saturday 23rd and 7.00am on Sunday 24th.
Monday The Special - from Canterbury. Tuesday Discovering the City of Ely's Saxon origins. Wednesday Mine Howe. Thursday An archaeological dig at historic Winchester. Friday Following an excavation in Canterbury.
And don't forget - UKHistory has a full schedule of historical/archaeological programmes for those with access to digital, satellite or cable.
SATURDAY 30th Channel 4 8.00pm The Real Ned Kelly In 1880, a 25-year-old bushranger named Ned Kelly was hanged in Melbourne jail, for the murder of a police officer. At the time of his execution, the legendary outlaw was considered a popular hero among Australians and many protested against his hanging. Since then his stature has grown further, and he is now regarded as a potent symbol of nationalism - Australia's first revolutionary. But does the freedom fighter who is about to be the subject of a Hollywood film deserve to be so feted, or was the real Ned Kelly just a crazed outlaw, robber and murderous thug.
SUNDAY 31st Channel 4 8.00pm Diana Mosely: Adolf, Oswald and Me. Lady Diana Mosely, widow of Sir Oswald Mosely, the founder of the British Union of Fascists, died in Paris on 11 August. She shared her husband's politics and the couple became great friends of Adolf Hitler. As well as interviews with friends, family and biographers, plus previously unseen footage, this documentary features her last ever interview. In it she talks candidly about her relationship with her spouse,their careers and the extreme political views that, in spite of the Holocaust, she refused to compromise to the day she died.
MONDAY 1st Channel 4 8.00pm The Big Monster Dig. Spanish Sabre Tooth Cats. In the third of seven intriguing prehistoric investigations, presented by Lucy Taylor, with Dr Sarah Gabbott, Professor John Howell and Dr Dave Martill, the team spend two days at a site in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrennes attempting to discover why the bones of ancient sabre-tooth cats, giant deer, hyenas and elephants came to rest in mysterious mounds of mud.
TUESDAY 2nd BBC 2 7.30pm What The Romans Did For Us. Among the most durable innovations from the Roman era was concrete. A H-D tells how it came to Britain.
BBC 2 8.30pm Hidden Treasure A hunt for Roman ruins begins a new eight part series on metal detecting and archaeology. Lost Goddess. Could a hoard of Roman gold and silver found in Hertfordshire by enthusiast Alan Meeks have come from a previously unknown temple? British Museum experts believe so. Miranda Krestovnikoff joins a team searching for clues to a mysterious goddess.
