Bruce Dickinson celebrates hard rock and heavy metal music, whose CD sales have soared conspicuously in a period of overall decline.
The seven-part series kicks off with the story of Led Zeppelin, still considered the industry's definitive hard rock band.

[Photo caption] Led Zeppelin, with lead vocalist Robert Plant (above) and the great rock guitarist Jimmy Page (above right)

Masters of Rock 9.00pm R2
So are rock fans all die-hard traditionalists or have they just not got the hang of computers yet? For just as all figures show that internet music sales are rising and those of CDs are falling (the latest numbers suggest five times more tunes are sold online than on shiny discs) this show reports that hard rock is having a resurgence - on disc. Whether you think MP3 is sissy or you just want a fascinating look at wild times and wilder people, join Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson as he begins a new series about hard rock and heavy metal. This first edition is a profile of Led Zeppelin. For a band whose lyrics admit its members have "been dazed and confused for so long it's not true", they're a canny bunch whose surviving players have this year released a hit DVD. Dickinson recounts the story of how the band formed, how they struggled, and how their music is still influential.