BBC Two England

BBC Two is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964.

BBC Two

BBC 2

BBC2

BBC Two (England)

England

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Reel History of Britain

BBC One

BBC One is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964. It replaced BBC Television.

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One London

London

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One North West

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Oxfordshire

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Melvyn Bragg

Dympna Jackson

Ruth Pitt

Reel History of Britain: Episode 4: Britain's Black Diamonds

Factual: History

Episode 4

Episode 4: Britain's Black Diamonds

Britain's Black Diamonds

BBC Two - Reel History of Britain, Britain's Black Diamonds

In south Wales, Melvyn Bragg looks back to the 1930s and salutes Britain's coal miners.

Melvyn Bragg reveals archive footage telling the history of modern Britain. In south Wales, he looks back to the 1930s and salutes Britain's coal miners.

Melvyn Bragg, accompanied by a vintage mobile cinema, travels across the country, to show incredible footage preserved by the British Film Institute and other national and regional film archives, to tell the history of modern Britain. 

At the Big Pit Mining Museum in south Wales, Melvyn looks back to the 1930s and salutes Britain's 'black diamonds', brave miners who risked their lives digging for the coal that powered an empire. Vicky Stradling tells the shocking truth about one of the worst disasters in coal mining history. Melvyn goes underground to learn about the limited safety equipment used by coalminers in the 1930s. And David Bogg reveals the occupational hazards of working with pit ponies.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

A showcase of British life in the 20th century told via film archive and viewers' memories

Presented by Melvyn Bragg, a social history of 20th-century Britain. Fascinating stories of how people worked and lived, via viewers' personal memories and rare film archive.

BBC Four

BBC Two Scotland

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Reel History of Britain

Episode 4: Britain's Black Diamonds

Contributors

Genres

Series

BBC Two England

About BBC Two