BBC Four

Wine

Wine: Episode 1: The Firm

Episode 1

Episode 1: The Firm

The Firm

BBC Four - Wine, The Firm

How the credit crunch is threatening renowned wine merchant Berry Brothers and Rudd.

Documentary series about the wine industry, taking a look at how the credit crunch is threatening Berry Brothers and Rudd, one of the world's poshest wine merchants.

Documentary series about the wine industry, taking a look behind the scenes at Berry Brothers and Rudd, widely considered to be the oldest and poshest wine merchant in the world.

After 310 years of business, there is still a Mr Berry at the helm as bombs, wars, kings and queens have come and gone, but this charmed existence may be under threat as the credit crunch bites deep. The film unwittingly becomes a chronicle of the changing world order, where the super-rich look alarmingly as though they are about to turn into the ancient regime.
  
Quaint anachronism it might seem from the outside, but this is the firm that turned fine wine into the sine qua non of the super-rich. Everyone here - from Berry's larger-than-life Bordeaux and Burgundy buyers to the eccentric and ambitious chateau owners and producers they do business with - services what seemed to be the ever-increasing demand for the finest wines available to humanity, until the rot creeps in and threatens three centuries of history.

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Documentary series going behind the scenes in the wine industry

1/3. The first episode of this series exploring the world of wine chronicles the effects of the credit crunch on wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd. 440273!

Sissinghurst

Sissinghurst: Episode 1

BBC Four - Sissinghurst, Episode 1

Things don't go smoothly for Sarah as she tries to supply produce for the restaurant.

Series about the attempts to bring farming back to the Sissinghurst estate. Things don't go smoothly for Sarah as she tries to supply produce for the National Trust restaurant.

Documentary series about the attempts of writer Adam Nicolson and his wife Sarah Raven to bring farming back into the heart of the estate and garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, their historic home which is owned by the National Trust and was moulded into its present form by Nicolson's grandmother Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson back in the 1930s.

Adam and Sarah have big ideas about how to change the management of the place, to regain a sense of its authentic atmosphere and rural life, but they are under no illusions as to the amount of control they will have. 

An important aspect of the plan is to enable the farm to provide fresh produce that will be served in the National Trust restaurant. Finally, after some 50 meetings they get the green light, but for Sarah, acting as consultant on the restaurant, things don't go as smoothly as she'd hoped.

Meanwhile Adam is halfway through researching his latest book - a history of Sissinghurst. He introduces us to the rich cultural milieu of his grandmother Vita who, aside from creating the most influential garden of the 20th century, had affairs with 45 other women.

Series about the attempts to bring farming back into the heart of the Sissinghurst estate

Series about the attempts of writer Adam Nicolson and his wife Sarah to bring farming back into the heart of the estate and garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent

New series 1/8. Life at the National Trust-owned stately home, the former residence of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, now lived in by their grandson Adam Nicolson. 490020!
8.30 2/8. For the first time, the National Trust gives Adam discretion over renovations and he seizes the chance to stamp his own identity on the house. See page 56. How does your garden grow?: page 26 Snowdrops/bluebells: page 29

Sissinghurst: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC Four - Sissinghurst, Episode 2

Adam seizes the opportunity to make Sissinghurst look more like a farm from the front.

Series about the attempts to bring farming back to the Sissinghurst estate. Adam seizes a chance to alter first impressions of Sissinghurst so that it looks more like a farm.

Documentary series about the attempts of writer Adam Nicolson and his wife Sarah Raven to bring farming back into the heart of the estate and garden at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, their historic home which is owned by the National Trust and was moulded into its present form by Nicolson's grandmother Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson back in the 1930s.

The property manager at Sissinghurst wants Adam to come up with a plan to change the area at the front of the house. Adam seizes the opportunity to alter first impressions of Sissinghurst so that it looks more like a farm than just another visitor attraction. It's a watershed moment, the first time the National Trust have asked him for any input and things seem to be moving in the right direction. 

For Sarah, though, there is increasing resistance from the restaurant staff, in particular head chef Steve who is feeling uneasy about having a consultant in his kitchen. 

Adam and his sister Juliet trace their grandmother Vita's aristocratic roots and return to her impressive ancestral home of Knole in Kent. 

Sissinghurst opens its gates to hordes of loyal pilgrims eager to worship at the shrine of Vita on the first day of the garden-opening season.

The Joy of Motoring

18/02/2009

BBC Four - The Joy of Motoring

How motoring has gone from a leisure pursuit to speed cameras and congestion charges.

Tristram Hunt looks at how motoring has gone from allowing us to explore the English countryside to the present day of speed cameras, congestion charges and environmental issues.

Tristram Hunt shows how motoring has gone from allowing us to explore the beautiful English countryside to the present day of speed cameras, congestion charges and environmental issues. Along the way, he looks at different cars through the ages that define a decade and a generation.

The story of motoring and how it has changed over the years. Presented by Tristram Hunt.

Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady

19/02/2009

BBC Four - Penelope Keith and the Fast Lady

Penelope Keith tells the story of Edwardian 'it girl' and motoring pioneer Dorothy Levitt.

Penelope Keith tells the story of Edwardian 'it girl' and motoring pioneer Dorothy Levitt. She retraces Levitt's 1905 journey from London to Liverpool in a De Dion motor car.

Penelope Keith tells the story of Edwardian 'it girl' and motoring pioneer Dorothy Levitt. 

She retraces Levitt's 1905 journey from London to Liverpool in a De Dion motor car, with the aid of Dorothy's handbook The Woman and the Car and advice from motoring historians and veteran car enthusiasts. The story is further illustrated by archive material from the period.

Penelope Keith retraces 
Dorothy Levitt 's 1905 journey from London to Liverpool in a De Dion car.

The History Man

The History Man: Episode 2

BBC Four - The History Man, Episode 2

Adaptation of Malcolm Bradbury's satirical novel of 1970s greybrick campus life.

Adaptation of Malcolm Bradbury's satirical novel of 1970s greybrick campus life. Starring a moustachioed Antony Sher as Howard Kirk - Marxist sociologist, womaniser and bully.

Malcolm Bradbury's satirical novel of 1970s greybrick campus life, adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton. Starring a moustachioed Antony Sher as Howard Kirk - Marxist sociologist, womaniser and bully.

Adaptation of Malcolm Bradbury's satirical novel about 1970s greybrick campus life

2/2. Dramatisation of Malcolm Bradbury 's novel, first shown in 1981. The departmental meeting sees 
Howard's masterplan come to fruition. Starring Antony Sher , 
Geraldine James and Isla Blair.

Communism and Football

11/04/2006

BBC Four - Communism and Football

How the Beautiful Game was manipulated for political ends during the Cold War.

Footballers from Russia, Hungary and East Germany recall how football was manipulated for political ends during the Cold War, with many careers destroyed as a result.

Footballers from Russia, Hungary and East Germany recall how the Beautiful Game was manipulated for political ends during the Cold War. Despite the high stakes, many courageous footballers resisted attempts by ruthless leaders from the Eastern Bloc's totalitarian regimes to exploit their sporting celebrity for political gain, with their careers often being destroyed as a result.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Sissinghurst

Episode 2

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

Communism and Football

Communism and Football

Genres

Formats

Sissinghurst

Episode 2

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four

Appears in

About this data

About this data