BBC Four

World News Today

The latest news and business developments.

World News Today: 10/08/2009

10/08/2009

BBC News Channel - World News Today, 10/08/2009

The latest news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

BBC News Channel

An impartial and independent news service offering breaking news, analysis and insight.

A 24-hour impartial and independent news service offering breaking news, analysis and insight. It provides fast and comprehensive coverage of local, UK and international events.

World News Today; Weather

Legends

A look at some true legends from the world of music.

Legends: Val Doonican Rocks

08/04/2007

Val Doonican Rocks

BBC Four - Legends, Val Doonican Rocks

Pauline McLynn narrates an affectionate portrait of Irish entertainer Val Doonican.

An affectionate portrait of popular Irish entertainer Val Doonican, as famous for his props such as cardigans and rocking chair as for his easy-listening style.

Pauline McLynn narrates an affectionate portrait of popular Irish entertainer Val Doonican, as famous for his props such as cardigans and rocking chair as for his easy-listening style. From 1964-1986 he led the BBC1 ratings, his particular brand of laid-back entertainment surviving the revolutionary 60s, IRA campaigns and a variety of changing musical styles. His hits included Walk Tall and The Special Years as well as a number of comic 'Oirish' songs. At the age of 80, Val still performs but the sweaters and his faithful rocking chair are nowhere to be seen. Includes interviews with Rolf Harris, John Williams, Gerry Anderson and Gloria Hunniford.

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.

Portrait of the veteran Irish singer who became as famous for his sweaters and faithful rocking chair as his easy-listening style. Surviving the revolutionary 1960s, IRA campaigns and changing musical styles, he was to become a familiar face on Saturday night TV. Featuring interviews with Rolf Harris, John Williams, Gerry Anderson, Gloria Hunniford and the entertainer himself.
Narrated by Father Ted's Pauline McLynn.

Only Connect

BBC Two

Quiz show in which connections must be made between apparently unconnected things.

Deliciously devious and maddeningly abstract. Victoria Coren Mitchell hosts the brain-teasing quiz where knowledge only gets you so far.

Only Connect: Series 2

Only Connect: Series 2: Episode 5: Mathematicians v Cambridge Quiz Society - Semi-Final

Episode 5

Episode 5: Mathematicians v Cambridge Quiz Society - Semi-Final

Series 2

Mathematicians v Cambridge Quiz Society - Semi-Final

BBC Two - Only Connect, Series 2, Mathematicians v Cambridge Quiz Society - Semi-Final

Three mathematicians pit their skills against the wits of the Cambridge Quiz Society.

Quiz show in which connections must be made between seemingly random elements. How does Lord Kelvin of Largs connect with Ebola?

Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which knowledge will only take you so far, as patience and lateral thinking are also vital. 

In the first semi-final, three mathematicians pit their logical skills against the wits of the Cambridge Quiz Society. They compete to draw together the connections between things which, at first glance, seem utterly bereft of associations. How does Lord Kelvin of Largs link to George Orwell via the Ebola virus and India?

Quiz show in which patience and lateral thinking are as vital as knowledge

Only Connect: 5/9

Three mathematicians pit their wits against the Cambridge Quiz Society to make connections between things that initially do not appear to be linked. Victoria Coren presents the first semi-final of the quiz show.
See panel
Repeated tomorrow at 7.30pm

Wallander

Swedish drama series about a maverick detective.

Swedish drama series about a maverick detective, based on the novels by Henning Mankell. (In Swedish with English subtitles.)

Wallander: Series 1

Wallander: Series 1: Episode 7: The Tricksters

Episode 7

Episode 7: The Tricksters

Series 1

The Tricksters

BBC Four - Wallander, Series 1, The Tricksters

When a stable owner is found dead in his barn, Wallander is at a loss for suspects.

Swedish detective series. When a riding pupil finds the stable owner dead in his barn Wallander is at a loss for suspects, but he soon uncovers a sinister story.

When a riding pupil finds the stable owner dead in his barn, Wallander is initially at a loss for suspects - he had no friends, no social life and seemingly no enemies. But a little digging reveals a much more complicated and sinister story, and soon the suspect list is too large.

In Swedish with English subtitles.

When a riding pupil finds a stable owner dead in his barn, Wallander is initially at a loss for suspects - the victim had no friends, no social life and seemingly no enemies. However, a little digging reveals a complicated and sinister story. Starring Krister Henriksson and Johanna Sallstrom. In Swedish with English subtitles.
See panel
Repeated on Thursday at 10pm

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil: Episode 1

Episode 1

BBC Four - Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil, Episode 1

The men who discovered the oil and risked their lives to get it ashore tell their stories.

Series telling the story of North Sea oil and gas. This edition gives a voice to the men who made the discovery in the 1960s and who risked their lives to get the oil ashore.

Three-part series combining archive footage and eye-witness accounts to tell the dramatic narrative of North Sea oil and gas from the 1960s to the present. It charts the decades when the country made the most of its North Sea windfall, with scarcely a thought about where it came from or of the men and women who brought it to us. Through the story of oil, the series offers a fresh perspective on British politics and society and a timely insight into the state of our economy today.

Forty years ago, Britain was poised on the brink of an extraordinary discovery - oil, billions of gallons of it, deep beneath the harsh waters of the North Sea. This opening edition gives a voice to some of the men who made that discovery and who risked their lives in the North Sea to get the oil ashore. 

Theirs is a tale of dramatic risk-taking and high politics as the government and the oil companies raced to get their hands on the bonanza. The promise of enormous riches inspired technical innovation on a scale never seen before, but did the haste of the North Sea project put at risk the lives of men who were working in some of the most extreme conditions in the world?

Series telling the story of North Sea oil and gas from the 1960s to the present

Series combining archive footage and eye-witness accounts to tell the story of North Sea oil and gas from the 1960s to the present, offering a fresh perspective on British politics and society

Crude Britannia: the Story of North Sea Oil

1/3
The history of North Sea oil and gas over the past 40 years. The first episode focuses on the men who risked their lives to get the oil ashore. (S)

11.30 2/3
Charting the oil industry through the 1980s.

12.30am 3/3
The impact of the Gulf War on the oil industry.

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil: Episode 2

Episode 2

BBC Four - Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil, Episode 2

Boom turned to bust in the late 1980s and the industry was rocked a series of tragedies.

Series telling the story of North Sea oil and gas. The boom of the early 1980s turned to bust with the collapse of the global price of oil, as the industry was rocked by tragedies.

Three-part series combining archive footage and eye-witness accounts to tell the dramatic narrative of North Sea oil and gas from the 1960s to the present. It charts the decades when the country made the most of its North Sea windfall, with scarcely a thought about where it came from or of the men and women who brought it to us. Through the story of oil, the series offers a fresh perspective on British politics and society and a timely insight into the state of our economy today.

As the oil industry boomed in the early 1980s, workers up and down the country vied for jobs offshore. Under Margaret Thatcher, dozens of new platforms were built in the North Sea, bringing in millions of barrels of oil and billions of pounds of taxes to the Treasury. The economy was transformed as the fortunes of oil and banking soared, while Britain's traditional manufacturing industries declined. 

But before the decade was out the boom would turn to bust with the collapse of the global price of oil, and the industry would be rocked a succession of tragedies, culminating in the destruction of the Piper Alpha platform by fire and the deaths of 167 men.

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC Four - Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil, Episode 3

The Gulf War of 1991 brought home the fragility of global energy supplies.

Series telling the story of North Sea oil and gas. The Gulf War brought home the fragility of global energy supplies, and the environmental movement's opposition grew stronger.

Three-part series combining archive footage and eye-witness accounts to tell the dramatic narrative of North Sea oil and gas from the 1960s to the present. It charts the decades when the country made the most of its North Sea windfall, with scarcely a thought about where it came from or of the men and women who brought it to us. Through the story of oil, the series offers a fresh perspective on British politics and society and a timely insight into the state of our economy today.

The first Gulf War of 1991 brought home the fragility of global supplies of energy. Suddenly our North Sea oil and gas were more important than ever, but there were problems looming on the horizon. As oil reserves were used up, oil companies were about to face their biggest challenge yet.  

Getting rid of redundant platforms brought them into a dramatic confrontation with an environmental movement that was growing in confidence and influence. As the flow of oil began to slow down, the oil men and women had to venture into ever deeper waters in the search for new supplies. Their quest would inspire a new generation of awe-inspiring underwater technology. 

With North Sea oil and gas still supplying most of Britain's energy, it may be that the extraordinary national adventure, which began 40 years ago in the North Sea, is far from over.

Style on Trial

Style on Trial: Episode 1: 1940s

Episode 1: 1940s

1940s

BBC Four - Style on Trial, 1940s

Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, Immodesty Blaize and Annalisa Barbieri discuss 1940s fashion.

To discuss 1940s fashion, Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne are joined by interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, showgirl Immodesty Blaize and columnist Annalisa Barbieri.

Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne put British style and fashion between the 1940s and the 1990s into the dock. To examine 1940s fashion, they are joined by interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, international showgirl and author Immodesty Blaize and Guardian columnist Annalisa Barbieri. They discuss whether the era is defined by corsets and Christian Dior or make-do-and-mend wartime uniforms and utility.

British style and fashion from the 1940s to the 1990s is put into the dock

Style on Trial: Episode 2: 1950s

Episode 2: 1950s

1950s

BBC Four - Style on Trial, 1950s

Auctioneer Kerry Taylor, designer David Sassoon and pop star Brix Smith on 50s fashion.

To discuss 1950s fashion, Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne are joined by clothes auctioneer Kerry Taylor, designer David Sassoon and boutique owner Brix Smith-Start.

Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne put British style and fashion between the 1940s and the 1990s into the dock. To discuss the 1950s they are joined in the studio by Kerry Taylor, the woman who has auctioned the clothes of the rich and famous, including Edward and Mrs Simpson. Fashion designer to royalty David Sassoon and hip boutique-owner and former pop star Brix Smith-Start also help decide whether the legacy of 50s style is society glamour or the innovation of teenage rebellion.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil

Episode 2

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

Crude Britannia: The Story of North Sea Oil

Episode 3

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Series

Style on Trial

Episode 2: 1950s

Contributors

Genres

Series

BBC Four

About BBC Four

Appears in

About this data

About this data