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OU programmes on the BBC
Week Beginning:
Details are regularly updated, but can be subject to change.Friday 20 November
00:25
BBC FOUR
A History of Christianity: Orthodoxy - From Empire to Empire
(As shown on Thursday)
Missed it? Catch up A History of Christianity on BBC iplayer
(As shown on Thursday)
Missed it? Catch up A History of Christianity on BBC iplayer
01:55
BBC ONE
Life: Birds
Birds owe their global success to feathers - something no other animal has. They allow birds to do extraordinary things. For the first time a slow-motion camera captures the unique flight of the Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird as he flashes long, iridescent tail feathers in the gloomy undergrowth. Aerial photography takes us into the sky with an Ethiopian Lammergeyer dropping bones to smash them into edible-sized bits. Thousands of pink flamingoes promenade in one of nature's greatest spectacles. The Sage Grouse rubs his feathers against his chest in a comic display to make popping noses that attract females. The Vogelkop Bowerbird makes up for his dull colour by building an intricate structure and decorating it with colourful beetles and snails. Followed by Life on Location - Hide and Seek. (Signed Version)
Missed it? Catch up Life on BBC iplayer
Birds owe their global success to feathers - something no other animal has. They allow birds to do extraordinary things. For the first time a slow-motion camera captures the unique flight of the Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird as he flashes long, iridescent tail feathers in the gloomy undergrowth. Aerial photography takes us into the sky with an Ethiopian Lammergeyer dropping bones to smash them into edible-sized bits. Thousands of pink flamingoes promenade in one of nature's greatest spectacles. The Sage Grouse rubs his feathers against his chest in a comic display to make popping noses that attract females. The Vogelkop Bowerbird makes up for his dull colour by building an intricate structure and decorating it with colourful beetles and snails. Followed by Life on Location - Hide and Seek. (Signed Version)
Missed it? Catch up Life on BBC iplayer
02:45
BBC FOUR
A History of Christianity: Orthodoxy - From Empire to Empire
(As shown on Thursday - Signed Version)
Missed it? Catch up A History of Christianity on BBC iplayer
(As shown on Thursday - Signed Version)
Missed it? Catch up A History of Christianity on BBC iplayer
Saturday 21 November
19:45
BBC TWO
Berlin: Ruined Visions
The story of Berlin and its buildings is one of visionary creation and terrible destruction, of human ambition and delusion. From the 19th century architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel to the Bauhaus pioneers of Modernism and the rebuilding of the city after the fall of the Wall, it is a city that has always looked to the future. Architect Albert Speer had grand plans to transform Berlin into a monumental Nazi capital for Adolf Hitler, and the buildings that remain from his scheme are still haunted by their terrible associations. There is no other city in the world where the morality of the architecture has been so heavily scrutinized. Buildings with Imperial, Nazi and Communist pasts all inspire fierce debates about whether this city should acknowledge or deny its checkered history.
The story of Berlin and its buildings is one of visionary creation and terrible destruction, of human ambition and delusion. From the 19th century architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel to the Bauhaus pioneers of Modernism and the rebuilding of the city after the fall of the Wall, it is a city that has always looked to the future. Architect Albert Speer had grand plans to transform Berlin into a monumental Nazi capital for Adolf Hitler, and the buildings that remain from his scheme are still haunted by their terrible associations. There is no other city in the world where the morality of the architecture has been so heavily scrutinized. Buildings with Imperial, Nazi and Communist pasts all inspire fierce debates about whether this city should acknowledge or deny its checkered history.
21:30
BBC News
The Bottom Line
Cutting through confusion, statistics and spin, Evan Davis presents the view from the top of business as he meets the people who run companies to learn what's on their agenda. This programme will also be shown internationally on the BBC World news channel.
Cutting through confusion, statistics and spin, Evan Davis presents the view from the top of business as he meets the people who run companies to learn what's on their agenda. This programme will also be shown internationally on the BBC World news channel.
Sunday 22 November
18:00
BBC ONE
Life: Insects
There are 200 million insects for each of us. They are the most successful animal group ever. Their key is an armoured covering that takes on almost any shape. Darwin's Stag Beetle fights in the tree tops with huge, curved jaws. The camera flies with millions of Monarch Butterflies which migrate 2000 miles, navigating by the sun. Super slow motion shows a Bombardier beetle firing boiling liquid at enemies through a rotating nossle. A Honey bee army stings a raiding bear into submission. Grass Cutter Ants march like a Roman army, harvesting grass they can't eat. So they cultivate a fungus to break it down for them. Their giant colony is the closest thing in nature to the complexity of a human city.
There are 200 million insects for each of us. They are the most successful animal group ever. Their key is an armoured covering that takes on almost any shape. Darwin's Stag Beetle fights in the tree tops with huge, curved jaws. The camera flies with millions of Monarch Butterflies which migrate 2000 miles, navigating by the sun. Super slow motion shows a Bombardier beetle firing boiling liquid at enemies through a rotating nossle. A Honey bee army stings a raiding bear into submission. Grass Cutter Ants march like a Roman army, harvesting grass they can't eat. So they cultivate a fungus to break it down for them. Their giant colony is the closest thing in nature to the complexity of a human city.
19:00
BBC FOUR
A History of Christianity: Orthodoxy: From Empire to Empire
Orthodoxy - the carefully choreographed acts of worship woven into a texture of ancient music, the cosmic mystery that is the ritual of Communion, the icons and the symbol of a fierce bird - the double headed eagle. What story are they trying to tell us? Today, Eastern Orthodox Christianity flourishes in the Balkans and Russia. It has over 150 million members worldwide. But much of Diarmaid MacCullochs's third programme charts its fight for survival. After its glory-days in the Eastern Roman Empire, it has stood right in the path of Muslim expansion, suffered betrayal by crusading Catholics, was seized by the Russian Tsars to ally with tyranny and has faced near-extinction under Soviet Communism. So what is the secret of its endurance?
Orthodoxy - the carefully choreographed acts of worship woven into a texture of ancient music, the cosmic mystery that is the ritual of Communion, the icons and the symbol of a fierce bird - the double headed eagle. What story are they trying to tell us? Today, Eastern Orthodox Christianity flourishes in the Balkans and Russia. It has over 150 million members worldwide. But much of Diarmaid MacCullochs's third programme charts its fight for survival. After its glory-days in the Eastern Roman Empire, it has stood right in the path of Muslim expansion, suffered betrayal by crusading Catholics, was seized by the Russian Tsars to ally with tyranny and has faced near-extinction under Soviet Communism. So what is the secret of its endurance?
21:00
BBC ONE (Scotland only)
A History of Scotland: The Price of Progress
Through the winning and losing of an American empire and the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment, Neil Oliver reveals how in the 2nd half of the 18th century, Scotland was transformed from a poor northern backwater with a serious image problem, into one of the richest nations on earth. This was the dawn of the modern age when Scotland made its mark on the world by exporting its most valuable commodities; its people and ideas.
Through the winning and losing of an American empire and the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment, Neil Oliver reveals how in the 2nd half of the 18th century, Scotland was transformed from a poor northern backwater with a serious image problem, into one of the richest nations on earth. This was the dawn of the modern age when Scotland made its mark on the world by exporting its most valuable commodities; its people and ideas.
Monday 23 November
00:15
BBC Radio 4
Thinking Allowed
The last of three special editions of the magazine programme in which presenter Laurie Taylor examines research into white collar crime in Britain. Ideas of mitigation and rehabilitation are prominent in thinking about our judicial system, but do they play any part in the concept of white collar crime?
The last of three special editions of the magazine programme in which presenter Laurie Taylor examines research into white collar crime in Britain. Ideas of mitigation and rehabilitation are prominent in thinking about our judicial system, but do they play any part in the concept of white collar crime?
21:00
BBC ONE (not Northern Ireland)
Life: Hunters and Hunted
Mammals' ability to learn new tricks is the key to survival in the knife-edge world of the hunters and hunted. In a TV first a killer whale off the Falklands does something unique. It sneaks into a pool where elephant seal pups learn to swim. It snatches them, saving itself the trouble of hunting in the open sea. Slow motion cameras reveal the star nosed mole's newly-discovered technique for smelling prey underwater. It exhales, then inhales a bubble of air, ten times per second. Young ibex soon learn the only way to escape a fox - run up an almost vertical cliff face. Young stoats fight mock battles, learning the skills to become one of the world's most efficient predators.
Mammals' ability to learn new tricks is the key to survival in the knife-edge world of the hunters and hunted. In a TV first a killer whale off the Falklands does something unique. It sneaks into a pool where elephant seal pups learn to swim. It snatches them, saving itself the trouble of hunting in the open sea. Slow motion cameras reveal the star nosed mole's newly-discovered technique for smelling prey underwater. It exhales, then inhales a bubble of air, ten times per second. Young ibex soon learn the only way to escape a fox - run up an almost vertical cliff face. Young stoats fight mock battles, learning the skills to become one of the world's most efficient predators.
22:35
BBC ONE (Northern Ireland only)
Life: Hunters and Hunted
(As shown in the rest of the UK at 21.00)
(As shown in the rest of the UK at 21.00)
Tuesday 24 November
20:00
BBC TWO
A History of Scotland: God's Chosen People
Neil Oliver continues his journey through Scotland’s history with the story of the Covenanters, whose profound religious beliefs were declared in the National Covenant of 1638. This document licensed revolution, started the Civil War that cost King Charles I his head, cost tens of thousands of Scots their lives and led to Britain’s first war on terror.
Neil Oliver continues his journey through Scotland’s history with the story of the Covenanters, whose profound religious beliefs were declared in the National Covenant of 1638. This document licensed revolution, started the Civil War that cost King Charles I his head, cost tens of thousands of Scots their lives and led to Britain’s first war on terror.
Wednesday 25 November
01:25
BBC ONE
Saving Britain's Past: The Crofters
Tom Dyckhoff visits Assynt, a small community in the highlands of Scotland, where the land reform movement began in the 90s. Their struggle to end a centuries old system of private land ownership has raised new problems as they attempt to develop one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. (Signed Version)
Tom Dyckhoff visits Assynt, a small community in the highlands of Scotland, where the land reform movement began in the 90s. Their struggle to end a centuries old system of private land ownership has raised new problems as they attempt to develop one of the most beautiful parts of the UK. (Signed Version)
Thursday 26 November
21:00
BBC FOUR
A History of Christianity: Reformation - The Individual before God
The Amish today are peaceable folk, but five centuries ago their ancestors were seen as some of the most dangerous people in Europe. They were radicals - Protestants - who tore apart the Catholic Church. In the fourth part of his History of Christianity, Diarmaid MacCulloch makes sense of the Reformation, and of how a faith based on obedience and authority gave birth to one based on individual conscience. He shows how Luther wrote hymns to teach people the message of the Bible, and how a tasty sausage became the rallying cry for Ulrich Zwingli - a Swiss Reformer - to tear down statues of saints, allow married clergy and deny that communion bread and wine were the body and blood of Christ. "Jesus ascended into heaven" declared Zwingli, "he's sitting at the right hand of the Father, not on a table here in Zurich."
The Amish today are peaceable folk, but five centuries ago their ancestors were seen as some of the most dangerous people in Europe. They were radicals - Protestants - who tore apart the Catholic Church. In the fourth part of his History of Christianity, Diarmaid MacCulloch makes sense of the Reformation, and of how a faith based on obedience and authority gave birth to one based on individual conscience. He shows how Luther wrote hymns to teach people the message of the Bible, and how a tasty sausage became the rallying cry for Ulrich Zwingli - a Swiss Reformer - to tear down statues of saints, allow married clergy and deny that communion bread and wine were the body and blood of Christ. "Jesus ascended into heaven" declared Zwingli, "he's sitting at the right hand of the Father, not on a table here in Zurich."
23:50
BBC FOUR
A History of Christianity: Reformation - The Individual before God
(As shown at 21.00)
(As shown at 21.00)