What’s On BBC Four Today Tuesday 17 January 2023
A full run down of everything airing on BBC Four today.
19:00
Great British Railway Journeys
S10E04
Michael Portillo journeys from Maltby to Hinckley
19:30
The Joy of Painting
S01E04
Artist Bob Ross paints a majestic snow-covered mountain
20:00
To the Manor Born
S03E04
Marjory resolves to protect a rare bird
Marjory and DeVere are thrilled to discover a rare tropical bird nesting on the estate, but Audrey soon finds the feathered fiend is interfering with her honey business. Comedy, starring Penelope Keith, Peter Bowles and Angela Thorne
20:30
The Mistress
S01E02
Comedy, starring Felicity Kendal
21:00
A History of Britain by Simon Schama
S01E02
The Battle of Hastings
The story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which saw King Harold beaten after leading an army worn out from fighting his brother Tostig and a horde of Vikings, to confront William the Conqueror. The Saxon defeat led to 300 years of Norman hegemony and a country plagued by massacre and famine, although the new rulers managed to introduce and keep an inventory of all land and possessions, better known as the Domesday Book
22:00
Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us
S01E02
The story of a murder in the town of Billingham in Teesside in 1989
The stories of murder investigations and their extraordinary consequences, which overturned laws, transformed police interrogation and revolutionised forensic detection. The second episode focuses on the story of the murder of Julie Hogg, a single mother from the small town of Billingham in Teesside. The programme looks back at Julie’s mother Ann’s campaign to challenge the 800-year-old law on Double Jeopardy, after a jury failed to convict Julie’s former boyfriend Billy Dunlop. As this episode traces the twists and turns of Ann’s campaign, the story of other cases that benefited from the legal changes are also explored
23:00
Ancient Worlds
S01E02
Richard Miles explores the collapse of the Bronze Age
Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the collapse of the Bronze Age 3,000 years ago, and how the civilisations of the subsequent Iron Age emerged. He explores the former Phoenician cities of Byblos and Tyre and their technological contributions, including the alphabet and deep-water sailing, before heading to Israel to learn how the Assyrian war machine affected small local powers
00:00
Elizabeth I’s Secret Agents
S01E01
The spy network that protected the queen
Documentary featuring dramatic reconstructions and interviews with historians to examine the network of spymasters and secret agents that helped protect Elizabeth I from assassination, terror and treason for more than 40 years. The first edition reveals how the pope’s declaration of Elizabeth as a heretic 12 years into her reign set England’s Catholics against her, leading the queen to charge William Cecil with the task of stopping assassins getting through, and the huge espionage network he established saw his spies break Catholic conspiracies at home and abroad
01:00
The Joy of Painting
S01E04
Artist Bob Ross paints a majestic snow-covered mountain
01:30
Great British Railway Journeys
S10E04
Michael Portillo journeys from Maltby to Hinckley
02:00
Catching Britain’s Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us
S01E02
The story of a murder in the town of Billingham in Teesside in 1989
The stories of murder investigations and their extraordinary consequences, which overturned laws, transformed police interrogation and revolutionised forensic detection. The second episode focuses on the story of the murder of Julie Hogg, a single mother from the small town of Billingham in Teesside. The programme looks back at Julie’s mother Ann’s campaign to challenge the 800-year-old law on Double Jeopardy, after a jury failed to convict Julie’s former boyfriend Billy Dunlop. As this episode traces the twists and turns of Ann’s campaign, the story of other cases that benefited from the legal changes are also explored
03:00
A History of Britain by Simon Schama
S01E02
The Battle of Hastings
The story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which saw King Harold beaten after leading an army worn out from fighting his brother Tostig and a horde of Vikings, to confront William the Conqueror. The Saxon defeat led to 300 years of Norman hegemony and a country plagued by massacre and famine, although the new rulers managed to introduce and keep an inventory of all land and possessions, better known as the Domesday Book
