What’s On BBC Four Today Thursday 18 May 2023
A full run down of everything airing on BBC Four today.
02:25
Victoria Wood: A Bafta Tribute
Gala event honouring the comedienne
Julie Walters, Lenny Henry, Richard E Grant and Jim Broadbent gather for a gala honouring the much-loved entertainer, with contributions from Peter Kay and French and Saunders. The celebration offers an opportunity to look back over her career with a combination of celebrity tributes and clips of her work, culminating with the presentation of the Bafta award
03:30
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19:00
The Sky at Night
The team explores the threat of an asteroid impact on Earth
The team explores the threat of an asteroid impact on earth and meet space scientists who are developing methods of planetary defence that sound like the stuff of science fiction. Maggie meets Professor Alan Fitzsimmons, expert in asteroid observation, to learn how the latest technology monitors near-Earth asteroids. He explains which ones are a current concern, and why we missed the dangerous Chelyabinsk meteor – a 9,000-ton fireball that exploded in the sky above Russia
19:30
Railways: The Making of a Nation
S01E02
Documentary examining how the railways changed the nation’s economy
Liz McIvor examines how the railways stimulated great changes to the nation’s economy, and encouraged a new generation of mechanical engineers, skilled workers, managers and accountants. Originally, local entrepreneurs viewed trains as vehicles for shifting raw materials, stock and goods, however it soon became clear that there was money to be made in transporting people
20:00
A House Through Time
S03E01
David Olusoga traces the history of an 18th-century sea captain’s house in Bristol
David Olusoga traces the history of an 18th-century sea captain’s house near Bristol’s docks with links to the slave trade. Bristol was a major port in the transportation of slaves from Africa’s Guinea Coast to the Caribbean, and both the man who built the house and its first full-time resident were heavily involved in the trade. David uncovers stories of piracy, abandoned babies, a household slave who made a daring escape from the property, and a protest on the doorstep as the abolitionist movement gained momentum
21:00
Tea with Mussolini
Period comedy drama, starring Maggie Smith and Judi Dench
1999 – Comedy, Drama, War
Movie cast
Eccentric English and American women living in Florence during the tense pre-war years of the 1930s experience the ups and downs of parenthood when they collectively adopt a local boy disowned by his father. However, as international hostilities break out, their happy existence comes under threat. Period comedy drama, starring Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Cher, Lily Tomlin and Baird Wallace
22:50
Summer Holiday
Musical comedy, starring Cliff Richard
1963 – Music, Romance
Movie cast
Four mechanics embark on a fun-filled trip across Europe on board a double-decker London bus, and enjoy all manner of romantic adventures with three young women who hitch a ride on their way to Athens. However, an unexpected stowaway causes a few surprises. Musical comedy, starring Cliff Richard, Lauri Peters, Melvyn Hayes, Una Stubbs, Ron Moody and the Shadows
00:35
Mark Kermode’s Secrets of Cinema: Pop Music Movies
S03E02
The critic examines techniques and conventions within the genre
The critic examines techniques and conventions within a genre that mixes film and music and encompasses many forms, from drama and comedy to fantasy and documentary. There is the classic pop star vehicle, where the biggest acts play themselves, or a version of themselves, as well as dramatised accounts of the stars’ lives that dazzle with musical set pieces, while playing on the fascination with the darker side of fame
01:35
Paul Merson: A Walk Through My Life
The football pundit walks in North Yorkshire, reflecting on his life and career
The football pundit and former Arsenal and England midfielder walks through North Yorkshire, reflecting on his life, career and faith. Carrying a 360-degree camera, he also describes his struggles with drink and gambling addiction
02:35
A House Through Time
S03E01
David Olusoga traces the history of an 18th-century sea captain’s house in Bristol
David Olusoga traces the history of an 18th-century sea captain’s house near Bristol’s docks with links to the slave trade. Bristol was a major port in the transportation of slaves from Africa’s Guinea Coast to the Caribbean, and both the man who built the house and its first full-time resident were heavily involved in the trade. David uncovers stories of piracy, abandoned babies, a household slave who made a daring escape from the property, and a protest on the doorstep as the abolitionist movement gained momentum
03:35
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