Saturday 12th November 2011
| Come Fly With Me (the Story of Pan Am) |
Documentary telling the story of how Pan American World Airways kickstarted the Jet Age and shrank the globe. Real-life 'Pan Am girls' recall a high-life of luxury and glamour; rubbing shoulders with celebrity passengers, international romances and having to wear the now infamous girdle. Stars of the Jet Age such as Robert Vaughn and Mary Quant remember the food, fashion and girls that made them regular Pan Am passengers.
Pan Am's success was largely due to its visionary founder Juan Trippe, who transformed a small mail carrier into a global airline, pioneered flights for the masses and helped create the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Honor Blackman narrates the story of how Pan Am conquered the skies and left a legacy of affordable travel and a much smaller world.
| The Story of Film: an Odyssey |
This episode reveals the innovation behind blockbusters Star Wars, Jaws and The Exorcist, and travels to India to talk Bollywood with the world's most famous movie star, Amitabh Bachchan.
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Sunday 13th November 2011
| Perspectives: Hugh Laurie down by the River |
Hugh Laurie visits New Orleans to explore the roots of the sounds that have inspired his lifelong passion for music, in particular jazz and blues. Cameras follow Hugh's personal journey as he discovers a new and authentic interpretation of some of the great songs which have shaped generations of musicians and defined so much of American culture. Taking a close look at the city of New Orleans, the film captures behind the scenes moments as Hugh prepares to record his own versions of blues and jazz songs. There is also a special concert in Latrobes in the city's French Quarter, where for one night only Hugh and his band perform alongside contemporary legends like Allen Toussaint, Tom Jones and Irma Thomas.
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Monday 14th November 2011
| The New Global Economics: the Shock |
In the first of a two part series, Martin Wolf, the chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, examines how the world has changed since the beginning of the financial crisis four years ago and asks if the pre-2007 era might be the high point for free market capitalism.
Will the world face the combination of post-crisis austerity and disappointing global growth? Will fiscal pressure become a permanent feature of political, economic and social life in developed countries? Will there be a re balancing of East and West and will the on going crisis in the Euro zone lead to a greater or weaker currency union?
Martin Wolf talks to world leaders such as US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and Chairman of the UK Financial Services Authority Adair Turner to examine how the consequences of our economic choices have evolved since 2007 and what the future could look like in a world where there are no easy answers.
| Confessions of an Undercover Cop |
With exclusive access to Mark Kennedy, Cutting Edge tells the inside story of Britain's most controversial undercover police officer, who led a remarkable double life for eight years.
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Tuesday 15th November 2011
| International Football Live: England v Sweden |
Adrian Chiles is joined by Gareth Southgate for live coverage from Wembley as England play Sweden in a friendly match. Both sides have secured their places in Euro 2012 next summer and will see this game as vital preparation for the finals in Poland. Their last meeting was a thrilling 2-2 draw in the 2006 World Cup in Germany but much has changed since then, and Fabio Capello will be well aware of the importance of a morale-boosting performance tonight. Commentary by Peter Drury and Andy Townsend.
| Ken Clarke's Jazz Greats |
Ken Clarke, QC, MP returns with another series of Jazz Greats. Joining Ken in the studio for this first instalment is the lecturer and musician Ian Smith. Their subject: the American hard-bop trumpeter Lee Morgan.
Lee Morgan's tense, urgent trumpet with his searing high register and funky timing was the essence of harp-bop. He became a professional musician in his late teens when he joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band in 1956. It was the perfect launch-pad for his career and he went on to play with some of the best in the genre: Art Blakey, John Coltrane and Benny Golson. Perhaps most known for his landmark album "The Sidewinder," Morgan became one of the legendary Jazz label Blue Note's best loved stars.
He may have been blessed with musical talent but the rest of Morgan's life was something of a mess. A crippling heroin addiction hampered his recording career and resulted in a painful encounter with gangsters. While the unfortunate tangle of his personal relationships brought about his rather dramatic demise.
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Wednesday 16th November 2011
| Rich Hall's Continental Drifters |
Comedian Rich Hall hits the road as he takes us on his personal journey through the road movie, which, from the earliest days of American cinema has been synonymous with American culture. With his customary wit and intelligence, Rich takes us through films such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Grapes of Wrath, Thelma and Louise, Vanishing Point, Five Easy Pieces and even The Wizard of Oz. He explores what makes a road movie and how the American social, economic and political landscape has defined the genre.
Filmed on location in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana, the film incorporates interviews, archive footage and clips of some of cinemas best-loved films as it gives us another of Rich Hall's unique insights into American culture.
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Thursday 17th November 2011
| Monsters |
(2010) British Connection: Gareth Edwards' widely lauded sci-fi adventure-romance stars Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy on a journey through alien-infested Mexico. Some strong language.
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Friday 18th November 2011
| Unreported World: India's Child Savers |
Unreported World examines the dark side of India's booming economy, where thousands of children are being kidnapped into domestic slavery for the growing middle class and businesses.
| Janet Jackson - Taking Control |
Emerging from the shadows of the most famous family in showbusiness to become a superstar in her own right, Janet Jackson was one of the biggest female pop icons of the 80s and 90s, scoring huge international hits with songs such as What Have You Done For Me Lately? and Nasty.
This film examines Janet's phenomenal career, from her early success as a teenage actress in hit US sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to multi award-winning pop star rivalling her brother's success with ten number one singles on the American Billboard charts and worldwide album sales of over 65 million. The struggle to control both her creative and personal life is central to Janet's development as an artist and key to understanding her story - from escaping the clutches of her overbearing father to the thirst for new challenges in her groundbreaking collaborations with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Dubbed the 'Queen of Radio' in America, she always seemed capable of maintaining her broad-base appeal - until the infamous 2004 American Super Bowl appearance alongside Justin Timberlake.
Featuring an exclusive interview with Janet Jackson and contributions from the likes of Jimmy Jam, Janet's brother Jackie Jackson, actor Deborah Allen and British pop talent Estelle.
| Motor City's Burning: Detroit from Motown to the Stooges |
Documentary looking at how Detroit became home to a musical revolution that captured the sound of a nation in upheaval.
In the early 60s, Motown transcended Detroit's inner city to take black music to a white audience, whilst in the late 60s suburban kids like the MC5 and the Stooges descended into the black inner city to create revolutionary rock expressing the rage of young white America.
With contributions from Iggy Pop, Alice Cooper, George Clinton, Martha Reeves, John Sinclair and the MC5.
