Saturday 28th January 2012
| Alien |
(1979) The film that put director Ridley Scott on the map and gave us the modern action heroine, in the shape of Sigourney Weaver's Ripley. The tension never lets up in this sci-fi/horror hybrid.
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Sunday 29th January 2012
| Sir Jimmy Savile at the BBC: How's About That Then |
An affectionate tribute to Jimmy Savile via the BBC archive courtesy of Top of the Pops, plus rarely seen footage of Clunk Click, the Saturday night entertainment show which eventually made way for his series Jim'll Fix It.
| God Bless Ozzy Osbourne |
Documentary telling the story of Ozzy Osbourne's torturous and emotionally fraught journey to sobriety, which the iconic musician regards as his greatest accomplishment. Featuring interviews with Ozzy's brothers and sisters, as well as Jack, Sharon, Aimee and Kelly Osbourne. Featuring never-seen-before footage uncovered from the archives and interviews with Sir Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee, Henry Rollins and others.
| Sweeney |
Violent thriller based on the TV detective series. Hard-bitten Flying Squad officer Jack Regan gets embroiled in a deadly political plot when an old friend asks him to investigate the death of his prostitute girlfriend. A spate of killings follow and Regan is forced to take on both the criminals and the hierarchy of the Metropolitan Police and British security services.
| Europes Choice (1/3) 1989: Reshaping Europe |
Allan Little looks at key moments and issues which brought the EU to the current crisis. In this episode he focuses on 1989 and its consequences.
By the early 1980s the major players in the European project were already committed to some sort of monetary union. But the fall of the Berlin Wall, which happened much sooner than anticipated, propelled the project forward with a new urgency. France - and others - feared a resurgent Germany would pull the axis of Europe east. Germany too wanted to send a message that it continued to see its future anchored at the heart of the EU: it would give up its cherished deutschmark and embrace the euro. Civil servants and politicians describe the bargaining that took place to close the deal. Compromises were made that would come back to haunt the union as early as 1992 when the Exchange Rate Mechanism - which precipitated one the UK's most serious financial crises - showed the difficulties of maintaining a single currency across very different economies.
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Monday 30th January 2012
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Tuesday 31st January 2012
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Wednesday 1st February 2012
| The Unforgettable ... Rod Hull |
A tribute to Rod Hull, best known for creating and performing with his temperamental and much-feared puppet sidekick Emu. In the 1970s and 80s, Rod enjoyed success as one of Britain's most popular entertainers. Friends and family talk about this well-loved man who survived bankruptcy and a turbulent career with his free spirit intact. His youngest son reflects on wonderful times sharing a tumbledown cottage with Rod in the months before Rod died in a bizarre accident. With contributions from Warren Mitchell, Rolf Harris and Emu victim Michael Parkinson.
| Kiss Kiss Bang Bang |
Noir comedy directed by Shane Black, the screenwriter behind Lethal Weapon. Small-time thief Harry Lockhart is trying to escape from the police when he accidentally lands a screen test for a a Hollywood movie. Brought to Los Angeles, he meets prickly private eye Gay Perry, and finds himself pulled along with Perry's investigation of a string of murders.
| Arena: Dennis Potter |
1987 edition in which Alan Yentob interviews TV dramatist Dennis Potter about his work through the years, touching on subjects such as why and how he started writing, his sense of being different as a child, the insularity of his past in Forest of Dean, starting at the BBC in 1959 and a failed attempt at going into politics.
| The Hurt Locker |
(2008) Great Directors: Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winning drama about a US bomb disposal unit in Iraq. Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. Violence/strong language.
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Thursday 2nd February 2012
| Putin, Russia and the West (3/4) |
Vladimir Putin, after eight years as president of Russia and four more as prime minister, is stubbornly holding on to power. He has announced his intention to return as president and declared his party the winner in parliamentary elections that are widely seen as fraudulent. In Moscow 100,000 protesters have taken to the streets in the largest demonstrations since Putin took office.
Putin began his career as a KGB spy but when he became president, he made himself a valued ally of the West. How did he do it? And what made Washington and London turn against him?
The third episode tells how, in August 2008, Russia went to war with America's ally, Georgia. Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev and Georgia's president Mikheil Saakashvili reveal why each decided it was necessary to make war on the other.
Former American secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former secretary of defense Robert Gates describe what happened inside the National Security Council as President Bush considered whether to send in ground troops to save Georgia's capital. They reveal just how near to war the conflict brought the two nuclear super-powers.
| Holy Mackerel - It's My Life |
Bernard Cribbins helps paint a radio portrait of one of this country's most successful but least well known cartoonists. The longest-running daily cartoon strip in the world is the work of Frank Dickens - his character "Bristow", the middle-aged office rebel, first appeared in 1961 and has been a well-loved feature of newspapers throughout the world ever since.
Dickens tried to make sense of his life as a cartoonist, and life in general, while pootling around the countryside in his old VW, the "Kaisermobile", but his autobiography remains unfinished. As a result - and despite being a legend in Fleet Street - he remains an enigma to most of his readers.
Michael Williams succeeded in lifting the character Bristow out of the newspaper in a Radio 4 series (described by the Daily Mail as "a model for sitcoms", with The Times claiming "The dull routine of office life has not been so hilariously transformed since the stage musical 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'") and Bristow's inspiration can be seen in many workplace comedy creations including "Dilbert" and "The Office". Originally conceived as a guide to car maintenance, the strip that defined the humour in red-tape muddles has been a daily constant during its creators turbulent and eventful life.
Through the comical warp and woof of survival in Chipping Norton revealed in his diary entries and with the help of fellow cartoonists and artists MAC, Ralph Steadman, Bernard Cookson and Rick Brookes, perhaps we'll finally find out who the man is behind one of this country's (and now the world's) most successful cartoons.
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Friday 3rd February 2012
Jaws III
ITV1, 10.35pm - 12.25am
The second sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1970s blockbuster transports the action from Amity Island to a new undersea kingdom attraction in a Florida theme park. The capture of a baby great white shark is big news and brings crowds to the park - until its mother arrives on the scene. The film was shown in 3D in cinemas.
| How the Brits Rocked America: Go West (2/3) |
The second part of a series celebrating the success of British rock in America looks at how Led Zeppelin spearheaded a British stadium rock assault on the States in the 70s. The Beatles gave the world a glimpse of the future of rock at Shea Stadium in 1965, but it would be Page, Plant and co who would take it to the bank.
With contributions from Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page.
| The Making of Elton John: Madman Across the Water |
Documentary exploring Elton John's childhood, apprenticeship in the British music business, sudden stardom in the US at the dawn of the 70s, and his musical heyday. Plus, the backstory to the album reuniting him with Leon Russell, his American mentor. Features extensive exclusive interviews with Elton, plus colleagues and collaborators including Bernie Taupin, Leon Russell and others.
| Elton John at the BBC |
Elton John's career tracked in archive from performances, interviews and news clips.
