Tuesday 29 May 2012
Programme Information
Network TV BBC Week 20: 16-22 May
Transmission details in the Network TV Programme Information 7-day version are not updated after publication. For updates, please see individual day pages.
Network TV BBC Week 20: Unplaced
BBC ONE Unplaced Week 20
Andrew Lloyd Webber has a mission – to put the UK back on the Eurovision map. The expectations are high, following the BBC's search for the UK's entrant in Your Country Needs You, writing the song with Diane Warren, and the public choosing Jade Ewen to sing it. This show follows Jade from the moment she won through to her arrival in Moscow for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.
From the excitement and emotion of winning Your Country Needs You, this programme follows Jade and captures her amazement as she spends the day after her win with her family, before being whisked off to Malta to sing live on their Eurovision show in a vast arena, just a couple of days later.
Graham Norton guides viewers through Jade's journey on a whirl of interviews, TV appearances, recording studios, stylists, behind the scenes at the shooting of her music video and numerous TV appearances all over Europe.
With Moscow looming, does Jade have what it takes to make it at the biggest non-sporting event in the world? Along the way there's help from Andrew Lloyd Webber, coaching from Arlene Phillips and even advice – and some words of warning – from previous winners Lulu and Katrina. So with the hopes of the nation resting on her shoulders in the vast Olympiysky Stadium in Moscow, and in front of over 100 million TV viewers, will Jade be able to claim It's My Time?
JD/PA
BBC TWO Unplaced Week 20
Griff Rhys Jones launches the BBC's Poetry Season on BBC Two with a personal, passionate and illuminating celebration of the power of verse.
Why Poetry Matters, a one-off documentary, explores poetry in all its diverse forms – what it means to Griff himself, how integral it is to life and why we all need it.
Embracing an eclectic range of poetry from Philip Larkin to Ben Jonson and from William Shakespeare to Robert Frost, Griff sets out to demonstrate how verse infiltrates our lives – from our most intimate emotions to performance in public spaces, from daily media to the heart of religion and from the school room to the political arena.
Griff receives a masterclass from National Theatre director Nicholas Hytner on the power of Shakespeare's verse and dissects a Keats poem with poet Simon Armitage in the 18th-century operating theatre in London, where Keats was a trainee surgeon.
Griff immerses himself in the "bardic bear pit" that is a contemporary poetry "slam" and visits poetry doctor Laura Barber for a poetic diagnosis and possible cure for his notorious anger. Laura advocates that poetry can be cathartic, arousing or, if needs be, there to calm people down.
Griff goes on a guided tour of the poetic dandies and dreamers with former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion in the National Portrait Gallery, and sees how DJ and poet Charlie Dark inspires children to love poetry today.
Griff then meets members of The Southend Poetry Society who have been discussing verse, versifiers and versification for over 30 years. He also helps get commuters at Euston Station to collectively perform WH Auden's Night Mail, and encounters experimental poet Valerie Laws during the creation of a random poem, using a dozen beach balls, a swimming pool and a marker pen.
Laws's concept is that verse does not necessarily need to have rhyme or metre but can be made through chance. Laws writes a haiku onto 11 balls and lets water and nature do the rest – with more than 40 million possible outcomes.
Griff says: "Don't be frightened, don't be overawed – enjoy the ecstasy, the intensity and the pure depraved pleasure of great poetry... Remember, it's there to excite you!"
Why Poetry Matters is part of the BBC's Poetry Season on television, radio and online at bbc.co.uk/poetryseason.
JF
The Trouble With Working Women –
Why Can't A Woman Succeed Like A Man Ep 1/2
Newsreader and mum of three Sophie Raworth teams up with father of three Justin Rowlatt to explore the thorny issue of what people really think of women at work, in this provocative, new, two-part series.
Nearly 40 years on from the Equal Pay Act, why is it that men still dominate the top jobs and why do men, on average, earn £369,000 more than a woman across their career?
In a competitive mood from the off, Sophie and Justin conduct a series of tests, experiments and brain scans and meet people such as Harriet Harman, Labour's Deputy Leader; multi-millionaire lingerie magnate Michelle Moan; and an armed female officer at the Metropolitan Police's firing range.
A video pod tours the country, meanwhile, to hear from the nation, and reveals what men and women really think of each other.
In today's opener, Sophie and Justin want to find out why so few women make it to the top. Is it sexism, the practicalities of family life or biology? And, crucially, is the notion women can have it all – a successful career and a family – myth or reality?
Justin takes on former air hostess-turned-small-business woman Sylvia Tidy Harris, who thinks women with children are bad for her business and chooses not to employ women of child-bearing age. She believes this is legal – so long as she doesn't advertise when she recruits new employees.
When it comes to biology, Justin tries to prove the theory of evolutionary psychology – that boys are hard-wired for success. To Sophie's delight, however, his test fails. In round two, they go head to head on a trading floor to see if hormones might explain why the city is so male-dominated. Once again, Sophie has a surprise for Justin.
Perhaps the most surprising meeting is with Erin Pizzey, the founder of the women's refuge movement. She's spent her life working and fighting for equality but has come to a frightening conclusion. It seems she believes the idea of having it all is a dangerous myth.
But there are women who do seem to have it all. Cambridge Fellow Rosanna Omitowoju has four young children, a happy marriage, a full-time, full-on job and no outside help. Despite the 5am starts, juggling career and children is definitely the right thing for her.
The series also features specially commissioned surveys that throw new light on the debate. There are plenty of arguments along the way, but Sophie and Justin eventually manage to reach a conclusion.
CC3
Network TV BBC Week 20: Saturday 16 May 2009
BBC ONE Saturday 16 May 2009
Manish Bhasin, Mark Lawrenson and Martin Keown preview this weekend's football fixtures, which include the penultimate round of matches in the Premier League.
Top of the bill is the meeting between Manchester United and Arsenal, who clash once again – just a couple of weeks after their two-legged Champions League semi-final. There's also plenty to play for at the other end of the table and the relegation situation should be a lot clearer by the end of the weekend.
Manish and guests reflect on this week's Football League play-offs, with the final line-ups for Wembley now confirmed. And it's also the penultimate weekend in the Scottish Premier League, with Rangers hosting Aberdeen today before Celtic visit Hibernian tomorrow.
NA
Tonight's The Night
John Barrowman hosts another Saturday night entertainment extravaganza, as dreams come true and unsuspecting members of the audience find themselves the unlikely heroes of the night.
This week sees the finalists of the Doctor Who competition vying to win their chance to perform on the set of the Tardis in a specially written scene. And Workplace Wonders returns with a semi-final, seeing the waitresses, firemen, plumbers and paramedics all fighting it out.
Special guest star Russell Watson performs a moving duet with one special young man from Hartlepool, there's audience surprises aplenty and the Tonight's The Night dancers join John to present a big, Bollywood-style production number.
SM4
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Moscow awaits as Jade Ewen competes in the 54th Eurovision Song Contest. Jade is flying the flag for the UK, having won Your Country Needs You – the BBC's search for the act to perform UK entry It's My Time.
Jade will take to the stage, in the enormous Olympiysky Arena, which can hold up to 15,000 fans. Her performance will be broadcast to a potential world-wide television audience of more than 100 million viewers.
Graham Norton makes his debut as commentator for this extraordinary live musical extravaganza, bringing his own inimitable style to this year's Eurovision.
A mix of 42 countries compete for the coveted accolade. For the second time in the history of the contest, the 25 countries represented in the final will be decided through two semi-finals – both of which will have been broadcast, live, on BBC Three at 8pm on Tuesday 12 and Thursday 14 May.
This year's final also sees the return of judging panels as viewers votes combine with the judgement of a panel of musical experts to choose a new Eurovision winner.
For more gossip, facts and fun, viewers can visit the BBC Eurovision website at bbc.co.uk/eurovision.
Eurovision – Jade's Story charts Jade's journey from winning Your Country Needs You through to arriving in Moscow.
PA/JD
Gary Lineker introduces all the goals and highlights from today's seven Premier League fixtures.
Today's big game saw Arsenal visit Manchester United at Old Trafford. The two teams have a fierce rivalry, which can only have deepened after their meeting in the Champions League semi-final a few weeks ago.
Middlesbrough fans have not had a lot to cheer about this season, but they did enjoy an unlikely away victory at Aston Villa – they had the chance to do the double over Villa today at the Riverside.
Weeks ago, Newcastle manager Alan Shearer pin-pointed today's home fixture with Fulham as a must-win game. Would his players be up to the challenge? Wigan faced the unenviable task of tackling Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, where the Potters have been incredibly strong all season.
Meanwhile, Hull travelled along the M62 to face Bolton. Away from the relegation zone, Everton and West Ham met at Goodison Park while Tottenham faced Manchester City at White Hart Lane.
NA
BBC TWO Saturday 16 May 2009
Wimbledon Tennis – A Centre Court Celebration
Sue Barker is at Wimbledon for live coverage of an historic moment at the All England Club as the first matches are played under the Centre Court's new roof.
The retractable roof will be used at this year's Championships and a star-studded line-up takes part in this specially arranged test event.
Steffi Graf, a seven-time singles champion at the All England Club, returns to grace Centre Court for the first time since 1999. She is accompanied by fellow tennis legend – and her husband – Andre Agassi, who was the men's singles champion in 1992.
Also in action is Tim Henman, Britain's most successful player at Wimbledon in the modern era and a man who could have done with the roof when his 2001 semi-final against Goran Ivanisevic was halted by rain at crucial points in the closing stages of the match.
And the ever-popular Kim Clijsters, who has recently announced that she will be coming out of retirement and returning to the tennis circuit later in the year, also plays.
Singing stars Katherine Jenkins, Faryl Smith and Blake provide musical entertainment.
CH2
The German composer Handel made his home here in Britain and went on to become both a celebrity and a national icon. Conductor and broadcaster Charles Hazlewood explores how this influential composer changed the shape of British music, as this major series for BBC Two continues.
In the 18th century, London had become the vibrant capital city of the newly-created United Kingdom. The fashion for sumptuous theatrical productions – like those that Handel was involved in – declined and John Gay's The Beggar's Opera marked a turning point. A satire on the aristocratic world of the opera and a huge theatrical success, it poked fun at Handel and included parodies of his music.
Charles invites comedian Phill Jupitus to take a new approach to The Beggar's Opera, alongside acclaimed folk singers Rachel and Becky Unthank, guitarist Adrian Utley, from Portishead, and distinguished jazz drummer Martin France.
Handel's response to this satirical work was to create an entirely new form – the oratorio – where dramatic texts are played out in a non-theatrical space. These oratorios were to become a significant expression of an emerging sense of national identity with the "Handelian" style becoming part of the make-up of British music.
Contributors to tonight's programme include soprano Danielle de Niese; tenor Ian Bostridge; harpist Catrin Finch; historian Suzanne Aspden; Martin Wyatt (Handel House Museum); Katherine Hogg (Curator, Foundling Museum); Professor Donald Burrows (Open University); and artist and historian Jeremy Barlow.
TH2
BBC FOUR Saturday 16 May 2009
One of the most unusual offices in the British establishment, the role of the Poet Laureate, has no official job description and a small salary which is traditionally supplemented by 650 bottles of the finest sherry.
As the newly appointed Laureate settles into the job, Ian Hislop presents an informed and entertaining history of the post. He looks at the poets who have held the role and investigates the point of the post.
Delving into the archive of poetry written by the Laureates, Ian unearths plenty of innocuous lines of verse, along with some delightfully individual responses to Royal subject matter. In his 1716 New Year Ode, Nicholas Rowe wishes the Princess of Wales an easy labour: "Short and easy be the pains, which for a nation's weal the heroine sustains."
Some of the most revered Laureate poems are those which look at national events, with Tennyson's The Charge Of The Light Brigade, written in response to the tragic charge in the Crimean War, being one of the most successful. "It's absolutely typical," remarks Ian, "the most famous poem written by any Poet Laureate is about a catastrophic error, a glorious defeat. That seems to be what the British like."
The programme also illuminates the process by which the appointment is made. Lord Gowrie, the Arts Minister in former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet, reveals how Ted Hughes came to be Laureate. And, in the National Archives, Ian discovers the files of a top civil servant, who ranked the poets of the day in the run up to the announcement of John Masefield as the new Laureate.
Ian also hears from Candida Lycett Green about the whisky her father, John Betjeman, called upon when producing verse out of a sense of duty. He also speaks to poet Wendy Cope on why she thinks the post should be abolished.
However, over a glass of his Laureate's sherry, Andrew Motion explains why he thinks it's still a role worth having.
Ian Hislop's Changing Of The Bard is part of the BBC's Poetry Season, on television, on radio and online.
LK
Network TV BBC Week 20: Sunday 17 May 2009
BBC ONE Sunday 17 May 2009
Gently and Bacchus are investigating a consignment of stolen passports, as the Sixties police drama starring Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby continues. The case takes an unexpected turn when a young woman who worked at the passport office is found dead on the seashore. Maggie Alderton was raped and strangled and her baby son had been left freezing, near to death, next to the body.
Maggie's family had disowned her when they realised she had had a mixed-race child, and in the last months of her life, she was rejected by those closest to her, including her childhood sweetheart Jimmy Cochran, whom she had always claimed was the father of her child.
The investigation takes Gently and Bacchus into the underground world of turf gangs, where Westernised Arab gang members Hamed and Rand oppose Jimmy's gang for the monopoly on the fake passport business.
Gently In The Blood, written by Peter Flannery, sees a disintegrating Arab community and a society where racism is fervent on both sides, in a country on the cusp of social change in the Sixties.
Sexual jealousy and racial hatred led to the death of this young woman, whose innocence and tolerance could not save her from the forces that surrounded her.
Martin Shaw plays Gently, Lee Ingleby plays Bacchus, Robyn Addison plays Maggie Alderton, Andrew Lee Potts plays Jimmy Cochran, Tariq Jordan plays Hamed and Jonathan Bonnici plays Rand.
DG
BBC TWO Sunday 17 May 2009
Suzi Perry introduces live coverage of the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.
World champion Valentino Rossi won at the iconic circuit last year to equal Angel Nieto's tally of 90 career victories. The charismatic Italian celebrated by doing a lap of honour with the legendary Spanish rider.
Britain's James Toseland will be looking for better fortune this year. His race ended on lap three in 2008, when he collided with Andrea Dovizioso.
CH2
Matt Baker presents coverage of the British Grand Prix from Glasgow's Kelvin Hall.
Among the field for this World Cup event will be: Louis Smith, who won Great Britain's first Olympic gymnastics medal for 80 years when taking a bronze in the pommel horse in Beijing; and Beth Tweddle, who won gold in the asymmetric bars and the floor at the European Championships in Milan in April. Up against Tweddle will be Romanian Sandra Izbasa, the only European woman to win an Olympic title at last year's Games.
CH2
Jonathan Edwards is in Manchester where world-beating athletes in both speed and endurance events are on show today, with double Olympic champion Usain Bolt and distance legend Haile Gebrselassie topping the bill.
There is live coverage of the Great Manchester 150, in which Jamaican Bolt, who sensationally smashed both the 100m and 200m world records on his way to double gold in Beijing last year, will be making his first European appearance of the season, and running in a 150m race for the first time.
There's also highlights of Gebrselassie's attempt to regain his Great Manchester Run title. The Ethiopian will be joined not only by an elite field of athletes but also by tens of thousands of "fun runners" as the 10k race winds its way through the streets of the city.
CH2
Dr Alice Roberts visits the frozen wastelands of Asia and continues in her quest to discover how a small band of humans came to eventually populate the globe.
Alice travels to Siberia, one of the coldest places on Earth, to film the Evenki nomads, a remote tribe which has much to teach the world about how to survive extreme climates. She discovers how one of the world's oldest sewing needles could be the key to understanding how early humans conquered their environment.
Next, Alice looks at an intriguing anthropological puzzle. If every single non-African in the world is descended from one group of people that left Africa around 70,000 years ago, why does the world's population look so different?
Alice explores what may have occurred during human migration to produce Chinese physical characteristics, and considers a controversial take on Chinese evolution that claims the Chinese do not share the same African ancestry as other peoples.
VAA
Adrian Chiles introduces all the goals and highlights from today's Premier League matches, in which Liverpool travelled to West Brom and Chelsea hosted Blackburn.
NA
Network TV BBC Week 20: Monday 18 May 2009
BBC ONE Monday 18 May 2009
Moving On – The Rain Has Stopped Ep 1/5
Moving On is a new series of five unique, contemporary dramas starring Sheila Hancock, Dervla Kirwan, Ian Hart, Lesley Sharp, Mark Womack and Joanne Frogatt for BBC One Daytime. The executive producer is Jimmy McGovern (The Street).
Stripped over one week, the dramas, which have been written by up-and-coming writers, are all linked by one central theme: how to "move on". This opening episode is written by Karen Brown and stars Sheila Hancock.
When Liz's husband died, years of looking forward to retirement were suddenly gone. Used to being at the beck and call of her family, she regularly babysits for her daughter, and her son seems to think she is his personal cash machine. But Liz doesn't realise how unhappy she has become.
Then she meets Damar, a retired Nepalese soldier, and she falls in love. When he proposes, she says yes, but neither of them is prepared for the reaction from her family when she returns with her new love.
Liz is played by Shelia Hancock and Damar by Bhaskar Patel.
JP2
After avoiding his calls, Syd tells Bradley that she's not ready for a relationship, in today's visit to Albert Square. But is she telling the truth?
Jean's concerns grow for Stacey as her daughter continues to behave erratically, while Nick and Dotty continue their plan to make Dot think she's going mad.
Under pressure from Nick to pay up, Billy steals money from the Vic.
Syd is played by Nina Toussaint-White, Bradley by Charlie Clements, Jean by Gillian Wright, Stacey by Lacey Turner, Nick by John Altman, Dotty by Molly Conlin, Dot by June Brown and Billy by Perry Fenwick.
KS3
the force
The Met is in trouble. Following the death of Supermac, stories of corruption have made it to the press and DCI Gene Hunt needs a big collar to salvage the reputation of the force, as the Eighties police drama continues.
When a violent burglary takes place, it seems this could be Gene's chance to show the public what the police are for. However, when DI Alex Drake discovers the burglary took place at the house of her future in-laws, she comes face-to-face with a 14-year-old Peter Drake – Molly's dad. Alex, still hurting from Peter's treatment of her and Molly in the future, can't help but take out her anger on him.
Meanwhile, when the fingerprints of a supposedly dead gangster, George Staines, are found at the crime scene, Gene realises this could be just the case he needs to save the force.
When Gene and Alex talk to George's mother, Elsie, she is convinced George is dead. But something isn't adding up, especially when they discover a large amount of cash in Elsie's biscuit tin.
Alex becomes suspicious of the Drake family's neighbour, Gaynor, and when the team discovers she visited Elsie for no apparent reason, it seems she must have been the one to give Elsie the money.
All the team has to do is link Gaynor to George. However, when Gene, with his trusted sidekicks DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton, trails Gaynor in the hope she will lead them to George, the case takes a different direction. They soon realise that it may not be quite as straightforward as they hoped...
DCI Gene Hunt is played by Philip Glenister, DI Alex Drake by Keeley Hawes, Peter Drake by Perry Millward, Elsie by Rita Davies, Gaynor by Sara Stewart, DS Ray Carling by Dean Andrews and DC Chris Skelton by Marshall Lancaster.
PPR
Singing star Connie Fisher turns up to pour oil on troubled waters as the sketches, stand-up and songs continue from "the man who proves you don't have to be working-class or American to be obese" – Omid Djalili.
This week, Omid's characters include the NYPD chief who wants his happily married, non-drinking, courteous detective to be more colourful. Darts Player's Wife, Lambrusco, returns to encourage more viewers to "dream the dream", as she downs pints of bitter and has catfights over jumbo sausage rolls. And the extremely un-inventive Q returns to underwhelm James Bond with another gadget.
And the hills are alive as Omid steps into the extremely knowledgeable shoes of Marty – leader of Marty's Sound Of Music Tour. But Marty is a bit of a bully and his tour isn't very harmonious – that is until a very special guest turns up to bid "auf wiedersehen" to the tour guide tyrant once and for all...
Finally, Omid's stand-up routine takes the audience on another flight of fancy, taking in a romantic dinner with a pig, the al-Qaeda Christmas party and the Easter Bunny.
FW
BBC TWO Monday 18 May 2009
It's the final heat on the Great British Menu and the pressure is on for Mark and Tristan, who are representing London and the South East.
For his main course, Mark sets out to serve the troops a hearty and homely course with his version of a roast chicken dinner. He visits a local free-range chicken farm where they slow-rear birds to enhance the flavour.
Tristan also decides to go for a roast, but to give it a twist he wants to cook his lamb on a spit roast. He visits a catering company that specialises in spit-roasting, using traditional medieval methods.
On Friday, the chefs will cook their entire menus and present them to the panel of food experts, Prue Leith, Matthew Fort and Oliver Peyton, whose task it is to decide which chef goes forward to the final.
Former champion Jason Atherton presented both his starter and his main course at last year's banquet and will be retuning to offer the competing chefs a few pearls of wisdom.
CI2
Sobotka gives his lobbyist grief over the status of port legislation, as the critically acclaimed drama continues. Russell tells Sobotka the investigation is over. But, in fact, a port computer is cloned, and when a container goes missing, the detectives follow. Simultaneously, Greggs and Prez tap into a circuit of Russian prostitutes. With two sets of evidence, the detail goes to Pearlman. Neither crime merits wiretap – but a drug connect could give the case legs.
Rawls can't persuade Daniels to take the murders, but new evidence does. In the discordant Barksdale Empire, Bell tries to hold it together in the wake of a recent tragedy.
Sobotka is played by Chris Bauer, Russell by Amy Ryan, Greggs by Sonja Sohn, Prez by Jim True-Frost, Pearlman by Deirdre Lovejoy, Rawls by John Doman, Daniels by Lance Reddick and Bell by Idris Elba.
RN
BBC FOUR Monday 18 May 2009
Poet Owen Sheers explores the poem Hamnavoe by George Mackay Brown, as A Poet's Guide To Britain continues.
George Mackay Brown, who died in 1996, was the great poetic voice of the Orkneys and one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th century. Owen travels to the place the locals call the Venice of the North, the Orkney town of Stromness, where Mackay Brown lived. It is the backdrop for much of his work, including the great poem Hamnavoe, which is the Viking name for Stromness.
The poem takes its readers on a nostalgic and blustery walk through the town, in the footsteps of George's father, who was the local postman. Owen uses the poem as a tour guide to Mackay Brown's Orkney life, his writing and the island's history. He explores the narrow streets where George was born and wrote his first poems, making diversions to the great Cathedral of St Magnus, the Norse patron saint of the islands, and to the remote island of Rackwick.
Owen explains how, at its heart, the poem reveals a moving story of a father and son and showcases Mackay Brown's signature, exquisite, gem-like images. With ravishing views of the islands in the distinctive Orcadian light, the programme is a hymn to a unique corner of Britain.
The programme features, among other friends and fans of Mackay Brown, contemporary Scottish poet Don Patterson.
This series is part of the BBC's Poetry Season on television, radio and online at bbc.co.uk/poetryseason.
KA
CBEEBIES Monday 18 May 2009
Nina And The Neurons Go Inventing Ep 1/25
Nina is back with more scientific investigations for children. She is ready to get started on a journey of discovery in her new workshop. With the help of her trusty neurons, which represent the senses (taste, touch, sight, sound and smell), Nina looks at inventions which are used in and around the home.
Each day, children join Nina in her workshop and, together, they look at items which people rely on. Nina asks where they come from, how are they made, why a bed is bouncy, how a flask works and how a vacuum cleaner sucks up dust.
As various objects are discovered, examined and taken apart, Nina and her crew get to see how they function and what makes them work, and even have a go at inventing. The neurons, as always, are called on to help out, and Nina decides which is the best one for the job.
To demonstrate how the same technology in household objects can be used on a big scale, Nina visits lots of exciting locations, including a submarine base, an observatory and the London Eye.
There are also lots of fun inventing activities on the CBeebies website, which parents can do, at home, with their children.
NE
Network TV BBC Week 20: Tuesday 19 May 2009
BBC ONE Tuesday 19 May 2009
Mark Womack and Lee Boardman star in Bully, the second of five new dramas for BBC One Daytime by upcoming writers and with Jimmy McGovern as executive producer.
A father attempts to toughen up his son but, in doing so, finds he unleashes a chain of events that look impossible to stop.
Ken is a husband and father who wants the best for his family. He works hard at the local factory and does well at his job. Ken's disappointed that his son, Andrew, isn't more like him and encourages him to be tougher, but he doesn't realise that his actions may very well destroy his family.
Les is Ken's work colleague and a good friend. Their relationship becomes strained, however, after they take a family holiday together. But when Les sees Andrew hurt his son, Ryan, he becomes angry and threatens him. And, when Andrew suddenly goes missing, everyone begins to suspect that Les is involved.
Ken is played by Lee Boardman and Les by Mark Womack. Bully is directed by Gary Williams and written by Marc Pye.
JP2
Billy lies to Peggy about the stolen money, in tonight's visit to Albert Square, but who will he blame?
Elsewhere, Syd has a shocking revelation for Bradley, while Mo and Stacey use their charms to secure a deal on some designer clothing for the stall.
Theo later plans a birthday surprise for Chelsea, but will she be impressed?
Billy is played by Perry Fenwick, Peggy by Barbara Windsor, Syd by Nina Toussaint-White, Bradley by Charlie Clements, Mo by Laila Morse and Stacey by Lacey Turner.
KS3
Maddy is devastated after losing out on promotion, as the medical drama continues, but Ric notices that she is working hard again and gives her another chance. Before Maddy makes it to the interview, however, she is stabbed by Chantelle.
It's Chrissie's first day back as a full-time sister on the ward, meanwhile, and she is unhappy with the way that her father is obviously infatuated with Daisha. Daisha later decides to move out of his flat.
Elsewhere, Joseph and Faye have to choose a best man and someone to give Faye away. Neither of them wants to make contact with their families, however, and both decide that Linden will be Joseph's best man and Elliot will give Faye away.
Maddy is played by Nadine Lewington, Ric by Hugh Quarshie, Chantelle by Toyah Frantzen, Chrissie by Tina Hobley, Mark by Robert Powell, Daisha by Rebecca Grant, Joseph by Luke Roberts, Faye by Patsy Kensit Healy, Linden by Duncan Pow and Elliot by Paul Bradley.
IJ
BBC TWO Tuesday 19 May 2009
McNulty is back to his old self and goes on a drunken binge of legendary proportions, as the second season of The Wire continues. Urged by fellow stevedores to fight Maui, Ziggy is again humiliated, but has a moment later at the bar.
Worried about McNulty, Bunk tries to get Daniels and Rawls to take him on. After some labour, the wiretap is up – just in time to catch another disappearing can. A suspicious Sobotka meets with The Greek and Vondas, and they decide to change up. Herc and Carver, meanwhile, register their imaginary CI. And with the package still weak, business dries up for Bodie and Poot.
McNulty is played by Dominic West, Ziggy by James Ransone, Bunk by Wendell Pierce, Daniels by Lance Reddick, Rawls by John Doman, Sobotka by Chris Bauer, The Greek by Bill Raymond, Vondas by Paul Ben-Victor, Herc by Domenick Lombardozzi, Carver by Seth Gilliam, Bodie by JD Williams and Poot by Tray Chaney.
RN
BBC THREE Tuesday 19 May 2009
Blood, Sweat And Takeaways Ep 1/4
When it comes to food, the Brits are spoilt for choice. Many simply take it for granted that it's possible to buy whatever food they want, whenever they want it, all year round. But what about the human cost of producing all this cheap food for our convenience?
In the follow-up to the Bafta-nominated BBC Three series Blood, Sweat And T-shirts, six young British consumers travel to South East Asia to see just what's involved in producing the food they take for granted. The intrepid six are fussy eater Jess (19), fast-food fan Manos (20), fitness fanatic Olu (25), luxury food lover Lauren (21), keen cook Josh (20) and ethical shopper Stacey (20).
They must catch, harvest and process food products that are eaten every day in the UK, as they go behind the scenes of the tuna, prawn, rice and chicken industries. They also eat, sleep and live with the food workers in the poorest regions of Indonesia and Thailand and see how they fare living on the same wage – the average for such workers being around £3 a day.
In tonight's first instalment, the Brits enter Indonesia's tuna industry in Bitung, on the island of Sulawesi. In the UK, over a billion tins of tuna are consumed each year and Bitung's canneries supply many of our supermarkets and sandwich chains.
Living with the workers in their basic conditions, the Brits endure the 90-degree heat of the tuna canneries and struggle with the harsh realities of life on a traditional wooden tuna boat in the Western Pacific. The extreme conditions affect them all – as does the hand-to-mouth existence of those they are living with.
After seeing the reality, will biting into a tuna sandwich ever be the same again?
Next week, the food lovers journey on to live and work alongside workers in the prawn industry.
KA
BBC FOUR Tuesday 19 May 2009
Hapless music-comedy duo Bret and Jemaine's fortunes unravel this week after Bret buys a new tea cup, as the Emmy-nominated hit comedy continues.
With emergency band funds unavailable, Jemaine takes desperate measures in the hope of supplementing their income. Bret also shows his entrepreneurial side, but doesn't quite understand the concept of a profit-making business, and their only fan, Mel, tries to take advantage of their poverty.
Meanwhile, Murray believes he has found the perfect business partner – someone he met on the internet.
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie star with Rhys Darby as Murray, Kristen Schaal as Mel and Arj Barker as Dave.
BR3/LH2
CBEEBIES Tuesday 19 May 2009
Younger viewers are welcomed to Nara this week, the home of the Piplings and gateway to Waybuloo. Launching exclusively on CBeebies, Waybuloo is a philosophy for a happy life brought vividly to life through a combination of live action and cutting-edge CGI animation. Together, the four animated Piplings interact with real children – Cheebies – to explore and experience natural and spontaneous routes to happiness through warmth, friendship, co-operation and citizenship.
When a Pipling is happy they achieve buloo – a warm feeling of emotional harmony that is experienced as floating. A hug or a helping hand results in a small moment of buloo. When children, Piplings and viewers co-operate, and everyone achieves a shared moment of discovery or happiness, then buloo is experienced as euphoric dancing, spinning and floating above the tree tops and amongst the clouds.
In today's opener, Yojojo and Nok Tok find a hollowed-out, trumpet-like branch and blow through it to make a loud noise. They're so delighted with the sound that they blow even harder. Every time they blow, they are overwhelmed with joy at the sound that it makes. But there's a problem – Lau Lau is trying to dance with her narabug and the loud noise keeps scaring it away.
When the Cheebies arrive, they show Nok Tok and Yojojo a way of playing the trumpet more softly. Eventually, they manage to produce such a gentle tune that the narabugs actually like the sound and come back to dance with Lau Lau.
FW
Network TV BBC Week 20: Wednesday 20 May 2009
BBC ONE Wednesday 20 May 2009
Drowning Not Waving by Sarah Deane continues BBC Daytime's series of five unique dramas and stars Christine Tremarco and Richard Armitage.
Ellie Morgan has got herself into serious debt. She has credit cards, loans, store cards and even owes her mother money.
Ellie's only hope of avoiding bankruptcy is to sell the home she loves. But no one is buying, no one that is, except John Mulligan, an old flame from school.
Always written off at school as the boy who wouldn't amount to anything, John has really shown them all with his portfolio of houses, his flash car and designer clothes. But has the bad boy really turned his life around?
Ellie Morgan is played by Christine Tremarco and John Mulligan by Richard Armitage.
JP2
BBC TWO Wednesday 20 May 2009
Bodie's efforts to improve sales ends disastrously, forcing Bell to rethink his strategy, as the acclaimed drama continues. Ziggy, duck in tow, pulls Johnny Fifty into a new caper that should have the Greeks paying off big. McNulty, undercover and outnumbered in the brothel, awaits "rescue" by the Detail. Daniels and Pearlman hold their composure as Valcheck fumes over the change of targets – and Burrell pulls the rug from beneath him. Meanwhile, the Greeks, feeling confident, get back to business.
Bodie is played by JD Williams, Bell by Idris Elba, Ziggy by James Ransone, McNulty by Dominic West, Daniels by Lance Reddick, Pearlman by Deirdre Lovejoy and Burrell by Frankie R Faison.
RN
Network TV BBC Week 20: Thursday 21 May 2009
BBC ONE Thursday 21 May 2009
Ian Hart and Dervla Kirwan star in Moving On – Dress To Impress, by Arthur Ellison, the penultimate episode in a series of five unique, contemporary dramas by upcoming writers for BBC One Daytime with Jimmy McGovern as executive producer.
The touch paper is lit when a 17-year-old boy's secret love of dressing in women's clothes is discovered, and a turn of events ignites a ticking time bomb that threatens to destroy his parents' marriage and his family for ever.
It's Jake's birthday and he discovers that his wife, Becky, has bought a sexy outfit and he thinks she's planning a night of passion. Only his suspicions are aroused, however, when she denies having bought any clothes and starts acting strangely. Jake becomes convinced she's having an affair and decides it's time to do something about it.
Becky, meanwhile, is tired of people criticising her marriage. Her friends just can't understand why she's with Jake and they can't seem to accept that they love each other. But, after yet another pointless row, she's beginning to see what everyone else sees – maybe it is time that she begins to live for herself.
Jake is played by Ian Hart and Becky by Dervla Kirwan.
JP2
Outlandish Georgian beauty tips, a Roman Galley safety announcement and made-up monsters and bizarre cures for the Black Death from the Measly Middle Ages are just some of the comedy treats featured in this week's feast of funny historical sketches.
More pastiches of familiar television formats help to explain historical events; an advert for Victorian Claims Direct details some of the injuries Victorian children faced in the workplace; and Greek Myth Talk puts Greek God Cronus and his family on the spot in a daytime talk show. Also, in Historical Wife Swap, the Georgian Lord and Lady Posh from the Manor swap with the Peasant family of Poorville.
This week's Fairy Tale is The Old Woman Who Lived In The Shoe – the First World War version – and a witty song reveals that lead paint, false eyebrows made of mouse skin and hair-raising wigs were all essential parts of a gorgeous Georgian lady's beauty routine.
Horrible Histories boasts some of Britain's finest comedy talent, including writers Steve Punt, Jon Holmes, Ben Ward and Giles Pilbrow. The series stars Sarah Hadland, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe Douglas, Matthew Baynton and Ben Willbond. Meera Syal guest stars as the Fairy Tale narrator and John Eccleston is the puppeteer for the Horrible Histories Rat.
VT
Billy tells Phil that Nick has been blackmailing him and wonders what he will do, in the penultimate visit of the week to Walford.
Jean, meanwhile, becomes concerned after Stacey fails to return home after a night out. And Nick changes the times of Dot's doctor's appointment in an attempt to confuse her further, but the plan backfires.
Billy is played by Perry Fenwick, Phil by Steve McFadden, Nick by John Altman, Jean by Gillian Wright, Stacey by Lacey Turner and Dot by June Brown.
KS3
BBC THREE Thursday 21 May 2009
On nearly every high street from Penzance to London and Glasgow to Belfast, there's a new "must-have" accessory for some young men. Not the latest trainers or mobile phone, but fierce, snarling dogs.
Rickie Haywood-Williams explores the hip-hop and peer-pressure culture that has led to this growth in aggressive dogs in his hometown of London – on the streets and abandoned in shelters. He discovers that dogs are bred, bought, sold and given away with incredible ease.
In some cases dogs are deliberately trained and even abused to make them vicious. Methods of "toughening up" dogs include chain fighting and beatings. The owners claim it's all necessary for protection – but are they always in control of their animals?
Rickie learns that the "Staffie", formerly a dog of choice, is now being replaced by bigger, fiercer breeds as the dog to have. Shockingly, he discovers that the Pit Bull, the most notorious status dog of all, is back with a vengeance.
Rickie meets victims of vicious dog attacks to hear their reaction to the rise in aggressive dogs. He also visits vets at Harmsworth Animal Hospital as they desperately try to patch up dogs after they've been abused or neglected.
The film also seeks to understand the status dog culture from the owners' point of view – examining the question of why so many young men want to be feared.
PH
BBC FOUR Thursday 21 May 2009
Poetry Please on BBC Radio 4 is the world's longest-running poetry request programme. Since its first broadcast 30 years ago this year, it has put the requests of ordinary people with a wish to hear their favourite poem at the heart of the programme.
Today's documentary follows the Poetry Please production team over the course of three programmes in Spring 2009 to discover the secret to its enduring success. BBC Four tracks the way the radio programme is made from start to finish – from receiving listeners' letters, hearing the personal stories attached to the requested poem and casting the perfect reader, to recording with actors and presenter Roger McGough in the studio.
What emerged was a deep connection with its listeners, who feel passionately about poetry. The programme speaks to Radio 4's dedicated listeners and asks them what poetry means to them and how the simple act of listening to it read on radio affects them.
By weaving listeners' stories about how poetry and the programme shapes their lives with the challenges and mechanics of putting a show together, the documentary captures the enduring appeal of Poetry Please – what one of the radio producers describes as "a mobile conversation with poetry".
There are also featured interviews with well-known poets, including Ian McMillan, Wendy Cope and Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, as well as poetry readers Andrew Sachs, Kenneth Cranham and Tim Pigott-Smith and famous fans Rick Stein and David Blunkett.
Poetry Please – 30 Years Of The People's Poetry is part of the BBC's Poetry Season on television, on radio and online.
LK
CBEEBIES Thursday 21 May 2009
De Li discovers a strawberry patch but then gets called away to a yogo session – a simple, gentle form of yoga that the Piplings enjoy – as Waybuloo, the new CBeebies series brought vividly to life through a combination of live action and cutting-edge CGI animation, continues.
After yogo, De Li wants to pick lots of strawberries to share with her friends but can't find the patch again. Nok Tok shows her how to use her one strawberry to help her narabug sniff out the patch again. She fills a basket and heads back but, as she distributes them, she forgets to leave any for herself. Now there are none left for her narabug to sniff and pick up the scent again.
The Cheebies help by splitting up and searching out the patch, while everyone else gets to the strawberries before De Li. They pick all but one and head off to look for her. When she arrives, she gets her narabug to sniff the one remaining strawberry and find another patch. Instead, it leads her to Nok Tok's pod – where the others are all waiting to share their strawberries with her.
FW
Network TV BBC Week 20: Friday 22 May 2009
BBC ONE Friday 22 May 2009
Lesley Sharp and Joanne Froggatt star in Esther Wilson's Butterfly Effect, the final part of Moving On, a series of five unique dramas for BBC One Daytime that follow individuals as they move on in their lives.
Sylvie Jackson (Sharp) lives for her job at the homeless centre and is always the first in and the last to leave at night. But when asked to cover for a colleague at work, she makes a decision that ends in a terrifying situation. A strange man arrives at the reception who becomes aggressive and abusive when she refuses to let him in. The incident kicks off a chain of events that lead her into unfamiliar territory. Sylvie freezes and her colleague, Kelly (Froggatt), steps in and takes over, leaving Sylvie terrified and badly shaken.
When everyone begins to doubt her side of the story, she's starts doubting herself. With her back against the wall and all sides seeming to close in, it's up to Sylvie to find the courage to take control and get her life back on track.
Sylvie Jackson is played by Lesley Sharp and Kelly by Joanne Froggatt. The director is Richard Standever and the executive producer is Jimmy McGovern (The Street).
JP2
Billy realises that the only way to stop Nick blackmailing him is to tell Jay the truth about the night Jase was killed, in today's final visit of the week to Albert Square.
Meanwhile, Jean is worried as there is still no sign of Stacey, and Chelsea has a surprise for Theo.
Billy is played by Perry Fenwick, Nick by John Altman, Jay by Jamie Borthwick, Jean by Gillian Wright, Stacey by Lacey Turner, Chelsea by Tiana Benjamin and Theo by Rolan Bell.
KS3
Reggie Perrin Ep 5/6
Sick of commuting to work, Reggie takes up cycling – with painful results – in the penultimate episode of the series written by Simon Nye, the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, and David Nobbs, the writer and creator of the original Seventies show.
Overbearing boss Chris is desperate to convince the Groomtech board he is the right man for the job and asks Reggie for help. When Chris invites himself to Reggie's home to work one weekend, it drives a wedge between Reggie and his wife. It also drives Reggie to the brink...
Reggie Perrin is played by Martin Clunes and Chris by Neil Stuke.
Reggie Perrin is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.
IV
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