Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.2016/16. 30 April 2016.

Lawrence of Arabia: The Man and the Myth
BBC Radio 4 Extra: Sat 30 Apr 2016, 15.00 – 16.00.
A 2013 programme in which Alan Little marked the then approaching 50th anniversary of David Lean’s 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia by considering the legacy of its titular character.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p6p7s

The Rest Is History
BBC Radio 4: Sun 1 May 2016, 19.15 – 19.00. 5 / 6.
The historical panel show which Frank Skinner hosts and historian Kate Williams offers an expert perspective, This the guests are Miles Jupp and Zoe Lyons, who discuss King Arthur, Ivan the Terrible, Napoleon and Josephine, and Sir Walter Raleigh.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078wsdl

The Silk Road
BBC Four: Sun 1 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. Rpt: Wed 4 May 2016, 20.00 – 21.00. 1 / 3.
Dr Sam Willis takes an epic journey along the ancient trading route that once linked the occidental and oriental worlds. He begins in Venice, to see how the city’s architecture was shaped by eastern influences, before hopping over to Xian in China to begin his travels in earnest.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03qb1gq

The Hairy Bikers’ Pubs That Built Britain
BBC Two: Mon 2 to Fri 6 May 2016, 18.30 – 19.00. Five-part daily.
Si King and Dave Myers host a weekday series tracing the history of Britain’s public houses. This week they visit Edinburgh, Bristol, Oxford, London (Great Fire) & Carlisle: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0794p2h

The Ideas that made Us.
BBC Radio 4: Tue 3 May 2016, 9.30 – 10.00. 2 / 5: Charisma
Bettany Hughes investigates charisma at The Acropolis, in a recording session with Live Aid founder Bob Geldof and on the pages of a best-selling novel with author Ben Okri. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v382b

Handmade on the Silk Road
BBC Four: Wed 4 May 2016, 19.30 – 20.00
As a companion piece to The Silk Road (above), this series focuses on traditional crafts associated with the ancient trade route. First, north-west China, where the Uyghur community has been making atlas silk for thousands of years. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079cgml

Mary Beard’s Ultimate Rome: Empire without Limit
BBC Two: Wed 4 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 2 / 4.
The classicist and historian considers the world the Romans built and finds it surprisingly similar to our own in many key respects. Expect much on roads, bridges and trade, as well as the ways in which the vast Roman infrastructure affected wider culture. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079v9nr

A Very British Map: The Ordnance Survey Story.
BBC 4: Thu 5 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. Repeat of 2015 Timeshift, Series 15 Episode 2.
For over 200 years, Ordnance Survey has mapped every square mile of the British Isles, capturing not just the contours and geography of our nation, but of our lives. Originally intended for military use, OS maps were used during wartime to help locate enemy positions. In peacetime, they helped people discover and explore the countryside. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06b36q3

In Our Time: Tess of the d’Urbervilles
BBC Radio 4: Thu 5 May 2016, 9.00 – 9.45
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles, first serialised in 1891 and published, following revisions, in book form in 1892. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b078zcrr

Peaky Blinders
BBC Two: Thu 5 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00.
Steven Knight’s gangster drama returns for a third season. We rejoin the Shelby family in 1924, where wedding bells are ringing for Tommy (Cillian Murphy) and his new bride. The guest list on the big day reveals just how far Tommy has climbed within society. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b079vtpm

The Anglo-Irish Century
BBC Radio 4: Fri 6 May 2016, 11.00 – 11.30. 3 / 4.
Diarmaid Ferriter explores Irish immigration, the lives of those involved and the wealth they sent back to the now independent Republic are central to the post war period. Moving to the outbreak of the “Troubles” Diarmaid debates the impact of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Easter Rising on all sides in what was to become a violent sectarian conflict. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0790867

A History of Ancient Britain.
BBC 4: Fri 6 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 4 / 4: Age of Cosmology.
Neil Oliver continues his epic tour of Britain’s most distant past with the arrival of metals and the social revolution that ushered in a new age of social mobility, international trade, and village life: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z597g