Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.2016/18.

[Ray Boyles]

Ray’s History Radio & TV Picks. No.2016/18.

Archive on 4: No More Heroes
BBC Radio 4: Sat 14 May 2016, 20.00 – 21.00.
The concept of the hero is an incredibly powerful one. Stories of heroes resound through the ages, from Achilles in The Iliad, to Lawrence of Arabia. But what are heroes, and why are we so drawn to them? Philosopher Angie Hobbs examines the hero, and asks if we are in danger of devaluing the term. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04g6mn1

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses – Henry VI Part 2
BBC Two: Sat 14 May 2016, 21.00 – 23.05.rd III, with Dame Judi Dench as his mother, Cecily, Duchess of York.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the future Richard III but is not centre stage until next week. For now, the emphasis is on the futile attempts of Henry VI (Tom Sturridge) to control his feuding nobles. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07cc779

The Silk Road
BBC Four: Sun 16 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. Rpt: Wed 18 May 2016, 20.00 – 21.00. 3 / 3.
Sam Willis concludes his journey along the ancient trading route in Venice, where he drops by Marco Polo’s house. He also visits Persepolis in Iran, the city that once lay at the heart of the Persian Empire, and explores Istanbul. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03qb3q4

During Wind and Rain: A British History in Weather
BBC Radio 4: Mon 16 to Fri 20 May 2016. Daily 13.45 – 14.00. Parts 5 to 10 of 10.
Alexandra Harris continues to examine the British people’s ongoing relationship with the weather. She looks at how the weather has shaped the nation’s cultural life. Other subjects tackled over the coming week include icy holidays, rain and storms. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bpbyp/broadcasts/upcoming

Tony Robinson’s World War One
Discovery History: Mon 16 to Thu 19 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. (Sky 535, Virgin 267) Repeat of 4-part series.
Tony Robinson unpicks the Great War using a unique archive of 3D photographs taken in the trenches at the time.http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/c7q8r2/tony-robinsons-world-war-one-episode-guide

Doomsday – World War 1
Discovery History: Fri 20 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. (Sky 535, Virgin 267)
Follows the contrasting exploits of Charles De Gaulle and Herman Goering in WW1 and whether their experiences in battle led to their eventual roles in WW2.
http://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/crwvzx/doomsday-world-war-i-episode-guide/series-1

The Ideas that made Us.
BBC Radio 4: Tue 17 May 2016, 9.30 – 10.00. 4 / 5: Nemesis
Bettany Hughes pursues nemesis in her archaeology of philosophy on the streets of ancient Athens, in the gym and with experts on counterterrorism and climate change. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v5fjp

Handmade on the Silk Road
BBC Four: Wed 18 May 2016, 19.30 – 20.00. 3 / 3: The Potter.
The final episode of the series focuses on the craft of potter Abdol Reza Aghaei and his father who live in southern Iran. The cameras look on as they make a decorated water jug from local clay. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07blsjw

Mary Beard’s Ultimate Rome: Empire without Limit
BBC Two: Wed 18 May 2016, 20.00 – 21.00. 4 / 4.
The historian and classicist concludes her series by looking at how and why the Roman Empire fell. It’s not just a tale of Barbarian invasions. Instead, Beard argues the empire faced challenges from within. She also explores the idea that the Roman Empire was transformed rather than destroyed, and still lives on all around us. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07cb3y6

Landmark: In Parenthesis, by David Jones
BBC Radio 4: Wed 18 May 2016, 22.00 – 22.45
In Parenthesis deals with things David Jones “saw, felt, & was part of” during the First World War, between December 1915 and the summer of 1916. It follows a group of British troops from England to France and then facing the Germans. Recorded before an audience at the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff before the premiere of Iain Bell’s opera inspired by the poem Philip Dodd presents a Landmark edition of Free Thinking devoted to David Jones’ epic. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07b2j26

In Our Time: The Muses
BBC Radio 4: Thu 19 May 2016, 9.00 – 9.45
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Muses and their role in Greek mythology, when they were goddesses of poetry, song, music and dance. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07bft7v

Peaky Blinders
BBC Two: Thu 19 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 3 / 6.
The interwar gangster epic continues with Tommy Shelby preparing to take on the Italians in an act of vengeance. But not before he’s taken a break in Wales with his son Charlie, travelling by gypsy caravan – a move that rather baffles his nearest and dearest. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07cgpy2

Dan Cruickshank: At Home with the British
BBC Four: Thu 19 May 2016, 21.00 – 22.00. 1 / 3.
The amiable architectural historian presents a three-part series focusing on the history of the homes in which we live. He begins with the beautifully preserved cottages of Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, tracing how these buildings have changed (not much in some cases) with the help of the village’s unusually well-preserved records. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07c645b

Sources: Radio Times / History Extra

[Ray Boyles]

Note date correction:
Landmark: In Parenthesis, by David Jones
BBC Radio 4: Wed 18 May 2016, 22.00 – 22.45
In Parenthesis deals with things David Jones “saw, felt, & was part of” during the First World War, between December 1915 and the summer of 1916. It follows a group of British troops from England to France and then facing the Germans. Recorded before an audience at the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff before the premiere of Iain Bell’s opera inspired by the poem Philip Dodd presents a Landmark edition of Free Thinking devoted to David Jones’ epic. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07b2j26

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