From Radio Times 27th August – 2nd September 2005 SATURDAY 27th BBC 2 9.40pm Dunkirk Second in a series of three programmes. Dramatised documentary series charting perhaps the greatest evacuation in naval history. Evacuation. The army has made its way to the coast, but there are far too many men to evacuate in the time left before Dunkirk is expected to fall to the Germans. The evacuation effort reaches a new level as Churchill orders that French troops be lifted in the same proportion as the British. Channel 4 6.40pm THE WORST JOBS IN HISTORY – repeat run of the series. Fifth in a series of six programmes. Tony Robinson, aka grubby sidekick Baldrick from Blackadder, exposes travails from past times. The Georgian era is famed for its elegance but, beneath the surface, life was somewhat less luxurious. The unfortunates from destitute strung up naked for hours as artists models in order to produce some of British art’s finest works, to orphans risking life and limb in the cotton mills of Manchester. But did the male operatic stars, the castrati, draw the shortest straw by paying the highest physical price for their fame. Channel 4 8.10pm The Hiroshima Pictures. Only three photographs were taken by residents of the Japanese city when the atomic bomb dropped in 1945. Six decades on, this poignant documentary reveals the outcome of a history project in which survivors of that day committed to paper the scenes they witnessed, providing a vivid insight into the death and destruction wrought by a weapon that ushered in the atomic age. For the survivors, many of whom had never previously expressed their emotions regarding the horror they saw, the process of painting proved a cathartic experience. SUNDAY 28th BBC 2 8.00pm Ray Mears’ Bushcraft. Canoe Journey. Paddling through the Canadian wilderness on a river that was once an arterial route for the fur trade, Ray encounters moose and beaver and shares skills with canoe expert Ray Goodwin. BBC 2 9.00pm Coast Twelfth in a series of thirteen programmes. Hunstanton to Dover. In East Anglia, Alice Roberts finds evidence of Britain’s Ice Age land bridge to Europe, Nicholas Crane meets a modern-day King Canute fighting to prevent his home from falling into the sea and Neil Oliver uncovers an eyewitness account from the heart of the Battle of Trafalgar. Channel 4 8.00pm Nelson’s War Trafalgar below Decks – a short series of programmes to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Begins with a profile of Admiral Horatio Nelson. Nelson is an iconic figure in Britain’s naval history, whose finest hour was masterminding the victory over Napoleon’s navy. He had a dark side, however, leading many of his contemporaries to condemn his “scandalous” behaviour. Courageous, charismatic and passionate to his admirers, his critics considered him vain, self-important and irrational. This documentary attempts to expose the man behind the legend and reveal that true character of Britain’s most celebrated naval hero. Channel 4 9.00pm Rum, S*domy and the Lash Trafalgar below Decks – a short series of programmes to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. A taste of real life in Nelson’s navy. A wide range of original testimonies, from vivid personal journals to court martials for sexual misdemeanours, are combined to lift the lid on the reality of life at sea. The programme’s title derives from a quote by Winston Churchill on the British naval traditions at the time, and life was indeed gruelling below decks for the ordinary sailor. Discipline was savagely implemented and many of the men, and women, who served under Nelson were “press-ganged” – ruthlessly kidnapped and forced into service, often for years at a stretch. MONDAY 29th Channel 4 9.00pm Trafalgar Battle Surgeon. Trafalgar below Decks – concluding the short series of programmes to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. A thrilling historical drama set aboard HMS Victory during Britain’s most famous sea battle. The carnage, the fear and the triumph are all seen through the eyes of ship’s surgeon William Beatty, who saved more than 100 lives during that fateful day. TUESDAY 30th BBC 2 8.30pm What The Ancients Did For Us Third of a series of nine revised repeats. An enthralling examination of ancient inventions, conducted by reporters and tested by Adam Hart-Davis. The Romans. On location in Rome, Amani Zain tells the stories behind the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Circus Maximus. Meanwhile, A H-D reveals the legacy of Roman technology, from bathhouses to ballistas, the military to marble cutting. Channel 4 9.00pm Wakey Wakey Campers First in a new series of four programmes. Fifty-four holiday makers agree to swap two weeks of lying on a sun-drenched foreign beach for a regimented and wholesome experience at Sunshine Camp on the Isle of Wight, a fully-functioning 1960s-style holiday camp complete with annoys and glamorous granny competitions. WEDNESDAY 31st BBC 2 9.00pm Science and the Séance Tracing the 150-year history of the spiritualist movement and revealing the unlikely and surprisingly close relationship between science and a faith that claims not only that there is life after death, but also that communication between the two worlds is possible. THURSDAY 1st BBC 2 7.00pm Talking Landscapes. Castles and standing stones beckon as Aubrey Manning heads for the Pembrokeshire coast, where an arrow flight and some long-lost Irish script provide clues to a time when the area was not so remote. BBC 2 9.00pm Churchill’s Forgotten Years. In 1945, Winston Churchill was cast out of office by the British electorate. It was a terrible blow for the man who had just led his country to victory in WWII. But he refused to accept defeat, fighting back to become Prime Minister once more and writing a monumental history of the war. Professor David Reynolds tells the moving story of Churchill’s wilderness years, in which old age and illness could not overcome his undiminished ambition. BBC 2 Midnight Landscape Mysteries – In Search of Irish Gold Spectacular finds demonstrate that Bronze Age people in Ireland had access to large amounts of gold. But where did these prehistoric metalworkers find it? FRIDAY 2nd BBC 2 7.30pm Tales from the Green Valley Third in a series of twelve programmes November brings death to one of the period pigs. The intention is to create a 17th century pork feast, but first the Stuart experts must burn off the pig’s bristles using authentic techniques. BBC 2 8.00pm In the Footsteps of Churchill Second in a series of eight programmes. Richard Holmes explores the places, events and qualities that forged an inspirational leader. From Soldier to Statesman. Reporting on the Boer War, Winston found himself torn between being an observer and becoming involved in the conflict BBC 2 9.00pm Coast Last in a series of thirteen programmes. Highlights from the series, plus a look to the future to see how Britain’s coastline might change, and could the coast become the country’s powerhouse with wind turbines dominating the skyline? Time Team on Discovery. A Time Team programme is scheduled for 7.00am on Saturday 27th and 5.00am on Sunday 28th. There are no 7.00pm showings on Discovery this week. However from Tuesday – Friday there are programmes at 5.00pm Additionally, Discovery Channel is showing:- Friday 2nd 8.00pm
The Real Da Vinci Code. TR tries to track down the truth behind Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, which the author claims is based on fact.