蜜芽传媒

Len Goodman's Big Band Bonanza - Tue 23rd December at 9pm

Len Goodman explores the story of swing

Len Goodman tells the story of the Big Bands and swing music in Britain, from the Second World War to the present day. Len spent many of his early days listening, and of course dancing, to the music of Ted Heath, Glenn Miller and Joe Loss. In this programme he returns to some of his old stomping grounds and discovers why we continue to love this bold and brassy art form.

Len’s journey charts the rise and fall of this music – and its recent revival. Before the war popular jazz and dance band music enjoyed universal appeal, capable of reaching out to people across the generations.

Al Murray’s Great Spy Movies - Mon 29th December at 9pm

Comedian Al Murray is joined by three guests for another look back at vintage British cinema. This time he's taking on spy movies: from their pre-war roots (Alfred Hitchcock and Powell & Pressburger) via the genre's Cold War heyday (The Ipcress File, Our Man In Havana and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold) to modern classics such as the recent adaptation of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy.

Al will look at some of the screen's most enduring spies, such as Harry Palmer, George Smiley, and of course the greatest and most enduring spy of all - James Bond. Along the way, we'll consider how spy movies have reflected the changes in Britain's relations with the world and attitude to itself, as well as looking at some of the genre's most memorable villains, gadgets, twists and double-crossings.

New Year's Day From Vienna - New Year's Day at 7pm

Conductor Zubin Mehta presents the Vienna Philharmonic’s world-famous New Year’s Day concert from the Golden Hall at the Wiener Musikverein in Vienna. The concert includes works by Franz von Suppé, Johann Strauss, Jr., Josef Strauss, Eduard Strauss, Johann Strauss Sr, and Hans Christian Lumbye.

Panto! Mayhem, Make-up and Magic - Mon 22nd December at 9.25pm

Storyville tells the tale of a very special performance

Pantomime tells the story of how a small community theatre is fighting to keep afloat in austere times. With arts subsidies slashed the cast must rely on ticket sales to keep going. This hilarious glimpse back stage follows their attempts to rehearse and provide costumes and scenery on a minuscule budget. Malfunctioning pyrotechnics and a donkey costume that exposes more than expected are just some of the challenges they face.

The Winter's Tale from the Royal Ballet - Christmas Day at 7pm

Shakespeare’s late, great romance The Winter’s Tale is brought to exuberant and colourful life by The Royal Ballet, in Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon’s full length production which had its world premiere at The Royal Opera House earlier this year.

Carlos Acosta's Cuban Night - Boxing Day at 7.30pm

Uniting dancers and choreographers from The Royal Ballet, Rambert, Cuban National Ballet and Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Acosta explores the varied styles of Cuban contemporary dance, presenting world premieres by contemporary Cuban choreographers and Cuban dance stars.

The programme includes Acosta’s Tocororo Suite, a selection of highlights from his hugely popular 2003 dance work completely re-imagined for the Royal Opera House main stage.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures - from Mon 29th December at 8pm

Professor Danielle George presents the Christmas Lectures

Inspired by the great inventors, and standing on the shoulders of thousands of people playing at their kitchen table or in their garden shed, electrical engineer Professor Danielle George will take three British inventions - the light bulb, the telephone and the motor - and show you how to hack, adapt and transform them to do extraordinary things.

The Joy Of Bee Gees - Fri 19th December at 9pm

This programme explores how the band were iconoclasts and outsiders, brothers in the family business who worked best when together, but who grew up and played out their fraternal struggles in the public eye. The brothers went from being child stars on the Australian variety circuit to competitors with The Beatles in the UK charts in the late 1960s, scoring number one hits while still only teenagers.

The saturation of their music and their iconic ‘medallion man’ image would ultimately elbow them out of fashion, and even make them figures of fun. But you can’t keep a good band down, and in the 1980s they became writing guns for hire to some of music’s biggest stars, including Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross.