History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?
Can't decide which shows to watch or listen to this week? Here are the latest history radio and TV programmes airing in the UK that you won't want to miss
Archive On 4: A Brief History Of Bureaucracy
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 25th January, 8pm
American satirist Joe Queenan is on typically good form as he turns his attention to pen pushers and their work. It’s a tale Queenan traces back to the ancient Sumerians, and the documentary functions largely not as a critique of bureaucrats but as a celebration of how they’re necessary for civilisations to function.
Drama: The History Of Mr Polly
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 26th January, 3pm
Paul Ready stars as HG Wells’ everyman antihero in a two-past adaptation by Stephen Sheridan. In the first of two episodes, Alfred Polly, facing bankruptcy, decides to take drastic action, a decision he rethinks after his life takes an unexpected turn. Narrated by Stephen Mangan.
Between The Ears: Automata!
BBC Radio 3
Sunday 26th January, 7.15pm
Mechanical dolls and artworks are fascinating – and perhaps a little scary too. A fascinating documentary recorded partly at the Museum Tinguely in Basel, home to kinetic art sculptural machines created by Jean Tinguely (1925–91). Followed by Sunday Feature: New Generation Thinkers: Sweden And The Holocaust (7.45pm).
Call The Midwife
BBC One
Sunday 26th January, 8pm
We’ve reached May 1970 and the Nonnatus team gets set for the arrival of a new nun and trainee midwife, Sister Catherine (Molly Vevers), who immediately has to deal with a complex case under the supervision of Nurse Crane. Plus Dr Turner is disappointed at over a lack of enthusiasm for a measles vaccination clinic.
SAS Rogue Heroes
BBC One
Sunday 26th January, 9pm
The second series of Steven Knight’s drama reaches its conclusion with our antiheroes returning to Blighty in the wake fighting their way through Italy. Time with family and friends awaits in an episode that, especially in scenes featuring Paddy Mayne, explores how ordinary life can seem dreary when compared to conflict.
The Last Musician Of Auschwitz – pick of the week
BBC Two
Monday 27th January, 9pm
Marking Holocaust Memorial Day, this feature-length documentary focuses on 99-year-old musician Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, the last surviving member of the Women’s Orchestra at Auschwitz. Earlier in the day, there is coverage of the ceremony to mark the 80th Anniversary Of The Liberation Of Auschwitz (BBC One, 2.30pm) and a special Holocaust Memorial Day concert (BBC One, 7pm)
The Tattooist’s Son
Sky History
Monday 27th January, 9pm
Gary Sokolov is the son of Lali, who was forced to ink identification numbers on his fellow prisoners at Auschwitz, a story that helped inspire The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Yet until last year, Gary had never ventured to the site of a camp central to the story of both his father and mother, Gita. Cameras follow his first visit.
The Essay: They’ll Never Believe It Happened
BBC Radio 3
Monday 27th January, 9.45pm
Over five weekday episodes, Michael Goldfarb considers how writers, filmmakers and poets have succeeded or failed in understanding and conveying the enormity of what happened at Auschwitz. In the first of five weekday episodes, he considers whether Jewish artists can ever deal directly with events at the concentration camp.
Drama: A Tale Of Two Trumpets
BBC Radio 4
Wednesday 29th January, 2.15pm
Rich in music, Sylvia-Anne Parker’s drama takes listeners to the court of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. When the couple lose a child, the king commissions his black trumpeter, John Blanke, to prepare a memorial to the young prince. Starring Nicholas Pinnock and Rory Kinnear.
Brian And Maggie
Channel 4
Wednesday 29th January, 9pm
Over the years, an unlikely friendship developed between Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher and Labour MP turned journalist Brian Walden. But the two were to fall out spectacularly. Scripted by James Graham, this drama traces what happened, a story in which a 1989 TV interview played a central role. Starring Steve Coogan and Harriet Walter. Concludes Thursday.
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