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
Drama: The Film
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 12th April, 3pm
In 1945, Sidney Bernstein was given the job of making a film from the raw footage taken by British soldiers at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He turned to Alfred Hitchcock for help. Martin Jameson’s drama captures both the horror of the task and what happened next.
Ancient Greece By Train With Alice Roberts
Channel 4
Saturday 12th April, 7.30pm
Completing her journey into the history of Ancient Greece, Alice Roberts heads for Troy. Along the way, travelling through modern-day Turkey, she also sees a rock carving dating back to a pre-Greek empire era and catches up with an old friend at the acropolis of Pergamon.
The Queen And The Traitor – A Great British Scandal
Channel 5
Saturday 12th April, 7.45pm
The story of how Anthony Blunt, a Soviet spy, came to look after the art collection of the Windsors is always worth revisiting. A documentary that looks back at his time as a royal confidante. Did Blunt help cover up royal scandals? And how much did palace insiders know about Blunt’s treachery?
Archive On 4: Kenneth Williams – Said The Actor To The Bishop
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 12th April, 8pm
Unlikely as it may seem, Carry On regular Kenneth Williams was a man of deep religious faith. So much so that, in the 1970s, he recorded a series of Bible stories for James Jones, who later became the Bishop of Liverpool. Jones looks back at making the recordings, which have never been broadcast until now.
The Reunion
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 13th April, 10am
Michael Sheen had already become an international film star when the recently formed National Theatre of Wales asked him to produce a show in his hometown, Port Talbot. What followed, as some of those who were there recall, was a 2011 Easter spectacular, inspired by Sheen seeing a Passion when he was a kid.
Ten Pound Poms
BBC One
Sunday 13th April, 8pm
The second series of the drama following the lives of British émigrés down under reaches its finale. Matters conclude with Kate (Michelle Keegan) fighting for her happiness and the Roberts family uniting to face a crisis. Both series of the show are available to stream via BBC iPlayer.
Rebuilding Notre-Dame: The Last Chapter – pick of the week
BBC Two
Monday 14th April, 9pm
Six years on from the blaze that devastated Notre-Dame, the great cathedral has been restored. But not without numerous setbacks along the way. Lucy Worsley acts as our guide to the final work as, in TV makeover style, those toiling on the building rush to get Notre-Dame ready to reopen.
Drama: An Inspector Calls In Moscow
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 15th April, 2.15pm
The first ever performance of JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, as the title here suggests, took place in Soviet Russia. In part this was because Winston Churchill was deeply suspicious of Priestly, someone he regarded as dangerously left wing. Written by Mark Burgess, a drama starring Rory Kinnear as the playwright.
Rollercoaster: The Secret Genius Of Modern Life
BBC Two
Wednesday 16th April, 9pm
What’s the technological story between modern-day rollercoasters such as Thorpe Park’s Hyperia, where speeds can reach more than 80mph? Hannah Fry unpicks a story involving NASA scientists, Walt Disney and 19th-century physics. Plus why exactly don’t we fall when a rollercoaster ride turns us upside down?
Open Country
BBC Radio 4
Thursday 17th April, 3.05pm
Rose Ferraby heads for Orkney to explore the coastline of Rousay. In the company of archaeologists from the University of the Highlands and Islands, she discovers a richly storied landscape where you can find evidence of ancient islanders and, later, the clearances of the 19th century.