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
Ancient Greece By Train With Alice Roberts
Channel 4
Saturday 29th March, 8.15pm
Alice Roberts travels from Athens to Corinth to seek out the exact spot where St Paul famously preached Christianity to the masses. Then it’s off to Piraeus to discuss the merits of Ancient Greek value when it comes to dealing with modern problems, all followed by a ferry trip to Paros.
Archive On 4: A Child Of Rover
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 29th March, 8pm
Journalist Natalie Olah traces the story of a company that was once Britain’s leading volume car producer. It’s a tale of iconic models, most notably the Mini, but also derided motors, such as the Austin Allegro. Olah’s family connections to the company give the documentary a personal element.
Dope Girls
BBC One
Saturday 29th March, 9.05pm
The conclusion of the drama set in the wake of the First World War finds an imperilled Kate (Julianne Nicholson) learning she has unexpected allies. Elsewhere, Billie (Umi Myers) considers her future and undercover copper Violet (Eliza Scanlen) is on a revenge mission.
Fantasy Park: Fifty Years On
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 30th March, 7.15pm
Bob Harris looks back to 1975 to recall the greatest rock concert ever staged, featuring Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Elton John and many more. Why haven’t you heard of this? The gig was a fake, a radio stunt created by Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone,
Untaxing
BBC Radio 4
Monday 31st March, 1.45pm
Over five weekday episodes, tax expert and campaigner Dan Neidle examines how tax shapes our lives, our choices and the wider world. There’s a strong element of history here as, for instance, Neidle tells the story of the Laffer Curve, which is alleged to show an optimal tax rate for maximising government revenue.
Great Continental Railway Journeys
BBC Two
Monday 31st March, 6.30pm
Concluding his latest travels in foreign parts, Michael Portillo heads for France. Here he travels from Nantes to Giverney. Among the highlights in the weekday episodes are a trip to Mont-Saint-Michgel (Wednesday) and a chance to get up close to the Bayeux Tapestry (Thursday).
Invisible Hands
BBC Radio 4
Wednesday 2nd April, 9.30am
David Dimbleby recalls how Keith Joseph, dubbed the ‘Mad Monk’, made the argument for free markets. For his troubles, he was heckled and even had eggs thrown at him. However, Joseph would become one of the key figures in the radical government of Margaret Thatcher.
Air Fryer: The Secret Genius Of Modern Life – pick of the week
BBC Two
Wednesday 2nd April, 8pm
Entire magazines are now devoted to cooking with air fryers, but how did this gadget come to be created? Returning to host a third series of the show looking at the tech underpinning everyday objects, Dr Hannah Fry tells a story involving the accidental discovery of a wonder wire and a Second World War pilot’s cold repast.
The Real Ruth Ellis
ITV1
Wednesday 2nd April, 9pm
A companion piece to ITV’s A Cruel Love, this documentary traces the life of the last woman in Britain to be hanged. As well as rarely heard audio recordings, the film features interview with her grandchildren and actors involved in the drama, including Nigel Havers, whose grandfather presided over Ellis’s trial.
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4
Thursday 3rd April, 9am
Melvyn Bragg and learned guests discuss the Gracchi, brothers Tiberius (c163–133 BC) and Gaius Gracchus (c154–121 BC), who were both tribunes in the Roman Republic era. The duo were associated with land reform, cheap grain and targeting corruption. Neither man was popular with Rome’s elites.