91Èȱ¬ TWO
Spring & Summer highlights 2004
Factual
London
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London is the story of England's capital city as seen
through the eyes of artists, writers, visionaries and the man on the
street.
Presented by Peter Ackroyd and based on his acclaimed book, London
– The Biography, the series mixes folklore, mythology and vivid
local detail to create a journey through history, geography and the
imagination, bringing to life the stories and characters associated
with each alley, courtyard, street and tunnel.
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Influential writers whose visions have shaped the spirit
of London include William Blake, Samuel Pepys, William Shakespeare,
Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf.
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Their writings and observations are dramatised in reconstructions
featuring a cast led by Derek Jacobi and Corin Redgrave.
The Elgin
Marbles
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In the year in which the Olympic Games return to Greece,
art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the fascinating story behind
the greatest artistic controversy of the last 200 years – the Elgin
Marbles.
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This is the tale of Lord Elgin's mission to remove one
of the world's greatest treasures from its homeland; of the curse the
marbles brought him; and of the scandal that his actions caused.
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Filmed on location in Greece, Scotland and London, this
90-minute documentary uses drama reconstruction, computer-generated
images and expert debate to tell an extraordinary tale which stretches
from the 5th century BC to the present day.
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It explores why and how the marbles were removed in
the early 19th century, whether Lord Elgin's actions were legal and
the ensuing controversy which continues unabated today.
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Arena
– The Hedy Lamarr Story
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Hedy Lamarr is often cited as the most beautiful star
ever in the Hollywood firmament. But her little known personal story
makes her no average screen goddess.
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She rose to fame after her notorious 1930s role in Ecstasy,
swimming naked in a lake in her native Austria.
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Her beauty was such that Walt Disney later used her
as the model for Snow White.
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Yet few people are aware that this captivating screen
idol was also a world class physicist who spent the war engaged in the
most sophisticated anti-radar research.
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Arena tells the story of this extraordinary and fascinating
woman.
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The
Culture Show
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As the centrepiece to a major new commitment by the
91Èȱ¬ to topical arts journalism, 91Èȱ¬ TWO unveils a brand-new programme
dedicated to UK arts and culture.
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Sophisticated, intelligent and surprising, The Culture
Show delves deep into the big cultural issues and events of the day,
using a mix of investigative journalism and review.
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Celebrating and critiquing the range and diversity of
arts in the regions as well as the metropolis, The Culture Show uses
some of the most passionate, vociferous and opinionated voices to reach
the heart of UK cultural life.
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The
Shock of the Now?
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More than 20 years after leading art historian Robert
Hughes made the iconic eight-part arts series The Shock of the New
for the 91Èȱ¬, he returns to chart the changes which have since assailed
the world of modern art.
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In the aftermath of Hughes' series in the early Eighties
the contemporary art market exploded in an orgy of hype, fame, controversy
and big money. Now Robert Hughes assesses the fall-out.
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The Shock of the Now? also looks at Hughes' own attitudes
to art, providing a reflective journey about what art can offer the
world, through one person's eyes.
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Art
of the Garden
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Art Of The Garden tells the stories of three revolutions
in the history of garden design and is based around the three giants
- Capability Brown, Humphrey Repton and Gertrude Jekyll.
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The series focuses on Brown's enormous achievements
at Blenheim Palace, where he created a 150-acre lake and planted more
than a million trees to make perhaps his finest artificial landscape.
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It follows the dramatic adventures of the Victorian
plant hunters and shows how they filled Kew's great glasshouses with
the colourful exotics that would change English gardening.
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It also explores Gertrude Jekyll's relationship with
Edward Lutyens, and shows how they invented the English cottage garden.
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The series coincides with a major exhibition, Art Of
The Garden, which opens at Tate Britain this summer.
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Faust
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In a summer filled with classical music and opera across
the 91Èȱ¬, 91Èȱ¬ TWO presents a live performance of Gounod's opera Faust,
with its popular tale of magic, menace, sex and religion.
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David McVicar's brand-new production is broadcast live
from London's Royal Opera House and boasts a stellar cast.
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World-renowned tenor Roberto Alagna plays the
ambitious Faust, who barters his soul with the Devil in exchange for
sensual pleasures, while top soprano Angela Gheorghiu embodies
these desires as his doomed love, Marguerite.
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Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel makes his role
debut as the manipulating Mephistopheles.
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Gounod's Faust is one of at least 16 operas based on
the Faust legend. Having been performed more than 2,000 times in Paris
alone by 1934, this is one of the most successful operas ever written.
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Don Giovanni
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Peter Brook's production of Mozart's Don Giovanni at
Aix-en-Provence, considered to be one of the most exciting operatic
events of recent years, is broadcast as part of a whole summer of classical
music and opera across the 91Èȱ¬.
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The international cast is led by Peter Mattei
as the feckless Don Giovanni, who loves women as much as wine and can
give up neither – leaving a trail of heartache and misery for those
who succumb to his charms.
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Peter Brook's production brings out the energy, grace,
humour, tenderness and seriousness of the opera.
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Daniel Harding conducts the Mahler Chamber Orchestra,
with Gilles Cachemaille as Leporello and British singer Mark
Padmore as Don Ottavio.
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Turn
of the Screw
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Britten's opera Turn Of The Screw, directed by Katie
Mitchell, has been filmed specially for 91Èȱ¬ Television and shot on location
in an 18th-century house.
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Based on the story by Henry James, Britten's opera tells
of a governess who takes charge of two children, Miles and Flora, at
a distant country house.
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When the governess begins to hear and see strange things,
these ghostly suspicions are confirmed by the housekeeper as being the
dead former governess and her valet lover.
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As the ghosts begin to have an increasing effect on
the young children, the governess realises she must either leave or
confront the spirits.
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Finally confronting Miles, she is able to exorcise the
supernatural visitors, but not without tragic consequences.
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British singer Mark Padmore plays Peter Quint,
Lisa Milne plays the Governess, Catrin Wyn Davies plays
Miss Jessell and Louise Winter is Mrs Grose.
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Arena
– Pavarotti
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Luciano Pavarotti, a household name for most of his
extraordinary career, is the subject of this Arena special.
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His thrilling voice and unique personality have touched
countless people throughout the world and he has worked with the majority
of great contemporary musicians, from Placido Domingo to Kiri Te Kanawa,
from Claudio Abbado to Leonard Bernstein.
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Pavarotti's voice has touched a broad range of people
– not merely opera lovers.
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Millions have watched his televised concerts and many
associate him with football since his performance of Nessun Dorma for
the 1990 World Cup.
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His was the first ever classical music album to reach
number one in the pop charts.
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Arena looks at the life and career of one of opera's
modern icons.
Britain
Goes Wild With Bill Oddie
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Viewers are invited to join in a celebration of great
British wildlife as, from a picture-postcard farm in Devon, Bill
Oddie and Kate Humble introduce a host of unforgettable animal
characters live on air.
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The intimate dramas of these creatures unfold throughout
the series.
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Blue tits, robins, badgers, nuthatches, barn owls, flycatchers,
and swallows are all residents to be observed in their rural habitat.
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Complementing Bill and Kate's cast of characters is
an assortment of creatures introduced live by Simon King.
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Travelling the length of Britain, Simon reveals the
wonderful world of British wildlife, from the mighty Bass rock in the
Firth of Forth, down to a secret location in central London.
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Restoration
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Restoration returns to throw a lifeline to one of Britain's
endangered historic buildings.
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Viewers again hold the fate of a building in their hands
as they choose from 21 of the UK's threatened architectural gems.
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In a resounding endorsement of the public's passion
for Britian's heritage, last year's Restoration received more than 2.2
million votes and raised £3.5m towards the restoration of The
Victoria Baths in Manchester.
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This summer, 91Èȱ¬ TWO and 91Èȱ¬ FOUR viewers have another
chance to make their mark on history.
The programmes are each devoted to an area of the UK and focus on three
properties at risk.
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As with last year's series, presented by Griff Rhys
Jones with Ptolemy Dean and Marianne Suhr, every style
is featured, from country houses to Gothic castles, from follies to
factories.
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At the end of each programme, viewers can vote for one
of the three buildings featured.
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The series climaxes with a magnificent live event and
viewers decide which of the finalists is most worthy of restoration.
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Jimmy's
Farm
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Jimmy Doherty is a 28-year-old Essex boy with a dream.
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The dream is to 'live the good life' by turning a deserted
old dairy farm into a thriving business.
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Jimmy hopes by returning to traditional methods of
farming he will be able to produce the best pork for the food market
and make his farm pay.
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Until recently, Jimmy was immersed in academic life
studying insects but he has no qualifications for pig farming.
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Even though 11 farmers go to the wall every week, Jimmy
is undaunted.
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By rearing several breeds of rare pigs, including what
he hopes will be his flagship brand, the almost extinct Essex pig, Jimmy
will produce sausages and bacon in his own butchery and sell direct
to the public.
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This is his plan to turn his farm into a profitable
business.
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Jimmy's Farm follows Jimmy's efforts in his first year
to prevent, against the odds, his dream from turning into a nightmare.
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Diarmuid's
Big Adventure
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At last May's Chelsea Flower Show, Diarmuid Gavin
made a surprise announcement – next year, he was going to build
a garden at Chelsea.
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For Diarmuid, it was the ultimate challenge: to win
a gold at the world's most prestigious gardening show.
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His design is ambitious and controversial. Chelsea will
never have seen anything like it.
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However, this time, has Diarmuid bitten off more than
he can chew?
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91Èȱ¬ cameras have been following him every step of the
way – and he's even been filming himself with his own personal
Diarmuid cam.
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With unique access to his private life, this series
builds an intimate portrait of one of Britain's most well known figures.
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A Year
at Kew
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Alan Titchmarsh narrates a fascinating series
which looks behind the scenes at one of the nation's best-loved gardens.
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Through the seasons, A Year At Kew follows the stories
of some of the hundreds of staff committed to keeping the Royal Botanical
Gardens looking their best for more than a million visitors each year.
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The programme also reveals the scientific side of the
gardens, including the work to save species around the world which may
otherwise be doomed to extinction, as well as other aspects of Kew's
cutting-edge conservation work.
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The Four
Minute Mile
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To mark the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest
sporting achievements of all time, The Four Minute Mile explores Roger
Bannister's extraordinary athletic feat.
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This is the story of a legendary day – 6 May 1954
– when a young medical student at Oxford University ran his way
into history in just three minutes and 59.4 seconds.
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Bannister's is also a story of human achievement born
of self-sacrifice and youthful idealism, of the triumph of the amateur
spirit in an age of austerity.
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The build-up to the event is related by Roger Bannister
and by friends, rivals, journalists and eye-witnesses.
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Archive footage and dramatic reconstruction evoke the
atmosphere of post-war Britain finding a new hero.
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D-Day
to Berlin
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D-Day is over and the Allied troops have carved a fragile
foothold in Normandy – but this is no time for celebration.
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As occupied Europe waits expectantly, the Allies still
face the very real threat of annihilation.
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D-Day To Berlin is a powerful new series recounting
the Allies' remarkable progress from the beaches of Normandy to their
ultimate victory in Germany, just 11 months later.
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Powerful and fast-moving, the series tells the story
of the greatest ever combined military operation, through the moving
testimonies of those who took part.
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The series - produced by Andrew Williams, of the award-winning
Battle Of The Atlantic - looks at the tensions between Montgomery and
Eisenhower and asks whether the western Allies could have reached Berlin
even earlier and changed the shape of post-war Europe.
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Battlefield
Britain
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Britain is a country that has been forged by centuries
of warfare.
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Using amazing graphics to recreate the epic scale of
war, father-and-son team Peter and Dan Snow tell the story of
battles that have shaped the country in which we live.
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From Boudica's uprising against the Romans to the Battle
of Britain, the series journeys through 2,000 years of invasion, civil
war and rebellion.
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Peter reveals how the strategies of the best and worst
commanders determined the fate of the British Isles, while Dan gives
the soldiers' perspective of what it must have been like to ride, march,
fly and sail into battle.
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Make
Me Honest
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In this groundbreaking new series, five ordinary members
of the public are given six months to help five criminals go straight
by acting as their mentors.
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The volunteers – ranging from a criminal lawyer
to a stay-at-home dad – use their experience, common sense and
sheer determination to guide the repeat offenders as they face life
outside prison.
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Make Me Honest tackles the serious problem of crime
head on.
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Compelling and emotional, the series asks if one committed
individual can really change an offender's life and keep them on the
straight and narrow.
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One Day
of War
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Every 30 seconds, two people are killed in conflicts
around the world.
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One Day At War follows individual fighters in 16 of
these wars, over the same 24-hour period.
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The world's best television cameramen document the stories
of a range of fighters, from child soldiers and an American peace keeper,
to women commandos and veteran vigilantes, in conflicts from Burma to
Burundi, Congo to Colombia.
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The documentary tells the true and often shocking story
of the modern world at war: it goes behind the headlines and provides
a revealing portrayal of the people who fight for their land, their
religion and their ideas.
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This
World
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After an acclaimed first series, This World returns
to 91Èȱ¬ TWO with a new run of compelling international current affairs.
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The programmes continue to investigate the most contentious
global issues, and bring viewers powerful, access-based documentaries.
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The series includes a portrayal of modern American policing,
as cameras follow the Los Angeles Police Department over a year in their
attempt to combat gangs.
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There is also an evocative insight into the children
affected by the Middle East conflict in a film from Saira Shah and James
Miller.
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Bombing
Brighton
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With extensive access to the original police investigation,
exclusive interviews and dramatic special effects, Bombing Brighton
is the definitive account of the act of terrorism that came close to
wiping out the British Government.
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Award-winning reporter Peter Taylor has painstakingly
researched the extraordinary events of 12 October 1984, and reveals
new details of how the assassination plot was carried out.
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The programme also discloses the complex intelligence
and detective work that led to the capture of the bomber and the foiling
of an even more devastating bomb plot.
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World
Weddings
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World Weddings tells five personal stories of nuptials
in extreme, hazardous or divisive situations around the world.
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The programme charts the emotional and physical challenges
as people seek romance against the odds, are forced into wedlock against
their will, or simply strive to marry the person they love.
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From American men seeking Russian brides on the web,
to a Hindu/Muslim love story in a country blighted by sectarian tensions,
World Weddings throws light on unseen areas of the world.
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The Time
of Your Life
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As a nation we're living longer, and this shift is redefining
what it means to be old.
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Currently one in three people in the UK are aged 50
years or over.
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The Time of your life is a new season devoted to celebrating
the wealth of experiences and opportunities open to this generation.
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Through a rich and varied range of programmes, including
documentaries and drama, The Time of Your life challenges perspectives
and attitudes to growing older and, via personal stories, shows how
we can all add life to our years.
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The season explores common themes such as loneliness,
dating and relationships, love, money and sexuality.
Programmes include:
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Would
Like to Meet... Esther
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When a partner dies, many widows find it difficult to
move on. They often feel guilty and sometimes feel as if they're being
unfaithful to the love of their life.
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Esther Rantzen lost her husband, Desmond Wilcox, in
September 2000 after 32 years of marriage.
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She isn't looking for anyone to replace him but she's
beginning to wonder what the future holds and has decided it's time
to explore the possibility of meeting a new companion.
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This very personal journey follows Esther, with the
help of the Would Like To Meet team, as she attempts to regain confidence
and face the huge but exciting challenge of making new single male friends.
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What
I Wish I'd Known When I Was 20
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Life is about learning from mistakes, but there is also
much to be said for learning from the experiences of others.
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91Èȱ¬ TWO hears from an esteemed, eclectic line-up of
contributors who reveal what they wish they'd known at the age of 20,
covering all facets of life, from marriage, money and children, to careers
and success.
Joan Rivers, Elliott Gould, Tony Benn, John
Mortimer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Lord Patrick Lichfield,
Mo Mowlam, Joan Bakewell, John Peel and Mary
Quant are among the cast of contributors sharing their own "life
rules", learned through hard-won experience and some extraordinary
personal stories.
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When I Am
64
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Public school teacher Jim (Alun Armstrong) and
taxi driver Ray (Paul Freeman) were both in their twenties when
the Beatles had their famous hit about growing old.
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Now that they're on the verge of retirement themselves,
a chance meeting throws the two strangers together.
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But far from seeing it as the end of their lives, Ray
and Jim see 64 as a chance to start again - with permission to try the
things they never dared in youth.
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In so doing, the two must overcome the prejudices of
Ray's son and daughter - Little Ray (Jason Flemyng) and Caz (Tamzin
Outhwaite) – and challenge the preconceptions of old age, family
loyalty and sexuality.
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Trading
Ages
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Is growing old merely a state of mind, or do people
think, feel and act differently in old age?
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Trading Ages explores people's attitudes old age, giving
two individuals the opportunity to experience a snapshot of their future
life as elderly people.
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With the help of advanced prosthetics and make-up, 29-year-old
Karoline Bell is transformed into an elderly woman, while 32-year-old
Nick Sydney becomes a septuagenarian.
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Immersed into everyday life in these guises, they gain
an insight into what it's like to live as an older person.
For both contributors, this is a very personal experience which challenges
their perceptions about themselves as young people to dramatic effect.
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