BBC Four

Your monthly journey through the fascinating world of space and astronomy with the latest thinking on what's out there in space and what you can see in the night sky.

BBC Young Musician (Young Musician of the Year) first appeared on our TV screens in 1978. The brainchild of BBC producers Humphrey Burton, Walter Todds and Roy Tipping, the biennial competition has developed an enviable reputation for finding superstar musicians including Nicola Benedetti, Mark Simpson and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have to rely on a uniquely resourceful style of policing.

The Royal Institution Christmas Lectures are a series of lectures on a single topic, which have been held at the Royal Institution in London each year since 1825. The lectures present scientific subjects to a general audience, including young people, in an informative and entertaining manner. Michael Faraday initiated the first Christmas Lecture series in 1825. This came at a time when organised education for young people was scarce. Faraday presented a total of nineteen series in all.

In a series of authored films, some of our most engaging experts reveal their favourite hidden objects, forgotten places and artistic passions.

The lives of two eccentric metal detectorists, who spend their days plodding along ploughed tracks and open fields, hoping to disturb the tedium by unearthing the fortune of a lifetime.

Set in the corridors of power and spin, the Minister for Social Affairs is continually harassed by Number 10's policy enforcer and dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants.

The fiendishly difficult quiz show in which two teams of three contestants have to find the connection between seemingly unrelated clues, where patience and lateral thinking are as vital as knowledge.

The Late Edition was a British television programme broadcast on BBC Four. It took the form of a topical chat show in the vein of The Daily Show, presented by comedian Marcus Brigstocke. Each episode typically features comical news commentary from Brigstocke, satirical interviews with fictional political figures played by Steve Furst, 'Andre Vincent investigates' and two "real" interviews. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, Brigstocke performed a special version of the show at the Edinburgh Fringe called The Early Edition with Andre Vincent.

The World's Greatest Classical Music Festival. The BBC Proms is a classical music festival held every summer at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and in recent years has explored an innovative series of Proms around the UK with concerts in all four nations. Its aim: to bring the best in classical music to the widest possible audience, which remains true to founder-conductor Henry Wood’s original vision in 1895. Whether you are a classical connoisseur or think classical music isn’t for you, there is something for everyone in the eight-week stretch of concerts.

Newswipe with Charlie Brooker was a British news review programme broadcast on BBC Four written and presented by Charlie Brooker. It is similar to Brooker's Screenwipe series which is also shown on BBC Four. A first series of six episodes ran between 25 March 2009 and 29 April 2009. A second series began on 19 January 2010 and concluded on 23 February 2010.

From the pioneering work of Galen on Roman gladiators to the latest advances in plastic surgery, this five-part series illustrates the evolution of surgical techniques—a story as much of mishaps and misadventures as it is of successes and amazing advances. Filmed in America and Europe and presented by the charismatic and medically trained Michael J. Mosley. Contains surgical scenes of a graphic nature. A BBC Production. 5-part series.

Showcasing the best in international documentaries, Storyville has developed an enviable reputation since its inception more than a decade ago. Screening over 340 films, from some 70 different countries, the strand has garnered a staggering array of awards: five Oscars, 15 Griersons, three Peabodys and two International Emmys. In true, unique, Storyville style, the new series promises to deliver the strand's usual eclectic mix of compelling stories from across the globe.

In this TV documentary series, shown on BBC four, the fashion world is investigated in six episodes each with a distinctly different angle to provide a multi-faceted look of the inner workings of high-end fashion lines. For example, in episode 1 we are shown the runway and what goes into making a million dollar show that is over in five minutes, or in episode the power of the press is examined.

Comedy drama that shines a light on the day-to-day life of a family looking after their severely learning disabled girl, Rosie.

Take a gentle walk as familiar faces explore landscapes in Yorkshire and Cumbria in this series of immersive and intimate documentaries.

Historian Benjamin Woolley unravels the cultural and social significance of popular games in Britain from the Iron Age to the Information Age.

Creative performance readings of iconic British novels.

Three-part dark comedy series about three days in the life of a sandwich generation couple - a care worker and a limo driver - who have put their lives on hold for the sake of others.

Suzannah Lipscomb reveals the killers that lurked in every room of the home.