The BBC Four Thread

Alun · 31-01-2014 6:32pm

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

You are probably a fairly tiny minority though, a nice big bit of black card along the bottom of your TV should get rid of the subtitles nicely! Incidentally, Is Dutch an easy language to learn? Is the Belgian variation the same.

Yes, I guess I am

I spent 13 years in the Netherlands, so can speak it pretty well. I already had pretty good German before moving there, so I didn't find it too difficult to be honest.

Officially the spoken language in the Flemish part of Belgium is ordinary Dutch, although what they speak in reality could best be described as a local dialect, and with a definite unmistakeable accent. There are a few words / phrases unique to Belgian Dutch though, mainly ones that are in effect French words that have been "Dutchified".

Yamanoto · 03-02-2014 7:56pm

Storyville casts its eye on the mad world of Muammar Gadaffi this evening @ 10pm.

“He was graceful”; “Charismatic”; “He smelt very nice” – some unexpected compliments paid to Gaddafi by those who fell under his spell, in what is otherwise an appalling account of one man’s descent into sadism and megalomania.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03tj0n0

mike65 · 04-02-2014 12:45pm

Nation Builders the story of British architecture

Featuring two hours of Jonathan Meades who will be worth the price of admission on his own.

evilivor · 04-02-2014 12:50pm

mike65 wrote: »

Nation Builders the story of British architecture

Featuring two hours of Jonathan Meades who will be worth the price of admission on his own.

Excellent. TV needs more Meades.

C.K Dexter Haven · 08-02-2014 10:03pm

Tonight ladies and gentlemen, none other than The Pink Floyd are your entertainment from 22.25

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j0yyv

Harry Angstrom · 08-02-2014 11:59pm

I love the way that Dave Gilmour and Roger Waters are still at each others' throats

mike65 · 09-02-2014 12:14am

I though Salamander was pretty decent, given everything that was revealed by the Marc Detroux scandal you could easily imagine this sort of vast conspiracy (whatever hell the conspiracy actually is!)

Dozen Wicked Words · 09-02-2014 12:48am

mike65 wrote: »

I though Salamander was pretty decent, given everything that was revealed by the Marc Detroux scandal you could easily imagine this sort of vast conspiracy (whatever hell the conspiracy actually is!)

Missed it, so will have to catch up on iplayer. Been spoilt with the Bridge though so it has lot to live up to.

who_ru · 10-02-2014 2:32am

Dozen Wicked Words wrote: »

Missed it, so will have to catch up on iplayer. Been spoilt with the Bridge though so it has lot to live up to.

I will miss The Bridge, Saga & Martin.

johnire · 10-02-2014 10:24am

Hi

I missed the first 2 episodes as well but where is it possible to watch them as they are not repeated???

ote="Dozen Wicked Words;88908199"]Missed it, so will have to catch up on iplayer. Been spoilt with the Bridge though so it has lot to live up to.[/quote]

pinkypinky · 10-02-2014 11:29am

Thought Salamander started slowly but I was well into it by the second episode's start. Shame there are no female characters of note - big change after the Danish/Swedish model.

Dozen Wicked Words · 10-02-2014 12:21pm

johnire wrote: »

Hi

I missed the first 2 episodes as well but where is it possible to watch them as they are not repeated???

BBC iplayer has it, (you need to google hola! browser add on). Or there are lots of other ways to make iplayer watchable here, but I don't think it's permitted on forum to discuss them.

mike65 · 10-02-2014 7:30pm

mike65 wrote: »

Also coming soon "the Life of Rock" a major new documentary series by Simon Day Brian Pern (and Nigel Havers, Vic Reeves, David Arnold, Peter Gabriel, Paul Whitehouse, Bob Mortimer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRUCKRJr1PQ

Bump! Its on at 10pm right after Danny Baker's Rockin' Decades - The Seventies

mike65 · 10-02-2014 11:41pm

That was near genius!

You have to know the faces and names of course to get some of the gags and to spot where fact and fiction had been artfully mixed (Judge Dredd for example) but if you do very good indeed.

FloatingVoter · 11-02-2014 1:09am

Loved it. Peter Gabriel might be suing over this. The stone age theme from Eastenders was good. Pretty sure some of those 70s morons did actually amp up an egg at some point. The look on Michael Kitchen's face when Pern starts talking about how his "brain" works says it all.

mike65 · 11-02-2014 7:09pm

Part two of Danny Baker's Rockin' Decades and the return of Parks and Recreation at 10.30 (two eps back to back)

mike65 · 13-02-2014 11:18pm

mike65 wrote: »

Nation Builders the story of British architecture

Featuring two hours of Jonathan Meades who will be worth the price of admission on his own.

Jonathan Meades writes about post war Brutalism in the Guardian

Part one of the Brits Who Built the Modern World (understated title!) which went out at 9pm Thursday featured the Pre-Fab Five - Richard Rodgers, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, Terry Farrell and Michael Hopkins in their formative years and early struggles to get established - absorbing primer with excellent machine-age music - Kraftwerk, Jarre, Moroder, Vangelis, Numan, Reilly etc

Infoanon · 14-02-2014 11:36pm

pinkypinky wrote: »

Thought Salamander started slowly but I was well into it by the second episode's start. Shame there are no female characters of note - big change after the Danish/Swedish model.

Different to Borgen but very watchable - looking forward to episodes 3 and 4.

Will the excellent Spiral be the next BBC4 9pm treat ?

evilivor · 17-02-2014 11:29pm

Infoanon wrote: »

Different to Borgen but very watchable - looking forward to episodes 3 and 4.

Will the excellent Spiral be the next BBC4 9pm treat ?

It's a year since BBC Four showed Series 4 so hopefully not too long away, though I don't think S5 has screened in France yet.

mike65 · 17-02-2014 11:40pm

Another excellent edition of the Life of Rock with Brian Pern.

Yamanoto · 20-02-2014 11:58pm

Anyone watching 'The Man who Fought the Planners - The Story of Iain Nairn'?

Had never heard of him, but an interesting guy and quite a moving show in places.

Well worth catching the repeat.

http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/csyxds/the-man-who-fought-the-planners-the-story-of-ian-nairn

mike65 · 21-02-2014 12:09am

Recorded this, thought it would be interesting, did you (or anyone else) see The Secret History of Our Streets on BBC2? Had some fascinating stuff about planning and planners, esp in the first film.

Dozen Wicked Words · 21-02-2014 12:42am

Yamanoto wrote: »

Anyone watching 'The Man who Fought the Planners - The Story of Iain Nairn'?

Had never heard of him, but an interesting guy and quite a moving show in places.

Well worth catching the repeat.

http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/csyxds/the-man-who-fought-the-planners-the-story-of-ian-nairn

He seemed like a voice of sanity. He tried to save the emporium in my hometown, failed and planners have continued their bad work up to this day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ8eyMqJkwY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

SimonQuinlank · 21-02-2014 12:49am

Michael Mosley's doc on parasites yesterday was very interesting.Not many TV presenters would eat dodgy raw meat and willingly be infected with tapeworms.Stuff about toxoplasmosis was slightly scary too.

mike65 · 21-02-2014 12:53am

Michael Mosley is a man who laughs in the face of danger, every series he risks his health doing something - he did that 5/2 diet that apparently transforms your well being but I could never put up with that.

Harry Angstrom · 21-02-2014 2:22am

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a genius. Amazing stuff with The Thames Tunnel.

evilivor · 21-02-2014 12:45pm

SimonQuinlank wrote: »

Michael Mosley's doc on parasites yesterday was very interesting.Not many TV presenters would eat dodgy raw meat and willingly be infected with tapeworms.Stuff about toxoplasmosis was slightly scary too.

It was terrific - though I feared I had contracted Morgellons during the lice segment.

mike65 · 21-02-2014 2:38pm

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a genius. Amazing stuff with The Thames Tunnel.

The animated history of Brunel, well worth 25 minutes even with Russian subs.

https://video.yandex.ru/users/urikis/view/644/

Harry Angstrom · 21-02-2014 9:51pm

Very good documentary about film scores on at the moment.

mike65 · 21-02-2014 11:42pm

Yamanoto wrote: »

Anyone watching 'The Man who Fought the Planners - The Story of Iain Nairn'?

Had never heard of him, but an interesting guy and quite a moving show in places.

Well worth catching the repeat.

http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/csyxds/the-man-who-fought-the-planners-the-story-of-ian-nairn

When watching profiles like this one is powerfully reminded hw so much has changed for both better and worse - better planning overall but worse tv in some repects - quite impossible to imagine any commissioning editor letting someone like Ian Nairn near a tv series now. These days diversity is measured by colour or religion rather than opinion.

mike65 · 23-02-2014 11:08pm

WE WANT MEADES
WE WANT MEADES

Love it when he turns his righteous guns on the flipping hippies and all that followed.

two wheels good · 24-02-2014 10:19am

mike65 wrote: »

WE WANT MEADES
WE WANT MEADES

Love it when he turns his righteous guns on the flipping hippies and all that followed.

The "yohgurt-weaving hippies" were a target of his ire last night when he lamented the demolition of brutalist architecture.
It sounded good but I doubt it has much basis in fact. It's not just the hippies who protect Georgian architecture and want to live in cottage with wisteria over the door. And rubbishing efforts for sustainability ... that makes no sense. I wondered when the doc. was made.

OldRio · 24-02-2014 11:36am

two wheels good wrote: »

The "yohgurt-weaving hippies" were a target of his ire last night when he lamented the demolition of brutalist architecture.
It sounded good but I doubt it has much basis in fact. It's not just the hippies who protect Georgian architecture and want to live in cottage with wisteria over the door. And rubbishing efforts for sustainability ... that makes no sense. I wondered when the doc. was made.

Absolutely loved it.
Meades was on fire. Nice to hear someone have a go at the tree huggers.

two wheels good · 25-02-2014 11:21am

OldRio wrote: »

Absolutely loved it.
Meades was on fire. Nice to hear someone have a go at the tree huggers.

A rational argument won't be so important then.

I couldn't help thinking that capitalist property developers may have had more of hand in the demolition of the buildings than the hippies. And the question .. how many architects actually live in their high-rise "machines for living"?.
But I will be looking out for more of Meades ..and Floyd

mike65 · 25-02-2014 11:25am

The hippies became businessmen - we saw footage of Richard Branson for a reason.

On other matters the last of Life of Rock by Brian Penn ended last night with his alter ego Peter Gabriel popping up to end the series as the two merged on the Musical Event Horizon.

I doubt there will be a second series but I'd not be against more of Brian Penn the character.

evilivor · 25-02-2014 12:55pm

Couple of interestting Storyvilles coming up:

Thur, 27 Feb 22:00

Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers

A gripping story of triumph and failure, set in the world's youngest country.

South Sudan became an independent state in 2011, following almost 50 years of civil war. This documentary follows veteran Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic as he seeks to forge South Sudan's first national football team. What follows is a fascinating and original portrait of the birth of a nation.

Although still steeped in traumatic memories, the new nation is seeking to make a mark on the international soccer stage under the dynamic and hugely ambitious new coach. The film follows the team over its first year, from the hunt for new players to buying a sheep to be its mascot and the side's first international games. Zoran's aggressive style soon leads to conflict with the chair of the soccer federation. As the euphoria of independence subsides, the team finds itself hit by bitter infighting, malaria and a financial crisis that threatens the state itself.

Mon 3 Mar 22:30

The Village that Fought Back: Five Broken Cameras

Oscar-nominated film compiled from the video diary of a Palestinian farmer who documents unrest in his West Bank village. Emad Burnat starts filming with his first camera following the birth of his fourth son. At the same time in his village of Bil'in, a separation barrier is being built and the villagers begin to resist this decision.

Over several years Burnat films this non-violent struggle against the Israeli army - which is led by two of his best friends - literally from his own point of view. Soon, these events begin to impact his own life. Bulldozers knocking down olive trees, the loss of life and night raids scare his family. His friends, brothers and even himself are either shot or arrested. One camera after another used to document these events is shot or smashed.

OldRio · 25-02-2014 2:24pm

two wheels good wrote: »

A rational argument won't be so important then.

Whoaaa there. Argument ? Not from this old hippy. Here have a flower.

Harry Angstrom · 26-02-2014 2:12am

The First World War from Above. Well worth watching.

Harry Angstrom · 26-02-2014 3:06am

What Do Artists Do All Day? - Photographer Tom Wood.

Another one worth watching.

two wheels good · 26-02-2014 11:43am

OldRio wrote: »

Whoaaa there. Argument ? Not from this old hippy. Here have a flower.

Thanks, man. Call round for some lentils sometime. We could listen to Yes

I was referring to Meades' lack of rational argument. Not to your good self.
He does good polemic - with great visuals. But that's based on only my first viewing. As I say, I'll look out for more of Meades.

OldRio · 26-02-2014 2:38pm

two wheels good wrote: »

Thanks, man. Call round for some lentils sometime. We could listen to Yes

I was referring to Meades' lack of rational argument. Not to your good self.
He does good polemic - with great visuals. But that's based on only my first viewing. As I say, I'll look out for more of Meades.

Hahaha....Believe it or not I was listening to 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' last night. Spooooooky.

I have been watching Meades work for many a year now (often with a dictionary at hand.) I may not always agree with his points but he makes intelligent unmissable TV. Not often you hear those words together.

A lot of his other series are on DVD.

I might treat myself
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Jonathan-Meades-Collection-DVD/dp/B001110H14

darjeeling · 27-02-2014 12:12am

OldRio wrote: »

Hahaha....Believe it or not I was listening to 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' last night. Spooooooky.

I have been watching Meades work for many a year now (often with a dictionary at hand.) I may not always agree with his points but he makes intelligent unmissable TV. Not often you hear those words together.

A lot of his other series are on DVD.

I might treat myself
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Jonathan-Meades-Collection-DVD/dp/B001110H14

Someone has psoted a lot of them on Youtube too, though at only 360p res; hi-brow in lo-def: http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine

mike65 · 27-02-2014 12:18am

Every six months the very future of this channel is called into question by someone within the BBC (:mad:) or at least is the subject of speculation on foot of another warning about spending and "topslicing". Sure enough its happened again today.

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCoQqQIoADAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fmedia%2F2014%2Ffeb%2F26%2Fbbc-channel-extra-cuts-tony-hall&ei=33UOU5H9KYmqhQfo9IDADw&usg=AFQjCNHVBzQjMdd6DZIK-bE0P1ChVbbpzg&sig2=fLQlhAoza9j2n2lxenUgtQ

OldRio · 27-02-2014 3:07pm

darjeeling wrote: »

Someone has psoted a lot of them on Youtube too, though at only 360p res; hi-brow in lo-def: http://www.youtube.com/user/MeadesShrine

Thanks so much darjeeling.
Never though about youtube.

As for the future of BBC4... I suppose its got nothing to do with us but it is the finest channel on TV I can find.

Just read some of the comments on that link Mike.
The dumbing down of society goes on. Tis a good job they don't have to endure RTE.

Skid X · 27-02-2014 3:34pm

I can't understand how the BBC Director General is ominously quiet about the future of BBC Four.

It is the best channel the BBC has.
It is the only channel which isn't competing directly with UK Commercial Stations.
Even after it's budget was reduced some years ago it still produces a huge amount of quality output
It is the only place the BBC can re-broadcast it's extensive quality archive.

Hopefully pressure will be exerted on him to reconsider.

mike65 · 27-02-2014 9:00pm

Danny Baker seems to have found an unexpectedly welcoming place in BBC4 - he's back again for another series of "Brushing Up On...." which starts a 8.30

Dozen Wicked Words · 05-03-2014 12:53pm

Salamander is all over the place, and not in a good way. Plot, characterisation and dialogue is a mess. I'll stick with it until the bitter end but it's not BBC 4's finest Saturday evening offering, not even in the same ballpark in fact.

mike65 · 05-03-2014 12:58pm

Curious that Parks and Recreation has been bumped back an hour to 11 pm

(maybe to avoid clash with Inside No 9 though which would make some sense I suppose)

Dozen Wicked Words · 11-03-2014 12:49pm

Anyone else stuck with Salamander? I'm still watching, more Bergerac than Bridge though. Does anyone know what's next after this?

mike65 · 11-03-2014 1:00pm

I'm watching it and its perfectly fine on its level.

The BBC Four Thread

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