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
You’re Dead To Me
Radio 4
Saturday 30th March, 10am
In a special edition, Greg Jenner, Dr Hannah Templeton and keyboard-wielding comedian David O’Doherty pick over the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. They reveal a story that involves an overbearing father, doomed love and a struggle towards success. Featuring music from the the BBC Concert Orchestra.
The Documentary: Rwanda 30 Years On
BBC World Service
Saturday 30th March, 12.05pm
BBC journalist Victoria Uwonkunda returns to Rwanda, a country she fled as a child, to reflect on the genocide of 1994. A major theme is rebuilding trust between communities and those she meets include Evariste and Narcisse, who work together on Cows for Peace, a reconciliation project. Evariste, we learn, killed Narcisse’s mother.
Hindenburg: The Cover-Up
Channel 4
Saturday 30th March, 7.30pm
In May 1937, the hydrogen-filled airship Hindenburg burst into flames as, having crossed the Atlantic on an otherwise routine flight, she came in to dock with a mooring mast in New Jersey. What exactly happened? This documentary explores new theories and examines documents that suggest there may have been a cover-up.
This Town – pick of the week
BBC One
Easter Sunday, 9pm
The latest drama from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight begins in the Midlands in 1981. Here, we meet Dante (Levi Brown) – as he wanders through a riot. A celebration of the music and youth culture of the era, especially 2 Tone. Continues Monday, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer.
Stonehenge: The Discovery With Dan Snow
Channel 5
Easter Sunday, 9pm
No, Stonehenge is not exactly an unfamiliar subject in TV documentaries, but Dan Snow is always good company and here he proves adept at outlining the story of the world-famous circle. It’s a story that takes in the astronomical knowledge of our ancestors and the extraordinary efforts required to bring stones to the site.
Great Lives
Radio 4
Easter Monday, 3pm
The biographical series presented by Matthew Parris returns. First up, comedian Harry Enfield chooses to celebrate the life and work of the broadcaster, cartoonist, musician and raconteur Gerard Hoffnung (1925–59). Hoffnung's children, Ben and Emily, are on hand to offer their insights.
History’s Secret Heroes
Radio 4
Easter Monday, 3.30pm
Helen Bonham Carter again narrates as the series celebrating Second World War heroism returns. The first programme focuses on sisters Ida and Louise Cook, civil servants and music fans who travelled often to Germany to visit opera houses during the 1930s. On these trips, they helped dozens of Jewish people escape the Nazis.
Tish
BBC Four
Easter Monday, 9pm
In the 1970s and 1980s, the work of photographer Tish Murtha documented how deindustrialisation was impacting on working-class communities in the North East. She was a relatively unknown figure at the time of her death in 2013 but, as this feature-length documentary explores, her reputation has subsequently grown.
The Secret Army
BBC Four
Tuesday 2nd April, 10pm
In 1972, as the Troubles raged, the IRA allowed an American documentary crew to film its members, including Martin McGuinness, in action. The resulting documentary was subsequently suppressed and rarely seen. Fifty years later, reporter Darragh MacIntyre tracks down the original film reels and goes in search of some of those who appeared on camera.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales
BBC Two
Friday 5th April, 9pm
Discussing, among other subjects, grief, forgiveness and the power of nature, the celebrities continue their trek along the Pilgrim’s Way. Highlights include a detour to the island of Anglesey, rich in pre-Christian history, and a hike up Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales.
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