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
Sense And Sensibility
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 20th December, 3.15pm
The celebration of the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth concludes with a two-part adaptation of her first published novel. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, who are forced to move to a modest cottage in Devon because of their financial situation. Tamsin Greig narrates. Concludes on Sunday (3pm).
Archive On 4: A Ghost Story For Christmas
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 20th December, 8pm
Writer Katherine Rundell explores the history of the Christmas ghost story. When did it begin and how has it evolved down the years? On Saturday 27th December, Archive on 4: How The Muppet Show Began In Britain finds puppeteer Louise Gold looking back to the 1970s, when impresario Lew Grade took a punt on Kermit and co.
Sunday Feature: One Singular Sensation
BBC Radio 3
Sunday 21st December, 7.15pm
A Chorus Line opened on Broadway in July 1975. How did it become such a huge hit? Five decades on, Katie Derham traces the story of a multi-Tony-winning musical about a musical, and how it revitalised theatre in New York. Featuring interviews with members of the original cast.
Amadeus
Sky Atlantic
Sunday 21st December, 9pm
Peter Shaffer’s 1979 play about Mozart has already been made into an Oscar-winning movie. Can the material stretch out further? Yes, as Joe Barton’s five-part adaptation, shown over successive evenings, proves. Starring Paul Bettany as Salieri, a veteran court composer jealous of the genius of Will Sharpe’s Mozart.
Who Are You In Winnie-the-Pooh?
BBC Radio 4
Monday 22nd December, 1.45pm
Pooh Bear made his public bow a century ago, in a story published in London’s Evening News on Christmas Eve, 1925. Marking this anniversary, the children’s laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, asks fellow writers about which inhabitant of the Hundred Acre Wood they most identify with. In the first of five weekday episodes, Michael Morpurgo and Francesca Simon discuss Piglet.
Great Lives
BBC Radio 4
Monday 22nd December, 3pm
Journalist Ashley John-Baptiste nominates novelist Alex Wheatle (1963–2025), known as the Bard of Brixton, as someone who lived an exemplary life. On Monday 29th December, historian Helen Carr selects Italian-born court writer Christine de Pizan (1364–c1430) as someone whose achievements should be celebrated. Chaired by Matthew Parris. The series continues in the New Year.
Plum In Prison
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 23rd December, 2.15pm
In May 1940, the Nazis interned PG Wodehouse, who had been living in France at the outbreak of the Second World War. During this time, Wodehouse recorded comic monologues about his experiences, which were broadcast by the Germans. Stephen Mangan stars as Wodehouse in Dan Rebellato’s drama exploring a time that forever damaged the writer’s reputation.
Lady Killers With Lucy Worsley
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 23rd December, 3pm
Following up on an intriguing email, Lucy Worsley and the team investigate the role of Amelia Haslett in the 1894 Chertsey murder. Why, listener Charlotte Godfrey wants to know, did her great-great aunt kill her sister and then herself? The series continues on Tuesday 30th December with a strange tale involving a missing body.
Innes Lloyd: The Producer
BBC Four
Tuesday 23rd December, 8.25pm
The influence of Innes Lloyd (1925–91) on Britain’s cultural life was huge. Over his career at the BBC, he produced more than 300 dramas, including Doctor Who. He was a key figure in bringing the work of Alan Bennett to the screen. Jane Asher narrates a documentary about Lloyd’s life and career.
Today
BBC Radio 4
Christmas Eve, 6am
It’s that time of year, when the Today team works with famous figures. This year’s first guest editor is Melvyn Bragg, who takes time to chat with the new host of In Our Time, Misha Glenny. On Tuesday 30th December, historian Tom Holland is guest editor, and the show will include a report on AI and academic research.
The Truth About Phyllis Twigg
BBC Radio 4
Christmas Eve, 2.15pm
In 1922, writer Phyllis Twigg pitched the idea of a radio drama to Arthur Burrows, director of programmes at the newly formed BBC. What happened next is the subject of Paul Kerensa’s drama, which salutes a largely forgotten and hugely important figure in the development of radio. Starring Tamsin Greig and Rory Kinnear.
All Creatures Great And Small
5
Christmas Eve, 9pm
The reliably comforting adaptation of James Herriot’s memoirs takes us back to 1945. For the first peacetime Christmas since 1938, the reliably hapless vet has to take charge of the Darrowby Nativity play. Preceded by a making-of documentary, All Creatures Great And Small: Behind The Scenes (8pm).
A Ghost Story For Christmas: The Room In The Tower
BBC Two
Christmas Eve, 10pm
Mark Gatiss genuinely loves spooky stories. It shows because his period adaptations of classic tales are regularly highlights of the seasonal season. This time around, his source material is a short story by EF Benson, which tells of a man haunted by a recurring dream. Starring Tobias Menzies and Joanna Lumley.
Call The Midwife
BBC One
Christmas Day, 8.15pm
It’s the festive season for the Nonnatus House crew in Poplar. At least for most, what with two of the sisters, Julienne and Veronica, heading to Hong Kong on a mission of mercy. An encounter with Triads ensures. The two-part Christmas seasonal special concludes on Boxing Day (8.30pm).
The Repair Shop At Christmas
BBC One
Boxing Day, 7.30pm
Celebrities head to the barn for a seasonal special. Those rocking up include Dame Helen Mirren, who brings in a cello that belongs to a care home she supports and which needs some TLC. Plus Julia Donaldson, who arrives with Rob Bryson, wants a toy farmhouse restored so it can be donated to a hospice. Prepare to cry.
Murder in The Cathedral
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 27th December, 3pm
Director Emma Harding adapts TS Eliot’s verse drama, first performed in 1935, for radio. With music composed by Joseph Howard, and performed by the BBC Singers and percussionist Louisa Anna Duggan, it all makes for an atmospheric retelling of the story of the slaying of Thomas Becket in 1170.
Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family And Me
Channel 4
Saturday 27th December, 9pm
Did Dame Judi Dench’s eight-times great grandfather meet The Bard in 1606? That’s one of the ideas explored in a documentary in which the actor explores her family history in Scandinavia, visits sites associated with Shakespeare’s life and work, and declaims her devotion to the playwright.
The Last Of The Mohicans
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 28th December, 3pm
Writer Shahid Iqbal Khan refreshes James Fenimore Cooper’s novel, telling the story from the Native American perspective. It’s the first offering in what will build into a Story Of America collection to mark the 250th anniversary of 1776 and all that. The two-part drama concludes on Sunday 4th January.
Titanic Sinks Tonight
BBC Two
Sunday 28th December, 9pm
Shown over four successive evenings, this new drama-documentary offers a detailed retelling of the Titanic’s sinking after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic in 1912. Yes, the story is familiar, even overly familiar, but the draw here is that so much of what we’re shown is based on first-hand accounts.
Almonds And Raisins
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 30th December, 2.15pm
Based on novelist Maisie Mosco’s family saga, Adam Usden’s drama about Jewish refugees living in industrial Manchester in the early 20th century returns. In the first of three new episodes, the prospect of war hangs over the country. Continues Tuesday 6th January.
Tom Read Wilson’s Magnificent Journey
5
Friday 2nd January, 8pm
The TV presenter embarks on a recreation of the Grand Tours once undertaken by aristocrats. In the first of three episodes, he heads for Paris, where the highlights include visits to Notre-Dame and the gardens at Versailles. Continues Friday 9th January.
Archive On 4: Robert Graves and I, Claudius, L Years On
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 3rd January, 8pm
I, Claudius, the acclaimed television drama of Roman empire power struggles turns 50 in 2026. Writer Michael Symmons Roberts says he has never seen the series, but loves Graves’ poetry. A celebration of Graves that includes stories of a young and mischievous Stephen Hawking getting up to no good.