History TV and radio in the UK: what's on our screens this week?

Bettany Hughes’s Treasures Of The World

Channel 4

Saturday 8th November, 7pm

The classicist and historian explores Rhodes. In the mountains, she sees a vast and ancient necropolis and acropolis. Closer to the present day, Hughes charts how the Knights of St John, a military monastic order, helped transform the island into a medieval stronghold.

Archive On 4: Jodrell Bank At 80

BBC Radio 4

Saturday 8th November, 8pm

Composer Hannah Peel gets a behind-the-scenes tour of the observatory famed for its vast radio telescope, an incongruous sight for the way it looms over the Cheshire countryside. Making field recordings as she goes, Peel traces the rich cultural history of the site, a prelude to creating a piece of music to mark its birthday.

Royal British Legion Festival Of Remembrance

BBC One

Saturday 8th November, 9pm

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are among those in attendance at the Royal Festival Hall for an event that will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. There’s also coverage on BBC Radio 2 (8pm). On Remembrance Sunday itself, there’s coverage from the Cenotaph (BBC One, 10.15am & BBC Radio 4, 10.30am).

Hotel Portofino

U&Drama

Sunday 9th November, 7pm

The glossy drama set on the Italian Riviera returns for a third series. This time around, the action encompasses the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash. For estranged Bella (Natascha McElhone) and Cecil (Mark Umbers), this is a financial disaster that forces them to work together, if only to negotiate over their respective futures.

Trespasses

Channel 4

Sunday 9th November, 9pm

Shown over four successive evenings, this new drama set in Northern Ireland is an adaptation of the novel by Louise Kennedy. At the centre of the story is the illicit relationship between a Catholic teacher and a married Protestant barrister, which plays out against a backdrop of the Troubles in the 1970s. Starring Lola Petticrew and Martin McCann.

Fatherhood: Is It Working?

BBC Radio 4

Monday 10th November, 11am

As part of a BBC Radio 4 season on fatherhood, Horatio Clare looks at how the role of fathers has changed down the years. Drawing on his own family history, he begins by looking at parenthood during the reign of Queen Victoria, a time when the law and politics profoundly shaped what it meant to be a dad.

Unesco: From Cultural Diplomacy To Culture Wars

BBC Radio 4

Tuesday 11th November, 4pm

Rana Mitter considers what the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has to offer the world. Donald Trump has announced the USA will be withdrawing funding from the organisation. China, meantime, seems to want to to increase its influence at Unesco. What does all this tell us about global heritage and soft power?

Richard Burton: Wild Genius – pick of the week

BBC Two (BBC One in Wales)

Wednesday 12th November, 9pm

Marking 100 years since his birth, here’s a documentary charting how a Welsh miner’s son became one of the most important cultural figures of the 20th century. Expect a vivid mix of archive footage, contributions from those who knew the actor and, read by Matthew Rhys, extracts from Burton’s diaries.

Empire With David Olusoga

BBC Two

Friday 14th November, 9pm

The historian considers how the movement of people around the British Empire continues to shape the world today. Sadly and inevitably, slavery is central to the narrative, a reflection of how so many Africans were trafficked across the Atlantic. Olusoga also tells stories of Indians, indentured workers, moved around the globe and convicts dispatched to Australia.

Unwrapping King Tut: Secrets Of The Mummy

Friday 14th November, 9pm

It's a century since, over six days, Howard Carter unwrapped Egypt’s most famous mummy, that of King Tutankhamun. How did he go about this task? In what promises to be a fascinating documentary, Dr Xander van Tulleken replicates some of Carter’s methods and looks over archives from the time.