History TV and radio in the UK: what’s on our screens in July 2021?
Can't decide which shows to watch or listen to this month? Here are the latest history radio and TV programmes airing in the UK that you won't want to miss
Published:
This week: 24–30 July
Sunday Feature: Great Scott
Radio 3
Sunday 25 July, 6.45pm
On his death, Sir Walter Scott was eulogised as a great writer. Subsequently, he has come to be seen as a man peddling a mythologised, even sentimental version of Scotland. Allan Little journeys to Scott’s baronial home to explore how and why this shift in perception came about.
Radio 4
Monday 26 July, 9.45am
Over five weekday episodes, Rachael Stirling reads from Linda Porter’s account of the love life of Charles II. Over the years, we learn, he fathered 13 illegitimate children, while his wife, Catherine of Braganza, remained childless. Expect episodes dealing with how Charles insisted his mistresses took part in court life and the story of Nell Gwyn.
Secrets of the London Underground
Yesterday
Monday 26 July, 8pm
Episode two of the series exploring little-visited tunnels, and Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway head for Hampstead. Here, they descend to a station that never opened to the public. Plus the story of the station’s role during the Cold War era.
PBS America
Monday 26 July, 8.40pm
Shown over three successive evenings, this German-made documentary series tells the story of the last days of the Second World War in Europe. The series begins in January 1945 when, although defeat was all but inevitable, Hitler ordered his nation to fight on.
Radio 3
Monday 26 July, 10.45pm
Over five weekday episodes, Dr Christopher Harding, senior lecturer in Asian studies at the University of Edinburgh profiles five characters from Japanese history. He begins with Hirofumi Dalmatsu, who coached the Japanese women’s volleyball team to gold at the 1964 Olympics.
BBC Two
Tuesday 27 July, 8pm
More scenes of backroom life at the V&A. Highlights in this episode include efforts to conserve a much-loved teddy bear, Little Tommy Tittlemouse, who is more than 100 years old. Plus a costume worn by Andrew Sachs as Manuel in Fawlty Towers is readied for display.
Black Hill, Bleak Summer
Radio 4
Tuesday 27 July, 8pm
It’s two decades since the UK’s worst-ever outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Marking the anniversary, Dave Howard returns to the Herefordshire hill-farming community where he grew up. How did the disruption and the loss of so many animals impact on those working the land in Craswall valley on the edge of the Black Mountains?
Hemingway
BBC Four
Tuesday 27 July, 9pm & 9.50pm
Final two instalments of the excellent biography of Ernest Hemingway. The first episode follows Hemingway’s work as a war correspondent in France, when he charted the advance of the US army through Normandy. The final episode deals with his final days, when addiction, the trauma of injuries and depression overcame him.
Pick of the week
Fake or Fortune?
BBC One
Wednesday 28 July, 9pm
Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould present a new series of the show where they investigate the provenance of artworks. They begin with a sculpture rescued from the long grass of a Norfolk manor house. Could it be the work of Henry Moore, who lived and worked nearby? If so, it could be worth £1m.
The Forum
BBC World Service
Thursday 29 July, 10.05am
Bridget Kendall traces the history of the Panama Canal, the waterway that links the Atlantic and Pacific. It’s a story in part of how the USA exported its own culture – and cultural prejudices, most notably racism – to Central America Plus what’s the future for the canal in an era of global heating?
Previous week: 17–23 July
The Documentary: Breaking Through
BBC World Service
Saturday 17th July, 12.05pm
Breaking, also known as break dancing, will make its debut as a sport at the Olympics in 2024. How has this come about? The four-time breaking world champion, BoxWon (Benyaamin Barnes McGee), traces breaking’s journey to the wider world, which began in Bronx block parties in the 1970s.
Archive On 4: China In Slogans
Radio 4
Saturday 17th July, 8pm
The Chinese Communist Party is celebrating its centenary. Throughout its history, the party has used slogans to get across policy ideas and mobilise the country’s population. Drawing on the BBC’s archives, Celia Hatton examines the stories behind eight key slogans that it has used down the years.
Drama: Joseph Andrews Remixed
Radio 4
Sunday 18th Jul, 3pm
Henry Fielding’s satirical 18th-century novel, which follows the misadventures of a young footman on the road in the company of an eccentric parson, gets a new adaptation from Shaun McKenna. The twist here is that discussions between Fielding and his wife, Charlotte, talking about the book’s narrative, play in here.
Secrets Of The London Underground
Yesterday
Monday 19th July, 8pm
This didn’t start last week as some listings suggested it would. Instead, tune in this week to see Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway host a new series in which they explore London’s Tube network. Prepare to enter an often spooky world of abandoned tunnels, secret bunkers and hidden staircases. First up, the abandoned branch line between Holborn and Aldwych.
Killing Escobar
BBC Two
Monday 19th July, 9pm
In 1989, Peter McAleese led a team of Scottish mercenaries in an attempt to kill drug lord Pablo Escobar. How did McAleese get involved in such a scheme – and what happened next? Previously shown in Scotland, a one-off documentary telling an extraordinary story and which has much to say about the history of the cocaine trade.
Genetic Dreams, Genetic Nightmares
Radio 4
Tuesday 20th July, 11am
Biologist Matthew Cobb presents the first episode in a new series that charts the 50-year history of genetic engineering. He begins in 19791, when the first experiments to combine the DNA of two different organisms began at Stanford University, California. But, people immediately asked, was this work safe?
Secrets Of The Museum
BBC Two
Tuesday 20th July, 8pm
Return of the series following the work of curators and conservators at London’s V&A Museum. First up, a wax model made by Michelangelo and a red suit once worn on stage by Slade’s Jim Lea. Following transmission, the whole series will be available via BBC iPlayer.
Pick of the week
Uprising
BBC One
Tuesday 20th July, 9pm
Shown over three successive evenings, Steve McQueen and James Rogan’s documentary series takes us back to 1981, a pivotal year in the history of race relations in Britain. The first episode looks at how a house fire in New Cross, which resulted in the death of 13 young British black people, galvanised protest.
Inside Hampton Court
Channel 5
Thursday 22nd July, 8pm
What does it take to maintain Henry VIII’s royal palace? This two-part documentary takes viewers behind the scenes and introduces us to the likes of head coachman Ed, responsible for the care of a team of rare-breed shire horses. Plus the story of Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour.
Heist: The Great Northern Robbery
BBC Two
Thursday 22nd July, 9.30pm
In December 2004, two back employees were forced to take £26.5 million from the headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast. The IRA were rumoured to be involved, but the case remains unsolved. Darragh MacIntyre and Sam McBride trace the story of the heist in a documentary postponed from Monday 5 July.
Last week: 10–16 July
Drama On 3: The Duchess Of Malfi
Radio 3
Sunday 11 July, 7.30pm
Shifting between scenes of romanticism and cruelty, John Webster’s revenge tragedy is not for the faint-hearted. This new adaptation features original songs, as well as music by Jimi Hendrix and Laura Marling, and stars Pippa Nixon in the central role. Introduced by Professor Emma Smith of the University of Oxford.
This Union: A Sea Between Us
Radio 4
Monday 12 July, 8pm
A new strand looking at each of the home nations in turn begins with a three-part series in which Andrea Calderwood examines the future of Unionism in Northern Ireland. Complementing Calderwood’s programmes, This Union: The Long View (Tuesday 13 July, 9am) offers a historical perspective.
Reflections On Hi-Vis
Radio 4
Tuesday 13 July, 11am
The hi-vis jacket and vest are pieces of utilitarian workwear, originally created following an industrial accident during the Great Depression era. But as Steph McGovern explores in a one-off documentary telling the history of hi-viz, these are garments that are, depending on context, loaded with different meanings.
Secrets Of The London Underground
Yesterday
Tuesday 13 July, 8pm
Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway host a new series in which they explore London’s Tube network. Prepare to enter an often spooky world abandoned tunnels, secret bunkers and hidden staircases. First up, the abandoned branch line between Holborn and Aldwych.
Hemingway
BBC Four
Tuesday 13 July, 9pm
The series charting the life and times of Ernest Hemingway continues. We’re in the 1930s and, having achieved literary fame, Hemingway is living in Florida. Despite having seen so much death and destruction, this was a time when he was continually drawn to such violent pursuits as boxing, hunting and fishing.
Walking Tudor Britain
5 Select
Tuesday 13 July, 9pm
Susannah Lipscomb presents a new series where she strolls around sites associated with Henry VII and co. She begins by visiting Southsea Castle, part of a system of coastal fortifications commissioned by Henry VIII. She also tells the story of Henry’s lost flagship, Mary Rose, which was raised from the Solent in 1982.
How The Victorians Built Britain
Channel 5
Wednesday 14 July, 7pm
Michael Buerk returns with new episodes of his series looking at 19th-century British innovations. He begins with the roots of modern medicine. Be prepared for grisly tales of surgery. Continues on Thursday 15 July (7pm) when the theme is law and order.
Written In Scotland
Radio 4
Thursday 15 July, 11.30am
The excellent series on Scottish literature concludes with Kirsty Wark turning her attention to language and class. The very language used by Scotland’s writers is political, she contends: poet Hugh MacDairmid’s experiments in Scots not only sparked a literary renaissance, but he co-founded the party that went on to become the SDP.
Heliopolis: The City Of The Sun
PBS America
Thursday 15 July, 8.40pm
In March 2017, construction workers in Cairo stumbled upon an enormous crowned stone head. This was evidence they were digging down to the remains of Heliopolis, where the most sacred temple of the pharaohs once stood. This fascinating documentary follows efforts to conduct archaeological work at the site.
Pick of the week
Our NHS: A Hidden History
BBC One
Thursday 15 July, 9pm
David Olusoga tells the stories of doctors, nurses and health workers who, for 70 years, have come to the United Kingdom to work in the NHS. It’s a history of people who, over the years, have at times prevented our health service from collapsing and yet have often found themselves facing racism.
3–9 July
Pick of the week
The Archive Hour: Millions Like Us
Radio 4
Saturday 3 July, 8pm
With the help of historians, Phil Tinline considers the idea the pandemic is “our Second World War”. Putting the nation on a war footing in 1940, he notes, made many look back critically at the 1930s. The idea the government could do little to alleviate mass unemployment became utterly discredited. Could a similar reappraisal be about to occur?
Spice Up Your Life: 25 Years Of Girl Power
BBC Radio 2
Saturday 3 July, 9pm
It’s a quarter of a century since, via a Top Of The Pops performance of Wannabe, The Spice Girls became stars. Richard E Grant, who played their neurotic manager Clifford in Spice World: The Movie, explores the enduring appeal – and cultural significance – of Girl Power.
Elizabeth II And The Traitor King: A Secret Friendship
Channel 5
Saturday 3 July, 9.30pm
Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II used to refer to Edward VIII as “her silly uncle”. Others have been less kind, notably because of his flirtations with fascism. A documentary that looks at Edward’s life through the prism of his relationship with his niece and which covers ground dramatised in The Crown.
Murder, Mystery And My Family
BBC One
Monday 5 July, 11am
The weekday series looking back at crimes from the past continues with the story of a case of matricide from 1929. Did fraudster Sydney Fox, who was hanged in 1930, really kill his mother at the Hotel Metropole in Margate? Criminal barristers Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass look at the evidence anew.
Heist: The Northern Bank Robbery
BBC Two
Monday 5 July, 9.30pm
In December 2004, two back employees were forced to take £26.5 million from the headquarters of Northern Bank in Belfast. The IRA were rumoured to be involved, but the case remains unsolved. Darragh MacIntyre and Sam McBride trace the story of the heist in a documentary first shown on BBC One Northern Ireland.
Unreal: The VFX Revolution
Radio 4
Tuesday 6 July, 11.30am
Paul Franklin, who has won Academy Awards for his effects work with Christopher Nolan, charts the development of visual effects in the modern era. Industrial Light and Magic, the company George Lucas and John Dykstra created in 1975 as they began work on Star Wars, is central to the story.
Hemingway
BBC Four
Tuesday 6 July, 9pm
The six-part series tracing the life and times of Ernest Hemingway continues. The focus is on his life in Paris in the 1920s, a time when Hemingway’s debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, was published, a novel that was both modernist and accessible.
Agatha Christie’s England
Channel 5
Tuesday 6 July, 9pm
Agatha Christie’s often took inspiration from real people and by real places. This engaging travelogue explores how, for example, Miss Marple was based in party on a great aunt, and how the writer’s country home, Greenway, was repurposed as Nasse House for Dead Man’s Folly.
The Forum
BBC World Service
Thursday 8 July, 10.05am
Emile Berliner (1851–1929) was the inventor of the gramophone record. He also helped develop the telephone, promoted milk pasteurisation and financed a scholarship programme for women. Bridget Kendall and a trio of Berliner experts profile a man who really should be better known.
Written In Scotland
Radio 4
Thursday 8 July, 11.30am
Kirsty Wark turns her attention to the literature of urban Scotland as her excellent cultural history series continues. It’s a tale of two cities: elegant Edinburgh, which Wark sees as partly the creation of writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Muriel Spark and Ian Rankin; and gritty Glasgow, home of Tartan Noir.
