TV & radio: what to tune in to next week (10-16 July)

Rock ‘n’ Roll America
BBC Four
Friday 10^th July, 9.00pm

In the second part of this absorbing series charting the birth of rock music in the USA, we see the explosion of rock in mainstream culture. The documentary explores controversial performances by Elvis Presley and charts how an outraged media reacted.

Find out more here.

The Saboteurs
More4
Friday 10^th July, 9.00pm

This Norwegian drama continues to narrate the gripping tale of the Allies’ efforts to prevent the Nazis from developing an atomic bomb.

Find out more here.

The King’s Muse
BBC Radio 4
Saturday 11th July, 11.30pm

Peggy Reynolds considers the poetry of Henry VIII during his early reign. With contributions from historian David Starkey, she looks to interpret the young Henry as a cultured, educated teenager – quite unlike the despot he would later become.

Find out more here.

A Wing and a Prayer
BBC Radio 4
Sunday 12^th July, 5.00pm

On the 75th anniversary of Britain’s airborne defence against Nazi invasion, fighter pilots recall their daily experiences and extraordinary feats of bravery during the battle of Britain.

Find out more here.

The Flea
BBC Radio 4
Monday 13^th July, 2.15pm

Exciting drama narrates the tempestuous life of poet John Donne in 1601. Working as chief secretary to the lord keeper of the great seal for Elizabeth I, his unpublished erotic poems circulate London. However, Donne falls in love with his employer’s niece, risking his career in the process.

Find out more here.

Inside the Ku Klux Klan
Channel 4
Monday 13^th July, 10.00pm

The Ku Klux Klan marks its 150^th anniversary this year. But how can a group that has received widespread condemnation remain active today? This documentary delivers fresh insight into the ongoing activity of the notorious group in parts of the USA.

Find out more here.

Pick of the Week…

Last Days in Vietnam
BBC Four
Monday 13^th July, 10.00pm

In the frantic final days of the Vietnam War, the US hastily evacuated Saigon. But what was to be done with the Vietnamese people desperately trying to escape? This Oscar-nominated documentary vividly recounts the moral dilemma faced by American soldiers and diplomats on the ground.

Find out more here.

_{Sailors push a helicopter off a landing platform of the U.S.S. Kirk to clear room for more helicopters dropping off refugees. (Credit: Hugh Doyle/BBC)}

Document
BBC Radio 4
Tuesday 14^th July, 4.00pm

Sanchia Berg investigates the lost tale of an MI5 agent who found himself left in the cold by his own service – despite his attempts to uncover British fascists in postwar Vienna.

Find out more here.

Witness ­– James Salter: Writer and Pilot
BBC Radio 4
Wednesday 15^th July, 9.30am

James Salter recalls his life and career, both as a fighter pilot during the Korean War and as a critically acclaimed American novelist.

Find out more here.

Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners
BBC Two
Wednesday 15^th July, 9.00pm

Who, exactly, were slave owners? In the first of a two-part documentary, David Olusoga explores the untold stories of Britain’s 46,000 slave owners across the British Empire. Archival records reveal the surprising range of people who owned slaves, including widows, clergymen and shopkeepers.

Find out more here.

_{Archivist Lauris Codling, Collections Officer at the Institute of Jamaica, with a variety of slave shackles and instruments of punishment. (Credit: BBC/Ben Crichton)}

Written by Luke Hollander