Life on Earth would not be possible without rain. Although water covers most of the earth, 97% of it is sea water. Rain supports life on land by supplying salt-free water that we can drink. Rain, or the lack of it has shaped and destroyed civilisations since antiquity, and now climate change is changing the patterns of rainfall with deadly effect.
An elderly widow is murdered at a clifftop seaside house. What is the connection between a failed suicide attempt, a wrongful accusation of theft against a schoolgirl, and the romantic life of a famous tennis player?
The Film programme is a British film review television programme, broadcast weekly on BBC One, presented by Claudia Winkleman and Danny Leigh. The title of the show changes each year to incorporate the year of broadcast, with the current series being Film 2013, but when referring to successive series, the BBC calls it "the Film programme". The show was previously presented by Barry Norman between 1972 and 1998, and by Jonathan Ross from 1999 to 2010, before receiving a format revamp with the introduction of Claudia Winkleman as host from 2010.
Whack-O! was a British sitcom TV series starring Jimmy Edwards, written by Frank Muir and Denis Norden, and broadcast from 1956 to 1960 and 1971 to 1972.
The series ran on the BBC from 1956 to 1960 and from 1971 to 1972. Edwards took the part of Professor James Edwards, M.A., the drunken, gambling, devious, cane-swishing headmaster who tyrannised staff and children at Chiselbury public school. The Edwards character bore more than a passing resemblance to Sergeant Bilko as he tried to swindle the children out of their pocket money to finance his many schemes.
The first six episodes were subtitled "Six of the Best". In 1959 a film was made based on the show, called Bottoms Up!. The series was revived in colour with updated scripts in 1971-1972, slightly retitled Whacko!. In all, it ran for a total of 60 episodes, with 47 of B&W and 13 colour, of 30 minutes each. There were three special shorts. There was also a radio version, on the Light Programme, 45 episodes of 30 minutes broadcast from May 1961 till July 1963,
Flog It! is a television series broadcast on the BBC, presented by Paul Martin. The show follows a similar formula to Antiques Roadshow, with members of the public bringing their antiques to be viewed and valued by a team of experts. However, unlike Antiques Roadshow, they are then given the option to sell their items at an auction.
Typical episodes are 45 minutes in length, but thirty minute and hour long editions also exist. The thirty minute versions are typically hour long editions cut in half; hour-long editions have become less common in recent years.
The show is broadcast as part of BBC Two's afternoon schedule. It also appears as part of the early evening schedule for short runs, and sometimes appears on Saturday afternoons.
In this new Scottish mockumentary, we witness the struggles of farmer Jim MacDonald, his loyal farmhand Donnie and his temperamental mother - as they struggle against the elements - and each other - on a farm in Perthshire, Scotland.
Radio Roo was a children's television programme which featured the adventures of Dennis and Clive, who run a radio station, Radio Roo, based in England that Clive inherited. The show ran for a total of 31 episodes from 1991 to 1993 on the BBC. All episodes were written by Wayne Jackman, who starred as Dennis. The broad Australian accent of Clive the Kangaroo was provided by Ian Tregonning.
Huw Edwards traces the story of Aberfan's decades-long battle for justice, looking at whether the incident was a terrible accident or a preventable man-made disaster.
Dive into the secret world of the most successful and important animals on Earth – Insects. Building on the remarkable advances in camera technology pioneered by The Green Planet, this series reveals the beautiful and dramatic lives of insects in unprecedented detail.
The programme that tries to make the impossible possible. Each week Anneka Rice is set a challenge by a member of the public and, using only her giant Challenger truck, has to beg, borrow and otherwise persuade people to help her complete the task on time. All challenges aim to achieve something of lasting benefit, and Anneka has no idea what lies in store until the fateful moment when the challenge arrives.
Everyman is a British television documentary series that aired on BBC One in a late-night slot on Sunday evenings between 1977 and 2005. Its subject matter tended to be focused on moral and religious issues, often in the form of a film in which individuals would discuss their thoughts. One edition from 1990, A Game of Soldiers concerned a group of soldiers exploring their feelings about being trained to kill. Throughout much of its time on air, series of Everyman aired alternately with Heart of the Matter, a debate series which featured somewhat similar topics. Both series were cancelled in the 2000s after the BBC revamped the output of its religious programming.
Wizbit was a 1985 BBC children's television show in which an alien magician called Wizbit and a large rabbit called Wooly had adventures in a place called Puzzleopolis.
Although it was stated in the show that Wizbit's year-and-a-day mission was to find out all about planet Earth, this clashed somewhat with the events witnessed on screen. Wizbit was to learn about everyday life on earth by solving puzzles in a town inhabited by walking, talking sponge-balls, dice, magic wands, playing cards and 7-foot-tall rabbits.
The show made an attempt to be semi-educational. The puzzles Wizbit was set were usually presented to the audience at home, with the solutions being revealed towards the end of the episode.
The show was created by Barry Murray, who had formerly been Mungo Jerry's record producer, with assistance from conjuror Paul Daniels. It starred Daniels and his assistant Debbie McGee.
Its theme tune was based on a song by Lead Belly, named "Ha-Ha This A Way", sung by Daniels.
Wizbit's magic word was "Ostagazuzul