BBC Four

TV GUIDE
Quick jump Tonight's highlights

Browse the full BBC Four TV guide for Friday, 16 October 2026. 12 programmes listed , including 8 tonight. UK listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.

Early Morning

  1. 00:30 45m

    Donald Sutherland: Scene by Scene

    Donald Sutherland
    The actor talks to Mark Cousins
    Actor Donald Sutherland, most famous for his work in the 1970s with roles in MASH and Don't Look Now, talks to Mark Cousins about his life and work, and reveals why he has become known as one of Hollywood's most versatile actors
  2. 01:15 30m

    Secrets of Bones

    S1 · E5 · Food for Thought
    Exploring how vertebrates capture and devour their food
    Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod explores how vertebrates capture and devour their food, looking at adaptations in their skeletons that help them eat. The presenter examines the jaws of a sperm whale, finds out which animal has teeth that weigh 5kg each, and reveals which creature uses its skull as a suction pump
  3. 01:45 30m

    Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure

    S2 · E1 · Machynlleth
    The former rugby player and his wife Maureen explore the country
    The former rugby player and his wife Maureen set out on a new adventure to explore some of Wales's most beautiful places. They begin in Machynlleth, where Gareth fulfils a boyhood dream of driving a steam train. Maureen's keen too and takes charge as they wind through the stunning Dyfi Valley. However, she's less eager as they visit a centre for endangered birds of prey and has to tackle her phobia when they meet some magnificent new feathered friends
  4. 02:15 1h

    Ancient Worlds

    S1 · E4 · Return of the King
    The triumphs and legacy of Alexander the Great
    Archaeologist and historian Richard Miles explores the triumphs and legacy of Alexander the Great, the conqueror who rose from the kingdom of Macedon and went on to control an empire that stretched from Egypt in the West to Afghanistan in the East. The presenter also focuses on those who succeeded him after he died in Babylon, and how they tried to maintain the empire by cunning rather than by the sword

Tonight's Highlights

  1. 19:00 30m

    TOTP: 2000

    Gail Porter presents the pop chart programme
    Gail Porter presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on June 9, 2000. With music by S Club 7, Stephen Gately, Pink, York featuring Chris Rea, Dr Dre and Eminem, Trevor and Simon, Mary Mary and Sonique
  2. 19:30 45m

    TOTP: 2000

    Including music by York featuring Chris Rea, Daphne and Celeste, and more
    Gail Porter presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on June 16, 2000. With music by York featuring Chris Rea, Daphne and Celeste, Travis, Gabrielle, Angelic, Fat Les 2000, Kelis, Muse, B-15 Project, Whitney Houston and George Michael, Richard Blackwood and Sonique
  3. 20:15 30m

    TOTP: 1980

    Featuring Showaddywaddy, Adam and the Ants, the Police and Madness
    Tommy Vance presents an edition originally broadcast on October 16, 1980, with music by Showaddywaddy, Adam and the Ants, Matchbox, the Police, Madness and George Benson. Plus, guest appearances from Suzi Quatro, Dollar and Michael Palin
  4. 20:45 30m

    TOTP: 1989

    Performances by Sinitta, Cliff Richard and Living in a Box
    Gary Davies hosts the edition first shown on October 12, featuring performances by Sinitta, Cliff Richard, Alice Cooper, Deborah Harry, Chris Rea, Richard Marx and Living in a Box
  5. 21:15 1h

    Disco at the BBC: Volume 1

    Featuring Chic, Rose Royce, Labelle and Gladys Knight
    Archive performances of disco classics by acts including Chic, Rose Royce, Labelle, Gladys Knight and Village People, from shows such as Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and Later with Jools Holland
  6. 22:15 30m

    Donna Summer: TOTP2 Special

    Mark Radcliffe introduces archive clips of the singer
    Mark Radcliffe introduces archive clips of the singer, including her first performances on Top of the Pops with I Remember Yesterday and Winter Melody in 1977 and her last studio performance on Later with Jools Holland in 2004. Plus, promo video of key hits like I Feel Love and No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) with Barbra Streisand
  7. 22:45 1h

    Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution

    S1 · E1 · Rock the Boat
    The story of the global music phenomenon
    The story of the global music phenomenon, beginning with its roots in the gay and black communities in the loft apartments and basement bars of 1970s New York when a new generation of DJs pioneered a distinct sound and a new way of spinning records. As the city - and the country - was mired in political and economic misery, these underground clubs represented a form of escapism, with pulsating, hedonistic dancefloors defined by a sense of sexual liberation
  8. 23:45 2h 30m

    Black British Music at the BBC: Volume 2

    Featuring Seal, the Selecter, Soul II Soul and Shirley Bassey
    DJ Spoony presents a personal selection of archive performances in a celebration of some of the very best in black British music from over the decades. The playlist features 40 tracks from the worlds of pop, soul, ska, reggae, rap and garage, with artists including the likes of Seal, the Selecter, Soul II Soul, FKA Twigs, Miss Dynamite and Shirley Bassey

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