Browse the full BBC Four TV guide for Monday, 19 October 2026. 9 programmes listed , including 6 tonight. UK listings updated daily — scroll down to tonight's highlights or use the day tabs above to browse the weekly schedule.
Early Morning
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00:45 1h
Shakespeare in Italy with Francesco da Mosto
S1 · E2 · Land of FortunePart two of two. The historian tours Venice, Rome and StromboliThe historian concludes his tour of the country beginning with a visit to Venice, where he meets actor Ciaran Hinds to discuss why the Bard chose the city as the setting for The Merchant of Venice. Francesco is then joined by Mark Rylance in Rome as they explore how the playwright used the Italian capital for the plots of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra to avoid Elizabethan censors. Finally, on the island of Stromboli, off the northern coast of Sicily, Francesco uncovers the location for Shakespeare's late masterpiece - The Tempest -
01:45 1h
Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius
S1 · E1Docudrama telling the story of the playwrightDocudrama telling the story of how a glover's son from rural Stratford became arguably the greatest writer that ever lived, using a series of cinematic vignettes combined with contributions from stars and experts including Judi Dench, Brian Cox, Adrian Lester and Helen Mirren. The story begins in 1587, when William Shakespeare leaves his small rural home town to pursue his dream of becoming a playwright in London. He begins as a stagehand and occasional actor. But then he writes a gory revenge play, Titus Andronicus, which does well, followed by a teenage romance that becomes a breakout success - Romeo and Juliet -
02:45 30m
A Stitch in Time
S1 · E4 · DidoExploring the life of Dido BelleAmber Butchart explores the life of Dido Belle, the 18th-century daughter of an enslaved African woman brought up at Kenwood House in London
Tonight's Highlights
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19:00 1h
New Zealand: Earth's Mythical Islands
S1 · E2 · Wild ExtremesThe creatures that endure in some of New Zealand's wildest localesSam Neill narrates the story of some of New Zealand's wildest places, home to hyper-intelligent parrots, snails with teeth, and constellations of glow-worms. In these often inhospitable locations, any creature hoping to survive must resort to radical techniques, none more so than on the South Island, which lies toward Antarctica and is home to the rapidly rising peaks of the Southern Alps -
20:00 1h
Art of France
S1 · E3 · This Is the Modern WorldAndrew Graham-Dixon examines the development of ImpressionismAndrew Graham-Dixon examines the development of Impressionism, when France was changing at a rapid pace and young artists re-invented the rules of painting - finding their muses in the bars, brothels and cabarets of Paris and turning the world of art on its head. Monet, Degas and their contemporaries launched a heated debate about the role of painting in the modern world that would pave the way for just about every modern art movement of note -
21:00 30m
Mastermind: 1977
S1977 · E11Specialist subjects include the Salvation Army, and Rupert BrookeMagnus Magnusson hosts the 11th heat of the quiz from the University of Bradford with four contenders answering questions on the specialist subjects of Zulu history 1816-1879, Stuart monarchs 1603-1714, the Salvation Army, and Rupert Brooke -
21:30 30m
Call My Bluff
With Suzanne Roquette, Donny MacLeod, Angharad Rees and Christopher CasanoveRobert Robinson oversees another duel of words and wit as team captains Frank Muir and Patrick Campbell are joined by guest panellists Suzanne Roquette, Donny MacLeod, Angharad Rees and Christopher Casanove. First broadcast in 1978 -
22:00 1h
Aberfan: The Green Hollow
A film poem to commemorate the disasterA film poem to commemorate the Aberfan disaster, written by Owen Sheers and performed by a cast of Wales' best-known acting talent. Artists including Michael Sheen, Jonathan Pryce, Sian Phillips, Eve Myles and Iwan Rheon feature, alongside contributions from the local community. First broadcast in 2016 -
23:00 1h 30m
Tish
A profile of photographer Tish MurthaPhotographer Tish Murtha emerged from north-east England in Margaret Thatcher's Britain, exposing class prejudices, unemployment and the struggles and triumphs of her local community. In this programme, her daughter Ella Murtha takes a look at her mother's long-hidden archive of black and white images, personal artefacts, letters and diaries