Browse the full BBC Four TV guide for Tuesday, 20 October 2026. 10 programmes listed , including 7 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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00:30 1h
Ancient Worlds
S1 · E5 · The Republic of VirtueThe origins of the Roman republicRichard Miles travels to Sicily and North Africa to explore the rise of the Roman republic, from its fratricidal mythical beginnings to its emergence as a powerful empire. Beginning in a cluster of hill villages, the Romans achieved the domination of the Mediterranean after defeating Carthage, and the historian argues that, as the territorial expansion started and the violence increased, Rome became its own worst enemy -
01:30 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 -
02:30 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
Tonight's Highlights
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19:00 30m
Secrets of Bones
S1 · E6 · SexThe role skeletons play in aiding reproductionEvolutionary biologist Ben Garrod explores the role skeletons play in aiding reproduction, looking at the ways courtship, competition and copulation have been improved by having bones. On his journey, he meets baseball players and drops a 10kg weight on a sheep's skull -
19:30 30m
Gareth Edwards' Great Welsh Adventure
S2 · E2 · TenbyGareth and Maureen get a castle to themselves for a nightSir Gareth and wife Maureen get a castle to themselves for a night - perfect to mark their 49th wedding anniversary. Plus, they go wildlife spotting and get competitive at golf in Tenby -
20:00 30m
To the Manor Born
S2 · E6 · Vive le SportAudrey injures her backAudrey injures her back, but soon recovers when DeVere invites her on a skiing trip. However, when the entrepreneur gives her advance lessons on the estate, he manages to end up the invalid. Comedy, starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles -
20:30 30m
Keeping Up Appearances
S5 · E4 · A Riverside PicnicHyacinth plans a riverside picnicHyacinth plans an extravagant riverside picnic and invites all and sundry from the higher echelons of society, including the vicar and his wife. Alas for her dreams of social success, the event proves a wash-out. Patricia Routledge stars -
21:00 1h
The Normans
S1 · E1 · Men from the NorthThe expansion and unchecked ambition of the Norman empireProfessor Robert Bartlett travels from Britain to Jerusalem via Sicily, examining the expansion and unchecked ambition of the Norman empire, and how its impact still resonates in modern culture and politics. He discovers how, under the leadership of Scandinavian raider Rollo, these descendants of the Vikings first established themselves in northern France and became an unstoppable force of Christian knights and warriors -
22:00 1h 20m
A Want In Her - Storyville
The complexities of caring for someone with mental illness and addictionFilmmaker and artist Myrid Carten turns her camera on her mother Nuala - who has both bipolar disorder and alcoholism - and her wider family, uncovering years of grief, conflict and resilience. This programme explores the complexities of caring for someone living with mental illness and addiction, blending intimate contemporary footage with childhood home videos -
23:20 1h
Light and Dark
S1 · E1 · LightPart one of two. How light has helped scientists uncover the universe's secretsThe first of a two-part documentary in which Professor Jim Al-Khalili examines how some of history's greatest minds began to uncover the secrets of the universe by using and manipulating light. In the first edition, the presenter considers the significance of Greek mathematician Euclid's landmark discovery that light moves in straight lines. He then moves on to Renaissance Italy, where Galileo Galilei unlocked the potential of telescopes in locating Earth's true place within the cosmos, before assessing the implications of Danish astronomer Ole Roemer's groundbreaking finding - that light moves at a finite speed