BBC Four TV Guide — Tuesday, 21 July 2026

Michael Portillo's Scottish travels bring him to Glasgow's Hampden Park Stadium, the home of Scottish football, where he admires the oldest football trophy in the world and hears about the birth of the 'passing game'. He also learns about the development of the M8 motorway in the 1960s and visits Kelvingrove Art Gallery, set up by war artist Joan Eardley amid the tenements of Townhead. He finishes this leg in the modernist new town of Cumbernauld, hearing about the utopian ideals that shaped its design and architecture

The broadcaster walks through the Cotswolds and describes the joy and solace that nature brings as she takes in the inspiring views of Gloucestershire. From the panoramic viewpoint of Painswick Beacon, Kate descends through beech woods to the village of Upton St Leonards, soaking up the sounds of nature as she goes

Richard finds time weighing heavily on his hands, so Hyacinth decides to provide him with a hobby - a move that backfires on her in spectacular fashion. Comedy, starring Patricia Routledge, Clive Swift and Geoffrey Hughes

Victor and Margaret set off for a break by the seaside - but the discovery of a dead gull in their boarding-house bathroom sets the scene for what turns out to be a weekend of sheer hell. Richard Wilson and Annette Crosbie star, with a guest appearance by Stephen Lewis of On the Buses fame

Helen Castor explores the role of queens in medieval and Tudor England, analysing how they evolved from being the wives of kings to powerful figures in their own right - but faced great struggles to impose their authority in a male-dominated society. She begins by recalling the life of Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, who waged war against her cousin Stephen in the mid-12th-century in a bid to be recognised as her father's rightful successor. The historian also charts the turbulent life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the wife of Henry II, who played a major role in governing England during the latter half of the 12th century

Historian Sam Willis charts the stories of Britain's castles and their roles in the country's history, art and literature. He begins by looking at the structure's first appearance during Norman rule in 1066, and then at the siege of Kenilworth Castle 200 years later, revealing how it was initially used as an instrument of invasion, but soon became a weapon with which unruly barons challenged the crown. He also visits Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, the place where King Arthur is said to have been conceived

Examining the results of the White House's decision not to act in response to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda , which still haunts the Washington decision-makers to this day. Featuring descriptions of the events from American diplomats on the ground and in Washington as the tragedy unfolded