Saturday 28 May 2022
Just One Thing – with Michael Mosley: Drink Coffee 5:45am BBC Radio 4
I’m a big fan of this programme which give scientifically based simple health advice. In this episode Michael explores how a cup of joe – at the right time! – could boost your sports performance, impact your mood, and even help you burn fat.
Listen to all episodes here.
The Harlem Hellfighters’ Great War PBS America 10:50am
In 1917, the 15th regiment of the NY National Guard, made up exclusively of black soldiers, was sent to fight the Great War in Europe. There, they discovered the horrors of the battlefields, but also a place where there was no racial segregation. The most decorated American soldiers of the First World War, as they fought on the front line for 191 days their hope was that when they returned home they would finally be considered fully-fledged US citizens. That was not the case. Through interviews with their family members, letters and archive film we will discover their story.
CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: The Songs of the Mamas and the Papas Sky Arts 7:45pm
Interviews and performance footage tells the remarkable story of 1960s Californian pop group the Mamas and the Papas.
Sunday 29 May 2022
Maxima PBS America 6:30pm
An indigenous woman from the Peruvian Andes, who cannot read or write, stands up to the largest gold producer in the world, US-based Newmont Mining Corporation. Maxima is fearlessly fighting to stop a multi-billion dollar mining project launched by Newmont and partially funded by the World Bank. This project would forever destroy and contaminate critical water and land ecosystems. But without Maxima’s land, the project is not possible. A land dispute quickly turns into a landmark case of human rights abuse. Throughout Maxima’s fight for justice, PBS reveal the mechanics of how a transnational corporation manages to get away with human rights and environmental crimes, the role of the World Bank, and the resilience of one woman who refuses to back down.
Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic BBC2 10pm
This 90-minute special sees Louis Theroux travel to America to investigate the story of a man who has become one of the most controversial and captivating icons of recent times: the gun-toting, self-described ‘gay hillbilly’ and ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic. A decade on from when he first met Joe for the documentary America’s Most Dangerous Pets, Louis returns to Oklahoma, responding to a direct call from Joe to tell the ‘real story’ and to explore the saga of an animal hoarder turned convicted felon. Joe now resides in a federal prison, having been found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot and multiple animal cruelty charges. But rather than living as a pariah, Joe is now a media phenomenon, the object of international obsession for pundits, celebrities and viewers, with a well-funded campaign team attempting to win him a presidential pardon. Looking back at his original documentary, Louis reflects on hours of unseen footage and sets out to understand who the real Joe Exotic is.
Tuesday 31 May 2022
The Wars of Coco Chanel Sky Arts 2pm
An intimate portrait of one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, exploring the many battles she endured on her journey from an orphan maid to a world-famous tailor.
Picture attribution: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Wednesday 1 June 2022
The Atom and Us PBS America 10:40am
Take an action-packed tour through the history of one of the most controversial subjects of the 20th century – nuclear power – as told by those who experienced it first-hand. Focusing on events in the US, UK, France and Germany, it charts its social and political development from the early days of post-war atomic euphoria, through to the struggling ‘nuclear renaissance’ of the present day.
Thursday 2 June 2022
In Our Time: Shakespeare’s Sonnets BBC Radio 4 9am
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 154 sonnets collected and printed in 1609 of which some are famous, many are glorious, most are inspiring and several are unsettling
You can find the Top 10 episodes of In Our Time chosen by listeners here.
Friday 3 June 2022
Pride BBC2 22:25
Uplifting comedy drama. In 1984 a group of lesbian and gay activists take on flack from the press and the government, and find unlikely allies in a group of Welsh miners.
Counter Culture 
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