Counter Culture

Saturday 2 July 2022

Inspector Montalbano 9pm, BBC Four

I’m (PH) a big fan of this Sicily-set detective drama. This is a new episode but it’s the last one, for the foreseeable at least. The director of an amateur dramatics society has been fatally stabbed, apparently without a drop of blood being spilled

Mick Jagger: My Life As a Rolling Stone 9.30pm, BBC Two

“All the mythology is repeated,” says Mick Jagger, “until it becomes true.” As the BBC launches its season on 60 years of the Rolling Stones with documentaries celebrating each band member, this is Jagger’s chance to set the record straight

Who Killed the KLF? 9pm, Sky Documentaries

Who Killed the KLF?” explores the rise and fall of the KLF in the 1980s and 1990s, touching upon themes that perfectly capture the 21st-century zeitgeist. The story ends with a legendary act on a remote Scottish island. A tale as intriguing as it is bonkers.

Sunday 3 July 2022

9.35am – 1pm, repeated 5.40pm -9.05pm PBS America, The Balkans in Flames. Yugoslavia 1945-2000 (3 episodes)

See our review here.

Desert Island Discs: Adele 11:15 BBC RADIO 4 FM

One of my (PH) Sunday morning traditions is to listen to Desert Island Discs. It is a remarkable programme which gives you an insight, through their choices of music and a book, into what makes someone tick. It’s often led me to reevaluate my opinion of the person concerned (usually, though not always, in a positive direction). This week Adele, singer, and songwriter, shares the eight tracks, book, and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

Rolling with the Stones 7pm BBC RADIO 2

What made the Rolling Stones the Rolling Stones? Find out from Mick, Keith, Charlie, Ronnie, and Bill as they take you through the make up of the world’s greatest rock-n-roll band!

Percy Shelley, Reformer and Radical (1/2): The Original Dub Poet 16:30 BBC RADIO 4 FM

On the bicentenary of Percy Shelley’s death in 1822, Benjamin Zephaniah brings us his very personal take on Percy Shelley’s work.

Dunkirk (2017) 9pm BBC2

Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II. See the Counter Culture review here.

Monday 4 July 2022

In Dark Corners 9.30pm BBC RADIO 4 FM (1/3)

What will be uncovered when a light is shone in the dark corners of Britain’s most elite boarding school? Alex Renton presents a story of class, power, and privilege.

Continued Tuesday and Wednesday at 9.30pm.

Tuesday 5 July 2022

Fred Flintoff`s Field of Dreams 8pm BBC1 (1/3)

Freddie returns to his home town for the sporting challenge of a lifetime. Can he inspire some unlikely teens to give cricket a chance – or has he bitten off more than he can chew?

Ghislaine Maxwell – Making of a Monster 10pm C4 (1/3)

An in-depth look at the disgraced socialite’s life.

The Abominable Dr Phibes (1971) Talking Pictures 12.05am

Doctor, scientist, organist, and biblical scholar Anton Phibes seeks revenge on the nine doctors he considers responsible for the death of his wife. This is a very funny film. Camp and surreal with lots of black humour. Vincent Price is great as Dr. Phibes.

Wednesday 6 July 2022

Spitfire Paddy 8.45pm PBS America

A documentary detailing how, in 1940s wartime Britain, a 21-year-old Irishman named Brendan ‘Paddy’ Finucane became the youngest Wing Commander in the history of the Royal Air Force.

Trainspotting (1996) 11.25pm Film4

Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and the influence of friends. See the Counter Culture review here.

Thursday 7 July 2022

Stealing Shelley’s Heart (Drama) 2.15pm BBC RADIO 4

The poet Shelley was last seen sailing his ship into a storm. His wife, Mary, and lover, Jane, wait for news. For the bicentenary of Shelley’s death, a new drama by Hattie Naylor.

Friday 8 July 2022

AntiSocial 12.04pm BBC RADIO 4

Peace talks for the culture wars. In an era of polarisation, propaganda and pile-ons, Adam Fleming helps you work out what the arguments are really about. Listen to the introduction to the series here.

Selections by Patrick Harrington and Henry Falconer.