Saturday 16th April -Friday 22nd

Visual Arts

First Passion/An Chéad Pháis

Saturday 16 April

9:55pm - 11:00pm

TG4

Philippe Baron re-examines the making of the 1912 religious epic From the Manger to the Cross, following the work of director Sidney Olcott from filming in Palestine to the movie's first screening in New York.

Cameraman: the Life & Work of Jack Cardiff

Friday 22 April

1:00pm - 2:40pm

Film4

Craig McCall's documentary is an absorbing history of the first cinematographer awarded an honorary Oscar. It traces Cardiff's career from humble beginnings as a silent movie child actor to becoming Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's go-to lighting genius (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes), to his own directorial career (starting with Sons and Lovers in 1960). Offering insights into his working methods - he was influenced by classic painters such as Vermeer - this illuminating profile finds Cardiff (who died aged 94 in 2009) on engaging and endearing form. His anecdotes take in everything from flatulent directors to Marlene Dietrich's glamour and Marilyn Monroe's funeral. The film is packed with movie clips, significant on-set photos and well-chosen archive material, while Lauren Bacall, Charlton Heston and Kirk Douglas are among the stars offering their memories of Cardiff's vintage era. Martin Scorsese, a champion of Cardiff's work, also reveals what Raging Bull owes to the man: "using the lens like brushstrokes, not only moving visually, but emotionally and psychologically".

True Stories: Village of the Dolls

Tuesday 19 April

10:00pm - 11:55pm

More4

Documentary telling the story of Mark Hogancamp, whose brain was damaged in a vicious attack, prompting him to retreat to a fantasy world in his garden populated by dolls representing his family and friends. The film reveals how Mark built his scale model town of Marwencol, and explains how photographs of his enterprise piqued the interest of a prestigious New York gallery - a development that would see his private existence integrated into reality.

Culture

Something Understood

Sunday 17 April

6:05am - 6:35am

BBC Radio 4

First Impressions

Mark Tully assesses the importance of first impressions, and asks whether taking time to form opinions is always a better option. He explores pieces of art and music that have been inspired by their creators' initial thoughts about places and people, and discovers trusting snap judgements can sometimes help protect people from harm - but can also lead them into trouble.

The Hare with Amber Eyes

Monday 18 April – Friday 22nd

9:45am - 10:00am

BBC Radio 4

1/5

Potter Edmund de Waal explores the origins of 264 wood and ivory carvings he inherited from his great uncle Iggie, retracing his family history along the way. He discovers how his forebears originated in Odessa, with some later emigrating to Paris. Here, his ancestor Charles Ephrussi became an avid art collector and his precious carvings were saved by a maid during the Second World War. Read by Nicholas Murchie and abridged by Polly Coles.

Great Lives

Tuesday 19 April

4:30pm - 5:00pm

BBC Radio 4

3/8

Actress Diana Quick reveals why she believes philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir lives an extraordinary life, despite constantly being overshadowed by her contemporary, lover and mentor Jean-Paul Sartre. She explains why Simone's work the Second Sex made her an influential figure among the feminist movement, and biographer Lisa Appignanesi supports the nomination. Presented by Matthew Parris.

The View

Tuesday 19 April

11:15pm - 11:55pm

RTE1

Journalists Sophie Gorman and Donald Clarke and sculptor Ann Mulrooney join John Kelly to discuss Kevin Barry's futuristic novel City of Bohane and Alexei Propogrebsky's drama How I Ended This Summer. Also examined are Brian Maguire's exhibition Notes on 14 Paintings at Dublin's Kerlin Gallery, and a production of Deirdre Kinahan's play Moment, directed by David Horan.

At Home with the Georgians

Wednesday 20 April

7:30pm - 8:30pm

BBC Four

A Woman's Touch

2/3

Historian Amanda Vickery reveals how `taste' became the buzzword of the age 300 years ago and allowed women a new outlet for their creativity. Their status in the home was raised as a consequence, but new anxieties about getting it right also developed.

Petworth House - The Big Spring Clean

Wednesday 20 April

8:30pm - 9:00pm

BBC Four

Pride & Petworth

2/6

Andrew Graham-Dixon uncovers the history of the stately home as he learns to vacuum-clean sculptures, perfectly polish banisters, preserve landscape architect Capability Brown's parkland and buff up Baroque angels in the chapel.

If Walls Could Talk: The History of the Home

Wednesday 20 April

9:00pm - 10:00pm

BBC Four

The Bathroom

2/4

Lucy Worsley examines the bathroom - which did not exist inside many British homes until 50 years ago. She looks at medieval bath houses and London Bridge's communal toilets, tracing the change in the nation's attitude toward washing, and discovers how piped water was delivered to homes.

Civilisation

Wednesday 20 April

10:00pm - 10:50pm

BBC HD

The Worship of Nature

11/13

Kenneth Clark turns his attentions to England and looks at the shift from Christianity to the Romantic belief in the divinity of nature. He considers Wordsworth's poem Tintern Abbey and examines the works of Turner and Constable to gain an insight into the 19th-century view of art.

Monty Don's Italian Gardens

Friday 22 April

9:00pm - 10:00pm

BBC2 Northern Ireland

Florence

2/4

The horticulturist travels around Florence and the Tuscan countryside, discovering how Renaissance gardens were created as works of art. He also learns how a group of Edwardian expatriates mistakenly reinforced the idea that formal Italian gardens were flowerless.

Psychology / Society

Fix My Family

Monday 18 April

9:00pm - 10:00pm

BBC2 Northern Ireland

The BBC continues its Care season with this look at Save the Family, a faith-based charity that provides accommodation and help for families in crisis. The redoubtable Edna Speed set up the Chester hostel 30 years ago and it's now home to 24 troubled families. There are rules: everyone has to be out of bed and dressed by 9am and there's a curfew. "It's not a boot camp, but it's not a holiday camp either," says Ms Speed. Families must also contribute £11 a week towards utilities and if they fall behind, they don't get off lightly. But it's difficult teenager Vicky who is the focus of most attention as she struggles to control her life as a new mother to a small baby.

All in the Mind

New series

Tuesday 19 April

9:00pm - 9:30pm

BBC Radio 4

1/8

Claudia Hammond investigates a hi-tech portable lab in London's East End, where researchers are hoping to examine the social development of infants in a practical setting. Mothers and their babies are invited to take part in a psychological study, which aims to identify early indicators of language or attention problems.

So What If My Baby Is Born Like Me?

Tuesday 19 April

9:00pm - 10:00pm

BBC Three

Documentary following Jono Lancaster, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, as he and his girlfriend contemplate the prospect of having children. The 26-year-old's disorder affects the development of bones and tissue in the face, and his offspring would have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting it. The couple explore the ethics and history behind the decisions faced by other people with genetic conditions, and learn about the scientific assistance available to prospective parents. Part of the Bringing Up Britain Season.

Jon Venables: What Went Wrong?

Thursday 21 April

10:35pm - 11:25pm

BBC1 Northern Ireland

Documentary asking what should be done with children who commit serious crimes, following the return to prison last year of Jon Venables, who along with Robert Thompson, murdered two-year-old James Bulger in 1993 at the age of 10. Retired detective Albert Kirby, who brought the two to justice, examines the system that was designed to rehabilitate them and asks if it needs to change.

The Good Conductor

Friday 22 April

3:30pm - 3:45pm

BBC Radio 4

Former social worker Bernard Hare, author of Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew, recalls a night when he was desperate to travel from London to Leeds to see his mother on her deathbed. When he thought all hope was lost, he received the saintly intervention of a man he calls `the Good Conductor'.

Media and Communications

Maid in Britain

Wednesday 20 April

10:00pm - 11:00pm

BBC4

Exploring the use of domestic servants on TV, asking why butlers, cooks and nannies are still found in programmes after the decline of their roles in real life. The documentary also examines how accurate the occupations have been portrayed, with contributions by Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellowes, Jean Marsh from Upstairs Downstairs, The Forsyte Saga's Susan Hampshire, and Wendy Craig from Nanny.

Science / Nature

The Gene Code

Monday 18 April

9:00pm - 10:00pm

BBC4

The Book of Life

1/2

If you've ever wondered what makes us human, geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford takes a dizzying journey into the DNA structure of the human genome to show how we evolved into amazingly complex, multi-celled creatures. Seemingly drawn from the same school of good-looking charm as Prof Brian Cox, Dr Adam has an emphatic presenting style. So DNA is "an epic poem about life on Earth", while the answer to what makes us human is "genetically, we're four worms". Starting in the primordial slime of Iceland's boiling volcanic waters - so far, so Coxy - the budget soon requires that Rutherford returns to his kitchen to illustrate a point with the use of a dead fish. And using cards to show how parents' genes combine in their offspring and conducting a smell test to prove the fossilisation of genes are simple techniques that make complex points. By the end you'll feel a whole lot brainier.

The Light Switch Project

Tuesday 19 April

11:00am - 11:30am

BBC Radio 4

Actor Toby Jones prepares to take part in a theatrical production about climate change by investigating the consequences of switching on a lightbulb. He meets experts who explain the evolution of the eye, and explores the national grid, where he discovers that electricity is still a relatively mysterious commodity. He also investigates how carboniferous trees produce the lumps of coal needed to make a bulb glow.