Authors
Frankie: A character with her own soundtrack
Writer Lucy Gannon explains how a character in search of a role, and a soundtrack, came to life for BBC One's new drama about district nurses.
Secrets Of Bones: The bony adaptations we missed
Presenter Ben Garrod reveals fascinating and gruesome skeletal adaptations that didn't make it into the BBC Four natural history series.
Sherlock: For Holmes and Watson, the game is afoot
I still have the first Sherlock Holmes book I ever owned. It had a purple spine (the purple of one of Holmes' dressing gown, I liked to imagine), a Sidney Paget illustration on the front and a wonderful introduction which ended with the magical words, "I wish I were reading these stories for the...
How To Survive Celebrity MasterChef: Heat three with Craig Gazey
He's best known for playing the fool on Coronation Street's cobbles, so is actor Craig taking the cooking competition seriously?
My role in lesbian drama Lip Service
I was trying to read the scripts for Lip Service, between scenes, covered in raspberry syrup, sat on a really cold and dirty set of a horror movie I was doing called Prowl in Bulgaria. And two thoughts crossed my mind: Wow, Frankie is an awesome part, and... that'll never happen. So with...
Land Girls: My Tiger Moth adventure
When I read the opening of episode one of the new series of Land Girls, I was chuffed to bits with all its action, suspense and romance. The land girls are together working in the fields, a Tiger Moth flies in close over their heads and lands nearby, the pilot turns out to be John, the husban...
The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World
Human senses are not well adapted for life in the dark so it's not surprising that we are not familiar with what goes on when the sun goes down. The opportunity to be a presenter on a TV expedition to South America is one that few biologists would pass up. But The Dark: Nature's Nighttime Wo...
Windfarm Wars: Filming the renewable energy debate in Devon
When I convinced the BBC to commission Windfarm Wars, call me naive, but I had no idea it would take seven years of my life to deliver. And doubtless most of the people we've followed with the camera over all those years didn't figure their lives would evolve this way either. And, over that ...
Never Mind The Buzzcocks: Meet new host Rhod Gilbert
Rhod Gilbert talks about his big worry being the new host of BBC Two's longest running music quiz show and some of the changes he's made.
The Story Of Women And Art: Hunting the hidden artists
'We found ourselves irresistibly drawn into stories of luck, loss, penury, ego, attack and scandal.' Assistant producer Charlotte Gittins discusses how she discovered the female artists that were hidden from the art history books in the BBC Two documentary.
My love of surfing inspired me to film Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth
Is it easier to discover the ocean's secrets when you're so at home in the water?
Blues America: History come to life
'The chance to talk to people who knew these musicians passed away years ago.' Finding musicians to recreate the early blues for BBC Four's two-part blues docmentary series.
Edwardian Farm: The hard graft of country life
Our Edwardian Farm year is over! We have packed up the cottage, sent the animals off to their new homes and said a reluctant goodbye to all the many local people who so generously helped us. But although it's over for the farming team and the crew - you can join us at the very beginning when...
All Roads Lead Home: Teaching my celebrity students the art of natural navigation
A little over three years ago I set up a school to teach the rare art of natural navigation. Since then I have run courses, indoors and out, teaching hundreds of people how to find their way using only the sun, stars, moon, plants, animals, weather and buildings. When my book on the subje...
The Attenborough Collection: Working with Sir David
The joys of corresponding by letter with David Attenborough, by the executive editor of BBC Four's Collections.
Merlin: The special effects
Balls of dragon fire, skeleton hands and sleigh rides - how the magic of Merlin is created by the special effects.
Paul Whitehouse’s many looks for new comedy Nurse: how we pulled it off
How does the comedian go from playing an obese and bed-ridden young man to an elderly gent in his new comedy drama on BBC Two? With the help of prosthetics, of course!
Secret Knowledge: The Art Of Witchcraft
“As a child the poem had scared him and he wanted to communicate that essential part of ‘Tam o’Shanter’s’ power.” Artist Lachlan Goudie talks about his father’s fascination with Robert Burns’ Nannie Dee for BBC Four’s Secret Knowledge: The Art Of Witchcraft.
Ashes To Ashes: From beginning to The End
Roehampton. Wednesday, 10 February. 10pm. "This is the end - beautiful friend... " Jim Morrison and The Doors there folks. The end is always beautiful to a writer. It means you've done it. It's finished. Story is told. Switch off the computer and go to the pub. So am I forlorn, perched ...
Art Of China: My journey of discovery
'I have been to some wonderful and fascinating places. But never anywhere quite as dramatic and surprising as China.' Presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon on his journey through China for a three part BBC Four doucmentary.
