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World Service Music DocumentariesEpisodes

  1. Ziggy Changed My Life

    Marking The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’s 40th anniversary.

  2. Yevgeny Murzin: Master of the Synthesiser

    Built in secret with little access to electronic parts, the ANS was a labour of love

  3. Where Stars Are Born: The Harlem Apollo

    The legacy of Harlem's Apollo theatre where stars Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown began

  4. Wheel And Come Again - 50 Years Of Jamaican Music

    Colin Grant explores the daring and innovative music that has come from Jamaica

  5. What's Going On - Music that Defined a Decade

    Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of Marvin Gaye's classic.

  6. Walk on the Wild Side

    Mike Williams talks to critics, fans, academics and historians Lou Reed.

  7. Van Morrison and me

    John McCarthy explores how Van Morrison’s music has influenced people’s lives

  8. Up Close and Personal

    The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions

  9. Up Close and Personal

    The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions

  10. Up Close and Personal

    The art of crooning and how Rudy Vallee, Al Bowlly and Bing Crosby ignited passions

  11. Tuku Music

    A celebration of the life and music of Zimbabwe’s Oliver Mtukudzi

  12. The Song House

    Scottish musician Ken Hyder explores the dwindling tradition of Gaelic psalm-singing

  13. The Secrets of Songwriting

    Some of the world’s greatest musicians answer the question - how do you write a song?

  14. The Secret History of Bossa Nova

    Forget its low-key, supper club reputation, bossa nova was tied to a political revolution

  15. The Persian Underground

    How young Iranian musicians and singers are finding ways of breaking the restrictions.

  16. The Human Voice

    What's happening physiologically and chemically to us when we sing

  17. The Caribbean Musical Melting Pot: The Rise and Rise of Soca

    The new Caribbean sounds starting with Soca in Barbados and Trinidad

  18. The Caribbean Musical Melting Pot: Keeping it Real?

    Gemma continues her search for new sounds on the islands of Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico

  19. Symphony of the Stones

    How our ancient forebears made music and how ancient sites affected sounds of their time

  20. Sweet Mother

    DJ Edu traces the story of Prince Nico’s multimillion-selling hit Sweet Mother

  21. Steve Earle’s Songwriting Bootcamp

    Legendary country singer Steve Earle unveils the secrets of composing a great song

  22. Southern Tracks - Part Two

    Joe Fletcher tracks down forgotten musicians who made records in the 60's and 70's.

  23. Southern Tracks - Part One

    Joe Fletcher finds forgotten musicians who made records in the 60's and 70's.

  24. Song by Song by London - Part Two

    Robert Elms continues his search for the musical soul of London.

  25. Song by Song by London - Part One

    Robert Elms searches for the musical soul of London, celebrated in over a century of song.

  26. Our Love for Indian Classical Music

    How classical music from India has spread across the globe

  27. One Love: the Legacy of Bob Marley

    Lemn Sissay talks to fans from all over the world about Bob Marley's music.

  28. My Madonna

    Exploring the drive behind Madonna’s evolution from ambitious young dancer to pop icon

  29. Music that Unites Us

    The music of the world that unites fans - even across borders that divide old enemies

  30. Michael Jackson - The Thrill Of Thriller

    What does Michael Jackson mean to the Ivory Coast village of Krindjabo.

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