REEP - What's On - TV & Radio Listings

Saturday 15 November

Coast

7:05pm

Southport to Whitehaven The team is in the north-west of England, on a journey that includes a brand-new location for Coast - the Isle of Man. Neil Oliver discovers why Americans once attacked the English port of Whitehaven, and he celebrates the early days of powered flight on Southport beach. Miranda Krestovnikoff is in search of the biggest sharks in British waters.

Natural World

8:05pm

Echo of the Elephants David Attenborough and Cynthia Moss narrate an award-winning film about 18 months in the life of elephant matriarch Echo and her family, who live in Kenya's Amboseli National Park.

Natural World

9:05pm

My Halcyon River. An idyllic portrait of a British river, chronicling the small dramas of the wildlife that lives in and around it. Otters hunt under the cover of darkness, mink lie in wait for unwary victims and kingfishers spear their prey, while newborn chicks learn to swim under the watchful eye of their parents.

Sunday 16 November

100 Years of Wildlife Films

1:20am

From the most memorable wildlife films and rare cinematic gems, to amateur footage and the poignant last shots of vanished animals, Bill Oddie explores 100 years of wildlife filming. The documentary looks at how societal attitudes towards wildlife have shaped film-making - from hunting and safaris in the 1930s to a fresh-faced David Attenborough leaping on to animals to catch them for zoos in the 1950s.

Something Understood

6:05am

Fullness of Life: Mark Tully talks to Abbot Christopher Jamison of Worth Abbey about his new book on happiness. They discuss what wisdom the monastic tradition brings to the quest for happiness and fulfilment and what practical guidance it can offer.

Countryfile

11:00am

John Craven heads to the Fal Estuary in Cornwall as the oyster fishing season gets underway, while Juliet Morris investigates the therapeutic benefits of the British countryside on mental health. Miriam O' Reilly follows in the footsteps of Hampshire author Jane Austen to find out why the landed gentry flocked to the city of Bath, and a look at why criminals are cashing in on farm machinery.

Living World

6:35pm

Culm Grassland: Lionel Kelleway discovers the Culm Grassland water meadow in Devon, a rare habitat believed to be unique in Europe. With a unique mix of grass species and an unusually large number of flowering plants, it is believed to be the same today as when it first appeared at the end of the last Ice Age. Lionel unearths the complexities of restoring this wild ancient grassland.

Natural World

7:00pm

A Wild Dog's Story. Documentary following Newky, an African wild dog, over five years. Told through the personal recollections of wild-dog researcher Dr 'Tico' McNutt and set against the spectacular wilderness of Botswana's Okavango delta, Newky's story is a poignant tale of survival against the odds for one of the world's most endangered and fascinating creatures.

Natural World

7:50pm

Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat. A stunningly photographed portrait of the wildlife and landscape of the Mississippi River seen through the eyes of 'River Rat' Kenny Salwey, a legendary hunter, trapper and author who lives off the land and shares his watery haunts with beavers, snapping turtles, sturgeons, pelicans and eagles.

Natural World

8:40pm

The Queen of Trees. Ian Holm narrates the extraordinary story of the African sycamore fig tree and its symbiotic relationship with a tiny insect partner, the fig wasp. Neither could exist without the other, and in turn they support hundreds of other animals from ants to elephants. Each fig is a world in miniature, a stage for birth, sex and death as the tiny players battle against predators and parasites.

Analysis

9:30pm

Revealing Religion: Andrew Brown discovers how believers and sceptics see the role of religion in thought and action today.Interviews include anthropologist Scott Atran, whose fieldwork has ranged from South America to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, the veteran British politician and prominent Catholic Shirley Williams, philosopher and atheist Antony Grayling, Justin Barrett, psychologist, Christian, and author of Why Would Anyone Believe In God and historian of religion Margaret Spufford, who gives an extraordinary personal account of the role of faith at moments of the greatest human despair.

Tuesday 18 November

Natural World

8:00pm

Whale Shark. Beginning at the fabulous coral reef of Ningaloo in Western Australia, intrepid marine biologist Mark Meakin attempts to unravel the mysterious wanderings of the biggest fish in the sea. Whale sharks grow to over 12 metres long but are gentle, filter-feeding giants; even Mark's five-year-old son can swim alongside them. Yet no-one knows where they go once they leave Ningaloo's turquoise lagoons.

Wednesday 19 November

Wildlife on Two

11:00am

Kingdom of the Crabs. David Attenborough narrates the remarkable story of the 130 million crabs who cross Christmas Island to spawn on the coast. Situated on the Indian Ocean, south of Java, Christmas Island is dominated by land crabs of all shapes and sizes. There are robot-like blues, jungle dwelling hermits, and mighty robbers with claws like wire cutters.

Oceans

8:00pm

Southern Ocean. The team investigates why parts of the Southern Ocean are warming twice as fast as the rest of the world's oceans and looks at the impact that is having. Expedition Leader Paul Rose, Environmentalist Philippe Cousteau Jr, Maritime Archaeologist Dr Lucy Blue and Marine Biologist and Oceanographer Tooni Mahto brave some of the roughest seas and the strongest winds on the planet.

Thursday 20 November

In Our Time

9:00am

Melvyn Bragg and guests including Tim Blanning discuss the Baroque movement. A cultural movement across Europe that included the music of Bach and the Palace of Versailles, the Baroque was an art of effusion, drama, grandeur and powerful emotion. Strongly religious, it became the aesthetic of choice of absolute monarchs. It was denounced by thinkers of the Enlightenment, but arguably contributed to it.

Open Country

1:30pm

Countryside magazine. Matt Baker investigates traditional freemining in the Forest of Dean.

Analysis

8:30pm

World Cities, Urban Nightmares? Mukul Devichand asks if the megacities of the developing world are going to follow the model of London and New York, privileging a global elite and marginalising the poor. He travels from London to Mumbai and Delhi meets thinkers, planners, architects and city leaders, and discovers that many of the world's biggest cities are making uncannily similar choices about housing and architecture as they compete to attract global companies.

Friday 21 November

Something Understood

12:00pm

Money Worries: Mark Tully explores the complexities of our relationship with money. He asks why we spend so much time worrying about money and why can it have such a corrosive effect on our relationships. As the financial mood changes, what does money mean for us beyond the practicalities of day-to-day living?

Ramblings

3:00pm

Clare Balding joins the annual Market Weighton School walk in the East Riding of Yorkshire, a 14-mile walk around the area that offers a chance for staff and pupils to bond in a new way.