Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Programme highlights

To The Ends Of The Earth

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam Neill, Jared Harris, Victoria Hamilton and Joanna Page star in a major adaptation of Nobel Prize-winner William Golding's classic sea trilogy, To The Ends Of The Earth.

An intimate journey on an epic scale, the three-part drama charts in dazzling and visceral detail the rite of passage of Edmund Talbot (Cumberbatch), a young English aristocrat, as he experiences life on board a passenger ship making its hazardous voyage from England to Australia in the early 19th century.

Golding uses the world of the ship as a modern microcosm in which to explore the themes of love and guilt, our capacity for self-delusion and brutality, and for courage under prodigious odds.

The prospect of their destination fills Talbot and his fellow travellers with a hope that allows most of them to survive - but this is contrasted with an ever-present sense of danger and a fear of imminent death.

In this haunting tale with a blackly comic edge, adapted by the late Leigh Jackson and Tony Basgallop, all human life teems within the cramped confines of the creaking and perpetually endangered hulk.

FP

Extras

Extras is a new comedy series from the creators of The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

Ricky Gervais plays Andy Millman who, having given up his day job to be an actor, finds he just can't land the big parts.

In fact, he rarely gets a speaking role so spends most of his days stuck in a green room with other extras, envying the A-list stars.

Each week Extras has a different setting and cameo appearances from guest artists including Samuel L Jackson, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Ross Kemp, Vinnie Jones and Les Dennis.

Ricky's Extras co-star is Ashley Jenson who plays Maggie Jacobs, Andy's best friend and fellow extra, while Stephen Merchant appears as his agent.

HT

The Monastery

The Monastery follows five laymen on a spiritual journey in a Benedictine monastery to discover if the monks' age-old values can still speak to a new generation.

Although from very different backgrounds, all five participants share a desire to see if life holds any greater meaning.

For 40 days and 40 nights, they will be expected to abide by the monastery's rules with a strict timetable of instruction, study, prayer, reflection and routine work duties.

The Monastery follows them on their remarkable journey to see if the lessons learnt have the power to transform their everyday lives.

This three-part series offers viewers a glimpse into the unseen world of a closed community and explores how the monastic discipline remains relevant to contemporary life.

CR

Taxidermy

It is a billion-dollar concern, yet few could boast an intimate knowledge of Taxidermy.

Eight-year-old Victoria 'Killer' Wolk is stuffing a deer which she hunted herself, heavyweight stuffer Canadian Ken Walker is recreating an extinct giant elk and Lancastrian Jack Fishwick and Dane Peter Sunesen are both confident that their tiny bird will see them crowned champion taxidermists.

KM

Soul Deep

The movers and shakers in the world of soul - including James Brown, Mary J Blige, Puff Daddy and Martha Reeves and some often overlooked artists - track the music that has shaped our lives.

The huge cultural impact of Destiny's Child is traced back to the mean streets of Harlem in the Eighties; and the popularity of Detroit's Motown label is examined through the envious eyes of Chess Records in Chicago.

BR/LS

The Catherine Tate Show

Fresh from winning Best Newcomer at this year's British Comedy Awards, Catherine Tate returns with a second series of her critically acclaimed comedy sketch show.

Catherine made her mark on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO last year with her comic timing, observational acting and extensive range of unforgettable characters.

Series two sees the return of old favourites such as Nan, the opinionated hard-to-please woman who is a mine of misinformation; Lauren, the obnoxious 15-year-old who'd rather be right than happy; and Bernie, the Irish nurse who prefers seducing her male patients to caring for them.

Entertainment publicity

Coast

In a major new series, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO celebrates the unique character of Britain's coastline and the communities who live there and, in so doing, tells the story of this seafaring nation.

Coast is an ambitious exploration of the entire coastline of Britain and Northern Ireland.

A top team of historical and geographical experts, including Neil Oliver (Two Men In A Trench) and Nick Crane (Map Man), investigates everything from life on a trawler to diving with sharks and visits locations as diverse as ancient shipwrecks and the first Butlin's holiday camp.

Working with a number of partners, including the National Trust and English Heritage, Coast will help establish 2005 as the official year of the sea.

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is also setting up a series of interactive walks, accessible through mobile phones, through which the public can rediscover the joys of this island nation's shoreline.

BJO

How To Start Your Own Country

Danny Wallace has a dream. In 2005, he plans to start his own country.

This series follows the intrepid Wallace - famous for starting the Random Acts of Kindness collective - on his unlikely odyssey.

He must find a territory, write a constitution, create a government, plan economic survival, implement law and order, expand his population and, last but not least, establish international relations.

From the corridors of power at Whitehall to a war fort in the North Sea, Danny meets a host of extraordinary individuals who've already achieved this incredible feat.

With his unique brand of humour, he documents their struggles, heeds their advice and, inspired by their spirit, sets about creating the world's youngest nation.

KA

Beethoven

A major three-part drama-documentary series on the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven, presented by conductor Charles Hazlewood, features award-winning actor Paul Rhys in the role of the composer.

Beethoven's life and music epitomise the heroic triumph of man's will over adversity.

He lived in turbulent times and his music was equally revolutionary.

The series takes contemporary accounts of his tragic life - his abusive father, failed love affairs and his deafness - and weaves them into an analysis of his groundbreaking music.

The series is filmed entirely on location in Europe, with music performed by a specially created period orchestra, and is accompanied by Beethoven Uncovered on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR, in which three of the key works are analysed, rehearsed and then performed in full.

The series is complemented by Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3's Beethoven Experience, a full week of programmes dedicated purely to the works of the great composer.

SD

Sensitive Skin

Suddenly it's sexy to be 60, in this dark comedy starring Joanna Lumley and Denis Lawson.

Sensitive Skin looks at life through the eyes of a successful couple living in metropolitan London.

Al and Davina Jackson struggle with sexual temptation and professional jealously and try to cope with their fear of the future.

Al is a pundit for a broadsheet newspaper and is paid to find imperfection in everything; Davina works in an art gallery and is paid to make life more beautiful.

But being 60 isn't simple. The couple's 30-year-old son, Orlando, refuses to acknowledge adulthood, while Davina's sister, Veronica, and her husband, Roger, intimidate the Jacksons with their confident and controlled grasp of life.

Davina is played by Joanna Lumley, Al by Denis Lawson, Orlando by James Lance, Roger by Nicholas Jones and Veronica by Maggie Steed.

Frances de la Tour, David Warner and Sir Jonathan Miller also star.

Sensitive Skin is written, produced and directed by Hugo Blick (Marion & Geoff / Up In Town).

KC2

Springwatch With Bill Oddie

The results of the biggest ever survey into the arrival of spring are revealed as Bill Oddie, Kate Humble and Simon King reunite for Springwatch - three weeks of wildlife reports from around the UK, during which viewers can take part and make pledges to actively help the nation's wildlife thrive.

Since January, people across the UK have been recording their first sightings of six key species.

Now the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Springwatch survey - in association with the Woodland Trust - reveals where the first bumblebees, seven-spot ladybirds, peacock butterflies, swifts, frogspawn and hawthorn have been spotted.

This, the most complete picture of the season unfolding across the UK, will enable scientists to understand how spring is changing and what needs to be done to help wildlife thrive in the UK.

Viewers can help by pledging to Make Space For Nature at bbc.co.uk/springwatch.

Meanwhile, returning to their Devon farm base, Bill and Kate also catch up with the creatures that captured viewers' hearts last year, find out whether the fledgling chicks survived the winter and discover how the mischievous badgers have fared.

DC

The Strange Case Of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle

This feature-length drama investigates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tortured relationship with his world-famous detective.

In real life, the writer experienced what appears to have been a nervous breakdown in a period when he had the world at his feet, with his acclaimed novels and his creation, Sherlock Holmes, known the world over.

David Pirie's drama delves into the dark secrets that drove the author to create the fictional phenomenon.

Arthur Conan Doyle (Douglas Henshall) is a physically vital but troubled man at war with his creation. He is further tortured by his feelings for another woman, Jane (Emily Blunt), as his wife succumbs to illness.

Brian Cox is Doyle's mentor, Joseph Bell, Tim McInnerny is the biographer, Selden, and Sinead Cusack is Arthur's mother, Mary.

HM

Ask The Family With Dick & Dom

Dick & Dom (aka Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood) burst onto Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO this spring with their new early evening quiz show, Ask The Family With Dick & Dom.

The new weekday series is an update of the classic Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ general knowledge quiz show hosted by Robert Robinson.

Bafta award-winning Dick & Dom's unique and wacky sense of humour promises to ensure that Ask The Family With Dick & Dom is a very lively and entertaining show.

The presenters challenge four members of one family - consisting of two adults and two children - to pit their wits against each other in true Dick & Dom style.

KH

Martha And Me

For millions of Americans, Martha Stewart represented the epitome of domesticity and wholesome living - until last year when she was found guilty of making false statements and sentenced to five months in prison in Alderson, Virginia.

Film maker Jamie Campbell moves to the United States to investigate the story of a woman who made herself richer than Her Majesty The Queen, JK Rowling and Madonna by teaching middle America the secrets of how to cook vol-au-vents, trim lawns and stencil their walls.

Jamie sets up a Martha Stewart-style home in Alderson, meets Martha's friends, business associates, lawyers and fans, and tries to gain an audience with the extraordinary (but imprisoned) founder of Martha Stewart Omnimedia.

KB

Elusive Peace: Israel And The Arabs

Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs is the sequel to Norma Percy's award-winning series, The Fifty Years War - Israel And The Arabs (1998), and features three one-hour films tracing the events of the last eight years in the fraught history of the Arab-Israeli peace process.

The story is told by the key players on all sides.

Episode one focuses on how Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak tried to negotiate peace with Syria and then, at Camp David, under President Clinton's eye, with Yasser Arafat.

The second instalment explores how Ariel Sharon, in response to a Passover suicide bomb, launched Operation Defensive Shield against the Palestinians and bombed Arafat's compound to rubble.

The programme learns how President Bush and Prime Minister Blair intervened to save him.

The final programme tells the inside story of the birth - and death - of President Bush's Road Map to Peace, and how Arafat's death has changed everything.

PR

Sad To Be Gay

David Akinsanya hates being gay. He has been living as a gay man for 20 years but, if he could take a pill to make him heterosexual, he'd pop it without a second thought.

In this documentary, David sees if it's possible to go straight. He believes that his homosexuality is learned behaviour, so sets about trying to unlearn it.

He attends a controversial treatment centre in America that claims to teach people how to stop being gay.

The film follows the ups and downs of David's turbulent journey and asks whether being gay is something you can choose.

MB

Women's Euro 2005

For the first time, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ has coverage of the UEFA European Women's Championships, which, in 2005, is hosted by England, from 5 to 19 June.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO will broadcast live coverage of all England games, with comprehensive highlights of all the other seven nations' games on the nights when England are not playing.

Women's Euro 2005 will be presented by Celine Hinchcliffe.

JM

Car Nation

Britons own 22 million cars and spend a significant chunk of their lives behind the wheel.

Some become road-rage prone maniacs while for others, the car is a peaceful sanctuary.

Car Nation takes a novel look at 21st century society, exploring the lives we lead and the people we are by assessing motoring behaviours and obsessions.

Interviews with a chorus of drivers and their respective passengers - family, friends and strangers - illustrate our ever changing lives and explore our attitudes to each other both on and off the road.

KM

Live Aid Remembered

Against the background of Thatcher's Britain, one scruffy rock star marshalled the cream of Britain's pop talent and tried to pull off the impossible - a global televised concert, never before attempted, to save the lives of the millions starving in Africa and force the establishment to sit up and take the problem seriously.

In two 90-minute documentaries, stars from the event remember the day music brought the world to a standstill, while those who watched it, including Prime Minister Tony Blair, recall how they didn't miss a minute of this extraordinary event.

KA

Way Out Of Africa

In a major new programme presented by actor Adrian Lester (Hustle), Way Out Of Africa celebrates the achievements of today's black role models by connecting them with black icons who have gone before them.

If global black history were drawn like a tube map, how would Condoleeza Rice and Nelson Mandela be associated and what would link Mike Tyson with Richard Pryor?

By exploring this idea, Way Out Of Africa constructs an iconic black history map.

The programme features contributions from Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou, Morgan Freeman, Jesse Jackson, µώ±π²β΄Η²Τ³¦Γ©, Linford Christie, Rio Ferdinand, Lenny Henry and James Brown.

IC

Storyville: Fog Of War

Storyville brings a season of feature-length international documentaries to Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO, kicking off with Errol Morris's Academy Award-winning Fog Of War.

How does an idealist justify a distinguished military and political career in the United States during turbulent international times?

In 1943, Robert S McNamara was commissioned as captain in the US Air Force and served in the UK, India, China and the Pacific.

During the Second World War, with US General Curtis LeMay, he was integral in the firebombing of 67 Japanese cities in 1945.

As Secretary of Defence between 1961 and 1968, McNamara's moral position was called into question again as he played a crucial role with President Kennedy

NR

The World's Most Photographed

Greta Garbo spent her life famously trying to be 'alone', out of the glare of the camera flash, while photography was crucial in concealing the physical frailty of John F Kennedy.

Elvis's publicity manager outlawed all candid photography of the King but, during a press strike in 1956, a teenager scooped incredible pictures of Elvis backstage and sold them in his school canteen.

The World's Most Photographed, a major Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO series and National Portrait Gallery exhibition developed jointly by the two organisations, explores the power of photography through the intriguing stories of 10 renowned figures - Muhammad Ali, James Dean, Gandhi, Greta Garbo, Audrey Hepburn, Adolf Hitler, JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Queen Victoria.

IC

Aftermath

This year, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Aftermath, a new three-part series, looks at the burning issues of 1945: what happened when war ended; how peace was restored; and how the Allies set about the reconstruction of Nazi Germany.

Aftermath - The Election of '45 examines the shock defeat in which Churchill and his Conservative party were voted out of office and Clement Attlee and the Labour party took control of the country.

Aftermath - Germany shows the full destruction of Nazi Germany after seven years of war and how the Allies were faced with having to rebuild the country.

Aftermath - Hirohito examines the Japanese Emperor's reign and the role he played during the Second World War.

Aftermath is part of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's V45 season, commemorating the end of the Second World War.

KB