What's on BBC Four Tonight

BBC Four dives into culture, history, arts and world cinema with thoughtful documentaries, acclaimed drama and curated film seasons. See what's on BBC Four today with full listings and upcoming programmes.

Tonight's highlights

7:00 PM University Challenge The first round of the quiz for students continues with teams representing the Open University and Newcastle University facing off for a place in round two. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.

7:30 PM Only Connect Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which patience and lateral thinking are as vital as knowledge, and connections need to be made between apparently unconnected things.

8:00 PM Keeping Up Appearances Sitcom about an irrepressible snob. Hyacinth's quest for perfection is somewhat hampered by the dubious antics of the rest of her family.

      
        8:30 PM
        
          Sorry!
        
      Sitcom. Timothy's handsome cousin Brinsley comes to stay - and supplants Timothy in Mother's affections.

Channels

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Dates

Yesterday Today Wed 06 May Thu 07 May Fri 08 May Sat 09 May Sun 10 May

BBC Four Schedule — Today

Programming hasn’t started yet.

The first program is at 12:00 AM (12:00 AM UK Time )

12:00 AM

Art That Made Us — 00:00

Consumers and Conscience

In the 18th century, trade and conquest funds an explosion of creativity, and art stirs a growing social conscience.

Runtime: 1 hr i Available on iPlayer

1:00 AM

Da Vinci: The Lost Treasure — 01:00

Fiona Bruce uncovers the story of Leonardo da Vinci. She travels to Florence, Milan, Paris, Warsaw and to New York, where she is given an exclusive preview of a new Leonardo.

Runtime: 1 hr

2:00 AM

Art That Made Us — 02:00

Consumers and Conscience

In the 18th century, trade and conquest funds an explosion of creativity, and art stirs a growing social conscience.

Runtime: 1 hr i Available on iPlayer

3:00 AM

This is BBC Four — 03:00

This is BBC Four

Programmes start at 7.00pm.

Runtime: 2 hr 30 min

5:30 AM

This is BBC Four — 05:30

This is BBC Four

Daily from 7.00pm.

Runtime: 13 hr 28 min

6:58 PM

This is BBC Four — 18:58

This is BBC Four

Programmes start at 7.00pm.

Runtime: 2 min

7:00 PM

University Challenge — 19:00

Episode 2

The first round of the quiz for students continues with teams representing the Open University and Newcastle University facing off for a place in round two. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.

Runtime: 30 min

7:30 PM

Only Connect — 19:30

Episode 2

Quiz show presented by Victoria Coren in which patience and lateral thinking are as vital as knowledge, and connections need to be made between apparently unconnected things.

Runtime: 30 min

8:00 PM

Keeping Up Appearances — 20:00

Problems with Relatives

Sitcom about an irrepressible snob. Hyacinth's quest for perfection is somewhat hampered by the dubious antics of the rest of her family.

Runtime: 30 min

8:30 PM

Sorry! — 20:30

Sons and Lovers

Sitcom. Timothy's handsome cousin Brinsley comes to stay - and supplants Timothy in Mother's affections.

Runtime: 30 min

9:00 PM

A History of Britain by Simon Schama — 21:00

Revolutions

Featuring the revolutionary period in Britain after the execution of Charles I, from Cromwell's iron rule to Charles II's attempts to restore the lustre of the monarchy.

Runtime: 1 hr

10:00 PM

Berlusconi: Condemned to Win — 22:00

Episode 1

Silvio Berlusconi’s ambitious takeover of AC Milan reshapes the club and elevates his own profile, charting a path from footballing triumphs to the brink of political power.

Runtime: 45 min

10:45 PM

Saving Venice — 22:45

Water is the essence of Venice

How Venetians are turning to revolutionary engineering, restoration of the natural environment and knowledge from their past in order to save Venice.

Runtime: 1 hr 30 min i Available on iPlayer

Next Day →

Coming up tomorrow

Tomorrow on BBC Four — 6 May 2026

12:15 AM

Scotland's Finest: The Story of the Highland Games

Bill Patterson narrates the rich and vivid story of the Highland Games, which have become a symbol of community and identity in Scotland and across the world.
1:15 AM

Genius of the Ancient World

Bettany Hughes travels to China on the trail of Confucius, a great sage of Chinese history whose ideas have fundamentally shaped the country of his birth for around 2,500 years.
2:15 AM

Lost Cities of the Ancients

Documentary series which unearths lost civilisations and cities. This edition visits northern Peru to find the ruins of 250 mysterious pyramids.
3:15 AM

This is BBC Four

Programmes start at 7.00pm.
5:30 AM

This is BBC Four

Daily from 7.00pm.
6:58 PM

This is BBC Four

Programmes start at 7.00pm.

See full BBC Four schedule for tomorrow →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is on BBC Four tonight?

Tonight (Tuesday 05 May) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, University Challenge, Only Connect, and Keeping Up Appearances. Check the full schedule for more details.

How can I watch BBC Four live?

You can watch BBC Four live on the official bbc.co.uk website or app. Use the 'Watch Live' button to go directly to the player.

When does programming end on BBC Four today?

Today's programming on BBC Four ends at 00:15 with Saving Venice.

Is this TV schedule shown in UK time or my local time?

All times shown on this page are automatically converted to your local device timezone for easy viewing, though the original UK broadcast time is also displayed.

Watch BBC Four Live