Beebs Channel Guide

BBC Four TV Guide

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 on Wednesday 13 May 2026 with full listings and upcoming programmes.

Channels
BBC One (BBC1) BBC Two (BBC2) ITV1 ITV1 Anglia ITV1 Anglia West ITV1 Border ITV1 Central East ITV1 Central West ITV1 Granada ITV1 Meridian East ITV1 Meridian North ITV1 Meridian South ITV1 North ITV1 Tyne Tees ITV1 Wales ITV1 West Country ITV1 West ITV1 Yorkshire East ITV1 Yorkshire West STV Central STV North UTV Channel 4 Channel 5 BBC Three (BBC3) Film4 BBC Four CBeebies BBC News BBC ALBA ITV2 ITV3 ITV4 E4 More4 GREAT! movies Sky Arts RTÉ One Al Jazeera English BBC Parliament BBC Scotland Blaze Bloomberg TV Europe CBBC Challenge Challenge (IE) Channel 4+1 Court TV Dave ja vu DMAX DMAX+1 Drama+1 E4 Extra E4+1 Eden Eden+1 Euronews English Film4+1 Food Network Food Network+1 GREAT! action GREAT! action+1 GREAT! mystery GREAT! mystery+1 GREAT! romance GREAT! tv GREAT! tv+1 ITV Quiz ITV1+1 ITV1+1 Granada ITV1+1 Meridian ITV1+1 Midlands ITV2+1 ITV3+1 ITV4+1 LBC News Legend Legend Xtra Legend Xtra+1 London Live More4+1 Movies24 Movies24+ Newsmax TV PBS America Quest Red+1 Quest+1 Really Really+1 Rewind TV RTÉ Kids Jr RTÉ News RTÉ One+1 RTÉ Two RTÉ Two+1 S4C Sky Arts (IE) Sky Mix (IE) Sky News STV Central+1 STV North+1 Talking Pictures TV TG4 TLC TLC+1 True Crime True Crime Xtra True Crime+1 Virgin Media Four Virgin Media One Virgin Media One+1 Virgin Media Three Virgin Media Two W+1 Yesterday+1
Dates
Yesterday Today Sat 09 May Sun 10 May Mon 11 May Tue 12 May Wed 13 May

BBC Four Schedule — Wed 13 May

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 7
Teams from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, and the University of St Andrews put fingers on buzzers for the first time. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.
Runtime: 30 min
7:30 PM

Only Connect — 19:30

Episode 7
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

From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature — 20:00

Frozen Solid
Dr Helen Czerski discovers how cold has shaped our planet, and how pushing the limits of cold has unlocked new technologies, from superconductors to quantum computing.
Runtime: 1 hr
9:00 PM

The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story — 21:00

Episode 2
Series re-examining the Ruth Ellis case. In part two, Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's trial, which took just a day and a half. Her lawyer pursued a risky defence strategy.
Runtime: 1 hr i Available on iPlayer
10:00 PM

Remembers... — 22:00

Roy Clarke Remembers... A Foreign Field
Writer Roy Clarke tells the story of how A Foreign Field, his one-off drama telling the story of war veterans returning to the beaches of France, came to life.
Runtime: 15 min
10:15 PM

Screen One — 22:15

A Foreign Field
Nostalgic comic drama in which two veterans of the Normandy landings return to France to visit the grave of their wartime buddy, sparking memories of an old girlfriend.
Runtime: 1 hr 30 min
11:45 PM

How to Get Ahead — 23:45

At Versailles
Stephen Smith explores the Baroque court of Louis XIV, who created the Palace of Versailles to surround himself with artists, designers, gardeners, chefs and musicians.
Runtime: 1 hr
12:45 AM

Florence Nightingale: Nursing Pioneer — 00:45

An inspirational legacy
Film following the life of an extraordinary woman, a trailblazer who revolutionised modern nursing and reformed healthcare at home and abroad.
Runtime: 1 hr 10 min i Available on iPlayer
1:55 AM

From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature — 01:55

Frozen Solid
Dr Helen Czerski discovers how cold has shaped our planet, and how pushing the limits of cold has unlocked new technologies, from superconductors to quantum computing.
Runtime: 1 hr
2:55 AM

The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story — 02:55

Episode 2
Series re-examining the Ruth Ellis case. In part two, Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's trial, which took just a day and a half. Her lawyer pursued a risky defence strategy.
Runtime: 1 hr i Available on iPlayer
3:55 AM

This is BBC Four — 03:55

This is BBC Four
Programmes start at 7.00pm.
Runtime: 1 hr 35 min
5:30 AM

This is BBC Four — 05:30

This is BBC Four
Daily from 7.00pm.
Runtime: 13 hr 28 min

Frequently Asked Questions

What is on BBC Four tonight?

Tonight (Wednesday 13 May) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, University Challenge, Only Connect, and From Ice to Fire: The Incredible Science of Temperature. 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 18:58 with This is BBC Four.

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