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 27 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 Mon 25 May Tue 26 May Wed 27 May Thu 28 May Fri 29 May

BBC Four Schedule — Wed 27 May

Programming hasn’t started yet.

The first program is at 12:10 AM (12:10 AM UK Time )

12:10 AM

Reframed: Marilyn Monroe — 00:10

Episode 4

Marilyn triumphs in her most celebrated comedy yet, Some Like It Hot. In the weeks before her death, Marilyn is on the cusp of a new and exciting future.

Runtime: 45 min i Available on iPlayer

12:55 AM

Being Stanley Baxter — 00:55

TV and panto star Stanley Baxter had big success but an even bigger secret. With access to close family and friends, personal archive and recordings, we reveal his true story.

Runtime: 1 hr

1:55 AM

Only Connect — 01:55

Semi-final of the quiz show in which patience and lateral thinking are as vital as knowledge, and connections need to be made between apparently unconnected things.

Runtime: 30 min

2:25 AM

India: Nature's Wonderland — 02:25

Wildlife expert Liz Bonnin, actor Freida Pinto and mountaineer Jon Gupta reveal the hidden wonders of India's surprising natural world.

Runtime: 1 hr

3:25 AM

This is BBC Four — 03:25

This is BBC Four

Programmes start at 7.00pm.

Runtime: 2 hr 5 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 15

Two of the four highest-scoring losing teams from the first round play for one of the two spots remaining in round two. Jeremy Paxman asks the questions.

Runtime: 30 min

7:30 PM

Only Connect — 19:30

Episode 15

Final of the quiz show with 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

Playing with Fire

Exploring the science of heat, and how our ability to harness it has led to some of humanity's greatest innovations, from the steam engine to the power of plasmas.

Runtime: 1 hr

9:00 PM

Murder on the Victorian Railway — 21:00

Documentary looking at the first murder on Britain's railways. On a Hackney bound train in 1864, a guard discovers blood in a first-class carriage and a body on the embankment.

Runtime: 1 hr i Available on iPlayer

10:00 PM

A Very Peculiar Practice — 22:00

Wives of Great Men

Stephen finds an enemy and then a friend when he tries to help the appropriately named Professor Furie overcome his tiredness.

Runtime: 50 min

10:50 PM

A Very Peculiar Practice — 22:50

Black Bob's Hamburger Suit

The medical staff must write academic research papers. Bob seizes the opportunity to trial a tranquiliser that might kick off his career as a private consultant.

Runtime: 55 min

11:45 PM

Timeshift — 23:45

How to Write a Mills and Boon

To mark 100 years of romance publishers Mills and Boon, literary novelist Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing for them, a task that ends up being harder than it looks.

Runtime: 1 hr

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is on BBC Four tonight?

Tonight (Wednesday 27 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 00:45 with Timeshift.

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