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 Friday 21 August 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
BBC Four Schedule — Fri 21 Aug
Programming hasn’t started yet.
The first program is at 1:15 AM (1:15 AM UK Time )
1:15 AM
Canal Boat Diaries — 01:15
Keadby to Kiveton Park
Robbie Cumming navigates the tidal Trent and joins a night-time illuminated boat parade on the picturesque Chesterfield Canal.
1:45 AM
The Poughkeepsie Shuffle: Tracing The French Connection — 01:45
Mark Kermode examines the making of classic thriller The French Connection, beginning with the history behind the 1960s drug bust that inspired the film.
Runtime:
55 min
2:40 AM
Villages by the Sea — 02:40
Ben Robinson makes an amazing discovery at Norfolk’s Holkham estate – its lost medieval village, seen for the first time since its disappearance 200 years ago.
Runtime:
30 min
3:10 AM
This is BBC Four — 03:10
This is BBC Four
Programmes start at 7.00pm.
Runtime:
2 hr 20 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
Cricket: Today at the Test — 19:00
First Test, Day 3
Day 3 highlights from the Test match between England and Pakistan at Headingley.
Runtime:
1 hr
8:00 PM
BBC Proms — 20:00
Miles Davis: A Celebration at the Proms
A glorious tribute to the legendary trumpeter to mark what would have been his centenary, featuring classics from Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain and Miles Ahead amongst others.
Runtime:
1 hr 15 min
9:15 PM
Top of the Pops — 21:15
David Jensen presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 19 August 1982 and featuring Modern Romance, Kids from Fame, Soft Cell, Dexys Midnight Runners, Survivor, Talk Talk and Duran Duran.
Runtime:
40 min
9:55 PM
Top of the Pops — 21:55
Janice Long and Steve Wright present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 20 August 1987 and featuring Bon Jovi, Prince and Sheena Easton, The Smiths, and Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield.
Runtime:
30 min
10:25 PM
BBC Four Sessions — 22:25
Nick Lowe
First broadcast in 2007. At east London's LSO St Luke's, Nick Lowe performs a set comprising familiar and new songs from his long and illustrious career.
Runtime:
1 hr
11:25 PM
BBC Four Sessions — 23:25
k.d. lang
Series of unique concerts from St Luke's in London. Canadian country singer and Grammy Award winner k.d. lang performs with the BBC Concert Orchestra string section.
Runtime:
1 hr
Frequently Asked Questions
What is on BBC Four tonight?
Tonight (Friday 21 August) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, Cricket: Today at the Test, BBC Proms, and Top of the Pops. 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 00:25 with BBC Four Sessions.
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.