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 28 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 28 Aug
Programming hasn’t started yet.
The first program is at 1:35 AM (1:35 AM UK Time )
1:35 AM
Canal Boat Diaries — 01:35
Loughborough to Braunston
Robbie Cumming has issues with ice before taking on the famous Foxton lock flight. His destination is Braunston, the spiritual home for narrowboaters.
2:05 AM
Vasa: The Ghost Ship — 02:05
A 17th-century time machine
Film following the work of archaeologists, divers and historians as they make new discoveries about a remarkably well-preserved 17th-century galleon raised from the Baltic in 1961.
3:05 AM
Villages by the Sea — 03:05
Ben Robinson heads to Beer, Devon, home to beer stone, which has been quarried since Roman times and used in many of England's cathedrals and iconic buildings.
Runtime:
30 min
3:35 AM
This is BBC Four — 03:35
This is BBC Four
Programmes start at 7.00pm.
Runtime:
1 hr 55 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
BBC Proms — 19:00
The Met Orchestra Plays Strauss at the Proms
The world-class ensemble from the Big Apple makes its long-awaited Proms debut in style. Under the baton of their music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, it is a night of musical drama!
Runtime:
1 hr 45 min
8:45 PM
Top of the Pops — 20:45
Jamie Theakston presents the pop chart programme, featuring Santana, Savage Garden, Moloko, Precious, M2M, N'n'G ft Kallaghan, Beck and Melanie C ft Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes.
Runtime:
30 min
9:15 PM
Top of the Pops — 21:15
David Jensen presents the pop chart programme, featuring Bilbo, Blondie, Jilted John, The Motors, David Essex, Hi-Tension, The Jam, The Commodores and dance sequences by Legs & Co.
Runtime:
35 min
9:50 PM
Top of the Pops — 21:50
Gary Davies and Nicky Campbell present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 25 August 1988 and featuring Brother Beyond, Womack & Womack, Status Quo, Breathe and Tanita Tikaram.
Runtime:
30 min
10:20 PM
The Specials Live in Session for 6 Music — 22:20
The Specials started making music in the late 1970s and pioneered the 2 Tone movement. They are live in session for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 6 Music.
Runtime:
35 min
10:55 PM
2 Tone: The Sound of Coventry — 22:55
The city’s unique musical mix
The story of how 2 Tone, a record label from Coventry, went on to have a global impact. The brainchild of Jerry Dammers saw dance music with a message dominate the charts from 1979.
11:55 PM
Rock Goes to College — 23:55
The Specials
The Specials perform at the Colchester Institute in 1979, playing hits like Too Much Too Young and Gangsters and indulging some moon-stomping during a stage invasion.
Runtime:
45 min
Frequently Asked Questions
What is on BBC Four tonight?
Tonight (Friday 28 August) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, 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 00:40 with Rock Goes to College.
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.