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 Saturday 29 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 — Sat 29 Aug
Programming hasn’t started yet.
The first program is at 12:40 AM (12:40 AM UK Time )
12:40 AM
Arena — 00:40
Adrian Thrills investigates 2 Tone, the exhilarating musical blend of reggae, rock, soul, ska, blue beat and punk, which took the country by storm in the late 70s and early 80s.
Runtime:
35 min
1:15 AM
The Specials Live in Session for 6 Music — 01:15
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
1:50 AM
Top of the Pops — 01:50
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
2:25 AM
Top of the Pops — 02:25
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:
35 min
3:00 AM
Top of the Pops — 03:00
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
3:30 AM
This is BBC Four — 03:30
This is BBC Four
Programmes start at 7.00pm.
Runtime:
2 hr
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
Second Test, Day 3
Day 3 highlights from the second Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord's.
Runtime:
1 hr
8:00 PM
Life on Earth — 20:00
The Hunters and the Hunted
David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted on the plains of East Africa.
8:55 PM
Natural World — 20:55
Planet Earth: An Elephant's Tale
Maya is a newborn elephant calf, just hours old; she is the newest arrival in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. But she and her mum Zadie face many challenges.
Runtime:
5 min
9:00 PM
Kabul — 21:00
The Countdown
The Americans capture an Isis emir and discover an imminent plan to bomb Kabul airport. Fazal and Martin work to stop the terrorist cell before it’s too late. Amina and Nooria are lost in the chaos.
9:55 PM
Kabul — 21:55
The Departure
The Americans order the closure of all airport gates after failing to stop Isis. As most of the protagonists gather at the site, an explosion rips through Abbey Gate, engulfing the area in chaos.
10:50 PM
To the Manor Born — 22:50
Nation's Heritage
Stately sitcom. DeVere moves his multinational grocery business to the manor and crosses swords with Audrey over a fireplace.
11:15 PM
Keeping Up Appearances — 23:15
A Celebrity for the Barbecue
Sitcom. Hyacinth invents the outdoors indoors luxury barbecue - a complicated description for an even more complicated culinary event.
11:45 PM
Timeshift — 23:45
The Great British Seaside Holiday
Timeshift presents a bank holiday celebration of the British seaside holiday experience from its Victorian origins and heyday in the 1950s to its slow decline and attempts at reinvention since.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is on BBC Four tonight?
Tonight (Saturday 29 August) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, Cricket: Today at the Test, Life on Earth, and Natural World. 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 00:30 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.