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 Thursday 17 September 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
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ITV1 North
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ITV1 West
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ITV1 Yorkshire West
STV Central
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UTV
Channel 4
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Film4
BBC Four
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More4
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Al Jazeera English
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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
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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 — Thu 17 Sep
Programming hasn’t started yet.
The first program is at 12:35 AM (12:35 AM UK Time )
12:35 AM
Fred Dibnah's Building of Britain — 00:35
Fred Dibnah indulges his personal passion for the achievements of the builders of the 19th century.
Runtime:
30 min
1:05 AM
Lost Home Movies of Nazi Germany — 01:05
Amateur footage of frontline and civilian stories that offers new insights into life and atrocities in WWII Germany and the occupied territories as Hitler's dreams crumble.
Runtime:
1 hr
2:05 AM
The Lakes with Paul Rose — 02:05
Four-part series about the Lake District. In Derwentwater and Borrowdale, Paul Rose heads for the summit of Great Gable, one of the Lake's best-known peaks.
Runtime:
30 min
2:35 AM
Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow — 02:35
Dan Snow and his team continue down the Grand Canyon in antique wooden boats as they rediscover one of the Wild West's great adventures.
Runtime:
1 hr
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
Canals: The Making of a Nation — 19:00
The Boat People
Liz McIvor tells the story of the people who operated the canal boats carrying fuel and goods around the country.
Runtime:
30 min
7:30 PM
Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village — 19:30
Lavenham
Archaeologist Ben Robinson explores the rise, fall and rise of Lavenham in Suffolk, the best-preserved medieval village in the country.
Runtime:
30 min
8:00 PM
Lawrence of Arabia — 20:00
From desert sands, a legend rises
Leaving his station in Cairo, the idealistic, misfit First World War British officer TE Lawrence begins an ambitious movement against the Turks by uniting warring tribes and becomes a legend.
Runtime:
3 hr 30 min
11:30 PM
Talking Pictures — 23:30
David Lean
A compilation of rarely seen interviews and archive footage tells the story of movie-master David Lean, one of Britain's greatest film directors.
Runtime:
40 min
Frequently Asked Questions
What is on BBC Four tonight?
Tonight (Thursday 17 September) on BBC Four, you can watch This is BBC Four, Canals: The Making of a Nation, Pubs, Ponds and Power: The Story of the Village, and Lawrence of Arabia. 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 00:10 with Talking Pictures.
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.