Catch up TV
Andrea Dunbar and Victoria Wood
In a programme first broadcast in 1980, Arena looks at writer and performer Victoria Wood and explores her talent to amuse through her witty and engaging songs. \n\nThe film also profiles (then) teenage playwright Andrea Dunbar, whose first play, The Arbor, written when she was only 15, was running at the Royal Court.\n
Source: BBC 4
Most recent episodes of Arena
Arena
Clint Eastwood: 1. Part One: Out Of The West
Clint Eastwood recalls his tough childhood and looks back at his early career, from Rawhide to Dirty Harry and the spaghetti westerns. With contributions from Don Siegel, Sergio ...
11-06-2026
BBC 4
Arena
Clint Eastwood: 2. Part Two: American Film-maker
Arena's profile of Clint Eastwood continues with his directorial debut, Play Misty for Me, which he completed in five weeks before going on to huge success in Dirty Harry. Featu ...
11-06-2026
BBC 4
Arena
Sonny Rollins '74: Rescued!
Featuring a specially shot introduction with Jamie Cullum, Arena presents a lost treasure - Sonny Rollins performing at Ronnie Scott's in 1974. After nearly 40 years unseen, thi ...
29-05-2026
BBC 4
Arena
River
River takes its audience on a journey through space and time spanning six continents, showing rivers on a scale and from perspectives never seen before.
26-04-2026
BBC 4
Arena
Humphrey Burton: Theatre
Director Ronald Eyre presents the first episode of Arena, the long-running arts documentary series created by Humphrey Burton when he was head of Music and Arts at the BBC.\n\nE ...
08-03-2026
BBC 4
Arena
Mike Leigh: Making Plays
Dramatist Mike Leigh talks to Arena about his work and demonstrates his unique processes of building the characters of his dramas.
12-01-2026
BBC 4
Arena
The Last Soviet Citizen
Documentary that follows three decades of Soviet space culture, from the glory days of Yuri Gagarin to the saga of Sergei Krikalev, the Soviet citizen who was stranded in space ...
20-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
The Underground
Documentary about the tube, the world's oldest underground system. Three million passengers use it every day, and over the past 150 years, it has developed its own history, alon ...
18-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
The Private Life Of The Ford Cortina
A witty look at the history of the Ford Cortina. Alexei Sayle, John Betjeman, John McVicar and Magnus Magnusson join enthusiasts to reflect on what was, in the 1980s, Britain's ...
10-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
Sister Wendy And The Art Of The Gospel
The arresting sight of Sister Wendy Beckett, all teeth and glasses, burst on to our screens in the 1990s. An instant star, she travelled the world in her habit telling us the st ...
10-11-2025
BBC 4
Most popular episodes of Arena
Arena
Sonny Rollins '74: Rescued!
Featuring a specially shot introduction with Jamie Cullum, Arena presents a lost treasure - Sonny Rollins performing at Ronnie Scott's in 1974. After nearly 40 years unseen, thi ...
29-05-2026
BBC 4
Arena
Humphrey Burton: Theatre
Director Ronald Eyre presents the first episode of Arena, the long-running arts documentary series created by Humphrey Burton when he was head of Music and Arts at the BBC.\n\nE ...
08-03-2026
BBC 4
Arena
The Everly Brothers Reunion Concert
In the autumn of 1983, the Everly Brothers played their legendary reunion concerts in London. Of all the venues in the world, they chose the Royal Albert Hall because they had t ...
27-12-2024
BBC 4
Arena
Mike Leigh: Making Plays
Dramatist Mike Leigh talks to Arena about his work and demonstrates his unique processes of building the characters of his dramas.
12-01-2026
BBC 4
Arena
River
River takes its audience on a journey through space and time spanning six continents, showing rivers on a scale and from perspectives never seen before.
26-04-2026
BBC 4
Arena
The Dreams Of William Golding
A documentary that reveals the extraordinary life of one of the greatest English writers of the 20th century.\n\nWith unprecedented access to the unpublished diaries in which Go ...
22-09-2025
BBC 4
Arena
The Underground
Documentary about the tube, the world's oldest underground system. Three million passengers use it every day, and over the past 150 years, it has developed its own history, alon ...
18-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
Louise Brooks
American film actress Louise Brooks has become one of the most celebrated icons of early cinema. Her performance as unrepentant pleasure-seeker Lulu in GW Pabst's Pandora's Box ...
07-12-2023
BBC 4
Arena
Paris Is Burning
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s ...
24-03-2021
BBC 4
Arena
The Most Beautiful Boy In The World
In 1970, film-maker Luchino Visconti travelled throughout Europe looking for the perfect boy to personify absolute beauty as the character of Tadzio in his adaptation for the sc ...
13-02-2022
BBC 4