Catch up TV
Art and Design: The Journey
Singer and writer George Melly takes a walk from his home in north London to the Hayward Gallery, reminiscing along the way about the influence of surrealism on his early life.
Source: BBC 4
Most recent episodes of Arena
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
Arena
Francis Bacon
On the occasion of his 75th birthday, Francis Bacon talks with great candour to his friend of many years, the distinguished writer and critic David Sylvester.
03-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
Chelsea Hotel
First transmitted in 1981, this documentary programme looks at New York's Chelsea Hotel, a legendary haven for some of the 20th century's greatest talent, from Mark Twain to Dyl ...
03-11-2025
BBC 4
Arena
Masters Of The Canvas
When pop artist Peter Blake confessed that his fantasy was to be the mysterious masked wrestler Kendo Nagasaki, who never speaks and never removes his mask, little did he know w ...
29-10-2025
BBC 4
Most popular episodes of Arena
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
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 ...
29-05-2025
BBC 4
Arena
Dennis Potter
1987 edition in which Alan Yentob interviews TV dramatist Dennis Potter about his work through the years, touching on subjects such as why and how he started writing, his sense ...
02-06-2024
BBC 4
Arena
Byrne About Byrne
In this diverse and inventive autobiography, painter and author John Byrne travels from his youth, through his art school years to the period of his stage and TV plays, and on t ...
29-01-2024
BBC 4
Arena
Billy, How Did You Do It? - Part 3
Director Billy Wilder discusses his career with German film-maker Volker Schlondorff.
14-12-2023
BBC 4
Arena
Philip Hoare's Guide To Whales: 1. Baleen
Acclaimed author and whale-watcher Philip Hoare takes us into the world of baleen whales, the largest animals ever to have lived. \n\nWith plates of bristly baleen instead of te ...
05-08-2019
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