Actor Bill Paterson looks back on one of the earliest roles of his career, in the 1974 boundary-breaking television adaptation of John McGrath's play The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil. It featured outdoor historical re-enactments of the notorious Highland Clearances intercut with scenes from a live performance of the play. \n\nBill's involvement with the production began when he was a young member of left-wing theatre company 7:84 - so named to reflect their claim that seven per cent of the population owned 84 per cent of the UK's wealth. It saw Bill originally playing not one but two roles, as Glasgow property speculator McChuckemup and the oilman known as Texas Bill.
Source: BBC 4
Bill Paterson Remembers The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil
Actor Bill Paterson looks back on one of the earliest roles of his career, in the 1974 boundary-breaking television adaptation of John McGrath's play The Cheviot, the Stag and t ...
02-08-2026
BBC 4
Monty Don Remembers Geoff Hamilton
Described as ‘the nation’s head gardener', Geoff Hamilton combined vast horticultural knowledge with an ease at TV presenting that made everything he did look natura ...
01-08-2026
BBC 4
Mackenzie Crook And Martin Freeman Remember… The Office
It’s been more than 15 years since Gareth and Tim from The Office – aka Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman – last laid eyes on each other, but the groundbreaki ...
08-07-2026
BBC 4
Peter Flannery Remembers Our Friends In The North
Writer Peter Flannery looks back on his experiences creating the acclaimed 1996 drama Our Friends in the North. \n\nFollowing the lives of four friends from Newcastle over a per ...
24-06-2026
BBC 4
Midge Ure Remembers… The Prince’s Trust Rock Gala 1986
Midge Ure looks back at the 1986 Prince’s Trust Rock Concert, organised to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the charity. As musical director for the event, he is perfect ...
20-06-2026
BBC 4
Alison Steadman Remembers Girl
National treasure Alison Steadman tells the story of one of the most groundbreaking and yet also most overlooked moments in British television. \n\nDespite the popular perceptio ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
W Stephen Gilbert Remembers Only Connect
As part of Pride Month, W Stephen Gilbert looks back on the BBC drama Only Connect that he commissioned and produced in 1979. Today, it is considered a landmark but overlooked p ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
Michael Palin Remembers Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure
Few people have followed in Ernest Hemingway's footsteps quite like Michael Palin. In this fascinating interview, the much-loved broadcaster, writer and traveller reflects on hi ...
14-06-2026
BBC 4
Ken Loach Remembers The Old Oak
Ken Loach reflects on The Old Oak, his deeply moving portrait of solidarity, displacement and community in a former mining village in County Durham. Set against the arrival of S ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Laurence Rees Remembers The Nazis: A Warning From History
Laurence Rees' landmark 1997 series explored the reasons why Germany fell in thrall to the Nazis. Combining astonishing archive, storytelling and interviews with figures at the ...
10-06-2026
BBC 4
Mackenzie Crook And Martin Freeman Remember… The Office
It’s been more than 15 years since Gareth and Tim from The Office – aka Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman – last laid eyes on each other, but the groundbreaki ...
08-07-2026
BBC 4
Anthony Wall Remembers Arena
When Anthony Wall, a young music journalist and radio trainee, joined the BBC Arena team in 1978, he had no idea what lasting impact this documentary arts strand would have on h ...
22-09-2025
BBC 4
Alison Steadman Remembers Girl
National treasure Alison Steadman tells the story of one of the most groundbreaking and yet also most overlooked moments in British television. \n\nDespite the popular perceptio ...
17-06-2026
BBC 4
Jimmy Mcgovern Remembers… Common
Screenwriter Jimmy McGovern remembers his 2014 drama Common, which explores the concept and consequences of the law of joint association through the story of a fictional murder ...
07-05-2025
BBC 4
Patrick Marber Remembers After Miss Julie
After years of success in comedy, writing for programmes like The Day Today and various Alan Partridge projects, Patrick Marber took many by surprise when he revealed in 1995 th ...
24-08-2025
BBC 4
Waris Hussein Remembers The Clothes In The Wardrobe
The Clothes in the Wardrobe is a tale of contrasts: Egypt and Croydon, love and religion, conformity and liberation. Alice Thomas Ellis's novel was adapted for TV by Martin Sher ...
24-09-2025
BBC 4
Daniela Nardini Remembers This Life
Following the misadventures of a group of flat-sharing friends pursuing careers in law, This Life captured the 1990s zeitgeist like no other BBC drama. Dubbed the antidote to Fr ...
18-03-2026
BBC 4
Roy Clarke Remembers Open All Hours
Sitcom writer Sir Roy Clarke looks back on one of his best-loved creations, Open All Hours. \n\nRoy shares his memories of working with two comedy legends: Ronnie Barker, who st ...
10-02-2026
BBC 4
Emma Thompson And Paul Murton Remember The Blue Boy
Emma Thompson and Paul Murton reflect on their shared childhood summers in Scotland and the deep-rooted love of ghost stories that shaped their friendship and creative lives. Th ...
05-11-2025
BBC 4
Samuel West Remembers Prunella Scales
Actor Samuel West introduces a special night of BBC programmes that celebrate the life and work of his mother, Prunella Scales, who died aged 93 in October 2025. \n\nReflecting ...
27-12-2025
BBC 4