
In 1979, Bob Dylan released Slow Train Coming, an album of strictly devotional songs. He declared he had found God in Christianity. For the following two years, accompanied by the finest musicians and gospel singers, he toured with a repertoire solely of songs expressing his new-found faith.\n\nA film was made of one of those performances, but it was never released. After 37 years, it is broadcast for the first time - but with a twist. The performance is enhanced by a series of sermons between the songs, all specially written for the film and preached by Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon.\n\nThe result is Bob Dylan's gospel service combining the then of the gig with the now of the message of The Preacher.
Source: BBC 4
Kusama: Infinity
Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama’s work pushed boundaries that often alienated her from her peers and those in power in the art world. Kusama was an underdog with ...
21-09-2026
BBC 4
Buddy Holly
Documentary looking at the short but brilliant career of legendary rock'n'roll star Buddy Holly. Features interviews with contemporaries and fans including backing band The Cric ...
11-09-2026
BBC 4
Peggy Sue: Tales Of Rock And Roll
Peggy Sue Gerron Rackham, the inspiration behind Buddy Holly's famous song, is taken back by Arena to Lubbock, Texas, where she went to the same high school as Holly and where h ...
11-09-2026
BBC 4
Dylan Thomas: From Grave To Cradle
Author and broadcaster Nigel Williams examines the work and the legend of one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas.\n\nBorn in 1914, Dylan Thomas was an un ...
06-09-2026
BBC 4
Rudies Come Back: The Rise And Rise Of 2 Tone
In this Arena film from 1980, Adrian Thrills investigates 2 Tone, an exhilarating new musical blend that was taking the country by storm.\n\nOriginating in Coventry in 1979, 2 T ...
28-08-2026
BBC 4
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.
17-08-2026
BBC 4
Harold Pinter - Part 2: Celebration
In part two of this film biography, Arena explores the relationship between the public and private dimensions of the famous playwright and actor's life and work; the intimacy of ...
09-08-2026
BBC 4
Harold Pinter - Part 1: The Room
Nigel Williams's two-part film biography explores Pinter's life, work, and political passions - from his East End childhood to his work as an actor, his experience of both early ...
09-08-2026
BBC 4
Tony Bennett’s New York
Once dubbed the 'king of cool', a look at the man behind the silky voice as Tony Bennett - civil rights activist, jazz enthusiast, painter and New Yorker - takes a tour around h ...
07-08-2026
BBC 4
Kim Novak's Vertigo
An intimate portrait of a fiercely independent Hollywood star who left it all behind to live life on her own terms, revealing a haunting, resilient journey of art, identity and ...
16-07-2026
BBC 4
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
Kim Novak's Vertigo
An intimate portrait of a fiercely independent Hollywood star who left it all behind to live life on her own terms, revealing a haunting, resilient journey of art, identity and ...
16-07-2026
BBC 4
Peggy Sue: Tales Of Rock And Roll
Peggy Sue Gerron Rackham, the inspiration behind Buddy Holly's famous song, is taken back by Arena to Lubbock, Texas, where she went to the same high school as Holly and where h ...
11-09-2026
BBC 4
Tosca's Kiss
Casa Verdi is a rambling mansion in the city of Milan, inhabited by an extraordinary and captivating group of people. It once belonged to the composer Guiseppe Verdi, now it has ...
16-05-2024
BBC 4
Kusama: Infinity
Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama’s work pushed boundaries that often alienated her from her peers and those in power in the art world. Kusama was an underdog with ...
21-09-2026
BBC 4
Dylan Thomas: From Grave To Cradle
Author and broadcaster Nigel Williams examines the work and the legend of one of the most famous poets of the 20th century, Dylan Thomas.\n\nBorn in 1914, Dylan Thomas was an un ...
06-09-2026
BBC 4
Buddy Holly
Documentary looking at the short but brilliant career of legendary rock'n'roll star Buddy Holly. Features interviews with contemporaries and fans including backing band The Cric ...
11-09-2026
BBC 4
Cigars - Out Of The Humidor
Documentary which follows the story of the cigar - from the tobacco fields west of the Cuban capital of Havana into the factories where poetry and daily newspapers are read alou ...
22-04-2018
BBC 4
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
Frank Sinatra: The Voice Of The Century
Arena profiles crooner Frank Sinatra, acknowledged as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, from his early family background to overwhelming showbusiness success.
29-12-2023
BBC 4