BBC4

A demonstrator is arrested during an anti-nuclear protest at Greenham Common air base in 1983. (Photo: D. Jones/Express/Getty)

All that postwar anxiety about being vaporised by a nuclear bomb was a complete waste of emotion

8 August 2015 9:00 am

When I was growing up in the 1970s, my three main fears were: being blown up by the IRA; being…

W1A reviewed: so pitch-perfect as to be profoundly depressing

25 April 2015 9:00 am

Ever since the days of Tony Hancock, many of the best British sitcoms — from Dad’s Army to Fawlty Towers,…

Why James Delingpole is addicted to Pointless

4 April 2015 8:00 am

Ever since Boy got back from school my work schedule has fallen to pieces. Every few minutes, just when I’ve…

The Great European Disaster on BBC4 reviewed: propaganda worthy of Leni Riefenstahl

7 March 2015 9:00 am

My favourite bit of The Great European Disaster (BBC4, Sunday) was the lingering shot that showed golden heads of corn…

Critical on Sky1 reviewed: a new medical drama where everyone radiates an unusual degree of competence and concern

28 February 2015 9:00 am

Sky1’s new hospital drama Critical (Tuesday) can’t be accused of making a timid start. Within seconds, an urgent request had…

Rambo wannabe, Matthew VanDyke: ‘Everybody wants cool stuff they can show their friends on Facebook’

Arabian Motorcycle Adventures review: enthralling and constantly surprising

7 February 2015 9:00 am

There were great numbers of young men who had never been in a war and were consequently far from unwilling…

Sacred Monsters, Sadler’s Wells: Sylvie Guillem and Akram Kham’s captivating final boogie

6 December 2014 9:00 am

I’m dashing between dance theatres at the moment and there’s just so much to tell you about. I could linger…

Where are the Betjemans de nos jours?

We need more opinionated English eccentrics making documentaries like, ahem, me...

6 September 2014 9:00 am

Is it just me or are almost all TV documentaries completely unwatchable these days? I remember when I first started…

Behind the scenes at Spitting Image

8 March 2014 9:00 am

If Margaret Thatcher is remembered by many more as a caricature than as her actual self, then blame Spitting Image.…

How did Colonel Gaddafi get away with such evil for so long?

8 February 2014 9:00 am

What a vile piece of work Colonel Gaddafi was. For some of you, perhaps, this will be a statement of…

English embroidery: the forgotten wonder of the medieval world

28 September 2013 9:00 am

Think of an art at which the English have excelled and I doubt you would come up with the word…