2020

NASA is on a mission to send humans to Mars within just 15 years. Still, to reach this next frontier of space exploration, experts must discover brand-new technology and cutting-edge science that protects astronauts from the Red Planet's deadliest killers.

Billy Connolly returns to Glasgow’s famous Kings Theatre, where his journey into comedy first began, to talk life, death and laughter, in a no holds barred encounter with BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz. It is a conversation that looks back on the Big Yin’s past and ahead to the future, covering all elements of his unusually packed existence - how he got started, his approach to comedy, his Scottish roots, and how Parkinson's disease is the latest thing he is having to laugh at.

As a nation, we’ve never eaten more takeaways. Two-thirds of us now feel we don’t have time to cook healthy meals at home - and these days, why bother? Ten million of us now use delivery apps that allow us to swipe and tap an order in seconds and get our favourite dinner brought straight to our door. The three biggest apps between them offer us a choice of 100 cuisines from 60,000 restaurants. Put it all together with the fast food carry-outs we eat on the go, and we Brits now put away more than three million takeaways every day.

The coronavirus disease is spreading at frightening speeds from Wuhan, China, to the rest of the world. How did this virus develop, and how close are we to finding an effective vaccine?

Five times, Earth has faced apocalyptic events that swept nearly all life from the face of the planet. What did these prehistoric creatures look like? What catastrophes caused their disappearance? And how did our distant ancestors survive and give rise to the world we know today?

Few events are more nerve wracking than meeting the parents of someone you love. For black and Asian couples in South Africa, it's even more challenging. The country's painful past means interracial dating is still often frowned upon. Meet Ithra and Tumelo, a 'Blasian' couple about to introduce their parents to each other.

The actor explores the lives of people from the Victorian era, including a 13-year-old girl who worked 14-hour shifts in a Bryant & May factory in London's East End, a woman who worked down a mine at Knowles Pitt near Bolton and a navvy who blasted tons of rock from the Highlands to help construct an ambitious water channel. Tony also hears the story of one of the first employees of Marks & Spencer.

The Sky at Night team go back to basics to show you how to enjoy the night sky, wherever you are. It doesn’t matter if you live in a city or in the countryside, if you have a telescope, a pair of binoculars or just your eyes to look with. Pete explains why the night sky changes and joins a group of novice stargazers to talk about the best ways to introduce newcomers to the night. Chris ventures onto a roof in Oxford and marvels at the moon through binoculars, and Maggie goes back to her childhood telescope-making class to talk basic telescope essentials. Curious about the night sky but don’t know where to start? Want to know how to make the most of your new telescope? This is the programme for you!

In Pakistan, the blasphemy law prescribes a compulsory death sentence for disrespecting Prophet Muhammad and life imprisonment for desecrating the Qur'an. This documentary follows the stories and fates of four people accused of blasphemy. The most famous of them is Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who claims she was falsely accused by her Muslim co-workers after a disagreement. As the elections in Pakistan loom, the country is split between those who feel the law is being misused and want to change it, and those who believe it must be preserved at any cost. Its greatest advocate, cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, goes on a mission to do just this.

Alcatraz is home to secrets that only cutting-edge archaeology can reveal, and using the latest science and the newest tech, experts search for hidden evidence to investigate why so many tried and failed to escape America's toughest jail.