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Lark Rise To Candleford Ep 4/12

Sunday 31 January

8.00-9.00pm ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE

Sydney's (Edward Darnell-Hayes) day of fun turns sour

It's harvest time and, when Alf is crowned "king of the mowers", he vows to bring in the harvest in record time, as the third series of the period drama based on the novels by Flora Thompson continues.

Every man, woman and child in the hamlet is employed cutting the wheat and collecting the "leazings", or leftover wheat, which will feed them through the winter. Dorcas decides a day of fun with the Lark Rise children at the harvest is just what her serious little boy, Sydney, needs.

Alf sets his workers off at a cracking pace and Dorcas is delighted to see Sydney making mischief with Archie Arless. When Dorcas takes Sydney home, he is glowing after his day in the sun with his new friends.

Daniel pays a surprise visit to Candleford. Despite his passionate feelings for Laura, he has come to announce that he has taken a new job in Cambridge. The distance is too great for regular visits and Laura is left perplexed and disappointed at Daniel's sudden change of heart.

The following morning, Dorcas goes to wake Sydney and finds him dangerously ill with measles. She puts the Post Office into quarantine and devotes herself to nursing Sydney, terrified that her beloved boy will be taken away. Over in Lark Rise, Frank and Annie Timmins are also sick, and before long most of the children in the hamlet are infected. Daniel is leaving Candleford in a coach when he comes across Sally Arless struggling to carry her poorly brother, Archie, home. Daniel steps in to help and, putting thoughts of leaving to one side, he offers his support to the Lark Risers as they struggle to deal with a measles epidemic.

With nearly all the children sick and the women occupied in nursing them, the hamlet faces a grave problem. With too few people in the fields bringing in the wheat, they won't have enough food to prevent starvation in the winter. But Robert refuses to allow the epidemic to beat them and, in a rousing speech to the hamlet folk, he persuades them of a scheme which just might avert disaster. The children will be nursed together in Queenie's cottage, while those who can work in the fields will pool their wheat among all the families in the hamlet.

But Daniel quickly realises that there are simply not enough people to go round, and he rushes off to Candleford with an idea. In a speech which echoes Robert's in Lark Rise, Daniel makes a heartfelt appeal to the people of Candleford to help out their neighbours in Lark Rise. Laura looks on with pride. But will the Candleford gentlefolk rise to the challenge?

The epidemic finally passes, but it leaves the two communities changed for ever.

John Dagleish plays Alf, Julia Sawalha plays Dorcas, Edward Darnell-Hayes plays Sydney, Harry Miles plays Archie Arless, Ben Aldridge plays Daniel, Olivia Hallinan plays Laura, Sophie Miles plays Sally Arless, Brendan Coyle plays Robert and Linda Bassett plays Queenie.

Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ HD channel – the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

Please note: This episode was incorrectly billed in Week 4 Programme Information.

CM4

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Seven Ages Of Britain

Sunday 31 January

9.00-10.00pm ´óÏó´«Ã½ ONE (Schedule addition 20 January)

• Feature

David Dimbleby examines the Seven Ages Of Britain

David Dimbleby charts a landmark history of Britain's greatest art and artefacts over 2,000 years, in Seven Ages Of Britain.

One of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s biggest-ever arts commissions in partnership with The Open University, and written and presented by David, Seven Ages Of Britain looks at our extraordinary past through the arts – both as treasures that have often played a decisive part in events and as marvels of their age.

From painted images and monuments of stone and gold to religious relics, weapons of war, instruments of science and works of art, often they are artefacts of great beauty and craftsmanship, but sometimes they are simple, everyday things, which have a powerful story to tell.

Over seven programmes, David roams far and wide, travelling to Italy, Germany, Turkey, India and America, tracking down astonishing artefacts that encapsulate events or originate from the UK and yet ended up leaving our shores.

In Britain or abroad, Seven Ages Of Britain takes viewers on a journey revealing treasures of great beauty and craftsmanship that tell who we were and are, and pay testament to the great events that formed the nation.

Programme one looks at the Age Of Conquest (AD 43-1066). For a thousand years, from Emperor Claudius to William the Conqueror, the British Isles were defined by invasion, each successive wave bringing something new to the mix. The Romans brought figurative art, the Anglo-Saxons epic poetry and the Normans monumental architecture. David travels through Britain and beyond – to France, Italy and Turkey – in search of the greatest creations of the age.

Items tracked down (and places visited) in the first programme include: a bronze bust of Hadrian (British Museum); a fragment of a triumphal arch commemorating Claudius's conquest of Britain (Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome); a Roman coin of Britannia (Pantheon, Rome); a frieze of Britannia under the heel of Emperor Claudius (Aphrodisias, Turkey); a Roman gold brooch (Dolaucothi Gold Mine, Wales); an oceanus dish (British Museum); Roman mosaic work (Bignor Roman Villa); Beowulf; Sutton Hoo treasure (Sutton Hoo & British Museum); a Celtic Cross (Iona); Jarrow Monastery; Codex Amiatinus (Laurentian Library, Florence); Alfred Jewel (Ashmolean Museum); Alfred's translation of Pastoral Care (Bodleian Library); Caen Castle and the Abbaye-aux-Hommes (Normandy); Bayeux Tapestry (Normandy); and the Tower of London.

AH

Tennis – Australian Open

Sunday 31 January

8.30am-12.00noon ´óÏó´«Ã½ TWO

Sue Barker presents live coverage of the men's singles final at the 2010 Australian Open, while Tim Henman provides expert analysis from the studio.

Rafael Nadal came from behind to beat Roger Federer to claim the title last year, and if this year's final is anywhere near as exciting as that five-set classic, then viewers are in for another real treat.

After a year wrecked by injury, Spaniard Nadal will be looking to defend the only Grand Slam title he still retains but there is a queue of challengers up against him.

Federer was written off by many after last year's tearful defeat but the Swiss star ended up enjoying one of his most memorable seasons, which included winning a record 15th Grand Slam title and completing his set of all four majors at the French Open.

Juan Martin Del Potro will be looking to add to his Grand Slam collection, which he began at the US Open last September, while British fans will be hoping Andy Murray will be competing in his first Grand Slam final since finishing as runner-up to Federer at the 2008 US Open.

LW

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For the last show in the series, Graham Bell and Ed Leigh present coverage of the most atmospheric slalom on the World Cup tour: the Schladming night race in Austria.

Around 50,000 spectators descend upon the resort and the home fans have had plenty to celebrate in recent years, with Austrian skiers winning for the past three seasons.

Also in the show, Graham takes on Ski Cross, which is the newest Winter Olympic sport, and tackles the World Cup course on the Alpe d'Huez in France.

NA