Programme Information

Fern Britton Meets ... Dolly Parton Ep 1/4

Sunday 29 November

10.00-11.00am BBC ONE (Schedule addition 13 November)

Fern Britton launches a new series for BBC One for the run-up to Christmas with a heart-to-heart interview with Dolly Parton.

The Queen of Country music has a devoted army of fans in the UK and around the world. In her last concert here, Dolly packed out London's giant O2 Arena, attracting a sell-out crowd.

But away from the stage and her flirtatious rhinestone image, Dolly has a faith forged in her poor upbringing in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. As a 10-year-old girl, she used to pray by herself in an old abandoned church – and that's where she believes she found God.

Dolly recalls how she danced home, passing a neighbour on the way: "He said 'where are you going on such a fine day so happy?' and I said I'm going to Paradise."

Dolly went on to stardom too, on stage and in films, and has had a theme park built in her honour. But spirituality has remained a central part of her life. "I don't claim to be anything. Let God judge me. I think God wants us to have fun."

As the four-part series continues, Fern talks to former Prime Minister Tony Blair about the significance of his conversion to Catholicism and why he's set up a faith foundation to get people of different religions to work together. She also asks him why faith is so important in the modern world.

She meets Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, still campaigning at 78 after a lifelong battle against injustice in South Africa. Tutu has always deployed humour as a weapon and his staff reveal how he's nicknamed "Arch", after an early protest banner which said: "March with the Arch".

In the fourth programme, Fern talks to Sheila Hancock, renowned for being one of Britain's best-loved actors but less well known for being a Quaker. She lost two husbands to cancer and after the death of the second, actor John Thaw, she wrote two inspiring books. But Sheila doesn't like being portrayed as a victim and once penned her own newspaper headline which read: "I'm not a dreary cow". Sheila is currently starring as a singing and dancing Mother Superior in a West End musical.

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Tennis – ATP World Tour Finals

Sunday 29 November

2.00-5.35pm BBC TWO

• www.bbc.co.uk/tennis

BBC Two brings viewers live coverage of the ATP World Tour Final at London's 02 Arena this afternoon.

Today's match brings down the curtain on a gruelling season for the world's top players, but both finalists will be determined to end the year on a high by claiming the title.

Last year's tournament saw Serb Novak Djokovic produce a superb display to overcome Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets.

CH2