Programme Information

Lark Rise To Candleford Ep 3/6

Sunday 23 January

8.00-9.00pm BBC ONE and BBC ONE HD

• www.bbc.co.uk/drama
• Feature (interview with Richard Harrington)

Thomas is euphoric when he is given the job of organising the church bazaar, as the series based on the novels by Flora Thompson, and adapted by Bill Gallagher, continues. But his joy soon evaporates when the vicar falls ill and controversial and free-thinking curate Reverend Marley takes charge.

Marley, though, is regarded as a kind and charitable figure by the Lark Risers. Only Emma seems uncomfortable in his presence. Years before, Robert Timmins banned him from their cottage, so she rebuffs the curate's offers of help while her husband is away.

Meanwhile, Thomas is simmering with resentment towards Marley. When he comes across a snake in the undergrowth while out on his postal rounds, he sees it as a sign that the devil is indeed among them. The snake's presence causes great excitement.

Emma is totally unnerved by the snake. Having initially been confident she could manage without Robert, she suddenly finds herself unable to face the world. She becomes anxious and fearful for herself and for her children.

Back in Candleford, Laura discovers that Gabriel has found his dead wife's incriminating letter. Dorcas wonders what his reaction will be to the devastating news of his wife's infidelity and whether he will blame her for putting the letter into his hands.

When rumours start circulating that Marley has been seen leaving Emma's cottage late at night, Thomas sees it as confirmation of Marley's corrupt character, while Alf fears for Emma's reputation and becomes determined to solve the mystery of why he was banned from the Timmins's cottage.

Marley comes to visit Emma to try and offer some comfort. But he is met by Alf, who accuses him of compromising Emma's good name for his own base motivations. The argument escalates and Marley struggles to control his anger.

Thomas Brown is played by Mark Heap, Reverend Marley by Burn Gorman, Emma Timmins by Claudie Blakley, Laura Timmins by Olivia Hallinan, Gabriel Cochrane by Richard Harrington, Dorcas Lane by Julia Sawalha and Alf Arless by John Dalgleish.

Lark Rise To Candleford is simulcast in HD on BBC One HD on Freesat channel 108, Freeview channel 50, Sky channel 143 and Virgin Media channel 108.

CM4

Bruce Parry travels to Alaska as he continues his epic Arctic expedition

Bruce Parry continues his epic Arctic expedition and travels to Alaska. Immersing himself in the communities of this wild world, he experiences first-hand how the people of the Arctic live now and how these ancient ways of life may be about to change for ever. In Alaska, he visits three very different communities, each with their own unique way of surviving in America's last frontier.

Bruce starts in Prince William Sound, south of the Arctic Circle, where the seas are alive with salmon. Salmon fishing is one of Alaska's most lucrative industries but industrial over-fishing is now a huge problem all over the world, and Bruce wants to find out whether it's a problem here, too. Bruce meets and works alongside the Cabana family, who spend three months of the year out at sea.

Bruce then travels to the town of Nome to meet some modern-day gold-diggers. At the turn of the last century, Nome was the home of one of the most famous gold rushes in history. In the last five years, the price of gold has tripled, and Nome is luring a new wave of gold-digger. Today, the best gold is found at the bottom of the sea and Bruce is soon put to work by Steve Philips, who sends him head-first to the sea floor in search of gold. But with freezing temperatures and terrible visibility, dredging at sea is a risky business and things can easily go wrong.

Finally, Bruce heads north to the remote village of Kaktovik. He meets some of Alaska's original inhabitants, the Inupiak Eskimos, who have survived here for thousands of years, but their traditional way of life is now at odds with the modern world and it is uncertain how their traditions will survive.

CD4

What is the "big society"? What is fairness? And how do the two ideas relate to each other? Renowned Harvard professor of government Michael Sandel casts an outsider's eye on contemporary Britain and explores the big philosophical themes behind these present-day dilemmas in a special televised debate to launch the BBC Four season Justice – A Citizen's Guide.

For the past year, Prime Minister David Cameron has been promoting the concept of the "big society", and there are signs that it is beginning to generate cross-party traction, with positive remarks from Labour MP Jon Cruddas and Peter Mandelson, as well as Nick Clegg and other Liberal Democrat members of the coalition. Not everyone is convinced, however – some sceptics claim that the "big society" is just a smokescreen for cuts to local government and the public sector.

Meanwhile, another concept dominating the political debate in the current climate is fairness. With proposals on the table for some of the biggest government cuts in post-war history, the question of how these should be implemented most fairly has taken centre stage.

Michael Sandel asks: "Is it fair that students should pay higher fees? Is it fair to cap housing benefit? And, if fairness is about giving people what they deserve, then have bankers been fairly treated in light of their role in the current financial crisis?"

The debate explores these timely questions by excavating the philosophical roots of these issues and the bigger questions behind them, such as: if a central tenet of fairness is equality, what is more important – equality of outcome or equality of opportunity? Is income inequality acceptable if everyone has the chance to be among the winners? And how does all this sit within the aspiration to create a "big society"?

Justice – Fairness And The Big Society is part of Justice – A Citizen's Guide, a new season of programmes on BBC Four. Throughout 2011, BBC Four hosts a wide-ranging debate on the state of justice in Britain and the world today. Highlights from the season include: Justice – A Citizen's Guide To The 21st Century; Scenes From A Teenage Killing; Outside A Courtoom; The Story Of Rough Justice; and a range of international films in the Storyville strand, including a documentary marking the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International. The season is produced in partnership with the Open University.

CD3