BBC Music

Music writer and self-confessed pop addict Paul Morley journeys to the heart of his obsession. At 50, Morley is just about as old as pop music itself and he argues that pop has played a central role in the culture of the nation over the past half century. Featuring a diverse cast of fellow pop obsessives including poet Simon Armitage, artist Peter Blake, the Sugababes and Suggs, Morley's documentary explores and celebrates the beauty and mystery of the three-minute pop single.

Celebration of the magic of pop music and the skill and musical dexterity that goes into writing, performing and producing hit records. Conductor Charles Hazlewood explores the mechanics of pop songs such as Imagine, Tomorrow Never Knows and Back to Black by breaking them down into six key areas, aided by contributions from a cast of writers, producers and arrangers including Guy Chambers, Martin Fry, Steve Levine, Richard Niles, Nick Ingman, John Altman and Rob Davis.

Legendary rock 'n' roller Chuck Berry performs at the BBC Television Theatre in 1972. Johnny B Goode, Roll Over Beethoven and Nadine are just some of the highlights of this concert, shown in an extended cut. This version includes, for the first time, an epic rendition of My Ding-a-Ling that carries all before it and raises innuendo to an art form.

Documentary charting the success of Scottish pop bands in the 1980's and 90's.Featuring acts such as; Orange juice, The Associates , The Bluebells and The Proclaimers

Documentary which reveals how the humble mouth-organ has been bent to different forms of music-making, featuring interviews and demonstrations from the world's leading players. With over a billion sold, the harmonica, often dismissed as a toy, was the first great democratiser in music creation, and Rory McLeod, Will Galison, Paul Jones, Brendan Power and Charlie Leighton are among those highlighting the instrument's appeal.

Harpist Catrin Finch takes a musical journey to discover the ancient and fascinating history of the harp in Wales and the world, with interviews and performances from internationally-renowned guests including Alan Stivell, Carlos Orosco, Alemu Aga, Isabelle Perrin and Elinor Bennett.

Spend an hour in the company of musical innovator Van Morrison in this vintage compilation of his most memorable BBC performances.

Fifty years after his death, this musical and psychological portrait of Ralph Vaughan Williams explores the passions that drove a giant of 20th-century English music. It explores the enormous musical range of an energetic, red-blooded composer whose output extends well beyond the delicate pastoralism of his perhaps most famous piece, The Lark Ascending. The film tells the story of his long marriage to his increasingly disabled wife Adeline and his long affair with the woman who eventually became his second wife, Ursula. The effect of these complicated relationships on his music is demonstrated in performances of orchestral and choral works, specially filmed at Cadogan Hall, London by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Richard Hickox and by the singers of Schola Cantorum of Oxford. Among the contributors is the late Ursula Vaughan Williams, who was interviewed shortly before she died at the age of 96.

Coldplay perform an exclusive 45 minute gig at BBC Television Centre, with a set of material from their new album and some old classics. The performance takes place on a specially-built stage outside the iconic BBC building.

Classic concert filmed in Norway during the 1967 Stax tour featuring performances from the soul legends signed to this famous US record label. Includes live sets by Booker T & The MGs (Green Onions and Red Beans And Rice), Arthur Conley (Sweet Soul Music and In The Midnight Hour), Sam and Dave (Hold On and I'm Coming), Eddie Floyd (Raise Your Hand), the Mar-Keys (Philly Dog and Last Night) and a barnstorming, five-song set by Otis Redding that includes Try A Little Tenderness, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, My Girl and Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song).

British band the Verve perform at BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London.

A compilation of BBC studio performances of some of the great Manchester bands from the 1960s to the present, including Freddie and the Dreamers, The Hollies, 10CC, the Buzzcocks, The Fall, Joy Division, James, M-People, Oasis and many more.

A journey back to the 1950s for a look at the wildest pop music of all time in a film that tells the stories of Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, giants from an era when pop music really was mad, bad and dangerous to know. The programme features the artists themselves, alongside people like Bill Haley's original Comets, The Crickets, Buddy Holly's widow Maria Elena, Jerry Lee Lewis's former wife Myra Gail and his sister, Chuck Berry's son and many more, including June Juanico, Elvis's first serious girlfriend. Other contributors include Tom Jones, Jamie Callum, Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Green Day, Minnie Driver, Jack White of The White Stripes, The Mavericks, Jools Holland, Hank Marvin, Fontella Bass, John Waters and more. Elvis's pelvis was just the start. Who had to change the lyrics to their biggest hit because the originals were too obscene? Who married their 13-year-old cousin? Who used lard to get their hair just right? And what happened on the day the music died?

David Hepworth chronicles the history of the disc jockey. The DJ has often been a neglected profession but today's globe-trotting jocks enjoy superstar status. Contributors include Pete Tong, Annie Nightingale, Johnnie Walker and Ranking Miss P.

Series of intimate performances by contemporary performers and musical legends. Backed by a string section and five-piece band, Duffy runs through songs from her chart-topping debut album, Rockferry. Hits include Mercy, Rockferry and Warwick Avenue.

Neil Young grants rare and unprecedented access to the BBC for a documentary in which he traces his musical journey in his own words. The film was made from three hours of interview shot in New York and California, and uses previously unseen performance footage from the star's own extensive archives. It also features cohorts Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Nils Lofgren and James Taylor.

The great American master of irony, singer-songwriter Randy Newman graces the stage at LSO St Luke's in London for an intimate concert. Balancing songs of scathing wit with affecting romantic ballads, he is joined by the strings of the BBC Concert Orchestra under the baton of Robert Ziegler. There is a selection from his critically-acclaimed album Harps and Angels, including the critique of the Bush administration A Few Words in Defence of Our Country, and Newman also cherrypicks songs such as Short People, I Think It's Going to Rain Today, Political Science and Marie from his impressive back catalogue.

Profiling the leading men of the glam rock era, Lisa Tarbuck guides us through the glittering careers of Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Noddy Holder, Brian Ferry, Elton John and honorary glam king Suzi Quatro. Industry men including producer Tony Visconti, songwriter Mike Chapman and photographer Mick Rock give the insider angle to the work of these artists.

A vintage collection of Nana Mouskouri's performances from the BBC archive, including her entry in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest and musical collaborations with Michel Legrand, Charles Aznavour and Cliff Richard.

First broadcast in 1988 and filmed in black and white, this TV concert filmed at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles features Roy Orbison performing his classic songs with friends like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, kd lang, Jennifer Warnes and Bonnie Raitt. The TCB Band which backs all featured artists was Elvis Presley's band till his death in 1977 and includes James Burton, Glen D Hardin, Jerry Scheff and Ronnie Tutt with musical director T-Bone Burnett.

There could be nothing more sweet and sentimental than the sound of traditional carols performed by a velvet-voiced choir at Christmas. Or so you would think. Composer Howard Goodall uncovers the surprising and often secret history of the Christmas carol. Far from being accepted as part of the celebrations of Jesus' birth, over the centuries carols have been banned by both church and state. The carols we sing seem set in stone and yet they can have up to 400 regional variations. Individual carols have caused controversy - While Shepherds Watched had to be cleaned up by the Victorians for being too crude and there's a suspicion that O Come All Ye Faithful was a call to 18th century Jacobites to rebel. The documentary celebrates the enduring power of the carol with a variety of performances from folk singer Bella Hardy to the choir of Truro Cathedral.