S2E5: X Rated | Balderdash & Piffle

1: An English-speaking World | The Story of English

Robert Macneil on how English is being adopted by the world as the most important language to learn, he traces the use of...

1: The Golden Age | The Mother Tongue

First of 3 documentaries tracing the history of the Scots tongue from its origins through to its heyday as the language of court, lite...

2: A Very Corrupt Dialect | The Mother Tongue

Billy KAY examines the roots of prejudice against Lowland Scots from the 1700s onwards in interviews with academics and native ...

2: The Mother Tongue | The Story of English

Robert Macneil presents the second programme in this series tracing the history of the English language from its roots to present...

3: A Muse of Fire | The Story of English

This programme centres on the English of Shakespeare and the King James Bible and its spread into the New World via Elizabethan expl...

3: Pan Loaf and Patter | The Mother Tongue

The final programme in the series in which Billy KAY traces the development of the Scots language.

3: Reverend Kate Bottley | Winter Walks

Walking along the banks of the River Cover and exploring the historic ruins of Wensleydale, the Rev Kate Bottley speaks frankly about...

4: The Guid Scots Tongue | The Story of English

In fourth of the series Robert Macneil looks at the development of Lowlands Scots and its spread to Ireland and America. He a...

5: Black on White | The Story of English

This programme looks at the influence of African-American's on world English and traces language from West Africa to plantations of ...

6: Pioneers! O Pioneers! | The Story of English

This programme traces development of American English from the War of Independence to World War 1. It looks at influence of I...

7: The Muvver Tongue | The Story of English

(Contains Adult Content) Robert Macneil explores the origins of the Cockney dialect and the influence of the ''flash talk'' of th...

8: The Loaded Weapon | The Story of English

Robert Macneil explores troubled story of Irish-English in North and South Ireland Gaelic speaking Irish through famine, conflict...

9: The Empire Strikes Back | The Story of English

Film looks at former British colonies Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Barbados, Jamaica and India as well as the language o...

A Trampwoman's Tragedy | Poetry Book

Dame Judy Dench reads Thomas Hardy's poem, A Trampwoman's Tragedy.

Churchill's Wartime Speeches | Speeches That Shook the World

Simon Armitage examines the speeches of one of Britain's best known orators.

Episode 1 | Blethering Scots

Ten well-known personalities share their favourite Scots word and celebrate the warmth, wit and grit of the Scots language. Written by Sanjeev K...

Episode 2 | Blethering Scots

Ten more well-known Scottish personalities share their favourite Scots words. Comedian Susan Calman is a wee 'besom', while Elaine C Smith has s...

Episode 2 | The Speaker

The search to find Britain's best young speaker continues in Manchester and Cardiff. The judges hear youngsters speak out about topics including teen...

Episode 3 | The Speaker

Twenty contenders are reduced to eight. The judges want to know if the teen speakers can think on their feet and speak off the cuff, having proved th...

Episode 4 | The Speaker

The search for Britain's best young speaker continues with only eight speakers left in the contest. The speakers become tour guides at Althorp House.