Main channels

Saturday26 JanuaryCritics' choice

Pick of the dayHoward Goodall's Story Of Music(BBC2,9.30pm)

The composer begins his riveting chronicle withthe suggestion that a palaeolithic cave systemin France is the earliest known site of musicalexpression. Moving on a few millennia, heexplains how the ancient Greeks had musicaltalent contests — "The Epsilon Factor" — beforedescribing key developments to the dawn of the

17th century, including Christian plainchant, theinvention of annotations and staves, Europe'sMuslim-influenced troubadours and the firstlove songs and operas. The programme, the firstof six, is a treat—even if the graphics leavesomething to be desired and occasionally givethe impression the studio has caught fire.

There is also live coverage of AustralianOpen Tennis, with the women's final today(Eurosport, Sam; BBC2,8.25am) and the men'stomorrow (Eurosport, 8am; BBC2,8.15am).

MARTIN JAMES

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SATURDAY

Howard Goodall's StoryOf MUSiC BBC2,9.30pmFrom couples' firstdancesatweddingsto songs played at funerals, music inthe 21st century underpinsall humanexperiences and is never more than adownload away. But composer Goodall(above) opens his chronological trawlthrough one of the 'dazzling fruits ofhuman civilisation' with a reminderthatonce it was just 'a feeble whisper in thewilderness' and that a cast of musicalmavericks and beat masters werebehind the emergence of harmony andmelody. This fascinating story of ourongoing polyphonic revolution begins inthe French caves of Chauvet, before

gliding onward to the breakthroughsmade by sacred music - confoundingthe notion that the Devil has alwaysnadthe besttunes:

SATURDAY

DocumentaryHoward Goodall'sStory of Music-The Age ofDiscovery9.30PM BBC2

In this new series, the composer (above) exam-ines the history and development of music,beginning at humanity's first, faltering steps.He examines archaeological evidence showingthat music was as important in the late StoneAge as it is now and charts how Gregorian chantstarted with a handful of monks singing thesame tune in unison.

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Saturday

BORGEN Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg

Today's HighlightsPatrick Smith

SPLASH!/TV, 7.00pm

Olympic bronze medallist Tom Daley's much-derided(but popular) reality show - in which he helpscelebrities learn to dive - continues. Tonight it'sthe semi-finals as comedian Omid Djalili, actor JakeCaruso, ski jumper Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards andSky Sports presenter Charlotte Jackson are amongthe brave contestants. At 90 minutes long, theprogramme can be tedious - even if famouspeople belly flopping into large pools of water doeselicit a certain schadenfreude.

HOWARD GOODALL'S STORY OF MUSICBBC Two, 9,00pm. '

Composer Howard Goodall is an enthusiastic andknowledgeable guide to this history of the developmentof Western music. The six-part series starts in theStone Age when music played a vital part in humanevolution, and takes us right through to the Renaissanceand the origins of the love song.

* CHOICE

Howard Goodall'sStory of MusicBBC2,9.30pm' 'Whatever music you're into - Monteverdior Mantovani, Mozart or Motown, Machautor mash-up, the techniques music relieson didn't happen by accident - someone,somewhere, thought of them first," says

composer Goodali in his introductionto The Age of Discovery, the firstprogramme in this exciting history ofmusic since our ancestors first beganto sing, he claims, in around 32.000BC,At times he flirts with dry, music-roomtheory - how else do you explain triads?- but get past that and you'll find muchof interest here. Worth watching alone fordazzling violin virtuoso Nicola Benedettiin full flight at the close. Mike Bradley