Karn Christensen

One of Britain’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters of the past four decades, Paul Heaton started his career as frontman of The Housemartins before forming The Beautiful South, the band of whom it was famously once claimed that one in seven UK households owns an album. Whether that's true or not, what is a fact is that Paul has demonstrated over the years a unique ability to write songs and lyrics that have fans weeping one moment and smiling the next. This collection of performances and best BBC moments celebrates Paul’s impressive career - the bands, the collaborations and the solo work - and features the man himself explaining the context and backstories behind some of his best-loved hits.

Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi DeMacque and Shirlie Kemp present a selection of Wham!'s biggest and best performances from the BBC archives, including hits like `Last Christmas' and `Young Guns Go for It'.

Expect the unexpected on this journey through the BBC's magical music archives, a Top 40 with a difference. In a Top of the Pops-free-zone, these are the surprising songs and rare performances that aren't seen every day, taken from shows that may have been forgotten - but that definitely deserve to see daylight once again.

They first triumphed on the 2002 reality show Pop Stars: The Rivals, and over the next decade, dominated the UK charts, the tabloids and the affections of fans of pure pop perfection. Here are the group’s greatest musical moments and biggest hits, from their chart-topping debut Sound of the Underground to Something Kind of Ooooh, Can’t Speak French, Call the Shots and beyond.

This is a look into the darkest corners of the BBC’s music archives for a reminder of songs by the likes of The Las, The Mock Turtles, Joan Jett and Kim Carnes. There are also some surprising names on the list: Don Henley, Patti Smith, Curtis Mayfield and John Denver - stars who perhaps enjoyed hit albums, or success with other groups, but when it came to singles, once was sadly enough.

The relationship between The Beatles and the BBC has always been a special and fascinating one. This special looks back at some key moments that saw the BBC document the band’s journey as they went from Merseybeat heroes with mop-tops and MBEs to seeing out the sixties as long-haired heroes of the counter-culture.

One of Britain’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters of the past four decades, Paul Heaton started his career as frontman of The Housemartins before forming The Beautiful South, the band of whom it was famously once claimed that one in seven UK households owns an album. Whether that's true or not, what is a fact is that Paul has demonstrated over the years a unique ability to write songs and lyrics that have fans weeping one moment and smiling the next. This collection of performances and best BBC moments celebrates Paul’s impressive career - the bands, the collaborations and the solo work - and features the man himself explaining the context and backstories behind some of his best-loved hits.

One of Britain’s most prolific and successful singer-songwriters of the past four decades, Paul Heaton started his career as frontman of The Housemartins before forming The Beautiful South, the band of whom it was famously once claimed that one in seven UK households owns an album. Whether that's true or not, what is a fact is that Paul has demonstrated over the years a unique ability to write songs and lyrics that have fans weeping one moment and smiling the next. This collection of performances and best BBC moments celebrates Paul’s impressive career - the bands, the collaborations and the solo work - and features the man himself explaining the context and backstories behind some of his best-loved hits.

Andrew Ridgeley, Pepsi DeMacque and Shirlie Kemp present a selection of Wham!'s biggest and best performances from the BBC archives, including hits like `Last Christmas' and `Young Guns Go for It'.

Expect the unexpected on this journey through the BBC's magical music archives, a Top 40 with a difference. In a Top of the Pops-free-zone, these are the surprising songs and rare performances that aren't seen every day, taken from shows that may have been forgotten - but that definitely deserve to see daylight once again.

They first triumphed on the 2002 reality show Pop Stars: The Rivals, and over the next decade, dominated the UK charts, the tabloids and the affections of fans of pure pop perfection. Here are the group’s greatest musical moments and biggest hits, from their chart-topping debut Sound of the Underground to Something Kind of Ooooh, Can’t Speak French, Call the Shots and beyond.

This is a look into the darkest corners of the BBC’s music archives for a reminder of songs by the likes of The Las, The Mock Turtles, Joan Jett and Kim Carnes. There are also some surprising names on the list: Don Henley, Patti Smith, Curtis Mayfield and John Denver - stars who perhaps enjoyed hit albums, or success with other groups, but when it came to singles, once was sadly enough.

The relationship between The Beatles and the BBC has always been a special and fascinating one. This special looks back at some key moments that saw the BBC document the band’s journey as they went from Merseybeat heroes with mop-tops and MBEs to seeing out the sixties as long-haired heroes of the counter-culture.

Rory Bremner looks back at the life and career of Mike Yarwood, master of the imitation game and one of the BBC's most successful stars of the 1970s and 80s.

A look back through the BBC's archives at the work of an artist with whom nothing compares – the acclaimed, unique and always controversial Sinéad O'Connor