It’s going to be a month of abundance this February as BBC Studios presents a collection of programmes for you and your families to enjoy during Chinese New Year.
First up, kick start the month with BBC’s Eco Season – a month-long stint aimed at encouraging individuals to adopt more eco-friendly habits. Featuring investigative documentaries such as Extinction: The Facts and Feast to Save the Planet. It’s never too early for the littles ones to understand how they can do their part for the planet they will inherit. Sir David Attenborough, Dr Hannah Fry and Gregg Wallace will share tips and advice that the entire family can benefit from.
Next, ring in the Lunar New Year with some Chinese New Year-themed episodes curated from CBeebies iconic kids’ programmes – Go Jetters and Dog Loves Books. From travelling to the Great Wall of China to watching Dragon Dances, these programmes will definitely spark the excitement within them.
Finally, cosy up with your significant other this Valentine’s Day and indulge in some chocolatey goodness with The Hairy Bikers’ Chocolate Challenge. Witness how a group of chocolate enthusiasts put their skills and creativity to the test and win the chance to create their very own Nestle chocolate bar.
BBC EARTH
Extinction: The Facts
Sir David Attenborough investigates the extinction crisis, exploring what’s driving the rapid loss of animals and plants and revealing potential solutions to this global issue. In just over 40 years animal populations have shrunk by 60%. A million species of plants and animals now face extinction, many within decades if urgent action isn’t taken. Why is this happening?
Sir David investigates. He explores the man-made reasons behind the crisis, including hunting, toxic waste, and the conversion of land for agriculture. Sir David also reveals the changes that could make a difference. Responsible consumption, cutting back on meat and lowering carbon emissions are all potential game-changers. The natural clock can be turned back – as long as we don’t leave it too late.
- Extinction: The Facts premieres Sunday, 7 February 2021 at 10.15pm.
- Available on BBC Earth (StarHub Channel 407) and BBC Player.
Great Asian Railway Journeys
Railway Journeys is always a smash hit with viewers and this spectacular edition is a wonderful addition to the brand. Railway Journeys takes the simple premise of a journey by train, and transforms it into fascinating programmes exploring social history and landmark moments all over the world, brought to viewers by much-loved presenter Michael Portillo.
With a 1913 Bradshaw’s Handbook, published at the height of European Imperialism, to guide us, we join Michael on breath-taking train journeys through Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, while exploring each country’s history and cultural landmarks.
- Great Asian Railway Journeys premieres Monday, 8 February 2021 at 9pm.
- Available on BBC Earth (StarHub Channel 407) and BBC Player.
Feast to Save the Planet
MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace and mathematician Dr Hannah Fry take over a restaurant and invite five special guests to enjoy a dinner party with a difference, where they will be scored on the carbon footprint of every dish they choose. Food accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions, so making informed choices about what we eat is more important than ever.
Diners Sara Pascoe, Amol Rajan, Nikki Fox, Desiree Burch and Matthew Fort choose from a menu of tantalising treats, each of which tells its own environmental story. But will they be able to sort the eco-goodies from the eco-nasties hidden in each course?
Gregg is with the kitchen team preparing delicious dishes and uncovering tips and tricks we can all use to cook more sustainably. Hannah is working with environmental scientists to reveal the carbon footprint of every single item on the menu and uncovering the latest research that can help us enjoy the food we love that doesn’t cost the Earth.
- Feast to Save the Planet premieres Sunday, 28 February 2021 at 9pm.
- Available on BBC Earth (StarHub Channel 407) and BBC Player.
CBEEBIES
Chinese New Year Stunt
Celebrate a brand new Lunar year in style with special themed episodes of the Go Jetters (Chinese New Year, Dragon Dance Drama, The Great Wall of China, China, The Forbidden City, China, Harbin Ice City, China, Terracotta Army, China), and Dog Loves Books (Dog Loves A Kite, Dog Loves Sleepy Time Rhyme).
- Chinese New Year Stunt premieres Friday, 12 February 2021.
- Available on CBeebies (StarHub Channel 303) and BBC Player.
Go Jetters Series 3 (Set 2)
Go Jetters go bigger as our plucky international heroes Xuli, Kyan, Lars and Foz, together with their disco-grooving mentor Ubercorn, discover lots more about our world. And we learn much more about each of the Go Jetters too.
Travelling from the top of the planet to the very bottom, their action-packed adventures take them to truly incredible places. And there’s a good chance Grandmaster Glitch has got there first to cause his usual chaos! Back at the high-tech Go Jet Academy, there are previously unseen areas to explore and extra gadgets to reveal – including zippy new hovering bikes – and we meet Tala, a cadet with a secret.
- Go Jetters Series 3 (Set 2) premieres Friday, 19 February 2021 at 7.20pm.
- Available on CBeebies (StarHub Channel 303) and BBC Player.
BBC FIRST
The Mallorca Files Series 2
The stylish detective duo is back and Miranda is finally starting to put down roots. Expect more mysterious cases, stunning locations, and special guest stars from this thrilling second series. Max and Miranda’s partnership has finally found its rhythm. And just in time too, because there’s no shortage of murky cases waiting to be cracked. Everything from an opera star singing his final notes in the famous Drax caves, to the dark history of the Spanish Civil War resurfacing all too literally. With even more dramatic landscapes and a host of special guest stars, it’s a sizzling return for this exhilarating detective drama.
- The Mallorca Files Series 2 premieres Tuesday, 2 February 2021, express from the UK.
- Available on BBC First (StarHub Channel 502) and BBC Player.
Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar
It has been two years since the sensation caused by her eleven-day disappearance and Agatha is contemplating giving up detective novels to pursue a serious literary career. Seeking escape and inspiration, she travels to Baghdad on an archaeological tour.
What she finds is turmoil: the world’s biggest oil field has just been discovered and Iraq’s ancient treasures are under threat. Agatha also finds a charming, naive young archaeologist, Max, who needs her help as a series of murders unfold in the faded grandeur of the villa where they are staying. Has Agatha met her match?
- Agatha and the curse of Ishtar premieres Friday, 12 February 2021.
- Available on BBC First (StarHub Channel 502) and BBC Player.
Beecham House
This engaging and sumptuous six-part drama is set against a backdrop of corporate expansion and political unrest in turbulent, divided India. We follow enigmatic John Beecham as he struggles to keep his dark past a secret while battling to protect his family and business interests.
As the drama unfolds, a web of intricate lies and connections reveals itself, and we watch as both servants and masters live and love, win and lose.
- Beecham House premieres Friday, 12 February 2021.
- Available on BBC First (StarHub Channel 502) and BBC Player.
The Pembrokeshire Murders
Brought to you by the producers of global hit Bodyguard, true crime drama Pembrokeshire Murders brings to life the extraordinary cold-case pursuit of the most notorious serial killer in Welsh history.
Based on the book by Steve Wilkins and Jonathan Hill, this true-crime drama reveals the gripping story of a groundbreaking case that set the standard for cold case murder investigations. Two unsolved double murders from the 1980s cast a long shadow over the Dyfed-Powys police force. In 2006, Detective Superintendent Steve Wilkins (Luke Evans) decided to reopen both cases. Employing pioneering forensic methods and painstaking detective work, Wilkins and his team found microscopic DNA and fibres potentially linking the murders to a string of burglaries in the ’80s and ’90s. The perpetrator of these crimes was nearing the end of his prison sentence. Could the detectives unearth enough evidence to charge their suspect before he was released – potentially to kill again?
- The Pembrokeshire Murders premieres Friday, 26 February 2021.
- Available on BBC First (StarHub Channel 502) and BBC Player.
BBC LIFESTYLE
Your Home Made Perfect Series 2
Virtual reality and visual effects enable people to see what their future home could look like, before building it in reality.
- Your Home Made Perfect Series 6 premieres Monday, 1 February 2021 at 9.20pm.
- Available on BBC Lifestyle (StarHub Channel 432) and BBC Player.
The Hairy Bikers’ Chocolate Challenge
The Hairy Bikers duo of Dave Myers and Si King will preside over a group of chocolate enthusiasts competing to create and name their very own brand of confectionery at Nestlé factories in Yorkshire. The victor will get to put their twist on one of the world’s best-selling chocolate bars, which will then be sold across the UK.
- The Hairy Bikers’ Chocolate Challenge premieres Friday, 12 February 2021 at 7.30pm.
- Available on BBC Lifestyle (StarHub Channel 432) and BBC Player.
The Great British Sewing Bee Series 6
This feel-good competition format returns for its sixth series. Ten amateur dressmakers take up a needle and thread to have their stitching skills put to the test in a bid to win The Great British Sewing Bee. They need to know their grosgrain from their gussets, as each week across three challenges they’re asked to make exquisite garments that are scrutinised by two of the country’s top experts. A critically acclaimed hit, this warm-hearted series has delighted sewing buffs and non-sewers alike with its mix of camaraderie and tense competition.
- The Great British Sewing Bee Series 6 premieres Tuesday, 23 February 2021 at 9.20pm.
- Available on BBC Lifestyle (StarHub Channel 432) and BBC Player.
BBC BRIT
Uncle Series 1
Follow the comic misadventures and growing pains of an irresponsible out-of-work musician who forges an unlikely alliance with his neurotic 12-year-old nephew. Thirty-something ‘man-child’ Andy staggers through life leaving chaos in his wake. So when his sister Sam uses a bit of emotional blackmail to get him to look after her son Errol, how will Andy manage to keep the youngster out of trouble while constantly being knee-deep in the stuff himself?
The seemingly simple task of caring for his nephew has near-disastrous results, involving a faked injury, a car crash, a visit to a gay club, a lot of lying, and some hard lessons in life. But as the series progresses, Errol starts to lighten up while Andy learns what it really means to be part of a family.
- Uncle Series 1 premieres Tuesday, 2 February 2021 on BBC Brit and exclusively on BBC Player.
