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Confined to bed with some virus I have v much enjoyed watching The Snow Queen- it has some lovely sets and costumes, very good use of music, and an engrossing spectacle. I especially liked the market scene, the bandit camp ( reminiscent of Two Pigeons!), the wolves ( reminiscent of M Bourne's Swans!) and the strong female roles, particularly well danced I thought by the Snow Queen herself. This would be a great Christmas outing. I don't think they should have had the knife threat moments though. Has anyone else seen it?

Putting this together from a variety of sources and contributors (to whom thanks very much, particularly RMM1 and Janite) just so we have everything more or less in one place. Apologies that some of the showings are now past, but people may be able to catch up with them on BBC iPlayer at least. Northern Ballet's Victoria has already been on BBC 4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000cdzp A repeat of last year’s interesting Radio 3 programme about The Nutcracker was transmitted last week and is now online: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001ss8 (discussion thread here: Also past already: ‘Nutcracker’ was Radio 3’s Building a Library on Saturday 21 December 9:30 am. (Janite has put a whole load of dance-related repeats here: Matthew Bourne has already been on Private Passions on Radio 3 (22nd December); Darcey Bussell is on on 29 December. A Royal Ballet Nutcracker was on Sky Arts at 8 am this morning - not sure which one. May well be repeated at 6 am on Boxing Day (primetime viewing for ballet again, eh?) Billy Elliot The Musical (scraping the barrel a bit) is just about to start on Pick (Freeview channel 11) as I write. A repeat of Dancing the Nutcracker: Inside the Royal Ballet is on BBC Two on Christmas Day at 12 noon. Derek Jacobi narrates The Nutcracker at 5 pm on Christmas Day on Classic FM. (For opera lovers, there's Glyndebourne's Magic Flute on BBC4 Christmas Day, 7 pm) Essential Royal Ballet is on BBC Four on 29th December at 7pm. Described as Katie Derham introduces a spectacular selection of highlights from an incredible past decade at the Royal Ballet. Snow Queen by Scottish Ballet is on BBC Scotland on 24th and 28th December at 7.30pm (or possibly 8.15 pm, depending on sources). Also on BBC4 on Sunday 5th Jan at 7.30pm The filmed Romeo & Juliet: Beyond Words starring Francesca Hayward and William Bracewell Romeo & Juliet: Beyond Words is on BBC Two on New Years Day at 5.30pm. There's a "Cinderella" showing on Sky Arts at 6 am on 2nd January - no idea whether it's actually a ballet or not. Darcey Bussell: Looking for Margot BBC 4 10pm, Sunday 5th January 2020 ... and I realise I haven't actually finished going through the radio section of the Radio Times ... Please let me know what I've missed, and I'll add it.

Extract from an email sent yesterday from "Development and Enterprises" at the ROH: " We are delighted to announce that early in July the Company will be making a very special journey to Budapest to film our production of Kenneth MacMillan’s beautiful Romeo and Juliet for broadcast by the BBC. …………………. The film, which is scheduled for broadcast by the BBC on Christmas Day 2019, is a collaboration between The Royal Ballet and BalletBoyz that will bring this true classic of 20th-century ballet to a huge audience of new ballet fans and life-long balletomanes alike"

Apologies if this has been posted before - couldn't see it anywhere. Below is a cut and paste from the ROH news: (http://www.roh.org.uk/news/bbc-to-broadcast-behind-the-scenes-nutcracker-documentary-during-christmas-2016) BBC Two will broadcast a special 90-minute documentary following the process of staging The Royal Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker on Christmas Day 2016 at 4pm. The Company allowed the BBC access behind-the-scenes to follow preparations of Peter Wright’s classic ballet, which has returned to Covent Garden to delight audiences once again this Season. The documentary focuses on the debuts of many young dancers from the Royal Ballet School who make up a troupe of toy soldiers, as well as dancers recently promoted to the Company’s highest rank of Principal, including those preparing to dance the iconic role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. The part, performed by some of the Company’s most famous former Principals, Margot Fonteyn and Darcey Bussell, is one of the most technically challenging roles in the repertory. The documentary filmmakers followed The Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School closely for three months, capturing a wonderful glimpse into the classic production. Broadcast details will be released shortly. Follow our Twitter account and check this page for updates. The Royal Opera House and the BBC are partners.

Just thought I would open a new topic on the 2017 BBC young dancer competition. I am starting to hear of dancers who have been selected for the classical final. Also waiting to hear about a couple of the contemporary competitors. Hoping that this competition will continue to develop and attract high level competitors.

I have just received an email informing me that Northern Ballet's 1984 will be shown on BBC4 on 28th February! Susan

According to the Daily Telegraph article provided in today's Links http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/bbc/12009837/Male-ballet-dancers-are-now-centre-stage-says-Darcey-Bussell.html, "The programme [Darcey's Ballet Heroes] is intended to be broadcast at the end of the BBC's Year of Song and Dance, and will be joined by documentaries about Nureyev, Acosta, and Pina Bausch." Can't say I'd been particularly aware of the "Year of Song and Dance", but there you are.

It appears that the Bolshoi Theatre has given permission for some kind of fly-on-the-wall documentary to be filmed by the BBC over the coming months for transmission next year: http://realscreen.com/2013/11/29/idfa-13-bbc-to-examine-scandal-struck-bolshoi-ballet/ The management may well be hoping that all the fuss of the last year will be over by the time the cameras arrive!

Copying this over from the Links page: sounds like good news, and I hope it's a sign of things to come now Tony Hall's in charge there, because the BBC's TV coverage of non-Proms arts material has been generally poor this year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24417410

From this week's links: "It's about the history of dance and looking at the divas of the ballet world. I'll be travelling to Russia to speak to a lot of dancers over there." I wonder if she'll be speaking to ... ? http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/427647/Strictly-confidential-Strictly-Come-Dancing-s-Darcey-Bussell-reveals-all

John flagged this in Today's Links yesterday, but I thought it worth repeating here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2012/imagine-summer.html