TV blog Feed

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer now

2016-06-01T09:05:11+00:00

Seals, skips and more send to all texts – catch these brill moments until Friday, 10 June on BBC iPlayer.

This emotional tale of a lost seal pup that’s as gripping as any drama

See the dangers facing seals and other animals in rural Scotland – Highlands – Scotland’s Wild Heart, BBC One Scotland

The best use of the word ‘shod’ you’ll hear this week (probably)

See how Nina’s fitting in – Love, Nina, BBC One

Alex Jones’ sheer range of emotions as Michael McIntyre types her ‘send to all’ message

Find out who replied – Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, BBC One

Ross Noble imagines Prince Harry’s life – as told by horses

See what else was discussed under host Gary Lineker’s watch – Have I Got News For You, BBC One

Trying to explain technology to your boyfriend’s mum

Get to know the new addition to the family, Kelly – Mum, BBC Two

Matt Lucas playing a donkey is everything you’d hope it would be

See his take on Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, BBC One

And finally, more confetti than an English country wedding at Radio 1’s Big Weekend

Watch performance highlights from the massive music event – BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend

And if you want to see what Springwatch’s Chris Packham picks out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Liz Bonnin’s most memorable experience filming Nature’s Epic Journeys

2016-05-24T10:25:00+00:00

There were so many breath-taking moments during Nature’s Epic Journeys but I think the most enduring one for me was watching Nxai Pan, a 2,500km squared salt flat in North-eastern Botswana, come to life during the rainy season.

We arrived at the end of the dry season when the entire pan was dry and cracked, and the place appeared devoid of any life. But with the arrival of the rains, the power of Mother Nature thundered down upon it.

The steel sky began to flash with lightning in the distance and the rains descended upon the arid flats with such force that the entire area flooded at first.

In a matter of days, the electric green hue of new vegetation began to spread and an abundance of insects, birds and mammals began to appear in the most extraordinary fashion – you couldn’t help but wonder where they all had been hiding.

It felt like this incredible celebration of wildlife had begun, the entire area was transformed. It burst into life, and we were the privileged spectators.

The zebra that we were following here were also part of this gathering and because they seem to time their migration south from Chobe National Park perfectly, many were giving birth in the pan just as the freshest most nutritious grasses were pushing through the earth.

I’ll never forget watching a new born foal, just minutes old, getting on its feet for the first time. Its mother was gently nudging it, with the stallion proudly standing watch, keeping all others away with loud snorts and hoof stamps.

The frail, delicate little foal, its hair still wet, was on its feet one minute and fast asleep from the excitement of new life the next.

The other members of the herd gingerly approached the mother and foal when the time was right, and finally after an hour or so, the little one had the energy to skip off into the shade of the tree line with its mother, as the sun climbed higher in the sky.

It was such an incredible moment to witness, and for me it encapsulated everything that these mammoth migrations are about.

These animals take on so many seemingly insurmountable dangers and obstacles, risking their lives each year, so they can give the next generation the very best start in life.

Liz Bonnin presents Nature's Epic Journeys.

The series continues on Wednesday, 25 May at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode is available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Read cameraman Bob Poole's memories of filming Nature's Epic Journeys

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Get outta my pub! Stars' Twitter tributes to EastEnders' Peggy Mitchell

2016-05-17T16:30:47+00:00

It's official. One of the most famous women to ever cross Albert Square will be doing so for the last time in a special episode of EastEnders on Tuesday, 17 May.

No-nonsense mum to Grant and Phil, Peggy Mitchell is also one of the best-loved Queen Vic landladies in the soap's history. So in tribute to Peggy - and to the always bubbly Barbara Windsor - these famous faces have been trying out her infamous line: "GET OUTTA MY PUB!"

Actor Dominic West gives a convincing rendition from the comfort of The One Show couch

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While Graham Norton gets straight to the point

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Even the cast of new Doctor Who spin-off, Class got involved

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Meanwhile, Carol Kirkwood is predicting a Peggy storm

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And news of Peggy's departure even reached Brentford's premier radio station

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We reckon EastEnders' casting agents would be impressed with Dermot's attempt

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This lot tried out a new catchphrase for the day

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And Lord Sugar showed how a fellow east-Londoner does it

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But of course, no-one nailed it quite like the EastEnders cast themselves

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Watch Barbara Windsor's take on the line over the years

Peggy Mitchell's final episode of EastEnders is broadcast on Tuesday, 17 May at 7.25pm on BBC One. It will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Awe-inspiring moments from Nature's Epic Journeys

2016-05-10T14:15:19+00:00

Filming in the Samburu desert, Kenya during mating season, cameraman Bob Poole came face-to-face with bull elephants in musth – a heightened state of agitation as they search for a mate. Here he tells the story of one elephant in particular, who the conservation staff named Matt, and why he’ll never see zebras in the same way again…

Being in the presence of Matt the musth bull was totally awe-inspiring.

The first day we saw him in person was amazing. He was resting under the shade of the only tree on a flat plain. I approached him slowly in my Land Rover, making sure not to drive straight at him. At about 50 metres away I stopped to have a good look at him and make my first shot with the camera.

The moment Bob first encountered Matt the bull elephant

He was in full musth, with a swollen head, his temporal glands sweating heavily, and he was dribbling a constant flow of pungent urine. He was huge and his tusks - one broken, the other long and thick curving inward - gave Matt a kind of extra intense look about him.

He didn’t move much at first, just resting and taking giant breaths, blowing dust around his feet as he exhaled, occasionally flapping his massive ears that slapped against his body. Matt was awesome, even as he stood dozing.

Slowly he leaned forward as if he was preparing to rub his thick skin against the bark of the tree, but his huge head just kept going forward and in an instant he was coming at us in a full charge.

I had just enough time to get the engine going and get way and when it was over my hands were shaking. Matt had introduced himself to us in a way to make it clear that he was to be respected.

I was also lucky enough to film a population of zebras for the third episode of Nature's Epic Journeys in Botswana, undertaking an exciting, and newly discovered migration - now known as the longest migration of any animal in Africa.

Growing up in Kenya, I’ve seen zebras all my life, but I’ve never really looked at them. It amazed me to learn that I could identify individual zebras in a herd. When you look closely you notice that each of them has a unique pattern on their stripes. Closer observation reveals cuts and scars; many surely from lions.

At first it was hard to tell the males from the females and which individuals belonged to which family, but over time it became easy to recognise. Now I see zebras as individuals who belong to family groups with close ties to each other.

Bob Poole is a cameraman on Nature's Epic Journeys.

The series starts on Wednesday, 11 May at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

In the Club: Bringing Jasmin’s storyline to life

2016-05-03T16:10:53+00:00

As the painfully honest and utterly heartwarming series about motherhood returns, new mum Jasmin is not only trying to repair her marriage, but is pregnant again - with twins. And when it’s revealed there could be complications, her strength is truly put to the test.

My character, Jasmin, is usually the confident, dry-humoured, sociable one. She has no filter with what she says and when it comes to her relationship with Dev, she is definitely in charge!

She adores Dev, but doesn’t show it in the conventional way. She isn’t an overly affectionate wife to him and she certainly doesn’t like to be made a fuss of. To make matters worse, her own mother and mother-in-law are now living with them, adding to the pressure of raising their daughter, Amber.

She was so scared of being a new mum the first time around, so finding out she’s pregnant again with twins catches her completely off guard.

She’d only just begun to find a nice balance of being a new mum to Amber. Jas and Dev had only just come out of the aftermath of her affair. When she finds out that there are complications with the twins she wholeheartedly blames herself, believing it’s bad karma for her previous actions.

In this series we see the vulnerable side of Jasmin which she usually keeps locked away. The impact of having such devastating news really takes its toll and from the off we see her crumble under the pressure. Her steely determination and force of will, shaky at first, pull her through.

Jasmin struggles to come to grips with needing an operation

The show’s writer, Kay Mellor, was approached to do this story about twin pregnancy from a lead obstetrician who wanted the subject matter to be known more widely. I had a wealth of resources on hand at all times so I could tell the story as truthfully a possible.

For me, I really learned how terrified parents can be, finding out that they are having twins, worrying about the cost and the sheer amount of emotion and physical pain a woman goes through carrying two babies.

We worked a lot on movement too - how low the baby is sitting, the pace you would walk. A midwife was always at hand to guide me and I watched videos of pregnant women carrying twins and chatted to women who have been pregnant with twins too.

We had a lot of supporting artists who were really pregnant on set most days, so I could always watch them and ask questions.

I couldn’t just jump up to get off the sofa or even sit down without much help and support. I usually walk as quick as lightning so carrying this huge, heavy bump and walking like a snail took some getting used to!

Jasmin is so determined to make things right after her affair and really does feel alone in making the right decision for the sake of her unborn babies. Dev and her family mean well, but only she can make the decision. She just doesn’t know what the right one is.

She is reluctant at first, but later fully embraces her friends, showing their unconditional support as they all rally around to make things as smooth for her as possible - including one very tricky baby naming ceremony for Amber.

They’ve all kept in touch since meeting at a parenting class and understand that they are all navigating their own way through motherhood, each with their own issues.

Taj Atwal plays Jasmin in In The Club.

In The Club, series two starts on Tuesday, 3 March at 9pm on BBC One. It will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Remind yourself what happened in series one by watching In The Club: The Story So Far, available to watch in BBC iPlayer until Thursday, 2 June.

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-26T12:00:29+00:00

Tune in for some surprising royal TV, a message from space and plenty of awkward moments (mostly thanks to Katie Hopkins). Be warned, there are spoilers…

Prince Charles tries to out-Shakespeare David Tennant and Benedict Cumberbatch...

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See more from the star-studded celebration – Shakespeare Live! At the RSC, BBC Two

...and showed us that even the royals let their parents bury them in the sand on holiday

See the royal family’s home videos – Elizabeth at 90 – a Family Tribute, BBC One

Matt LeBlanc learns why car doors should not be taken for granted

Watch him burn some desert rubber – Preview: Top Gear, BBC Two

When Katie Hopkins disses your hair colour

See how Angela Scanlon got on with the tabloid queen – Angela Scanlon’s Close Encounters, BBC Three

And finally - being on the moon away didn’t stop Tim Peake from running the London Marathon, harnessed to a treadmill in the International Space Station

See Tim launching the 2016 race – London Marathon 2016 Highlights, BBC Sport

And if you want to see what actor Tyger Drew-Honey picks out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-18T13:10:03+00:00

From brilliant babies to glorious goals – remember, there may be spoilers…

When you realise that Michael McIntyre has your phone - and has discovered the ‘send to all’ function

Find out how Michael embarrasses Geri – Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, BBC One

We don’t think Dawn O’Porter will be hiring Angela Scanlon as her stylist any time soon…

See what happened when Angela met Dawn – Angela Scanlon’s Close Encounters, BBC Three

When an 18-year-old slips a goal of pure class straight past you…

Watch Marcus Rashford’s worldy against West Ham – The FA Cup, BBC One

Meet Pat, who has lovingly looked after almost 8,000 babies and counting

See inside the UK's only private maternity hospital – Five Star Babies: Inside Portland Hospital, BBC Two

And finally… these schoolgirls’ reactions when they realise celebrity Nick Jonas is driving them home…

Find out why their school trip was taken over – The School Run, BBC Radio 1

And if you want to see what Michael Ball picks out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-12T11:20:03+00:00

Featuring marvellous animals, surprising artefacts and one incredible speech… Remember, this may contain spoilers.

When Ricky Wilson ‘just had something in his eye’ – it’s OK to cry, Ricky, you’re only human

See Ricky getting emotional about Kevin – The Voice, BBC One

Keeley Hawes’ character Lindsay Denton refuses to go down without a fight in the courtroom

Watch her face her toughest opponent yet – Line of Duty, BBC Two

Racoon belly rub, anyone? This one likes to wash her hands, too

Meet Lola the pet racoon – Pet Island, BBC One Northern Ireland

Who lives in a head like this? Is this the hardest quiz show round ever?

See who these bald heads belong to – Have I Got News For You, BBC One

Dan Snow is introduced to a lesser-known York attraction… Viking poo

See what excrement can teach us about the Vikings – The Vikings Uncovered, BBC One

And finally… ‘One word out of a million comes to mind – acceptance’

Be inspired by one man’s heart-warming speech or watch the whole series – Employable Me, BBC Two

And if you want to see what Car Share’s Sian Gibson picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Exclusive Happy Valley deleted scenes: Head back to TV’s most troubled town

2016-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

Has there been a Happy Valley-shaped hole in your life since we left Catherine Cawood looking warily at her grandson – with something like fear as well as love in her eyes? Course there has. It’s a good job, then, that we just happened to get our telly-hungry hands on these exclusive deleted scenes…

Each one gives us a little more insight into our favourite characters, from Catherine’s empathy to Vicky’s doe-eyed manipulation and Ann’s tendency towards hero-worship.

'Please… let me go'

John pleads with Vicky to take the money and “call it a day”. Unsurprisingly, she’s not easily convinced.

'There’s things you should know…'

Ever wondered why Clare dreaded Helen’s funeral? She reveals the depth of their friendship to Neil in this quiet, intimate scene.

'Our Daniel’s been having a fling'

Catherine finds there’s more to Daniel’s break-up than he was letting on – after showing her usual kindness to a vulnerable local resident.

'I saw her, I think'

Could Frances really be the woman they’re looking for, since Catherine reckons “she doesn’t look like she could knock the skin off a rice pudding”?

'You stick with me, kid'

Ann has always looked up to Catherine, but has she found a new mentor in Jodie?

'OK. Good boy…'

Just in case you need a reminder of how unsettling Frances really is…

'What would you do?'

We like the understanding between Mrs Beresford and Catherine; two pros seasoned in the daily trials of the Valley.

You can get more from Happy Valley on the programme page, and revisit everything you loved about series two.

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-04-04T10:38:35+00:00

This week’s TV is all about love, lies and one massive leap of faith…

Esteemed actor Adrian Lester tries out a new look in Undercover…

Watch the awkward moment on BBC iPlayer– Undercover, BBC One

This look of pure young love

Watch their stolen moments together – Murdered by My Father, BBC Three

The realisation that Bake Off Crème de la Crème is not all fuzzy and warm

See the professionals under stress – Bake Off Crème de la Crème, BBC Two

This giant leap for quiz-kind

See what this contestant endured to win prizes – Can’t Touch This, BBC One

When someone tells you make-up is just advertising fertility

See why Connie is so shocked about the world of beauty– Connie Fisher on Make-Up, BBC One Wales

And finally, we couldn’t miss the impending return of Top Gear – complete with fancy dress…

Watch Matt LeBlanc being thoroughly unimpressed – Top Gear, BBC Two

And if you want to see what TV presenter Dermot O’Leary picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Must-see telly moments – on BBC iPlayer

2016-03-29T15:00:00+00:00

See the most scene-stealing instances from the latest TV shows - complete with more drama (and laughter) than a family Easter. Remember, there may be spoilers…

Fear? Regret? Relief? Ivy is still a mystery…

Watch the explosive drama finale - Thirteen, BBC Three

The moment the nation held its breath with Olivia Colman

Watch now on BBC iPlayer – The Night Manager, BBC One

When presenting dream team Matt and Alex totally lost the plot

Watch them corpsing while live on air – The Sport Relief Games Show, BBC One

Paloma Faith throws everything – including her shoe – at the coaches’ performance

Watch the coaches’ performance on BBC iPlayer – The Voice UK, BBC One

And finally, this masterclass in giving evils…

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Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer – Line of Duty, BBC Two

And if you want to see what Pub Landlord comedian Al Murray picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Why family is at the heart of The A Word

2016-03-22T17:00:48+00:00

The Hughes family in new BBC One drama The A Word has all the love and humour of a family you'd want to be raised in. But this seemingly-perfect unit is challenged like never before when its youngest member, Joe, is diagnosed with autism.

Playing mum to Joe in the drama written by Peter Bowker is actress Morven Christie, who found herself as overwhelmed with love for this family as her own character, Alison.

My character, Alison, is quite a bullish person. She doesn’t really receive any piece of information without resisting at first. And she goes at everything full pelt. So when she gets the diagnosis that her son, Joe, is on the autism spectrum she just says to herself: “Right, this road has now opened up, this is the direction” and she just goes down that path.

She absolutely dotes on her son. She wants to make the world easier to negotiate and just make life a safer place for him to be in. But she doesn’t necessarily go about things in the right way. She doesn’t know what the right way is, but she’s also not afraid of upsetting people on the route. She’s single-minded.

Alison and her husband Paul have different ways of dealing with it. It causes quite a wedge in the marriage and relationship. Alison’s primary characteristic is that she’s forthright: she’ll go after things. She’s very much like her father. Her dad Maurice, played by Christopher Eccleston, is very much: “I will do things my way, I’ve got the best idea”. But Paul’s thing is: “Oh it will be fine, just leave him be, let him get on with it”.

But these are two people who love each other immensely. Their reactions to this bombshell are very different and that does cause problems between them. The realisations are coming on them like slaps in the face. But ultimately they’re both coming from the same place which is loving Joe and wanting to make everything OK for him.

And I still have hope for them! They are written as a couple that has, from the outside, the perfect marriage. They laugh with each other, they’re sexy with each other, they have fun with each other, they can fight without it really mattering too much. But this does expose the fault lines, essentially.

The whole family becomes involved and I think Alison is quite resentful of that. I don’t think she appreciates having the opinions of others. It’s quite an instinctive, mothering thing. That this is my young, this is my journey, this is mine to protect. But it does take that whole village to raise that child doesn’t it? And so ultimately this family needs to find a way to function, but they just can’t agree on it and that’s the problem.

I felt massively protective over Max Vento, who plays Joe. As the series develops, Max and I have a lot of scenes together, so it was often just the two of us. It was sometimes really tough, but he was my little buddy. It was lovely when I got here this morning and our publicist said: “Max really misses you” and I was like: “I miss him too!” And I really do.

But Joe is no more indicative of a child with autism than I am indicative of every female. If I’ve learned anything it’s that to meet one child on the spectrum means you’ve met one child – because they are so different to one another.

Morven Christie plays Alison Hughes in The A Word.

The A Word starts on Tuesday, 22 March at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Everything you loved about Happy Valley, series two

2016-03-15T21:59:29+00:00

Back in early February, the rolling hills, embittered northern sarcasm and unmistakable sound of Jake Bugg’s Trouble Town meant one thing: Happy Valley was back. And this made a lot of people very happy indeed…

We’re not quite ready for the series to be over just yet. So let’s relive the moments that got you talking in this in-depth look at your reactions.

*Spoiler alert* this post talks about the entire series, so turn back if you’re not up to speed.

This external content is available at its source: #HappyValley utterly utterly brilliant. Each character so well written, so perfectly played, each weave, each turn @BBCOne can't wait a week

This external content is available at its source: Writing, acting, directing - all absolutely extraordinary. As good as anything going on in TV drama anywhere in the world. #HappyValley

Episode one opened with Catherine’s grim tales of a bunch of lads “off their heads on acid” who steal a sheep and release it – only for the poor animal to be mauled by dogs.

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And the famous faces joining the cast proved a hit too:

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But sadly Neville’s Matthew’s new moustache proved less popular:

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This series we were introduced to Vicky, played by Amelia Bullmore, and immediately people sniffed out that this was not a woman not to be messed with:

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And some people had their own insights into her compromising snaps of John:

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In episode two, villain Tommy Lee Royce is allowed to attend his mother’s funeral – and no way was Catherine passing up the opportunity to show her face:

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Though some of you were wishing Tommy’s suit looked a little more like this:

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Catherine and the murdered Lynn Dewhurst had history. And Catherine was stoically refusing to provide an alibi. Had she actually committed this crime? You had your theories…

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Oh, and everyone was totally right about Vicky, who tried to blackmail cop John to the tune of £1000 a month. So when adulterous John lost the plot and killed her, the Twittersphere reacted thusly:

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But gratefully there was some relief with the introduction of the ever-so sweet and bullish Winnie:

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Episode three opened with Catherine reluctantly attending a therapy session. So how would our no-nonsense cop find talking about her innermost thoughts and feelings?

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And when we learned she’s got secret nicknames at work, she wasn’t the only one trying to guess them. These moments were honestly some of the best parts of the series.

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And Catherine’s fall out with police receptionist Joyce provided one of our favourite scenes and lines from the series so far: when she gave her a cactus to say sorry.

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Meanwhile, John attended the autopsy of Vicky, the woman he secretly murdered. And somehow Vicky still managed to steal the scene:

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But it was another relationship that really gave us the creeps…

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Episode four saw the Cawoods celebrating little Ryan’s birthday. A tough time as it falls close to the anniversary of his mum Becky’s death. So a surprise gift seemingly from Ryan’s violent dad just tipped Catherine (and us) over the edge:

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After he’s identified by Leonie and found to have links with other prostitutes, Sean is arrested for murder. But you weren’t all buying it:

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In a seemingly unrelated incident (eyebrows raised), Daryl flips out when local bullies taunt him outside the shop, and attacks them with a lump hammer. Cue a new prime suspect…

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Episode five featured lots of people being drunk, actually, and it all went down rather well.

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And Frances hatched a plan to hurt Catherine…

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And with all fingers now pointing to Neil as the murderer after his drunken relapse, some of you were genuinely surprised when Daryl admitted his guilt to his mum:

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But nothing could prepare us for how Darryl’s mum Alison dealt with the news…

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Finale time now, and the truth unravelled about what happened in Alison and Daryl’s kitchen…

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But amid the tension, Catherine still finds the time to deliver this killer line:

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Catherine finally discovers Frances used her dead sister’s credentials to get a teaching assistant post at Ryan’s school. And when Catherine decides to pay Frances a visit at home, we were all on the edge of our seats...

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When it’s revealed that Daryl didn’t kill Vicky, Catherine susses that it was John, and an incredible stand-off ensues…

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So with the murders solved, Catherine should feel relieved. So why is she looking at Ryan like that?

The final episode of Happy Valley, series two will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer until 11pm on Thursday, 14 April 2016.

Must see moments of the week – on BBC iPlayer

2016-03-10T16:58:38+00:00

What were the most scene-stealing ‘did I just see...’ and ‘what just happened...’ moments of telly this week? Here goes:

Put Kate Humble in a darts outfit and this is what you get

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Let's Play Darts for Sport Relief, BBC Two

Catherine Cawood shows her mettle – but who is she taking down?

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Happy Valley, BBC One (this clip contains strong language)

When you realise you weren't invited to the stag party for a reason

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Stag, BBC Two

Tough guy Steve Backshall presents the face of regret on his epic climb

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge, BBC Two

Don’t look down! Ivy’s spooked back at her kidnapper’s home

Watch the moment on BBC iPlayer - Thirteen, BBC Three

And if you want to see what Frank Skinner and John Bradley (Game of Thrones, Shameless) picked out on BBC iPlayer this week you can watch Frank Skinner On Demand With...

Busting myths and unearthing secrets: The real people of Pompeii

2016-03-03T10:30:48+00:00

Apart from the volcanic eruption, what do we really know about the ancient town of Pompeii?

In her documentary Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed, Mary Beard finds out what life was like in the bustling town - from what the people enjoyed baking to where they spent their free time…

The ancient ruins of Pompeii are full of surprises. Whether it is the suites of Roman baths in almost working order, the seedy town brothel, or simply the deserted streets - where you can almost imagine that a resident from 2000 years ago might any minute appear round the corner.

I have been visiting Pompeii for over 40 years now, and every time I go I find something I haven’t seen before. But making our documentary, Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed, I got a chance to see – and to share – all kinds of things that surprised even me.

The volcanic eruption that destroyed the town in AD 79 preserved some very unexpected treasures. One of the highlights of the programme was my first visit to the bio-archaeological deposit on the site. That doesn’t immediately sound very exciting, but the “deposit” is something close to an Aladdin’s cave containing all the food-stuffs that were carbonised when the burning volcanic debris fell on the town, and recovered by archaeologists hundreds of years later.

There are literally jars and jars of dates, figs, pomegranates and olives, all straight from the Pompeian kitchens. There are even baskets of eggs and a few very overcooked loaves that were still in the oven when the bakers decided to run for their lives.

It’s hard not to feel a bit moved at the thought that daily life was going on, some of the bakeries still in full swing, when it was all suddenly cut short by the devastating eruption. Even more affecting are the actual remains of many of the human victims.

Very respectfully, and with the help of a medical CT scanner, we were able to examine some of these remains much more closely than had ever been done before. We wanted to find the answers to some big questions about the real people of Pompeii – about how old they were when they perished, for example, or about their state of health, particularly their teeth.

We managed to bust a few myths. It wasn’t just the old and infirm that were the victims, while the young and fit escaped. There were plenty of twenty-somethings among the remains of the people we looked at. And, despite the wholesome diet we had glimpsed in the deposit, there were a good few whose teeth looked like they’d been drinking the ancient equivalent of fizzy drinks (honey and wine, perhaps).

Pompeii is inevitably a world tinged with sadness and death. But we explored the places where people had fun too, from the swimming pools to the saunas, the bars to the brothel (though I’m afraid “fun” isn’t what the working girls had there).

And I got my very first chance to impersonate a Roman launderer. In one large-scale laundry that has only recently been carefully restored, I actually managed to climb into large vats where the launderers used to spend their days trampling the clothes underfoot in the best cleaning and treatment substance that the Romans knew: human urine, collected in industrial quantities in vats at the front door.

That is how you got your toga clean – and it’s a nice reminder that the Romans were not quite as much like us as we sometimes imagine.

Professor Mary Beard is a classicist and the presenter of Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard.

Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard is broadcast on Thursday, 3 March at 9pm on BBC One.

It will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.