Stars to examine passions on BBC Four

Stars including Paul Merton, Richard Wilson and Penelope Keith are to present programmes about their personal passions as part of a new strand on BBC Four.

Merton will review the early career of Alfred Hitchcock and in particular the director's earlier silent films, while Wilson and Keith will both indulge in The Joy of Motoring, a mini-series examining a bygone age of vehicular pleasure. Merton's rival team captain on Have I Got News For You, Ian Hislop, will present The Golden Age of Steam, looking at British Railways' painful transition from steam.

The personal documentaries join a plethora of science programmes on the channel's autumn schedule.