Green fingers on BBC Two

Theroux looks perplexed by his weird weekend

Gardening series dominate the new winter schedule on BBC Two - with the channel unveiling three new horticultural programmes.

Designer Dan Pearson arrives from Channel 4's Home Front to lead his own show, A Year At Home Farm: The Garden With Dan Pearson.

The series follows 12 months in the life of Pearson's garden.

Also tempting gardeners inside will be The Curious Gardeners featuring Gordon Taylor, 65, and Guy Cooper, 66, who are being billed as the green-fingered equivalents of the Two Fat Ladies.

Dan Pearson shows BBC Two viewers his secrets

The pair, who have designed gardens for a number of celebrities including Sir Elton John, will travel the country in a vintage Alvis car looking at the contrasts in British horticulture.

The Flying Gardener, presented by Chris Beardshaw, completes the horticultural hat-trick.

Controller Jane Root said: "BBC Two has always done a lot of gardening. It is one of the things our audience really likes.

"And we think the formats that we have will be very popular with that audience."

Christopher Lee reads horror on BBC Two

Other programmes include another Louis Theroux Weird Weekend, with magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee.

There is also new comedy with The Royle Family's Ralf Little, who joins Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard in a new show called Two Pints of Lager (And A Packet of Crisps).

There is also epic drama in a ten part adaptation of Tim Pears' acclaimed novel In a Land of Plenty, which tells the epic story of a middle-class English family over 40 years, featuring Anna Karenina star Helen McRory.

BBC Two will be marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria with a week of special programmes.

Gary Lineker lines up for science

A series of documentaries will sketch a social history of her reign examining issues ranging from the Victorian psyche to the architecture of the time.

The channel also announced its Christmas schedule with Gary Lineker fronting a family-friendly science series called Are You Superhuman? about the power of the human body.

Horror actor Christopher Lee will read ghost stories by MR James, while Trouble At The Top will attempt to to unravel the past 12 months at the Millennium Dome.