In 1999, John Peel presented a series of six documentaries tracing the previous 100 years of folk music, focusing mainly on that from the British Isles. Broadcast on BBC Radio Two, in August and September, repeated in November and December. The shows were produced by John Leonard at the Smooth Operations company and it is not known whether Peel had any input on the scripts. In the first programme he mentions that he has always had "a soft spot" for folk music, and most episodes in the series have contributions from artists previously featured in session or on record on his programmes. The fourth programme in particular includes several artists (such as Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span) who were played often by Peel and regularly did sessions in the 1960s and 1970s.