Saturday 1st December 2012
Michael Jackson: Bad 25 |
BBC 2, 9.45pm - 12midnight
Oscar-nominated director Spike Lee's forensic documentary assessment and celebration of Michael Jackson's 1987 blockbuster album, the follow-up to Thriller. With over 40 interviews conducted by Lee himself with those involved in the making of the album, the accompanying videos and the tour, this fastmoving but epic film is a detailed study of Jackson's second blockbuster album which went on to sell over 45 million units worldwide and included 5 consecutive US Number 1 singles and such classics as The Way You Make Me Feel, Bad, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal etc.
Interviewees include Martin Scorsese, Walter Yetnikoff, Kanye West, Ce-Lo Green and Sheryl Crow who was a backing singer on the BAD tour.
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Sunday 2nd December 2012
| Return to Forgotten Britain (2/2) |
BBC 2, 8.00pm - 9.00pm
In the series 'Forgotten Britain', the BBC's foreign correspondent Fergal Keane took a journey closer to home to see how some of Britain's hard-pressed communities were managing at the turn of the millennium. Twelve years on, he returns to Govan in Glasgow and the Lincoln Green housing estate in Leeds to find out what happened to the inspiring families he met then, and how they are coping today.
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Monday 3rd December 2012
| The Royal Variety Performance |
ITV 1, 7.30pm - 10.15pm
David Walliams hosts the 100th Royal Variety Performance from The Royal Albert Hall. The star-studded line-up includes Robbie Williams, Neil Diamond, Girls Aloud, One Direction, Rod Stewart, Kylie Minogue, Ashleigh and Pudsey, the cast of the hit musical Matilda, Katherine Jenkins and Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli and Alicia Keys. Amanda Holden also introduces a celebratory anniversary performance from the stars of Britain's Got Talent, and more laughs are provided by Alan Carr, Rhod Gilbert, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Ronnie Corbett, Bill Bailey, Bradley Walsh, Jimmy Tarbuck and Des O'Connor.
| The Chinese are Coming |
Channel 4, 8.00pm - 8.30pm
Dispatches investigates growing Chinese power in the UK, and reveals how British politicians are influenced by the Chinese government.
| Stephen Fry: Gadget Man (3/6) |
Channel 4, 8.30pm - 9.00pm
Stephen looks at gadgets that make work easier and more fun and meets up with Lord Sugar to road test some of the latest work saving gizmos.
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Tuesday 4th December 2012
| Britain on Film (5/10) |
BBC 4, 8.30pm - 9.00pm
Throughout the 1960s, the Rank Organisation produced hundreds of short, quirky documentaries that examined all aspects of life in Britain. Shot on high-quality colour film stock, they were screened in cinemas, but until now very little of the footage has been shown on television. This series draws on this unique archive to offer illuminating and often surprising insights into a pivotal decade in modern British history.
This episode looks at the extraordinary advances in technology during a period when automatic washing machines were transforming life in the home, computers were about to revolutionise the workplace and nuclear power was promising to change the world.
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Wednesday 5th December 2012
| The War on Britain's Roads |
BBC 1, 9.00pm - 10.00pm
Life on Britain's roads can now be seen from a whole new perspective - thanks to the cycle helmet camera. As thirty four million vehicles and thirteen million bikes all try to share the same crowded space, this footage gives us a dramatic and unique insight into the unfolding tension and conflict.
From everyday incidents that get out of hand between cyclists and motorists, to stories of near-death experiences and fatal collisions, this timely documentary shows the battle between two wheels and four has never been so intense.
The programme shows both sides of the story, retelling dramatic incidents from both the cyclist's and driver's point of view. It follows the police on bikes as they chase down errant road users and record more than three thousand offences every year from car and bike users alike. We even see a cyclist who is attempting to police the roads himself, handing out his own 'tickets' for anything from texting behind the wheel, to jumping a red light.
A mother who lost her cyclist daughter in a fatal collision with a cement mixer tells us the extraordinary story of what she did to change cycle safety on our roads, while a black cab driver's own loss changed his opinion about cyclists forever.
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Thursday 6th December 2012
| The Repeat Offenders: Tonight |
ITV 1, 7.30pm - 8.00pm
Although recorded crime is at its lowest level in a generation, rates for re-offending are at a record high. Statistics show that nearly half of those found guilty of a serious crime in the past year, had at least 15 previous convictions or cautions. Which means that a relatively small number of hard-core criminals are responsible for a higher proportion of crimes than ever. Fiona Foster visits Leeds Prison to see what efforts are being made to cut the number of repeat offenders.
| Gorilla Revisited with David Attenborough |
BBC 4, 11.00pm - 12midnight
David Attenborough recounts his very personal experiences with the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. Ever since they were discovered over a century ago, these remarkable creatures have been threatened by loss of habitat, poaching, disease and political instability. But despite all odds their numbers have increased. David tells the extraordinary tale of how conservationists like Dian Fossey have battled to save the mountain gorilla from the brink of extinction.
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Friday 7th December 2012
| Panic Room |
Film4, 9.00pm - 11.10pm
(2002) David Fincher Weekend: Thriller. A mother and daughter (Jodie Foster and Kristen Stewart) are trapped in their new home's safe room by a gang of thieves. Violence/strong language.
| AC/DC Live at River Plate |
BBC 4, 9.00pm - 10.00pm
An AC/DC concert from Buenos Aires in December 2009 when nearly 200,000 fans, over 3 sold-out nights, thunderously welcomed them back after a 13-year absence from Argentina. The programme captures the legendary grandeur, excitement and energy that AC/DC's live performances are renowned for and chronicles one of the largest shows from their massively successful Black Ice World Tour, where they performed to over five million fans in 108 cities in over 28 countries.
Featuring some of the band's classic tracks, including Whole Lotta Rosie, Highway to Hell, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), Back in Black and You Shook Me All Night Long.
