TV Times - 15 - 21 March 2008

This week's highlight asks if the input and involvement of actors, musicians and artists in the revolutionary activities of 1968 helped to change the course of Western society in any way.

Submitted by Lone Wolf on March 15, 2008

An examination of events in Iraq since the incursion, the death penalty methodology and the illegal body part trade all also feature in this weeks top choices of political programming.

Sunday 16 March - 7 - 8pm - Channel 4 - Dispatches: Iraq's Lost Generation
This Dispatches special, part of the "Happy Birthday Iraq" season, which marks the fifth anniversary of the incursion, examines what has been deemed to be the most catastrophic refugee crisis in the Middle East since the Palestinian diaspora of 1948.

Pick of the Week :rb:
Sunday 16 March - 11.15pm - 12.15am - ITV1 - The South Bank Show - Revolution 68
In the year in which violent protests occurred in Paris, Prague and Chicago, this edition of the arts programme explores the role of writers, actors and musicians in the street battles and asks whether they helped change Western society.

Monday 17 March - 8 - 9pm - Channel 4 - Dispatches: Iraq: The Betrayal
In this disturbing documentary, right-wing journalist Peter Osbourne accompanies Foreign Secretary David Milliband as he visits Iraq and meets the generals, politicians and militia who will determine the country's future. He uncovers a nation he believes is reverting to violent feudalism and examines the potentially catastrophic consequences for people on the streets of Britain.

Monday 17 March - 9 - 10.50pm - Channel 4 - Battle for Haditha
This brutal war drama, based on an actual incident, was directed by Nick Broomfield. When a convoy of US marines is bombed by Iraqi insurgents and a popular officer dies, the soldiers retaliate by storming houses in search of the perpetrators in the village of Haditha, resulting in the slaughter of women and children.

Monday 17 March - 10.35 - 11.35pm - ITV1 - Rageh Omaar - the Iraq War by Numbers
This documentary reveals the personal stories behind the statistics generated by the conflict; those statistics themselves are chilling - one in seven Iraqis has left their home, four million have fled the country and it is estimated that between 150,000 and one million have been killed.

Monday 17 March - 10.45 - 11.55pm - More4 - On That Day
Nick Broomfield's son Barney here delivers a horrifying documentary about the Hadithan civilian massacre following on from his father's dramatic portrayal of events shown earlier in the evening.
The vengeful rampage of the marines, subsequent cover-up, botched, fudged legal process and suggestion that the soldiers feelings were not even atypical are all unflinchingly documented.

Tuesday 18 March - 7 - 7.50pm - BBC2 - This World - Lethal Solution
Death by lethal injection is supposed to be a humane method of execution, but can result in a prolonged and painful end if maladministered. As the US Supreme Court considers whether this violates the constitution's prohibition against "cruel and unusual punishment", some of those involved in the controversy are here interviewed.

Tuesday 18 March - 9 - 9.50pm - BBC2 - Horizon - How Much Is Your Dead Body Worth?
With the number of body parts donated to medical science failing to meet demand, US hospitals are being forced to turn to "tissue brokers" for their corpse-related needs. Horizon here meets this poorly regulated world, where, with the value of a single cadaver rising to hundreds of thousands of pounds, the industry has spawned a black market trade in stolen body parts. Unscrupulous individuals are featured here such as the former dentist who became the head of an illegal body-brokering ring.

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