Unsettling would seem to be an apposite way of summing up this weeks viewing, with programmes on subjects such as Western funding of a Middle Eastern nuclear bomb factory, the violent and sudden murder of Americas most prominent and outspoken atheist and a film in which the unfathomable nature and effect of the holocaust are portrayed in an bleakly amusing familial context.
Mon 5 February - 8.30 - 9pm - BBC1 - Panorama - Should I Fight Back?
Reflecting a theme which has been discussed on these boards quite frequently, this weeks edition questions what the response should be when citizens come across crime taking place in their own communities.
Mon 5 February - 9 - 10pm - BBC2 - Nuclear Secrets - 4/5 - Vanunu and the Bomb
The story of one mans fight to expose the truth that a nuclear bomb factory located in the Middle East and belonging to Israel was built with Western support. This brave man was up against one of the most feared intelligence services in the world.
Mon 5 February - 10 - 10.30pm - BBC2 - Trust Me I'm a Healer - 5/6
This wryly cynical and comical strand continues with a look at the work of alleged miracle healer John of God.
Mon 5 February - 11.05pm - 12.05am - Channel 4 - Egomania
A look at what has been dubbed egomania or NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder). Its nine main defining features such as arrogance and lack of empathy are found in many alleged "leaders" and are found at their most extreme in, for example, cult leaders.
Tue 6 February - 11.50pm - 12.20am - BBC4 - The Cult of.. Survivors
The history of the 1970s science-fiction drama in which most of the population, and with them "civilization", is wiped out by a virulent virus and the remainder of the population are left to fend for themsleves and attempt to rebuild some semblance of "society".
Pick of the Week :rb:
Tue 6 February - 6.45 - 9pm - Film 4 - Life is Beautiful
Benigni's multi-award winning film attracted controversy for its unique depiction of the rise of fascism in Italy in the 1930s and of the Holocaust. It is very distinctly a film of two halves - in the first half our gentle hero, something of a comedian, determinedly courts an imperious gentile female. In the process, as a Jewish man and a self-aware one, he mocks those who support and represent fascism, who mostly take the form of pompous bureaucrats. However the much darker second half is set several years later when our hero is married with a child but all Jews and their offspring are transported to concentration camps. Here,to help his son survive psychologically and physically he pretends that they are taking part in a reality gameshow and that when their cellmates are removed and taken to their death it is really just that they have been eliminated from the game and sent home. In my view, a masterpiece in its clever depiction of the atrocious and unfathomable nature of the Holocaust and a tribute to the imagination and courage of humanity under the cosh. Italian with subtitles.
Wed 7 February - 10.30 - 11.30pm - BBC4 - Godless in America
The ever-reliable Storyville strand tells the story of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, founder of American Atheists and once dubbed "most hated woman in America." She was found brutally murdered in 1995.
Fri 9 February - 9 - 10pm - BBC4 - Soul Brittania - 2/3
A look at ska, 2 Tone and politicised reggae sound systems and a portrayal of how, even when the multiracial Specials topped the charts, black acts were still marignalised by the mainstream music industry leading to increased disaffection. Includes a celebration of lovers rock and a look at Bowies' successful dabblings with "white soul".
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