This weeks viewing highlights include documentaries on the consequences of both regeneration and globalisation.
Pepys estate, Deptford
This week viewing highlights the perils and consequences of a wide range of political and economic structures and policies. These include urban regeneration, outsourcing and globalisation and paedophile tracking methodologies.
Mon 25 June - 8.30 - 9pm - BBC1 - Panorama - Trust Me I'm Gordon, Not Tony
In this week's edition, reporter John Ware investigates Gordon Brown's relationship with the truth.
Pick of the Week :rb:
Mon 25 June - 10.35 - 11.25pm - BBC1 - The Tower - 1/8
This observational documentary took three years to film, giving the crew time to get to know the residents of the Pepys estate in Deptford, South-East London. The biggest tower on the estate is being "regenerated" into new prohibitively expensive private apartments. The tower is considered a prime location being situated next to the Thames and opposite Canary Wharf. The documentary shows the increased gap between rich and poor engendered by this move without making any overt political points. The residents of the surrounding council estate are simply filmed going about their everyday lives. The contrasts and disparities are there for all to see who wish to see.
Tue 26 June - 10 - 11pm - BBC4 - Paris Brothel
This documentary explores the history of the state-authorised brothels of pre-war Paris, which served the French cultural and political elite from the days of Napoleon until their closure in 1948.
Wed 27 June - 9 - 10pm - BBC1 - Britain's Most Wanted Paedophiles
Reporter Mark Daly (who went undercover for The Secret Policeman) goes on the hunt for five convicted and dangerous paedophiles who, utterly unsurprisingly, failed to comply with supervision on release orders and went on the run. In an attempt to reassure parents the government announced plans to flush them out of hiding and a police agency consequently publicised their disappearance via the relatively new web initiative known as CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection). Mark Daly also meets victims of the missing men and asks if this initiative is paving the way for naming and shaming all convicted paedophiles. Hopefully the documentary will consider the pros and cons of this move.
Wed 27 June - 10 - 10.30pm - BBC4 - Office Tigers - 1/4
Part of the Storyville strand, this documentary series illustrates the consequences of globalisation in microcosm in the day to day running of an outsourcing business in Chennai, India. A workaholic former Goldman Sachs banker who lives in a hotel moved to Chennai six years ago to set up the call centre. Upsettingly, his minions are seen working constantly on 18 hour shifts and being grateful for the work.
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