This weeks pick is the definitive account of the US mishandling of the invasion of Iraq.
Other highlights include exposure of the corruption inherent in both the mayoral system of London and the nation's security industry.
Monday 21 January - 8 - 9pm - Channel 4 - Dispatches - The Court of Ken
Londoners will be voting for a new Mayor in a few months time. This edition looks at the workings of the mayoral system, which has a budget of £10 billion pounds of taxpayers money; the current incumbent, Ken Livingstone, has the final say on issues as vital as the running of the capital's transport system, and on deciding which areas are regenerated. This documentary looks at the dangers arising from one individual wielding so much power with what appears to be very little accompanying scrutiny.
Monday 21 January - 8.30 - 9pm - BBC1 - Panorama - Britain's Protection Racket
From CCTV cameras to bouncers, Britain's security industry, currently worth £7 billion pounds, has its illegal activities exposed in this edition.
Monday 21 January - 9 - 10pm - BBC2 - Paradise or Bust - 1/5
This project has been dubbed "Lord of the Flies for the internet age". In January 2006, young entrepeneurs Ben Keene and Mark Bowness conceived the ambitious plan to set up their own "tribe" on a deserted desert island, hoping that 5000 strangers from around the globe would sign up online and offer support. The idea is that this should be a fully green village, with all decisions made by this wider internet community. Unsurprisingly perhaps financial and practical problems have been underestimated.
Pick of the Week :rb:
Tuesday 22 January - 10pm - 12.10am - More4 - True Stories: No End in Sight
This new American documentary charts the 2003 fall of Baghdad as seen by military personnel, focusing on three major mistakes which the director, Charles H. Ferguson, alleges were made by the Bush administration. Diplomats, government officials and military offers describe, with contained fury, a series of unbelievably irresponsible and inept decisions; looters were allowed free rein, too few troops were there and those that were were under-equipped and the Iraqi government and army were disbanded, leading to the disenfranchisement of thousands of angry men, available and willing to start an insurgency. In each and every case, people who were there relate how their relevant expertise was ignored and a small cadre of war planners with little military experience were given free rein to preside over the chaos. They were not qualified to safeguard the welfare of the ordinary citizens of Iraq; nor did they share the least interest in doing so. Whilst there has been a plethora of documentaries about this subject, this informed, detailed, focused and honest portrayal of events has been deemed the definitive account of this epic misdeed.
Wednesday 23 January - 11.20 - 11.50pm - BBC2 - Desi DNA
This edition of the Asian lifestyle magazine recalls the 1979 riots that broke out in Southall in west London.
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