Dec 27th-Jan 1st

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2011 - Meet Your Brain 
BBC4 8:00pm-9:00pm (1 hour ) Tue 27 Dec
What's in Your Head? New series. Professor Bruce Hood, an experimental psychologist, presents three lectures exploring the operation of the human brain. He begins with an analysis of how it constructs a representation of the outside world from the nerve impulses it receives - which prove to be few in number, requiring it to fill in a great deal of information. The scientist uses audience members to simulate the functions of a brain, and explains what brainwaves look like and the speed of neurons

The Toys That Made Christmas 
BBC2 London 11:30pm-1:00am (1 hour 30 minutes) Tue 27 Dec
Robert Webb takes a light-hearted look back at playthings of the past, offering fortysomethings the chance to reminisce about the days before PlayStations, laptops and iPods. It was a more innocent time when Fuzzy-Felt and Spirograph brought out the artist in everyone, girls spent hours with Barbie and boys were engrossed in trying to bolt together their impossibly fiddly Meccano models - to name just four of the toys mentioned

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2011 - Meet Your Brain 
BBC4 8:00pm-9:00pm (1 hour ) Wed 28 Dec
Who's in Charge Here Anyway? Professor Bruce Hood explores how the brain performs tasks without conscious awareness. He explains how it uses short cuts to process the vast amount of information it receives, deciding what it should attend to and what to ignore. He also describes why multi-tasking can be dangerous, before using illusions and audience participation in a bid to make people say the wrong thing and fail to see what is in front of them


Ben Elton: Laughing at the 80s 
Channel 4 11:40pm-1:35am (1 hour 55 minutes) Wed 28 Dec
The co-writer of series The Young Ones and Blackadder sets off on a personal journey to tell the tale of a decade that heralded the birth of alternative comedy - a new style that highlighted the social changes taking place in Britain at the time. Ben meets Rik Mayall, Lenny Henry, Harry Enfield, Victoria Wood and Jimmy Tarbuck among others to reminisce about some of the greatest moments of recent comedy history. Also featuring contributions by Clive Anderson, Stephen Fry, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Jo Brand and Nigel Planer

Have I Got 2010 for You 
BBC2 London 11:00pm-11:30pm (30 minutes) Thu 29 Dec
Compilation of highlights from 2010 of the satirical current affairs quiz, hosted by Alexander Armstrong with team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2011 - Meet Your Brain 
BBC4 8:00pm-9:00pm (1 hour ) Thu 29 Dec
Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? Professor Bruce Hood explores why human brains give personalities to anything perceived to have character, as when drivers give their cars names. He asks if it is possible for a robot to fall in love and questions whether eyes can be regarded as windows to the soul. He also uses live demonstrations to explain why an individual feels pain when they see someone else get hurt, and what attracts someone to another person. Last in the series

Comic Strip Presents - The Hunt for Tony Blair 
Channel 4 11:10pm-12:15am (1 hour 5 minutes) Thu 29 Dec
Prime Minister Tony Blair is suspected of murder, so one foggy night he escapes from Number 10 and sets out to clear his name. But with no one willing to harbour a wanted man and the newspapers demanding his capture, he is forced to go on the run, hotly pursued by the cops. Spoof 1950s-style noir thriller, starring Stephen Mangan as the fugitive PM, with old Comic Strip faces Nigel Planer, Jennifer Saunders, Rik Mayall and Robbie Coltrane joined by Harry Enfield, John Sessions, James Buckley, Ross Noble

Charlie Brooker's 2011 Wipe 
BBC4 10:30pm-11:30pm (1 hour ) Fri 30 DecThe writer and broadcaster takes a satirical look back at the events of the past 12 months, a year that included weddings both royal and gypsy, as well as riots across England and Wales, the phone-hacking scandal and the TV debut of Desperate Scousewives. With contributions by American stand-up Doug Stanhope, Brian Limond, the star of BBC Scotland comedy Limmy's Show!, and documentary-maker Adam Curtis

Dec 19th-25th

King of Christmas Lights 
(might not seem like much of a watch but Cutting Edge always does insightful work, and there is something of a phenomenon about how Christmas lighting displays ebb and flow over the years, treading the narrow line between dazzle and tack.
Channel 4 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Mon 19 DecCutting Edge delves into the world of extreme festive decorations, meeting people whose homes boast some of the most eye-catching and impressive Christmas-light displays in the UK. Paul Toole spends more than £5,000 on his hobby annually, and this year wants to go bigger - by decorating all the houses on his street. Northamptonshire computer whizz Karl Beetson is trying to use animatronics to create a spectacular display, while Bristol brothers and next-door neighbours Paul and Lee Brailsford face competition from a rival planning to upstage them

The Gruffalo's Child 
BBC1 London 6:30pm-7:00pm (30 minutes) Christmas DayAnimated adaptation of the sequel to Julia Donaldson's best-selling children's book, reuniting all the voice cast from the original. The Gruffalo has raised his daughter on tales of the big, bad mouse, the only creature in the forest he is frightened of. Despite her father's warnings, she sets off in search of this scary creature, along the way encountering the snake, owl and the fox. But when she still has no luck finding the evil rodent, she begins to think he does not exist after all. Robbie Coltrane, James Corden and Rob Brydon lend their voices, with Shirley Henderson as Gruffalo Jr

13th-18th November

Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy
BBC2 London 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Wed 14 Dec
Evan Davis traces the history of Steve Jobs' time in control at Apple, with contributions from insiders including the company's co-founder Steve Wozniak, world wide web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, branding guru Rita Clifton and Stephen Fry. The presenter hears stories of how Jobs, a college dropout, was involved in the company's rise from operating out of a suburban garage to becoming a global brand

Horizon: What Happened Before the Big Bang?
BBC4 8:00pm-9:00pm (1 hour ) Thu 15 Dec
Documentary exploring the idea that the universe may have had a life before the big bang, which has for almost a century been the scientific explanation for its creation some 14 billion years ago. The programme delves into a world of cosmic bounces, rips and multiple universes in a bid to assess new theories 

Sean Lock: Lockipedia Live
Channel 4 11:55pm-1:00am (1 hour 5 minutes) Fri 16 Dec
The comedian's stand-up show at London's Hammersmith Apollo during his sellout 2010 tour of Britain and Ireland. As well as the usual on-stage antics, Sean rolls out his new audience interaction section called Lockipedia

Dec 5th-10th

The Story of Ireland 
Season 1 Episode 4 of 5
BBC1 London 2:10am-3:10am (1 hour ) Wed 7 Dec
The Blurb: "The Age of Union Fergal Keane's journey through Irish history arrives at the 1801 Act of Union, which made Ireland a part of the United Kingdom for the first time. The journalist charts how 19th-century constitutional battles in the Houses of Parliament over Catholic emancipation and land reform laid the foundations for modern Ireland, and tells the story of the campaign for home rule - as well as examining the impact the potato famine of the 1840s had on the country"

Dinner with Portillo 
Season 6 Episode 2 of 5
BBC4 11:30pm-12:00am (30 minutes) Tue 6 Dec
The Blurb: "Can Scientists Be Morally Neutral? Former Conservative MP Michael Portillo and seven high-profile guests from the world of politics and academia, including Susan Greenfield, Mark Henderson and Bryan Appleyard, discuss whether scientists can honestly claim to be morally neutral in their pursuit of knowledge"


Storyville: Inside Job (2010) 
BBC2 London 9:00pm-10:40pm (1 hour 40 minutes) Wed 7 Dec
The Blurb: "Premiere. Analysis of the events that brought about the 2008 economic crisis. The film examines the influence the financial industry has on the political process across the world, and how the practices of the markets made the disaster inevitable. Featuring contributions from major political, financial and journalistic figures. Narrated by Matt Damon"

Nov 21st-Dec 4th

Your Money and How They Spend It 
BBC2 London 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Wed 30 Nov
The blurb: "Part two of two. Nick Robinson explores the difficulties politicians face when trying to change the way tax is collected, and how Chancellors have persuaded people to pay more in the past. He also discovers how little many people understand the system, and asks whether the wealthy should be making larger contributions"

Storyville: Bobby Fischer - Genius and Madman (2011)
BBC4 9:00pm-10:30pm (1 hour 30 minutes) Wed 30 Nov
The blurb: "Premiere. Documentary about the troubled chess grandmaster, who went from child prodigy to world champion at the age of 29. However, he struggled to cope with life in the public eye and succumbed to paranoia and delusions, making controversial statements and being forced to live as a fugitive from the American legal system. Featuring archive footage and interviews with those closest to him"

Storyville - Knocking on Heaven's Door 
BBC4 8:00pm-9:00pm (1 hour ) Thu 1 Dec
The blurb: "Film-maker George Carey marks the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight into space by exploring the origins of the mission. He investigates how the Russian programme was inspired by a mystic who claimed that science would make humans immortal, and discovers ideas from this era have survived communism and adapted themselves into modern scientific theory"

Mark Zuckerberg: Inside Facebook 
BBC2 London 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Sun 4 Dec
The blurb: "Emily Maitlis explores the phenomenal success of the social networking website, including an interview with its co-creator Mark Zuckerberg. Over seven years, Facebook has gained 800 million users and is predicted to be worth $100billion if it is floated on the stock market next year. Emily explores the site's origins and its extraordinary cultural impact, and also questions Zuckerberg on why he believes there is no conflict between sharing and guarding users' personal information"

Black Mirror: The National Anthem 
Channel 4 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Sun 4 Dec
The blurb: "New series. First of three darkly comic horror stories about the power of technology in the 21st century. Prime minister Michael Callow faces a dilemma when Princess Susannah, a much-loved member of the royal family, is kidnapped, and he and his staff struggle to deal with shifting public opinion as information about the case spreads across the internet."

Storyville: The Interrupters - How to Stop a Riot (2011) 
BBC4 9:00pm-11:00pm (2 hours ) Sun 4 Dec
The blurb: "Premiere. Documentary following the work of an organisation set up in Chicago to prevent street crime. The group uses volunteers, many of whom have criminal pasts, to prevent outbreaks of violence escalating into riots. The film follows three of these `interrupters' as they use their own methods to persuade people not to commit crimes"

November 21st-27th 2011

Britain's Greatest Codebreaker 
Channel 4 9:00pm-10:20pm (1 hour 20 minutes) Mon 21 Nov
the blurb:
Docu-drama about Alan Turing, the mathematician who was instrumental in the breaking of the German Enigma code during the Second World War, and was a pioneer of the computer age and artificial intelligence. Turing's achievements went largely unrecognised while he was alive, and he committed suicide in 1954 after being convicted of gross indecency with another man, at a time when homosexuality was considered a crime


Storyville: Deadline - The New York Times (2011)
BBC4 10:00pm-11:30pm (1 hour 30 minutes) Tue 22 Nov
the blurb:
Premiere. Documentary going behind the scenes of the respected newspaper, gaining access to the newsroom and the media desk as journalists pursue the perfect front-page story.  
The film examines how the rise of online news sources has affected The Times, considering the continuing importance of professional journalism and the wider repercussions of a decline in print media


Your Money and How They Spend It 
BBC2 London 9:00pm-10:00pm (1 hour ) Wed 23 Nov
the blurb:
Part one of two. Nick Robinson explores how governments collect and spend tax money. He explores who receives what funding and why, investigates whether any of the money is wasted and finds out about the pressure politicians are constantly under to authorise further spending, as well as the difficulties they face in resisting. Includes interviews with senior Westminster figures and voters from around Britain


Tony Robinson's Gods and Monsters 
Channel 4 8:15pm-9:15pm (1 hour ) Sat 26 Nov
the blurb:
Tony Robinson explores the history of belief, superstition and religious experience in Britain. He begins by focusing on the human fascination with and  terror of dead bodies, examining why people in the past thought they could rise from the grave to cause havoc among the living. During his investigation he encounters stories of a plague-breathing zombie and monarchs who ate the remains of their subjects

14/11/2011 Channel 4, 9pm Confessions of an Undercover Cop

Might sound a bit sensationalist, but from the Cutting Edge stable, which is reason enough to watch it.
The Blurb : "Documentary following undercover police officer Mark Kennedy, who spent eight years as a dedicated activist, having infiltrated the environmental movement and Europe's left-wing extremist political groups. Now, with his cover blown, Kennedy has lost his wife and children, and the friends he made during his time with the protesters have labelled him a traitor. In this Cutting Edge film, he discusses the consequences of his actions, as police bosses claim he has forgotten who he really is"

November 7th-13th

A particularly barren week in the interesting TV domain. Nothing new which sounds really interesting, but one repeat worth watching if haven't seen before:

World War Two: 1941 and the Man of Steel
13th Nov, BBC 4 9pm
the blurb: "Historian David Reynolds explores Josef Stalin's handling of the conflict between the Soviet Union and Germany during the Second World War. He reveals how the dictator's mental frailties nearly caused his country to fall to the Nazis in 1941 and examines the compromises he was forced to make to survive. He also investigates the events that led to Stalin eventually siding with the Allied powers, including Winston Churchill's 1942 visit to Moscow"

One amusing little nugget was that Stalin never lost his strong rural Georgian accent, which would probably have marked him out for ridicule in high russian society, if it hadn't belonged to a vicious and vengeful paranoic. The UK equivalent would seem to have been to hear angry despotic rhetoric delivered with a yorkshire accent. Oh aye Amos, will have nowt to do with them bourgois landlords, and will kill every last one of them.

TV Tips for 2011-10-31 to 2011-11-06

Mon 11/10/31 10pm BBC4 : Andy Hamilton's Search for Satan

the blurb : "An exploration the history of Satanic mythologies, examining the roots of stories about the Devil and how perceptions of him have changed through the centuries. He also assesses the importance of Satan in society and popular culture, and considers his importance in explaining the presence of evil in the world"

Since I think one of the problems in the world is the easy belief that problems
are due to simple 'evildoers' then this examination of the roots of the satan
myth might be interesting

Wed 11/11/2 9pm BBC2 Secret Pakistan (Part 2)
the blurb :  "Backlash The conclusion of the two-part documentary reveals how Britain and America discovered compelling evidence that Pakistan was secretly helping the Taliban and concluded they had been double crossed. It tells the story of how, despite Pakistan denying the allegations against them, the US has been waging a secret war against one of the West's closest allies, suspecting them of sheltering and arming the Taliban, and even helping to kill Western troops"

Important topic, first part was fascinating, so will tune in again.

Thu 11/11/3 9pm BBC2 Life in Day
the blurb : "Documentary based on the highlights of the thousands of submissions to create a portrait of life on Earth in the present day"

Always good to get an insight into daily life for the rest of the planet

Fri 11/11/4 9pm BBC1 Have I Got News For You
Topical british comedy. What more could you want
Fri 11/11/4 9.30pm BBC1 Live At The Apollo.
More british comedy, why change channel?

Sun 11/11/6 9pm BBC2 Will it snow?
the blurb :  "Kate Humble, Adam Rutherford and Alys Fowler assess what Britain's weather will be like this winter, following the high levels of snow that caused chaos across the nation in 2010. The presenters explore how methods of prediction have developed through the centuries, from medieval folklore to modern supercomputers, and discover how people and businesses are preparing for the possibility of more severe weather in the months to come"

The title has got me hooked. Almost as important a topic as Pakistan.

TV tips - new sub blog

As much as writing about interesting programmes afterwards, for anyone interested in the topics  I am, then it might be just as useful to have some tips about upcoming programmes of interest. So every Monday I’m going to try and post a list of what I think are the best TV tips for the next week.

These will be the things I’ll be putting into my DVR for the week, but whether I’ll ever get around to watching them is another thing. That said, my digital database is already crammed full of unwatched programmes, so I currently am trying to limit myself (and my recommendations) to things I really think I should, if not will, watch.

Note, all times are UK broadcast times. Much of this stuff is available after broadcast on the internet (own moral/legal guidelines apply! Though since I’ll generally recommend free-to-air documentary stuff then it’s hardly a big issue).

and of course, since I haven't yet actually watched any of this stuff - it's only a best guess! :-)