A couple of interesting documentaries on Sunday night on the BBC. Maps – Power, Plunder And Possession is the first in a season of programmes about cartography on BBC Four. It might sound like a very dry subject, but it’s fascinating to see how mankind’s view of the world has changed over the 3,000 years since the first known map was carved into a rocky hillside in the Alps. Later that evening on BBC Two, Eyewitness is an interesting experiment looking at how we remember unexpected events, showing how unreliable witnesses can really be. In a Manchester pub, drinkers are unaware that they are about to see a staged knife attack, which they believe to be real. When they are asked to provide evidence to the police, what they say they saw isn’t quite what really happened.
Glee is back this Monday night after its absence for a few weeks to catch up with America, where it’s been on a long mid-season break. The last episode ended with something of a cliffhanger, I’ll be previewing the new episode here on the blog over the weekend.
Comedy Lab returns to Channel Four on Monday night. The series, which allows new comic talent to develop pilot episodes gave the world Trigger Happy TV and Fonejacker, and gave Jimmy Carr his first TV appearance. iCandy is a pretty solid looking sketch show written by and starring Irish actor Liam Hourican, but Happy Finish, from Screenwipe director Al Campbell, is particularly worth looking forward to. Sketches include the Department of Internet Hate, a government body responsible for writing all the comments you see on YouTube videos.
After meeting the world’s toughest gangs, bringing amazing pictures from the frontline of Afghanistan and coming face to face with modern-day pirates, Ross Kemp: Battle for the Amazon at first looks like an interesting departure for the soap star turned documentary maker. But the two-part series, part of Sky’s “Rainforest Week”, soon covers familiar territory, as Ross looks at the oil production, gang wars and cocaine production that are threatening the Amazon.
Finally, Thursday sees The Sky News Leaders’ Debate. The first, last night, was more robust than many expected, but there could be more fireworks here now that the leaders are more relaxed with the format. Boulton is the most heavyweight interviewer of the three moderators, and the most likely to bend the rules to get more out of the candidates.
Maps – Power, Plunder And Possession, Sunday 18 April at 9pm on BBC Four
Eyewitness, Sunday 18 April at 10:50pm, BBC Two
Glee, Monday 19 April at 9pm, E4 & E4 HD
Comedy Lab: iCandy, Monday 19 April at 11:05pm, Channel Four
Comedy Lab: Happy Finish, Monday 19 April at 11:40pm, Channel Four
Ross Kemp: Battle for the Amazon, Tuesday 20 April at 10pm, Sky1 HD & Sky1
The Sky News Leaders’ Debate, Thursday 22 April at 8pm, Sky News & Sky News HD
Transmission 