With millions of CCTV cameras, a growing network of number-plate recognition cameras and one of the largest DNA databases, the UK has become one of the most watched places in the world.
In a new series on BBC Two, Richard Bilton explores the hidden world of surveillance to find out why, increasingly, we are all being watched and why some people think we have already become a surveillance society.
Going Postal looks at the high school, campus and workplace shootings which have cast a shadow over American society since the late Eighties. April 2009 was the 10th anniversary of the Columbine Massacre but this is a phenomenon which is twice as old.
Springwatch returns to BBC Two for another three-week celebration of UK wildlife and wildlife people – live and interactive from across the country. Simon King, Kate Humble, Chris Packham, Gordon Buchanan and Martin Hughes-Games form the new presenter line-up as they deliver unique views into the private lives of some of the UK’s best-loved animals.
The moment Billy Mitchell has been dreading is about to arrive.
Young Jay attends the trial of those who murdered his dad only to find out that Billy wasn’t quite the hero he pretended to be. In fact Billy hid in the bathroom whilst the east-end gansters beat Jay’s dad Jase to death.
Watch his reaction in the clip above.
“He’s hoping that he’ll be able to conquer his inhibitions and get under the skin of people and cultures around the world.” These were some of the opening words of this show and were spoken of Stefan Gates who, for this episode, travelled to India to witness the feasts associated with a traditional Hindu wedding and the celebration of Onam, and both were extraordinary events to watch.
As a Westerner and therefore someone to whom these hugely extravagant ceremonies and celebrations are totally alien, this programme really was very interesting and Stefan Gates brought a pleasant, relaxed, sit-back-and-enjoy feel to the show. He didn’t attempt to be overly serious about the whole thing but he also wasn’t at all disrespectful to the cultural and religious sensitivities of the people he visited and spent time with in India. Read more & comment »
This was an extremely enlightening show for me because, like many of us, and especially like the six teenagers in last night’s show, I never gave much thought to where my food comes from – well, that’s not entirely true; I do give thought to which supermarket I’m going to buy it from, but its origins? Nope, I have to say, I’d never really thought about it overly much.
So the raison d’etre for last night’s show had the desired effect on me anyway as it graphically showed how one of Britain’s best-selling foods is produced, that food being tuna. And what it showed was far more important than the experiences of the six moody teenagers the BBC had sent packing to Indonesia to do the equivalent of work experience in a factory producing said tuna… Read more & comment »
Jonathan Ross welcomes Martin Sheen to this week’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross on BBC One.
Martin Sheen talks candidly about his hatred for former US President George Bush: “He was a bully, we were savaged by his lack of leadership.”
And he says: “After eight years of dictatorship a lot of people died, suffered, there was never any inkling of regret from this man.”
Next week BBC One is to air Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor: The Link. It tells the story of an important scientific development that could tell us more about where we come from.
The fossil, known as Ida, could be an indication of one of the roots of anthropoid evolution – the point at which our primate ancestors began first developing the features that would evolve into our own.
For almost fifty years UK TV channels BBC and ITV have shared the rights to air the annual Royal Variety show. The show is hosted year on, year off by each channel.
However rumours suggest that the BBC is now trying to steal the show from cash strapped ITV and wants the rights to air it on an exclusive basis.
“The feeling is we can make a serious play to take the Royal Variety Show off ITV’s hands permanently,” one source told The Daily Star Sunday.
Billy Mitchell is to get a new love interest on Eastenders this summer but Billy being Billy, something is sure to go wrong.
Bill will meet his new lady friend in Ian’s cafe when he knocks a cup of tea over her and then buys her another. He meets up with her again later in the Vic and she agrees to have a drink with him instead of going out as planned.
Leslie Ash joins the cast of medical drama Holby City five years after she contracted a hospital infection which almost ended her career.
Leslie will play top executive Vanessa Lytton and start filming with the Holby City team in June.
After five years, Leslie is delighted to be back working in British television.
She says: “I hadn’t been to an audition since I was 19 – I was scared! But I feel ready and I feel strong.
Moving On is a new series of five unique, contemporary dramas starring Sheila Hancock, Dervla Kirwan, Ian Hart, Lesley Sharp, Mark Womack and Joanne Frogatt for BBC One Daytime. The executive producer is Jimmy McGovern (The Street).
Stripped over one week, the dramas, which have been written by up-and-coming writers, are all linked by one central theme: how to “move on”. This opening episode is written by Karen Brown and stars Sheila Hancock.
Eastenders actor Perry Fenwick has said that the BBC soap is more daring than its rivals and deals with controversial storylines in a more brave manner.
Fenwick, who plays Billy Mitchell on the show told MSN:
“I think we dare to go a little bit further with certain stories… we’ve done the Tony and Bianca story and initially there was a bit of a kick off about that - people were saying ‘oh it’s all miserable, why are you doing that?’”
When it comes to food, the Brits are spoilt for choice. Many simply take it for granted that it’s possible to buy whatever food they want, whenever they want it, all year round. But what about the human cost of producing all this cheap food for our convenience?
In the follow-up to the Bafta-nominated BBC Three series Blood, Sweat And T-shirts, six young British consumers travel to South East Asia to see just what’s involved in producing the food they take for granted. The intrepid six are fussy eater Jess (19), fast-food fan Manos (20), fitness fanatic Olu (25), luxury food lover Lauren (21), keen cook Josh (20) and ethical shopper Stacey (20).
Newsreader and mum of three Sophie Raworth teams up with father of three Justin Rowlatt to explore the thorny issue of what people really think of women at work, in this provocative, new, two-part series.
Nearly 40 years on from the Equal Pay Act, why is it that men still dominate the top jobs and why do men, on average, earn £369,000 more than a woman across their career?
In a competitive mood from the off, Sophie and Justin conduct a series of tests, experiments and brain scans and meet people such as Harriet Harman, Labour’s Deputy Leader; multi-millionaire lingerie magnate Michelle Moan; and an armed female officer at the Metropolitan Police’s firing range.
