Empire of Faith BBC Knowledge, Saturday, November 17, 8-8.40pm; Sunday, November 18, 8-8.40pm, 9.30-10.10pm

These three programmes, broadcast over two nights, are a timely history of Islam, starting with the life of the Prophet (“The Messenger”), continuing with the flowering of Islamic culture (“The Awakening”) and concluding with the rise of the Ottoman Empire. Using interviews with Islamic scholars, and re-enactments, it should prove valuable material for religious studies, and worth recording.

BEST FOR SCHOOLS

The Mix: Wagner’s Ring C4, Friday, November 23, 10-10.30am

A superb piece of puppet animation tells the story of Wagner’s Ring cycle - five operas ingeniously condensed into a mere 30 minutes, retaining most of the best tunes and the main lines of the story. The essence of the cycle is here, plus the visual pleasure of a well-made film - though it can’t replace the experience of sitting through the 15-hour original on a wooden seat in the gods at Covent Garden.

Book Box: What’s So Good About Malorie Blackman?

C4, Fridays, November 23 and 30, 11-11.55am After What’s So Good About Roald Dahl?, Book Box turns to the very different children’s books of Malorie Blackman and meets her fans in schools. Although they are often tales of fantasy and science fiction, Blackman’s novels are more firmly based in everyday life than Dahl’s. The accompanying resource book analyses 11 of Blackman’s stories to show the issues dealt with in each (relationships, bullying, crime, death and morality) and how each might relate to subjects other than English, including science, ICT and PSHE.

BEST OF THE REST

Renaissance Secrets BBC2, Monday, November 19, 7.30-8pm

A brilliant and informative series this week looks at the manufacture of books before and after the arrival of printing, and asks:

“What did Gutenberg invent?” Computers show up interesting anomalies in the text of the Gutenberg Bible and have inspired a search for the secret behind his techniques.

The Naked Chef BBC1, Tuesday, November 20, 8.30pm

Jamie Oliver has been asked back to his old school to speak at a prize-giving ceremony, but you can’t keep him out of the kitchen. He guides a class through the preparation of a lunch for the prize-winners and discovers how much home economics has changed - now the school has food technology rooms and boys are encouraged to use them as well as girls.

Nick Baker’s Antarctica BBC2, Sunday, November 18, 5.25-5.55pm

Braving seasickness on Drake’s Passage, the roughest bit of sea in the world, Nick Baker sets sail from the coast of South America bound for Antarctica, where he hopes to discover some of the wildlife that survives in its inhospitable environment. Almost as soon as he lands, he stumbles across a rare seal. His camera crew have not wasted their time either: the cruel beauty of the landscape proves more fascinating than the wildlife. Here is a place one would prefer to visit by proxy, and this is a good way of doing it.

Robin Buss

Full educational programme schedules can be found at:www.bbc.co.ukeducationlzonesched-aut.shtmlwww.4learning.co.uk programmesautumn2001.cfm