Robin Buss’s pick of the week

10th June 2005, 1:00am

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Robin Buss’s pick of the week

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/robin-busss-pick-week-3
Last Rights

C4, Monday-Wednesday, June 13-15, 10:20-11:10am

When young Tariq unwittingly steals a politician’s laptop, he sets off a chain of events that reveals the workings of the secret state, in Clive Bradley’s thriller set in modern Britain. As Max (Ashley Walters) tries to find out what has happened to Tariq, he discovers how little the newly elected leader of the Democratic Consensus Party (Charles Dance) really cares for democracy. With memories of the election still fresh, this may be a good film to round off the term with a class of 14 to 19-year-olds studying citizenship and PSHE, especially if they are fairly apathetic about the political process.

Belief File

BBC2, Wednesday and Thursday, June 15 and 16, 2-6am

Belief File is a strand for secondary RE which won an award for its investigative approach to describing the main religious faiths practised in Britain. This series starts with Taking Issue: four films looking at topics such as vegetarianism and sex before marriage. Then there are programmes on Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and Islam, and finally a film in which young Christians explore how Jesus’s teaching on forgiveness, faith, possessions and peace have stood the test of time. The term’s overnight broadcasting for schools continues at the end of this week and the start of the next with animated films of stories from the Old and New Testaments: Testament: The Bible in Animation (Friday, June 17, 2-6am) and The Miracle Maker (Wednesday, June 22, 2-3.30am). These were made for the Welsh channel, S4C, and most of them were animated by Russian filmmakers, sometimes to spectacular effect (look out in particular for Ruth and Jonah).

Watch: Christianity

BBC2, Wednesday, June 15, 1-1:15pm

More RE, for much younger children (five to seven), also using puppets and animated film, to look at the theme of “helpers” in the Christian community. The previous two parts dealt with gifts and friends, and the whole series is available in a Video Plus pack (pound;37.99, from BBC children’s Learning on 0870 830 8000).

Watch: Seaside Holiday

BBC2, Thursday, June 16, 1-1.15pm

Another topical, end-of-term programme, as Magic Grandad takes Nikki and Tom back in time to find out about seaside holidays at the start of the last century. This week they visit a pier, see a flea circus and help Mr Leyton to display the wonder of the age: a moving picture show. All three parts are also available in DVD (pound;49.99) and video plus packs (pound;37.99).

Beethoven: Love and Loss

BBC2, Friday, June 10, 9-10pm

This three-part life story moves into its subject’s middle period. It is a thorough biography and includes a lot of his music. It is followed on BBC4 (10-11pm) by an analysis and performance of the “Fourth Piano Concerto”, recreating as far as possible the sound of the work at its first performance in 1807.

Honey, We Can’t Get Rid of the Kids

BBC2, Friday, June 10, 7-7:30pm

This programme looks at the phenomenon of “kippers” (Kids In Parents’ Pocket Eroding Retirement Savings): children with student loans who cannot afford to leave home. Average student debt now runs at more than pound;12,000. A subject for discussion with 17 to 18-year-olds, as they prepare to leave for higher education?

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