Monday 21st
BBC1 - Panorama: What's Up With The Weather? - "Yet another barbeque summer has been predicted, but do you really trust the forecasters any more? Despite governments, scientists and campaigners telling us the world's climate is changing, increasing numbers of us simply don't believe in global warming.
After one of the coldest winters on record and a vicious row about the science behind climate change, Panorama goes back to basics and asks what we really know about our climate and how it will affect us.
Panorama reporter Tom Heap speaks to some of the world's leading scientists on both sides of the argument, to find out what they can agree on and uncovers some surprising results."
Channel 4 - Chasing the Cumbrian Killer - "On Wednesday 2 June 2010, just after 11am, news began to emerge of the largest gun massacre in Britain for 14 years.
Whitehaven, a small fishing port on the Cumbrian coast, joined Hungerford and Dunblane as places synonymous with sudden and inexplicable mass murder.
Fifty-two-year-old Derrick Bird, a local taxi driver, divorced with two grown-up sons, had recently become a grandfather. Early in the morning, armed with a rifle and shotgun, Bird embarked on a killing spree that would last until the afternoon and result in 12 dead, 11 injured and his own suicide.
This documentary covers the days leading up to what police describe as 'a 45-mile rampage across West Cumbria', the details of what happened on June 2, and the aftermath.
As well as tracing Derrick Bird's steps from the moment he woke up to the moment he turned his weapon on himself, the film includes key interviews with eye-witnesses, survivors and police.
The people who defended themselves and helped the injured, and the officers and ordinary people who set about pursuing the killer, paint a real picture of what it was like to be thrown into an unprecedented situation, and how each of their chases played out in this man hunt. Bird's friends also speak about their experiences and describe the man they had no idea would ever become a cold-blooded killer.
Barrie Moss came face-to-face with Derrick Bird before he sped off, having just shot Susan Hughes, a mother-of-two, who was carrying home the weekly groceries. 'The name of Whitehaven is now forever ruined,' Mr Moss tells the programme. 'If you talk about Whitehaven, it's now going to be with Columbine, Dunblane, Hungerford; it's never going to be: 'It's a lovely place to come and see'. And this guy has done that to all these people. He has changed everyone's lives here.'
The programme investigates what could have driven this seemingly quiet, unassuming man to suddenly inflict carnage and violence on his peaceful community in the days, and possibly years, leading up to the murders."
Tuesday 22nd
BBC4 - A Century of Fatherhood - 1/3 - "Three-part series which tells the story of the revolution in modern fatherhood in Britain during the last hundred years, using intimate testimony, rare archive and the latest historical research A Century of Fatherhood reveals that the view we now have of fathers in the past is not always accurate."
Wednesday 23rd
BBC4 - Lennon Naked - "Christopher Eccleston is John Lennon in a drama which charts his transition from Beatle John to enduring and enigmatic icon.
Writer Robert Jones articulates the burden of genius, as well as issues of fatherhood and fame, covering a period of wildly fluctuating fortunes for Lennon from 1967-71. When the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein died unexpectedly in 1967 it was a turning point in Lennon's life and the film focuses on the turbulent and intense period of change that followed, and how John was haunted by his troubled childhood.
It also reveals the impact of re-establishing contact with his long-lost father and the events that led Lennon to shed everything both personally and creatively, including calling time on the Beatles. Meeting Yoko Ono was the catalyst for this new era and the film explores the development of their extraordinary relationship, their growing disillusionment with Britain and what caused Lennon to abandon the UK to start a new life in America - a process which ultimately led Lennon to record arguably the most powerful solo work of his career."
BBC4 - Biology of Dads - "'Every child needs a father' is a phrase heard often enough, but is there any evidence to support it? In this enlightening documentary, child psychologist Laverne Antrobus goes on a quest to discover why a dad's relationship with his offspring is so important. She uncovers fascinating new research which is shedding light onto the science of fatherhood.
Laverne meets a new dad who is experiencing Couvade Syndrome, a condition sometimes known as 'sympathetic pregnancy'. She is keen to explore if the symptoms - which are similar to those felt by pregnant women, such as nausea and sickness - might be physiological as well as psychological. The dad takes a blood test shortly after the birth of his third child and Antrobus discovers that hormones could be the cause of his symptoms: possibly nature's way of 'priming' him to become a more nurturing father.
Laverne then meets one of the UK's leading experts in the father's role within the family. While observing father and toddler play in his lab, she finds out how the rough-and-tumble play they witness is classic 'dad behaviour'. It is believed that this type of fatherly play is essential in teaching toddlers the boundaries of aggression and discipline.
In the final investigation, Antrobus looks into recent research which claims that men who have a good relationship with their daughters can influence the kind of husband the daughters choose. The study also found that girls whose fathers were absent during their formative years tend to reach puberty sooner and age quicker. Laverne recruits a team of married women to take part in one final, fascinating experiment."
Thursday 24th
BBC2 - Are You Having A Laugh? TV And Disability - "A humorous and irreverent look at the way disability has been portrayed on TV over the last 50 years, narrated by David Walliams. From Sandy in Crossroads to Brenda in The Office, we'll see how the subject has been done well, how it's been done badly and how box ticking and the odd token wheelchair has helped this process. We look at the astonishing journey from Ironside to Cast Offs, Monty Python to The Office and Little Britain.
With contributions from comics, actors and pundits including Stephen Merchant, Ben Miller, Mat Fraser, Kiruna Stamell, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Ash Attala, Dom Joly, Jimmy Tarbuck, Julie Fernandez and Frencesca Martinez, the programme looks back at the way we used to see disability on our screens and how that compares with what is on there today."
Channel 4 - Unreported World - USA: Down and Out - "Unreported World meets the USA's new middle-class homeless: families struggling to hold down jobs that pay so little they're forced to live in tent cities or their cars and receive little help from the government.
Reporter Ramita Navai and producer Clancy Chassay begin their journey in Chicago, one of the country's manufacturing centres, which has been hit hard by the effects of the worst financial crisis in decades. St Columbanus church is one of 600 charities across the city that gives out emergency food rations.
Across America, many working people from all sectors have taken as much as 40% in pay cuts in desperation to hold on to their jobs. Their motivation is clear: if you are a temporary, part-time or self-employed worker you don't qualify for government help. The result is that many can't make ends meet and afford to feed themselves and their families.
Father Matt Eyerman tells Navai that the number of families receiving help from his church has leapt from 240 to 498 over the last two years, even though many of them still have jobs.
Today, more than 37 million Americans receive either state or private food assistance. More than three million were made homeless in 2009 despite holding down jobs. More than half of those living in shelters have had their homes repossessed by banks.
The team travels south to the state of Tennessee. They've been told that thousands of homeless people are taking refuge in temporary encampments. The City of Nashville, which has only only one emergency shelter for families, has more than 40 of these 'tent cities'.
Navai meets Michael and Stacey Farley, who have been living in the tent city for six months. Stacey tells Navai that she has been forced to leave her son and daughter with relatives while they both look for work.
Navai and Chassay move on to California, where more and more people are ending up on the streets. California has the highest debt in the USA and many essential services have been cut, including emergency housing assistance. 'Skid Row', which is one square mile of Los Angeles, has as many as 2,000 people sleeping rough every night. It has a reputation for drugs and crime and Navai talks to homeless people who are forced to walk all day to avoid being picked up by the police for loitering.
The US economy is in recovery but many experts believe the most damaging effects have yet to be felt. It's predicted that another 1.5 million people will be forced into homelessness within two years, and in a country with few safety nets, many more people could fall through the cracks."
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