Off-air recordings 15-21 November 2008

Please email Rich Deakin - rdeakin@glos.ac.uk - if you would like any of the following programmes / series recording.*

The Fallen - "British troops have now been in Afghanistan for more than seven years and in Iraq for over five. This powerful and poignant film features families and friends of those who have died talking openly about their feelings, their loved ones and their grief. Epic in scale and spanning seven years of war, the three-hour film gives a rare insight into the personal impact and legacy of this loss."

Super Typhoon: Perfect Disaster - "The Pacific Ocean breeds the biggest and most powerful typhoons in the world. So far, the seven million inhabitants of Hong Kong have never felt the full impact of a typhoon, but a change in weather means that the most powerful force of nature has the island in its sights. Dr Chai of the Hong Kong Observatory has a few short hours to determine whether the super typhoon will hit or miss. Out on the streets, fire service officer Annie Soho is taking no chances, worrying that her father - a fisherman - may be lost to the storm. With conditions already ripe for the most destructive typhoon imaginable, watch as detailed CGI illustrates how the storm would come together and arrive at Hong Kong's door. Experts explain how the city's skyscrapers would react to a super-strength typhoon and how the city would deal with the crisis."

Time Shift: How To Solve A Cryptic Crossword - "A look at the world of cryptic crosswords, offering up the secrets of these seemingly impenetrable puzzles. Crossword setter Don Manley, AKA Quixote, reveals the tricks that compilers use to bamboozle and entertain solvers using a crossword he created especially for the programme. We also find out why Britain became home to the cryptic crossword, how a crossword nearly put paid to the D-Day invasion and why London Underground is elevating the crossword to an art form."

Mark Lawson talks to Quentin Blake - "In a rare interview, Quentin Blake talks to Mark Lawson about life as one of Britain's best known illustrators and children's authors, having illustrated over 300 books for writers such as Michael Rosen and John Yeoman. His most prolific collaboration was with Roald Dahl and together they produced some of the most famous children's books ever, including The Twits, The BFG and Matilda. Blake also taught at the Royal College of Art from 1978 to 1986 and contributed to Punch magazine when only 16."

The Ascent of Money - New 6 part series - "Why did the CEO of Goldman Sachs make £27 million last year, and you didn't? What's a hedge fund? Why are people in Europe rich, and people in Africa aren't? These and other questions are answered along the way in Niall Ferguson's major new history of Money. "

Imagine: How An Orchestra Saved Venezuela's Child - "The Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, which caused a sensation at last year's Proms, is the product of an extraordinary music education system. Children as young as two get intensive music lessons designed to steer them away from the dangers of the street. With Scotland now trying its own version of the scheme, Alan Yentob investigates the phenomenon and meets its most successful graduate, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who next year becomes music director of the LA Philharmonic."

Storyville: Please Vote For Me - "Chinese Director Weijun Chen's charming film takes us into the world of Chinese schoolchildren, learning about democracy for the first time as they try to vote for their class monitor. Elections are pretty uncommon in China, so when the children in a school in Wuhan, Central China are presented with the chance to choose their own class monitor they don't quite know what to make of it. It doesn't take them long to get into the swing of it, though, and soon all sorts of dirty tricks are going on. Urged on by their parents, the candidates launch elaborate campaigns of bribery and coercion. After tantrums and tears, it's finally time for the vote, and who will win - the sweet girl who woos her voters with her flute playing, the bully who beats his classmates, or the boy who has the best sweets."



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If there are any other programmes that you would like recording please let me know and will see if I can accomodate your request.

* This applies to staff members at the University of Gloucestershire only. Any recordings made are to be used only for educational and non-commercial purposes under the terms of the ERA Licence.