Counter Culture

Saturday 23 April 2022

Eastern Front 1914-18 PBS America 6.40pm
Often forgotten given the emphasis on the Somme, Ypres etc. that the First World War was sparked by events in Eastern Europe, for which it had massive consequences.

Stalin: Inside the Terror PBS America 9.10pm
Filmed extensively in Russia, this film reveals the life of a man who came to amass colossal power and exert malign influence over his country for more than 20 years. Stalin emerged as the true victor of the Second World War, having gained a vast Empire in the East. But victory over the Germans was not enough, and his attitude towards the West was fuelled by his growing paranoia. Access to a wealth of new material allows us to glimpse behind Stalin’s granite mask into his extraordinary private world.

Sunday 24 April 2022

The Beatles – the touring years 1962-66 Sky Documentaries 6.50pm
A compilation of found footage featuring music, interviews, and stories of The Beatles’ 250 concerts from 1963 to 1966.

Falklands – Islands of Secrets ITV1 10.15pm
In 1980, two years before the war that made the islands famous, a young Royal Marine called Alan Addis walked out of a bar in the Falkland Islands and vanished into thin air.
The mystery of his disappearance has remained unsolved for more than forty years.

Following the discovery of a trove of evidence left behind by Alan’s late mother, Marcel Theroux embarks on a journey to uncover the truth of what happened on that August evening four decades ago.

Monday 25 April 2022

The Post Office Scandal BBC1 8pm
Between 2000 and 2014, the Post Office prosecuted 736 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses – an average of one a week – based on information from a recently installed computer system called Horizon.

Some went to prison following convictions for false accounting and theft, many were financially ruined and have described being shunned by their communities. Some have since died.

After 20 years, campaigners won a legal battle to have their cases reconsidered, after claiming that the computer system was flawed.

This programme examines one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in UK history.

Navalny BBC2 9pm
A portrait of the Russian opposition leader.

Tuesday 26 April 2022

Twelve Angry Men (1957) Film 4 12.45pm
The jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose sceptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.

On Assignment ITV1 10.55pm
The deepening divisions between India’s Hindus and Moslems.

Wednesday 27 April 2022

The Balkans in Flames (1/3) PBS America 2.10pm and 6.35pm
Series on the origins and course of the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s. See our review here.

Calm with Horses (2019) Film 4 9pm
Douglas ‘Arm’ Armstrong has become the feared enforcer for the drug-dealing Devers family, whilst also trying to be a good father. Torn between these two families, Arm’s loyalties are tested when he is asked to kill for the first time.

Thursday 28 April 2022

The Balkans in Flames (2/3) PBS America 2.05pm and 6.35pm

Bat Superpowers PBS America 8.50pm
Could the source of the world’s deadliest viruses hold the secret to a healthier and longer life? Bats have a sinister reputation as potential sources for some of the deadliest disease outbreaks: Ebola, MERS, SARS, and most recently, SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the COVID-19 global pandemic. Yet scientists are discovering new evidence that bats are biological marvels and may hold a key to longevity. Not only are these airborne mammals the fastest recorded flyers in the sky, they’re resistant to the diseases they carry and have freakishly long lifespans for their tiny size. So, what’s their secret? Could bats’ unique flying abilities be tied to their super-charged immunity? And what else can we learn from their peculiar biology? From caves in Thailand and Texas, to an infested bell tower in France, to labs around the globe, NOVA meets the scientists who are decoding the superpowers of the bat.

Friday 29 April 2022

The Balkans in Flames (3/3) PBS America 1.35 and 6.50pm

Ozark returns on Netflix. Season 4, Part 2 will contain seven episodes and marks the conclusion of the Emmy Award–winning series, which originally debuted in 2017. There’s no telling what’s in store for Marty Byrde and family but it’s sure to be compelling.

Josephine Baker Sky Documentaries 8pm
Chartering her life and career from 1920s Paris.

RADIO – all available for at least 4 weeks on BBC Sounds

Sunday 24 April 2022

Letter from Ukraine BBC RADIO 4 11.45am
Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov gives a personal account of daily life in war-torn Ukraine.

Monday 25 April 2022

Start the Week -The Age of the Strongman Leader BBC RADIO 4 9.00am
Gideon Rachman, Judy Dempsey and Christopher de Bellaigue discuss authoritarian leaders, with Tom Sutcliffe.

Walking with the ghosts of the Durham Coalfield BBC RADIO 3 10.45pm
A meditation on Bill Martin’s poetry of pits, Buddhist-inspired pilgrimage and the post-industrial landscape once inhabited by the Haliwerfolc.

Tuesday 25 April 2022

Putin: The Ultimate Insult BBC RADIO 4 11am
False flags, brutal military tactics and aspirations of greatness – Putin’s approach to the war in Syria, as he tries to prove Russia is still a power-broker in the Middle East.

Thursday 26 April 2022

What’s Left of Kerouac? BBC RADIO 4 11.30am
Searching for Jack Kerouac one hundred years after his birth in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Selections by Henry Falconer and Pat Harrington