Week 49 Highlights

15 November 2011

Black Mirror

 

A 49er was the name given to those who took part in the 1849 California gold rush.

49 is the first square number where both the digits are also squares. Much like the people who find this fact interesting.

As a kid, 49 was my favourite number. I had a thing about the seven-times-table, and my favourite was 7x7. Sadly, this is actually true.

Here are the highlights for week 49 on Channel 4. Do with them what you will.

 

 

 

Saturday 03/12/2011
8pm
Tony Robinson's Gods and Monsters 2/5: Evil Spirits
Tony Robinson continues his exploration of the weird and wonderful history of belief, superstition and religious experience in Britain. In this episode he looks at belief in a world full of demons who could enter your body and take control of it; a world populated by spirits you couldn't see that would steal humans - and especially babies, leaving 'changelings' in their place - a world where inappropriate behaviour or mental illness was taken as evidence of possession by a devil, and a sign that your soul was damned to Hell.

 

Saturday 03/12/2011
12:30am
World Cinema Season: Waltz with Bashir
(2008) One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there's a connection to their Israeli army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early 80s. Ari is surprised that he can no longer remember a thing about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images... Folman's animated film won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Network Premiere.

 

Sunday, 04/12/2011
5:55pm
The Golden Compass
(2007) Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards star in Chris Weitz's family fantasy-adventure, based on the first book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, as a young girl (Richards) travels to the far north in a parallel universe to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from a mysterious organisation. Network premiere.

 

Sunday, 04/12/2011
9pm
Black Mirror 1/3: The National Anthem
Charlie Brooker returns to Channel 4 with three stand-alone dramas that are sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales with a techno-paranoia bent. Over the last ten years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we've had time to stop and question it. We have access to all the information in the world, but no brain space left to absorb anything longer than a 140-character tweet. Black Mirror taps into the collective unease about our modern world.

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
10:55am
Sealed Bid
In this new series property expert Simon O'Brien follows the fortunes of real people going through the sealed-bid property process. With just weeks to sell their houses, vendors and agents have to organise open days to create a sense of competition for interested parties, before asking them to make a full and final bid on the property. For the first time this series captures the perspective of the seller, estate agent and potential buyer, as they all vie to get the best deal.

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
5pm
Come Date with Me
One single girl, five eligible bachelors, five nights of very flirtatious dinner party action and Dave Lamb's witty commentary throughout: Come Date with Me is the brand-new culinary show where delicious food and, potentially love, are on the menu. The seduction techniques in the first episode include peculiar Gollum impressions and disastrous dirty dancing.

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
8pm
Turner Prize 2011
Lauren Laverne hosts live coverage of the Turner Prize from the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead. The programme features interviews with the nominated artists, special guest experts and the live announcement of the winner.

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
8:30pm
Landlords from Hell: Dispatches
As the numbers of the homeless rise, Dispatches goes undercover to find out what really happens when you're without a roof over your head and desperate. Local councils are supposed to look after you, but now the housing minister wants them to sort the problem by working with private landlords. But how suitable are the landlords they send you to? And what checks do councils make on the rooms they rent? Jon Snow, with a team of undercover reporters, returns to investigate the reality of life for people at the mercy of private landlords, and finds families with young children sent by local authorities to live in filthy, bed bug-infested properties, while their rogue landlords make a fortune out of public money

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
9pm
The Great British Property Scandal 1/2
Two million families are on the UK housing list, and yet there are one million empty homes in Britain. George Clarke is shocked by this senseless waste of housing stock. He aims to prove that refurbishing is a quicker and a more efficient way of getting people a roof over their heads than building anew. He's also setting himself the challenge of getting some families who have never had a permanent home housed by the festive season. In this first episode, George meets Emma and her young children - who've moved ten times in 13 years - and looks into the ethics of squatting and the reasons why people do it. Showing as part of The Great British Property Scandal season.

 

Monday, 05/12/2011
10pm
The Million Pound Drop Live
Over five consecutive nights The Million Pound Drop Live gives contestants the opportunity to win life-changing amounts of money just in time for Christmas. Joining the contestants in this series will be some familiar faces playing for charity. Viewers at home can play with a virtual million pounds alongside the contestants with the hugely popular online game.

 

Tuesday 06/12/2011
9pm
The Great British Property Scandal 2/2
In the concluding episode of this two-part series, George Clarke tells delegates at the Conservative Party conference about Carl, a former soldier who's been sleeping on sofas since he left the army four years ago. He calls for a law change to make it easier for ordinary people to get their hands on empties, and a low-cost loan scheme to help people make repairs and get them back into use. George meets Les, a Royal Mail night worker, who's one of only four residents left in a residential area of empty homes in the North East. He visits young graduates Chris and Leah, who've brought an empty home back into use by themselves in Manchester. And he makes a huge breakthrough when the government responds to his calls for change. Showing as part of The Great British Property Scandal season.

 

Wednesday 07/12/2011
8pm
Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 1/2
Queen of all things handmade Kirstie Allsopp presents the first of two festive specials full of gorgeous treats and inspiration for a thoroughly crafty Christmas. Kirstie tackles the 12 Crafts of Christmas to transform her Devon house, Meadowgate, into a winter wonderland ahead of Christmas Day, as well as creating some gorgeous handmade gifts for under the tree.

 

Wednesday 07/12/2011
9pm
Phil's Empty Homes Giveaway
Phil Spencer meets some of the people worst affected by the UK housing crisis, and tries to help them put a roof over their head. In the economic downturn, the UK's 'squeezed middle' is finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Homelessness has become a threat to thousands across the social spectrum. Some experts say that many people are only three steps removed from ending up without a roof over their head. Phil meets two men who have ended up on the streets, and attempts to persuade private house owners whose properties have been sitting empty for years to allow him to help them renovate and then let the property to the homeless. Can he find the right property, persuade a private landlord to get involved, and help get two men a roof over their heads before winter? Part of The Great British Property Scandal season.

 

Thursday, 08/12/2011
8pm
Kevin's Grand Design 1/2
As part of The Great British Property Scandal season Kevin McCloud embarks on an epic battle to build his very own Grand Design. Britain needs more homes, but fed up with the poor quality of the country's identikit new houses, Kevin aims to prove that it wouldn't cost any more to build homes that are a lot nicer to live in.

 

Friday, 09/12/2011
7:30pm
Unreported World 10/10:  Australia's Hidden Valley
Reporter Oliver Steeds and director Ed Braman travel to Australia to investigate the effect of controversial emergency legislation on the Aboriginal population. Four years ago, the government used this legislation, aimed only at aboriginal Australians, to take control of many Aboriginal settlements. It said this was help to end violence and child abuse, and combat the alcohol abuse that ravages many Aboriginal communities. While the government says it has been a success, critics argue it's caused more chaos, increased poverty, dependency and racism.

 

 

For highlights of programmes on More4, E4, Film4 and 4Music, please visit the Listings section of the site (available to registered users only).