Starting on
BBC Knowledge in January, 2009:
SPECIALS
Krakatoa: The Last Days (Two part special)Premiere date: Monday, 12 January 2009 at 21h30
Part Two is on: Monday, 19 January 2009 at 21h30
In 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa erupted, killing over 36,000 people and causing mass devastation by unleashing a series of tsunamis. It remains the second most powerful volcanic eruption in history, and the loudest sound ever recorded. The aftermath affected the world’s weather for 18 months after the eruption.
Krakatoa: The Last Days is a feature-length docudrama starring Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks) as Willem Beijerinck, a Dutch geologist who was studying the area, and Olivia Williams as his wife Johanna.
Based on the diaries of colonial survivors, the story concentrates on the weeks leading up to the eruption, and the immediate aftermath, as the Beijerinck family struggle for survival.
The show uses CGI to bring the eruption to life with scientific research backing up the drama.
Louis Theroux’s African Hunting Holiday On: Tuesday, 13 January 2009 at 21h30
Louis Theroux investigates the elite world of well-heeled American hunters who pay top dollar for the ultimate luxury adventure; a chance to shoot big game in Africa. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, hippos, even rhinos are up for grabs for those with the right kind of money.
Defenders of hunting say it is a humane and necessary form of game management - left to themselves, the animals will over-reproduce and starve. Critics call it cruel and barbaric, and certainly seeing a majestic, intelligent animal like an elephant get popped between the eyes and watching it fall to its knees while the hunting party whoop and high-five can be disturbing.
Louis meets the mother bringing her seven-year-old along so he can bag his own springbok, the CEO intent on taking home the head of a hippopotamus, and the evangelical hunting guide who compiles videos of his most spectacular kills and preaches a macho do-or-die gospel of self-actualisation through hunting.
The show asks the questions: is hunting the essence of what it means to be human? Or is it just plain cruel?
Louis Theroux: Gambling In Las Vegas On: Tuesday, 20 January 2009 at 21h30
Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in America, but even as it becomes more diverse it will always be known for one thing first and foremost: gambling.
Louis Theroux visits Vegas to delve into the city's multi-million dollar industry, looking at the high rollers, the casino managers and the ordinary folk for whom Vegas holds a special attraction.
Louis himself is a fan of Vegas, but as he scratches the surface of the gambling bug he finds nothing is as simple as it seems. He meets Richard Wilk, who is specifically employed to get the customers to spend as much money as possible, and Martha who has played the slots every day for 10 years, and whose losses are staggering.
For the rich and famous, Las Vegas may well be a playground where losing thousands of dollars holds little consequence, but as Louis uncovers some of the realities of the gambling machine the documentary looks at how he feels putting his own money at risk.
Louis Theroux: The Most Hated Family In AmericaOn: Tuesday, 27 January 2009 at 21h30
The Westboro Baptist Church is based in Topeka, Kansas and is just 71 members strong, all of them members of the Phelps family headed up by ‘Gramps’ Fred Phelps. They feel that America has become a morally bankrupt nation, which is possibly not such an extreme belief for a religious group, but the target of their anger, and the way it is expressed is what has made the Phelps family infamous.
Chanting slogans like, "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "Fags die - God laughs", it’s easy to understand why the Phelps family has become the most hated in America. This outlandish group will stop at nothing to get their moral message across and have even taken to picketing soldiers’ funerals. The response has been increasingly violent, with the family being subjected to beatings, property damage, telephone threats and even the bombing of their compound.
In this programme Louis Theroux moves in with the 71-strong family and uncovers the peculiar dynamics of a family that embody the American dream yet seek to ruin it for others.
NEW SERIES
The Story Of IndiaPremiere date: Friday, 16 January 2009 at 21h30
Historian
Michael Wood’s six-part documentary series that uncovers the history, adventure and travel of the Indian subcontinent.
TVSA's The Story Of India Mini Site (The show was oroginally boradcast on SABC2 in December, 2007)
The Secret Millionaire 2Premiere date: Thursday, 29 January 2009 at 21h30
The Secret Millionaire is the show that looks at philanthropy amongst business tycoons and entrepreneurs.
Each week, a millionaire leaves their luxury lifestyle behind to live undercover for 10 days in some of the most deprived parts of Britain. They must integrate into the community and work and volunteer with the locals in order to discover the people and projects they think would most benefit from their generosity.
On the final day, their true identity is revealed and thousands of pounds of cash are handed out to deserving people.
This second season includes American internet pioneer Margaret Heffernan who swaps a luxury home in Somerset for a flat above a shop in Nottingham, and Chek Whyte, who is now one of the richest men in England but knows what it is like to grow up in an unstable family environment.
The Ascent Of MoneyPremiere date: Thursday, 29 January 2008 at 22h30
A six-part series in which History professor Niall Ferguson goes on an epic historical tour of the world’s money markets to uncover the reasons behind the recent credit crunch.
The shows reveals that the banking system and key financial deals are as old as civilisation itself, and though the rise of the world’s financial system has been rapid and all-conquering, it has never been smooth.
Banks fuelled the Italian Renaissance, the bond market was a deciding factor in the American Civil War, and the British and Dutch Empires were built on the back of the first stock markets.
For every good thing the banking system has produced however, there does seem to be a dark secret lurking just beneath the surface. As Niall travels to locations such as China, Japan and America, it’s clear that someone somewhere is trading every minute of every hour of every day of every week and questions: is this a good thing?