TV

The Force
Episode 2 (of 3)
The second episode of this excellent documentary series takes a look at the UK's first dedicated rape unit outside London, an "experiment" given six months to prove itself as a concept that should be rolled out nationwide. As stated near the start, rape is second only to murder in seriousness in the opinion of the British public, but is one of the hardest crimes to prove and consequently has one of the lowest conviction rates. Ultimately, the unit is shut down -- though it's given a last minute reprieve, once most of its staff have already been reassigned. Effectively, it's deemed as not cost effective despite impressive statistics, though just about allowed to continue... for the time being.
All in, it makes for an engrossing documentary on the way rape is and could be investigated, and commentary on the (perhaps hypocritical) difference between the opinion of rape in general, i.e. second only to murder, and the opinion on specific cases, i.e. unsolvable -- something the work of this unit categorically disproves. To date, no other force has established a similar unit, while last year 15,000 rapes were reported in the UK, leading to just 955 convictions.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

It's Only a Theory
1x08 Episode 8
Marcus Chown, again! And yet they still pretend they don't know him. Come on guys, treat your viewers with some intelligence!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
23x08 (18/11/09 edition)
Yes, last week's.
Martin Freeman does a good job in the guest host chair, though I couldn't see him doing it regularly (should they return to that route). One of the great things about the Buzzcocks guest hosts, incidentally, is that most of them seem to be having a whale of a time; unlike on HIGNFY, where they mostly seem nervous as hell.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]