DICTATORS AND DESPOTS: A TIMEWATCH GUIDE, BBC4, 9pm
WHAT does a dictator look like? Is he – for it’s surely always a man – swathed in robes and jewellery, or does he prefer a strict military uniform? Does he live in a palace? Does he have limousines and mistresses and fierce, barking dogs? Or maybe he just looks like your dull local bank manager?
And how do people respond to a dictator? Do they live in fear of him, or do they worship and revere their strong leader? It’s a fascinating subject. The modern world has given us a horrible range of dictators, but what unites them, other than gender and ego?
This programme shows how TV has portrayed dictators and despots in the 20th century and examines how they cultivated and abused their appeal.
EXCLUDED AT SEVEN, C4, 9pm
EVERYONE can remember the “bad boy” in the class. The one who’d never sit still, was always chatting, and had to be moved to a separate desk. Maybe I’m revealing my age here, but I can remember the days when such children would be put in the corner.
This programme shows how they are dealt with in the current system: pupils whose behaviour is unmanageable are no longer sent to the corner but are removed from school completely.
It benefits no-one when the needs of a troubled, aggressive or hyperactive child aren’t being met, and where other children are being disturbed. But what happens to a child who’s excluded at the tender age of seven?
According to this show, they’re the lucky ones. At the Rosebery School they’re given special care and individual attention. Pupils here have been expelled from their primary schools for being too violent or uncontrollable. So ask yourself: are they bad wee brats or troubled children? And what happens to the others who don’t get this unique care?
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