JO COX: DEATH OF AN MP, BBC2, 9pm
WHATEVER your politics, and whatever your heart is made of, this is a terribly sad film. It will leave you upset, but also angry that a good politician, and a good woman, was so cruelly taken away.
No-one needs to be reminded of what happened to Jo Cox, and so this film focuses on her personality and work. We learn about her career with Oxfam, and of her friendships, marriage and motherhood (footage of her with her children singing “You can’t catch me! I’m a banana!” will melt the coldest heart).
But this isn’t just a tribute to Jo Cox. We also learn more about Thomas Mair, her killer, whose life was bleak and lonely by comparison. Described as a “hermit”, he had mental health issues and was an obsessive character who always scrubbed his hands clean with Brillo pads.
The police offer their assessment of Mair, and we see interview clips with him and follow his movements on CCTV.
RYAN GANDER: THE IDEA OF JAPAN, BBC4, 9pm
RYAN Gander is a conceptual artist, meaning he transforms concepts into a visual language. No paintings of fruit bowls for him.
Gander leaves behind his studio in Suffolk and heads to Japan, a country that has always fascinated him as its people have a deep love of symbols and images.
He thinks Japan has “a special relationship with time”, and draws from its rich spiritual, decorative past to create images which describe and shape its future. So Japan can be defined, and instantly recognised, by classic images like the geisha, Samurai, cherry blossom, rolling waves and serene mountains, but also by punchy modern images like anime, Godzilla and robots.
He compares this to Britain’s dreary relationship with the past, which he associates with “Dads Army, the Empire, and people moaning about how great it was in the good old days”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here