Harold Hillier 's passion for plants made Hilliers, nurserymen to the Queen, famous throughout the world. This year the company is 125 years old.
Narrated by Bruce Parker. Producer SUE GROVES

Eddie Neale introduces the third stage of the Advent pilgrimage from Stanbrook Abbey, near Worcester.
Director VALETTA STALLABRASS Producer NOEL VINCENT

Last in the series for people with learning difficulties. Studio director MARTIN SUKER Producer JOHN BROOKE
(e)
* INFORMATION PACK: send £3.00 to MENCAP, [address removed]

Twenty programmes for beginners in Italian. 9: Cosa prendiamo?
Film director ubby HALLIDAY
Producer MADDALENA FAGANDINI (R)(e)

8: On the Trail
Produced and directed by ROBERT CLAMP
A Palace Gate production for BBCtv (R)(e)
0BOOK: 'Help Your Child with Maths', £3 50 from bookshops.

A ten-part course for beginners presented by Sneh Gupta and Omar Salimi.
(e)
Book: 'Hindi Urdu Bol Chaal', £8.99 paperback; two cassettes, £9.99.
Guide: send a large sae (34p stamp) to [address removed]

Eight keys to learning with the Go Go Boys.
8: The Next Course
Film editor ALASTAIR MITCHELL Produced by JULIAN STENHOUSE (R)(e)
• BOOK: 'In the Know', price £3.95.
0 CEEFAX SUBTITLES

The Christmas Special
An extra large Christmas helping of the magazine programme for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, with sign language and subtitles. Presenters:
Maureen Denmark and Clive Mason. Sign language interpreters: John Lee , Brenda Mackay. Director BILL WHYTE
Series producer IAN WOOLF

Christmas approaches, and Lord and Lady Clifford entertain their glamorous paying guests to a long weekend 'shoot' on the ancestral estate in Devon.
It's all part of a survival plan to hold a historical family estate together - and to give the well-heeled some entertainment into the bargain. John Craven reports. Plus at 12.55pm the weather for the countryside with Bill Giles.
Producer MICHAEL FITZGERALD BBC Pebble Mill

With Moira Stuart followed by On the Record
Poor Politics
The Government's decision to freeze the level of child benefit for the third successive year has caused a predictable outcry. Critics claim that the Tories are heartless and mean; the Conservatives reply that they are interested in targeting help at the really needy. But below the surface fury there is considerable confusion about what the Tories' long-term strategy for dealing with poverty really is. Do they still believe that, in the words of former Minister John Moore , "There is no such thing as poverty'?
Reporter: David Walter. Producer NICK ROBINSON
Editor DAVID AAVONOvrrcH
(Postponed from 12 November)

by Charlie Humphreys.
"Oh Mo! Something terrible must've happened! Marge ain't here!"
(Ceefax subtitles)

Written by and starring Tim Noah.
Stuck in his room one afternoon, Tim's imagination warns him not to open his closet doors. Disobedience leads him to encounters with the weirdest of puppet creatures including Musty Moldy Melvin and Greasy Grimy Gertie all in the musical search for the Wow Wow Wibble ... Produced by CREED NOAH and PAT ROYCE

Final of the Winalot
Challenge Trophy.
Teams from the South East and the Midlands join the final contest to decide who will become the Superdogs of 1989. Introduced by Deborah Hall. Commentator: Peter Purves.
Superdogs vet John Wilson. Videotape editor JON BIGNOLD Producer STEPHEN MORRIS
(Event organised in association with Charles Barker production

From the Grand Hall, Olympia.

Raymond Brooks-Ward introduces many of the items which make this show so popular - the racing dogs, the Shetland Grand National, the pantomime and the Modern Alarms Christmas Knock-Out Stakes with two horses racing against each other over identical courses.

Truro's Treliske Hospital in Cornwall is the venue for this year's Christmas Roadshow. Sister Selina Scott, Dr Jeff Banks and nurses Caryn Franklin and Raj Dhanda prescribe a seasonal tonic for the staff and patients. Up on the catwalk there is a transformation or two, and a few surprises to mark the 100th edition of the programme.

BBC Pebble Mill

By C.S. Lewis.
Dramatised by Alan Seymour.

Prince Caspian and his followers fight off a sea serpent and meet more magic in their search for the missing Lords.
(Ceefax subtitles)

Cliff Michelmore and Lynette Lithgow report on the latest charity news.

Richard Whitmore appeals on behalf of the Camphill Village Trust which was established in 1955 to provide sheltered village communities for mentally handicapped adults. Funds are needed now to construct a new house in Aberdeen for elderly and frail villagers.
Donations to: Richard Whitmore, [address removed]

With Moira Stuart.

Weather

From Nottingham.

The National Children's Home is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. Pam Rhodes joins Viscount Tonypandy, Nerys Hughes, Polly James and Bill Buckley for an evening of carols and Christmas festivity at the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham. The orchestra and singers of the Methodist Association of Youth Clubs are joined by children from Yorkshire and the St Michael's Singers from Coventry. Pam visits NCH projects around the country to discover what's being done to care for thousands of children and parents.

O Come, All Ye Faithful; God Rest You Merry Gentlemen; The First Nowell; Calypso Carol; Away in a Manger, Star Carol; A Winter's Tale; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

(Ceefax subtitles)

Live from the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster.

Introduced by Desmond Lynam and Steve Rider.

Once again the stars of British sport gather to celebrate another sporting year of action, drama and entertainment.
The climax to the evening will be the presentation of the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year award by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev David Sheppard. Back in February, Frank Bruno carried the hopes of the nation in his attempt to win the World Heavyweight championship. In March, Desert Orchid thrillingly won the Gold Cup. The following month came the Hillsborough tragedy, from which Liverpool emerged with dignity to capture the FA Cup. Summer brought a double triumph for West Germany at Wimbledon, a memorable win when the Ryder Cup was retained, and a historic first European Cup win for Britain's athletes. More recently, England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup, and Nick Faldo captured the World Matchplay title to add to his superb win in the 1989 Masters. These moments and many more drawn from the BBC's sporting coverage are recalled in tonight's programme, which also includes presentations to the overseas personality and the team of the year.

Cover Story: page 4

With Michael Buerk.

Weather

Screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on the novel by Oswald Wynd.
Last in a four-part series
Starring Samantha Bond as Mary Mackenzie, Daisuke Ryu as Count Kentaro Kurihama
with Fumi Dan as Baroness Aiko Onnodera, Joanna McCallum as Alicia and Cecile Paoli as Isabelle de Chamonpierre

1935: although resigned to never finding her son, Mary has remained in Japan and is now an extremely successful businesswoman. But with war brewing in Asia, Mary finds her position as a foreigner growing increasingly difficult. Mary receives a visit from Isabelle de Chamonpierre who tries to persuade her to return to Europe.

(Ceefax subtitles)

A series of brutal murders has recently paralysed a rebel sect of over 100,000 fundamentalist Mormons in the US who practise polygamy as a way of showing devotion to God. The murderers justify these killings by quoting the doctrine of 'blood atonement', which allows the spilling of blood to avenge sins.

Everyman examines the effect these killings have had on the fundamentalist Mormon community, and interviews former sect members, including one woman who admits she carried out 'blood atonement'. Where is the line to be drawn between fundamentalism and fanaticism?

A Twenty Twenty Television production for BBCtv
Feature: page 10

Sex in the 90s
How is the risk of becoming infected with HIV affecting our sex lives? In this programme people talk about their new sexuality.
Film editor MICHEL CLERFEUILLE Producer ANNA JACKSON (First shoum on BBC2) (e)
0 HELPLINE: phone the 24-hour National AIDS Helpline on 0[number removed](calls are free).
0 INFORMATION: for a free programme leaflet,send a large sae (15p stamp) to: [address removed]

Featuring the Crosse and Blackwell Christmas Cake Stakes.
As if jumping the puissance wall is not hard enough, in tonight's first class the riders try it without a saddle.
Introduced by David Vine.

(Shown yesterday, 2.00pm, BBC2)