Rudyard Kipling's classic tale, starring Errol Flynn
India under the British Raj, 1885. A young orphan becomes involved in intrigue and espionage when he is befriended by an Afghan horse-dealer.
(The opera Baa Baa Black Sheep based on works by Rudyard Kipling is at 3.00pm) Director Victor Saville
(1950) (Subtitled)
Film Reviews pages 47-70

Ken Burn 's acclaimed five-part television history of the American Civil War, shown in full for the first time.
1: The Cause. The 1850s saw increased tension between the industrial Northern states of America and the agricultural
South. When Abraham Lincoln came to power in 1860 he vowed to maintain the Union, but the Southern states saw secession as their right - a conflict which led to war.
With the voices of Sam Waterston , Jason Robards , Garrison Keillor , Julie Harris , Derek Jacobi and Jeremy Irons. Narrated by David McCullough.
Part 2 can be seen at the same time tomorrow
Director Ken Burns Revised

Highlights from the 1994 season of the world's fastest growing motorsport.
Presented by Steve Rider .............

From Chepstow, featuring races at 1.00,
1.30,2.05 (Welsh National) and 2.35.
Commentary by PeterO'Sullevan, Richard Pitman and Peter Scudamore. Introduced by Julian Wilson , who also pays tribute to trainer Vincent O'Brien who retired last month after 44 years at the Ballydoyle stables in County Tipperary.
Producer Wendy Sheppard

Composer Michael Berkeley 's acclaimed opera, performed by Opera North and broadcast simultaneously with Radio 3.
Based on an early autobiographical piece by Rudyard Kipling , the libretto was written by Australian novelist David Malouf. The story marries the trauma of Kipling's traumatic childhood to the fantasy of his laterwork, The Jungle Book. The music is performed by the English Northern
Philharmonia, and conducted by Opera North's musical director Paul Daniel.
For cast see Radio 3 listings on page
Television producer Peter Maniura ; Television director
Barne Gavin Stereo ................................

In his lifetime Verdi's popularity rivalled that of today's pop stars, and he still remains the most performed of all operatic composers.
Conductor Mark Elder journeys through Verdi's life and music in these two films. The orchestra and chorus of the English National Opera, and singers including Josephine Barstow, Dennis O'Neill and Willard White feature in operatic scenes, directed by David Alden. The words of Verdi and his wife are read by Bob Peck and Juliet Stevenson.
(Part 2 is on tomorrow at 5.00pm)

Simon King's beautifully filmed animal drama follows the fortunes of a family of barn owls in the Somerset wetlands.

Tyto, the male owl, and his mate Alba go through the trials of the breeding season, raising their chicks despite close encounters with other predators and humans. Their hair-raising story of survival includes conflict with a marauding tawny owl and Alba's narrow escape from drowning.
(Stereo) (Subtitled)

Tyto the Barn Owl 6.00pm BBC2
You've heard about the ugly duckling that grew into a beautiful swan, but what about the ugly owlet? Simon King's magical film takes us right into the nest of barn owl Tyto and his mate, Alba, and follows an eventful year for them.
At first it seems as if the parents are having all the adventures; Tyto's forays for food lead to alarming close encounters with foxes and humans. But the first few weeks away from the nest are incident-packed for the chicks as they discover a mirror and attempt to catch a canary. Harrowingly, we also see one of the chicks thudding into a passing car.

In the year of Donald Swann's death, John Amis presents an affectionate look back at the songwriting and performing partnership of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.

The programme features a compilation of recently discovered archive recordings of performances given on Broadway, where audiences flocked to hear their gentle mockery of English and American foibles. At their most famous in the 50s for their witty and eccentric songs, they performed in hit West End shows like At the Drop of a Hat. Celebrated for their hippos wallowing in "mud, mud, glorious mud", their musical menagerie also included songs about ostriches and gnus, warthogs and armadillos.

Over the last 12 months, ten members of the public have been recording their experiences and responses to events in the news to contribute to this review of the year. The programme includes films from a trainee surgeon in Aberdeen, struggling with long hours, to a nun in an enclosed order; from a soldier reluctantly embarking on a tour of duty in Northern Ireland, to a seed and plant breeder hoping to break a world record with his giant petunia.
Their stories touch on the major issues of the day: an estate agent decides whether to send his children to private school, a fisherman faces a make-or-break year financially and a protest or against the Criminal Justice Bill gets caught up in rioting. Their reactions to events, both in their own lives and in the news, provide a very human, unique view of Britain today.........

Tonight Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie are joined by a galaxy of stars for a feast of BBC2 comedy and music. Guests include comedians Reeves and Mortimer, performers from The Fast Show, Alan Partridge, Rab C Nesbitt, the cast of The Real McCoy, Alexei Sayle, Ronnie Corbett and singer Sandie Shaw.
Archive footage from Christmas Nights of old includes Tony Hancock, Dick Emery, Benny Hill, Kathy Kirby, Jack Warner, David Nixon, Charlie Drake, Billy Cotton, the Toppers and many more.

A modern morality tale of sex and drink, rock and roads.
Starring Susan Sarandon
Geena Davis
Harvey Keitel
Thelma and Louise decide that what they need is a weekend away from their humdrum lives - and their menfolk.
But, at a roadside diner, something happens that sets the women on a law-breaking, fast-driving journey across the United States, culminating at the spectacular backdrop of the Grand Canyon.
The film won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, which was written by Callie Khouri.
Director Ridley Scott (1991)
* FILM REVIEWS pages 47-70

Continuing the season of ghost films for Christmas.
Tonight's horror stars Vincent Price
Watson Pritchard is the owner of a 100-year-old haunted mansion that has been the scene of seven murders.
Wealthy Frederick Loren and his wife Annabelle rent the home for one-night "haunted house" party, and that's when the horror begins.
(1959)
Ghost Story is on tomorrow at 12.30am
FILM REVIEWS pages 47-70