Crime adventure, beginning a season of films featuring Leslie Charteris's famous sleuth.
Starring Louis Hayward

The Robin Hood of modern crime joins the fight against the New York underworld and, in particular, the battle to halt the criminal career of the Machiavellian "Big Fellow".

(1938, PG)
(Black and white)
See Films: pages 67-72

8.20 The Rinuccini Chapel, Florence 9714220 8.45 Diagrams 8660336 9.10
The Lyonnais: a Changing Economy

Epic saga set in ancient India.
Sharan succeeds in saving the life of commander Bal Gupta.

Live Asian arts and entertainment magazine. This week, singer Apache Indian asks whythere is a lack of successful Asians in the pop business. With Mo Dutta and Rajesh Mirchandani.
Phone-in number: (0121) [number removed](standard rates apply)

Hindi film quiz.
(Stereo)

Robert Carrier travels to Jamaica, where he cooks jerk chicken and ackee with salt fish - two of the island's most famous dishes.
(Repeat)

Films under review this week include
Chain Reaction and Twelfth Night.
Shown last Monday on BBCl Stereo

Musical, beginning today's Saturday Matinée triple bill featuring the work of Hollywood choreographer Busby Berkeley.
A struggling producer and three out-of-work dancers team up to put on a new show, but they are hindered by financial problems.
(1933) Black and white
See Films: pages 67-72

Musical comedy, the second of three Saturday Matinee films featuring the work of choreographer
Busby Berkeley. Starring
Mickey Rooney , Judy Garland
Student playboy Danny Churchill Jr still finds a beautiful girl to pursue, even after he is exiled to a men-only college.
Danny Churchill Jr MICKEY ROONEY , GingerGray JUDY GARLAND Bud Livermore GIL STRATTON , Henry Lathrop ROBERT E STRICKLAND. "Rags" "RAGS" RAGLAND
Director Norman Taurog (1943)
Black and white ..... ◆ See Films: pages 67-72 ***

The Saturday Mat/neetriple bill concludes with a musical starring
Esther Williams , Van Johnson
Julie Hallerton is determined to get her workaholic boss's mind off business.
Julie Hallerton ESTHER WILLIAMS , Ray Lloyd VAN JOHNSON
Barry Gordon TONY MARTIN. Hank JOHN BROMFIELD
, Nancy Parmel EDNA SKINNER
DirectorCharles Walters (1953) ◆ See Films: pages 67-72 ***

More hits from the Top of the Pops archives, plus today's charts and music from around the world.
(Stereo)

Presented by Moira Stuart.
(Subtitled)
Weather Michael Fish

The New Silk Road
The ancient Silk Road brought prosperity to the cities of central Asia. Now another precious commodity- opium, and its derivative heroin - is following the same path, leaving drug addicts, smugglers and chaos in its wake.
Tonight's documentary investigates this new narcotic route. Peregrine Hodson reports on the crisis from northern Afghanistan, a country now estimated to be the source of half of the world's heroin, and war-torn Tajikistan, whence the passage of drugs winds its way through the former Soviet Union and into the western world.
Producer Giselle Portenier ; Editor Keith Bowers

John Diamond of The Times casts an eye over the week's national press.

The second semi-final of the Grand Prix gets under way this evening at the Bournemouth International Centre. If
Peter Ebdon and 1994 Grand Prix champion John Higgins have won the previous rounds, there could be an intriguing match in prospect. Presented by David Vine , with commentary by Ray Edmonds , Clive Everton , John Spencer , Dennis Taylor and John Virgo. Coverage continues at 12 midnight.
Directors Trevor Morris , Mike Ward and John Watts Editors Gary Franses and Rupert Rumney
Stereo......

Actress Maureen Lipman joins team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton for another round of the satirical news quiz presented by Angus Deayton.
(Shown yesterday) (Stereo)

A Screen Two drama starring Lia Williams, Pauline Collins, Annette Crosbie

Two young children are brought to Janet Hinton, a social worker in the Scottish Highlands. When both she and an independent expert become convinced that the children are part of a ritual child abuse network, the small community is thrown into disarray.
See today's choices.
Andrew Duncan interviews Pauline Collins: page 20

Lifeboat coxswain Eric Ward comes from St Ives, Cornwall, a town known both for its fishing industry and its vibrant artistic community. Ten years ago, Eric applied brush to canvas and tapped into a hitherto hidden talent for life-painting.
See today's choices.

More green-baize action from the International Centre in Bournemouth as the second semi-final is played to its conclusion.
See 8.10pm for details. Coverage of the final starts tomorrow at 2.00pm on BBC2.
(Stereo)

Drama starring
Julie Christie
As she prepares to leave Buenos
Aires, Miss Mary Mulligan recalls her years as governess to a rich aristocratic family whose strict codes of conduct allow sexual freedom to men, but not to women. Some dialogue in Spanish with English subtitles.
Director Maria LuisaBemberg (1986. 15).. + See Films: pages 67-72 ***
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