Higher channels

John Davies scans the schedules. (All times pm unless stated.)

Pick of the week

Do you speak classical Qaahili? In the absorbing final programme of the Royal College of Art series (Tuesday, 9.50, BBC2; 11.20 in Wales), that's the language - of "issues" and "outcomes" - that RCA pro-rector David Hamilton admits to using as the college prepares for a QAA inspection. Professor of sculpture Glyn Williams complains about the paperwork, rector Christopher Frayling worries about "arrogant fiefdoms" and students express puzzlement - sentiments no doubt familiar to some THES readers.

FRIDAY October 22

The Routes of English (4.00 R4). Part two: Old English and the accents of present-day Winchester.

SaturDAY October 23

Empire and Eros (2.30 R4). Warwick University's David Dabydeen - also in Britain's Slave Trade on Sunday - uses a Caribbean slave owner's diary to examine the sexual implications of colonialism. First of two.

The Archive Hour - View from a Ledge (8.00 R4). It is 70 years since the Wall Street Crash (see Sunday and Monday), so here are archive recordings about the event, plus J. K. Galbraith talking with Peter Jay.

SUNDAY October 24

The Secret Life of Money (4.00 History Channel). Two-hour documentary ranging from the first coins to today's paper money.

Sunday Feature - To Sleep to Dream (5.45 R3). Freud's Interpretation of Dreams and its impact: a centenary assessment presented by Lesley Chamberlain.

Playing the Race Card (7.10 BBC2). Three-part series on Britain's race and immigration legislation since the 1950s, with candid ex-politicians and former civil servants recounting what they did and failed to do.

Britain's Slave Trade (8.00 C4). Final programme: the legacy of slavery in Britain, including Marina Warner talking about her slave-owning ancestry.

The Sunday Play (8.30 R3). Lorca's The Public in a new translation by David Johnston of Queen's University, Belfast, followed by Johnston's own Shadow of the Wedding (8.35), which takes off from the Spanish playwright's Blood Wedding.

MONDAY October 25

Nicholas Nickleby (10.00 R4, repeated 7.45 weekdays). Serialised in 30 parts for Woman's Hour drama slot.

The Great Depression (7.00 History Channel). New series that starts with the 1929 crash.

Millennium (7.10 BBC2). Twelfth-century Italy, France, Ethiopia, New Mexico and Australia.

The Booker Prize (7.45 C4). Coetzee, Desai, Frayn, O'Hagan, Soueif or To!bin? Live coverage includes a "people's jury".

TUESDAY October 26

War of the Century (9.00 BBC2). Final part: Stalin's revenge on those who collaborated with the Nazis (and many who didn't).

Royal College of Art (9.50 BBC2; 11.20 in Wales). Pick of the week.

WEDNESDAY October

Measuring the Mind (11.00am R4). First of two programmes presented by Raj Persaud examins the history of intelligence testing.

Thinking Allowed (4.00 R4). Andrew von Hirsh of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology.

THURSDAY October 28

Melvyn Bragg - In Our Time (9.00am R4). On atrocity in the 20th century.

The Material World (4.30 R4). Brian Henderson and Paul Griffiths of University College London on the bacteria that live on humans.

Horizon: Atlantis Uncovered (9.30 BBC2). The myth of Atlantis under scientific scrutiny.

Email: Davieses@aol.com. For extended guide and web links to programmes, visit The THES website at: www.thesis.co.uk