AS THE third anniversary of the 9/11 atrocities passed us by at the weekend, we were once again reminded of the poor security at airports.
Not a month seems to have passed by without a story in the newspapers about an undercover reporter having smuggled a knife or other dangerous object on to a plane but the BBC's Whistleblower really did open your eyes to how lax security at airports can be.
An undercover reporter got a job at Manchester airport and with information from a whistleblower known as Scholes', she went about secretly filming what went on at the airport and the results were shocking.
Team leaders were seen fiddling the number of bag searches carried out, faulty metal detectors were used to check incoming passengers and the reporter even managed to board a plane that stood empty on the runway.
Although this hour-long programme did uncover bad practices at the airport, I wonder how many security lapses were caused by the reporter taking a camera around with her or boarding the empty plane on the runway? It was a good piece of investigative work but would it not have been better for the relevant authorities to have carried out the undercover work? Nevertheless it was gripping viewing that kept me watching for the full hour.
We will have to wait and see if this helps to improve security but if the terrorist attack on the twin towers didn't improve security, I'm not too sure this documentary will either.
If you resort to going on television to see if you and your partner are well suited, then the signs can't be that good, and so it turned out in the final episode of Channel 4's Made for Each Other.
Neil and Emma from Bristol were filmed and scrutinised by a divorce lawyer and psychotherapist before being put on a programme designed to cure their marital problems.
Apparently the best way to sort out their differences was 15 minutes cuddling a day, for Neil to spend an hour of the day on his own doing something of his choice and for Emma to do things Neil asked her to do I'm sure there are men all over the country wishing they were on this programme!
In the end, it turned out like most of all the other reality programmes on Channel 4 and arguments broke out. Emma eventually stormed out in the final analysis and although she calmed down and came back on-screen, the upshot of it all according to the experts was that progress was being made in their relationship. Made for each other? hope not.
Has anyone been watching the new series of They Think It's All Over? I know it's meant to be a sports quiz but I think they have taken it too far in the picture round when the teams have to jump on a bike and the faster they pedal, the faster the pictures are revealed.
This week sees the start of a new series of Silent Witness (BBC1: Sunday and Monday, 9pm), which gets off to a dramatic start with a suspicious helicopter crash and a jockey who dies in a horse race. The Jockey Club abandon the race meeting after suspecting foul play when a horse suddenly pulls up and falls over, killing the jockey. Later on two people killed in the helicopter crash are found to be members of a syndicate of doctors who own the horse. The autopsy on the horse reveals high levels of an anaesthetic in its blood, which is also found in the bloodstream of the helicopter pilot. The betting scam-turned-murder hunt leads the police to another member of the syndicate, Matt Gibb, who has huge gambling debts. He confesses to drugging the horse, but denies murder but will the others believe him?
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 hereComments are closed on this article