Arena - Season 34 / Year 2008
Season 34 / Year 2008
Episodes
The Strange Luck of V.S. Naipaul
Profile of the Nobel Prize-winning Trinidadian-born British writer, VS Naipaul. Filmed in India, Trinidad and his Wiltshire home, Naipaul remains as incisive, forthright and controversial as ever at the age of 75.
Cab Driver
Documentary which gets to the heart of that much-maligned and stereotyped character, the London cabbie, using archive footage, music and film, as well as the drivers themselves.
The Hunt for Moby Dick
Writer Philip Hoare confronts our fascination with the ocean's mystery animal, the whale. He visits the whaling ports of New England and draws a parallel with the war on terror.
The Whale in the Museum
Documentary telling the story of the construction of the much-loved blue whale at the Natural History Museum. As the world marched towards war in 1938, a determined group of men at the museum undertook the unprecedented task of building a life-sized model of the largest creature that has ever lived.
The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector
In a rare interview, legendary music producer Phil Spector dissects his songs. His trial for murder in 2007 ended in a hung jury, and court footage provides a vivid counterpoint.
Paul Scofield
A host of leading theatrical greats, including Peter Brook, Vanessa Redgrave and John Hurt, pay tribute to the outstanding British actor Paul Scofield.
Recently Updated Shows
The Daily Show
Hosted by a rotating cast of comedy greats, The Daily Show remains the go-to source for provocative satire, insightful interviews and an award-winning team of correspondents and contributors.
Irish Blood
Irish Blood focuses on Fiona, whose path in life is earmarked by her father, Declan, who seemingly abandoned her and her mother on her tenth birthday. After years of channelling anger toward him, to the benefit of her litigious clients, a message from her father sends her to Ireland. There she learns key truths about her father as well as a family that doesn't know she exists, and, moreover, that the story of abandonment that has shaped her entire life - was a lie. A lie intended to protect her and her mother from her father's shady business dealings. Fiona resolves to uncover the full truth about her father and reconnect with the parent she only thought she knew.
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
On Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, John Oliver presents a satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.
Your Friends & Neighbors
Coop is a recently divorced hedge fund manager who, after being fired, resorts to stealing from the wealthy residents in his tony upstate New York suburb in order to keep his family's lifestyle afloat. These petty crimes begin to reinvigorate him until he breaks into the wrong house at the wrong time.
Government Cheese
Government Cheese is a surrealist family comedy set in 1969 San Fernando Valley that tells the story of the Chambers, a quirky family pursuing lofty and seemingly impossible dreams, beautifully unfettered by the realities of the world. When Hampton Chambers is released from prison, his long-awaited family reunion doesn't go quite as he'd planned. During his absence, Hampton's wife, Astoria, and sons, Einstein and Harrison, have formed an unconventional family unit, and Hampton's return spins their world into chaos.