Once Upon A Time In Iraq

BBC2, 9pm Award-winning film-maker James Bluemel has collated an immense treasure trove of interviews with those who experienced the realities of life in Iraq over the past 17 years, starting with the 2003 invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The five-part series is a colossal achievement, giving voice to individual lives caught up in the grand events that dominated the world’s headlines for so long. This opening episode is surprisingly rich in humour, including the priceless footage of the then teenage Waleed Nesyif with his heavy metal band in Baghdad playing a song dedicated to Saddam, just in case any regime spies were watching.

Even those who supported the invasion are now forced to question its worth as we hear first-hand from those who suffered the chaos (including the ravaging of Mosul, right) that followed. ★★★★★