Rembrandt’s crusty Homer

Programmes

Scientists have warned that old master paintings are “crusting over”, says Dominic Nicholls in The Sunday Telegraph. A study on a tiny paint sample – less than the width of a hair – taken from Rembrandt’s Homer (1663 – pictured) has found that sulphur dioxide from open fires and atmospheric pollutants has slowly altered the chemistry of the paint – reacting with the lead to create an acidic environment that disfigures the painting and leaves a white surface crust. And it’s unlikely that the discolouration can be repaired, because the crust has penetrated deep into the paint. It’s probable that many paintings of a similar age may be affected; modern works are thought to have escaped damage because they are stored in better environments. The study utilised the UK’S national synchrotron, in Oxfordshire. The facility is a particle accelerator that acts like a giant microscope, speeding up electrons to near light speeds to study matter.

Safe Harbour Gripping Australian thriller series about a group of friends sailing to Indonesia who come across a boat overloaded with asylum seekers. With Ewen Leslie. Sat 2 Feb, BBC4 21:00 (105mins).

Africa with Ade Adepitan In this four-part series, the athlete and journalist travels from Cape Verde to Nigeria to see how Africa is changing. Sun 3 Feb, BBC2 21:00 (60mins).

Skipping School: Britain’s

Invisible Kids Dispatches investigates the dramatic rise in children leaving school to be educated at home, and looks at the impact it is having. Mon 4 Feb, C4 22:15 (60mins).

Humpback Whales: A

Detective Story Tom Mustill was lucky to survive in 2015 when a 30-tonne humpback whale breached and landed on his kayak. He wondered if this was an act of sabotage – and decided to investigate. Fri 8 Feb, 21:00 BBC2 (60mins).

Films

A Matter of Life and

Death (1946) Majestic Powell and Pressburger fantasy starring David Niven as a wartime pilot who cheats death. Sun 3 Feb, BBC2 13:50 (105mins).

Anthropoid (2016) Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan star in this thoughtful true drama about the plot to assassinate an SS officer in Nazi-occupied Prague. Tue 5 Feb, Film4 21:00 (145mins).

The Straight Story (1999) David Lynch’s charming tale, based on the true story of a 73-year-old man who drove across the Midwest on a lawnmower to visit his dying brother. Sat 9 Feb, Film4 01:45 (135mins).