Foxtel highlights: Thursday, January 21

VERY SCARY PEOPLE Crime + Investigation 135, 8.30pm

This new series hosted by Donnie Wahlberg (pictured) chronicles the twisted lives of some of the most frightening and diabolical characters in US criminal history. On the morning of July 29, 1976, David Berkowitz walked up to a parked car in the Bronx, New York, where two young women were talking and fired five bullets from his revolver into the vehicle. Donna Lauria, 18, was killed instantly and her friend, Jody Valenti, was wounded. This would be the beginning of the Son of Sam murder spree, which would trigger one of the largest police manhunts in New York City history. This two-part special investigates Berkowitz’s despicable crimes and his reign of terror. Tune in tonight for part one.

THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE History 130, 11.30pm

Over the years many people have speculated that the White House is so much more than what we see at ground level, and that underneath the building is where the real power takes place. In this one-hour special investigative journalists and government insiders weigh in on the many mysteries surrounding the most important piece of real estate in America, starting with the top-secret construction that took place outside the West Wing in 2010. Was it really just a routine upgrade to the wiring and air-conditioning systems? And if so, why did that require truckloads of heavy-duty concrete and steel beams? The mind boggles.