Documentary
The Art That Made Mexico: Paradise, Power and Prayers BBC FOUR, 9.00PM
It’s always a pleasure to find a series that sheds new light on a subject, and so it is with artist Alinka Echeverria’s enthralling films about Mexico’s art. Of course, there are the key points: conquest, dictatorship, revolution and figures such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, but what the commentary gives us here is the context for both the history and the artists. This is true of this episode that looks at the relationship between art and power, colonialism and control while examining the enduring power of Kahlo’s work and myth. SH
Handmade in Mexico BBC FOUR, 10.00PM
The focus here is on Mexico’s celebrated Tree of Life sculptures, those gaudy, gorgeous interpretations of everything from the creation myth to the resurrection of Christ and the Day of the Dead. It’s a fascinating half-hour in which we see the amount of work and detail that goes into each piece. SH
White Right: Meeting the Enemy – Exposure ITV, 10.40PM; STV, 11.05PM; UTV, 11.40PM; WALES, 11.10PM
This intriguing-sounding documentary sees the Bafta-nominated Deeyah Khan (Jihad: A Story of the Others) investigate white extremism in the US. Khan visits white nationalist groups, attends a far-right rally and asks why this poisonous ideology is resurgent. SH