Secrets and Deals: How Britain Left the Middle East

BBC Four, 9pm

The 1971 withdrawal of UK forces from the Gulf redrew the map of the Middle East. With the aid of freshly declassified documents, this terrific documentary reveals the secret diplomatic tussles that happened behind the scenes, including an unofficial deal between Britain and Iran over the latter’s seizure of the Tunb islands. It’s a striking reminder of just how much geopolitics has changed – and how it hasn’t.