A flowerpot to die for

“No one gave much thought to the marble trough that was used as a planter in the grounds of Blenheim Palace,” says Simon de Bruxelles in The Times. It was exposed to the elements for decades and used to grow tulips in Blenheim’s rock garden – until it was spotted by an expert on a routine insurance valuation. On closer examination, it was identified as a 1,700-yearold Roman sarcophagus. The 6ft 6in-long piece (pictured), “elaborately carved with a frieze of rollicking gods”, would once have contained the relics of a high-status member of Rome’s patrician elite; it seems likely that it was sold to the profligate fifth Duke of Marlborough, a renowned collector of antiquities, during a visit to Italy in the early 19th century. The neglected relic has now undergone extensive renovation work, and has been put on display inside the palace. Guy Schwinge, of Duke’s auction house, valued the sarcophagus at around £300,000.

The bizarre story of how, in 1978, North Korea’s movie-loving dictator Kim Jong Il kidnapped two of South Korea’s leading film stars. Mon 20 March, BBC4 10pm (90mins).

Syria’s Disappeared: The Case Against Assad

Documentary telling the lesser-known story of the Syrian war: the thousands of people who have disappeared under the Assad regime into detention centres. With testimonies from three survivors. Thur 23 March, C4 9pm (60mins).

Unreported World: Putin’s Family Values

The foreign affairs series looks at the resurgence of the Russian Orthodox Church, the rise in nationalism and the increased wave of intolerance in Russia. Fri 24 March, C4 7.30pm (30mins).