BEST OF THE REST
KNIVES IN THE CLASSROOM BBC1, 8.30pm
FILM-MAKER Chanell Wallace was just 11 years old when her brother was knifed to death.
Daniel was aged 20 in March, 2006, when he was stabbed through the heart by 24-yearold Cornelius Messam in a fight outside his home. He had been walking back from a takeaway with a friend when they were confronted by Messam.
Now, 13 years on, Chanell has made this powerful Panorama documentary to investigate the growing problem.
Increasing numbers of young people are carrying knives and becoming victims of knife crime. Hospital doctors report that the injuries from knives they are treating are becoming more severe and the victims are getting younger.
In this film, Chanell meets young people growing up in communities where carrying a knife is normal.
She sees how violence from knife crime is turning lives upside down, and she spends time in a school and college to see the impact of knives on the classroom.
A CONFESSION ITV, 9pm
IF YOU missed the beginning of this drama about a reallife detective Imelda case, it’s worth Staunton catching up on as Karen – if only for some compelling performances from Imelda Staunton and Siobhan Finneran as two distraught mothers.
As it continues, Det Supt Steve Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman, is convinced that 22-year-old Sian O’Callaghan is still alive, days after she disappeared on a night out in Swindon.
The uncovering of some CCTV footage identifies a local taxi driver called Christopher Halliwell, played by Joe Absolom, who could be connected to the case. Fulcher decides to leave Halliwell ‘in play’ and under surveillance to see what he does next.
Meanwhile, Karen Edwards (Staunton) remembers her missing daughter Becky and the drug habit that took over her life. Before long, Karen realises that the mother of missing Sian, Elaine O’Callaghan (Finneran), lives only a few doors away, and it won’t be long before their devastated worlds collide.