This program examines Blake's artistic achievement and continuing appeal, with Peter Ackroyd, Blake's latest biographer, as guide.

A suppressor of his own writings, Franz Kafka even requested that upon his death all his extant works be destroyed-yet those very works accurately prefigured the anxieties and alienation so commonly associated with the latter part of the 20th century. This program delves into Kafka's fictional world, primarily through a gripping dramatization of The Trial, a combination of simple tale and complex parable describing Joseph K.'s bizarre arrest and execution....

"In this classic interview, the late composer talks on topics such as his love of nature and his fervent Christian faith, two themes that profoundly shaped his work; his views on rhythm and tonal color; his relationship with his mother, the poet Cécile Sauvage; and his professorship at the Paris Conservatoire. Film clips of Messiaen improvising on the organ and notating birdsong for his compositions--plus excerpts of his music, some of which are...

British comedy television series based on two very different twenty-something people, Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley, who pretend to be a professional couple to secure tenancy of a North London flat. The two along with their assortment of co-conspirators, tortured artist Brian, would-be soldier Mike, fashion fascist Twist, rock casualty landlady Marsha and Colin the dog, tackle the big questions of the 21st century.