Sky One vs BBC One

Two holes in our viewing. The loss first of Sky One's Ross Kemp in Afghanistan and BBC One's Tropic of Capricorn. You can see we don't much go for the Britain's Boozy Weekend type TV, nor Big Brother, nor American Idol (yes we are secret Hell's Kitchen fans).

Kemp's Afghanistan on Sky One until recently was a model of documentary TV making. The man went and spent time with the troops and that meant in battle as well as in theatre. Let's remember Kemp is a well known actor rather than a journalist trying to make a name for himself.

What were the highlights? None stand out but that's because the series was well told from start to finish.

Simon Reeve's Tropic of Capricorn had a similar feel - I mean lived in and real. Reeve last night wandered through Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil which is a long way to go even in a travel documentary. But he managed to bring home one or two messages - much of the forest of Paraguay for example is now destroyed to make way for Soy Beans.

Soy has an undeserved reputation as an essential food - high in protein and highly adaptable. But that's another story.

Two truth come out of these programmes.

One engaging person without the aid of false drama, artificially imposed deadlines, and unreal motivation can tell a good story well. The second truth is equally important.

There are some things that really matter - why people are fighting in Afghanistan, why the forests continue to be ripped up. In their own way they are dramatic enough without tv's current predisposition to ramp up the drama.

Low key is highly effective too.