LOUIS THEROUX: DARK STATES,
BBC2, 9pm
LOUIS Theroux’s exploration of the dark side of American life concludes tonight with an episode called “Murder In Milwaukee”.
He’s in the north of the city, which is plagued by “sky-high levels of gun violence” and where the homicide rate is 12 times the national average. The episode begins with terrible tension as Louis, wearing a bulletproof vest, is in a police car chasing a vehicle filled with suspected armed robbers.
The suspects crash into a house and there is total chaos on the street.
It’s noticeable throughout that the police tend to be white and the suspects black, and so Louis moves into the territory of the Black Lives Matter campaigns.
He speaks to a black woman who claims the police aren’t trying to protect them but, instead, are “trying to escalate the crime”.
Why would they do this? “I dunno baby,” she says, but the sentiment is fixed, nonetheless; many black people see the police as their enemy, so what hope can there be of reducing crime and violence in such a fractured society?
YOUR SONG,
STV, 9pm
THIS programme is a nice idea. I’m naturally cynical, so I’m trying to find something wrong with it, but I can’t; it really does seem nice and heart-warming.
It’s a one-off special, presented by Emma Willis, where members of the public who’re going through a tough time, or who deserve a special kind of thank you for their charity work, are serenaded by their favourite pop stars. It’s like a musical version of Surprise Surprise.
And here’s the clincher: you’ll have heard of the pop stars! They don’t just rope in some nobodies who were once on The X Factor. There are genuine big names here, such as Paloma Faith, Little Mix, and Rita Ora.
Paloma turns up as a celebrant at a gay wedding and Rita Ora goes back to the youth club she used to attend as a teenager. One woman, who founded a charity to stop bullying, receives a special performance from James Arthur. Not only is he singing for her, but he has composed a song in her honour. Lovely!
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here