Jonathan Meades: Off Kilter

Jonathan Meades on Jargon

In this provocative television essay, writer and broadcaster Jonathan Meades turns his forensic gaze on that modern phenomenon that drives us all up the wall - jargon. In a wide-ranging programme he dissects politics, the law, football commentary, business, the arts, tabloid-speak and management consultancy to show how jargon is used to cover up, confuse and generally keep us in the dark. He contrasts this with the world of slang, which unlike jargon actually gets to the heart of whatever it's talking about even if it does offend along the way. With plenty of what is called 'strong language', Meades pulls no punches in slaying the dragon of jargon.

Abroad Again in Britain

Jonathan Meades gives a personal perspective of British history.

Jonathan Meades - Magnetic North

Jonathan Meades travels from the flatlands of Flanders to Germany's spectacular Baltic coast in an attempt to decipher exactly what northernness entails.

Jerry Building: Unholy Relics of Nazi Germany

Jonathan Meades explores the architecture of Nazi Germany, from its holiday camps to its concentration camps.

L'Atlantide

A mythical land who must be discover. Or invented. In an impressive library, two old men. One is a great Polish archaeologist at the end of his work. The second- his best friend. They are masters of a substantial slice of human history: legendary Atlantis. It is refuge and masterpiece, propriety and treasure.

Ben Building: Mussolini, Monuments and Modernism

Having previously investigated the architecture of Hitler and Stalin's regimes, Jonathan Meades turns his attention to another notorious 20th-century European dictator, Mussolini. His travels take him to Rome, Milan, Genoa, the new town of Sabaudia and the vast military memorials of Redipuglia and Monte Grappa. When it comes to the buildings of the fascist era, Meades discovers a dictator who couldn't dictate, with Mussolini caught between the contending forces of modernism and a revivalism that harked back to ancient Rome. The result was a variety of styles that still influence architecture today. Along the way, Meades ponders on the nature of fascism, the influence of the Futurists, and Mussolini's love of a fancy uniform.

Mark Lawson Talks To

A series in which arts presenter Mark Lawson has a 60-minute in-depth conversation with a notable figure.

Surrealissimo: The Trial of Salvador Dali

A comic drama about the weird and wonderful world of Salvador Dali and the Surrealists. This film charts Dali's meteoric rise from obscurity to the world's most publicised artist.

Franco Building with Jonathan Meades

Writer and broadcaster Jonathan Meades turns his gaze onto Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.

Joe Building: The Stalin Memorial Lecture

Jonathan Meades examines the cult of Stalinism through its buildings and monuments.

Building Sights

Personal reflections on the best of 20th Century architecture.

Travels with Pevsner

Series in which presenters explore architecture in the footsteps of Nikolaus Pevsner.

tv-ssfbm ehkl Surreal Film

Surreal. Totally surreal. Well surreal. Double surreal. What does "surreal" mean? Does it mean anything? Documentary about Surrealism

Victoria Died in 1901 and is Still Alive Today

Jonathan Meades's personal, entertaining and deliberately provocative journey through Victorian architecture. From fantasy castles to the House of Parliament, he explores the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of Victorian society, using a combination of comic sketches, dance routines and riotous bad taste. Meades concludes that the British obsession with escapism and the desire to live in the past means Queen Victoria is still very much alive today.

Jonathan Meades: Abroad Again

Jonathan Meades Explores architecture and the British psyche once again in this series.

Bunkers Brutalism and Bloodymindedness

Two-part documentary in which Jonathan Meades makes the case for 20th-century concrete Brutalist architecture in an homage to a style that he sees a brave, bold and bloodyminded. Tracing its precursors to the once-hated Victorian edifices described as Modern Gothic and before that to the unapologetic baroque visions created by John Vanbrugh, as well as the martial architecture of World War II, Meades celebrates the emergence of the Brutalist spirit in his usual provocative and incisive style. Never pulling his punches, Meades praises a moment in architecture he considers sublime and decries its detractors.

An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad is a British travel documentary television series broadcast on Sky1 and Science, as well as spin-off books published by Canongate Books, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington. The ongoing theme of both the television series and the books is that Pilkington has no interest in global travel, so Merchant and Gervais make him travel while they stay in the United Kingdom and monitor his progress.

Who Do You Think You Are?

From roots in the Deep South to the slums of New Jersey, "Who Do You Think You Are?" follows the journeys of some of the most well-known names in American popular culture. Watch as celebrities discover unknown details about themselves and their families while researching their ancestry with the help of historians and genealogical experts.