BBC World to air special week of programming

Televisionpoint.com Team
Starting this October 15, BBC World will present a special week of programming from and about the Indian subcontinent, broadcasting Talking Point live from India, followed by technology show Click Online travelling to the country's IT hub, Bangalore, and its interview-based show HardTalk will feature India’s leading personalities.

Click Online - Click Online presents a special programme from Japan's premier consumer electronics show, CEATEC. Stephen Cole and the team will be looking for the hi-tech wizardry which manufacturers believe will be transforming our lives in the years ahead. Stephen also interviews Sir Howard Stringer, CEO and Chairman of Sony, Japan's most famous technology powerhouse, and there's a round-up of websites exploring Japan's extraordinary culture.

Imagination: Renaissance - Andrew Graham-Dixon examines the contribution of Florence in the second episode of Renaissance. Filmed against the background of the seething, modern-day city, he evokes the bustling, commercial culture of Renaissance Florence, where men such as Leonardo Bruni, the Chancellor of Florence in the early 1400s, embarked on a programme of public buildings like Orsanmichele, the church of the Florentine Trade Guilds.

Top Gear - This week's Top Gear compares hot hatchbacks, with the VW Golf Mark 5 GTI, the Renault Megane and the Vauxhall Astra VXR all being put through their paces. Presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond also explain why they think the BMW M5 is one of the most irritating cars ever made - but also one of the best. There are reviews of the latest models, celebrity guests and tests on Top Gear's own racetrack.

FASTTRACK - Join the FASTTRACK team Salsa dancing in Equador's capital Quito this week. Inga Lovric Kemp also reports from the Galapagos Islands, where a growing number of people visiting the islands means the survival of the animals in their unique environment is being endangered. Plus, Mike London reports from Ecuador's largest city, Guayaquil on how it and other cities in Latin America are trying to follow Quito's tourism success story.

Talking Movies - This week, Tom discusses the new, already-prize winning picture Good Night, and Good Luck with its co-writer, director and star, George Clooney. The film is set in the United States in the 1950s, when Senator Joseph McCarthy spearheaded a witch-hunt against suspected Communist sympathisers. Also featured is the intriguingly titled The Squid and The Whale staring Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels.

Note that recently, BBC World has awarded its creative and media duties to Vyas Giannetti Creative and MediaCom respectively to help it sharpen its brand in India as it makes new programming investments in the market. The appointments were made after a multi-agency review that included incumbent Euro RSCG. Seema Kotecha, BBC’s head of marketing, cited 'innovative and strategic recommendations' for awarding the US$3 million-plus account to the pair.