What"s on the box this week?

'Executioner Pierrepoint" (History Channel, Thursday) - This thought-provoking documentary is a factual introduction to the famous executioner, Albert Pierrepoint, exploring his personality and ambitions and the moral dilemma associated with the difficult decision to enter his chosen profession. For Pierrepoint, his grisly trade was something of a family tradition. His father Henry and his uncle Thomas were both high-profile executioners. Henry was sensationally sacked after an 11-year career for being drunk on the job. Thomas, with Albert as his assistant, carried out hundreds of executions before he went it alone. During WWII, Pierrepoint was hailed as a hero and became the only executioner allowed to cross the English Channel to end the lives of some of the most notorious Nazi criminals in history, including Joseph Kramer, the notorious 'Beast of Belsen", and Lord Haw Haw, the Irish-born propagandist who broadcast German glory to Britain at the height of the Blitz. 'My Weapon Is A Dog" (BBC 3, Thursday) - On nearly every high street from London to Belfast, there"s a new 'must-have" accessory for some young men. Not the latest trainers or mobile phone, but fierce, snarling dogs. Rickie Haywood-Williams explores the hip-hop and peer pressure culture that has led to this growth in aggressive dogs in his hometown of London, on the streets and abandoned in shelters. He discovers that dogs are bred, bought, sold and given away with incredible ease. In some cases, the animals are deliberately trained and even abused to make them vicious. Methods of 'toughening up" dogs include chain fighting and beatings. The owners claim it"s all necessary for protection - but are they always in control of their animals? He meets victims of vicious dog attacks to hear their reaction to the rise in aggressive dogs, and also visits vets at Harmsworth Animal Hospital as they desperately try to patch up dogs after they"ve been abused or neglected. '24 - Season Finale" (Sky One, Monday) - Time runs out for Jack as Day 7 reaches its conclusion with an action-packed double episode finale. After being whisked away from the Senate hearing by the FBI and used to track down the very much alive Tony Almeida, Jack saw off General Juma and Colonal Matobo, ensuring the CIP device was destroyed before more innocent lives were lost. With Tony now dramatically revealed as Jack"s true foe, brutally killing Agent Moss and stealing a canister of the deadly bio-weapon, Jack must face up to this vicious betrayal, stop Tony and find out who he is working for. But time is running out for Jack in more ways than one. Infected by the lethal pathogen and with no known cure, Jack"s condition is rapidly deteriorating and his only hope is a risky stem cell transfer involving daughter Kim. All in all, just another day at the office for the indestructible Jack. 'How The Celts Saved Britain" (BBC 4, Monday) - Now, there"s a title to catch every Irish person"s attention. Dan Snow blows the lid on the traditional, Anglo-centric view of history and reveals how the Irish actually saved Britain from cultural oblivion during the Dark Ages, in this two-part documentary. Travelling back in time to some of the remotest corners of the British Isles, he unravels the mystery of the lost years of 400-800AD, when the collapse of the Roman Empire left Britain in tatters. While Germanic barbarism replaced Roman civilisation in Britain, Christianity transformed primitive Ireland into the cultural powerhouse of early medieval Europe. Snow follows in the footsteps of Ireland"s earliest missionaries as they bring Christianity to the future nations of Scotland and England, and he reveals how, with Christianity, came literacy and technological progress. Movie Of The Week: 'Nina"s Heavenly Delights" (BBC 4, Wednesday) - A food love story, this one concerns an Indian daughter returning to her native Glasgow in an attempt to save the family"s curry house lost by Daddy through gambling. With some stylish touches, this is a heart-warming outing that, while not exactly 'Bend It Like Beckham", will still bring a midweek chuckle or two.