Secret History: Sink The Belgrano (C4), The Practice (C4): YOU could be forgiven for wondering whether there's anything new to say or show about the sinking of Argentinian warship, The Belgrano, during the Falklands conflict.

Secret History provided much that was fresh - to me, at least - including the fact that the centrepiece of the Argentine navy began life as the Brooklyn class cruiser USS Phoenix, launched in New Jersey in 1938.

It survived Pearl Harbour, gaining a reputation as a lucky ship. Try telling that to the 323 crew members who died after a British submarine sank the by-now General Belgrano - the US sold it to Argentina in 1951 - as a threat to the British task force.

The Argentine generals, who dreamed of a bloodless victory by occupying the Falkland Islands and hoping the British would simply write them off, had reckoned without a certain Mrs Thatcher. Rather than ask "Can we have our islands back, please?", she sent a task force of 30 ships to reclaim them. The Belgrano was old, but still a danger and the British navy knew she had to be found and put out of action.

The programme used a mix of interviews with British and Argentine commanders and seamen to tell the story. Belgrano captain Hector Bonzo told, apparently for the first time, that his ship had orders to attack. "I would go as far as to say we were keen to pull the trigger," he said, establishing that the ship represented a real danger in or out of the exclusion zone.

The sinking and the aftermath was recounted in chilling detail. Equally interesting was learning that despite £50m worth of submarine, the remote control button for firing the torpedoes failed to work. The order had to be given to fire by hand.

The Belgrano crew who survived the blasts - and hundreds didn't - plunged into the freezing sea. It was like "being struck by a million needles at once", recalled one sailor. Many never made it back to the surface.

Those in the life rafts drifted miles in storm-tossed darkness. Because it was assumed the Belgrano had gone down with all hands, the first survivors weren't picked up until 24 hours later.

The documentary was a powerful reminder of a decisive moment in recent history.

The Practice was history in the making, as cameras followed a general practice in Brighton over the year in which new centrally-operated doctors' contracts were introduced.

Viewers were left to make up their own minds about whether this was a good or a bad thing. All the talk about meeting targets couldn't help but worry patients, as well as causing some doctors to have doubts.

A fat man is worth his weight in not exactly gold but extra funds. There's a financial incentive to get patients to meet targets, such as losing weight, and earn doctors extra money. The effect on the doctor/patient relationship worries some.

Money can't buy doctors, though. Only time will tell if the changes will stop experienced GPs leaving faster than they can be replaced.

Bat Boy The Musical, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

BY the time the hero is serenading a severed and bloody cow's head, things have become seriously batty in this gloriously over-the-top US musical, receiving its British premiere at the Playhouse.

Bat Boy is, if you haven't already guessed, half boy and half bat. Edgar, as his new mom calls him, can't resist sucking the lifeblood out of the local cattle. This anti-social habit, unsurprisingly, doesn't endear him to townsfolk.

It's the old, old story of the outsider who's different being rejected by the community. But let's not ponder overlong on the message that tolerance is a good thing. Let's wallow in the outrageous plot and songs as Edgar finds love of a sort and the truth about his parenthood.

As musicals go, Bat Boy is more Rocky Horror than Carousel. It has cult stamped through it like Blackpool through a stick of rock. Mark Wing-Davey's admirable production plays it commendably straight, which is as it should be - the whole thing is camp enough without trying to make it funny.

Deven May, who played Bat Boy in the original US staging, reprises the role and proves wonderfully athletic and endearing as Edgar learns good manners, how to wear a suit and how to speak good England (thanks to some handy BBC language tapes) after years of living in a dark, dank cave.

John Barr's mad doctor and Rebecca Vere's loving mother sing strongly as the couple who take him in, although it's daughter Shelley (sweet and sexy Emma Williams) who brings out the beast in him. They're backed by an ensemble who provide much fun with their quick-changing, cross-dressing characters

* Until July 17. Tickets 0113-213 7700.

Steve Pratt

Published: ??/??/2004