Britney's Redneck Roots (C4)

After the War: Conquering Germany (BBC2)

EVER since Britney Spears burst onto the scene with pigtails and a sexy pout we've been fascinated by her, and this programme sought to feed our curiosity.

It came as no surprise to learn that she's as American as they come - her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, was a sleepy backwater full of hapless hicks. And, of course, that was exactly what we wanted - not the airbrushed diva with the perfect smile but the dirt on her early days.

Guided by Tim Oliver, a former policeman turned investigator, we toured Britney's early haunts. We met a long-term family friend who informed us - with worrying relish - that he had seen the star naked. It turned out that when she was still in the pram, he had watched her mother change her nappy. "I know her daddy better," he said, with clear regret.

Others' knowledge of the singer seemed even more random. "Britney has always loved grilled food," said the owner of a local diner, although she did claim to have seen the signing of her first contract.

A stronger claim to actually know the star came from Courtney Brabham, a childhood friend. She gushed about being in Britney's gang and how it had led to her being her bridesmaid - but clammed up when it came to the wedding. It seemed that those in the inner circle knew exactly where the boundaries lay.

This could certainly be said of Britney's granddad, described as a "stubborn old coot". It seemed inadequate justification for him threatening to shoot unwanted guests.

The scariest scenes in the documentary, which mostly rehashed things we already knew, showed Taylor Horn, a mini Britney in the making. Inspired by the star, she's set her sights on being a singer, and from what we saw, has already made a decent start. Her grown-up voice and pert manner gave obvious parallels, allowing for archive footage of a pre-teen Britney singing Chaka Khan.

The only thing more disturbing than this was hearing her voice coach - who was once Britney's - tell her: "I'd spank you but it would go on camera."

After the War: Conquering Germany gave a new perspective on post 1945 - and it wasn't pleasant. We learned how, already cowed by the Second World War, Germans suffered terribly at the Allies' hands.

When the soldiers came, they took what they could get - and this included raping women. A shocking statistic was that 100,000 suffered this fate when the Russians took Berlin.

With typical arrogance, the Allies even stole from the aristocracy - then it emerged that they had links with British royals. Whether or not they got their just desserts was not revealed.