Must see TV

Some of the best journalism never appears in print and we had two stunning examples last night.  Ross Kemp's journey with 1 Royal Anglian as they prepared for and entered Helmand was vivid and compelling - it had me hooked like an episode of 24. It is the first series I have seen that takes the viewer to the frontline of Britain's most ferocious war since Korea. It was just episode one, but set your Sky Plus for the rest. And if you don't have Sky, this series is the excuse you need to get it.

Next was Channel Four's Dispatches presented by my counterpart at the Statesman, Martin Bright, on the cost of Red Ken. It was one jaw-dropping exposure after another. His "Kenocracy" of advisers, on £120,000 a year who were all in Socialist Action in 1991 and have regrouped at Cabinet level salaries. His "economic adviser" John Ross was ex employee of the Russian Communist Party. Ken has built an incredible network of "embassies" which are, as Martin says, "of questionable value to the people of London" (bit like the devolved Scotland's new "embassies"). Then there was his £620 room charge on hotel stays paid for by Londoners', his insane alliances with Chavez and the rest. You could hardly recover your breath throughout the programme. If you missed it, it's a good chance to sign up to Channel Four's "on demand" service to watch again. If Boris can't depose him after this, then the Tories are really sunk. Ken is there for the taking.