WEEK 52: Saturday 26 December - Friday 1 January 2010

NZ VIEWS - The Gravy, Saturday 26 December, 9.35pm: Musician Warren Maxwell, Playwright Gabe McDonnell, and Graphic artist Ross Liew return to present series 4 of Aotearoa's creative culture show, The Gravy.

From words to bodies to technology, each episode is a journey of discovery into the hearts and minds of inspirational New Zealanders. The show continues its successful tradition while bringing in a contextual element born from a deep respect and engagement with the creative culture of the nation. Extraordinary stories continue to explode in your face in the weekly animated segment, The Truth. Tonight on The Gravy, host Gabe McDonnell explores the elements that go into making theatre through the production of one play, Goodnight - The End. The play is written by Jo Randerson and is a continuation of her grimy character as featured on The Gravy in series 3. If you have missed an episode, check your guide for extra opportunities to view. Full episodes of The Gravy will also be available free online at www.tvnz.co.nz/thegravy.

NZ VIEWS - Back Benches Summer Tour, Wednesday 30 December, 9.10pm: Back Benches, New Zealand's one and only pub politics show, hits the road and heads to the beach every Wednesday evening over summer.

The Back Benches Summer Tour sees Wallace Chapman and guests head to the regions, starting at the birthplace of politics - and New Zealand's first licensed pub - in Russell, and winding down through Mangawhai, Coromandel, Tauranga, Gisborne, and Napier over December and January. Each show will be an opportunity to get out and meet the locals, and bring the Back Benches brand of live pub politics to some of the best summer spots in the country. The team will be discussing the big events of the past year, looking forward to 2010, and highlighting important local issues in each stop. Along the way they will meet local MPs, the local mayor, and colourful personalities at each stop. The Back Benches Summer Tour tonight comes to you from the Mangawhai Tavern in Waipu. There is an opportunity to be part of the exciting studio audience. The filming for this episode is on Monday 21 December, starting at 7pm. It is recommended you arrive at 6.30pm to secure your spot. If you miss this episode check your guide for extra opportunities to view. The show will also be available on line after the show has aired at www.tvnz.co.nz/backbenches.

WORLD'S BEST - Christianity: A History, Friday 1 January, 7.10pm: Christianity: A History presents an alternative view on the history of Christianity. This major eight-part series plays on Fridays on TVNZ 7.

Each thought-provoking episode investigates a key moment in Christianity's history from its birth in Palestine, through its conquest of the Roman Empire and its conversion of Britain; from the bloody legacy of the Crusades to the intolerance and division of the Reformation; from its global expansion at the barrel of a colonial gun to the devastating impact of science; and finally through to its future prospects in the world of the 21st century. Nearly five centuries ago a vast religious revolution gripped Western Europe. The Reformation split the medieval Church asunder, breaking it into competing Catholic and Protestant factions. Ancient customs were abolished, the Pope was declared the Antichrist and Christian killed Christian in the name of their faith as religious wars and massacres raged. In this episode of Christianity: A History, MP Ann Widdecombe sets out to learn more about the turbulent years that split Catholics and Protestants, in search of the causes of the Reformation.