THE TV schedules on a Friday night are a little like those shots you often see of the desert on wildlife programmes.

You know the ones, where amid all the tumbleweed and dead ox carcasses a colourful little flower bravely fights its way through to full bloom.

The little flower in question last night was Timewatch on BBC2.

This much under-rated and strangely scheduled documentary series is always worth tuning in to irrespective of the subject matter.

That's because it treats the viewer like an adult with a brain rather than serving up the usual battery hen diet which forms so much of the output.

This week it was an examination of the theory that the mythical city of Atlantis was based upon the destruction of the Minoan Empire over 3,500 years ago.

Scientists have concluded that a major tidal wave may have destroyed one of the world's great ancient civilisations, giving rise to the legend of Atlantis.

Using state-of-the-art graphics and bringing in boffins with the rare ability to communicate rather than confuse, Timewatch always manages to be both informative and entertaining.

I just wonder why it's stuck on a Friday night. Hopefully it's because the Beeb believes it's the only thing worth watching and will gain maximum audience. Somehow I doubt that such Reithian ideals prevail.