Keeper of secrets for the US president

TV editor Lyndall Crisp selects The Presidents' Gatekeepers as her pick of the week on pay television.

James Baker, former chief of staff for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

TV editor Lyndall Crisp selects The Presidents' Gatekeepers as her pick of the week on pay television.

The Presidents' Gatekeepers
Sunday, 8.30pm, Discovery

No, this has nothing to do with the plethora of programs now clogging TV screens on the Kennedy assassination. There is no shortage of material inspired by the anniversary this Friday, but the events in Dallas 50 years ago don't feature here. Instead it's a fascinating look at the role of a US president's chief of staff, going back to Lyndon Johnson's time and ending with Barack Obama. In an extraordinary scoop, it features 20 men who have held the powerful role during nine presidencies plus interviews with former presidents Jimmy Carter and George HW Bush. This documentary took three years to make and reveals for the first time the extent of this unique fraternity's responsibilities and their influence on presidential decisions. Often the only other person in the Oval Office in times of crisis, he is the president's closest confidant and keeper of secrets. When Democrat Bill Daley was appointed Obama's chief of staff, he called Republican James Baker, pictured, for advice. "Congratulations," Baker says, "you've got the worst f . . king job in government. The White House chief of staff walks around with a target painted on his back and on his front." The series is directed by acclaimed French-American filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet (9/11, In God's Name) and the second episode airs on November 24.

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Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes
Sunday, 7.30pm, LifeStyle Food

Watch this and drool -- not just over the food but, in this episode, the fabulous scenery around Sicily and the mainland coastal town of Puglia. This series follows the one Stein did in France, travelling the waterways on a barge for 59 days. Now he has crossed to Italy to explore islands and towns, their history and their food. He discovers luscious meals, many of them the result of creative peasants dating back centuries plus the influence of Arab, Greek, Spanish and Turkish neighbours. And the best is to be found, he says, in back streets and hillside villages.

Bankers: Risking It All
Sunday, 8.10pm, BBC World News

Risking It All is the second episode of this brilliant three-part series which -- through interviews with banking insiders, regulators and politicians -- unravels the story of two recent multi-billion-pound trading disasters that rocked London's banking world. No surprises that, despite the global financial crisis that five years ago almost brought the international economy to its knees, some bankers are still behaving recklessly.

Hitchcock
Sunday, 8.30pm, M Premiere

A biographical comedy-drama, this film received mixed reviews when it was released last year, but grossed nearly $US24 million worldwide. Starring Anthony Hopkins as the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock and Helen Mirren as his long-suffering wife and artistic partner, Alma Reville, it focuses on the making of the film Psycho.. After his success with North by Northwest (1959), Hitchcock searches for a work that shows he still has what it takes; despite his colleagues' lack of enthusiasm, he turns down Casino Royale for the controversial horror movie Psycho, which becomes a classic.

Marilyn: The Last Sessions
Monday, 8.30pm, Bio

Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962, aged 36, yet stories about her continue to fascinate. This documentary is based on tapes made during sessions with her psychoanalyst, Ralph Greenson, who was the last person to see her alive. Be not alarmed: Greenson never released the tapes but he did play them to John Miner, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor who investigated the actress's death. Miner says he took "nearly verbatim" notes and released them only years afterwards when Greenson became a suspect in her death. The program also features remarkable footage of Marilyn at work and play.

Stephen Fry: Live in Sydney
Monday, 9pm, Studio

Yes, yes, Fry is everywhere, but if you missed this the first time round, treat yourself now. There he is on stage at the Sydney Opera House, solo with no props, just talking about life -- for 90 minutes. It's Fry at his best: funny, self-deprecating, naughty. He doesn't miss a beat; a very gifted entertainer working an adoring full house. Oh to be there.

The Art of Germany
Tuesday, 8.30pm, Studio

Just when we learn of the discovery in an Augsburg apartment of about 1400 masterpieces thought to have been confiscated by the Nazis and worth more than $1 billion, along comes this excellent three-part series that looks at the evolution of German art during the past 500 years. But you'll have to wait for the third episode to see how "the whole Nazi project was driven by a twisted sense of aesthetic priorities -- to show how Hitler really did begin with art and architecture, poisoning culture as a dry run for his poisoning of Germany itself", as host Andrew Graham-Dixon says. In A Divided Land, he searches for the finest lime wood sculpture of the German Renaissance period and introduces us to Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531), "the greatest artist who ever set out to carve a piece of wood".

Killing Kennedy
Tuesday, 7.30pm, Nat Geo

In his dramatisation of the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963, producer Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise) goes at it from a different angle -- although it's hard to imagine there's anything fresh to say. He concentrates on Lee Harvey Oswald (Will Rothhaar), the man who pulled the trigger, and what led him to that fateful decision. JFK is played by Rob Lowe (The West Wing) who manages a good Boston accent and the right body language, Ginnifer Goodwin looks nothing like the ethereal Jackie, but Michelle Trachtenberg is a reasonable Marina Oswald. Based on last year's bestselling book by conservative TV commentator Bill O'Reilly, it's a bit superficial given the reality, but a neat encapsulation of a historical event.

Sons of Anarchy
Wednesday, 7.30pm, FX

Now in its sixth season, this popular US drama follows the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club in the fictional Californian town called Charming. The action centres on the club's vice-president, Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam), and weaves in club members' families, various townspeople, allied and rival gangs, associates and law agencies who are for or against the gang. In Authority Vested, past sins come back to haunt Jax and the boys.

Hollywood Exes
Wednesday, 8.30pm, E

Each episode of this bit of frippery looks at the lives of six women who used to be married to famous men. In this first episode we meet Mayte Garcia (Prince's ex), Jessica (baseball player Jose Canseco), Sheree Fletcher (Will Smith), Andrea (singer R. Kelly) and Nicole (Eddie Murphy). No shrinking violets, they've hung on to their celebrity status by being successful in their own right.

Chaplin
Friday, 8.35pm, M Masterpiece

Produced and directed by Richard Attenborough in 1992, this biographical film explores the life of perhaps the most famous comedian, Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey Jr). It also stars Moira Kelly, Dan Aykroyd and Kevin Kline, and Geraldine Chaplin appears as her paternal grandmother, Hannah Chaplin. The story picks up as the elderly Chaplin reminisces about his life with fictional character George Hayden (Anthony Hopkins), who's editing his autobiography. A complicated life to attempt to capture in one go, the film was criticised by some as being too glossy but was nominated for several major awards so others of note liked it.

Freddie Mercury
Friday, 8.45pm, Studio

Farrokh Bulsara, who died aged 45 in 1991, is better known to a generation of rock fanatics as Freddie Mercury, the Tanzanian-born British performer recognised worldwide for his wild stage act and powerful vocals. As Queen's lead vocalist and lyricist (1970-91), he wrote many of the band's hits including Bohemian Rhapsody and We are the Champions . This compelling documentary uncovers new footage of interviews, concerts, video shoots and personal material to paint a portrait of the star.