I've recently signed up for Sky Plus and must admit it's been a bit of a revelation. I should have done it years ago. It appears that no matter what time I stagger in from a long shift, there's at least one programme on the box about the Second World War. No longer do I have to kill time by watching the latest lacklustre sitcom. I can now wile away the hours with such gems as "Sink the Tirpitz", "Tank Overhaul" and "SS - Death Panzer Bastard Battalion - The Sven Hassel story". No longer do I have to suffer the sight of the ubiquitous Graham Norton, doing his Irish Kenneth Williams, Carry on Matron routine, whilst surfing websites full of pink dildos, in front of a live studio audience (is that what passes for comedy these days?)

I must confess at this stage to being somewhat pedantic. In fact, anyone who's known me for more than about a week, would probably describe me as downright anally retentive. My only real complaint, with the televisual feast I've now gained access to, is that some of the more cheaply produced documentaries tend to use stock World War film footage. For example, the narrator will be talking about the invasion of France, whilst we're viewing shots of a Stuka formation over north Africa, circa 1941. I really wish the producers would take more time over their output. The other day I was informed the Fallschirmjaeger assault on the Low Countries heralded the dawn of a new era of mobile warfare, the opening up of the so called vertical flank. Well undoubtedly it did, but the chap I was watching at the time wasn't taking part in that operation. Not unless he'd managed to time travel into the future and get his hands on a Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle, that is.

Amongst all this, however, one series stands out, like a shining beacon of light. Put simply, "The World at War" is an absolute landmark series. First broadcast in 1973, the programme still sets the gold standard for historical documentaries. I first watched it when it was rebroadcast on Channel Four in the early 80's. Many of the veterans being interviewed about their experiences were, when filmed, only in their forties and early fifties. For some reason, this made their reminiscences far more accessible for me. Now I'm watching the series again (three episodes yesterday) I find they have even more impact. Perhaps it's because I am now almost the same age as they were when they were filmed. This is not some old man, eyes watering, talking in a thin reedy voice about some bygone age, it is someone just like me. Someone who may have shared the same hopes and aspirations, but found himself transported to the other side of the globe to kill someone he had never met before.

Sadly I wonder where the future World at War type programmes are going to come from, since television seems to have embraced the "reality TV" format to its' busom. There have been a few notable high points in the last few years, "The Nazis, a Warning from History", "Auschwitz, the Nazis and the Final Solution" and "People's Century" spring to mind, all BBC productions. Unfortunately, they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The rot really started at the turn of the millenium with such series as "Airport", "Driving School" and "Big Brother". Good grief. I paraphrase slightly, but as Tommy Saxondale once said if there was any justice, the TV executives would be defending their output from behind bullet proof glass in the Hague.

It's hard to imagine such a series as The World at War being made today in the same format. When I'm feeling particularly cynical I try to imagine such a monstrosity. From the heart rending opening lines, delivered with such gravitas by Olivier, "Down this road, on a summer's day in 1944, the soldiers came. Nobody lives here now." Of course, if produced today, we'd have to have the Talking Heads track "Road to Nowhere" playing in the background.

Interviews with veterans would be interspersed with shots of various z-list celebrities trying to recreate the second Chindits raid. I can just see it now, the voice over in a geordie accent, "Day 15 and Michael Barrymore has caught deng fever whilst field stripping a Bren gun and Shakin Stevens will need a steady hand to defuse that butterfly mine."

Then there'd be the obligatory interview with Davina McCall for the "celebs" once they had been voted out of the combat zone -

Davina - "So Chico, what was it like in there?"

Chico - "Awful, just awful. Insects, crotch rot, you name it."

Davina - "You weren't Mr Popular when you shouted, "It's Chico time" and gave away your position to that Japanese patrol."

Chico - "Yeah that's when we took our first casualty. Roger De Coursey was manning the mortar, when Nookie Bear took a high velocity round to the head. Interestingly, as Nookie uttered his last words, you could still see Roger's bloody lips moving. We had to use Michelle McManus and Rick Waller to sure up the front of the sanger."

And on and on.

Ten years ago I watched "I'm Alan Partridge" and laughed as he pitched ideas to get himself back on TV, such as "Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank" and "A Partridge amongst the Pidgeons". The trouble is, you can't parody it anymore. It has come to pass and if you doubt me, try tuning into "Celebrity Rehab".