WHATEVER happened to Easter on the box this year? Only the surfeit of annoying ads for DIY and furniture stores hinted at the fact that there was a four-day holiday.

With a captive audience - let's face it, the weather is more likely than not to turn pear-shaped at this time of year - all the TV programme planners could come up with was a plethora of repeats and hardly a mention of the religious festival we were supposed to be celebrating.

The usual fare of wall-to-wall soaps, reality shows and C-list films (excluding the iconic 'Back To The Future', of course!) dominated.

The 2004 Masters golf tournament from the picturesque Augusta National course in the USA at least provided a late night cure for insomnia on BBC2 over the weekend - apart from the final round on Sunday, when it had the decency to supply an exciting conclusion with America's Phil Mickelson putting to a one-shot victory over South African Ernie Els on the 18th green.

Intelligent and thought-provoking television is hard to come by these days, so I was delighted to stumble on the gem that was 'Out Of The Shadows: John McCarthy Returns To Lebanon' late on Sunday night on ITV1.

Having followed the fight to secure the release of kidnapped TV producer John and his fellow hostages in Beirut (including Lymm's own Terry Waite) in the 1980s, and having seen McCarthy's recent interview with Michael Parkinson, it was fascinating to watch Sunday's documentary recording his return to the place where he suffered five years of physical and mental torture.

Described as 'the best of us' by fellow hostage Terry Anderson on his release, McCarthy has a gentle screen presence that conveys eloquently the depth of character that must have been necessary to survive the effects of his years in captivity.

In Sunday's programme he chose to try to understand the culture of those responsible for his kidnapping, rather than rant against it. Interviews with Shia Muslim clerics and Hizbollah politicians were interspersed with visits to the locations relevant to the Beirut hostage saga.

In a week when hostage taking as a political tool returned to the Middle East, it made poignant viewing. Here at least was one offering in the Easter schedule that was enlightening rather than stupefying.

SOAP POSER:

IT was a Bank Holiday, so - true to form - EastEnders decided to send a group of residents on a mini-break in Monday's episode. This time the destination was a holiday camp, and the unfortunate Walford residents chosen to take part were Jim, Dot, Patrick, Yolande, Pauline and Derek.

Jim continued to prove he needs an urgent visit to the optician's, as he kept referring to Dot as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'. Yolande flounced around in her usual fashion until Patrick made his marriage proposal sound like a tax-saving exercise, and Derek looked set to become re-acquainted with the strange-looking camp (in more ways than one!) entertainments manager Rob.

The most bizarre moment, however, came when Pauline became the focus of attention for two potential suitors on the dance floor. They must have thought it was April Fools' Day, not Easter Monday!