When a documentary can be at once delightfully cheeky, endlessly informative and deeply self-revelatory about its host, you have something very special.

To find out what I'm referring to, tune in to "Westminster Abbey," a 90-minute exploration that goes over that storied church from basement to spire. (It will be seen on WMHT, channel 17, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m.)

The program is hosted by author Alan Bennett, who wanders around one of the most famous buildings in the world, eavesdropping on tour guides, sneaking into hidden places, providing historical perspective and showing the everyday events that go on behind the scenes.

Memorable images

He does so with a typically British air that is at once cynical and affectionate, displaying his doubts about authority but also his love for tradition. He also tosses off some very memorable images, such as the one about an alcove crowded with tombs, "like lost luggage waiting to be redeemed" on Judgment Day.

Indeed, Westminster Abbey is crammed with tombs; 3,000 people are buried there, including kings and poets, war heroes and statesmen, scientists and clergymen. But, Bennett points out, there are very few women and no painters.

Some of his narration could use footnotes; his references to English life and use of Britishisms can be obscure. It also helps to know a little bit about royal succession in England since 1066. But don't let those quibbles put you off; they didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying the program. There are too many discoveries in this special that shouldn't be missed, such as who arrived in a trunk now in the "attic" of the Abbey and the "Jerusalem room" referred to in a Shakespeare play.

Backstage, too

While he visits the areas tourists get to see, Bennett also pokes around backstage, where choirs rehearse, students learn and even a milkman comes. In the end, he gives a moving personal statement about what the building means to him in terms of his own religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

Don't forget also that Westminster Abbey began as a Roman Catholic institution and is part of our heritage, too. It was taken over by the Church of England during Henry VIII's reformation of or attack on the Church, depending on your point of view. That's a part of the building's history that Bennett does not duck.

If you're an Anglophile, are interested in Church history or simply like well-done documentaries, don't miss "Westminster Abbey."...

Saints on tape

Just in time for All Saints Day, Oblate Media has released parts two and three of its "Saints' Gallery" video series. I previously wrote positively about the first installment; its successors are just as well done.

Each of the new videocassettes tells about five saints, while artwork illustrates their lives. Volume two, 47 minutes long, covers five founders of religious orders: Ignatius of Loyola, Angela Merici, Francis of Assisi, Benedict and Eugene de Mazenod. As a bonus, the tape includes a segment on the process of canonization.

Volume three, 35 minutes long, profiles Our Lady, Valentine, Nicholas, Patrick and, in a very revealing segment, Mary Magdalene. If you think you know who she was, think again.

"Saints' Gallery" should be in every home that wants to teach children about the history of their Church and in every parish school or religious education program that seeks a creative way of bringing the saints alive for young people.

(Each tape costs $19.99 and can be ordered by calling 1-800-233-4629.)

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