On the box

House of Cards — If you didn't see it the first time round, make sure you catch it this time. This four-part series is set in post-Thatcher Britain, with the obvious question who is to be the next PM. Ian Richardson is superb as the chief whip, and makes the dark world of parliamentary politics look even more evil. ABC, 8.30pm, Thursday, November 24.

TV World: Great Books: Frankenstein — Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley at the age of 18 penned a story that was to impact on popular culture for decades to come. The story of Frankenstein is a condemnation of "science without a soul" — in the face of nuclear weaponry and genetic engineering, as relevant today as ever. This documentary shows clips of the many renditions of the story and puts it in a historical context. SBS, 8.30pm, Sunday, November 27.

Islamic Conversations — Syed Fadlallah, cleric and leading political figure in the Lebanese Islamic movement, talks about Islam's views on violence and terrorism, and the rules, origins and the role of terror in the holy war or jehad. SBS, 11.05pm, Sunday, November 27.

(All times are AEST.)

From GLW issue 168