Grayson Perry: All Man

You can count on artist Grayson Perry for television that opens cans of worms -then embroiders them beautifully. His can this time is the “tower of power” that is modern masculinity, starting with the macho world of cage fighters in the North East of England.

“A life-long cissy myself,” says Perry, “I wonder whether the need to be hard is what’s holding men back.” He elaborates on his theme via the Durham Miners’ Gala, where he sees the blessing of banners at the cathedral and finds it “a stirring folk-art requiem for a certain kind of man”.

Fair enough, but there are times when Perry’s take on machismo might seem a bit obvious: men build emotional armour that makes them tough but shuts them off. Except, Perry isn’t a social commentator, remember, he’s an artist, and the works he responds with at the end of the programme remind us he’s a brilliant one.