A repeat performance

Television viewers face a long weekend of of repeats over Easter.

The BBC alone is screening more than 100 re-runs between Good Friday and bank holiday Monday on its two main channels.

An MP branded the number of Easter repeats - a total of 283 programmes across the five terrestrial channels - as "ridiculous".

Over the four days, BBC2 is showing 58 repeats to BBC1's 52. ITV1 will screen a more respectable 35 repeats, while Channel 4 has 57 and Channel Five will broadcast 81.

There is a small amount of good news for golf fans - BBC2 is screening more than 10 hours of the Augusta Masters over three days.

Many of the repeats on the terrestrial channels are early-morning children's programmes and latenight shows.

But viewers of BBC1 will be offered numerous re-runs of old films and dramas.

On Easter Monday, BBC1 will once again screen The Mummy, starring Rachel Weisz and Brendan Fraser. Eddie Murphy's 1986 film The Golden Child, and 15-year-old Tom Hanks comedy The 'Burbs are also on show. On Easter Sunday, BBC1 repeats the crime drama Messiah 2.

BBC2 has 20 re-runs on Monday, including feature- length Churchill drama The Gathering Storm, and just four new programmes. BBC2's repeats represent 67 per cent of all programmes over the four days, followed by Channel Five (60 per cent), BBC1 (50 per cent), Channel 4 (47.9 per cent) and ITV1 (32 per cent). The scheduling follows criticism of the huge number of repeats shown on terrestrial channels throughout last year.

Don Foster, Lib- Dem shadow culture secretary, said the situation was "ridiculous", adding: "We saw it at Christmas, with almost the worst number of repeats ever. It looks like the schedulers are attempting to break the record this Easter."

The BBC defended its Easter programming, pointing to the major new BBC1 comedy drama The Legend Of The Tamworth Two on Monday.

Other highlights include BBC2's screening of epic US drama Julius Caesar starring Christopher Walken and the late Richard Harris.

A BBC2 spokeswoman said: "The Gathering Storm was a critically acclaimed drama. These are programmes people enjoyed, which is why they are shown again."