UK TV programmes to watch this week : 12/11/2016

The Secret Life of the Zoo - 17-11-2016 - YouView appThe Adventure Show (BBC 2 Scotland & BBC iPlayer only | 6:30pm to 7:30pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

The Adventure Show is at the Braveheart Triathlon, with Dougie Vipond competing along with over 100 competitors. The event consists of an open water swim of over a mile, a bike ride of over 50 miles and then a run up and down Ben Nevis. It’s not for the fainthearted, and Dougie is guaranteed a day he will never forget. Also in this month’s Adventure Show, a remarkable man who is determined that the loss of two limbs won’t prevent him from doing the sports he loves. And there’s a visit to Patagonia with one of Scotland’s most ambitious adventurers, as he undertakes a month-long trip in one of the world’s most remote landscapes.

Planet Earth II (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough. The great mountain ranges are some of the planet’s most spectacular landscapes, but they are unforgiving places to live in, and only a few animals have what it takes to live at exteme altitude. Mountain animals are amongst the most elusive in the world, and this film provides unique and intimate glimpses into their secretive lives. Witness the moment four snow leopards come together when a mother and cub become trapped between two rival males. Join grizzly bears as they dance against trees to rub off their winter fur and soar with golden eagles hunting amongst Europe’s snow-capped peaks.

Great Canal Journeys (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

Timothy West and Prunella Scales continue their journey exploring the Highlands and islands of Scotland, navigating their way through two of Britain’s most remote canals. Having already crossed Scotland on the Caledonian Canal, they face the open sea as they island hop their way through the Hebrides, bound for the Crinan, a rarely travelled canal described by some as the world’s most beautiful shortcut. Tossed around by the Atlantic waves off the coast of Mull, they are forced to head back to the safety of Tobermory. They eventually visit the holy island of Iona, the Isle of Jura, and lastly the magical nine-mile Crinan on the Mull of Kintyre.

The River (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 14th November 2016)

Documentary series charting life along the river Tweed. In this episode, John Dalziel finds out if his players have what it takes to win their home sevens championships, as player Nyle Godsmark and his teammates carry the huge weight of expectations on their young shoulders. UK world chocolate master Ruth Hinks gets help in her chocolate factory from her children, while desperately trying to finish work on a new chocolate school in the heart of Peebles. On the river, superintendent river bailiff Eddie Weatherly oversees an operation to tackle two river codebreakers. In Kelso, Tweedside Tackle owners Tim and Caroline Pilcher have been told their lease is up. But some help is on hand, as neighbouring hotelier Margaret offers them a property to keep their business alive. And at Floors Estate, stud manager David Trouton checks on his latest arrival, foal Sunshine.

The Secret Life of the Zoo (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 17th November 2016)

The first episode of the new series sees Florence and Nadine, two of Chester’s Grevy’s zebras, both about to give birth. But fixing a due date is almost impossible, and so the keepers are keeping a close eye on both. Other animals are struggling to produce offspring. Iblis is an Asiatic lion, one of the rarest animals in the world. His partner of five years, Kumari, seems to be losing interest in him. Keepers can find nothing physically wrong with the pair, so decide to put Iblis on a programme of tearing animal carcasses from trees in order to get him into shape. But will it be enough to impress Kumari? Meanwhile, warthog dad Magnum is feeling the pressure of parenting. Two of his older children, Dobby and Neville, are becoming increasingly hard to control. Magnum’s losing his hair with the stress and then suffers the indignity of having a part of his tail bitten off. He must impose order on his family again – if he can.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 17th November 2016)

Kevin McCloud hosts Grand Designs: House of the Year. The competition is run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects and celebrates excellence in housing design. Over this four-part series, Kevin is joined by Damion Burrows and Zac Monro, as they explore some of Britain’s most cutting-edge contemporary homes, all of them in the running for the prestigious prize – the Bafta of the architecture world. In this first episode, Kevin and co profile five amazing country homes on the long-list for the prize: including a large house camouflaged within a hill; a loving restoration in Wiltshire of a prototype modernist retreat; a Scottish home that blends an agricultural exterior with a sleek modern interior; and a slice of spectacular California modernism in Cornwall. Kevin then reveals which of these homes will make it onto the final shortlist.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

Part-dramatised history series. In medieval England, the North was ruled from York. Dan Jones explores the history of its castle, from the Viking Jorvik and the Normans, through the dark days of the anti-Jewish pogrom and the imprisonment of the Knights Templar, to one of its most colourful inmates – the legendary highwayman Dick Turpin.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

Documentary series. Engineer Rob Bell tells the story of the design and construction of six of Britain’s most iconic bridges. Built partly as a lifeline to keep shipbuilders employed and their skills alive during the dark days of the 1920s recession, the Tyne Bridge is not just an icon to Geordies – many believe that it was the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

The award-winning show continues live on Fridays with its unique brand of irreverent satire. Hosts Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe examine the biggest and most entertaining news stories via the #isitok Twitter hashtag, where viewers tweet in edgy current affairs questions that other shows might duck. In this edition, David Walliams joins the trio in the studio to help dissect the week’s events.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

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