UK TV programmes to watch this week : 29/09/2018

Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 1st October 2018)

Series in which Paul Murton takes a tour of Scotland’s lochs. In this edition, Paul heads to one of Britain’s remotest railway stations, which was built to service several grand sporting lodges in the days when the rich and fashionable came to shoot game and fish the lochs of the Flow Country. Heading into the wilderness, he discovers a legacy of habitation before the Highland clearances and learns how early industrial plans to exploit the vast reserves of peat would have destroyed an ecosystem which is now valued throughout the world for its wild beauty. Paul then pans for gold in an icy river before heading for a miracle cure at the Lourdes of the north – the tiny, deserted Loch ma Naire. Journey’s end is at Kyle of Tongue, where Paul learns about a consignment of Jacobite gold that could have changed history.

Drowning in Plastic (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 10:00pm | Monday 1st October 2018)

In this 90-minute special, wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin works with some of the world’s leading marine biologists and campaigners to discover the true dangers of plastic in our oceans and what it means for the future of all life on our planet, including us. Trillions of pieces of plastic are choking the very lifeblood of our earth, and every marine animal, from the smallest plankton to the largest mammals, is being affected. Can we turn back this growing plastic tide before it is too late?

Paddington Station 24/7 (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 1st October 2018)

Documentary series about one of the UK’s busiest transport hubs and the western rail network it serves. The British Transport Police mount a special operation to stop criminals who are running drugs out of the capital. A crack has been discovered on a rail joint at Acton East – if it snaps, it could be fatal. At Paddington, a passenger has fallen between the train and the platform, while at Bristol, a BTP officer must talk down a potentially suicidal woman.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 2nd October 2018)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). In north Wales, when police officer Vinny isn’t patrolling the streets of Rhyl, he volunteers for the lifeboat crew. When the pagers go off one summer evening, Vinny finds himself heading out into the darkness to try and rescue two teenage boys who have chased a wayward football into the sea and get caught in a treacherous current.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 3rd October 2018)

In the first ‘healthy’ home project ever seen on Grand Designs, gallery owner Elinor and fitness entrepreneur Born set themselves the near impossible task of creating Britain’s first hypoallergenic house in a leafy back garden plot in south west London. Driven by the need to alleviate their two young sons’ life-threatening allergies, their new part-submerged, shed-inspired home, will be constructed using low toxin materials and deploy cutting-edge filtration systems to clean the air they breathe. Right from the start, Born and Elinor are up against it, with access issues to their plot and the need to be super strict concerning suitable materials. It’s an immense burden and with the children still suffering weekly allergy attacks, a race against time to get moved in. But will their innovative new house deliver the benefits Elinor and Born are hoping for?

The Great Model Railway Challenge (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 5th October 2018)

Reality contest as railway modellers compete to create miniature masterpieces against the clock. In heat one, three teams offer their interpretations of James Bond, Jurassic Park, WWII flick The Longest Day, and a tour through Ealing Studios. But one team wilfully breaks the rules of the competition on day one.

Walking Britain’s Lost Railways (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 5th October 2018)

Rob Bell explores the lost landscapes and infrastructure of some of Britain’s former railway lines. Dense overgrowth has now covered the Plymouth-to-Exeter line, originally built to transport rice pudding around the country. Rob follows the Granite Way, discovering the rock that is used as foundation for railway tracks up and down the country.

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