? UK TV programmes to watch this week : 20/10/2018

Doctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 6:55pm to 7:45pm | Sunday 21st October 2018)

Montgomery, Alabama. 1955. The Doctor and her friends find themselves in the Deep South of America. As they encounter a seamstress by the name of Rosa Parks, they begin to wonder whether someone is attempting to change history.

Mediterranean with Simon Reeve (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 21st October 2018)

Simon Reeve embarks on the third leg of his epic four-part journey around the Mediterranean. He begins in Libya – a country torn apart by revolution, insurgents from the so-called Islamic State and western air strikes. Travelling west along North Africa’s Mediterranean coast, Simon journeys through Tunisia where he meets a man who is keeping Berber traditions alive by harnessing camel power to make olive oil and excavating rock by hand to build new Berber homes. From Tunisia, Simon boards the overnight ferry to Sicily. Here he meets three inspiring sisters who – despite constant intimidation – are making a defiant stand against the mafia.

Paddington Station 24/7 (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 22nd October 2018)

Documentary series about one of the UK’s busiest transport hubs and the western rail network it serves. Huge delays occur after a man is hit by a train at Southall, and more chaos occurs when the power out on track is accidentally switched off. Meanwhile, hundreds of train enthusiasts descend on Paddington to get a glimpse of the world-famous Flying Scotsman.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 23rd October 2018)

Documentary following the men and women of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). As storm Ophelia hits the British Isles, on the south east coast of Ireland the Rosslare crew try to rescue a small yacht with three people on board. In Devon, the crew at Appledore race an incoming tide to try and reach a man stuck fast in quicksand, while on the north coast of Cornwall, the crew of St Agnes must battle through huge breaking waves to reach two young boys being swept out to sea in a deadly rip current.

Without Limits: Australia (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 24th October 2018)

Two-part observational documentary following a team of injured British and Australian veterans as they embark on an extraordinary near 1000-mile expedition across Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome the veterans at the Invictus Games in Sydney after their dramatic expedition across Western Australia.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 24th October 2018)

Professional deep-sea diver Adrian Corrigall is obsessed with concrete. He fell in love with this cold uncompromising material in the skateparks of Scotland. Now he’s convinced his wife Megan to agree to build their new family home in rural East Sussex almost entirely out of the stuff – both inside and out. No cladding, no carpets, no plaster or wallpaper – this will be as pure a concrete building as possible. Construction involves cutting-edge technologies conceived in Switzerland and never used to build a house before. The hope is these new mix recipes will overcome the historic negatives of concrete and keep costs down. However, the perils of being a pioneer soon become evident. With both schedule and budget under strain, Adrian is forced to resume work as a diver, servicing North Sea oil installations and taking him away for a month at a time. With Megan now left juggling the build, all the while looking after three young children, the concrete dream seems a long way off.

Ambulance (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 25th October 2018)

Documentary series focusing on the work of the North West Ambulance Service. Call handler Elly tackles an increasing volume of calls, and there are surprises for paramedics April and Clare.

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

Reality contest as railway modellers compete to create miniature masterpieces against the clock. The Fawley Fliers, The Diesel Dynamos and The Railway Children are the teams competing, and they each have to create a railway layout based on the creatively taxing theme ‘Fire and Ice’.

The Lakes with Paul Rose (BBC 2/HD | 8:30pm to 9:00pm | Friday 26th October 2018)

Four-part series about the Lake District, the National Park that is now a World Heritage Site. In this episode, Paul Rose heads to Coniston, where he enters a retro-cycling event on a penny farthing before joining the mountain bikers of Grizedale Forest. He relives the final moments of Donald Campbell in his attempt to break the world water-speed record on Coniston Water, and ends his trek by climbing Dow Crag, before ascending to one of the area’s best-known hills, The Old Man of Coniston.

Walking Britain’s Lost Railways (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 26th October 2018)

Rob Bell explores the lost landscapes and infrastructure of some of Britain’s former railway lines. Rob unearths the lost line from Ruabon to Barmouth, taking a memorable trip across the ‘Stream in the Sky’ on the breath-taking Pontcysyllte Aquaduct.

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