UK TV programmes to watch this week : 11/09/2021

Vigil (BBC 1/HD & UHD BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 12th September 2021)

Amy confronts one of the crew with her discoveries about their deception, but with her mental health suffering, questions are asked about her fitness to investigate. On land, Kirsten refuses to bow to pressure from the authorities and has concerns that they are orchestrating a cover up. As she closes in on the killer, their capture reveals the grave threat that the vessel faces.

The Architecture The Railways Built (Yesterday | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 13th September 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

Tim Dunn takes to the tracks in Newcastle to explore a city rich in railway architecture. He also looks at two recording breaking structures in Scotland.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 13th September 2021)

Part one of two. A swimming instructor is found murdered in her flat, and trace evidence found at the scene implicates her ex-boyfriend – who is a former police officer. The investigation is the first case for a new recruit to the team, whose eagerness to impress causes friction with his new colleagues, while Jack finds himself forced to reckon with secrets from his own hidden past.

Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 13th September 2021)

A look at the title race between big-spending Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United in the 1994-95 season, assessing the impact of Eric Cantona’s ban for attacking a Crystal Palace supporter who had verbally abused him. The Frenchman claimed he was provoked by a racist slur, but his actions caused national outrage and the threat of a prison term loomed.

Submarine: Life Under the Waves (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 13th September 2021)

Part one of two. Life on board nuclear submarine HMS Trenchant on its four-month tour of duty to the mid-Atlantic, uncovering the reality of life at sea. Her crew prepare the submarine to leave port for the first time in six months, with enough food coming on board to last for up to 120 days underwater. Their mission is to travel to the mid-Atlantic to protect a British submarine that’s carrying Trident nuclear missiles.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 14th September 2021)

The crew at Tower, on the River Thames in London, is the busiest of all the lifeboat stations, averaging more than 500 shouts a year and aiming to launch to any emergency in under 90 seconds. When a call comes in about a man in the water near the Thames Barrier, they reach him with just moments to spare. In Fleetwood, on the Lancashire coast, a desperate 999 call alerts the crew to a bait digger – out looking for worms on the sand flats – who has been caught out by the incoming spring tide and is in danger of being submerged and swept out to sea.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 14th September 2021)

Part two of two. Having traced Laura’s last movements to a suburban house, the team struggles to identify the bodies buried in the garden. With a prowler seemingly on the loose, DI Meredith continues to suspect her former colleague. Meanwhile, Cara is furious when she finds out why Ryan is in prison, forcing Jack to choose between his brother and the truth.

Changing Rooms (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 15th September 2021)

Anna Richardson and the interior designers are in Fareham on the south coast to help another couple of neighbours transform each other’s houses. Project manager Keith and operations manager Kath have not touched their lifeless living room since moving in five years ago, while intensive care nurse Kerry and firefighter Sophie have a passion for superheroes, and want their bland loft bedroom to become a space that oozes personality and colour.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 15th September 2021)

Kevin McCloud meets architect Iain and his wife Jenny, who intend to build an enormous black minimalist house right in the middle of a 19th-century Scottish country estate. Their grand vision also involves connecting the new rectangular block to a dilapidated gardener’s bothy – and the neighbours are watching.

Coastal Devon & Cornwall with Michael Portillo (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 15th September 2021)

Michael heads for his final stretch in Cornwall, and takes in a coastline of hidden coves, a stunning sub-tropical garden and smugglers’ creeks, immortalised by Daphne du Maurier in her novel Frenchman’s Creek. Beginning at the working fishing village of Coverack, he detours inland to visit a family-run dairy farm that produces clotted cream and more than 40 flavours of ice cream from milk produced by their Jersey cows.

All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 16th September 2021) ** NEW SERIES & PICK OF THE WEEK **

A trip back home to Glasgow presents James Herriot with a dilemma that will mean choosing between the people he loves when he is offered a position at his old mentor’s forward-thinking practice. Return of the drama about a veterinary practice in the Yorkshire Dales. Starring Nicholas Ralph and Samuel West.

The Cotswolds with Pam Ayres (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 17th September 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

The poet sets off on a journey around the region that takes in parts of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, beginning in the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water. Pam soaks up the scenery that attracts thousands of tourists every year – along with a Cotswold cream tea – before visiting Andy Wallington’s antique shop, followed by a world-famous perfumery that’s made scents for the Queen. Pam also visits Blur bassist Alex James at his farm to discover why he swapped London for country life.

Abandoned Engineering (Yesterday | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 17th September 2021)

Featuring Italian ruins immortalised by Hollywood, a crumbling Chilean city with two lives and a brutalist Scottish relic whose prayers went unanswered.

Lighthouses: Building the Impossible (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 17th September 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

Rob Bell heads nine miles out into the English Channel to see why building the world’s first rock lighthouse was such a monumental achievement. At Eddystone Reef, Rob witnesses the awesome power of rough seas and jagged rocks for himself, before a vivid demonstration of why building a tower on a wave-lashed rock was regarded as an impossible dream.

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

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