UK TV programmes to watch this week : 02/10/2021

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 4th October 2021)

Part one of two. Nikki’s students make an alarming discovery while dissecting a body donated for their training. The case that follows brings Nikki close to a student, stirring dangerous feelings. Meanwhile, Jack and Simone investigate the care home where the victim died, but find themselves fighting to keep the residents alive when a diverted river floods the area. Guest starring Sian Phillips and Pauline McLynn.

The Architecture The Railways Built (Yesterday | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 4th October 2021)

Tim Dunn heads underground at the magnificent Victorian Bramhope Tunnel in West Yorkshire, one of the longest tunnels in Britain when it was built.

Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 4th October 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

Examining the careers of those at the heart of New Labour, featuring interviews with the key players involved in a movement that still divides opinion to this day. The series begins in 1983, when Labour suffered a savage election defeat and two young Labour MPs entered Parliament for the first time. Tony Blair and Gordon Brown came from very different backgrounds, but they shared the same burning ambition – to make Labour electable again.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 5th October 2021)

At Beachy Head, the Eastbourne crew have to deal with a base jumper’s disastrous takeoff. Just along the Sussex coast in Newhaven, a man faces a race against time as he suffers a seizure on board a tall ship. At Loch Ness, a Second World War sea plane runs into mechanical trouble, and in Rhyl, a dog chasing seagulls into the sea bites off more than she can chew.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 5th October 2021)

Part two of two. Stranded in the flooded care home, Jack and Simone fight to keep the residents alive. Nikki and detective Galloway join the emergency relief effort, and discover that their colleagues may be trapped inside with the killer. Shaken by events, and by Nikki’s relationship with her student, Jack takes matters into his own hands.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 6th October 2021)

Kevin McCloud meets Cumbrian couple Rob and Ruth, who have bought a 200-year-old former blacking mill and plan to slot in an entirely new, timber-clad structure within its walls, giving the impression that it is peeping out from the original ruins. But the original building is a scheduled monument and Historic England inform them it is too dangerous to repair, giving them no choice but to painstakingly rebuild the ancient mill around their new structure.

All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 7th October 2021)

It’s an important day for Tristan in more ways than one, as he celebrates his birthday and Siegfried gives him new responsibilities as a vet. Tristan has to withstand the pressure and succeed in the challenge set by his older brother before returning to Skeldale for his birthday festivities. Meanwhile, Mrs Hall reminds James that he needs to tell Helen some home truths.

The Cotswolds with Pam Ayres (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 8th October 2021)

The poet visits the Oxfordshire town of Burford for a look round Cotswold Wildlife Park, a place she’s been visiting for decades. Pam feeds some of the endangered lemurs, before locking horns with one of its mightiest residents – a rhino named Mods. The series ends with a trip to Cirencester Polo Park, home to England’s oldest polo club.

Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 8th October 2021) ** NEW SERIES & PICK OF THE WEEK **

The comedian’s second run of excursions begins on the Norfolk Broads, where she is invited aboard a beautifully restored boat known as a wherry. Moving onto Cromer, Susan has come for the famous crab, but also discovers the local jig dolls. Part puppet, part percussion instrument, it leads to a very happy time in a pub.

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