Parkinson at 50 (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Saturday 28th August 2021)

The host looks back on his career with his son and producer Mike, and examines how his talk show went from being a temporary 10-week filler programme to an iconic Saturday night staple. He discusses his first celebrity interview, with Mick Jagger, how the management of movie stars’ public images shifted over the years, and reflects on the loss of the show’s entire first series – including an appearance by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The programme also looks back on some of the most memorable moments from the show, including his multiple encounters with Billy Connolly and Muhammad Ali.

Vigil (BBC 1/HD & UHD BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 29th August 2021) ** NEW SERIES & PICK OF THE WEEK **

A crew member is found dead under suspicious circumstances aboard a nuclear submarine. However, the vessel is unable to return to port due to its status as part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent, so a police inspector is sent on board to investigate. Despite an initial diagnosis of accidental overdose, she suspects foul play, but finds the crew closing ranks against her. Starring Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie.

Vigil (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 30th August 2021)

The submarine is left exposed by a reactor shutdown, and the crew races to repair the fault. Kirsten uncovers a feud on board the Vigil, leading Amy to question whether her investigation has been deliberately obstructed. A hard-won breakthrough leads Amy to believe she finally has the killer in her sights, only for surprising new evidence to cast doubt on her theory. On land, Kirsten’s investigation leads to tragedy.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 31st August 2021)

On Cornwall’s Perranporth beach, a team of RNLI lifeguards battle to save a mother and her son who are caught in a rip current. Meanwhile in Swanage, the crew respond to multiple 999 calls from a man who has fallen over 100 feet from the top of a local landmark, and the Chiswick and Teddington crews face an unusual challenge on the Thames.

9/11: Inside the President’s War Room (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 31st August 2021)

Almost 20 years since September 11, this feature-length documentary follows President George W Bush and his staff as they dealt with the large-scale terrorist attack, in which four commercial aircraft were used as missiles on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. The events of that day led to two decades of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. As America and its allies now withdraw from Afghanistan and the Taliban resume control, this is the story of how it all began. The film features testimony from George W Bush himself, as well as staff members Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.

Changing Rooms (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 1st September 2021)

Anna Richardson and the team are in Leeds, West Yorkshire, to help another pair of neighbours make over each other’s rooms. Former teacher Pauline, assisted by daughter Lilly, wants her purple floor-to-ceiling front room to be even more vibrant. Next door, self-proclaimed cat lady Amanda – with the help of daughter Rachel – is hoping her uninspiring grey living room will be transformed into a Scandinavian-style haven for her and her feline friends. All they need is a little trust in each other and the individual visions of Changing Rooms legend Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, and design duo Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 1st September 2021) ** NEW SERIES **

Kevin McCloud visits a couple planning to build a home that looks like a work of art overlooking a valley in south Devon. Joe and Claire’s new home will be a giant sculpture inspired by the local landscape, 70 metres long and featuring 34 enormous angled zinc shards jutting out in all directions. It will also be complicated to build and equally as expensive. And although Joe is wealthy, ambitious and fearless, his team quickly come up against problems and the budget virtually doubles the first walls go up. Is his dream home in danger of become a nightmare?

Coastal Devon & Cornwall with Michael Portillo (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 1st September 2021)

The presenter explores the rugged North Cornish coast, beginning in Widemouth Bay, a gigantic stretch of coastline with ancient links to the Celtic nations of Wales and Brittany. Battling a storm blowing in from the Atlantic, Michael heads south and takes shelter in a magical and ancient woodland, before spending the night at the vicarage where novelist Thomas Hardy stayed in 1870, and penned a poem named after a local landmark, Beeny Cliff.

Ambulance (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 2nd September 2021)

Paramedic Linda and mental health nurse Emma respond to patients in mental health crisis across Liverpool. Their work in the community aims to reduce the number of mental health hospital admissions, and the first call of the morning is a patient struggling with depression and bipolar. As the shift winds into the afternoon, a call from the police requesting a welfare check takes priority for Linda and Emma. There are concerns for the patient, who is an asylum seeker who appears to be struggling with his mental health, caused by isolation.

Motorhoming with Merton & Webster (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 3rd September 2021)

Paul and Suki are in the Peak District on their UK staycation adventure in their trusty motorhome. The first morning finds them in a campsite north of Bakewell, and they debate who should empty the on-board loo. Later, Suki reveals they are swapping four wheels for two after hiring bikes on the nearby Monsal Trail, a disused former railway line.

Abandoned Engineering (Yesterday | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 3rd September 2021)

An ominous tower in the forests of Croatia, a New York City complex that broke the mould, and a grand facility guarding the London riverbanks.

Ian Hislop: The Trains That Changed The World (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 3rd September 2021)

Cameras explore the Great Western Railway to experience a journey of a bygone age. The magnificent Pullman service continues to offer passengers a Silver service restaurant menu as it whisks passengers to coastal resorts that were established in the Victorian era. Queen Victoria was a driving force behind the mass appeal of rail travel that developed in the 19th century. There’s a look around Victoria’s royal train, which has been preserved in all its finery.

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