Tag: Britain’s Most Extreme Weather

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 17/05/2014

Coast Australia (YouView app screenshot)Museums at Night (BBC 2/HD | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Saturday 17th May 2014)

Will Gompertz celebrates Museums at Night, a three-day festival of museums and galleries from St Ives to Orkney that throw open their doors till late, showcase their collections and party! At the National Museum of Scotland Will hears a pop-up opera, visits a silent disco and enjoys a gramophone DJ set. Discussing the exciting renaissance of our museums and galleries, historian and presenter Bettany Hughes, head of London’s South Bank Centre Jude Kelly, Google’s Amit Sood and actor Mat Fraser also enjoy live music, aerial performances and the museum’s amazing collection, all under the watchful gaze of Dolly the sheep, the world’s first cloned mammal! There are also short films showcasing Museums at Night events across the country.

All Aboard: East Coast Trains (Pick TV | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 18th May 2014)

Our journey continues with a look at how well staff members get along. Plus, a troupe of dancers surprise commuters with an impromptu platform performance.

Britain’s Most Extreme Weather (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 19th May 2014)

Is Britain now hotter than ever? Alex Beresford examines the science and the history of our weather to find out. Alex learns about the dangers of heatwaves, when extreme hot weather can shut down transport, damage crops and give people heat exhaustion. Alex experiences the dangers of rising temperatures when he endures a simulated heatwave. The programme examines the severe heatwave of 2003, which killed around 2000 people in Britain, when temperatures hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the South East.

Watermen: A Dirty Business (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 20th May 2014)

Series focusing on the men and women who take our calls, come to unblock the drains and keep the sewage flowing. The final episode in the series begs the question, who would flush a pair of designer underpants and how big can a fatberg be? For Chris and Mark a pair of pants is just one of many treats they get on a weekly basis as they maintain Lennox Gate Pumping Station in Blackpool. Whilst, over in Davyhulme, Scott and Wayne face an estimated 100-tonne fatberg, an eye watering sight and smell but all in a day’s work for the lads who handle these gut-wrenching jobs.

King’s Cross: Inferno on the Tube (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 21st May 2014)

Documentary series detailing minute by minute the events leading up to a disasters and atrocities. This episode looks at the evening in November 1987 when a giant fireball engulfed the ticket hall at King’s Cross, one of London’s busiest underground stations. The fire was caused by a discarded match or cigarette setting alight a wooden escalator, but the inadequate infrastructure of the station meant that it quickly escalated into an inferno which killed 31 people. The programme features interviews with, among others, Daemonn Brody, who was there at the moment of the disaster, Sharon O’Neill, a London Transport officer who helped to rescue a number of people and journalist Lindsay Taylor who was close to the scene of the accident.

Coast Australia (BBC 2/HD | 9:10pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 21st May 2014)

Series exploring Australia’s coastline. Across the glittering waters of Sydney, Neil Oliver explores the network of fortification to protect ‘Fortress Sydney’, and discovers how close the city came to being taken in the Second World War. Xanthe Mallett discovers some ingenious DIY, as she learns how to make building mortar out of oyster shells. Tim Flannery reveals the geological secrets of the city’s vast and sprawling harbour, and unlocks the riddle of the rivers that had Captain Phillip baffled in 1788. Brendan Moar examines the Sydney Harbour Bridge, an international icon in engineering and design, while Emma Johnston hunts for tropical fish in Sydney’s temperate and diverse harbour.

Heston’s Great British Food (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 22nd May 2014)

In the final episode of the series, Heston gives the classic British afternoon tea a very special twist, conjuring something the Mad Hatter himself would be proud of. Heston does his own take on the Victoria sandwich cake. Inspired by a visit to Wedgwood fine china manufacturers, Heston makes an edible cake stand out of sponge. He adds some ‘sandwich’ cakes that look like smoked salmon and cream cheese, but are in fact sweet cakes made from Earl Grey sponge and blood orange pâté de fruit. For tea, Heston brews a Darjeeling and hedgerow infusion and cucumber sandwich tea leaves. There’s also a sandwich casino inside a beautiful country house in Staffordshire, where the guests are able to eat the playing cards, casino chips and even the gambling table. And there’s one last surprise, with a chocolate teapot that pours Earl Grey chocolate tea.

Have I Got News for You (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 23rd May 2014)

The popular news quiz, with team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, guest host Kirsty Young and guest panellists including Ross Noble.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 10/05/2014

All Aboard: East Coast Trains (YouView app screenshot)All Aboard: East Coast Trains (Pick TV | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 11th May 2014)

Tickets at the ready for an insightful documentary following East Coast employees as they try to keep one of the UK’s busiest transport systems on track.

The Crimson Field (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 11th May 2014)

Drama series presenting one of the untold stories of World War I. Joan is hauled up on a charge of aiding the enemy and faces a possible lifetime in prison. She is desperate to protect Anton so tries to deflect the questions, even as Purbright arrives to drive them home harder. Meanwhile, the hospital is awash with the news of Joan’s treachery and Roland is directly in the firing line, accused of letting the rules slide and bringing the RAMC into disrepute. His position rests on a knife edge as old enemies close in. Elsewhere, Flora discovers Peter’s brother, Jimmy, on one of the wards and happily reunites the siblings, but when it becomes clear that Jimmy is too fragile for war Peter has a difficult decision to make. Joan’s actions send ripples through the hospital. As night falls some rules will be broken and others upheld. As the war machine grinds on, faith, hope and love are put to the test.

The Storms That Shook the South West (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 12th May 2014)

Sam Smith meets the people whose lives and livelihoods were affected by the worst storms in living memory and asks whether it is time to rebuild or to retreat.

Britain’s Most Extreme Weather (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 12th May 2014)

Alex Beresford scours through British history and analyses the latest scientific research to find out if our rain and floods are getting worse. The programme tells the story of our recent floods, using personal testimony and astonishing footage from smartphones and cameras. Alex discovers how dangerous it is to be caught in a flash flood and searches through the history books for great floods of the past to see if they can provide clues to future rainfall patterns and flooding.

Watermen: A Dirty Business (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 13th May 2014)

Series focusing on the men and women who take our calls, come to unblock the drains and keep the sewage flowing. From a collapsed sewer under a lucrative holiday home in Blackpool, to a rain-soaked team in Preston, this episode sees the watermen dive underground and under water as they do all they can to prevent upheaval for customers, come rain or come shine. Residents in Manchester face a year of noise and chaos as storm tanks are put in place to deal with excess waste caused by heavy rain, and despite three months’ worth of notice and a chance to voice concerns ahead of the work starting, locals are less than pleased when the work eventually starts. Whilst a team in south east Manchester are tackling 30,000 litres of concrete that’s been poured down a sewer, a specialist diving team face a technical job at a reservoir as well as a stomach-churning waste water task. It’s not a job for the faint-hearted.

Lockerbie: Terror at 31,000 Feet: Minute by Minute (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 14th May 2014)

Documentary piecing together the timeline that led up to the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over the town of Lockerbie on 21st December 1988. Told with the aid of archive footage, new interviews with key witnesses and personal accounts from family members who lost loved ones, this programme charts the events hour by hour.

24 Hours in A and E (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 14th May 2014)

The RTS award-winning series continues, capturing dramatic and emotional stories of love, life and loss on the frontline of the NHS. The series is filmed around the clock at one of Britain’s busiest A&E departments at King’s College Hospital in South London. King’s is a specialist stroke centre, treating over 1300 stroke patients each year. This episode features the work of the stroke team over 24 hours in the Emergency Department. Laura, who’s 72, is rushed to King’s after suffering a suspected stroke. She can’t speak and her husband Camillo, her daughter Gabby and her grandchildren are soon by her bedside. With scans showing a blood clot on Laura’s brain, the family have to decide, with the help of the medical team, whether she should have the clot-busting drug that could reduce the risk of permanent brain damage, but that carries a low risk of serious side effects.

Coast Australia (BBC 2/HD | 9:10pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 14th May 2014)

Series exploring Australia’s coastline. In Kimberley, Western Australia, Tim Flannery walks in primeval tracks along the Dinosaur Coast. Neil Oliver wrestles the southern hemisphere’s biggest tides at the surging Horizontal Falls, and Xanthe Mallett explores a unique maritime war grave. Neil also discovers Broome’s dark pearling history and the delicate science of pearl cultivation. Brendan Moar learns the art of indigenous raft making and Emma Johnston investigates the protected habitat of migratory shorebirds. Finally, Neil experiences the indigenous ‘dreaming’ stories through a little sacred maintenance on some ancient rock art at Freshwater Cove.

Heston’s Great British Food (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 15th May 2014)

Heston seeks inspiration for a feast of British chocolate, aiming to bring all of the nation’s rich history of chocolate making together in one supersized chocolate bar. With help from leading chocolate makers, Heston crafts a homage to mint Aero, Mini Eggs, Flake, Milky Way, Twix and Caramel as part of the first ever Great Bar of Britain, which is unveiled at a feast served from a giant chocolate box called Heston Magic. Heston looks back at the earliest chocolate bar, Fry’s Victorian Oxchocolate bar, and makes a ‘Moos bar’, which is a combination of beef nougat, shortbread biscuit and beef and Guinness caramel. He makes a Black Forest gateau hot chocolate and a chilli gin and chocolate water cocktail. He also makes a unique range of chocolates in a beautiful edible box.

Have I Got News for You (BBC 1/HD | 9:30pm to 10:00pm | Friday 16th May 2014)

The popular news quiz, with team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, guest host Jo Brand and guest panellists Kevin Bridges and Jacob Rees-Mogg MP.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 03/05/2014

Britain's Most Extreme Weather (YouView app screenshot)The Crimson Field (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 4th May 2014)

Drama series presenting one of the untold stories of World War I. Colonel Ballard, an aggressively rude and war-scarred commander of a Sikh regiment, threatens trouble for Grace. It seems he would rather be with his men than at rest within the calm sanctuary of the wards, yet when Grace reveals knowledge of Punjabi and an upbringing in India the colonel is temporarily calmed. As Grace tries to discover what has made him so heated, another soldier, Private Gorman, seems focused on riling him further. Will Grace be able to unlock Ballard’s secret before Gorman provokes him into a very dangerous game? Flora has decided the volunteers should put on some entertainment, but as the pressure mounts, so do Flora’s nerves. Meanwhile, Joan is still waiting for news from her fiance and Jaco calls her to an illicit meeting, sparking a series of events which will draw Joan into danger. How far will love push her to go, and at what risk to her profession and even her life?

Britain’s Most Extreme Weather (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 5th May 2014)

Alex Beresford trawls through centuries of British history and analyses the latest scientific research to find out if our winters are going to get colder. A combination of first-hand testimonies and astonishing homemade footage reveal the dangers of our recent cold snaps. Alex discovers how freezing weather can shut down the transport network, kill livestock and present hazards to anyone caught out in the cold. He experiences the dangers of freezing winds when he endures a wind chill that takes temperatures down to minus 50. Alex examines the severe winter of 1962/63: the coldest in over 200 years, when Britain was hit by temperatures below minus 20, and 80mph winds. The snow lay on the ground for a record-breaking 62 consecutive days and January 1963 was the single coldest month of the 20th century.

Watermen: A Dirty Business (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 6th May 2014)

Series focusing on the men and women who take our calls, come to unblock the drains and keep the sewage flowing. This episode showcases the battle against time, as United Utilities deal with the ageing water grid. In Blackpool, Andy and Terry deal with an ancient collapsed sewer which has caused a pavement to subside before tackling a rather pungent blocked sewer. A 40-year-old water main in Cheshire bursts, leaving two thousand irate villagers without water. Meanwhile in Rochdale, waste water team Adrian and Wes investigate a blocked Victorian sewer which is overflowing onto a main road. However, it is a learning curve for some as the aqueduct which supplies Manchester’s water supply is turned off for the first time in 60 years to check for repairs. It is a jaw-dropping thought that the 4,000 men who originally built the tunnel had none of the technology team have nowadays, a testament to the skill and engineering we still rely upon today.

Creating the Kelpies (BBC 2 Scotland & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 6th May 2014)

Documentary following Glaswegian sculptor Andy Scott as he works on The Kelpies, two 30m-high horse heads made of steel, which now stand alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal. This film, narrated by Andy himself, follows the long and tortuous process of creating these 300-tonne sculptures, from design to installation. The enormous technical challenge involved engineers in Leeds, steel mills in Hartlepool and Corby and metal benders in Tipton, and was nearly derailed by the financial crisis of 2008. Originally planned to form part of the canal lock mechanism, the sculptures are now a free-standing attraction within Falkirk’s Helix Park.

Parking Mad (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 8th May 2014)

Documentary series about the world of parking, following the work of those in the public and private parking sectors and telling the stories of motorists involved in parking disputes. Bailiffs Alan and Paul find a car in Worthing that has 22 outstanding parking tickets on it – will the driver be able to pay the fines, worth over £3,000, and keep his car? In Horsham, parking campaigners Mike and Matt use their own money to buy tickets for motorists when theirs run out of time. In Islington, London, the Black Beret, a masked parking campaigner, is taking the council to court over the wording on its tickets – if he wins, it could mean that the council will have to pay £90 million back to motorists.

Heston’s Great British Food (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 8th May 2014)

Great British Curries. Britain is home to some of the most iconic dishes in the world. In this new series, Heston Blumenthal delves into the history of some favourites, from curry to pies to afternoon tea and chocolate, in order to find inspiration for an amazing culinary salute. In this episode, Heston discovers that British curry house classics such as bhuna, vindaloo, phal, onion bhaji and the most famous of them all, chicken tikka masala, were all invented in Britain. Heston does his own take on the chicken tikka masala, with whole poussins injected with tikka marinade and stuffed with tikka masala, accompanied by his own lager – ‘beeryani’ – infused with rice and pandan leaves. He also makes his version of lamb biryani with a Bombay mix crust. Every British curry starts with the poppadum and Heston’s is no different, except his are giant – measuring nearly a metre in diameter.

Have I Got News for You (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 9th May 2014)

The popular news quiz, with team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, guest host David Mitchell and guest panellists including Andy Hamilton.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 26/04/2014

Bang Goes the Theory : Trains  (YouView app screenshot)The Crimson Field (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 27th April 2014)

Drama series presenting one of the untold stories of World War I. The staff gather at a funeral for some of the patients, and Joan is in agony not knowing whether her fiance is alive or dead. It would be so dangerous if anyone knew her connection to the enemy, but Rosalie has previously seen the ring and now she watches Joan intently. Will the truth come to light? Joan’s spirits are lifted by the arrival of thirteen Tommies from her home town of Liverpool – known as the Lucky 13. Joan has a fondness for these men, whose united spirit has given them a belief that if they all stick together, none of them will die. But when she discovers that one is much sicker than thought, she finds herself the victim of blackmail. Elsewhere, Thomas seizes his opportunity to pursue Kitty, but when she is summoned to meet with a mysterious figure from home it is Miles who comes to her aid. Will Kitty face up to her past? And the return of an old patient causes ripples between Roland, Grace and Margaret.

Bang Goes the Theory (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 28th April 2014)

Series presenting the science behind the headlines. The team look at the many measures engineers are taking to ensure Britain’s ageing rail system stays on track. Liz Bonnin looks at how signals may disappear from the trackside and how hearing impairment could be one of the biggest killers on the railway lines. Meanwhile, Maggie Philbin looks at how a train travelling at 125 mph is set to revolutionise trackside maintenance.

Britain’s Most Extreme Weather (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 28th April 2014)

Weatherman Alex Beresford investigates why Britain’s recent weather has been so severe and asks if the country is facing the worst weather in recorded history. Alex trawls through centuries of British history to compare weather from the past with that of today, and examines the latest scientific discoveries to find out if things are getting worse. The first programme looks at Britain’s most fearsome floods. This winter has been the stormiest for decades, with 13 major rainstorms that caused extensive flooding. Moving personal accounts and astonishing footage from smartphones and cameras combine to tell the story of Britain’s stormy past, including the tidal surges that flooded North Sea coasts and the hurricane-force winds that battered western shores.

Watermen: A Dirty Business (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 29th April 2014)

Series focusing on the men and women who take our calls, come to unblock the drains and keep the sewage flowing. This episode is all about potential disasters, from broken sewers affecting hundreds of homes and polluted rivers. In Liverpool, the company’s only all-female team unblock customer’s drain and see off sewage in Liverpool. In Oldham, apprentice manager Faz deals with a stomach-churning blockage in Oldham. A new six-mile water pipeline near Blackburn upsets customers. The disconnection team also deals with problems as they try to recover an eye-watering £64,000 in unpaid bills.

Parking Mad (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 1st May 2014)

Documentary series about the world of parking, following the work of those in the public and private parking sectors and telling the stories of motorists involved in parking disputes. At a roadside operation, bailiffs use automatic number plate recognition to identify and stop cars with outstanding fines. Bailiff Debbie tries to get payment of over £500 from a man who insists he has already paid the original fine, but has he? Later on, the driver of another car, who is stopped for unpaid fines, soon finds himself in deeper water. In south London, blue badge fraud investigator Steve arranges for a car to be towed away, but the driver arrives just as the car is lifted onto the lorry, and she is not happy. And in Lyme Regis, the car parks are full to bursting as visitors pour into the town to see the Red Arrows.

Heston’s Great British Food (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 1st May 2014)

Britain is home to some of the most iconic dishes in the world. In this new series, Heston Blumenthal delves into the history of some of our favourites – from curry to pies to afternoon tea and chocolate – in order to find inspiration for an amazing culinary salute. The first episode is all about the great British pie, with Heston on a mission to find inspiration for a three-course pie banquet. For his starter, he delves into the history of the ‘surprise’ pies of the 17th century, where some ingredients were sometimes – bizarrely – alive. He learns about Jeffrey Hudson, a dwarf boy who would jump out of a pie at banquets.

Have I Got News for You (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 2nd May 2014)

The popular news quiz, with team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop, guest host Jack Dee and guest panellists Charlie Brooker and Bridget Christie.

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