Tag: George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 24/10/2015

Great Canal Journeys - 25-10-2015 - YouView appDoctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 8:20pm to 9:10pm | Saturday 24th October 2015)

The sci-fi drama lands in England, 1651. Deadly highwayman ‘the Knightmare’ and his sidekick stalk the dark streets of London. But when they find loot that is not of this world, they come face to face with the Doctor. Who is the Knightmare in league with? And can the Doctor avoid the hangman’s noose and protect the Earth from a devilish betrayal?

Great Canal Journeys (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 25th October 2015)

Actors and canal lovers Timothy West and Prunella Scales go in search of London’s lost route to the sea. They navigate from the Thames at Teddington, through the Surrey and Sussex countryside, to Littlehampton on the south coast. The journey takes in four different waterways and four separate boats, as they follow a route that was last fully open two centuries ago. They explore the beautiful, almost forgotten Wey and Arun, where time itself seems to move at a slower pace. Their voyage back through canal history also leads Tim and Pru into their own past. The Wey Navigation takes them through Guildford, to its canal-side theatre where they have been regular performers for fifty years. At the Surrey village of Sutton Abinger, they pay a visit to the picturesque cottage where Pru was born. And for the final leg of the journey, Tim and Pru transfer onto the River Arun, travelling past Arundel Castle to Littlehampton and the English Channel.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 27th October 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the final of the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. Just one more performance stands between the three finalists and the title of series champion. Their last challenge comes with a fiendish twist that poses a cheeky problem for one of the contenders, while one of their rival groups struggles with the demands of life outside the contest and the other goes all out to win with an a cappella country getaway. To emerge triumphant, the groups must compete in front of a thousand-strong audience at London’s prestigious KoKo and impress a jury of a cappella experts. Their votes decide who will be crowned the contest winner.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 28th October 2015)

Kevin McCloud returns to one of the most ambitious Grand Designs ever. A year, and a winter of flooding, since he last visited, Kevin returns to the Thames in Buckinghamshire to see if the eventful construction of the UK’s first amphibious house has been a success. Now that it’s finished, can Andy and Nicky Bruce’s 220-tonne amphibious house really float? Andy and Nicky spent £1.2 million on their experimental house, built on a small island that’s only accessible by a narrow footbridge. Heavy machinery was lost to the river, contractors were changed and the site was hit by the worst storms in recent history, causing severe delays and resulting in an unfinished and untested building. Now that it’s fully complete, both inside and out, Kevin discovers what it’s like living on a regularly flooded piece of land, and how their unique floating home performed when the river burst its banks in January 2015.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 29th October 2015)

George meets a young couple desperate to get onto the housing ladder who’ve come up with a radical plan – to build a home made almost entirely from scrap with a budget of zero pounds. There’s also a woman putting together a garden retreat out of reclaimed copper. The problem is she has no design experience, no building experience, and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. In George’s road trip across Germany, he visits a high design houseboat, and is even allowed to take it out for a spin. And, as George and Will’s floating beach hut nears completion, there’s drama in the workshop.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 29th October 2015)

Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world’s most extreme railway lines. Chris journeys a thousand miles across Japan to find out if Japanese railways really are the best in the world. Along the way he meets one of the great architects of the bullet trains, a celebrity Station Master cat, a singing conductress and atomic bomb survivors who kept wartime trams running.

TFI Friday (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 30th October 2015)

Chris Evans’ seminal cult entertainment show is back with a new series. Broadcasting from a new home in central London, there’s brand new features, raucous stunts and this week’s guests include Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, Duran Duran, Eagles of Death Metal and Foals.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 17/10/2015

Grand Designs - 21-10-2015 - YouView appDoctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 8:20pm to 9:10pm | Saturday 17th October 2015)

Captured by Vikings, the Doctor and Clara must help protect their village from space warriors from the future, the Mire. Outnumbered and outgunned, their fate seems inevitable. So why is the Doctor preoccupied with a single Viking girl?

Britain’s Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 18th October 2015)

Action-packed series looking at the Red Arrows and the RAF’s finest aerial display teams. The summer flying season for Britain’s world class pilots is well underway and tensions are running high. At the UK’s largest air show in Gloucestershire, the Red Arrows are battling with the weather. Recreating an 18-plane World War II scramble is putting the RAF Hurricane Pilots through their paces. And to salute the Battle of Britain veterans, the Typhoon Fighter jet pilot has a very special ace up its sleeve… an emotionally charged synchro with a Spitfire.

The Secret Life of Midges (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 19th October 2015)

Documentary in which Dr James Logan of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine explores the secret life of the midge. The Scottish midge is one of the few flies in the British Isles that feeds on human blood, causing havoc for anyone who has to live and work among them. Dr Logan attempts to discover how best to cope with it and whether some people might have their own natural midge repellent.

Building Cars Live (BBC 2/HD | 7:30pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 20th October 2015)

James May, Kate Humble and Ant Anstead go live behind the scenes at the MINI Plant in Oxford to bring us the modern miracle of car production in real time. Over two nights they will reveal the science, engineering and people that keep us all on the road, and see a car built from start to finish in a little over 24 hours. In the first episode, James makes friends with an army of diligent robots and busts the myth that British manufacturing is dead. Kate heads to Norway to discover why the electric car is king of the Norwegian road and Ant explores the history and heritage of one of the most iconic cars ever built. With access all areas live on the factory floor, the team will see exactly how a car is born – a car that tomorrow will be driven off the line ready for life on the open road.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 20th October 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. It’s the semi-final of Gareth Malone’s contest to find the nation’s most entertaining amateur a cappella group. To earn their place in the grand final, the four groups left standing must rise to a unique challenge – combine vocals, choreography and a killer concept to create a video with the potential to become an internet hit. Before the cameras even roll, one group has to contend with losing their leader, while a bizarre take on rapping threatens to derail another. Once in the can, the videos will be screened to a live audience and a jury of a cappella experts. Their votes will decide who goes through to the final and which group will leave the contest for good.

Building Cars Live (BBC 2/HD | 7:30pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 21st October 2015)

James May, Kate Humble and Ant Anstead go live behind the scenes at the MINI Plant in Oxford to bring us the modern miracle of car production in real time. Over two nights they will reveal the science, engineering and people that keep us all on the road, and see a car built from start to finish in a little over 24 hours. James races against the clock on the production line and embraces the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen. Kate gets to the bottom of how manufacturers test car seats for mass production and Ant heads to Germany to put his faith in a driverless car on the autobahn. Inside the factory, the team reveal what it takes to build a thousand different cars a day, and are live as a car that started being built yesterday drives off the production line for the very first time.

DIY SOS (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 21st October 2015)

In the second episode of a two-part special, Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team continue with their most ambitious build ever – an attempt to regenerate a rundown community in Manchester. The team are aiming to transform an entire street, turning empty properties into homes for war veterans and building a support centre to help other veterans find homes and jobs. The plan is to redo the fronts of all the houses and put in new utilities – but with late nights and delays, it is looking like the team might not meet their deadlines.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 21st October 2015)

So what kind of house should you build when you move to a new place, that’s traditional and architecturally conservative? Surely something that fits in, that’s similar to the houses of the new neighbours you want to impress? Not if you’re Stephen Yeoman and Anita Findlay. They want to put up a cutting edge, post-industrial house that’s covered in bright orange rusty metal. Not only that, their plot is one of the most prominent in their new home town in the South Downs – so everyone will be watching. Having to deal with an incredibly tight riverside plot, cash flow problems that threaten to bring work to a halt, and news of a first child on the way, Stephen and Anita’s project proves a real roller coaster ride. And that’s all before the fitting of their controversial rusty steel cladding starts to go badly wrong.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 22nd October 2015)

George meets a young couple desperate to get onto the housing ladder who’ve come up with a radical plan – to build a home made almost entirely from scrap with a budget of zero pounds. There’s also a woman putting together a garden retreat out of reclaimed copper. The problem is she has no design experience, no building experience, and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. In George’s road trip across Germany, he visits a high design houseboat, and is even allowed to take it out for a spin. And, as George and Will’s floating beach hut nears completion, there’s drama in the workshop.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 22nd October 2015)

Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world’s most extreme railway lines. Chris attempts to cross the length of Cuba, the only island in the Caribbean to boast an extensive railway network, from Havana in the west to the far east of the island. Given old and battered trains that often fail to run, this proves rather more of a challenge than he had anticipated.

TFI Friday (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 23rd October 2015)

Following the triumphant return of TFI Friday earlier this year, Chris Evans’ seminal cult entertainment show is back with a new series. Broadcasting from a new home in central London, there are brand new features and raucous stunts. Tonight’s guests include Justin Bieber, Dawn French, Macklemore and Lewis, Nicholas Hoult and Hurts. TFI is once again set to be a key part of the Friday night schedule.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 10/10/2015

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railwa -Journeys - 15-10-2015 - YouView appDoctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 8:25pm to 9:10pm | Saturday 10th October 2015)

On a remote army outpost, a fearsome alien warlord called the Fisher King sets in motion a twisted plan to ensure his own survival. The ripples will be felt around the universe. Is this chain of events inevitable? And can the Doctor do the unthinkable?

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 12th October 2015)

Paul Murton visits the islands lying off the Scottish coast. In this final edition, Paul heads to the islands of Fetlar, Unst and Yell, which lie on Scotland’s northern frontier and are as much Scandinavian as Scottish – and were, in fact, once part of Norway. Along the way he sings with the Shanty Yell Men who came together to celebrate their Norse heritage, learns how to ‘roo’ Shetland sheep the traditional way, and gets an incredible opportunity to see the wild otters who make their home here in Shetland’s pristine waters. And finally, Paul fulfils a long-held ambition to visit Out Stack, the rocky outcrop that is famous for being the ‘full stop’ at the edge of Britain.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 13th October 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. Gareth concludes his intensive training with more expert help and a new focus on performance technique. As the choirs strive to master choreography and stagecraft, one group aims to bring Big Top fun to their performance, while another struggles with sex appeal. Their training over, all five groups will compete once more, performing in front of a live audience and a jury of a cappella experts – their votes will decide who makes it through to the semi-final and which group will leave the contest for good.

DIY SOS (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 14th October 2015)

Nick Knowles and the DIY SOS team are back for a two-part special with their most ambitious build ever, and this time they are joined by two special royal helpers. The team are taking on a whole street in Manchester and turning run-down empty properties into homes for veterans. The team rally the local community to get stuck in and are also helped by Prince William and Prince Harry, who volunteer on site. In this show, the trades come together to build homes for two former soldiers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), before also helping them to find new careers in the building trade. But with numbers of volunteers lower than what’s needed and the buildings proving trickier than anticipated, it’s turning into the toughest build yet.

Restoring Britain’s Landmarks (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 14th October 2015)

This brand new series goes behind the scenes at conservation charity The Landmark Trust, following amazing restorations and delving into the history surrounding some of Britain’s most remarkable buildings. In the first episode, work starts on the demolition and assessment at Georgian villa Belmont House in Lyme Regis. John Evetts, Head of Furnishings, goes to war with the décor at Hougoumont Farm, a building on the Waterloo battlefield. Alastair Dick-Cleland visits the Music Room in Lancaster to check in on a gilt-edged overhaul to the ornate bedroom plasterwork. And, back in Lyme Regis, Director of The Landmark Trust, historian Dr Anna Keay, explains the unusual reason why Belmont House is a ‘must-save’ building for the Trust, and investigates the mysterious builder of the house: Eleanor Coade.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 14th October 2015)

Can you really convert a cowshed into a home by learning everything from the internet? Private chef Ed Versluys and pilates instructor Vicky Anderson do not do things by halves. Within two years of meeting they got engaged, sold up and abandoned their city lives, and bought an ugly, derelict 1940s concrete cowshed with amazing views over the Somerset countryside. They’re project managing and converting the cowshed themselves with the help of just one young builder and what they can learn online. They’ve given themselves only eight months and just over £200k to make a warm, comfortable three bedroom home with straw bale walls and wide expanses of glass. It’s an almighty challenge.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 15th October 2015)

George meets a couple wanting to transform two dilapidated air raid shelters in their garden. But they can’t agree on who gets which one and George soon finds himself in the middle of a ‘he shed’, ‘she shed’ argument. George meets Guinnie – at 12 years old, the youngest ever designer featured on Amazing Spaces. Along with her builder Dad, she’s taking her school project, to design the ultimate party shed, off the homework page and into her back garden. As Will Hardie continues work on the floating beach hut, on the tightest of budgets, he visits a million pound beach house, to see just what’s possible if money is no object. And George’s trip across Germany continues as he explores an old East German water tower that’s been transformed into a luxury home with an incredible 360 degree view.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 15th October 2015)

Chris continues his exploration of the world’s most extreme railway lines. Chris sets out to reach the northernmost railway station on Earth in an epic 2000-mile adventure from Moscow into Arctic Siberia.

TFI Friday (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 16th October 2015)

Following the triumphant return of TFI Friday earlier this year, Chris Evans’ seminal cult entertainment show is back with a new series. Broadcasting from a new home in central London, there’s brand new features, raucous stunts and brilliant guests. Tonight there’s interviews and music from Take That, Steve Coogan, Slaves and Saoirse Ronan. TFI is once again set to be a key part of the Friday night schedule.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 03/10/2015

Licence to Thrill Paul Hollywood Meets Aston Martin - 04-10-2015 - YouView appDoctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 8:25pm to 9:10pm | Saturday 3rd October 2015)

When an underwater base comes under attack, the Doctor and Clara must save the frightened crew and defeat an impossible threat. But what is behind these terrifying events? And can they really be haunted by ghosts?

Licence to Thrill: Paul Hollywood Meets Aston Martin (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 4th October 2015)

Baker Paul Hollywood explores the world of Aston Martin cars. Paul drives some priceless and exclusive Aston cars – the DB10, the new James Bond car from Spectre, the DBR1, the 1959 World Championship-winning racing car, and the DB5, the stunt car used in Goldfinger. Ever since he was given a toy model of the Goldfinger car at the age of five, Paul Hollywood has been a passionate fan of Aston Martin. Now, four decades on, Paul gets to fulfill his dream and find out first-hand about the company. Despite huge success, Aston Martin has never made much money. So Paul meets new boss Andy Palmer to hear about his plan to turn the company around. To find out just what these cars can do, Paul also trains up to race and joins one of the Aston teams. If he can get his licence upgrade, he will even be able compete at the world famous Le Mans race festival in France.

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 5th October 2015)

Paul Murton visits the islands lying off the Scottish coast. In this edition, Paul begins his journey at Loch Hourn on the mainland, travels over the sea to Skye and then heads to the tiny island of Soay before finishing on Canna. Along the way, he visits the house which was the inspiration for Skyfall, home of spy James Bond, embarks on a nerve-wracking caving expedition under the summit of Blaven and discovers the remarkable story of shark fishing off Soay.

Canals: The Making of a Nation (BBC 4/HD | 8:30pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 6th October 2015)

Liz McIvor explores how the nation’s canals were saved following years of post-war neglect, becoming places of tranquillity and popular for boating holidays. She visits the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Wales, travels to Birmingham where canals have become catalysts for property development and urban regeneration, and asks whether more canals should now be constructed.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 6th October 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. Gareth brings the six surviving groups together for the first time, to contend with intensive mentoring at the state-of-the-art Performance Hub. The focus is on vocals. With the help of the best in the business, Gareth will tutor each group to improve their sound before they go head to head once more. They will compete in front of a live audience and a jury of a cappella experts – their votes decide who stays in the contest and which group will be heading home. Amid the gruelling training, two groups grapple with bringing emotion to their performances, while disaster strikes for another when an ill-judged high five takes an unexpected toll.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 7th October 2015)

Michele Long and Michael Howe want to restore and transform a derelict 100-year-old blacksmiths in County Antrim, adding a giant horseshoe-shaped modern straw bale extension on the side. Keen to get his hands dirty, Michael launches into the project, armed only with a pickaxe. With virtually no practical experience, he wants to learn how to build a house by doing as much as he can himself. But the odds are stacked against architect Michael and teacher Michele. On this rugged stretch of coastline in Northern Ireland the weather is fierce. The budget is rock bottom at only £150k and the deadline to complete just one year. Almost immediately the freezing weather, the scale of the task, and a workshop fire slow the project down. While Michele juggles work and kids, Michael struggles to keep up, and the schedule stretches from one to three years. Will they ever get it finished?

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 8th October 2015)

George meets a man planning to build Margate’s first Victorian bathing machine in over 100 years, using £30,000 entrusted to him by the local community. There’s also a man with a truly death-defying sense of humour: who having survived a coma, sticks two fingers up to the reaper by transforming a hearse into a family camper van, including a pop-out kitchen in a coffin. George also visits the former East German beach resort of Binz, to see a communist-era lifeguard tower out of a 1950s sci-fi comic. Will and George go shopping for flotation devices at a fuel depot for their beach hut. And George visits a woman who’s turned her narrow boat home into a floating bookshop.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 8th October 2015)

Chris continues his exploration of the world’s most extreme railway lines. From the tiny coastal town of Tocopilla, Chris rides one of the steepest railways in the world as he scales the first 1,000 metres of the Andes.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 26/09/2015

Doctor Who - 26/09/2015 (YouView app)Doctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 7:45pm to 8:35pm | Saturday 26th September 2015)

Sci-fi drama. Trapped and alone on the planet Skaro, the Doctor is at the heart of the Dalek Empire – no sonic, no TARDIS, nobody to help. With his greatest temptation before him, can the Doctor resist? And will there be mercy?

Danger Mouse (CBBC/HD | 6:00pm to 6:25pm | Monday 28th September 201)

Animated series. Danger Mouse explodes back into action and is instantly dismissed for destroying half of London. Can the world survive without Danger Mouse?

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 28th September 2015)

Paul Murton visits the islands lying off the Scottish coast. In this edition, Paul travels from Finlaggan, where the famous ruler Somerled once held court, along Islay’s windswept coast, through its historic ports and villages to end on its highest mountain. Along the way he joins a dedicated bunch of Ileach who are keeping the seafaring traditions of the island alive, discovers the secrets of Islay’s illicit whisky distilling past and travels to the Mull of Oa on the island’s south coast, before climbing Ben Vicar for a breathtaking view across the Hebrides.

Canals: The Making of a Nation (BBC 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Tuesday 29th September 2015)

Liz McIvor tells the story of the people who operated the canal boats, carrying fuel and goods around the country. Liz discovers grisly canal crimes, investigates health and welfare on working boats and learns why canal children were last on the list to be offered safeguards and formal education. While the Victorians eventually championed the needs of children who were forced to labour in factories and mines, the boat children were often ignored. Liz discovers the campaigners who set out to tackle this injustice, including George Smith of Coalville, Leicestershire, and Sister Mary Ward of Stoke Bruerne.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 29th September 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. Gareth mentors four new groups as they begin their battle to stay in his contest. Receiving Gareth’s help and competing are a fledgling group of Salford students, a traditional male barbershop outfit from the Midlands, a gifted Glasgow University choir and an ambitious Birmingham six-piece, striving to bring a cappella to the masses. They will sing off in front of a live audience and a jury of world class a cappella experts. The jury’s votes will decide which groups go through to the next stage and who will leave the contest for good.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 30th September 2015)

The new series of Grand Designs continues. The days when humans lived in caves in Britain are long gone – aren’t they? Not according to 37-year-old Angelo Mastropietro. Having found a damp, dark abandoned cave in Worcestershire, that was last lived in nearly 70 years ago, Angelo plans to to spend £100,000 to almost single-handedly turn it into a retreat to help him cope with a recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and become a 21st-century caveman. It’s a heroic task. Solitary months of carving, cutting and drilling into the hillside are needed to create the rooms and prepare the space for electricity and running water for the first time. That’s just the start; building a cave home doesn’t come with a manual. How do you make a cave comfortable for contemporary living, and at the same time preserve its unique cave-like spirit? For Angelo it’s a unique challenge that turns into an obsession.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 1st October 2015)

George meets a young man who bought a knackered 70-year-old boat for £5000 that he intends to turn into a home. To find a shipmate to help with the restoration, he turns to an internet dating site. There’s also a cricket mad granddad building a mini pavilion in his garden. The 1950s-inspired build incorporates bats, bails and even a boundary rope alongside an ingenious bunkbed that with the pull of a chord transforms into a sofa. George’s German road trip reaches Berlin, and an ingenious house situated where the Wall once stood. George and Will’s floating beach hut flounders a bit. And Will visits a three bedroom house in London built on the site of an alleyway, that is just seven feet wide.

Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 1st October 2015)

Chris continues his exploration of the world’s most extreme railway lines. From Bangkok to Mandalay, Chris’s journey takes him nearly 2,000 miles through some extraordinary places, rich in history and culture as well as stunning scenery, on a series of trains that push his love of travelling by rail to the limits.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 19/09/2015

Doctor Who - 19/09/2015 (YouView app)Doctor Who (BBC 1/HD | 7:40pm to 8:30pm | Saturday 19th September 2015)

Sci-fi drama. When the skies of Earth are frozen by a mysterious alien force, Clara needs her friend. But where is the Doctor, and what is he hiding from? As past deeds come back to haunt him, old enemies will come face to face, and for the Doctor and Clara, survival seems impossible.

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 21st September 2015)

Paul Murton visits the islands lying off the Scottish coast. In this edition, Paul crosses the Sea of the Hebrides to explore the remote Shiant Islands, heads east to the Isle of Ewe and on to the Summer Isles and the cliffs of Handa. He enjoys a dive at a scallop farm and vists the eerie island of Gruinard which, thanks to its remoteness, was Britain’s testing ground for biological warfare experiments during WWII.

Walk the Line (BBC 1 Northern Ireland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 21st September 2015)

Series in which Barra Best sets out to uncover and explore some of Northern Ireland’s lost railways. In this final episode, Barra explores County Tyrone’s lost railway routes.

Canals: The Making of a Nation (BBC 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Tuesday 22nd September 2015)

Liz McIvor recounts the tales of the men who built the canals – the navigators, or navvies – who were capable of enduring tough labour for long periods. These men roved the countryside looking for work, and many gained a reputation for being hard-drinking, debauched troublemakers. Liz focuses on the Manchester Ship Canal, the swansong of the navvies, hailed as the greatest engineering feat of the Victorian Age.

The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 22nd September 2015)

Gareth Malone presents the search for the nation’s best amateur a cappella group. In this episode, Gareth mentors the first four groups singing to stay in his contest. He strives to bring out the best performances from a London community choir, an Essex gospel group, six Southampton students and a group of female barbershoppers from Portsmouth, before they face a live audience and a jury of world-class a cappella experts. The jury’s votes will decide which groups go through to the next stage and who will leave the contest for good.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 23rd September 2015)

What do you do after recovering from a traumatic, life-threatening brain haemorrhage? Spend everything you possibly can on a beautiful cutting-edge house, of course, with everything your loved ones could ever wish for. That’s the life-affirming adventure Bram Vis, wife Lisa and their two children launch into on an idyllic seaside plot on the Isle of Wight. They want to build a house for sharing, with generous entertaining spaces and a swimming pool where they can surround themselves with family. But soon the reality of their wild ambition starts to catch up with them. Unwilling to compromise on the scale or design of their super home, their original £850k budget begins to spiral out of control. As they borrow what they can to desperately try and finish, the somewhat dubious honour of creating one of the most expensive Grand Designs ever looks inevitable.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 24th September 2015)

George meets a father of three trying to build a homemade campervan for less than £700. It’s made from 3000 CDs, with the floor built out of old vinyl records. There’s also a single dad making a home for him and his sons on the water – by renovating an oil rig escape pod. On his German road trip, George travels to the Tyrolean mountains, where he sees a house that looks like a cross between a large bird and a UFO, and is packed with clever design tricks that make the most of the stunning mountain location. And as their floating beach hut idea begins to take shape, George and master craftsman Will Hardie travel to Southend, where a knackered, former wartime lookout shed is ready to be the backbone for this unique build.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 12/09/2015

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 14th September 2015)

Paul Murton visits the islands lying off the Scottish coast. Thirty miles from mainland Scotland, there is a chain of low-lying islands that face the full might of the Atlantic Ocean: the Uists and Benbecula. On these islands there seems to be more water than land, as a spectacular patchwork of freshwater lochs and pools pockmark the landscape. But it is the unique ecology of these unspoilt islands that makes them so special. Paul’s journey sees him trying his hand at fishing for wild sea trout, uncovering the fascinating story of how South Uist became a missile testing base, and discovering the secrets of the beautiful but deserted tidal island of Vallay.

Canals: The Making of a Nation (BBC 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Tuesday 15th September 2015)

Liz McIvor recounts the story of ‘canal mania’, the period of activity that helped develop Britain’s modern financial economy, now centred in London. The canal capitalists, many of whom were part of the emerging middle class, made money by investing in and speculating on the new inland waterways used to carry fuel and goods around the country. The Grand Junction Canal – built to improve the connection between London and the Midlands – was one of the new routes, and eventually proved to be a good investment for shareholders. However, not all canals were profitable.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 16th September 2015)

Boat-loving James Strangeways has spent the last 35 years travelling the canals and waterways of Britain. He’s never stayed in one place for more than a few days and he’s never liked houses. Realising it’s time to put down some roots on dry land, he commissions his nephew, architect Ben Hebblethwaite, to build him a home that’s as unhouse-like as possible for a tight budget of £300k. To lure his boat-mad client into a more settled life, Ben designs a house with ship-like qualities. It floats above the marsh on stilts, clad in acres of timber and topped with a roof that looks like the giant keel of a sailing vessel. But it’s the first time Ben has ever built a house from scratch and things take a dramatic turn for the worse when just a few months into the project, the contractor goes into liquidation with £87k of their money! And as the house starts to take shape, James decides to tweak the design in ways that set alarm bells ringing for his young architect.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 17th September 2015)

George Clarke returns for a brand new series as he follows more people across Britain, finding inventive ways to create beautiful spaces that don’t blow the budget, and can completely transform lives. With unquenchable enthusiasm, architect George Clarke invites viewers to let their imaginations run wild, as he celebrates the extraordinary world of small design spaces and unique builds: secret hideaways, space-saving retreats, eco-friendly bolt holes and reconditioned vehicles. He shows that with careful planning, cunning design and masses of imagination, the apparently unachievable is doable. In this new series George also travels to Germany to discover some of their incredible, ingenious and inspiring designs.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 13/12/2014

The Choir: New Military Wives - 16-12-2014 (YouView app)Sports Personality of the Year 2014 (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 10:20pm | Sunday 14th December 2014)

After another fantastic year in British sport, Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan present the 2014 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, live from Glasgow’s Hydro Arena. This star-studded event features some of the greatest names in world sport and ends with the presentation of the famous trophy, with the winner chosen by viewers on the night. There are ten contenders for the main award and picking a winner will be tricky. Glasgow hosted a memorable Commonwealth Games with golden glory for many home nations’ competitors. In other sports, Rory McIlroy won two of golf’s majors, Lewis Hamilton became Britain’s record Grand Prix winner and Lizzy Yarnold struck Winter Olympics gold. Seven other awards will be presented, made up of Team and Coach of the Year, Young and Overseas Sports Personality, Unsung Hero, Lifetime Achievement and the Helen Rollason award, given for inspirational achievement in the face of adversity.

Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 15th December 2014)

Richard Hammond travels the globe in an attempt to reveal the hidden world of weather. Richard Hammond investigates the crucial role temperature plays. Without heat, there would be no weather – no clouds, no rain, no snow, no dust storms, no thunder and lightning. Richard sets off to find out about hot air with the help of a quarry and a massive hot plate discovers just why it is so hard to pull a sword out of snow. He discovers, by building his own massive dust storm with the help of a few friends and dust specialist Dr Nigel Tapper, just how sand from the Sahara bounces its way to the UK. In Canada he creates his own ice storm. He also drops in on Dan Morgan who creates lightning bolts in his lab, where Richard is able to see thunder and hear lightning with the aid of some special cameras, light bulbs and a few candles.

The Choir: New Military Wives (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 16th December 2014)

Two-part documentary following choirmaster Gareth Malone as he forms a special Military Wives choir to perform at a WW1 centenary prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall, alongside the cast of War Horse. It’s three years since Gareth formed the first Military Wives choir and since then the organisation has mushroomed with over 2,000 members around the globe. In this episode, Gareth sets out to audition as many of them as possible for his 100-strong choir. The wives usually sing pop songs, but Gareth has a repertoire of taxing classical pieces that were popular at the time of the First World War in mind. As rehearsals get under way, Gareth discovers that the wives’ dignity in the face of the constant threat of the death of their loved ones is as strong as ever, and the wives discover powerful parallels with their counterparts 100 years before them. The episode culminates in a performance at RAF Brize Norton for some of Britain’s last deployment of troops to return from Afghanistan.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 17th December 2014)

Vaughan goes to the police after Justin punches Allie, making a decision that could affect Justin’s entire future. Darren arranges a surprise for Grace but she’s not too happy about it.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 18th December 2014)

George attends a carol service in a 130-year-old flat-pack tin church – one of the earliest examples of flat-pack construction. Will visits a very different chapel that’s been meticulously transformed into a luxury home. George and Will help the country’s only female ice carver create a winter wonderland themed ice bar in Liverpool. The show catches up with some of George’s favourite builds of the year and there’s Christmas drinks in the garden of Joel Bird, winner of the Shed of the Year prize.

The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 18th December 2014)

Documentary series following the staff of First Great Western. In this episode, Cheltenham Spa station manager Richard finds it heavy going when he is swamped by 60,000 horse racing fans, just as the mainline at Dawlish is about to be reopened a crack is discovered in the sandstone cliffs above the line and driver Gary has to be quick on the draw when a pedestrian takes a perilous short cut.

Ice Road Truckers (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 19th December 2014)

Reality series following big rig drivers who tackle the frozen winter roads of the northern most parts of America. After declaring war on Polar Industries, Hugh heads north without waiting to give new recruit Todd a helping hand. Alex and Darrell navigate an unmaintained road to deliver a million-dollar load to a dam project, and Lisa gets the school bus moving.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 06/12/2014

BBC Music Awards (YouView app)Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 8th December 2014)

Richard Hammond travels the globe in an attempt to reveal the hidden world of weather. Richard investigates the crucial role water plays. Without water there would be almost no weather: no rain, no snow, no hail, no clouds. So Richard goes in pursuit of water in all its forms. He tries to weigh a cloud, finds out how rain could crush a car and gets involved in starting an avalanche. Along the way, he tries to find out why clouds float by building his own cloud with the aid of a cattle trough, some humidifiers and atmospheric scientist Dr Jim McQuaid. But will their cloud float in the air like a real cloud? He also drops in on renowned hail scientist Charles Knight in his lab in Boulder, Colorado, to discover that there is far more to hail than meets the eye. Richard sets about firing ice and hail at a board to find out which does the most damage. Finally, in conjunction with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Richard joins Walter Steinkogler to start an avalanche.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 10th December 2014)

A neglected Leo finds solace in new girl Mandy but soon finds there is more to her than meets the eye. Sue finds herself in hot water when Hector threatens to tell Simon about their affair.

Great Continental Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 10th December 2014)

Michael Portillo follows in the footsteps of Edwardian travellers to trace a route recommended in Bradshaw’s guide, journeying from the heart of France to the Mediterranean coast. He begins in the capital of cuisine, Lyon, where he finds out about the early 20th-century Meres Lyonnaises, to whom the city owes its gastronomic reputation. Ever keen to try his hand, Michael takes instruction from a top chef on how to make an omelette, but his efforts fail to impress.

BBC Music Awards (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 11th December 2014)

Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton present the first ever BBC Music Awards live from Earl’s Court Arena, featuring some of the biggest songs of the year performed on a spectacular stage by an incredible line-up including Coldplay, One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Paloma Faith, Calvin Harris, Take That, George Ezra, Ella Henderson, Labrinth, Clean Bandit and surprise guests. Celebrating an amazing year in music across the BBC, awards to be presented on the night include British Artist of the Year, International Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. The evening includes some unique collaborations and the BBC Concert Orchestra, who will be accompanying some of the performers. The event is also broadcast live on Radio 1 and Radio 2.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 11th December 2014)

George meets Adam, a Cumbrian farmer turning a 70s Bedford fire truck into a mobile shop. Will travels to Wales to meet Joelle, a teacher who’s transforming a dilapidated pony trailer into a holiday retreat on a budget of just £1000. On his Italian road trip, George visits a tiny house perched on top of a cliff. And George and Will reveal their wilderness cabin in all its glory.

The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 11th December 2014)

Documentary series following the staff of First Great Western. In this episode, as the Six Nations Rugby Championship kicks off, in Cardiff, Dave and the team try to get thousands of rowdy fans home after a night on the town. The depot teams have to transport their rolling stock around the broken Dawlish mainline and rookie Station Manager Joe has his hands full on his first Saturday night shift at London Paddington when the last train to Wales breaks down.

Ice Road Truckers (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 12th December 2014)

Reality series following a group of brave men and women as they undertake one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Hugh Rowland’s grand plan to rival Polar Industries begins to fall apart. On the deathly highways, Lisa’s heavy haul throws her into grave danger.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 29/11/2014

The Railway: First Great Western - 04-12-2014 (YouView app)Wild Weather with Richard Hammond (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 1st December 2014)

Richard Hammond travels the globe in an attempt to reveal the hidden world of weather. Richard investigates how wind actually starts. He joins up with an American meteorologist called Reed Timmer and a bizarre vehicle known as The Dominator III. Their aim is to fire a probe into a tornado to measure its speed where it is at its fastest – right next to the ground. Richard also visits one of the few places on the planet capable of duplicating a real-life tornado. The 23 million dollar WindEEE Research Institute in Ontario hadn’t even opened its doors when Richard asked them to take part in an experiment. He also braves the winds and temperatures of -50 degrees fahrenheit to take a trip outside on top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. On April 12th 1934, that station measured one of the highest wind speeds ever measured on land – 231 mph.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 3rd December 2014)

Allie convinces Vaughan to send Justin to a boarding school in an attempt to keep him away from Tiffany but the young lovers have plans of their own. Darren isn’t happy when Rhiannon considers a career as a plus size model.

Great Continental Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 3rd December 2014)

Following his 1913 Bradshaw’s guide, Michael Portillo ventures beyond Europe to the Holy Land. His journey begins in Haifa in modern-day Israel, where he is shown how to cook a takeaway – middle-eastern style, before heading to Haifa’s original station to find out about its branch line to the famous Hejaz Railway. In Tel Aviv, Michael marvels at the city’s futuristic skyscrapers and railway lines, threaded along the centre of modern highways. On his way to Jerusalem, Michael hears how the Jaffa to Jerusalem railway was the first line to be built in the Holy Land. In Jerusalem, Michael visits the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and finds out about a surprising Holy Land tradition. Michael then heads for Bethlehem where he meets the embroiderers of the Arab Women’s Union. Heading south, Michael arrives at the lowest point on earth – the Dead Sea, and then, in the Negev Desert, he learns about a celebrated British military hero with railways in his sights.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 4th December 2014)

George travels to Macclesfield to visit a first time builder who hopes to transform an allotment shed into a Doctor Who-style, multi-functional play den for less than £300. George visits a spectacular live-in treehouse in Scotland. Will and George dig for iron to create a medieval style lock for their wood cabin. And George’s Italian road trip takes in a holiday lodge made almost entirely from glass in the Dolomite mountains.

The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 4th December 2014)

Documentary series following the working lives of the staff of First Great Western, one of Britain’s largest train operating companies. The railway is in crisis as the worst weather for a century batters the country, pushing workers and passengers to the limit. Steve Hawkins and his team of engineers have time and tide against them as they get to work repairing one of the most beautiful stretches of track in the country after the mainline at Dawlish gets washed away, and Dave Slater and his team at Network Control have to battle the elements to keep trains running as storm after storm floods the network. A tube strike creates a headache for Ealing Broadway manager, Dean Haynes, as the extra pressure placed on overground trains into the city looks set to bring the morning commute to a standstill.

Ice Road Truckers (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 5th December 2014)

Reality series. For two months every year, a group of exceptional men and women find their way to the Canadian tundra to undertake one of the most dangerous jobs on earth. Alex retraces his route and Lisa wants to get back into the running for the most loads. Hugh and Vlad decide to keep Art Burke.

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