The Lost Hero of 9/11 (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 2nd September 2013)

When the Twin Towers collapsed on September 11, 2001, almost everyone underneath them was killed. But two men were trapped, buried alive, 30 feet deep, under the rubble. As fires raged around them, the official rescue effort had been suspended, and they thought they were going to die, until they heard a voice shouting ‘US Marine Corps; can anybody hear me?’ This man then climbed down and saved them, before disappearing without a trace. His identity remained a mystery.

Silent Witness: Buried Lies. Series 1, episode 1 (Drama | 9:00pm to 11:00pm | Tuesday 3rd September 2013)

Edgy crime drama with the great Amanda Burton as the female forensic pathologist who has a habit of cracking the cases that the police can’t. A feature-length episode, originally shown in two parts. Suspecting that a drowned child had been a victim of physical abuse, Dr Ryan reopens another case involving a child’s death. The common factor, Gary Philips, was the mother’s partner at the time of the death three years earlier.

Bad Education (BBC3 | 10:00pm to 10:30pm | Tuesday 3rd September 2013)

School-based sitcom. Abbey Grove’s new term kicks off with the annual swimming gala and headmaster Mr Fraser decides to pay homage to the fact the UK recently hosted the greatest show on earth, Splash, by ending it with their very own synchronised diving competition. Alfie and his class don’t usually take part in the gala, but lured by a cash bet with deputy headmistress Miss Pickwell he decides to bribe them with a group trip to a restaurant and enter the event. The first day back is also a chance for Alfie to catch up with his girlfriend Miss Gulliver, but he’s shocked to find out that he isn’t in a relationship with her at all, and even more shocked to find out who she is actually dating.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 4th September 2013)

Kevin McCloud returns with a new series of the popular property show. Gwyn and Kate were desperate for more space for their growing family and had set on building a traditional new house for themselves. But their plans changed when they fell for a decaying classic 1920s cinema in the heart of their home town of Thorne in South Yorkshire. With little knowledge of either restoration or building, they boldly set about renovating and extending this wreck to make a family home. Their ideas about having a conventional place to live are thrust aside by their old school friend, an architect who convinces them to use concrete – and masses of it – to turn their dilapidated building into an unlikely homage to modernism. Behind the beautifully restored 1920s facade, brutal concrete walls emerge, as well as massive expanses of glass.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Wednesday 4th September 2013)

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is the celebrity guest as he joins host Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker to take a look at the weird and wonderful stories of the week, live in front of a studio audience. The show also features the all-encompassing question: Is It OK? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask this question about anything from the week, without fear of judgement, and the three hosts attempt to step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas and answer the questions with their own unique insight.

Waterloo Road (BBC1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 5th September 2013)

School-based drama. As the school mourns the loss of Tom, Audrey gets out of her depth when she suspects new pupils, Lenny and Lisa, are being neglected. Elsewhere, newly qualified science teacher Sue feels the pressure while deputy head Simon harbours a secret.

The Railway: First Great Western (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 5th September 2013)

Documentary series following the working lives of the staff of First Great Western, one of Britain’s largest train operating companies. Problems arise when 15,000 extra passengers descend on one tiny station, tempers boil over when the Glastonbury music festival disrupts the regular commute, a station goes on lockdown when a man falls onto the tracks and a picturesque branch line receives a royal visit.

Mum and Dad are Splitting Up (BBC2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 5th September 2013)

With a third of British children living with only one biological parent, this simple but revealing film ventures into the heart of British family life to ask young people about their experience of their parents’ breakup. Based entirely on honest, intimate interviews with both young people and their parents, drawing out the complex feelings and secrets that took root in the family when mum and dad split up. In the process, both parents and their offspring find themselves asking questions of each other that have remained unsaid for years, and being frequently surprised by the answers.

Big School (BBC1/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Friday 6th September 2013)

Comedy series set in a secondary school. Miss Postern warns the other teachers to be sensitive with troubled pupil Josh when his mother runs off with a Maasai tribesman. Perhaps giving him a part in the bold reimagining of Romeo and Juliet put on by the drama department will take his mind off things. Mr Church has lost his job as theatre critic for the school magazine, so Miss Postern steps in to watch the show with Josh’s dad for company. Could Mr Church be just a little bit jealous?

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