Tag: John Bishop’s Australia

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 19/07/2014

Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony (YouView app screenshot)Live at Edinburgh Castle (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 10:30pm | Saturday 19th July 2014)

A spectacular live concert staged in front of Scotland’s most iconic landmark, as daylight turns to dusk. The show caters for all, with hit songs from the likes of Smokey Robinson, Kaiser Chiefs, Jessie J, Culture Club, Paloma Faith, OneRepublic, Rizzle Kicks, Ella Henderson, Il Divo, Katherine Jenkins, Alfie Boe and Pumeza. Bill Bailey is on hand to provide the musical comedy, surprise guests appear too and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are on stage to accompany many of the performances – not least the spectacular finale. Hosted by The One Show’s Alex Jones the concert also includes the final leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay before it arrives in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games.

Seven Wonders of the Commonwealth (BBC 1/HD | 9:10pm to 10:10pm | Sunday 20th July 2014)

A one-off special to herald the start of the Commonwealth Games. Some of the nation’s best-loved presenters – Clare Balding, Denise Lewis, Anita Rani, Dan Snow and Reggie Yates – travel around the globe to marvel at seven diverse natural wonders and meet some of the two billion members of the Commonwealth. They venture to the oldest desert on the planet, the most pristine rainforest, the world’s greatest waterfall, the largest mangrove swamp, the richest coral reef and the world’s most spectacular fjordland. The final wonder is found deep in a cave far closer to home. Along the way they discover what it means to part of the Commonwealth today.

John Bishop’s Australia (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 21st July 2014)

Series following comedian John Bishop as he sets off on an Australian adventure, cycling from Sydney to Cairns. In episode three John travels deep into tropical Australia. Pedalling through the heat and rain, John takes on a gruelling military fitness test, rides motorbikes with Vietnam veterans, and gets completely caked in mud while working on a banana farm. (It’s harder than it looks apparently). As the trip reaches its conclusion John takes in the breathtaking natural beauty of both the Great Barrier Reef, and the Daintree Rainforest, before ending his incredible journey with a surprising personal twist.

Coast (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 22nd July 2014)

The team explores the treasures to be found on surprising, secret paths around British shores. Nick Crane visits Cape Wrath, discovering where wolves once trod and a notorious hermit made his home. Ruth Goodman reveals how the bizarre Victorian craze for collecting ferns drove genteel women to extraordinary lengths in search of the much prized botanic treasures. Gem stone hunter Adam McIntosh follows a secret underwater path off the isle of Iona to discover rare and beautiful ‘green marble’. On the tiny island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel Mark Horton unearths remarkable historical treasures stretching from the stone age to the second world war to create a coastal walk that encompasses ten thousand years of the history of Britain in just ten miles. The steel track of a Blackpool roller-coaster intrigues physicist Helen Arney. On Anglesey Andy Torbet attempts one of the most spectacular sea cliff climbs in Britain, the infamous ‘dream of white horses’ route.

Undercover Boss (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 22nd July 2014)

High-flying executives take extraordinary steps to ensure their companies are fighting fit by going undercover in their own businesses. The sixth series continues with Oxfam. CEO Mark Goldring is the man at the top of one of Britain’s best known and biggest charities. Awarded a CBE for his life’s work tackling poverty, he’s responsible for Oxfam’s balance sheet. But with income down by £18 million in a year, Mark’s worried the charity is over stretched.

Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 11:00pm | Wednesday 23rd July 2014)

Gary Lineker, Hazel Irvine and Clare Balding present the opening ceremony for the 2014 Commonwealth Games live from Celtic Park. The ceremony marks the end of the epic journey of the Queen’s Baton Relay, which has visited every Commonwealth nation in the lead up to the event, and Her Majesty the Queen will declare the Games officially open. A cast of more than 3,000 volunteers will take part in what promises to be a spectacular occasion. The Parade of Nations will welcome the thousands of athletes from the 71 nations and territories across the Commonwealth. Huw Edwards joins Hazel Irvine in the commentary box.

Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 23rd July 2014)

Two-part documentary following a team of scientists as they take to the skies in one of the world’s largest airships for a unique exploration of the earth’s atmosphere. Continuing their journey across the USA, the team questions how the atmosphere changes with altitude and how that has an impact upon the life found there. Microbiologist, Dr Chris van Tulleken and former paratrooper, Andy Torbet, search for living microorganisms in the ‘death zone’ of high-altitude. Aboard the airship, expedition leader Felicity Aston and Dr Jim McQuaid explore the impact of human behaviour upon the atmosphere, questioning whether cities can create their own weather. Plus, Dr Sarah Beynon paraglides for a close encounter with a hawk.

The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 23rd July 2014)

This episode follows engineers building London’s brand new underground railway, Crossrail, as they take on a Great British obsession – building train tunnels under water. Linda Miller, an engineer more at home building space launch complexes at Cape Canaveral, battles to rebuild a Victorian tunnel under the Royal Docks in London’s east end. While a British tunneling dynasty – the Bermingham family – follow in the footsteps of the original father-son team of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel to build a brand new tunnel under the river Thames.

The Secret Life of Students (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Thursday 24th July 2014)

The Secret Life of Students follows 12 freshers in their first year at university, exploring the drama of their new experiences and sharing their texts, tweets, pictures, videos and status updates. As the freshers approach the end of their first term, how well have they really settled in? Have they worked out the magic formula to balance a life of partying, studying, paying the bills and living with a group of students they have only just met? Living with other students can be messy and can distract you from your work. How do the students cope as exams draw nearer and they need to buckle down and revise? Will they crack under the pressure or manage to perfect the balancing act? And how will their social media updates correlate with their real life experiences?

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 12/07/2014

Undercover Boss : 15-07-2014 (YouView app screenshot)John Bishop’s Australia (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 14th July 2014)

Series following comedian John Bishop as he sets off on an Australian adventure, cycling from Sydney to Cairns. John begins this episode in the beach town of Byron Bay. After attempting to surf and getting shown up by some super-fit Australian children, John heads further north towards Queensland. Across vast landscapes he encounters gigantic saltwater crocodiles, stunning desert islands, and experiences an Australia we at home do not normally see. In Wild West Rockhampton John goes cattle herding on horseback with the biggest beef baron in Australia, before getting a bit too close to the action at a full-blooded Queensland rodeo.

Coast (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 15th July 2014)

Coast returns for a brand new series with fresh discoveries both around home shores and far beyond. In this first adventure, the team explores surprising stories on both sides of our shallowest, narrowest and busiest seaway – the English Channel. Nick Crane is on the Channel’s French coast to experience the secret life of Mont St Michel, a rocky outcrop which attracts over a million tourists a year. Neil Oliver uncovers the tragic tale of the wreck of the troop ship SS Mendi. Why did no-one save more than 600 South African soldiers who drowned in the Channel while heading to France during the First World War to fight for the British Empire? Mark Horton reveals how some two centuries ago, French mapmakers unwittingly gave birth to Britain’s Ordnance Survey. Miranda Krestovnikoff is on patrol with the ‘Referees of our Seas’ – the sea-borne inspectors who, backed up by the Royal Navy, must police the international fishing fleets who compete for catches in the Channel.

Undercover Boss (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 15th July 2014)

New series of the show where high-flying executives take extraordinary steps to ensure their companies are fighting fit by going undercover in their own businesses. In the first episode of the sixth series, Brian Brick, Chief Executive of high street clothing retailer Moss Bros, swaps his suit for a dramatic disguise and goes undercover in the hope of working undetected alongside his frontline staff.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 15th July 2014)

Matt Barbet presents the cycling magazine show. Including guests from the world of track and road, as well as celebrity two-wheel enthusiasts, plus equipment reviews and news. Today’s guests include rowing champion and adventurist James Cracknell, comedian Tom Allen and TV presenter Jeff Brazier.

Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 16th July 2014)

Two-part documentary following a team of scientists as they take to the skies in one of the world’s largest airships for a unique exploration of the earth’s atmosphere. Flying coast to coast across the United States, the team undertake a series of exciting experiments shedding light on the causes of wild weather, how life exploits the atmosphere, and the human impact upon the weather. The team begin their expedition by exploring clouds, which play a vital role in the planet’s ecology by transporting water from the oceans to the earth’s land surfaces and generating 1.4 trillion tonnes of rainfall each day.

Horizon (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 17th July 2014)

Physicist Dr Helen Czerski and meteorologist John Hammond make sense of Britain’s recent extreme weather and discover that there is one thing that connects all our recent extreme winters – the jet stream, an invisible river of air that powers along 10 km above us. What’s worrying is that recently it has been behaving rather strangely. Scientists are now trying to understand what is behind these changes in the jet stream. Helen and John find out if extreme winters are something we may all have to get used to in the future.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 17th July 2014)

In the last episode of the series George’s garden build is finally revealed and it’s time to see if he’s transformed his unloved narrow strip of back garden into a magical and creative family space. In Cambridgeshire, he meets a DIY perfectionist who’s hoping to create the smallest ever campervan for him and his two boys. And in Somerset, George meets a young cheese salesman who plans to turn a horse trailer into the ultimate mobile cheese stall and food festival attraction.

The Village That’s Falling Into the Sea (BBC 1/HD | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Friday 18th July 2014)

Thursday 5 December 2013 is a night the residents of the Norfolk seaside resort of Hemsby will never forget. That night homes fell into the sea during the worst storm surge to hit the East Coast for sixty years. BBC presenter David Whiteley witnessed the drama unfold. Seven months on he returns to find the community still fighting for the survival of their village. Hemsby is the site of one of the country’s first holiday camps, and tourists still flock there today to enjoy its beach. But with no hope of government money to protect it, villagers have seen almost 70 homes go over the edge and into the sea. Seeking advice from erosion experts and business gurus, and building their own defences, the residents are determined not to let Hemsby be lost to the sea. David joins the villagers in their latest campaign, meets the people about to buy a home on the threatened dunes and goes with the map man who’s quite literally been redrawing the map of the East coast over 40 years of erosion.

I Belong to Glasgow (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 10:35pm to 11:05pm | Friday 18th July 2014)

In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, four Glaswegians celebrate their city. In this edition, actor and comedian Elaine C Smith reveals a Glasgow made by strong women. She searches fopr the essence of Glasgow style. recalls the days when women were not welcome in pubs and pinpoints the success of the hit play The Steamie. She also meets the Glasgow Girls and campaigns for a statue to rent strike leader Mary Barbour and public recognition for more of Glasgow’s women pioneers.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 05/07/2014

The Armstrong Lie (YouView app screenshot)Tour De France 2014 Live (itv/HD | 10:30am to 3:45pm | Saturday 5th July 2014)

Yorkshire plays host to the start of this year’s Tour de France, with a 191km stage from Leeds to Harrogate, taking in the fantastic scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. The riders tackle three climbs en-route, including Buttertubs Pass. The last 60km is flat though, and the winner – and the Tour’s first yellow jersey wearer – will almost certainly be a sprinter. After missing out on stage one last year, Mark Cavendish will have extra motivation to be first across the line in Harrogate. Presented by Gary Imlach, with guest Chris Boardman, commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, and reporter Ned Boulting.

Tour De France 2014 Live (itv/HD | 10:30am to 5:00pm | Sunday 6th July 2014)

The second of the two Yorkshire stages is 198km from York to Sheffield, passing through the hilly terrain of the Peak District. With 3,400m of climbing, the stage has been heralded as a British version of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege classic, with the notorious climb of Holme Moss 50km from the finish. Presented by Gary Imlach, with guest Chris Boardman, commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, and reporter Ned Boulting.

Tour De France 2014 Live (itv/HD | 12:00pm to 4:30pm | Monday 7th July 2014)

Live coverage of the third and final stage taking place in England, which features a short 155km ride from Cambridge into the capital, passing some of London’s most famous landmarks before finishing in a bunch sprint on the Mall. The Tour last came to London in 2007, when over one million spectators lined the roads to cheer Fabian Cancellara on to victory in the prologue. Seven years later, this is a time for the sprinters to shine in front of the enthusiastic crowds. Presented by Gary Imlach with analysis from Chris Boardman, commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen with Ned Boulting the reporter at the roadside.

John Bishop’s Australia (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 7th July 2014)

Series following comedian John Bishop as he sets off on an Australian adventure, cycling from Sydney to Cairns. John first made this journey back in 1992, and in 2014 he is back to see how this incredible country has changed. Along the route John meets extraordinary people, hears fascinating stories and experiences some true natural wonders. In this episode, John tests his nerves with a death-defying abseil in the stunning Blue Mountains, gets hands-on with the most dangerous snakes on the planet, and finds out about the surprising bedtime habits of the most Australian animal of all: the koala.

The Armstrong Lie (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 11:35pm | Monday 7th July 2014)

Lance Armstrong was a sporting phenomenon: an American who’d not only set his sights on the world’s oldest and most prestigious Grand Tour cycle race, the Tour de France, but had won it seven consecutive times between 1999 and 2005. And that was after surviving testicular cancer. Of course there were dark mutterings of doping, but Armstrong consistently, forcefully and litigiously countered such allegations. So, when he announced his intention to return to the fray in 2009, after a four-year retirement, the prolific, Oscar-winning documentary-maker Alex Gibney jumped at the chance to film the maligned Texan’s attempt to win the Tour an eighth time.

The Cycle Show (itv 4 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 8th July 2014)

Matt Barbet and Graham Little present a brand new series of the cycling magazine show. Including guests from the world of track and road, as well as celebrity two-wheel enthusiasts, plus equipment reviews and news. Today’s guest are Lizzie Armistead, Stephen Roche, Malcolm Elliott and Geoff Thomas.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 10th July 2014)

George meets two brothers in their 20s who can’t afford to get on the property ladder and plan to transform a fire-damaged narrow boat into a luxury bachelor pad, sometimes using YouTube tutorials to learn how to do it themselves. George also meets a police officer from Somerset who wants to convert an old campervan and caravan into a mobile cream tea business. And in Texas, George and Will discover an extraordinary 1950s trailer on the edge of the desert.

The Secret Life of Students (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Thursday 10th July 2014)

The Secret Life of Students follows 12 freshers in their first year at university, exploring the drama of their new experiences and sharing their texts, tweets, pictures, videos and status updates. This episode explores how the students cope making new friends and finding love, and whether they can maintain long-distance relationships with girlfriends and boyfriends back home. The students are experiencing communal living for the first time. Hormones, texts and tweets are flying and the gossip is spreading like wildfire.

I Belong to Glasgow (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 10:35pm to 11:05pm | Friday 11th July 2014)

In the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, four Glaswegians celebrate their city. In this edition, actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli asks his parents about their early days in Glasgow, dons his blazer and goes back to his old school, reveals the secrets of customer satisfaction in corner shops, meets some new arrivals seeking refuge from Syria and investigates if the put down is the basis for Glasgow humour.

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