Tag: Little British Isles with Alison Steadman

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 29/10/2016

Britain's Greatest Bridges - 04-11-2016 - YouView appChris Tarrant: Ice Train to Nowhere (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 31st October 2016)

Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world’s most extreme railway lines. Chris heads to the Arctic to explore a railway which probably should never have been built, the Alaska Railroad. Constructed when the USA’s largest state was barely populated, Chris wants to find out how and why it has become such a success.

Little British Isles with Alison Steadman (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 2nd November 2016)

Britain is made up of over 6000 islands and 267 of them are inhabited. Acclaimed film actress Alison Steadman OBE has always been fascinated by idyllic island life since holidaying on the Isle of Man as a little girl. In this series she celebrates the wild remote beauty under our noses and meets the people who call these hidden jewels their home, to discover what island life is really like. In this episode Alison visits the tranquil Isles of Scilly, which have some of the most spectacular unspoilt beaches in Europe. On the lesser-known ‘Off Islands’ of Tresco, Bryher, St Martins and St Agnes, she discovers one of the finest sub-tropical gardens in the northern hemisphere, visits a Robinson Crusoe-style desert island with white sandy beaches and a history made famous by Harold Wilson, and gets hands on at one of the world’s smallest working dairy farms. She also discovers how the welcoming islanders have had to find inventive ways to keep hold of their slice of island paradise.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 2nd November 2016)

If you want to make life tricky, try building a new house with a huge, complex curvy roof. If you live in the countryside you could even make it the shape of a plough. And if that’s not challenge enough, why not build a working barn at the same time. That’s exactly what Mark and Candida Diacono are doing on their 17 acre smallholding in Devon. Mark and Candida set themselves an ambitious schedule of just seven months. The house has a timber frame and timber cladding, whereas the barn is all steel frame and traditional Devon cob. It’s a unique technical challenge for a local builder, who has his own mission to bring work and skills to local people. It’s a non-traditional set of farm buildings made by a non-conventional team of builders. But will it prove a recipe for success, or disaster?

Television’s Opening Night: How the Box Was Born (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:30pm | Wednesday 2nd November 2016)

In a unique experiment, Dallas Campbell, Professor Danielle George and Dr Hugh Hunt join forces in an attempt to re-stage the very first official broadcast on British television, exactly 80 years after it made history. The very first official broadcast came from Alexandra Palace on 2nd November 1936 – but there are no surviving recordings. To find out just what went on, this 21st-century team attempts to piece back together and recreate every aspect of the show from scratch – from the variety acts to the cameras – using the original technology and filming techniques to capture the excitement of the day. The team uncovers the mixed influences of high-minded radio and bawdy variety shows on early TV, at a time when it was still a science experiment and not a mass medium. Dallas learns how much harder his job would have been 80 years ago, when the first television announcer Leslie Mitchell was plastered in bizarre make-up and given a cue for ‘action’ that bordered on physical assault.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 4th November 2016)

Part-dramatised history series. Dan Jones explores the history of Cardiff castle over more than 2,000 years and reveals how it became transformed from a strategically important Roman and Norman stronghold to a lavish fairy-tale Victorian home.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 4th November 2016)

Documentary series. In May 1970, four boys set light to Robert Stephenson’s famous Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait, destroying one of the most important advances in structural engineering of the last 200 years. Rob Bell recounts the story of its pioneering design and construction – and why it caused of one of the most bitter disputes in the history of bridge building.

Still Game (BBC 1/HD | 9:30pm to 10:00pm | Friday 4th November 2016)

Comedy series in which lifelong friends cope with everything modern life has to throw at them. Jack and Victor become dogsitters, and Winston’s jealousy sparks some serious pet one-upmanship. Isa prepares for the Craiglang Community Bake Off.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 4th November 2016)

Fresh from their hugely successful run at The Paralympics in Rio, the award-winning show returns live to Friday with its unique brand of irreverent satire for its ninth series. Hosts Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe examine the biggest and most entertaining news stories via the #isitok Twitter hashtag, where viewers tweet in edgy current affairs questions that other shows might duck. In this edition, celebrity guests Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer join the trio in the studio to help dissect the week’s events.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 22/10/2016

Still Game - 28-10-2016 - YouView appCoast: The Great Guide (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 26th October 2016)

Neil Oliver and Tessa Dunlop present their insiders’ guide to the Western Isles – a coastal cluster of a myriad sea-girt islets that include the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Argyll and St Kilda. Neil sets out on an island-hopping adventure that takes in three of the most stunning settings: Mull, Staffa and Gometra. Along his journey taking to the waves on a range of wonderfully restored vessels, he compiles our great guide from a wider canvas of Coast stories that stretch right across the Western Isles. He learns the secrets of crab fishing from a professional, samples a local delicacy from a surprising source, searches for stunning wildlife and meets the sole resident of one of Scotland’s most remote islands.

Little British Isles with Alison Steadman (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 26th October 2016)

Britain is made up of over 6000 islands and 267 of them are inhabited. Acclaimed film actress Alison Steadman OBE has always been fascinated with idyllic island life since holidaying on the Isle of Man as a little girl. In this series she celebrates the wild remote beauty under our noses and meets the people who call these hidden jewels their home, to discover what island life is really like. At their closest point, the Channel Islands lie just eight miles from France. Alison wants to know how they’re holding onto their unique identity in a changing world.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 26th October 2016)

Can you really build a Grand Design when you’ve only got £500 to start with? That’s what Simon and Jasmine Dale had in the bank when they started to build their unique three bedroom family house high up in the hills of rural Pembrokeshire. This is their take on 21st century low-impact self-building, featuring foraged and recycled materials. Despite the budget, their house will be open plan, have underfloor heating, an inside flushing loo, and a set of greenhouses that wouldn’t disgrace Kew Gardens. They are part of a pioneering, government-backed, sustainable village called Lammas, which has a fierce planning condition attached: in return for the right to build on open farmland, they must become self-sufficient on their seven acre plot in five years, or lose everything. It’s a huge double challenge.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 28th October 2016)

Documentary series. Historian Dan Jones flies the flag for British castles. Edinburgh’s handsome hilltop bastion is Scotland’s most popular paid tourist attraction. With a slew of sieges to its name, it is no surprise that the site boasts some formidable defences, and Dan puts one heavy duty cannon through its paces.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 28th October 2016)

Documentary series. Rob Bell tells the story behind the design and construction of Brunel’s famous bridge over the picturesque Avon gorge at Bristol – and discovers that some people question whether the great man’s ‘Darling’ was entirely the product of his own inspiration.

Still Game (BBC 1/HD | 9:30pm to 10:00pm | Friday 28th October 2016)

Comedy series in which lifelong friends cope with everything modern life has to throw at them. After a year of marriage, Fergie gets relationship advice from Jack and Victor. Navid and Boabby settle a dispute over whose job is the cushiest.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 28th October 2016)

Fresh from their hugely successful run at The Paralympics in Rio, the award-winning show returns live to Friday with its unique brand of irreverent satire for its ninth series. Hosts Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe examine the biggest and most entertaining news stories via the #isitok twitter handle, where viewers tweet in edgy current affairs questions that other shows might duck. A special guest joins the trio in the studio to help dissect the week’s events.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 15/10/2016

Little British Isles with Alison Steadman - 19-10-2016 - YouView appPaxman on Trump v Clinton: Divided America (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 17th October 2016)

As the American election approaches, Jeremy Paxman travels to Washington and beyond to understand how America’s democracy has come to face such an unpopular choice in its candidates for the presidency, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. From a life-size naked effigy of Donald Trump, to the stage of Avenue Q and the corridors of power, Jeremy meets political insiders and voters on both sides of the gaping political divide and casts his unsparing eye over a nation preparing for a historic election.

Little British Isles with Alison Steadman (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 19th October 2016)

Britain is made up of over 6000 islands and 267 of them are inhabited. Actress Alison Steadman OBE – best known for her roles in Gavin and Stacey and Abigail’s Party – has always been fascinated with idyllic island life since holidaying on the Isle of Man as a little girl. In this series she celebrates the wild remote beauty under our noses and meets the people who call these hidden jewels their home, to discover what island life is really like. In this first episode Alison travels to some of Scotland’s windswept and rugged Inner Hebrides. Over the course of a week she explores little-known and sparsely-populated Gigha, Jura, Colonsay and Oronsay.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 19th October 2016)

Can you really teach an old dog new tricks? Paul Rimmer trained as a bricklayer and spent over 40 years restoring and renovating the dilapidated Victorian terraces of Bolton. Now he’s taking on one last job. Turning his back on his beloved bricks, he wants to hand-build a wooden state-of-the-art contemporary home for £350k. He ropes in wife Carol, daughter Abby and favoured workmates, to take on construction of the vast, ultra-modern five-bedroom house. Hammered by extreme weather, they soon fall behind. At the point of exhaustion, it gets worse when their funding dries up and the entire project is put at risk.

The Last Leg for Su2c (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 21st October 2016)

The Last Leg boys – Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker – join in the evening’s fundraising. Then Davina McCall trawls the pavements in a special mini episode of the 90s classic show Streetmate, before handing her lucky couple to First Dates’ Fred Sirieix. Plus: Broadchurch stars Olivia Colman and David Tennant go head-to-head; there’s a special sketch featuring Hollywood stars Jon Hamm, Matthew McConaughey and Eva Longoria; and there are appearances from Gareth Bale, Abbey Clancy and Peter Crouch.

The Cars That Made Britain Great (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 21st October 2016)

Rufus Hound concludes his guide through Britain’s proud motoring history with a time warp back to the past to find the most convincing car of the future. Options include the Jensen Interceptor, the Rover P6, the Enfield 8000, the DeLorean and the Sinclair C5.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 21st October 2016)

Documentary series. Engineer Rob Bell uncovers the extraordinary story of Tower Bridge, revealing how it was funded, how its design was revolutionary and how it is lucky to still be standing.

Still Game (BBC 1/HD | 9:30pn to 10:00pm | Friday 21st October 2016)

Comedy series in which lifelong friends cope with everything modern life has to throw at them. Charity begins at home as Jack and Victor offer a helping hand to Methadone Mick. A parking fine from the past comes back to haunt Winston, and Boabby’s award glory goes awry.

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