Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 8th April 2024) ** NEW SERIES **

Axminster to Budleigh Salterton. Series 3, episode 1. Michael Portillo explores the shores of Britain, with his first week’s journey taking him from the Jurassic Coast to the tip of the Lizard Peninsula and beyond to the Isles of Scilly. In Lyme Regis, Michael traces the discoveries of palaeontologist Mary Anning as he walks along a limestone ledge known as the Ammonite Pavement. He then visits the HQ of the Meteorological Office in Exeter to present the weather forecast, before watching flour being ground at a 1,000-year-old water mill on the banks of the River Otter.

Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 9th April 2024)

Exeter to Plymouth. Series 3, episode 2. Michael Portillo arrives in Exeter, where he joins the stonemasons charged with conserving the cathedral’s medieval stonework from Beery Quarry. On the rooftop he watches the team restore the 14th-century South Quire Clerestory. His final stop is the city of Plymouth, which has a rich maritime and military history.

Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Tuesday 9th April 2024)

Caught Out. Series 7, episode 3. In Queensferry, near Glasgow, an American visitor is caught out by the tide – and is barely conscious when the RNLI crew drag him out of the water. In Portishead, on the Severn estuary, a man’s leap from a party boat lands him in serious trouble. On the south coast of Cornwall, the Lizard crew race to the rescue of four people who are stranded on rapidly submerging rocks.

Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 10th April 2024)

Tintagel to St Austell. Series 3, episode 3. Michael Portillo discovers the archaeological history of an important trading site at Tintagel Castle, and then visits the landscaped park of Boconnoc, where he meets an artist who paints Cornwall’s natural wonders, striving to protect them from environmental damage. Michael also hears about the discovery of a thunderbox at the Lost Gardens of Heligan, which led the gardens to be uncovered and restored.

Race Across the World (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 10th April 2024) ** NEW SERIES + PICK OF THE WEEK **

Five teams race from Hokkaido, the most northerly island of Japan, to the Indonesian island of Lombok, crossing six seas and eight borders and skirting the path of the volcanic ring of fire without being able to use phones or credit cards. The teams face a 1,600km journey to the first checkpoint in Nara City where only a small percentage of the population speak English.

Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 11th April 2024)

St Mawes to Porthcurno. Series 3, episode 4. Michael Portillo stops off in the Cornish fishing village of St Mawes, from where he takes to the waves in a 1938 racing yacht. He also joins a seaweed company on a harvesting mission and enjoys a ride on the footplate of a steam engine on the Helston Railway. From Penzance, he heads for the rugged coastline at Porthcurno, where he visits the Minack Theatre – a spectacular amphitheatre that has been built into the cliffs.

Great Coastal Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 12th April 2024)

Isles of Scilly. Series 3, episode 5. Michael Portillo ends his railway adventure around south-west England in the Isles of Scilly. From Penzance railway station he boards a helicopter to the island of Tresco, two and a half miles long and with a population of 150 – a tiny slice of paradise with sandy beaches and a magnificent abbey – and where he enjoys watching the traditional gig racing. He also visits St Mary’s, where an archaeologist teaches him about the rich prehistory of the islands.

Beyond Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 12th April 2024)

When a priest from a Catholic boarding school suddenly disappears, Humphrey and Esther find that the case bears uncanny similarities to local myth The Devil on the Rocks. With a large sum of money missing from the school safe, the headmistress reluctant to aid the investigation and the priest nowhere to be found, the team members have their work cut out trying to pin down the truth. Meanwhile, Zoe helps Martha clean up Ten Mile Kitchen after a break-in, Anne’s new flame helps her move onto the Lily Bond, as Humphrey and Martha take over her house. Drama, starring Kris Marshall, Sally Bretton and Zahra Ahmadi.

The Coastal Map of Britain (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 12th April 2024)

Documentary examining the rise and fall of the UK’s greatest ports. The programme spans the first international traders arriving on the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, through the arrival of the Romans, Elizabeth I’s extension of British territory, and the huge impact of the tea trade and the Industrial Revolution.

Great British Cities with Susan Calman (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 12th April 2024)

Bath. Series 1, episode 6. The presenter is in Bath, starting her journey at the famous Roman Baths, where she peels back 2,000 years of history. Susan then meets author Jem Roberts, who reveals the origin story of the city, set centuries before the Romans arrived. She also visits the Royal Crescent, Herschel Museum of Astronomy, and learns about a 1950s racing scandal, and the impact of Nazi air raids.

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