How the Victorians Built Britain (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Saturday 11th January 2020)

Michael Buerk learns how the Victorians built the biggest, fastest, most technologically advanced ships in the world, which helped the nation to dominate the high seas. In Portsmouth, he boards Queen Victoria’s flagship HMS Warrior to reveal surprising construction secrets and the ways the ship kept the peace in international waters, before following in Brunel’s footsteps aboard his luxury steamer SS Great Britain.

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 12th January 2020)

A woman is caught stealing milk from Nonnatus House, but she pleads for mercy from sisters Julienne and Monica Joan, explaining that she has been stealing milk as she is pregnant. As Sister Julienne learns more about her, she is convinced that this woman needs help becoming the mother she wants to be. Meanwhile, Dr Turner puzzles over a mysterious string of symptoms, and the blossoming romance between Miss Higgins and Sgt Woolf is thrown into jeopardy. Starring Jenny Agutter and Stephen McGann.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 13th January 2020)

Michael Portillo explores the West Country between the wars, setting off from the Cornish seaside resort of St Ives and ending his first in the former mining village of St Day.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 13th January 2020)

Part one of two. When a body is found in a field near the village of Hartford, Nikki and the Lyell team confirm it is that of missing teenager Jason Forbes. Working to the theory that most killers strike close to home, ambitious DCI Claire Ashby is committed to proving the guilt of her main suspect and sets her sights firmly on local locksmith Malcolm Wilde. Forensic crime drama, starring Emilia Fox, Richard Lintern, David Caves and Liz Carr, with Sophia Di Martino, Robert Pugh and Phil Davis.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 14th January 2020)

Michael Portillo visits Cornwall’s county town, Truro, heading to the historic estate of Trewithen, whose gardens were stocked from China by professional plant hunters commissioned by its owner. The Atlantic Coast branch line carries Michael north to Newquay, where he discovers a pioneering surfer and braves the waves on a belly board. In the nearby village of St Mawgan, Michael is introduced to the ancient Cornish sport of `wrassling”, which surged in popularity between the wars as part of a Cornish Celtic revival.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 15th January 2020)

Michael Portillo reaches Bodmin en route to Totnes, as he explores the West Country from St Ives to Salisbury Plain. Out on the rugged moor, Michael hears how the celebrated author Daphne du Maurier captivated readers between the wars with her tales of smuggling at the Jamaica Inn. In Devon, Michael takes the plunge at Plymouth’s beautiful art deco Tinside Lido, while at Ivybridge, he boards a vehicle like no other to cross the causeway to Burgh Island, where a 1930s playboy built a splendid art deco party palace.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 15th January 2020)

Part two of two. Investigating the murder of missing teenager Jason Forbes, Nikki and the Lyell team are forced to question police methods, as DCI Claire Ashby seems more concerned with building the case against her main suspect. With pressure building on the police to secure a conviction, the team must fight to ensure that inconvenient truths are not overlooked.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 16th January 2020)

Michael Portillo arrives in Paignton, south Devon, where the Dartmouth Steam Railway takes him to the home of Agatha Christie, in the company of her great-grandson James Prichard.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 16th January 2020)

DI Jack Mooney and the team are called to a workshop where acclaimed artist Donna Harman has been found dead. Suspicion immediately falls on the three people closest to the crime scene, but with no one entering the workshop between the time the victim returned to start on her next painting and being found dead, the scene paints a tricky picture. Only a solitary drink can seems to hold the answer, but matters are complicated when Donna’s art dealer and an art collector enter the fray. Meanwhile, Jack is confused by his blossoming feelings for Anna. Whodunit, starring Ardal O’Hanlon, with Nina Wadia, Barbara Flynn, Louise Brealey and Vivienne Acheampong.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 17th January 2020)

Michael Portillo crosses the county line from Devon into Somerset, seeing first-hand how willow farmers sought to overcome the challenge from the production of synthetic plastics during the 1930s and hearing how tourism has spread across the region, especially amongst the young. In Bath, Michael visits the former home of a refugee emperor, whose country was invaded by the Italian dictator Mussolini, and in whose name a religious movement began that now flourishes worldwide. Travelling east into Wiltshire, he reaches the largest training area of the British Army, Salisbury Plain.

Secret Scotland (Channel 5/HD 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 17th January 2020)

Susan explores the city of Glasgow, and in its oldest building, Glasgow Cathedral, she discovers a seat fit for only a Queen. The comedian learns how centuries of craftsmen left their mark on the building. Donning her hard hat and climbing to the top, she is also given the opportunity to leave her own. Then it’s onto the home of Scottish football to meet the only Scot ever to have won a football world cup, before taking on the pros to score a goal herself at Hampden Park.

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

How the Victorians Built Britain (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Saturday 4th January 2020)

Michael Buerk returns with more stories of how Britain was transformed during the Victorian era, beginning by looking at the development of the railway network during the era. Michael hops on board an original Victorian locomotive at Tanfield Railway and discovers the role this former coal track played in the development of the national railway. He also learns about Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s bid to secure Bristol’s future, and his creation of the fastest engine in the world.

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 5th January 2020)

The return of the period drama about midwives and nurses in London’s East End, picking up the story in January 1965. After dealing with a power cut at the maternity home, Fred follows an unusual sound and finds a newborn baby abandoned in a dustbin. Meanwhile, Dr Turner and Nurse Crane must deal with an alarming outbreak of diphtheria, and Sister Julienne receives news of an ambitious redevelopment programme that potentially threatens Nonnatus House. Starring Jenny Agutter and Stephen McGann.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 6th January 2020)

Armed with an interwar Bradshaw’s guide, Michael Portillo explores the Britain of the 1930s as he sets out on another adventure. Beginning just outside Newcastle in Jarrow, Michael uncovers the desperation that led 200 men to march 300 miles to Westminster in order to petition the government for work. The first leg of his journey ends Spennymoor, Co Durham, where he meets the son of a miner who became one of the most famous 20th-century artists of the region.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 7th January 2020)

Michael Portillo is in Northumbria en route to the Highlands, heading to Kielder Forest to discover what lay behind a national initiative to plant one of the largest manmade woodlands in Europe. Crossing the border to Scotland, Michael arrives in the weaving town of Hawick to visit Lovat Mill, where, in the 1930s, tweed was big business, and also goes to the movies, sitting in the front stalls at the Dominion cinema in Morningside.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 7th January 2020)

Part one of two. Nikki is called in when a private jet crashes in a forest outside London, and finds herself forced to be the bearer of bad news when she learns that the casualties include a former US ambassador who is also an old friend of Matt’s. Meanwhile, Thomas investigates the suspicious suicide of a successful businessman, and uncovers an unexpected connection to the plane crash – which suggests the two cases are linked, and that the plane may have been deliberately sabotaged as part of a coordinated attack.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 8th January 2020)

Michael Portillo reaches the Westerglen Transmitting Station in Falkirk, before visiting Gleneagles and Berry Town on route to his final stop on this leg, the city of Dundee.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 8th January 2020)

Part two of two. Nikki and the Lyell team continue to investigate the plane crash, ruling out an explosion and engine failure. The investigation takes a turn when they discover a connection to a sinister online forum. Meanwhile, Nikki’s partner Matt is grieving following the death of his close friend, putting their relationship under strain. Starring Emilia Fox, David Caves and Richard Lintern.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 9th January 2020)

Michael Portillo travels from Dundee to Aberdeen, stopping off at Glamis Castle, where the Queen Mother grew up, and making an excursion into the Eastern Highlands.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 9th January 2020)

The return of the whodunit set on the Caribbean island of Saint Marie, where the sun shines all day and it seems half the residents are killers-in-waiting. And so it appears this week as the locals set out to celebrate the New Year – only for the festivities to be cut short when a masked man stabs a woman in her own home, providing Detective Inspector Jack Mooney and his team with yet another murder to solve. Ardal O’Hanlon stars as the Irish detective – although as has been widely reported, he will soon be leaving the lead role – with guest appearances by Adrian Edmondson, Nina Wadia and Samuel West.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 10th January 2020)

Michael Portillo is at Elgin’s port, the coastal town of Lossiemouth, where the Labour Party’s first prime minister James Ramsay MacDonald was born. Nearby, Michael finds a remote boarding school established in the 1930s and famous today both for its unusual ideas and its royal former pupils. His penultimate stop is Inverness, where he uncovers the work of female photographer MEM Donaldson, who documented a Highland way of life that was rapidly disappearing. Michael’s journey ends at Loch Ness, where he joins a Deep Scan research team scouring the deep for signs of the elusive monster.

Secret Scotland (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 10th January 2020)

The comedian traverses the North Coast 500, a 500-mile trip around the northernmost parts of mainland Britain. Beginning in the village of Golspie, Susan travels round the coast to Dunrobin Castle. There, she sees the 189-room property’s clock tower inspired by Big Ben, as well as its very own private train station. Further up the coast, Susan visits the Whaligoe steps, stunningly carved into the dramatic landscape, before getting a taste of the work of a real-life `herring girl”. After stopping off at John O’ Groats, the presenter heads to Dunnet Head for a spot of puffin-watching.

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