Tag: Secrets of Great British Castles

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 26/11/2016

Our Guy in China - 28-11-2016 - YouView appBritain at Low Tide (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Saturday 26th November 2016)

Every day, on a sandy beach or a rocky foreshore, fascinating evidence of Britain’s island history appears and disappears as the tide rolls in and rolls back out again. Tori Herridge and Alex Langlands reveal stories from our extraordinary maritime, industrial and natural history. In this episode, Tori and Alex explore Merseyside’s coastal archaeology. They investigate a beach full of building rubble from World War II, track down Liverpool’s own version of the Whisky Galore story, and find evidence of people and animals dating back 7000 years.

Planet Earth II (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 27th November 2016)

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough. The world’s deserts are lands of extremes that force animals to come up with ingenious ways of coping with hostile conditions, giving rise to the most incredible survival stories on earth. A pride of desert lions are so hungry they risk hunting a giraffe several times their size, while male sandgrouse fly 120 miles each day to the nearest waterhole and dice with death to collect water for their chicks. Filmed for the first time, a tiny bat does battle with one of the world’s deadliest scorpions, and in Madagascar, a locust swarm of biblical proportions is seen as never before.

The River (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 28th November 2016)

Documentary series charting life along the River Tweed. In this episode, Eddie Weatherly and his river bailiff team respond to calls that salmon poachers are active along the river by lying in wait to see if the poachers turn up. In Kelso, Margaret Livingstone-Evans, the manager of Ednam House hotel, must juggle three weddings across three days. In Peebles, Ruth Hinks has 5,000 chocolate brownies to make for a charity campaign. On Cowbog Farm, farmer Robert Wilson, daughter Lottie and father Ron test the cattle for TB and check to see if Lottie’s favourite cow is pregnant. And at Floors Stud, Tattersalls auctioneer Todd Watt visits to decide just how many potential million-pound horses will go in the biggest of horse sales.

Fair Isle (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 28th November 2016)

Intimate two-part documentary revealing life on Fair Isle, Britain’s most remote inhabited island, with a population of just 55 people. This first programme charts the arrival of a new couple and follows them as they settle in and adapt to island life. Plus the family whose 11-year-old son has to leave home to board at secondary school on mainland Shetland.

Our Guy in China (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 28th November 2016)

Guy Martin explores Beijing, ignoring the tourist traps and following his own often eccentric passions as he reveals a lesser-seen side of China. In a backstreet bicycle shop he spends £18 on a rudimentary ‘Flying Pigeon’, the most produced machine in the world. Under the reign of Chairman Mao it was the only approved mode of transport for workers, with some 500 million built. Guy meets families who live on a scrapyard, earning a living by processing old cars. He’s pleasantly surprised by the yard’s efficiency and cleanliness, and spending the afternoon helping out by operating the cranes and machinery is Guy’s idea of the perfect holiday. Inequality is a huge problem in China, with one per cent of the nation controlling half the wealth.

The Secret Life of the Zoo (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 1st December 2016)

Spring is in the air at Chester Zoo and many of the animals are giving birth, but an outbreak of disease in the penguin colony leaves penguin chick Munch fighting for his life. Sulawesi macaque mum Lisa gives birth to Han, but dad Mamassa isn’t proving much parenting help, so Lisa’s older son Beaker steps in to help with the babysitting. Andean spectacled bear Lima is entering her short window of fertility, and 19-stone male Bernie seems determined to woo her, but Lima doesn’t seem to want to let Bernie get close to her. And when young male tortoise Football muscles in on 71-year-old Bert’s harem of females, keepers decide to keep Bert’s spirits up by introducing two Swedish female tortoises to the group.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm 10:00pm | Thursday 1st December 2016)

Kevin McCloud hosts the competition run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects that celebrates excellence in housing design. Kevin is joined by Damion Burrows and Zac Monro as they explore some of Britain’s most cutting-edge homes, all of them in the running for the prestigious prize – the Bafta of the architecture world. This time Kevin, Zac and Damion profile five homes that are testbeds for architectural ideas, pushing the boundaries for residential design: a cool, concealed house built from glass and concrete; an uber-creative Wallace and Gromit-style house in Edinburgh squeezed onto a disused plot; a gorgeous, low-slung modern home in Cumbria camouflaged with stone; an experimental extension in London with a Japanese flavour; and an elegant house in Buckinghamshire that combines sustainability with glamour. Kevin then reveals which one has made it onto the shortlist and is in with a chance of winning House of the Year 2016.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 2nd December 2016)

History series. Dan Jones visits Lancaster Castle to explore its grisly history of crime and punishment, including the infamous Lancashire Witches trials and the martyrdom of the Jesuit priest Saint Edmund Arrowsmith.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 2nd December 2016)

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 celebrity 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 : 19/11/2016

Britain's Greatest Bridges - 25-11-2016 - YouView appBritain at Low Tide (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Saturday 19th November 2016)

Every day, on a sandy beach or a rocky foreshore, fascinating evidence of Britain’s island history appears and disappears as the tide rolls in and rolls back out again. In this new series, Tori Herridge and Alex Langlands explore Britain’s coastal archaeology, to reveal stories from our extraordinary maritime, industrial and natural history. In Northumberland, Tori and Alex investigate the tragic story of a French fishing trawler that was wrecked in 1913, and discover the ancient community that thrived in the Middle Ages in what is now one of the north-east’s top tourist destinations.

Planet Earth II (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 20th November 2016)

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough. Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet – mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most competitive place on earth. Flooded forests are home to caiman-hunting jaguars and strange dolphins that swim amongst the tree tops, while in the dense underworld, ninja frogs fight off wasps and flying dragons soar between trees. Acrobatic indri leap through the forests of Madagascar, while the jungle night conceals strange fungi and glow-in-the-dark creatures never filmed before.

The River (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 21st November 2016)

Documentary series charting life along the River Tweed. In this episode, horse trainer Katie Scott prepare horses for Kelso races in some challenging conditions. On the river, ghillie Colin Bell has some returning fishing clients to get to the best pools on the Upper Floors fishing beat. In Kelso, Tweedside Tackle look to move over 20,000 hooks, reels, rods and waders into their new premises. And in Peebles, the Tweedlove festival gets underway.

Chris Tarrant’s Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 21st November 2016)

Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world’s most extreme railway lines. Chris travels on the historically Soviet Trans-Caucasus Railway, beginning in the Azerbaijani city of Baku before exploring the Geogian capital Tbilisi’s vintage metro system, then a mountain rail bridge designed by Eiffel, and finally a tunnel reputed to be held together with egg yolk.

The Secret Life of the Zoo (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 24th November 2016)

Nature series following the behaviour of animals at Chester Zoo, and how they get along with their keepers.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 24th November 2016)

Kevin McCloud hosts Grand Designs: House of the Year. The competition is run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects and celebrates excellence in housing design. Over this four-part series, Kevin is joined by Damion Burrows and Zac Monro, as they explore some of Britain’s most cutting-edge contemporary homes, all of them in the running for the prestigious prize – the Bafta of the architecture world. In this first episode, Kevin and co profile five amazing country homes on the long-list for the prize: including a large house camouflaged within a hill; a loving restoration in Wiltshire of a prototype modernist retreat; a Scottish home that blends an agricultural exterior with a sleek modern interior; and a slice of spectacular California modernism in Cornwall. Kevin then reveals which of these homes will make it onto the final shortlist.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 25th November 2016)

History series. With the aid of dramatic reconstruction, Dan Jones explores the 900-year history of the beautiful Leeds Castle in Kent, from its origins as a royal Saxon family’s manor and Norman stronghold to the private property of six medieval queens, a Tudor palace, a Jacobean country house, a Georgian mansion and an elegant 20th-century retreat for the rich and famous.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 25th November 2016)

Documentary series. Documentary series. Engineer Rob Bell tells the story of the design and construction of six of Britain’s most iconic bridges. For 17 years from 1981 to 1998, the Humber Bridge was the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world, and many consider it to be Britain’s most beautiful. Rob Bell discovers the facts about its ground-breaking construction, why it took so long to build and how it changed the lives of the people of Hull and Grimsby.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 25th November 2016)

The award-winning comedy show offers a joyful, offbeat take on the week that aims to celebrate all that is best about Britain.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 12/11/2016

The Secret Life of the Zoo - 17-11-2016 - YouView appThe Adventure Show (BBC 2 Scotland & BBC iPlayer only | 6:30pm to 7:30pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

The Adventure Show is at the Braveheart Triathlon, with Dougie Vipond competing along with over 100 competitors. The event consists of an open water swim of over a mile, a bike ride of over 50 miles and then a run up and down Ben Nevis. It’s not for the fainthearted, and Dougie is guaranteed a day he will never forget. Also in this month’s Adventure Show, a remarkable man who is determined that the loss of two limbs won’t prevent him from doing the sports he loves. And there’s a visit to Patagonia with one of Scotland’s most ambitious adventurers, as he undertakes a month-long trip in one of the world’s most remote landscapes.

Planet Earth II (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough. The great mountain ranges are some of the planet’s most spectacular landscapes, but they are unforgiving places to live in, and only a few animals have what it takes to live at exteme altitude. Mountain animals are amongst the most elusive in the world, and this film provides unique and intimate glimpses into their secretive lives. Witness the moment four snow leopards come together when a mother and cub become trapped between two rival males. Join grizzly bears as they dance against trees to rub off their winter fur and soar with golden eagles hunting amongst Europe’s snow-capped peaks.

Great Canal Journeys (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 13th November 2016)

Timothy West and Prunella Scales continue their journey exploring the Highlands and islands of Scotland, navigating their way through two of Britain’s most remote canals. Having already crossed Scotland on the Caledonian Canal, they face the open sea as they island hop their way through the Hebrides, bound for the Crinan, a rarely travelled canal described by some as the world’s most beautiful shortcut. Tossed around by the Atlantic waves off the coast of Mull, they are forced to head back to the safety of Tobermory. They eventually visit the holy island of Iona, the Isle of Jura, and lastly the magical nine-mile Crinan on the Mull of Kintyre.

The River (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 14th November 2016)

Documentary series charting life along the river Tweed. In this episode, John Dalziel finds out if his players have what it takes to win their home sevens championships, as player Nyle Godsmark and his teammates carry the huge weight of expectations on their young shoulders. UK world chocolate master Ruth Hinks gets help in her chocolate factory from her children, while desperately trying to finish work on a new chocolate school in the heart of Peebles. On the river, superintendent river bailiff Eddie Weatherly oversees an operation to tackle two river codebreakers. In Kelso, Tweedside Tackle owners Tim and Caroline Pilcher have been told their lease is up. But some help is on hand, as neighbouring hotelier Margaret offers them a property to keep their business alive. And at Floors Estate, stud manager David Trouton checks on his latest arrival, foal Sunshine.

The Secret Life of the Zoo (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 17th November 2016)

The first episode of the new series sees Florence and Nadine, two of Chester’s Grevy’s zebras, both about to give birth. But fixing a due date is almost impossible, and so the keepers are keeping a close eye on both. Other animals are struggling to produce offspring. Iblis is an Asiatic lion, one of the rarest animals in the world. His partner of five years, Kumari, seems to be losing interest in him. Keepers can find nothing physically wrong with the pair, so decide to put Iblis on a programme of tearing animal carcasses from trees in order to get him into shape. But will it be enough to impress Kumari? Meanwhile, warthog dad Magnum is feeling the pressure of parenting. Two of his older children, Dobby and Neville, are becoming increasingly hard to control. Magnum’s losing his hair with the stress and then suffers the indignity of having a part of his tail bitten off. He must impose order on his family again – if he can.

Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 17th November 2016)

Kevin McCloud hosts Grand Designs: House of the Year. The competition is run in conjunction with the Royal Institute of British Architects and celebrates excellence in housing design. Over this four-part series, Kevin is joined by Damion Burrows and Zac Monro, as they explore some of Britain’s most cutting-edge contemporary homes, all of them in the running for the prestigious prize – the Bafta of the architecture world. In this first episode, Kevin and co profile five amazing country homes on the long-list for the prize: including a large house camouflaged within a hill; a loving restoration in Wiltshire of a prototype modernist retreat; a Scottish home that blends an agricultural exterior with a sleek modern interior; and a slice of spectacular California modernism in Cornwall. Kevin then reveals which of these homes will make it onto the final shortlist.

Secrets of Great British Castles (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

Part-dramatised history series. In medieval England, the North was ruled from York. Dan Jones explores the history of its castle, from the Viking Jorvik and the Normans, through the dark days of the anti-Jewish pogrom and the imprisonment of the Knights Templar, to one of its most colourful inmates – the legendary highwayman Dick Turpin.

Britain’s Greatest Bridges (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

Documentary series. Engineer Rob Bell tells the story of the design and construction of six of Britain’s most iconic bridges. Built partly as a lifeline to keep shipbuilders employed and their skills alive during the dark days of the 1920s recession, the Tyne Bridge is not just an icon to Geordies – many believe that it was the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 18th November 2016)

The award-winning show continues live on Fridays with its unique brand of irreverent satire. 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, David Walliams 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 : 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.