When Bridges Collapse: The Genoa Disaster (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 12th August 2019)
On August 14,2018, the Ponte Morandi in Genoa collapsed, sending 27 vehicles plummeting to the valley below with the loss of 43 lives. This investigation into the disaster tells the stories of people on the bridge that day and examines what caused the road viaduct to fail so catastrophically.
The Great Train Robbery: The Hidden Tapes (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 12th August 2019)
With access to tapes that have been hidden for over 40 years, this documentary goes behind the legend of the 1963 heist to uncover the true story of the crime of the century. Through tape recordings made by one of the key masterminds, the film explores the truth about the background to the robbery, and the audacious planning to carry it off, as well as revealing how one of the men managed to escape the police and live off his share of the loot until he died a few years ago.
Revolutions: The Ideas that Changed the World (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 13th August 2019)
Jim Al-Khalili presents a look at the history behind the smartphone, discovering how the Roman army sent messages over long distances using fire and examining the advances made by Samuel Morse, Alexander Graham Bell’s favour and Guglielmo Marconi. The programme also examines how the inventions of scientist and movie star Hedy Lamarr has been used to increase network capacity.
Celebrity 5 Go Barging (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 10:15pm | Friday 16th August 2019)
After a death-defying crossing of the Edstone aqueduct, the longest cast iron example in England, Michael Buerk and Shaun Williamson visit a gin distillery to make genuine Elizabethan hooch, while Anita Harris goes foraging for herbs and flavours. Then they meet back at the barges for a gin-tasting session, pitching Shaun’s `Bottom’s Up” against Michael’s `Goodnight Sweet Prince”. Then, alongside fellow travellers John Prescott and Amanda Barrie they head up to Stratford and journey’s end at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, where Shaun can finally achieve his life’s ambition of playing Stratford.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.