Tag: The Restoration Man

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 10/01/2015

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The Last Leg - 16-01-2015 (YouView app)Countryfile (BBC 1/HD | 6:30pm to 7:30pm | Sunday 11th January 2015)

The team are in Somerset revisiting some of the areas and people hit by 2014’s floods. Matt Baker pays a return visit to farmer Geoff Miller, whose home and business were under water after the floods. Matt discovers whether Geoff’s land is bouncing back and if his cattle are now thriving. Helen Skelton explores the bird life of the area and learns why some birds flourished in the floods while others were left fighting for survival. She also hears about a rescue team whose help during the floods was unprecedented. Anita Rani is in Dawlish to find out about the restoration of the devastated railway line. Adam Henson is on his Cotswolds farm, where he gets to grips with a very large bit of agricultural kit. How homes, businesses and farmland are defended from flooding is a controversial subject. Tom Heap finds out what the victims of floods think about what is being done to keep them dry in the future – and talks to the minister responsible for protecting them.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 12th January 2015)

Michael Portillo embarks on a series of journeys through London. He travels on the capital’s first underground railway, the Metropolitan Line, from Amersham, where he discovers the foundations for modern day suburbia. In Pinner, Michael finds out about a Victorian domestic goddess and whips up a pint of her fanciest ice cream. In Highgate, Michael investigates the terraced catacombs of one of London’s vast 19th-century cemeteries. At Baker Street he comes face to face with Isambard Kingdom Brunel before experiencing a hot wax at first hand. He ends this journey with a trip to the zoo at Regent’s Park.

The Mountain (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 12th January 2015)

Series charting life around Cairngorm, which lies at the heart of Scotland’s greatest winter wilderness. In this edition, as the first winter storms blow in, the ski patrol work hard to get the resort open as early as possible. Spud the piper plays at a fairy-tale castle. And at La Taverna, the historic bar is ripped out.

Waterloo Road (BBC 3/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Monday 12th January 2015)

It is the start of Waterloo Road’s new bike bank scheme, which Vaughan hopes will show the school off to the community. But Scott Fairchild has other ideas and it is Kevin who suffers the consequences. Christine and Lorna fight over who should lead the new PTA.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 12th January 2015)

Nikki and Jack investigate a man run down and killed by a tube train. When a female vicar is then murdered after being followed on the underground, the team face the difficult prospect of building a case against her distraught husband. Nikki forms a bond with high-flying DI Luke Nelson, impressed by his intelligence and compassion. He asks her to help re-evaluate the details of his father’s murder when he was a child. When a young roofer is stalked and brutally killed on his journey home, Nelson and the Lyell team identify a suspect on the tube cameras who links the murders, and a full-scale manhunt is launched.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 13th January 2015)

Michael Portillo is invited aboard the construction locomotive for Crossrail to travel under the Thames and to meet Mary, on whom the project depends. He travels on the capital’s first railway and admires the remarkable brick viaduct on which it was built. He takes a tour underneath its arches with a Victorian map showing the poverty of those who once lived there. The Docklands Light Railway takes him to Greenwich, home to Britain’s most famous tea clipper. And in Woolwich, he discovers the firepower of the British Empire before coming to a sticky end at West Silverton.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 13th January 2015)

Forensic crime drama series. Tension on the tube network threatens to boil over, and security is stepped up. The accidental verdict in the first death is called into question and the witnesses are brought in for interview. Amongst them is Lana Sutherland, a young hotel worker who has taken in a homeless man, Owen. DI Nelson lets Lana slip through the net before he realises she may be harbouring a dangerous killer. Nikki helps Nelson unearth the mystery of his father’s death, allowing him to confront and resolve the childhood memories that haunt him. He refocuses on the case and, with Jack and Nikki, discovers the missing key that links the victims.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 14th January 2015)

Guided by his Bradshaw’s, Michael Portillo takes the high-speed line to Stratford to explore the legacy of the Olympic Park. He hears how an Indian lawyer, who learnt his trade in Victorian London, went on to change the world and explores an area of the city which has been home to wave upon wave of immigrants, Spitalfields. He ends this journey at Victoria Underground Station, where he finds out about the massive makeover currently under way.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 14th January 2015)

Jim and Bee Goody see a derelict village school in Essex as their golden ticket to escaping the suburbs and creating their dream home in the country. But unable to sell their own house, they take a heart-stopping gamble in buying the Victorian school on a bridging loan – with weekly interest payments of £400! The only way they can complete the project is for Jim to quit his building job and work alone on the project. At first, Jim and Bee regard some of the listed features of the school as an obstacle to creating the home they want, but as they coax the Tudor revival building back into life, they fall in love with its unique history. Presented by George Clarke.

Life of a Mountain: A Year on Scafell Pike (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 14th January 2015)

Documentary following a year in the life of England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, through the eyes of the farmers who work the valleys and fells, those who climb the mountain for pleasure and those who try to protect its slopes. Filmed over a twelve-month period, it follows the seasons on the mountain from spring lambs through to winter snows. The contributions of the British Mountaineering Council and National Trust volunteers make clear the crucial importance of maintaining the landscape quality of England’s highest peak for future generations.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 15th January 2015)

Guided by his Victorian Bradshaw’s Guide, Michael Portillo explores London’s theatreland and discovers how 19th-century engineering made for spectacular theatricals. At Charing Cross, Michael learns about the ambitious building programme which saw Trafalgar Square replace streets of slums and comes face to face with George Bradshaw. At one of the busiest stops on the tube, Piccadilly Circus, Michael indulges in some retail therapy at a perfumery patronised by kings, queens and prime ministers. The Bakerloo to Oxford Circus line brings Michael to Soho and a grimmer side of Victorian London, where disease was rife.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 15th January 2015)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. The team enters the world of surfing when DI Goodman is convinced that there is more to the murder of a surf instructor than meets the eye. Dwayne works hard to impress the new sergeant.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 16th January 2015)

On the last of his journeys in the capital, Michael Portillo explores Albertopolis and reaches dizzying heights inside a Victorian landmark. He meets some of Battersea’s most famous residents and gives one of them a bath! At Vauxhall, Michael learns about the darker side of London’s flower market in Bradshaw’s day. He ends this journey at London Bridge, where two stations are becoming one, and a new concourse is being built.

Doctor Who:  The World Tour (BBC 3/HD | 7:00pm to 7:50pm | Friday 16th January 2015)

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman embark on a global tour to key cities across the world, taking in Cardiff, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Mexico City and Rio. They get to know the fans who have made the show what it is, understand why they love the Doctor, and just why the show has such global appeal.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 16th January 2015)

The award-winning gang show returns for a new series, live on Friday nights. Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker review the main talking points of the week with irreverence and satire. Each week they are joined by a live studio audience and in this show, guest Alan Davies. The show sees the return of the all-encompassing question: Is It Ok? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask questions about anything from the week, without fear of judgement. Once again, our three hosts step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas to answer the questions with their own inimitable insight.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 22/02/2014

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A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones | 24-02-2014 (YouView app screenshot)Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 23rd February 2014)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. Patsy’s brusque manner lands her in trouble with the nuns and she is removed from midwifery duties. Soon after, she finds herself taking care of a male patient who is on bed rest after an accident at work. Trixie agrees to go on a date with a curate, Tom Hereward. Dr Turner and Shelagh discuss how they might expand their family.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 23rd February 2014)

Motoring magazine. Jeremy Clarkson celebrates the return of the hand-crafted, coachbuilt car with a trip to Italy to drive the achingly beautiful and incredibly rare Alfa Romeo-based Touring Disco Volante. Richard Hammond attacks the dunes of Abu Dhabi in a remarkable new six-wheeled Mercedes called the G63 6×6, while James May makes a rare trip to the test track to try out the intriguingly minimalist Caterham 160 and its insanely fast sister, the 620R. Also in the show, comedian Jack Whitehall tries his hand as the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:300pm | Monday 24th February 2014)

Series in which Griff Rhys Jones explores some of the most beautiful and enchanting parts of his native land. In the last of the series, Griff is in Hay-on-Wye where he discovers his challenge is to swim wild in a mountain lake. He heads up Hay Bluff on a scooter to the beautiful Llangorse Lake, only to discover swimming is prohibited there. He decides to take to the air in a glider to view the Beacons, then comes back down to earth to explore the area’s famous pot holes. There he discovers the source of the famous Brecon Carreg mineral water. Finally, he finds his perfect mountain lake just beneath Pen Y Fan, the highest point on the Beacons – but will he brave the icy waters?

The Street (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 10:35pm to 11:35pm | Monday 24th February 2014)

Documentary charting a year in the lives of the people who work, live and play on Sauchiehall Street, one of Scotland’s most famous and iconic shopping and party destinations. In this edition, psychic Chris gets more than he bargained for at a house party, manager Jim’s plans for the Savoy Centre start to fall apart, and chef Nick’s right-hand man disappears at a crucial time. Meanwhile, the Street Pastors mop up another weekend’s-worth of revelry.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 25th February 2014)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. A murder on a privately-owned island means DI Goodman and the team are cut off from the mainland when a storm comes in. As night descends and the team find themselves locked in a house with a killer, can they solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again?

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 26th February 2014)

School-based drama. When indecent images are found on Darren Hughes’ phone, Christine decides it is time for a home visit and goes to see his mother. Dynasty is faced with a terrible dilemma when she uncovers the truth about Barry’s new job.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 26th February 2014)

George Clarke returns to Thrum Mill to meet Dave and Margaret Heldey who have battled through flooding and serious illness to restore one of Northumberland’s most stunning but abandoned water mills. Dave, an experienced amateur builder has poured his heart and soul into every aspect of the restoration, and has had to deal with no less than 18 planning restrictions. But have they fulfilled their dream of completing this hugely challenging restoration and bringing back to life the 300-year-old water wheel that will eventually power their new home?

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Friday 28th February 2014)

The award-winning gang show continues live on Friday nights with a joyful, offbeat take on the week. Returning as host is 2013 British Comedy Award winner Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker. The trio take a look at the weird and wonderful talking points of the week including the stories and highlights from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Each week, Adam, Josh and Alex are joined by a live studio audience and a weekly special celebrity guest. The show also includes the regular feature: Is It OK? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask this question about anything from the week, without fear of judgement, and the three hosts attempt to step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas and answer the questions with their own unique insight.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 15/02/2014

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The Last Leg | 21-02-2014 (YouView app screenshot)Walking Through History (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Saturday 15th February 2014)

Tony Robinson sets off on his most curious walk yet, across the ancient and turbulent kingdom of Northumbria. In the seventh century, at the height of the Dark Ages, the rule of Northumbria stretched from Edinburgh to York: a mighty power in post-Roman Britain. But this was a land where a battle was raging for the souls of the people. Over five days, from Melrose in the Scottish Borders to Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland, Tony is on the trail of one of Northumbria’s greatest sons: Saint Cuthbert. Through the Tweed Valley and across the Cheviot Hills, it’s a journey through a murky history laden with myth. But by investigating the communities, power bases and landscape of seventh-century Northumbria, Tony aims to understand the pagan land in which Cuthbert spread his simple brand of Celtic Christianity.

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 16th February 2014)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. When a young woman with Down’s syndrome is discovered pregnant, sinister circumstances are assumed. Meanwhile, as the nuns organise celebrations for Sister Evangelina’s jubilee, Nonnatus House greets new midwife Patsy. Elsewhere, Timothy Turner takes his first steps without his callipers.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 16th February 2014)

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May demonstrate their love for compact, small-engined cars with a trip to the Ukraine. With Clarkson in a Volkswagen Up, Hammond in a Ford Fiesta and May in a Dacia Sandero the trio zoom around the Crimean Peninsula absorbing some local history, visiting an old Soviet submarine pen and enjoying their manoeuvrable, economical cars to the full. Unfortunately, their carefree time is curtailed when they are challenged to a vast drive, heading north across one of the largest countries in Europe, and they must take any steps necessary to fight the immense boredom of a long car journey. Eventually, the three arrive in Kiev only to receive one final and truly fearsome challenge.

A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 17th February 2014)

Series in which Griff Rhys Jones explores some of the most beautiful and enchanting parts of his native land. Inspecting the remains of the now forgotten Aust Ferry, once the gateway into Wales, Griff stumbles upon his challenge – to learn and perform the Welsh National Anthem. After a terrifying attempt to walk the suspension cable of the Severn Bridge and a less stressful saunter along the remains of Offa’s Dyke, Griff heads deep into the principality, determined to pick up some of the Welsh language. After perfecting his pronunciation of Llanelli, he paddles up the River Wye to Tintern, a prime destination for tourists 200 years ago. Having by now practised the tune and words of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Griff just needs somewhere to perform. Then an encounter with the leader of a local handbell ringing group leads to a surprising solution.

The Street (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 10:35pm to 11:35pm | Monday 17th February 2014)

Documentary charting a year in the lives of the people who work, live and play on Sauchiehall Street, one of Scotland’s most famous and iconic shopping and party destinations. In this first programme, Savoy Centre manager Jim faces a mutiny after he decides to implement a new plan, chef Nick puts a trainee through the mill, and the steet pastors mop up the aftermath of a busy weekend’s partying.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 18th February 201)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. When a birdwatcher is discovered murdered in the Saint-Marie jungle, the team have a particularly puzzling conundrum to solve. Is the traditionally quiet and calm world of birdwatching more cut-throat than it appears?

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 19th February 2014)

School-based drama. George is left in charge of the school while Christine is away – but can he handle the pressure when Maggie, Audrey and the pupils stage a spectacular protest in a bid to stop Lula being deported?

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 19th February 2014)

George Clarke revisits Keith and Sheena McIntyre to see if their struggles have paid off. They fought through terrible weather conditions, and a challenge to integrate with the local community, in order to restore a stunning but isolated Telford church. Using an inheritance from his late father, artist Keith McIntyre and his wife Sheena bought this listed, Thomas Telford designed church in the remote island of Berneray in the Outer Hebrides. Keith and Sheena’s dream of converting the church into a holiday home and artist’s studio faced extreme weather conditions and the challenge of keeping the neighbors onside, while trying to project manage the build from 400 miles way. A year later, George Clarke returns to find out if they’ve managed to transform the church into a working artist’s studio, what life is like in the new community, and to see if they’ve been successful in winning a prestigious Royal Institute of Architects award.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Friday 21st February 2014)

The award-winning gang show continues live on Friday nights with a joyful, offbeat take on the week. Returning as host is 2013 British Comedy Award winner Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker. The trio are joined by Claudia Winkleman in this show to take a look at the weird and wonderful talking points of the week including the stories and highlights from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.The show also includes the regular feature: Is It OK? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask this question about anything from the week, without fear of judgement, and the three hosts attempt to step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas and answer the questions with their own unique insight.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 08/02/2014

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The Culture Show | 10-02-2014 (YouView app screenshot)Walking Through History (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Saturday 8th February 2014)

Tony Robinson visits Liverpool and Lancashire for a towpath exploration of grand industrial engineering along the majestic Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Setting off from Liverpool, Tony takes a three-day walk inland to Wigan, tracing the story of the canal’s chaotic construction and its dramatic impact on the development of Lancashire. Today the canal cuts a peaceful, winding route, linking rural farmlands with lost epicentres of the industrial northwest. From the mid-1750s, the population of Liverpool multiplied 20 times in barely a century, helped in no small part by its new canal: a vital link to the coal, factories and labour supply of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 9th February 2014)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. Jenny’s life is turned upside down when Alec has a terrible accident. Sister Winifred helps a holocaust survivor bury the past and Shelagh decides to join the local choir.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 9th February 2014)

Motoring magazine. The series continues with a jam-packed show featuring Italian sports cars, military manoeuvres and a trip to Belgium. Richard Hammond is on the shores of Lake Como testing the exciting new Alfa Romeo 4C, a mid-engined machine from one of the world’s most beloved sports car makers. Hammond’s enjoyment of the super-lightweight, 237 horsepower beauty is brought to a halt by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson on a quad bike, demanding a race to the far end of the vast lake. Elsewhere in the programme, Clarkson is in the genteel surroundings of Bruge and at the rather less sedate Spa Grand Prix track in order to test a thrilling new breed of hybrid hypercar: the stunning, 904 horsepower McLaren P1. Meanwhile, James May is at the vast Camp Bastion in Afghanistan looking at the incredible efforts behind the army’s largest vehicle redeployment since the Second World War. Finally, actor Tom Hiddleston, tries his hand out on the track as the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones (ITV /HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 10th February 2014)

Series in which Griff Rhys Jones explores some of the most beautiful and enchanting parts of his native land. In a lighthouse on the northernmost tip of the Welsh mainland, Griff discovers that his Conwy challenge is to find a Welsh dresser. Catching the bus into the nearby seaside resort of Llandudno, he realises that it is probably the last place on earth to find antique Welsh furniture. Hitching a lift into farming country, he finds a village antique shop – but it hasn’t seen a dresser in years. Griff then turns his attention to the plight of thirsty oak trees, the extraordinary age of a dangerous yew tree and the abundance hereabouts of one of the tallest trees in the world – the Douglas fir. Back on the coast, while traipsing around the battlements of Conwy Castle, Griff spots something familiar in a shop window – is he in luck?

The Culture Show (BBC 2/HD | 10:00pm to 10:30pm | Monday 10th February 2014)

An evaulation of the contribution on Lego to archicture, and its continuing influence. The Lego Movie (released 14 February) is the latest big-budget incarnation of one of the world’s most popular toys. Yet Lego is more than a global brand. Tom Dyckhoff explores its relationship with architecture, and argues that it has changed the way we think about buildings. Lego’s plastic yellow bricks were launched in the 50s, and resonated with new visions of rebuilding society – with ethical, imaginative children’s play at its heart.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 11th February 2014)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. DI Goodman and his team are drawn into the world of politics when Saint-Marie’s commerce minister is discovered dead. Out of the blue, Camille’s father turns out to have a link to the victim and she is forced to confront the fact that her dad could be the murderer.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00p0m to 9:00pm | Wednesday 12th February 2014)

School-based drama. Gabriella wreaks havoc when she suspects Nikki and Hector of having an affair. Kevin is preparing for his university bursary interview, but when he collapses it sends shockwaves through the school.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 12th February 2014)

Furniture maker Jamie Brown has big ideas about turning a colossal and historic 15,000 square foot RAF bunker from World War II into his new home. However, with the Nottinghamshire bunker totally encased in earth, with no natural light, and the back section submerged in water, Jamie’s wife, who is about to have their first baby, isn’t so sure. With its fascinating history and jaw-dropping engineering, George helps Jamie tackle this huge undertaking and discovers the important role it played in the blitz.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Friday 14th February 2014)

The award-winning gang show returns live to Friday nights with a joyful, offbeat take on the week. Returning as host is 2013 British Comedy Award winner Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker. The trio take a look at the weird and wonderful talking points of the week including the stories and highlights from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Each week, Adam, Josh and Alex are joined by a live studio audience and a weekly special celebrity guest. The show also sees the return of the all-encompassing question: Is It OK? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask this question about anything from the week, without fear of judgement, and the three hosts attempt to step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas and answer the questions with their own unique insight.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 01/02/2014

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Top Gear - 02/02/2014 (YouView app screenshot)Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 2nd February 2014)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. Sister Julienne and Trixie brace themselves for prison life when they are rostered to work at Holloway Prison, and Sister Julienne puts her reputation on the line to help a young inmate who is expecting her first child. Meanwhile, Shelagh receives a devastating diagnosis, and Fred’s eye for a bargain threatens to derail Chummy’s birthday celebrations.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 2nd February 2014)

The motoring magazine returns. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to prove that the hot hatchbacks of their youth were better than their modern equivalents by buying a ‘classic’ example of the breed each and then undertaking a series of challenges. After tackling a tricky hillclimb course and an unusual visit to the supermarket, the three arrive at an old army training ground in Wales where their ageing cars must evade the heavily armed and heavily moustachioed Top Gear Police Department. Plus, Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones (ITV/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 3rd February 2014)

Series in which Griff Rhys Jones explores some of the most beautiful and enchanting parts of Wales. Griff wakes up in a tree house in the middle of an ancient wood and discovers that his challenge this time is to find the Holy Grail! In a land of myth, mystery and hidden treasures he tries his hand at panning for gold before meeting a modern myth maker who runs an old cinema. In Aberdyfi at the mouth of the River Dyfi, Griff begins to unravel the legend of Cantre’r Gwaelod – the Welsh Atlantis that reputedly lay in the Bay of Cardigan. The discovery of a petrified forest only stimulates his interest, but it is in Aberystwyth that Griff finally learns about the legend of the Holy Grail of Nanteos.

Dispatches (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Monday 3rd February 2014)

The floods that recently hit Britain have caused misery for thousands, but do you know what’s actually in the flood water that has engulfed our towns and streets? Channel 4 Dispatches meets homeowners unlucky enough to have found raw sewage in their gardens, basements and even kitchens. And this is not a rare event. Twenty-five years after water privatisation, reporter Antony Barnett investigates the state of our sewers and asks why prices have risen so fast while investment in our old pipes hasn’t materialised. And it’s not just homes; Dispatches can exclusively reveal the huge number of major sewage leaks into our nation’s rivers and streams.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 4th February 2014)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. DI Goodman and his team are introduced to the jet-setting world of airline pilots and cabin crew when an air stewardess is discovered poisoned in her hotel bedroom. Will Humphrey and his team manage to unravel the mysteries at the heart of this seemingly impossible murder?

Inside the Animal Mind (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 4th February 2014)

Chris Packham explores the minds of the cleverest animals on the planet, discovering the astonishing abilities of the best, and most unlikely, animal problem-solvers on the planet, crows. He witnesses a remarkable world first as they solve the most complicated animal-puzzle ever completed. And he uncovers the extraordinary range of animal intelligence: bees which navigate, cockatoos which pick locks and a brilliantly ingenious octopus.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 5th February 2014)

School-based drama. Hector spies an opportunity to get closer to Nikki at the school’s resilience camp, while Gabriella plans to cause chaos. Back at the school, Christine is forced to confront her feelings for George, who is becoming increasingly involved with Carol.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 5th February 2014)

Marco and Kath Walker bought a pair of Grade II listed 17th and 18th century cow barns from their local farmer in Wellington, Herefordshire. The barns are tumbling down, the couple have their two young children in tow, they’ve never done anything like this before and are complete restoration novices, and the project is beset with problems from the start. George offers much needed advice throughout the build and discovers how these buildings and the surrounding farm helped to revolutionise cattle farming in the UK.

Hunted (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:00pm | Wednesday 5th February 2014)

On the eve of the Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia is officially welcoming gay athletes and spectators. But in a country where it’s thought only 1% of gay people dare to live completely openly, it appears to be a hollow gesture. This Dispatches film – directed by Ben Steele and presented Liz MacKean – has gained unique access to the vigilante gangs that target gay men and women. This extraordinary film depicts a country troubled by disturbing violence and distressing intimidation. Six months after the Russian parliament unanimously passed a law to protect children from ‘non-traditional’ relationships, this film explores the terror that gay people in Russia are calling ‘hunting season’.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Friday 7th February 2014)

The award-winning show returns live to Friday nights with a joyful, offbeat take on the week. Returning as host is 2013 British Comedy Award winner Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker. The trio take a look at the weird and wonderful talking points of the week including the stories and highlights from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Each week, Adam, Josh and Alex are joined by a live studio audience and a weekly special celebrity guest. The show also sees the return of the all-encompassing question: Is It OK? Viewers at home and the studio audience are encouraged to ask this question about anything from the week, without fear of judgement, and the three hosts attempt to step into the minefield of sometimes difficult and delicate areas and answer the questions with their own unique insight.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 18/01/2014

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Speed with Guy Martin - ep 4 (YouView app screenshot)Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 19th January 2014)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1950s London, based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth. As Jenny struggles to care for exhausted mother Merle Vickers and her two sickly sons, it is Sister Monica Joan who holds the key to the diagnosis of their mystery illness. Meanwhile, Chummy calls on her royal connections for the official opening of the new ante-natal and baby clinic, and Nonnatus House welcomes a new resident, Sister Winifred.

Speed with Guy Martin (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 19th January 2014)

Motorcycle racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin loves pushing the boundaries of speed in search of a buzz. He claims that nothing can match the adrenaline rush he gets when he’s racing on public roads around the Isle of Man TT course at 200mph. Now he wants to see if he can find anything that can give him the same kick. In this new series, he creates four-speed based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed. Guy sets out to break the record for the world’s fastest gravity powered sled. With the help of top sports science engineers, athletes and experts in composite engineering, Guy builds a toboggan to ride on the unforgiving slopes of the Pyrenees as he attempts to claim the record from a group of thrill-seeking Germans who set it three years ago.

Don’t Look Down (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 19th January 2014)

This documentary explores one of the world’s most dangerous and most terrifying new crazes. Urban free climbers are a new breed of daredevils: young men and women who illegally climb cranes and buildings without any safety equipment, then hang from them, hundreds of metres above the ground, one slip from certain death… Having originated in Eastern Europe, urban free climbing has recently spread to Britain. James Kingston is a 23-year-old who lives with his mother near Southampton.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 20th January 2014)

Assisted by his Bradshaw’s guide, Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton. On this first leg he learns to set table aboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth before she sets sail and discovers how Cunard steamers began by transporting post across the Atlantic. He then heads to Netley, where he discovers the remains of an extensive military hospital built by order of Queen Victoria and from there to Basingstoke, where he finds out about a pitched battle between townspeople and the Salvation Army.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 21st January 2014)

Michael Portillo continues his journey from the Hampshire coast to the West Midlands in a distinctly military vein. At Winchfield, he discovers the vast carriage which carried the Duke of Wellington’s coffin to his state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1852 and hears how the Duke’s chestnut stallion also received full military honours when he was buried at the Duke’s seat, Stratfield Saye. Michael then heads for Farnborough and the army camp at Aldershot, where he joins the regulars to be put through his paces under military instruction. Sanctuary is not far away in Farnborough North at the Benedictine Monastery of St Michael, where Michael visits the tomb of the French Emperor Napoleon III and his family. He ends this second leg of his journey in Crowthorne, where in the year his Bradshaw’s was published, there opened a notorious new institution: England’s first Asylum for the Criminally Insane, Broadmoor.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 21st January 2014)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. When DI Humphrey Goodman and his team are called to investigate a murder on a film set, they are left baffled when they realise the wrong person has been killed. The team have to work fast to solve the case before the murderer strikes again.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 22nd January 2014)

Steered by his Victorian guidebook, Michael Portillo heads north from the south coast towards the West Midlands. The third leg begins in Wokingham, where Bradshaw’s reports the proprietor of The Times newspaper resided and where he was a great benefactor. Michael finds out how demand from a growing number of rail commuters fuelled the development of the modern printing press and learns how to print on an iron press. He then heads to Newbury, where he encounters a Tudor captain of industry, who manufactured cloth in enormous volumes. Michael’s next destination is Trowbridge, where Sir Isaac Pitman invented his famous shorthand. He ends this leg of the journey in Bradford on Avon, where he hears from a local manufacturer how his Victorian forebears were the first in Britain to be licensed to vulcanise rubber. They supplied springs, buffers and hoses for the locomotive industry and now make rubber suspensions systems for bicycles.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 22nd January 2014)

School-based drama. Gabriella sees a chance to drive a wedge between Imogen and Dynasty’s friendship when she offers to take Imogen on a wild night out. Meanwhile, Simon is busy organising an event to promote the Resilience Camp, but he has forgotten to clear it with a preoccupied Christine.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 22nd January 2014)

Recession-hit builders Ian and Jayne Hall Edwards have brought a five-and-half-thousand square foot derelict Victorian school in the village of Pencader in Carmarthenshire, with the aim to turn it into both a place of business and their family home. Having failed to win a grant to help finance the build, they are left battling through harsh winters while living in a caravan on site, and with their family business hanging in the balance.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 23rd January 2014)

Michael Portillo continues his journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton beginning today in Chippenham, where at Lacock Abbey he discovers how the world’s first photographic negative was made and learns how to make a print. He travels on to Bristol to visit the Victorian Clifton Zoo, where he finds tigers and polar bears before him also arrived by train. Next stop is Severn Tunnel Junction in Wales, where he explores an extraordinary piece of Victorian engineering with its own pump house pumping out millions of gallons a day to keep it dry. Michael then heads for Gloucester to find out why the station became infamous for lost luggage. At the city’s cathedral, Michael meets a stonemason who bravely invites him to chip away.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 23rd January 2014)

Forensic crime drama series. When the body of a pregnant Northern Irish girl is discovered, the team face the urgent task of finding the baby snatched from her womb. The child’s father, married man Simon, is the prime suspect in DS Sally Kirchner’s eyes. Meanwhile, Thomas uncovers the teenage girl’s connections to a criminal underworld. Nikki and Jack encounter her addict boyfriend Nuri and ruthless drug dealer Bekir, suspected of masterminding the killing of a Drugs Squad cop. The dead detective’s partner, DI John Brooke, is out to avenge his colleague’s murder.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 24th January 2014)

On the final leg of his journey from Southampton to Wolverhampton, Michael Portillo’s first destination is the elegant spa town of Cheltenham, where he discovers a very early locomotive carriage which ran not on rails but on the road and is lucky enough to get behind the wheel. His next stop is the medieval town of Tewkesbury, scene of a grisly battle during the Wars of the Roses. Armour-plated and sword at the ready, Michael joins a group of re-enactors for a taste of the action.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 24th January 2014)

Forensic crime drama series. Martin, the sole eyewitness in the murder case, is found dead in suspicious circumstances. Threatened by an angry Bekir, Nuri grows increasingly desperate to find the missing drugs, with tragic consequences. Nikki helps grieving William come to terms with his daughter Alice’s death and his missing baby granddaughter. Under pressure from his wife Ellie, DI John Brooke finally comes face-to-face with his nemesis, drug dealer Bekir. However, Jack’s growing frustration over DI Brooke’s meddling in the case unearths a new line of enquiry.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 11/01/2014

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Dogs: Their Secret Lives (YouView app screenshot)Speed with Guy Martin (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 12th January 2014)

Motorcycle racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin loves pushing the boundaries of speed in search of a buzz. He claims that nothing can match the adrenaline rush he gets when he’s racing on public roads around the Isle of Man TT course at 200mph. Now he wants to see if he can find anything that can give him the same kick. In this new series, he creates four-speed based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed. Guy is on a mission to do the seemingly impossible: fly using muscle power alone. He wants to build the world’s fastest human powered aircraft: a plane without an engine that Guy will cycle into the air. He heads to Southampton University where, on 9 November 1961, Derek Piggot became the first man to fly under his own power. Forty two years later, Guy is ready to break into the history books with another team from the university.

Sherlock (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 12th January 2014)

Contemporary crime drama, based on the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes encounters Charles Augustus Magnussen, the one man he truly hates, through a case of stolen letters. How will he tackle an enemy who specialises in blackmail and knows the personal weakness of every eminent person in the Western world?

Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 12th January 2014)

Dan Snow and his team continue down the Grand Canyon in antique wooden boats as they rediscover one of the Wild West’s great adventures.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 13th January 2014)

Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey guided by his Bradshaw’s Handbook from London’s Euston station to Leeds. In this first leg, he finds out what happened to the once proud Euston Arch then braves the watery depths under Camden Town to see how goods were transported by rail, road and canal. Clad in his old school blazer, Michael heads north to explore the Harrow of his childhood and remembers the tragic rail disaster of 1952. At the country estate of one of the world’s wealthiest banking families in Tring, he discovers an exotic collection in need of special attention before alighting at Cheddington, scene of the Great Train Robbery.

Dogs: Their Secret Lives (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 13th January 2014)

Following the public response to his original programme, vet Mark Evans looks again at how our lives and those of our dogs have radically changed in the last 50 years. Man’s best friend is spending more and more time home alone. Using hidden cameras, a ground-breaking study from the world’s leading dog scientists and the results of an extensive viewer survey, this updated documentary reveals what our dogs get up to while we’re out. Footage from dozens of homes shows sleepy, active, howling and fretful dogs. Infrared cameras reveal what’s happening inside Bruno the boxer/Rottweiler cross’s head, while a dog vocalisation expert analyses Max the Alsatian’s howling to understand what he’s trying to communicate. Evans, the former chief vet at the RSPCA, catches up with the treatment of these dogs’ separation issues. He discovers whether new technology allowing dogs to make phone calls and watch TV is the key to keeping our canine companions happy in the modern British home.

Go Hard or Go Home (Channel 5 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Monday 13th January 2014)

Adventure challenge series in which transatlantic yachtswoman Hannah White prepares ordinary members of the public for some of the world’s most extreme endurance races. In this episode, four GPs must train for The Bonebreaker, a 127-mile bicycle race across the towering peaks of the Pyrenees, twice crossing the border of France and Spain. The event has around 8,000 entrants, all of whom train 12 months a year and consider themselves to be amongst the best cyclists in the world.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 14th January 2014)

Michael Portillo is guided by his Bradshaw’s Handbook on a journey from London’s Euston station to Leeds, on Robert Stephenson’s first inter-city railway line from the capital. Along the line at Bletchley he meets one of the Second World War’s most secret agents, discovers a poet in Olney whose words are still sung today and explores the first purpose-built railway town at Wolverton. Michael’s last stop on this leg is Newport Pagnell, where he learns the ancient craft of vellum making.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 14th January 2014)

Detective drama series. A university reunion party that DI Richard Poole is attending is brought to an abrupt halt when one of the group is murdered with an ice pick. With the case proving particularly sensitive, a new British detective, DI Humphrey Goodman, arrives on the island to help the team get to the bottom of the mysterious case. As the station’s newest recruit with his own set of methods, will Humphrey be able to adjust to his new team and surroundings?

Underage and Over the Limit (BBC 3/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 14th January 2014)

Documentary which follows Phil Tye, a youth worker on the frontline fighting against the underage drink epidemic in the north east of England. The region has the country’s highest percentage of 11 to 15-year-olds drinking alcohol and it also has double the national average of under-18s in treatment for drink-related problems. The film also asks teenagers why they start so early and drink so much.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 15th January 2014)

Michael Portillo is guided by his Bradshaw’s Handbook on a journey from London’s Euston station to Leeds, on Robert Stephenson’s first inter-city railway line from the capital. Heading north, Michael stops in Northampton, the land of shoemakers, where Victorian ‘clickers’ have been making shoes for more than 130 years. In Rugby, Michael discovers the legacy of Dr Thomas Arnold and trains with the school’s 1st XV before heading to Coventry, where he finds out how the city’s craftsmen learned to adapt to survive. Michael ends this leg of his journey in Nuneaton, birthplace of an author whose identity was once a closely guarded secret.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 15th January 2014)

Having never lived together before, architect Neil Worrell and his partner Jackie Robinson decided to cement their relationship by purchasing a forgotten church in the picture perfect fishing town of Brixham in Devon. What began as a project that would bring them closer together, becomes the ultimate test as the restoration pushes them to their limits. George Clarke brings his own design expertise to the project to help them realise their dream; and at the same time discovers the rich history that links this church directly to Brixham’s celebrated fishing community.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Wednesday 15th January 2014)

School-based drama. In an attempt to resolve her money worries, Carol gets a temporary job in the school kitchen, until George gets in the way. Meanwhile, Nikki considers the future of her relationship with Vix, and George and Christine go on a date to the theatre.

Britain’s Oldest Family Businesses (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm)

Series of three documentaries following the bosses of three of Britain’s oldest family businesses as they go on a journey into their remarkable pasts. Richard Balson’s family have been butchers for almost 500 years, since Henry VIII was on the throne. He goes back through centuries of butchery, to the origin of the British high street. Along the way he discovers how the Balsons have stayed in the butchery business despite scandal and tragedy.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 16th January 2014)

Michael Portillo is guided by his Bradshaw’s Handbook on a journey from London’s Euston station to Leeds, on Robert Stephenson’s first inter-city railway line from the capital. He begins this leg in Leicester, where he picks up the trail of ‘the famous crook-backed King Richard III’, who Bradshaw’s informs him was buried at the Grey Priory. Michael finds out about the hunt for the king’s remains and how scientists managed to prove that the skeleton found under a car park was him. From Rothley, Michael works his passage on the Great Central Railway to Loughborough, where the bells have been tolling since 1839.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 16th January 2014)

Forensic crime drama series. Nikki and Jack head to Scotland to help earnest rural detective DS Jason Ross investigate the chilling murder of a lap dancer found in a remote forest. In their search to find a suspect, the team clash with rogue city detectives DS Mike MacNeil and DI Simon Laing. But as more human remains are unearthed in the forest, it becomes horrifyingly apparent that a dangerous serial killer is at large. News of the murders unsettles new mother Sarah, who is harbouring a dark secret from her partner Steve.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 17th January 2014)

Michael Portillo is guided by his Bradshaw’s Handbook on a journey from London’s Euston station to Leeds, on Robert Stephenson’s first inter-city railway line from the capital. On the final leg of his journey, Michael Portillo rediscovers a once-famous poet in Nottingham. In Mansfield he travels on a railway line resurrected by popular demand after falling victim to Beeching’s cuts, then heads to Worksop, where he learns about the burrowing activities of an eccentric Duke. Michael’s next stop is ‘railway city’ Doncaster, where in the nineteenth century thousands laboured to build trains and where in the twentieth century, rail workers shaped British political history. His last stop on this journey is Leeds, where he auditions at the Venus and Venice of Variety on the stage at Britain’s oldest continuously working music hall.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 17th January 2014)

Forensic crime drama series. Nikki, Jack and DS Ross find themselves under pressure to urgently close the net on a serial killer abducting young women. Concerns grow over missing Sarah, and solving her mysterious disappearance becomes an urgent priority for Nikki and Jack. Local huntsman Niall Wallacemakes a surprising admission under questioning from DS MacNeil. However, Nikki’s confidence in the detectives is diminished when she suspects a cover-up in the past case of a murdered prostitute and her pimp.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 04/01/2014

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Great British Railway Journeys, series 5 episode 1 (YouView app screenshot)Speed with Guy Martin (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 5th January 2014)

Motorcycle racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin loves pushing the boundaries of speed in search of a buzz. He claims that nothing can match the adrenaline rush he gets when he’s racing on public roads around the Isle of Man TT course at 200mph. Now he wants to see if he can find anything that can give him the same kick. In this new series, he creates four-speed based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed. Guy attempts to set the world record for riding a motorcycle on the surface of water. With the help of a Cambridge professor and a team of marine engineers, Guy’s stunt hinges on Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If he can maintain enough speed on his bike, the 250-year-old theory says he should be able to achieve the seemingly impossible: to ride on water.

Sherlock (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 5th January 2014)

Contemporary crime drama, based on the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock faces his biggest challenge of all – delivering a best man’s speech on John’s wedding day.

Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 5th January 2014)

Dan Snow and team take on the rapids of the Grand Canyon in antique wooden boats to rediscover one of the wild west’s great adventures of discovery.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Monday 6th January 2014)

Michael Portillo embarks on a new journey from Manchester, birthplace of George Bradshaw, the publisher of his trusted guide, to Chesterfield, burial place of George Stephenson, the father of the railway. In the first leg of the jourey, Michael finds out how the world’s first industrialised city also gave birth to a revolutionary political movement and hears how railway workers founded one of the most successful football clubs in the world. Along the way, Michael does the washing in Port Sunlight and discovers the legacy of an American named George Francis Train in Birkenhead.

Secrets of the Sales (BBC 1/HD | 10:35pm to 11:35pm | Monday 6th January 2014)

With exclusive access to some of Britain’s biggest high street chains, Cherry Healey goes behind the scenes to find out how the sales work from the inside. Cherry goes backstage in the John Lewis summer sale, gets inside a critical mark down meeting where sale prices and sale strategy are set, and she discovers the addictive way bargain hunting can affect our bodies. Cherry also uncovers hidden sales offering huge price cuts, learns how major high street retailers use scent to try and influence our behaviour, and meets with a sofa manufacturer willing to admit furniture sales can be a psychological trick.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Tuesday 7th January 2014)

Michael Portillo continues his journey through the North West of England. He begins in the elegant Lancashire resort of Southport, where the railways brought thousands of visitors to enjoy the pier and all the fun of the fair. Michael discovers Victorian entrepreneurship in Wigan, traces the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Bolton and drives a hundred-year-old commercial vehicle in Leyland.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Wednesday 8th January 2014)

Michael Portillo continues his journey through the North West of England. He celebrates Victorian trade with the Preston Guild then heads to Rochdale where he discovers a pioneering movement that helped improve the lot of working families. Michael follows in the tracks of swathes of nineteenth-century working people who made day trips from the industrial towns to Hebden Bridge to walk in the beautiful Calder Valley.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 8th January 2014)

Alan Appleby and his wife Dora might be restoration experts, but they’ve never taken on a project as ambitious as this. They’ve saved a flint mill in Stone, Staffordshire, which was about to fall down. Since Alan is a building surveyor, he shouldn’t have a problem fixing the massive structural damage. But his passion for old buildings soon takes over and they end up ploughing everything they have into this build. George Clarke helps them every step of the way and uncovers its unique history and the link between this building and the world-renowned pottery and ceramics of Josiah Wedgwood.

Waterloo Road (BBC 1/HD | 8:30pm to 9:30pm | Wednesday 8th January 2014)

The school drama returns, and chaos descends when what appears to be a masked intruder disrupts the start-of-term assembly. However, the intruder is soon revealed to be new PE teacher Hector Reid. Meanwhile, new girl Gabriella Wark causes a bit of a stir.

24 Hours in A and E (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 8th January 2014)

The award-winning series, filmed round the clock at King’s College Hospital in South London, returns with an episode filmed on Red Nose Day. For most of the people being treated at King’s it may be no time to laugh, but patients and staff reflect on the importance of being able to focus on the brighter side of life. Dilson, who’s 33, is rushed in by ambulance with severe knife wounds after being repeatedly stabbed in the head and neck as he tried to stop a fight outside a nightclub. Dilson is agitated when he arrives and the staff have to calm him down before they can properly assess his injuries. It’s vital he has a CT scan as it’s incredibly difficult to judge how serious a stabbing is from a visual inspection.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Thursday 9th January 2014)

Michael Portillo begins this leg of his journey from Manchester to Chesterfield at the home of the three Bronte sisters in Worth Valley, Yorkshire. He then moves on to Oakworth where he learns how the station and its heritage railway line secured a starring role in one of the most popular films ever made. In Bradford, Michael finds out how nineteenth-century workers could save to buy a home of their own, and in Halifax discovers how the railway contributed to the town’s sweet success.

Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 9th January 2014)

Remote-controlled Spy Creatures reveal dolphins as never before, as we meet the orca and discover the intimacy of its remarkable family life. There are also the dolphins that wear sponges on their noses, and the Dall’s porpoise, the fastest dolphin in the world. There is the story of a real dolphin secret agent that carries a camera into the pod to uncover their mysteries of communication and interactions, and a young bottlenose begins a life on his own.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 9th January 2014)

This episode of the crime drama sees Nikki delivering ground-breaking testimony in the high-profile appeal court case of David Bennetto, a convicted killer who has spent the last six years behind bars for the murder of two gay teenagers. But bitter DI Rachel Klein remains unconvinced that she caused a miscarriage of justice and cannot hide her contempt, especially when another young man is found dead bearing the same hallmarks of the previous murders. Meanwhile, Nikki’s professionalism is brought into question due to her increasingly close relationship with lawyer Greg Walker.

Great British Railway Journeys (BBC 2/HD | 6:30pm to 7:00pm | Friday 10th January 2014)

On the last leg of his journey from a notorious slum in Manchester to the grandeur of a ducal seat in Derbyshire, Michael Portillo tunes in to the music of the mills and collieries of Victorian England, testing his puff with the brass band at Honley. In Holmfirth, Michael finds out about a nineteenth-century tragedy that struck the town and led to a tourist boom on the railways. At Chesterfield, Michael pays homage to the father of the railway, George Stephenson, before finishing his journey in style at one of the first stately homes to welcome visitors by rail – Chatsworth.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 10th January 2014)

Nikki’s professional reputation is on the line in the latest episode of the forensic crime drama, as her romantic involvement with lawyer Greg Walker leads her face-to-face with a raging Bennetto. Thomas is under mounting pressure from DI Rachel Klein and the Home Office as he battles to save the Lyell Centre’s reputation in the midst of a media storm. Grieving for the death of his murdered son, newspaper hack Peter Masham strikes an unlikely deal with Bennetto’s brother-in-law. Meanwhile, Jack and Clarissa uncover the true identity of murder victim Byron Lee.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 28/12/2013

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Sherlock: The Empty Hearse. Series 3, episode 1 (YouView app screenshot) Speed with Guy Martin (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm Sunday 29th December 2013)

Motorcycle racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin loves pushing the boundaries of speed in search of a buzz. He claims that nothing can match the adrenaline rush he gets when he’s racing on public roads around the Isle of Man TT course at 200mph. Now he wants to see if he can find anything that can give him the same kick. In this new series, he creates four-speed based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed. Whether it’s slip-streaming a racing driver to ride a bicycle at over 100mph using pedal power, or seeing if he can ride a motorbike across a lake, Guy finds out what makes things go fast, by getting his hands dirty in a range of unique engineering projects. Celebrities who are well known in the world of speed help him in his challenges.

Sherlock (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:25pm | Wednesday 1st January 2014)

Contemporary crime drama, based on the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Two years after the devastating loss of his best friend, Dr John Watson has got on with his life. New horizons, romance and a comforting domestic future beckon. But with London under threat of a huge terrorist attack, Sherlock Holmes is about to rise from the grave with all the theatricality that comes so naturally to him. Even though it is what he wanted more than anything, for John Watson it might well be a case of ‘Be careful what you wish for’.

Glasgow Big Night Out (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 1st January 2014)

An affectionate portrait of Glasgow’s rich entertainment history, featuring interviews with the stars who braved some of the toughest venues in showbusiness, alongside footage of classic performances and archive of a city that has played host to everyone from Laurel and Hardy to The Beatles.

Dolphins: Spy in the Pod (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 2nd January 2014)

The award-winning team behind Penguins – Spy in the Huddle use hidden cameras to go into the heart of the dolphins’ world. The camera eyes of thirteen different ‘Spy Creatures’ allow behaviour to be captured that has never been filmed before, including a vast superpod of spinner dolphins hunting huge shoals of lanternfish while dodging the gaping mouths of giant rays. A newborn bottlenose dolphin learns from his mother as they follow a gathering of stingrays and hunt kingfish. He practices his sonar and plays with bubbles while nearby males play chicken with supertankers, visit a coral health spa and surf the waves. When they try to woo the females their direct approach threatens the baby, but bouquets of seaweed have the desired effect. Other sights include dolphins using rings of mud to catch fish and the spectacular leaps and corkscrews of spinner dolphins. There is humour too, when Spy Turtle encounters real amorous turtles and Spy Squid has a near miss with a hungry potato bass.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 2nd January 2014)

Top-flight footballer Isaac Dreyfus’ days at the top are numbered when a sex tape links him to the brutal murder of a young woman, threatening to destroy his reputation and marriage. Nikki struggles to come to terms with Leo’s death following the arrival of the new Lyell Centre boss, pathologist Thomas Chamberlain. However, her feelings surface when DI John Leighton and DS Anne Burchett demand results in two unsolved cases – a mother and son murdered in their wealthy London home and the disfigured body of a young woman.

The Restoration Man (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 2nd January 2014)

George Clarke returns for a brand new series as he travels up and down the country to new locations, new restorations and amazing stories of people who have gone to extraordinary lengths to build their dreams homes by restoring and rejuvenating some of Britain’s most cherished but forgotten buildings. George is passionate about restoration, and helping people realise their property dreams. Not only does he offer valuable design and architectural advice, but he follows them every step of the way, lends a hand when things get tough, and discovers the fascinating history hidden behind each building.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 3rd January 2014)

Footballer Isaac Dreyfus desperately fights to prove his innocence, whilst disillusioned Adam Freedman turns to a mysterious source for help to avenge the murder of his wife and child. Under scrutiny from the press, the police are determined to nail their prime suspect and pile pressure on The Lyell Centre to deliver results. However, when Nikki questions the motive behind the murders, a re-examination of the Freedman crime scene leads Jack to make a startling discovery.

James May’s Toy Stories (BBC 2 /HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 3rd January 2014)

James May attempts to build a motorbike and sidecar entirely out of Meccano to take round the Isle of Man’s famous TT circuit. But designing a machine capable of carrying James and his passenger, wine expert Oz Clarke, around the daunting 37-mile course is not a task for the faint-hearted. Fifteen thousand pieces of Meccano must be assembled to create a full-size, road-legal motorcycle that James hopes will be more than a match for the circuit’s treacherous twists and turns, steep climbs and dizzying descents. And as in the real TT, the bike must race against the clock.

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

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