Tag: The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 20/07/2013

Top Gear (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Sunday 21st July 2013)

Motoring magazine. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May bring relief to flood-stricken areas of Britain by building a car that can turn into a hovercraft. After a bumpy start, the presenters demonstrate the brilliance of their creation with an eventful journey down the River Avon. Also in this show, Jeremy is on the track in the insane Mercedes SLS Black and the 739 horsepower SLS Electric, while Hollywood star Hugh Jackman is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8pm to 9pm | Monday 22nd July 2013)

The cycling magazine show with regular presenter Graham Little including special guests and items and features on all aspects of bike riding.

Undercover Boss (Channel 4/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Monday 22nd July 2013)

Cuts of nearly 100 million pounds have forced Eleanor Kelly, the Chief Executive of central London’s Southwark Council, to think outside the box, so she’s going undercover in her own organisation. With 300,000 residents demanding round-the-clock services and pressure mounting as a result of an inquest into a tragic fire, the undercover CEO needs to discover if slashed budgets mean Southwark is failing its residents. But after years at the top, she’s shocked at what she finds: loyal council staff burdened by redundancies and cuts struggling with angry residents; hoarding tenants creating fire risks, while the public ignore the council’s efforts. So Eleanor is forced to consider if the council has been concentrating too hard on cuts and not enough on under-appreciated staff.

The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads: The Future (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Tuesday 23rd July 2013)

A million more people than anticipated have settled in London in the last decade and Transport for London predicts that there will be a further two million by 2030. Michele Dix, TfL’s head of planning, sets about trying to get people out of cars and on to bikes and buses. A police Cycle Task Force has been set up to encourage cycling, but it also cracks down on cyclists jumping red lights at Elephant and Castle. Bernie drives the 343 bus route in South London, where passengers battle every day to board the city’s most overcrowded bus. To try to keep the roads moving, CCTV cameras crack down on rulebreakers, with Graham watching out for cars sitting in yellow box junctions for too long and fining them. Meanwhile, Chas from the Roads Policing Unit stakes out a notorious traffic jam which rogue motorists are trying to escape by going off-road, taking a shortcut across a grass verge. There is also a look at the secret supercomputer that controls many of the city’s traffic lights.

Hebrides: Islands on the Edge (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 25th July 2013)

Ewan McGregor narrates a landmark nature series focusing on the wildlife struggling to survive on the Hebridean Islands. This edition focuses on the spectacular wildlife of the exposed Outer Hebrides. On the outlying islands, seabirds rush to feed their chicks while avoiding the murderous intentions of predatory skuas with a taste for young puffins. And on the low-lying Uists, acres of meadows burst into flower as summer finally arrives. But the year’s drought conditions find Atlantic salmon trapped in the sea pools and unable to move into the river systems.

The Hotel Inspector Returns: First in Last Out, Winchester (Channel 5 | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 25th July 2013)

Documentary series in which Alex Polizzi returns to the scene of some of her biggest challenges. When Alex last visited the First in Last Out in Winchester, she found a struggling bed-and-breakfast of questionable cleanliness and cripplingly bad reviews. She was so appalled by the dodgy decor and a dirt-encrusted shower cubicle that she refused to stay the night. Three years on, will owner Jon Sweeney be able to supply a warmer welcome?

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 13/07/2013

Countryfile (BBC1/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Sunday 14th July 2013)

Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson head for the Shetlands, the most northerly inhabited place in the UK. Ellie meets the islanders farming seaweed to eat, tries her hand at an ancient Viking version of chess and goes in search of one of the UK’s rarest birds – the red necked phalarope. Adam gets up close to rare native Shetland cattle and sheep, then takes a twirl with a dancing pony. And Tom Heap reports on how a new approach to animal inspections is helping improve welfare on farms.

Top Gear (BBC2/HD | 8pm  to 9pm | Sunday 14th July 2013)

Motoring magazine. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May visit Spain, with Clarkson in a McLaren 12C Spider, Hammond driving a Ferrari 458 Spider and May using an Audi R8 V10 Spyder. Over the course of their travels the three presenters and their mid-range convertible supercars encounter mountain passes, ghost towns and an incredible abandoned airport, before building their own street circuit in the deserted developments of Madrid. Also in this show, Sherlock and Star Trek actor Benedict Cumberbatch is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8pm to 9pm | Monday 15th July 2013)

The cycling magazine show with regular presenter Graham Little including special guests and items and features on all aspects of bike riding.

Undercover Boss (Channel4/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Monday 15th July 2013)

Company director Ray Pope steps out from his cosy office and into very unfamiliar territory by going undercover on the shopfloor of multi million pound car giant Hyundai. Having tripled car sales in only four years, the boss is worried that the business might be creaking under the strain. After years behind a desk, he’s finally getting his hands dirty, but unearths sales staff struggling to perform, mechanics so demoralised that they’re leaving the company, and valets frustrated at unachievable targets. And when the boss heads to the company’s largest operation, Tilbury docks, where they import 2,500 cars a week, he’s shocked to discover dozens of cars are going missing.

The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads:  Gateway to London. Episode 5 (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Tuesday 16th July 2013)

In the last decade, Victoria Coach Station has been transformed. London’s only coach station has in effect become a new border, for thousands of migrants coming to Britain from Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Cheap coach fares have resulted in a 25 per cent increase in passengers in the last five years alone. So the Transport for London staff running the coach station must now work flat-out to cope with the demand. Customer service assistant Hayley, a former bodyguard and stuntwoman, has worked out her own special technique for charming the coach drivers. Jack speaks Polish, which helps when he has to deal with hundreds of Poles departing and arriving every day. And Sergeant Shaun Doyle is on patrol, coping with everything from a missing teenager who turns up at the coach station to illegal immigrants and stowaways. This is the story of how one of the oldest parts of London’s transport infrastructure has become the busiest, thanks to the way London has changed.

Hebrides: Islands on the Edge (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 18th July 2013)

Ewan McGregor narrates a landmark nature series focusing on the wildlife struggling to survive on the Hebridean Islands. Cameras follow white-tailed eagles, harbour seals, hares, pine martens and short-eared owls as they struggle to raise their families whilst dealing with the biggest storm ever to hit the islands in living memory. And as the wild weather passes, the seas warm to welcome the arrival of Scotland’s ocean juggernauts, basking sharks.

The One Show (BBC1/HD | 7pm to 7:30pm | Friday 19th July 2013)

Larry Lamb and Lucy Siegle visit the seaside town of Oban to present a selection of some of the best reports from the One Show. Highlights include Mike Dilger’s search for killer whales off the coast of Scotland, a feature on the humble origins of the James Bond theme and the engineering secrets behind a new bridge over Nottingham’s railway station.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 29/06/2013

Tour De France 2013 Highlights (itv4 | 7pm to 8pm | Saturday 29th June 2013)

Highlights from stage one of the 100th edition of the Tour starts on the Island of Corsica, the only area of France that has never hosted the Tour before. The first 213km stage runs through the magnificent scenery of Corsica towards the finish in Bastia where the winner will almost certainly be a sprinter. This is a golden opportunity for Mark Cavendish to claim the yellow jersey. Presented by Gary Imlach with analysis fom Chris Boardman, and Ned Boulting is out at the roadside. Commentary by Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen.

Top Gear (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Sunday 30th June 2013)

The motoring magazine returns with the action kicking off in New Zealand, as Jeremy Clarkson and James May race a car against a boat in a nail-biting battle up the beautiful coastline to the very tip of the North Island. The boat is a state-of-the-art America’s Cup yacht, while the car is of a type many are familiar with yet have never before seen on Top Gear. Meanwhile, back in the UK, Richard Hammond attempts to find a hot hatch hero from a trio of newcomers, the Renaultsport Clio 200, Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Fiesta ST, and a cavalcade of top stars assemble at the track to welcome a brand new Reasonably Priced Car.

Undercover Boss (Channel 4/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Monday 1st July 2013)

New series of the show in which high-flying executives take extraordinary steps to ensure their companies are fighting fit by going undercover in their own businesses. Starting the series is DHL. In the three years since Chief Executive Phil Couchman became boss, he’s seen the company’s turnover reach a massive 800 million pounds. But rapid expansion brings its own problems. So, Phil is heading back to the frontline to work alongside his staff. Terrified of losing even a single customer to fierce competition, Phil aims to find out if workers are delivering the top notch service he expects. But when the CEO goes undercover he discovers a stretched workforce and customer service staff who are tied up in red tape. And, moved by a courier who supports his family in Brazil but has no job security, another whose job is stretching his body to breaking point, and finally couriers being paid unfairly, Phil is forced to consider whether DHL have more to worry about than just their customers.

The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Tuesday 2nd July 2013)

More people now travel on London buses each day than on the rest of the UK’s buses combined. With passenger numbers up sixty percent since 2000, the capital’s bus drivers are under colossal pressure. And from their cab, they see how our behaviour has changed in that time. Driver Alex is an old hand who complains that no-one says hello to him any more. Driver Sadie thinks we are all in such a hurry we are heading for nervous breakdowns. Trainee driver Christine is worried about getting lost. Behind every driver is a controller who tracks drivers’ whereabouts and tells them to hurry up and slow down. The controllers themselves must hit strict targets if the service is to stay on track. The answer to all this pressure may lie in Transport for London’s big new idea: to bring back the Routemaster, with conductors. We see the new 21st century Routemaster being built in the factory in Northern Ireland, and follow it as it hits the streets of London. Will it make bus travel fun again?

Waterloo Road (BBC1/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Thursday 4th July 2013)

School-based drama. Grantly is alive and Tom is finally ready to donate his kidney. But when former bad boy pupil Kyle Stack shows up at Waterloo Road, matters take a turn for the worse after Tom tries to help the troubled boy.

Summer’s Supermarket Secrets (BBC1/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 4th July 2013)

Gregg Wallace goes behind the scenes with Britain’s biggest food retailers over the course of a year to discover how they source, make and move the food we find on the supermarket shelves. He has exclusive access to the buyers, product developers, food technologists and backroom teams, and gets the insider’s guide to how much they know about us and our tastes. In this, the first of four episodes, Gregg reveals how the supermarkets bring us our summer favourites. He finds out why there is more than meets the eye in a supermarket strawberry, what it takes to bring us our barbeques, and how they stay one step ahead of the weather.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 22/06/2013

Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet (BBC1/HD | 10:25pm to 11:25pm | Sunday 23rd June 2013)

Documentary following tennis player Andy Murray, a US Open and Olympic champion, revealing just what it takes to be a global sports star. The programme looks at Murray’s life off the court, filled with a comprehensive list of commitments and responsibilities, including fashion shoots and charity and media work. Cameras follow the Scot as he takes an open-top bus ride in his home town of Dunblane, does Pilates in Miami, takes ice baths in Monte Carlo and undergoes rehabilitation for an injury in Surrey. A private and shy man, Murray won the hearts of many with his raw emotion at Wimbledon and earned a place in history by winning the US Open to become Britain’s first male Grand Slam champion in 76 years. There are contributions from Murray’s girlfriend Kim Sears, mother Judy, brother Jamie and coach Ivan Lendl as well as his rivals Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer and tennis greats Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.

Glastonbury (BBC2/HD | 11:30pm to 1:45am | Sunday 23rd June 2013)

Julien Temple’s acclaimed film celebrating and documenting the history of the Glastonbury Festival. Concert footage, interviews, archive and home video combine to capture the essence and spirit of Glastonbury. Also features performances from throughout the history of the festival including David Bowie, Bjork, Pulp, Blur, Billy Bragg, Radiohead, Nick Cave, Richie Havens, The Prodigy and many more.

British National Elite Road Race Championship Highlights (itv4 | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Monday 24th June 2013)

Highlights from the biggest single day road race on the British cycling calendar which this year comes from Glasgow. Riders will be utilising part of the proposed course for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. The men will be riding 182km of the 14km circuit, and the women 112km.

Wild Cameramen at Work: Sea. Episode 4 (BBC1 Scotland/HD only and iPlayer | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 24th June 2013)

Series in which five of the best wildlife cameramen in the world spotlight some of their favourite natural history moments. Int his final programme, cameramen Doug Anderson and Doug Allan reveal the technical challenges of filming under the sea and encounter animals as diverse as blue whales, white-tip sharks and the weedy sea dragon performing a graceful courtship dance. Narrated by David Attenborough.

Life Savers (BBC1/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Tuesday 25th June 2013)

Documentary revealing the life and death dilemmas faced at the very limits of frontline medicine. Critical Care paramedic Dan Cody rushes to help seventeen-year-old Molly who’s lying in agony on a busy road, having been knocked off her moped on the way home from college. Her broken leg and badly smashed pelvis means she needs Dan’s drugs, far more potent than carried by normal ambulance crews. At hospital, surgeon Julian Owen discovers her hip is even worse than originally thought – she has a long and dangerous operation ahead of her. Dr Adam Chesters is on duty in the Emergency Department when a highly critical patient is transferred to Addenbrookes with a head injury. David has been attacked around the head with a hammer in a horrific assault. For a couple of days he is able to talk and brain specialist Peter Hutchinson is hopeful. But as his condition deteriorates, Peter must convey a less optimistic outlook to David’s family.

The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads: Nightbus (BBC2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:05pm | Tuesday 25th June 2013)

Series revealing how TFL and the police keep London’s roads moving in the face of extreme pressure. This episode explores the world of London’s nightbuses. As London has become a more 24-hour city since 2000, the number of passengers travelling at night has tripled. The nightbus service has grown to cope with the demand, but now its drivers face an unpredictable crowd. Duane Williams, a nightbus driver from Brixton bus garage, likes the ladies but some of his passengers are just too loud for him. Driver Tommy McKerr faces trouble on the notorious N25 route when a gang of young men storm his bus without paying. And Jeff, a homeless person, shows us how he has perfected the art of riding the longest nightbus route in London all night to keep warm.

Waterloo Road (BBC1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 26th June 2013)

School-based drama. The Barrys prepare to air their dirty laundry on national television, but it is Kevin that ends up under the spotlight when an unexpected guest turns up. Meanwhile, Maggie has a heart-breaking decision to make.

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

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 15/06/2013

Airport Live (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Monday 17th June 2013)

In one of BBC Two’s most ambitious live broadcasts, Dan Snow, Dallas Campbell and Anita Rani go airside at Heathrow, the world’s busiest international hub airport. More than 200,000 passengers travel through Heathrow each day. Everything and everyone is on a deadline. Unprecedented behind-the-scenes access allows viewers to witness this daily relay race first-hand. The programme shows air traffic control in action and explains the extraordinary science and logistics behind every flight. Dan is based at the heart of the airport, the air traffic control tower, giving an eagle’s eye view of the complex choreography of landings, departures and ground movements. He finds out how Heathrow went from a row of tents to an international powerhouse welcoming 70 million passengers a year. Anita discovers how weather affects the airport each day, not just when it snows. And Dallas looks at first class on the A380, the world’s largest passenger jet.

Airport Live (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Tuesday 18th June 2013)

The second episode of the series looking behind the scenes at Heathrow Airport, revealing the people, systems and science that keep us flying. Dan Snow is in the air traffic control tower, where controllers handle some 1,400 landings and departures every day. Dallas Campbell learns to hand-marshal a plane on the tarmac, and Anita Rani finds out how Heathrow trains to deal with extreme weather. Plus the programme follows, live, a shorthaul flight turnaround. The plane has just 45 minutes from landing until it takes off again.

The Route Masters: Running London’s Roads (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Tuesday 18th June 2013)

Series revealing how TFL and the police keep London’s roads moving in the face of extreme pressure. This episode follows the TFL staff who try to keep a city constantly on the verge of gridlock moving. At the Blackwall Tunnel, the most crucial mile of road in the whole city, tow truck driver Sean has to deal with a pregnant motorist who can not face driving through the tunnel. Meanwhile in the central control room, operator Chris has to cope with multiple accidents blocking the roads on a single Friday night. On the ground, Gurkha roadmender Indra faces abuse about his pothole repairs. Finally, one typical rush hour morning, a helicopter crashes into a crane near a busy interchange. Can the roads team stop the city grinding to a halt?

Airport Live (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Wednesday 19th June 2013)

The third episode of the series looking behind the scenes at Heathrow Airport, revealing the people, systems and science that keep us flying. Dan Snow is at the heart of the airport in air traffic control, and the programme follows all the preparations that ready a long-haul flight for take-off. Dallas Campbell is in Heathrow’s paint bay, finding out about the hundreds of markings that must be painstakingly painted on to every plane. And Anita Rani discovers that as you fly off on holiday, you could be sitting above anything from mango to mail, cars to cougars.

Horizon: Fracking – The New Energy Rush (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Wednesday 19th June 2013)

Iain Stewart investigates a new and controversial energy rush for the natural gas found deep underground. Sometimes, this is right under the places people live in. Getting it out of the ground involves hydraulic fracturing – or fracking. Iain travels to America to find to find out what it is, why it is a potential game changer and what we can learn from the US experience. He meets some of the people who have become rich from fracking as well as the communities worried about the risks.

Waterloo Road (BBC1/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Thursday 20th June 2013)

School-based drama. Michael is back with a last ditch attempt to stop Lorraine from turning Waterloo Road into a fee-paying academy. If his efforts fail it spells the end of both his headship and his relationship with Christine. Elsewhere, Lula’s campaign against Nox comes to a shocking conclusion.

Airport Live (BBC2/HD | 8pm to 9pm | Thursday 20th June 2013)

In the final episode of the live behind-the-scenes series from Heathrow, Dan Snow sees if he has got what it takes to be an air traffic controller and Anita Rani finds out how tomorrow’s planes might offer a quieter future. Dallas Campbell, whose father used to fly 747s, is at the controls of a flight simulator to see if he can land an A380, the biggest passenger jet in the sky.

Life Savers (BBC1/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 20th June 2013)

Documentary revealing the life and death dilemmas faced at the very limits of frontline medicine. This episode explores how the major trauma network rushes critical patients to the world-famous hub at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, and the difficult decisions doctors face when trying to save a life. Specially trained emergency medics Adam and Neil are sent to a car that has hit a tree at speed. The driver is trapped in the wreckage by his legs, and the risk of massive bleeding the moment he is released means Adam takes control of the scene. At Addenbrookes, the emergency department receives two patients from another car that has hit a tree.

Flights and Fights: Inside the Low Cost Airlines (BBC2/HD | 9pm to 10pm | Thursday 20th June 2013)

Documentary telling the inside story of low-cost airlines – a tale of big characters and big money. Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary and EasyJet’s Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou opened up new frontiers in the aviation industry as their airlines offered cheap flights to a vast range of popular and alternative destinations. The programme follows O’Leary to on a trip to Poland, an EasyJet flight to Moscow and a group of lads travelling to Riga to sample the low-cost airline experience. But how much further can these companies grow? With rising costs, Stelios, now EasyJet’s biggest shareholder, is trying to halt its expansion, while O’Leary has just placed a massive order for new planes.

DOCUMENTARY: Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers (Channe5 | 8pm to 9pm | Friday 21st June 2013)

Observational documentary series following one of the world’s biggest haulage firms. Tim Fox embarks on an epic biomass delivery, starting in Cumbria, going on to Northumberland and ending at a power station in Scotland. On the hunt for new trucks, Head of Fleet David Cox flies out to the Volvo factory in Sweden to size up the next generation of tractor units. Matt Ekins is handed a Friday run around London.

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