Seven

SATURDAY THE LANCASTER BOMBER AT 80

7PM, CH4 HHHH

With contributions from historians including James Holland, military history enthusiast Arthur Williams and veteran Lancaster crew members, this one-off, narrated by David Jason, looks at the service and legacy of the

aircraft that helped to defeat Nazi Germany.

BRITAIN’S FORGOTTEN WARS WITH TONY ROBINSON

8PM, CH4 HHH The Korean War lasted just three years, but claimed more than four million lives, mainly civilians. Tony Robinson tells the story of this brutal Cold War conflict.

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES

8.55PM, CH5 HHH

After the death of her husband, Cheshire antiques dealer Jean White (Sally Lindsay) has remained in Sainte Victoire in south of France, where an elderly local wants to find her brother, taken by the Nazis in 1943. Can Jean reunite the siblings after so many years?

CASUALTY 9.30PM, BBC1 HHH

The focus is on the paramedics this week as Teddy and Jan team up, while Iain and Sah hit the road. There are conflicts, of course, but they find ways to sort out their differences.

THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW

9.30PM, ITV HHH

A new series kicks off with an impressive line-up of guests: Joan Collins, Brian Cox (the actor, not the physicist), Alex Scott and Rob Beckett, with music from Duran Duran.

SUNDAY

COUNTRYFILE 5.55PM, BBC1

In this 75-minute special, the team meet the inspirational youngsters – including transplant patient Violet – taking part in the Countryfile Ramble for Children In Need.

HHHH THE GREAT BRITISH DIG: HISTORY IN YOUR BACK GARDEN

7PM, CH4 HHHH Shown earlier this year on More4, this fun archaeology series, presented by Hugh Dennis, sees a team of experts excavating back gardens in the hope of uncovering hidden histories beneath the flower beds. First up are

the suburban streets of Benwell, Newcastle.

THE MATING GAME HHHH Whether they’re near it, in it or beneath its surface, millions of animals need freshwater in order to mate. Look out for the charmingly named hellbender salamander – the males’ responsibilities extend to providing a safe

space for females to leave their eggs.

THE LARKINS 8PM, BBC1

8PM, ITV HHHH

While Ma and Pop take a break in Margate, Mariette and Charley are in charge of the younger Larkins – and the poor inspector

is finding the weekend very taxing indeed.

ESCAPE TO THE CHATEAU 8PM, CH4

HHH

Dick and Angel Strawbridge are back for a new, eighth series following the renovation of their 19th-century chateau, and, with weddings and other events still on hold, the couple turn their attention to the exterior.

It’s not long before the place is a building site.

RIDLEY ROAD HHH

Time is running out for Vivien and her bid to take down Colin Jordan as the drama reaches

its conclusion – her cover may have been blown, and she and Jack are in real danger.

Meanwhile, her mother arrives in London, but is she too late to save her daughter?

9PM, BBC1 MONDAY GROWING UP POOR – DISPATCHES 8PM, CH4

HHH

Subtitled Britain’s Hidden Homeless Kids, this hard-hitting report follows three boys during a school term in Luton to explore the long-term effects of lockdown on children – especially those living in overcrowded or otherwise unsuitable housing.

THE GOES WRONG SHOW

8.30PM, BBC1 HHHH

The first of a two-part finale sees Chris trying to head off a coup by asking each cast member to stage their own performance – and it’s soon clear that Max doesn’t really understand what a kitchen sink drama is.

BLAIR & BROWN: THE NEW LABOUR REVOLUTION

9PM, BBC2 HHHH

This penultimate episode looks at the weeks and months after the 9/11 attacks. Prime Minister Tony Blair promised President George W. Bush that Britain would stand by America, no matter what. Here, key figures defend their decisions, and voice regrets.

THE LONG CALL 9PM, ITV HHHH See Showtime, page 16.

24 HOURS IN POLICE CUSTODY 9PM, CH4

HHH

Cambridgeshire officers search for a man who has fled to London after another is stabbed to death. Do the suspect’s parents know where their son is – and, if so, will they help the police to bring him to justice?

TUESDAY THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF

8PM, CH4 HHHHH

The competition has passed the halfway point, and the remaining bakers gear up for Pastry Week – which means producing choux pastry doughnuts for the Signature, plus a savoury Showstopper pie that is both delicate in design and full of flavour.

THE YORKSHIRE VET 8PM, CH5 HHH Peter Wright loves donkeys, so he’s keen to help when he hears about Boy, who has a

nasty cut on his eyelid. Plus, Julian Norton is anxious about treating an aggressive parrot.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

9PM, BBC1 HHHH

Football star turned pundit Alex Scott was born to an Irish mother and Jamaican father, and explores both branches of her family tree in this moving edition. She learns about her Jewish roots, and how her great-grandfather took a stand against fascism back in 1936.

IMPEACHMENT – AMERICAN CRIME STORY

9.15PM, BBC2 HHHH

In part two of this gripping US anthology series, intern Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) confides in fellow White House employee Linda Tripp (Sarah Paulson) about her relationship with President

Bill Clinton (Clive Owen) – and Tripp in turn confides in an investigative journalist.

STATH LETS FLATS

10.15PM, CH4 HHHH The Bafta-winning comedy returns for a third series, and Stath (the show’s creator, Jamie Demetriou) is torn between two women, one of whom is having his baby. And, with the lettings agency in crisis, he might just need his old job back – in his cousin’s barbershop.

WEDNESDAY

THE REPAIR SHOP 8PM, BBC1 HHHH Four more family heirlooms are brought into the barn in the hope that Jay Blades and his team of experts can bring them back to life.

Among this week’s treasures are a 1960s chrome and vinyl barber’s chair, and a vintage carousel horse who is the centrepiece of his owner’s sensory therapy garden.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

8PM, CH4 HHH

This episode catches up with house-hunters – a couple in Guildford in 2018, and a fashion designer in Margate back in 2003 – who were looking for homes with potential.

SHETLAND 9PM, BBC1

HHHH

After the diving incident, Perez and the team are looking for clues that link the two deaths. Meanwhile, convicted murderer Donna Killick returns to the community after being granted compassionate release.

UNIVERSE 9PM, BBC2 HHHH

Brian Cox is back, still looking to the heavens and tackling the big questions about life, the universe and everything. He begins his new, four-part series with the sun – just one of the trillions of stars in the universe.

EXTRAORDINARY EXTENSIONS

9PM, CH4 HHH

This week, Tinie Tempah visits two projects that are digging deep – literally – in the homeowners’ quest for more space.

THURSDAY SHOP WELL FOR THE PLANET? 8PM, BBC1

HHH

The team are in Shrewsbury to help a busy young family who would like to go green, but just can’t find the time or energy to make lasting changes. So, will they take to vegan meals, reusable nappies and an electric car?

HANDMADE: BRITAIN’S BEST WOODWORKER

8PM, CH4 HHHH

Eight woodworkers remain in the contest, and the big build challenge has been scaled right down: they have just two days to create intricate and precisely crafted doll’s houses that could become collectors’ pieces.

THE WORLD’S MOST SCENIC RAILWAY JOURNEYS

8PM, CH5 HHHH

We’re in the far north of Scotland, aboard the appropriately named Far North Line from Inverness to Wick. Along the way, we take in Dunrobin Castle, one of the world’s largest peat bogs and the Caithness stone quarry.

GUILT

9PM, BBC2 HHHH

The penultimate episode begins 30 years ago, on the night that changed the fate of the Lynch family for ever. Mark Bonnar, who is also in Shetland on Wednesday, stars.

POMPEII: SECRETS OF THE DEAD

9PM, CH5 HHHH

Bettany Hughes explores the lives and final hours of the people who died in Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 AD, buried in volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

FRIDAY THIS WEEK ON THE FARM 7PM, CH5

HHH

Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson celebrate some of the fun and festivities of the autumn farming season in this last of the series.

UNREPORTED WORLD

7.30PM, CH4 HHHH

Around 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the mineral is a critical component of electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Here, Jamal Osman travels to Central Africa to uncover the dark side of the cobalt industry.

SUSAN CALMAN’S GRAND DAY OUT 8PM, CH5

HHHH

Susan heads to Shakespeare country, stopping off at Warwick Castle, taking to the stage at the Royal Shakespeare Company and training at the National Space Centre.

WALKING BRITAIN’S LOST RAILWAYS 9PM, CH5

HHHH

Rob Bell is in Kent this week, following a quiet, rural line that played a key role in transporting troops and top-secret weaponry during Second World War.

MRS BROWN’S BOYS LIVE 9.30PM, BBC1

HHH

A Halloween special for the popular sitcom, and Agnes is ready for the trick-or-treaters – but not for a surprising visitor from her past.