Below are my picks of the most notable TV shows premiering/returning on UK screens this week...
MONDAY 18th
The Common Denominator (Channel 4, 3.30pm) New quiz show concerning how the brain works. Hosted by Phil Spencer. (1/40)PICK OF THE DAY Her Majesty's Prison: Aylesbury (ITV1, 9pm) Documentary series looking at life at HMP Aylesbury, which holds some of the country's most dangerous criminals. (1/2)
Embarrassing Bodies (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 6 of the medical show. Presented by Dr Christian Jessen, Dawn Harper & Pixie McKenna. (1/9)
Extraordinary People: Shrinking My 17 Stone Legs (Channel 5, 9pm) Medical documentary about Mandy Sellars; a woman with a size-12 body but oversized feet and legs.
Salvage Hunters (Quest, 9pm) Series 2 of the show where Drew Pritchard searched the UK for valuable scrap. (1/10)
Speidi: Scandal, Secrets & Surgery (Channel 5, 10pm) Documentary on the infamous US couple, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who achieved fame on The Hills but came to particular UK attention as horrendous housemates on the recent Celebrity Big Brother series.
TUESDAY 19th
Cutting Edge: The Fried Chicken Shop (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary on the rise of fried chicken food, told through the eyes of a shop in south London.PICK OF THE DAY 666 Park Avenue (ITV2, 10pm) Season 1 of the US supernatural drama about a haunted hotel in upmarket Manhattan. Starring Terry O'Quinn, Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor, Robert Buckley & Vanessa Williams. (1/13)
White Collar (Alibi, 10pm) Season 3 of the US crime drama. Starring Matthew Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson & Marsha Thomason. (1/16)
Litter Wars (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary on people who are passionate about cleaning up their own neighbourhoods.
WEDNESDAY 20th
PICK OF THE DAY The Brit Awards (ITV1, 8pm) Annual music awards ceremony. Hosted by James Corden. Featuring Emeli Sande, Mumford & Sons, Robbie Williams, One Direction, Taylor Swift, Robbie Williams & Muse.Meet the Izzards (BBC1, 9pm) Documentary where comedian Eddie Izzard trace his own DNA back through millennia. (1/2)
THURSDAY 21st
PICK OF THE DAY Jack Taylor (Channel 5, 9pm) New series based on the novels of Ken Bruen, about a former Galway garda called Jack Taylor who investigates crime. Starring Iain Glen, Ralph Brown, Tara Breathnach, Nora-Jane Noone, Barry Cassin & Paraic Breathnach. (1/3) Walking Wounded: Return to the Frontline (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary following British photographer Giles Duley, who became a triple amputee while in Afghanistan embedded with the US military, and his return to the country years later.
FRIDAY 22nd
PICK OF THE DAY Wild Arabia (BBC2, 9pm) New documentary series revealing connections between wildlife, landscape and Arabian people. (1/3)Piers Morgan's Life Stories (ITV1, 9pm) Return of the interview show, beginning with Esther Rantzen. (1/12)
SATURDAY 23rd
PICK OF THE DAY Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV, 8.20pm) Series 10 of the light entertainment show, last seen in 2009. Featuring Robbie Williams & Danny DeVito. (1/8)SUNDAY 24th
Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Feast (Channel 4, 7pm) New series where the eponymous chef travels the Mediterranean and exploring the region's fine cuisine. (1/4)PICK OF THE DAY Dexter (Fox, 9pm) Season 7 of the US serial killer drama. Starring Michael C. Hall & Jennifer Carpenter. (1/12)
Madness in the Desert: Paris to Dakar Rally (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on the famous race and its origin.
The Only Way Is Essex (ITV2, 10pm) Series 8 of the reality-based TV series.
