Below are my picks of the most notable TV shows premiering/returning to UK screens this week, which includes the global Netflix release of Eli Roth's Hemlock Grove webseries. The time are a-changing! The title 'TV Picks' isn't technically correct now...
MONDAY 15th
Rory Bremner's Great British Views (ITV, 2pm) New series where the impressionist travels around the UK looking for the best and most interesting vantage points. (1/20)PICK OF THE DAY The Prisoners (BBC1, 9pm) Documentary series about convicts who are released from prison but tend to re-offend Originally due to air last week. (1/3)
TUESDAY 16th
PICK OF THE DAY Defiance (Syfy, 9pm) New sci-fi drama set in a near-future where humans now co-exist with various alien races, shortly after a war with them has devastated the planet. Starring Grant Bowler, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Mia Kirshner & Carl Bauer. (1/12)Secrets of the Shoplifters (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary going undercover with the retail police of South Yorkshire.
The Secret Life of Rockpools (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on the species that exist inside humble seaside rockpools.
Royal Paintbox (ITV, 10.35pm) Documentary where the Prince of Wales examines his family's artistic roots.
WEDNESDAY 17th
PICK OF THE DAY Israel: Facing the Future (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary looking at how Israel's responded to the changes occurring throughout the Middle East. Presented by John Ware.Britain's Youngest Top Chef (BBC3, 9pm) Documentary on 18-year-old chef Luke Thomas, who runs a restaurant in Berkshire.
Dispatches: Syria - Across the Lines (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary from inside Syria during the civil war. Created by Olly Lambert.
THURSDAY 18th
The British Animal Honours (ITV, 8pm) Awards ceremony honouring the achievement of the country's animals. Hosted by Paul O'Grady.PICK OF THE DAY Brushing Up On... (BBC4, 8.30pm) Documentary taking a light hearted look at tunnels. Presented by Danny Baker.
Maureen Lipman: If My Memory Serves Me Right (BBC1, 9pm) Documentary on memory, hosted by Maureen Lipman, whose own father lost his short-term memory in the last fifteen years of his life.
Horizon: Could We Survive a Mega Tsunami? (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary investigating what would happen if a mega tsunami occurred in the Atlantic, affecting cities like New York, London, Casablanca and Lisbon.
Playhouse Presents... (Sky Art 1, 9pm) Series 2 of the comedy/drama anthology series, opening with a story about a West End biopic of Andy Warhol that takes a tragic turn. Starring David Harewood, Peter Serafinowicz, Mathew Horne & Kylie Minogue.
FRIDAY 19th
The Ice Cream Girls (ITV, 9pm) New series about two women accused of murdering their teacher in 1995, where the one imprisoned is released two decades later. Starring Jodhi May, Lorraine Burrows, Holli Dempsey, Georgina Campbell, Martin Compston & Bryan Dick. (1/3)Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States (Sky Atlantic, 9pm) Documentary presenting an alternative view of US history, beginning with a look at WWII and the rise of the American Empire. Co-created and narrated by filmmaker Oliver Stone. (1/10)
The Genius of Josiah Wedgwood (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary on the 18th-century potter, who was also a founding father of the Industrial Revolution.
PICK OF THE DAY Da Vinci's Demons (Fox, 10pm) New historical fantasy series retelling the life-story of legendary inventory Leonardo Da Vinci. Starring Tom Riley & Laura Haddock.
Hemlock Grove (Netflix) New webseries concerning the search for a murderer in a small-town, which may be populated by werewolves. Starring Famke Janssen, Dougray Scott, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Douglas, Kandyse McClure & Penelope Mitchell. Created by Eli Roth. (13 episodes released)
SATURDAY 20th
The Many Faces of... (BBC2, 8.30pm) Profile of various entertainers, with this edition looking at Michael Crawford.PICK OF THE DAY America in Primetime (BBC2, 10.15pm) New documentary series looking at the history of US TV, from the 1950s to the modern "golden age" of cable drama. Featuring Ron Howard, David Lynch, Rob Reiner, David Chase, Jon Hamm & James L Brooks. Presented by Alan Yentob.
SUNDAY 21st
PICK OF THE DAY Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero (BBC2, 8pm) Documentary where comedian Bill Bailey follows in the footsteps of Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who also devised the theory of evolution independent of Charles Darwin. (1/2)The Review Show (BBC4, 9pm) Return of the former Newsnight arts strand, now transferred to BBC4 as a monthly show. Presented by Kirsty Wark.
