Monday 15 July 2013

TV Picks: 15-21 July 2013 (Community, Falling Skies, Family Tree, Ray Donovan, Run, Secret Life of Uri Geller, Smash, etc.)

Monday 15 July 2013

Below are my picks of the week's most notable TV, premiering/returning to UK screens...

MONDAY 15th
Eat Well for Less? (BBC1, 7pm) Factual special about the financial decisions surrounding food. Presented by Gregg Wallace & Chris Bavin.
University Challenge (BBC2, 8pm) Series 20 of the quiz show. Hosted by Jeremy Paxman. (1/37)
Panorama: Broken by Battle (BBC1, 9pm) Documentary about the personal cost of war.
PICK OF THE DAY Run (Channel 4, 10pm) New drama series concerning people facing life-changing decisions. Starring Olivia Colman, Billy Pamphilon, J Pamphilon, Neil Maskell, Sarah Hoare & Nav Sidhu. Continues weeknightly until Friday. (1/4)
My £9.50 Holiday (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary on the popularity of cheap holiday vouchers, often for less than £10. Narrated by Katherine Kelly.


TUESDAY 16th
Princess Diana's Dresses: The Auction (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary on the late Princess of Wales, as some of her most memorable outfits are sold at auction.
Falling Skies (Fox, 9pm) Season 3 of the US sci-fi drama about the survivors of an alien invasion. Starring Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood & Will Patton. (1/10)
Family Tree (BBC2, 10pm) New comedy about a man who becomes interested in the history of his eccentric family and explores his own unusual past. Starring Chris O'Dowd, Tom Bennett, Nina Conti, Michael McKean & Christopher Fairband. (1/8)
PICK OF THE DAY Ray Donovan (Sky Atlantic, 10pm) New drama about a Hollywood fixer who helps the rich and famous of Los Angeles with their unusual problems, while simultaneously trying to keep his Boston-born family together in the wake of his criminal father achieving early parole. Starring Liev Schreiber, Paula Malcomsen, Jon Voight & Eddie Marsan. (1/12)


WEDNESDAY 17th
PICK OF THE DAY The Real White Queen & Her Rivals (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary about Edward IV's queen consort Elizabeth Woodville, which is currently the basis of BBC drama The White Queen, presented by the author of the book it's based on. (1/2)
Diaries of a Broken Mind (BBC3, 9pm) Documentary about 25 people dealing with mental health issues.
Wheelers, Dealers & Del Boys (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary about a south London auction house specialising in lost property and repossessed goods.

THURSDAY 18th
The Briefs (ITV, 9pm) Series 2 of the documentary series following a group of Manchester lawyers. (1/2)
PICK OF THE DAY Smash (Sky Atlantic, 9pm) Season 2 of the US musical drama. Starring Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee & Christian Borle. (1/17)
Meet the Landlords (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary on the rental boom in recent years.

FRIDAY 19th
Natural World: The Mating Game (BBC2, 9pm) Wildlife documentary focusing on animals mating. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
PICK OF THE DAY Community (Sony, 10.45pm) Season 4 of the US comedy. Starring Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Chevy Chase, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown & Alison Brie. (1/13)


SATURDAY 20th
Nothing.

SUNDAY 21st
The Plane that Saved Britain (Channel 4, 8pm) Documentary on the overlooked WWII plane the De Havilland Mosquito. Presented by Arthur Williams.
PICK OF THE DAY The Secret Life of Uri Geller (BBC2, 9pm) Profile of the controversial illusionist and paranormalist Uri Geller, who rose to fame in the 1970s by mental spoons using psychic powers, and used his powers to work as a spy for three decades.