Monday 19 August 2013

TV Picks: 19-25 August 2013 (Celebrity Big Brother, Chickens, Great British Bake Off, Top Boy, Touch of Cloth II, Trollied, Under the Dome, etc.)

Monday 19 August 2013

Below are my picks of this week's most notable shows, returning/premiering on UK screens...

MONDAY 19th
Ade Adepitan: Journey of my Lifetime (Channel 4, 8pm) Documentary about polio, which still affects many children in Nigergia. Presented by Paralympian Ade Adepitan.
The Incredible Spice Men (BBC2, 8.30pm) New series about spices, where chefs Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala investigate the popular foodstuff. (1/5)
Horizon: Defeating the Hackers (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary about people who steal identities and ruin lives online.
The People's Medal (ITV, 9pm) Documentary looking at how the royal British Empire Medal is selected and bestowed. Presented by Natasha Kaplinski.
Emily Owens MD (Really, 9pm) Season 1 of the US medical drama about a doctor fresh out of medical school. Starring Mamie Gummer, Justin Hartley, Aja Naomi King, Michael Rady & Necar Zadegan. (1/13)
PICK OF THE DAY Under the Dome (Channel 5, 10pm) Season 1 of the US drama based on the same-named novel by Stephen King, about a small-town community who find themselves literally trapped under a gigantic invisible barrier. Starring Mike Vogel, Rachelle Lefevre, Natalie Martinez, Britt Robertson, Alexander Koch, Dean Norris, Samantha Mathis & Jeff Fahey. (1/13)
Sons of Guns (Discovery Channel, 10pm) Documentary series about a family-run firearms shop in Louisiana. (1/14)


TUESDAY 20th
The Great British Bake Off (BBC2, 8pm) Series 4 of the baking competition. Hosted by Mel Giedroyc & Sue Perkins, with judges Mary Berry & Paul Hollywood. (1/16)
Double Your House for Half the Money (Channel 4, 8pm) Series 2 of the property series where homeowners improve their home on a budget. Hosted by Sarah Beeny. (1/10)
The Midwives (BBC2, 9pm) Series 2 of the fly-on-the-wall drama following the staff of St Mary's Hospital, Manchester. (1/8)
PICK OF THE DAY Top Boy (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 2 of the urban drama about inner-city gang culture. Starring Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, David Hayman, Paul Anderson & Shone Romulus. (1/4)
Don't Tell the Bride (BBC3, 9pm) Series 7 of the reality series where grooms are given money to plan their fiance's dream wedding without their knowledge. (1/12)

WEDNESDAY 21st
Welcome to the World of Weight Loss (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary looking at the members of three different slimming clubs.
PICK OF THE DAY Big Bad World (Comedy Central, 9pm) New sitcom about a university graduate whose life remains unfocused. Starring Blake Harrison, Sean Walsh, Caroline Quentin & James Fleet. (1/8)
The Man Who Collected the World (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on shipping magnate Sir William Burrell, who amassed 9,000 priceless antiquities that are now on show in a Glasgow museum opened in 1983. Presented by Kirsty Wark.

THURSDAY 22nd
Location, Location, Location (Channel 4, 8pm) Series 16 of the property series. Presented by Phil Spencer & Kistie Allsopp. (1/9)
Poaching Wars with Tom Hardy (ITV, 9pm) Documentary on the poaching of elephant and rhinos in Africa. Presented by actor Tom Hardy. (1/2)
Celebrity Big Brother (Channel 5, 9pm) Series 12 of the celebrity version of the reality show. Hosted by Emma Willis.
Trollied (Sky1, 9pm) Series 3 of the supermarket sitcom. Starring Jane Horrocks, Mark Addy, Jason Watkins, Rita May, Nick Blood, Chanel Cresswell, Joel Fry & Faye McKeever. (1/13)
PICK OF THE DAY Chickens (Sky1, 9.30pm) New WWI sitcom about three men living in a closeknit community who have decided to avoid fighting for King & Country overseas. Adapted from the Channel 4 pilot. Starring Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Jonny Sweet, Emerald Fennell, Sarah Daykin & Barry Humphries. (1/6)


FRIDAY 23rd
Reading 2013 (BBC3, 8pm) Coverage of the annual music festival. Hosted by Greg James & Jen Long.
PICK OF THE DAY A League of their Own (Sky1, 9pm) Series 7 of the comedy panel with the emphasis on sport. Hosted by James Corden with regulars Jimmy Carr, Jack Whitehall, Jamie Redknapp & Andrew Flintoff. (1/8)

SATURDAY 24th
Nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I guess you can go outside? Maybe see a play? Have dinner?

SUNDAY 25th
Celebrity Deal or No Deal (Channel 4, 8pm) Celebrity edition of the gameshow, where Gok Wan plays for the £250,000 jackpot, with help from Melanie Sykes, Katie Piper, Kim Woodburn, Gaby Roslin, Amanda Lamb, and others.
What Remains (BBC1, 9pm) Crime drama about a couple who move into a new home and discover a decomposed body in the loft above them. Starring David Threlfall, Alexander Arnold, David Bamber, Claudie Blakley, Michael Colgan & Denise Gough. (1/4)
PICK OF THE DAY A Touch of Cloth II: Undercover Cloth (Sky1, 9pm) Return of the spoof crime drama. Starring John Hannah, Suranne Jones, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Anna Chancellor & Daisy Beaumont. Written by Charlie Brooker. (1/2)