Monday 27 January 2014

TV Picks: 27 January – 2 February 2014 (Dads, Damages, Good Wife, Last Leg, Looking, Outnumbered, Top Gear, etc.)

Monday 27 January 2014

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

MONDAY 27th
Food & Drink (BBC2, 8.30pm) Series 2. Hosted by Michel Roux Jr and Kate Goodman, joined by Mary Berry. (1/10)
Britain's Great War (BBC1, 9pm) New documentary series looking at how WWI affected the lives of British people and moulded the country. Presented by Jeremy Paxman. (1/4)
Dads (ITV2, 9.30pm) New US sitcom about two video games developers whose fathers move in to stay. Starring Giovanni Ribis, Seth Green, Peter Reigert & Martin Mull. (1/19)
Three Wives, One Husband (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary about the Mormon community of Centennial Park, Arizona, who condone polygamy. (1/2)
PICK OF THE DAY Looking (Sky Atlantic, 10.35pm) New US comedy-drama about three gay friends living in San Francisco. Starring Jonathan Groff, Frankie J. Alvarez, Murray Bartlett, OT Fagbenie & Derek Ray. (1/8)
Damages (Lifetime, 10pm) Season 4 of the US legal drama, getting a belated UK premiere after the BBC ditched it. Starring Glenn Close & Rose Byrne. (1/10)


TUESDAY 28th
Children's Emergency Rescue (BBC2, 8pm) New fly-on-the-wall documentary following a team of medical professionals looking after sick children. (1/3)
PICK OF THE DAY Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (ITV, 8pm) Celebrity edition of the long-running quiz show, which ends after these episodes. Contestants are Russell Kane, Gloria Hunniford, Adrian Chiles, Frank Skinner, Alexandra Burke & David Emanuel. Presented by Chris Tarrant. (1/2)
Inside the Animal Mind (BBC2, 9pm) Wildlife series. Presented by Chris Packham. (1/3)
The Zoo Next Door (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary about homes overrun by pets. Presented by Jasmine Harman.

WEDNESDAY 29th
The Restaurant Man (BBC2, 8pm) New series where restaurateur Russell Norman helps people with their own businesses. (1/6)
PICK OF THE DAY Outnumbered (BBC1, 9pm) Series 5 of the half-improvised sitcom. Starring Claire Skinner, Hugh Dennis, Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche & Ramona Marquez. (1/6)
Horizon: Sugar v Fat (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary where two identical twins go on month-long diets comprised of high volumes of fat or sugar, to find out who is the healthiest afterwards.
Clash of the Collectors (National Geographic, 9pm) New series where avid collectors compete to prove their collections are the best. (1/2)


THURSDAY 30th
Dan Snow's History of the Winter Olympics (BBC2, 9pm) Ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, historian Dan Snow investigates the competition's 90-year history.
The Truth About Your Dog's Food (Channel 5, 9pm) Documentary looking at what goes into the manufacture of dog food.
PICK OF THE DAY The Good Wife (More4, 9pm) Season 5 of the US legal drama. Starring Julianna Margulies, Chris Noth, Archie Panjabi, Josh Charles & Alan Cumming. (1/22)
Bodyshockers (Channel 4, 10pm) New series looking at various bizarre and shocking body modifications. Presented by Katie Piper. (1/4)


FRIDAY 31st
Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild (Channel 5, 9pm) Series 2 of the show where Ben Fogle meets people who have moved to inhospitable parts of the world. (1/4)
Suits (Dave, 9pm) Season 3 of the US legal drama. (1/16)
PICK OF THE DAY The Last Leg (Channel 4, 10pm) Series 4 of the comedy show, looking at the week's news and Winter Olympics. Hosted by Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe & Alex Brooker. (1/8)

SATURDAY 1st
Nothing. Your local community centre probably has a ping-pong table that's gathering dust.

SUNDAY 2nd
PICK OF THE DAY Top Gear (BBC2, 8pm) Series 21 of the motoring magazine show. Hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond & James May. (1/7)