Below are my picks of the most notable new shows, returning or premiering on UK screens over the next 7 days...
MONDAY 30th
★ The Ark (BBC1, 8.30pm) Biblical adaptation of Noah's story. Starring David Threlfall, Joanne Whalley, Ashley Walters, Don Warrington, Michael Fox & Ian Smith.Travel Man: 48 Hours in Barcelona (Channel 4, 8.30pm) New travel series where Richard Ayoade goes on a variety of weekend breaks with different celebrity guests. Featuring Kathy Burke. (1/4)
Driving School of Mum & Dad (Sky1, 8.30pm) New reality series where parents teach their kids how to drive. (1/8)
A Nation Divided? The Charlie Hebdo Aftermath (BBC3, 9pm) Documentary on the aftermath of the shocking terrorist incident in Paris last January, exploring the cultural division in France with the Muslim religion.
Drills, Dentures & Dentistry: An Oral History (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on the development of dentistry from back-street horror to high-tech surgery. Hosted by Professor Joanna Bourke.
TUESDAY 31st
Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Granny (Channel 5, 10pm) Documentary following two American men who have relationships with elderly women. 40 Kids By 20 Women (Channel 5, 9pm) Documentary following four men who have collectively fathered more than 70 children.
★ Costa Del Sol: Last Brits Standing (BBC1, 10.45pm) Documentary about the ex-pat Brits living in the Costa del Sol, at a time when the financial crisis across Europe has seen most returning to the UK.
WEDNESDAY 1st
Strangeways: Britain's Toughest Prison Riot (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary exploring the infamous riot 25 years ago, which brought HMP Strangeways to the brink of anarchy.★ Gracepoint (ITV Encore, 10pm) U.S remake of Broadchurch, again focusing on a coastal community rocked by the murder of a young boy. Starring David Tennant, Anna Gunn, Virginia Kull, Nick Nolte, Kevin Rankin & Josh Hamilton. (1/10)
Bates Motel (Universal Channel, 10pm) Season 3 of the U.S drama, set before the events of Psycho. Starring Freddie Highmore & Vera Farmiga. (1/10)
THURSDAY 2nd
Coast Australia (BBC2, 8pm) Series 2 of the Australian spin-off to the UK documentary series. Hosted by Neil Oliver. (1/8)GOOD FRIDAY
Relativity Clever (Sky1, 8pm) New quiz aiming to find the country's cleverest family. Hosted by Mel Giedroyc. (1/7)Springwatch at Easter (BBC1, 9pm) Special edition of the wildlife show.
★ Eurovision's Greatest Hits (BBC1, 9pm) Celebration of the Eurovision Song Contest's 60th anniversary, taking the form of a concert from London's Hammersmith Apollo that showcases memorable former singers and bands. Hosted by Graham Norton & Petra Mede.
The Clare Balding Show (BBC2, 10pm) New series looking at the lives of famous sportsmen and women. Guests are Olympic swimmer Tom Daley & female cricketer Charlotte Edwards. (1/12)
SATURDAY 4th
Monteverdi in Mantua: The Genius of the Vespers (BBC2, 9pm) Music special where historian Simon Russell Beale travels to Italy to examine the Duke of Mantua and his court composer Claudio Montaverdi during the Italian Renaissance. ★ Night of the End of the World (Channel 4, 9pm) Science special examining the many threats to civilisation and mankind's fascination with its own destruction.
EASTER SUNDAY
★ Michael McIntyre's Easter Night at the Coliseum (BBC1, 8pm) Variety entertainment special. Vera (ITV, 8pm) Series 5 of the crime drama. Starring Brenda Blethyn, Kenny Doughty, Jon Morrison & Cush Jumbo. (1/4)
Jack Dee: So What? (BBC2, 10.30pm) Stand-up comedy recorded live in 2013 at the London Hammersmith Apollo.
For a look at what the rest of the year's going to bring,
why not read and bookmark my TV Calendar?
