Monday 28 April 2014

TV Picks: 28 April – 4 May 2014 (Cardinal Burns, Good Morning Britain, Orphan Black, Paul O'Grady Show, Prey, etc.)

Monday 28 April 2014

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

MONDAY 28th
Good Morning Britain (ITV, 6.30am) New weekday breakfast show. Hosted by Susannah Reid, Ben Shephard, Sean Fletcher & Charlotte Hawkins.
First Time On the Frontline (BBC1, 11.30am) Documentary following emergency service recruits embarking on their new careers. (1/15)
Jo Frost: Family Matters (ITV, 2pm) New talk show aiming to help families. (1/35)
Ejector Seat (ITV, 4pm) New quiz show where six contestants answer questions to stop their seats moving backwards and eventually ejecting them. Hosted by Andi Peters. (1/30)
The Paul O'Grady Show (ITV, 5pm) Return of the tea-time chat show. Guests include Bruce Forsyth. (25/50)
Britain's Most Extreme Weather (Channel 4, 8pm) New series looking at the UK's worst meteorological conditions. Presented by Alex Beresford. (1/4)
Vets in the Disaster Zone (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary looking at vets working in the aftermath of last November's Typhoon Haiyan. Presented by Michael Mosley.
Prey (ITV, 9pm) New thriller about a detective wrongly convicted of murdering his family, who escapes to clear his name. Starring John Simm, Rosie Cavaliero, Craig Parkinson, Anastasia Hille, Benedict Wong, Adrian Edmondson & Heather Peace. (1/3)
My Brother, The Terrorist (BBC3, 9pm) Follow-up to the 2011 documentary about a man whose stepbrother became fundamentalist Muslim terrorist.
Hinterland (BBC4, 9pm) New detective drama about a rule-breaking detective solving a mysterious disappearance. Starring Richard Harrington, Mali Harries, Alex Harries, Hannah Daniel & Aneirin Hughes. (1/7)
Love for Sale with Rupert Everett (Channel 4, 10pm) Two-part documentary looking at why people buy and sell sex. (1/2)

TUESDAY 29th
Happy Valley (BBC1, 9pm) New drama written by Sally Wainwright, about a police sergeant dealing with the kidnapping of her boss's daughter. Starring Sarah Lancashire, Steve Pemberton, James Norton & Adam Long. (1/6)
Mr Drew's School for Boys (Channel 4, 9pm) New series following headteacher Stephen Drew, as he tries to help 11 unruly pupils by enrolling them and their parents in a residential summer school. (1/4)
GPs: Behind Closed Doors (Channel 5, 9pm) Documentary exposing what goes on in a general practioner's consultation room at St John's Medical Centre, Lewisham. (1/4)
Phil: Secret Agent Down Under (More4, 9pm) Spin-off to the property show, now focusing on Australian homes. Hosted by Phil Spencer. (1/15)
The Last Chance School (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary investigating the fact 5,000 children are excluded from schools across the UK.
Comedy Playhouse: Over to Bill (BBC1, 10.35pm) Comedy Playhouse season begins with a one-off sitcom about a former TV weatherman trying to rebuild his career. Starring Hugh Dennis, Neil Morrissey & Tracy-Ann Oberman. (1/3)

WEDNESDAY 30th
Panorama: Behind Closed Doors – Elderly Care Exposed (BBC1, 9pm) Documentary about the British care home system.
The Birth of Empire: The East India Company (BBC2, 9pm) Historical documentary about the 200-year-old British trade in India. Presented by Dan Snow. (1/2)
Orphan Black (BBC3, 10pm) Season 2 of the Canadian sci-fi drama about clones. Starring Tatiana Maslany, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Matt Frewer & Evelyn Brochu. (1/10)
Cardinal Burns (Channel 4, 10.30pm) Series 2 of the award-winning sketch show from Seb Cardinal & Dustin Demri-Burns. (1/6)

THURSDAY 1st
Heston's Great British Food (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 2 of the culinary series where chef Heston Blumenthal gets inspiration from the country's culinary past. (1/4)

FRIDAY 2nd
The Beatles: The Night That Changed America – A Grammy Salute (ITV, 10.35pm) Special celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatle's first appearance on US TV during the Ed Sullivan Show. Guest contributors include Kate Beckinsale, Johnny Depp, Eric Idle, LL Cool J, Sean Penn, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Maroon 5, Dave Grohl, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Eurythmics, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder & David Letterman.

SATURDAY 3rd
Nothing. Cross-stitch isn't just for the elderly, you know...

SUNDAY 4th
In the Flesh (BBC3, 9pm) Series 2 of the drama about a world where an outbreak of zombies were "cured" and must now reintegrate back into a prejudiced society. (1/6)

= Pick of the Day

For a look at what the rest of the year's going to bring,