Monday, 2 June 2014

TV Picks: 2-8 June 2014 (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Amber, Big Brother, Comedy Gala, Orange is the New Black, Soccer Aid, TV OD, etc.)


Below are my picks of the most notable TV shows, returning or premiering on UK screens this week...

MONDAY 2nd
Jamie's Money Saving Meals (Channel 4, 8.30pm) Series 2 of the cookery show where chef Jamie Oliver shows you how to prepare easy, cheap, nutritious and tasty meals. (1/6)
A Very British Airline (BBC2, 9pm) Fly-on-the-wall documentary series about the running of British Airways. (1/3)
Secret Life of Cats (ITV, 9pm) Nature documentary on felines, exploring how they use their senses. Narrated by Martin Clunes.
Badults (BBC3, 10pm) Series 2 of the sitcom about three friends who made a pact to live together as adults. (1/6)
Dinner at 11 (Channel 4, 10.50pm) Special where children around the age of 11 attend a dinner party with other kids, eating meals also prepared by children, to discuss topics like divorce, politics, education and relationships.

TUESDAY 3rd
Quads: Our First Year (ITV, 8pm) Documentary about a couple who conceived two sets of identical twins after years of IVF treatment.
Secret Life of Babies (ITV, 9pm) Documentary on human babies, exploring how they develop and understand the world. Narrated by Martin Clunes.
Selling Houses with Amanda Lamb (More4, 9pm) Series 2 of the property series. (1/12)
Backchat World Cup Special (BBC3, 10pm) Comedy chat show special hosted by Jack Whitehall and his real-life father, Michael.
Amber (BBC4, 10pm) Drama about the disappearance of a Dublin teenagers two years ago. (1/4)

WEDNESDAY 4th
Mary's Silver Service (Channel 4, 8pm) New series where Mary Portas starts a pop-up employment agency for pensioners. (1/3)
The McCann's and the Conman (Channel 5, 9pm) Documentary about how Kevin Halligen conned the McCann family into believing he was a spy, after hearing of their search for missing daughter Madeleine.
I Wanna Marry "Harry" (ITV2, 9pm) New US reality show were a dozen American girls compete to win the hand of Prince Harry, unaware "Harry" is just a lookalike. Double-bill.
My Last Summer (Channel 4, 10pm) New documentary series where five terminally ill people attend weekends together in the Cotswolds to contemplate the end of their lives. (1/4)

THURSDAY 5th
George Clarke's Amazing Spaces (Channel 4, 8pm) Series 3 of the property renovation show. (1/7)
Angry Britain (Channel 5, 8pm) Documentary about public outbursts of frustration caught on camera. (1/6)
Channel 4's Comedy Gala (Channel 4, 9pm) Annual comedy telethon to raise money for Great Ordmond Street Hospital Children's Charity. Featuring Adam Hills, Aisling Bea, Jack Dee, James Corden, John Bishop, Jonathan Ross, Kerry Godliman, Kevin Bridges, Lee Evans, Michael McIntyre, Paul Chowdrhy, Paddy McGuinness, Seann Walsh, Sean Lock, Warwick Davis, and others.
Big Brother: Power Trip Launch (Channel 5, 9pm) Series 15 of the reality show. Hosted by Emma Griffiths.
TV OD (ITV2, 9pm) New comedy panel show about the week's TV shows. Hosted by Matt Edmondson. Guests are Kian Egan & Charlotte Crosby. (1/8)
Big Brother's Bit on the Side (Channel 5, 10.35pm) Return of the Big Brother sister series. Hosted by Emma Griffiths & Rylan Clark, with Luisa Zissman.

FRIDAY 6th
Orange is the New Black (Netflix) Season 2 of the US comedy-drama about the inmates of a women's prison.
Farewell Tina (ITV, 8pm) Special episode looking back at the Coronation Street character Tina McIntyre, who was killed off last week.
Celebrity Fifteen to One (Channel 4, 8pm) Celebrity special of the quiz show, hosted by Adam Hills. Featuring Johnny Vegas, Ann Widdecombe, Heston Blumenthal, and others. (1/4)
Soccer Aid (ITV, 9pm) Annual celebrity charity fundraiser, where England take on The Rest of the World. Hosted by Cat Deeley. Participants include team captains Robbie Williams 7 Michael Sheen, with James McAvoy, Olly Murrs, John Bishop, and others.
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 3 of the comedy panel show splicing 8 Out of 10 Cats with Countdown. Hosted by Jimmy Carr, with team captains Sean Lock & Jon Richardson. Guests are Jonathan Ross, Roisin Conaty & David O'Docherty. (1/6)


SATURDAY 7th
Nothing. Why not adopt a penguin?

SUNDAY 8th
Born in the Wild (Channel 4, 8pm) Wildlife documentary series looking at how different species, give birth, and raise their young. Presented by Mark Evans & Joy Reidenberg. (1/4)
Wildfires 2014: Inside the Inferno (BBC2, 9pm) Documentary about the worst wildlife Australia experienced in a decade. Presented by Kate Humble & Simon Reeve. (1/2)

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