Monday, 14 July 2014

TV Picks: 14-20 July 2014 (Being Human USA, Foyle's War, The Mimic, Ray Donovan, Utopia, Veep, etc.)


Below are my picks of the most notable new shows, returning or premiering on UK screens over the next 7 days...

MONDAY 14th
University Challenge (BBC2, 8pm) Series 21 of the student quiz show. Hosted by Jeremy Paxman. (1/37)
Food Unwrapped (Channel 4, 8.30pm) Series 4 of the show investigating where the nation's food comes from. (1/6)
Long Lost Family (ITV, 9pm) Series 4 of the show that reunites separated relatives. Presented by Davina McCall & Nicky Campbell. (1/8)
Royal Marines Commando School (Channel 4, 9pm) Series going behind-the-scenes at the Royal Marines Commando Training Centre in Devon. (1/8)
Utopia (Channel 4, 10pm) Series 2 of the conspiracy thriller. Starring Tom Burke, Rose Leslie, Ed Birch, Anca Androne, Kevin Trainor, Tim McInnerny, Aine Garvey & Trystan Gravelle. Continues tomorrow. (1/6)
Being Human USA (Watch, 10pm) Season 2 of the US supernatural drama about a vampire, werewolf and ghost living together. Starring Sam Huntington, Sam Witwer & Meaghan Rath. (1/13)


TUESDAY 15th
Hive Alive (BBC2, 9pm) Wildlife two-part documentary about the secret lives of bees. (1/2)
Nick & Margaret: Too Many Immigrants (BBC1, 9pm) Factual special looking at the question of immigration. Presented by Nick Hewer & Margaret Mountford. Concludes tomorrow. (1/2)
Undercover Boss (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 6 of the show where a company's CEO secretly joins their workforce. (1/6)
Glasgow Girls (BBC3, 10pm) Musical drama about a group of schoolgirls fighting to save their friend from deportation. Starring Letitia Wright, Kirstie Steele, Aruhan Galieva, Erin Armstrong & Olivia Popica.
Ray Donovan (Sky Atlantic) Season 2 of the drama about an L.A fixer for the rich and famous. Starring Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Paula Malcomsen, Eddie Marsan & Hank Azaria. (1/12)
Exposure: Don't Take My Child (ITV, 10.40pm) Documentary about the adoption process.


WEDNESDAY 16th
Talk to the Animals (BBC1, 8pm) Wildlife documentary about communicating with animals. Presented by zoologist Lucy Cooke. (1/2)
Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies (BBC2, 8pm) Science special where a team take to the skies in a large airship to investigate the atmosphere. (1/2)
The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway (BBC2, 9pm) New documentary series on the creation of the Crossrail, a 75-mile train line linking east and west London. (1/3)
Testing Britain's Worst Drivers: Crash Course (ITV, 9pm) Documentary about two of the UK's worst drivers, who face the consequences of their motoring ineptitude.
Veep (Sky Atlantic, 9.35pm) Season 3 of the U.S political satire. Starring Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Reid Scott & Timothy Simons. (1/10)
The Mimic (Channel 4, 10pm) Series 2 of the comedy about a loser with remarkable skills of vocal mimicry. Starring Terry Mynott, Neil Maskell & Jacob Anderson. (1/6)


THURSDAY 17th
Horizon: What's Wrong With Our Weather? (BBC2, 8pm) Science documentary hoping to explain why the UK's weather has become more extreme in recent years.
Harbour Lives (ITV, 8.30pm) Series 2 of the show where Ben Fogle visits harbours around the UK.
Inquisition (Yesterday, 9pm) Documentary about the Inquisition, who were established to combat religious heresy. (1/4)
Survive the Tribe (National Geographic, 9pm) Documentary series where Hazen Audel immerses himself in some of the world's most isolated tribes. (1/6)
Britain's Poshest Nannies (ITV, 9pm) Documentary following second-year students at a childcare training centre in Bath.
The Great Big Romanian Invasion (BBC1, 10.35pm) Documentary inspired by the fact EU border controls were relaxed in January, allowing Romanians to enter the UK to find work.

FRIDAY 18th
The Village That's Falling Into the Sea (BBC1, 7.30pm) Documentary about the Norfolk seaside resort of Hemsby, which is beginning to fall into the North sea.
BBC Proms 2014 (BBC2, 8pm) Coverage of the 120th season of classical music from London's Royal Albert Hall.

SATURDAY 19th
Live at Edinburgh Castle (BBC1, 8.30pm) Concert from Edinburgh Castle, celebrating next Wednesday's opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games.

SUNDAY 20th
Foyle's War (ITV, 8pm) Series 8 of the detective drama, now taking place just after WWII. Starring Michael Kitchen, Honeysuckle Weeks, Ellie Haddington, Tim McMullan, Jeremy Swift & Daniel Weyman. (1/3)
Seven Wonders of the Commonwealth (BBC1, 9.10pm) Five presenters travel to seven Commonwealth countries. Presented by Clare Baldin, Dan Snow, Denise Lewis, Anita Rani & Reggie Yates.

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