Saturday
5.25pm Total Wipeout BBC1 – Final series of the gameshow fronted by Richard Hammond.
7.15pm Red or Black? ITV – Re-energized second series of the game show hosted by Ant & Dec. Eight contestants battle it out for a place in the final four, but standing in their way are super-humans smashing through panes of reinforced glass, card throwers performing incredible feats and a performance game from the chart-topping Cover Drive. Getting it right puts the contestants closer to the opportunity to win millions of pounds. Continues at 9.15pm
PICK: 8.00pm The X Factor ITV – Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger joins the judging panel alongside Gary Barlow, Louis Walsh and Tulisa in their search for the nation’s next singing sensation. The judges visit London and Newcastle, leaving no stone unturned in their search to find a world-class artist. There they see it all, from people who write their own music to those who should stick to karaoke or maybe not sing at all! More talent, tears, tantrums, all presented by Dermot O’Leary.
10.00pm The Jonathan Ross Show ITV – Tonight’s guests include Irish superstar Colin Farrell and Kelly Brook. With music from Rita Ora.
Sunday
7.00pm The Chase ITV – Bradley Walsh hosts a celebrity edition of the quiz show where four celebrities have to work together to try and win thousands of pounds for charity. But can they outwit the quiz genius known as The Chaser? Tonight’s celebrities are former Tory MP Edwina Currie, Countdown’s Rachel Riley, Boyzone and Corrie star Keith Duffy, and Emmerdale actor Mark Charnock.
PICK: 9.00pm Silent Witness BBC1 – Episode of the crime forensic drama that was postponed earlier in the year. The 2-part episode will also be the last to feature regular cast member Tom Ward. Nikki stumbles across a sinister underworld where teenage girls are groomed for sex and forced into prostitution. Concludes Tomorrow.
9.00pm The Toughest Place to be a.. BBC2 – Series in which British workers are challenged to do their job under some of the toughest conditions in the world. Staffordshire mine worker Craig Notman travels to Mongolia to dig for gold with local miner Sukhbaatar. Safety conscious Craig learns to dig and pan for gold in a precarious network of tunnels deep in the Mongolian steppe that have cost the lives of thousands of small-scale miners.
PICK: 9.00pm The Last Weekend ITV – First of a three-part adaptation of Blake Morrison’s best-selling suspense thriller. Two couples with a shared history embark on a relaxing four-day break on a hot summer bank holiday weekend in the Suffolk countryside. The stifling weather intensifies the ominous atmosphere as sexual tensions and male rivalry quickly overshadow events while accumulated secrets and jealousies creep to the surface. Stars Rupert Penry-Jones and Shaun Evans.
9.00pm The Batman Shootings BBC3 – In London’s Leicester Square, Amal Fashanu was one of the lucky ones with a ticket for the opening of the latest Batman film. Days later Amal was heading for Aurora, Colorado, after 12 people were shot dead by a lone gunman as they watched the same movie, The Dark Knight Rises. In the first documentary on the latest gun massacre in the USA, Amal speaks to survivors, including Jansen Young, who lived because her boyfriend shielded her from bullets. Amal also discovers how the gunman tried to join a local rifle club in the weeks before the shootings. Columbine, Virgina Tech and now Aurora and the Sikh temple in Milwaukee – the list of gun massacres in the USA grows ever longer. Amal speaks to young Americans about their attitude to gun ownership, which is protected by the US constitution. Amal finds out if young people think the state of Colorado should pass the death penalty on the gunman, James Holmes, who identified himself to police as The Joker.
10.00pm Mutt Ugly: The World’s Ugliest Dog Five – Documentary following the first-ever British competitor in the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest, a prestigious annual event held in California.
10.10pm I’m Spazticus Channel 4 – Channel 4’s Funny Fortnight welcomes brand new series I’m Spazticus, offering a fresh new take on the hidden camera prank show format. Featuring a cast of disabled talent, the four-part series features individuals with varying disabilities pranking members of the public in a cheeky and irreverent way. The show mixes hidden camera and mockumentary style shooting to create a series of hilarious situations. Alongside a number of recurring characters, there are also a host of one-offs throughout the series. In the opening episode people are asked to take part in a police line-up while pretending to have Cerebral Palsy, a delivery man returns the wrong stuffed guide dog to its blind owner, and a wheelchair parachutist gets stuck in a tree.
10.40pm The Function Room Channel 4 – Studio sitcom set in a room above a pub which is used for a community ‘Meet The Police’ event where residents are invited to quiz local officers about crime in the area. While the police plan simply to postcode peoples’ valuables, the locals are only interested in one thing: who is the infamous Shit Egg Killer? And will they put that name in the papers? Especially when he’s not actually killed anyone… An all-star cast includes Blake Harrison, James Fleet, Reece Shearsmith, Paul Ritter, Kevin Eldon, Jessica Knappett, Beverley Rudd, Simon Day, Colin Hoult, Stephen Lord, Marek Larwood, Phil Nice, Josephine Butler and Daniel Rigby.
Monday
5.00pm Don’t Blow the Inheritance ITV – New quiz show, hosted by Tim Vine, in which teams made up of two generations from the same family answer general knowledge questions to build up their Inheritance Prize Fund and make it through to the final. Parents first compete against each other to add thousands of pounds to their son or daughter’s prize fund, but only one pair makes it to the final – where it is the turn of the children to answer the questions correctly and keep the cash rather than undoing all of mum or dad’s hard work.
9.00pm Cutting Edge: Ian Brady: Endgames of the Psychopath Channel 4 – Ian Brady, psychopath, sadist and child murderer, has been in captivity for nearly 50 years, but he is still a powerful and disturbing presence in the nation’s consciousness. This Cutting Edge film, which has unprecedented access to those closest to Brady, charts his ongoing attempts to influence and control those around him.
PICK: 9.00pm Our War BBC3 – Series 2 of the documentary series telling further stories of life on the frontline in Afghanistan, seen through films shot by the soldiers themselves. A mission deep into enemy territory is captured on camera by soldiers during Afghanistan’s bloodiest summer on record. Troop surges in 2010 forced the Taliban to fight dirty, using more IEDs than ever. Against this backdrop a 100-strong company from 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment was deployed into one of the most dangerous areas of Helmand, tasked with protecting a vital road link.
10.00pm Toast of London Channel 4 – A new sitcom written by Arthur Mathews, starring Matt Berry. Steven Toast is a successful actor. Now in his forties, Toast regularly appears in prestigious television dramas, and on the London stage. However, he has made a recent career faux pas by electing to star in a new controversial West End stage play. The play is considered so outrageous, that Toast is frequently attacked by appalled members of the British public. Recently divorced, Toast now stays with his friend Ed Howzer-Black and Ed’s elderly mistress, the agoraphobic Goodhouse. In this pilot episode Toast is asked to audition for long-running television series ‘Summer Time Murders’. However, the producer has been imprisoned for racial chanting on the set of his own production, so Toast has to audition for the part of a gay corrupt detective during prisoner’s visiting time.
Tuesday
9.00pm The Queen’s Mother in law Channel 4 – The late Queen Mother was one of Britain’s most instantly recognisable figures. But few of us have even heard of the Queen’s mother-in-law, Princess Alice. But her life story almost defies belief. A great granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Prince Philip’s mother married into the Greek royal family, only to see the Greek monarchy overthrown by revolution. Fleeing into exile, she suffered a severe nervous breakdown. She was locked away in mental hospitals and subjected to experimental treatments by psychiatrists, including Sigmund Freud. The trauma had a shattering effect on Princess Alice’s marriage and led to a fractured childhood for her only son, Prince Philip. Philip’s mother eventually fought her way back from mental illness, and became an unlikely hero of World War II, risking her life to hide a Jewish family from the Nazis
10.00pm C4 Comedy Presents: Them from that Thing Channel 4 – Showing as part of Channel 4’s Funny Fortnight, Them From That Thing is a brand new two-part sketch show that features a supergroup cast of Channel 4 comedy stars with a host of famous cameos from the world of drama. Some of the UK’s finest comedy actors, including Blake Harrison, Kayvan Novak, Sally Phillips and Morgana Robinson, feature alongside cameo appearances from Simon Callow, Bill Patterson, Sean Pertwee, Jane Asher, Denis Lawson, Ewen Bremner, Kevin Eldon, Sean Gilder, Neil Maskell, Tom Bennett and Dan Renton Skinner. Them From That Thing combines the look and feel of great British drama with a silly, and slightly unhinged, comic sensibility. The show tackles the big issues of modern life: the loss of identity in the workplace, the cost of getting a banana delivered from a supermarket delivery service, and whether or not anyone else can see the talking Blancmange man. Concludes tomorrow.
Wednesday
9.00pm Mount Pleasant SkyLiving – Series 2 of the domestic comedy starring Sally Lindsay and Daniel Ryan.
10.00pm The Revolution will be Televised BBC3 – Satirical series featuring bite-sized comedy hits, from fictionalised characters to stunt-led sketches, which brings the corruption, greed and hypocrisy of politicians, multi-nationals and tax-shy billionaires to the fore and drags it to the court of public opinion.
Thursday
8.00pm Waterloo Road BBC1 – The school based drama relocates to Scotland for a new series. As the new school opens in Scotland, headteacher Michael has his work cut out dealing with a pair of runaway teens and a burgeoning rivalry with a local headmaster. Elsewhere Scout is targeted by a bully and Tariq struggles with his newfound situation.
9.00pm Whatever Happened to Harry Hill? Channel 4 – In 1999 Channel 4’s Harry Hill show – loved by thousands – was cancelled amid public outcry and rancour. Star and writer of the show Harry Hill has not spoken to the Badgers, his Big Brother Alan, Son Alan, Burt Kwouk or any of the original cast since. As Channel 4 celebrates its 30th birthday the Harry Hill gang look back at the series, work out where it all went wrong and see if they can put their differences behind them to reunite for one last Reunion Special. This specially commissioned documentary investigates the rise and fall of The Harry Hill Show, which originally ran for three series on Channel 4. The programme talks to the surviving members of the cast and the reclusive floppy-collared genius who created it.
10.00pm Vic & Bob’s Lucky Sexy Winners Channel 4 – Comedy legends Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer return to Channel 4 with a brand new show. Ripping up the rule book for panel and quiz show formats, Vic and Bob’s Lucky Sexy Winners is packed jam full of comedy treats.
10.35pm Just Around the Corner Channel 4 – Shown as part of Channel 4’s Funny Fortnight season. The award-winning writing duo of Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin – co-creators of hit series Outnumbered and Drop the Dead Donkey – return to Channel 4 after 14 years with Just Around the Corner. It’s the story of suburban family the Pilches, who live in a flooded, warm and uncertain world where all the banks have disappeared, along with much of Britain’s coastline. The Pilch family encounter all the familiar dilemmas that have shaped family life through the ages, only this time those struggles are played out against the backdrop of a dog-eat-dog future.
Friday
PICK: 9.00pm Parade’s End BBC2 – Drama series starring Benedict Cumberbatch. In the dying days of the Edwardian Empire, Christopher Tietjens enters into a destructive marriage with the beautiful but cruel socialite Sylvia. Ignoring her overt flirtation with other men, Christopher resolves to remain faithful to her, even when he encounters fearless young suffragette Valentine. Written by Tom Stoppard. Based on the novels by Ford Madox Ford.
9.00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Channel 4 – Following the success of Cats Do Countdown earlier in the year, Jimmy Carr, Sean Lock and Jon Richardson once again take on the famous words and numbers quiz. Jimmy Carr hosts proceedings, and Sean Lock faces Jon Richardson in a rematch of the original encounter. David O’Doherty is in along with Countdown regular Susie Dent. Meanwhile the country’s favourite boffin Rachel Riley provides the letters and numbers with a little help from comedian Joe Wilkinson. Jon returns victorious from his win early this year.
10.00pm Idris Elba’s How Clubbing Changed the World Channel 4 – Following the success of 2011’s How Hip Hop Changed the World, actor and international DJ Idris Elba returns to count down the defining moments of the greatest cultural phenomenon of our generation in How Clubbing Changed the World, which features some of the biggest names in dance music. Twenty-five years after the birth of rave, a new generation of British DJs and producers are at the forefront of a global musical revolution. From trance to dubstep, the sound of British producers has now become the most sought-after commodity for the biggest pop stars on the planet. Reaching far beyond the sweaty dance floors of the Hacienda and the Ministry of Sound, this programme reveals how British nightclubbing transformed our nation and influenced societies across the world.
12.00am House Party Channel 4 – In an unprecedented live television event, Channel 4 hands over creative control to six world-class DJs: Grandmaster Flash, Annie Mac, Horse Meat Disco, Soul II Soul, Erick Morillo and A-Track. In the past DJs have taken over warehouses, fields, car parks and derelict office blocks. Now for the first time, DJs take control of a national broadcaster to bring the country together with a six-hour House Party. With no advert breaks, no commentary and no interruptions, this all-night takeover sees a line-up of top international DJs each playing live to the nation with hour-long sets, offering audiences a totally new party experience, and transforming living rooms, bedrooms and bars across the UK into dance floors.
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