Girls’ night in… and out
1 Children in Need – Got It Covered
BBC ONE, WEDNESDAY, 7.30PM There’s something a little bit special for the legendary charity this year, involving some of the UK’s biggest stars, who are pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to record a covers album. The songbirds include Helena Bonham Carter, Olivia Colman, Suranne Jones, Jim Broadbent and David Tennant, who have all chosen tracks which have a special meaning for them. After guidance from producer and songwriter Guy Chambers, they recorded the songs at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and it’s all been captured on this documentary, narrated by Dervla Kirwan. As David Tennant says, ‘It’s for Children In Need, it’s like National Service. When the call comes, you don’t say no.’
2 Autumnwatch BBC ONE, TUESDAY,
8PM NEW SERIES Chris, Michaela, Gillian and Iolo return for a week of special programmes showcasing our wonderful wildlife. From their HQ in the Dell of Abernethy in the Cairngorms, they welcome guests including astronaut Tim Peake, and a Yorkshire GP who has befriended a colony of North Sea seals.
3 Prince Charles: Inside the Duchy of Cornwall
ITV, THURSDAY, 9PM As well as visiting Nansledan, the successor to new town Poundbury, our future monarch reflects on the challenges, criticisms and successes that mark his 50 years as Duke of Cornwall. He also discusses his passion for rural crafts.
4 The Secret Life Of the Zoo CHANNEL 4,
THURSDAY, 8PM NEW SERIES It’s all go at the zoo, where for the first time micro-rig cameras capture the goings-on of the animals. The Humboldt penguins welcome 16 new members to their colony, the Cardinal fish experience a population explosion and a baby elephant undergoes lifesaving medical treatment.
5 Ready Meals: The Big Con? CHANNEL 5,
THURSDAY, 8PM Do you know what’s really lurking in your lunch? Paul Connolly and Jean Johansson present this consumer show that investigates convenience food. To kick off, they meet a Birmingham family whose ready-meal-mad kids can’t get enough of the microwave.