TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
A FARM THROUGH TIME Thursday, Channel 5, 9pm
Rob and Dave Nicholson move on to the Victorian era, with help from historian Ruth Goodman.
It was a boom time for the country, with health and wealth on the rise – as was the population, which tripled. But it wasn’t without its problems as farmers faced the daunting task of producing plenty of food, despite many labourers leaving the countryside for more lucrative work in towns.
GARDENERS’ WORLD Friday, BBC2, 8pm
This week’s show comes from Adam
Frost’s garden, while Arit Anderson discovers a paradise garden in Cambridge, which has become a focal point for the local community and Frances Tophill shares the joy of collecting and saving heirloom vegetable seeds on a visit to Pembrokeshire. Over in Wolverhampton, meanwhile, we meet a gardener who has turned a long narrow plot into a magical space.
ALAN CARR’S EPIC GAMESHOW CELEBRITY SPECIAL Saturday, ITV, 7pm
This week the comedian hosts a special version of Strike It Lucky, with pairings from The Masked Singer, The Repair Shop and Love Island battling it out to win £25,000 for charity.
Can they avoid all of the hotspots and win the big money?
RIDLEY Sunday (ITV, 8pm)
We know that Adrian Dunbar takes the title role in this promising new crime drama, but we’re going to have to watch it to find out if his character has as many extraordinary catchphrases and lines as Hastings, his alter ego in Line of Duty. Filmed in Lancashire, the four-part series focuses on Alex Ridley, a recently retired police detective who returns to the force in an advisory capacity, working alongside his protege, Acting DI Carol Farman, who now heads his former investigative team. It’s hoped his wealth of experience will help his old colleagues crack a difficult murder case, which is about to take a very dark and disturbing turn indeed. Aidan McArdle, Julie Graham and Bhavna Limbachia also star.
ANIMAL AIRLIFT: ESCAPING THE TALIBAN Monday (C4, 10pm)
In August 2021, as the West withdrew from Afghanistan, Nowzad animal refuge founder Pen Farthing and his team were working to ensure that their staff, as well as the cats and dogs that they sheltered, made it out safely. It was a story that initially touched the hearts of many animal lovers across the UK, but when
others asked whether the rescue operation was putting pets above people, the tide of opinion began to turn. With exclusive access to Farthing, this documentary asks why this story stirred up such strong emotions on both sides.
DAYS THAT SHOOK THE BBC WITH DAVID DIMBLEBY Tuesday (BBC2, 9pm) This year marks the 100th anniversary of the BBC. For many people, that’s a cause for celebration, but it’s also led to questions about the future of the corporation. However, as David Dimbleby points out in this new series, this is far from the first time the Beeb has been under scrutiny.
THE REPAIR SHOP
Wednesday (BBC1, 8pm) More much-loved family heirlooms receive some TLC from the experts at the Weald and Downland Living Museum. First up, cobbler Dean Westmoreland has to work his magic on a pair of 70-year-old roller skates before electronics expert Mark Stuckey tries to breathe new life into a radiogram, which is only a few years younger than the skates. Mechanical whizz David Burville is delighted to be presented with a toy fire engine, while leatherworker Suzie Fletcher restores a wallet that once belonged to an Indian freedom fighter.