Seven DaysMIKE MULVIHILL’S guide to the week’s TV

SATURDAY POINTLESS CELEBRITIES

5.30pm, bbc1 ★★★★

Ama Agbeze, Greg Rusedski, Eddie Izzard, Hannah Cockcroft, Rebecca Adlington, Michael O’neill, Jayne Torvill and Robin Cousins are the stars lining up for a special Sports Personality Of The Year edition of the quiz ahead of Sunday night’s big event.

BRITAIN’S WILDEST WEATHER 2019

7.30pm, ch4 ★★★

This eye-popping collection of extreme weather footage has been captured by people who were at the heart of the storm. In it, we find out what it’s like to nearly die in an avalanche in Snowdonia, and witness the sheer horror of being swept overboard by a monster wave in the middle of the night.

MICHAEL MCINTYRE’S BIG SHOW

9.10pm, bbc1 ★★★★

Joining Michael this week is opera superstar Andrea Bocelli, while singer Ellie Goulding – who has recorded a duet with Bocelli – will be handing over her phone for what is sure to be a hilarious round of Send To All.

ROD STEWART: REEL STORIES

9.10pm, bbc2 ★★★★

Dermot O’leary sits down for an intimate chat with the rock legend, taking Rod back to his childhood cinema to relive moments from a career spanning six decades, with the help of some memorable archive footage.

SUNDAY COUNTRYFILE

6pm, bbc1 ★★★★

In Buckinghamshire, Matt Baker meets a group of schoolchildren making their first visit to a farm, and Steve Brown heads to Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital, where he helps to return two barn owls to the wild.

SCOTLAND’S SCENIC RAILWAYS

7pm, ch4 ★★★

This charming travelogue meets the people who work on Scotland’s scenic railway lines – plus the steam enthusiasts who safeguard these iconic routes, which connect coastal towns and rural villages across miles of breathtaking Highland landscape.

THE X FACTOR: THE BAND – LIVE FINAL

8pm, itv ★★★

Has Simon Cowell found the next One Direction or Little Mix? Find out in the grand final as the remaining acts take to the stage, all hoping for a shot at glory.

JAMIE’S EASY CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

8pm, ch4 ★★★★

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Jamie Oliver’s house. On the menu this year is a luxurious smoked salmon pate and a showstopping turkey, served with pork stuffing, glazed clementine carrots and the perfect goose-fat roast potatoes. Yum.

INSIDE THE MIND OF AGATHA CHRISTIE

8pm, ch5 ★★★★

Before The Curse Of Ishtar at 9pm, this fascinating documentary sets out on a mission to sleuth out the secret to Agatha Christie’s success – she is surpassed in sales by only William Shakespeare and the Bible! HIS DARK MATERIALS

9pm, bbc1 ★★★★ In the penultimate episode of this magical adventure, Lyra is separated from her friends and must use all of her powers of deception to thwart a formidable foe. Elsewhere, Mrs Coulter plots her next move.

AGATHA AND THE CURSE OF ISHTAR

9pm, bbc2 ★★★★ See TV feature, page 30.

MONDAY MEET THE STREET AT CHRISTMAS

9.15Am, bbc1 ★★★

In this heart-warming new daily series, vocal coach Mark De-lisser (Our Dementia Choir) heads out into the community to form choirs made up of people who are cut off from others, from stay-at-home parents and retirees to people living in remote areas or affected by mobility issues. 24 HOURS IN A&E

9pm, bbc2 ★★★★ Lucy, who’s 33, comes into St George’s having suffered a severe epileptic seizure that left her unconscious – and her parents worried.

CHRIS TARRANT: EXTREME RAILWAY JOURNEYS

9pm, ch5 ★★★

Chris heads to the Emerald Isle to take a journey across Ireland in just six days. Largely built during British colonial rule, the ageing railway has played its part in more than 100 years of troubled Irish history.

CUNK & OTHER HUMANS ON 2019

10.30pm, bbc2 ★★★★

In her own inimitable style, moronic presenter Philomena Cunk (played ever so intelligently by Diane Morgan) will be looking back at the major events of the past year.

TUESDAY MASTERCHEF: THE PROFESSIONALS

8pm, bbc2 ★★★★

After six weeks of intense culinary battles, only the four most talented chefs out of the original 48 remain. Over the next three nights, Monica Galetti and Marcus Wareing will be turning up the heat even further before the winner is crowned on Thursday.

HOW TO SPEND IT WELL AT CHRISTMAS

8pm, itv ★★★

In this final episode, Phillip Schofield and his helpers will be tucking into this year’s food and drink offerings, from affordable fizzy wine to pre-cooked turkey. Plus, modern-day takes on products that were popular in the 1970s, from the Sodastream to the Teasmade.

THE SUPERVET

8pm, ch4 ★★★ Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is spreading some festive cheer to his animal patients, including a French bulldog who has been attacked by another, larger dog, and a German shepherd puppy who has already had one back leg amputated, but is now limping on the other.

INSIDE HARRODS AT CHRISTMAS

8pm, ch5 ★★★

Head inside the gilded doors of the London emporium to learn the amazing origins of the legendary store and find out how it claimed its place at the heart of Christmas.

GOLD DIGGER

9pm, bbc1 ★★★

Now that she knows her toyboy, Benjamin (Ben Barnes), is a murderer, surely Julia (Julia

Ormond) won’t go ahead with the wedding. But as the big day arrives in the final episode, more secrets and lies come spilling out…

THE UNDATEABLES AT CHRISTMAS

9pm, ch4 ★★★

In this one-off special, familiar faces from past series share their festive plans as Fran prepares for his second-ever date, and autistic Brighton rock star Daniel plans a seasonal surprise for fiancee Lily.

GREGG WALLACE’S MAGICAL CHRISTMAS MARKET

9pm, ch5 ★★★ Former greengrocer Gregg is in his element as he travels the world to find out how the humble market stall has become such a key staple of the Christmas season.

WEDNESDAY PAUL O’GRADY: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS

8PM, ITV ★★★

In the final episode, Paul has to resist the urge to take home yet another pet when he falls for a poorly Pyrenean mountain dog.

THE BABY HAS LANDED

9PM, BBC2 ★★★

It’s time to say goodbye to our sleepdeprived families, who, with their lives changed for ever, have big decisions to make.

FOOD UNWRAPPED: CRACKING CHRISTMAS GUIDE

8PM, CH4 ★★★ Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton, Matt Tebbutt and Helen Lawal reveal all you need to know to feed your family and friends better, cheaper and faster. But is deep-frying your turkey really the answer?

MY GRANDPARENTS’ WAR

9PM, CH4 ★★★★

In the final episode, Oscar-nominated actress Carey Mulligan traces the part her grandfather, Denzil Booth, played in the Second World War. It’s an emotional journey that takes Carey to Japan to understand the culture of the kamikaze.

CASUALTY 24/7 AT CHRISTMAS

9PM, CH5 ★★★

The cameras return to Barnsley Hospital’s A&E department to see how the staff and patients celebrate Christmas in casualty.

THURSDAY THE DOG RESCUERS WITH ALAN DAVIES AT CHRISTMAS

8PM, CH5 ★★★

In a heart-warming special, Alan is out with RSPCA inspectors bringing much-needed festive cheer to some neglected animals.

HESTON’S MARVELLOUS MENU: BACK TO THE NOUGHTIES

9PM, BBC2 ★★★

In this nostalgic documentary, restaurant critic Giles Coren takes revolutionary chef Heston Blumenthal back to 2001 to relive the glory days of his restaurant, The Fat Duck.

THE BIG SOAP QUIZ: CORONATION STREET V EMMERDALE

9PM, ITV ★★★ Stephen Mulhern hosts as the Rovers Return regulars face their Woolpack rivals in a battle to find out who knows their soaps best.

THE CURE

9PM, CH4 ★★★★

Powerful fact-based drama following the origins of the Cure The NHS campaign, launched by Julie Bailey (Sian Brooke) after the death of her mother, Bella, in shocking circumstances at Stafford Hospital in 2007.

FREDDIE MERCURY: A CHRISTMAS STORY

9PM, CH5 ★★★★

Rare footage, insightful interviews and some great music combine to tell the story of how Christmas came to hold such a special place in the heart of the Queen legend.

FRIDAY STILL OPEN ALL HOURS

8PM, BBC1 ★★★ Granville takes delivery of a bargain consignment from Spain – but what’s inside? Meanwhile, Eric and Cyril fall out over a lost compass, and Mr Newbold falls in and gets soaked on a boat trip with Mrs Rossi.

CORONATION STREET AT CHRISTMAS

8.30PM, ITV ★★★★

Narrated by former cast member Sue Johnston, this nostalgic documentary celebrates the best of Christmas on the cobbles over almost six decades.

A MERRY TUDOR CHRISTMAS WITH LUCY WORSLEY

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The jovial historian re-creates how Christmas was celebrated during the age of Henry VIII – eating, drinking, singing, dancing and partying like people did 500 years ago.

WOULD I LIE TO YOU?

9.30PM, BBC1 ★★★★

This week’s celebrity bluffers are radio DJ Alice Levine, The Repair Shop’s resident restorer Jay Blades, The Royle Family’s Sue Johnston and comedy great Bob Mortimer.

BALL & BOE: A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

9.30PM, ITV ★★★★

Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are joined by guests Shirley Bassey, Luke Evans and Gregory Porter for a night of festive music.