Seven Days

mike mulvihill’s guide to the week’s TV

SATURDAY

ELIUD KIPCHOGE: MY SUB TWO HOUR

MARATHON

1.15pm, bbc1 HHHH

On the day before the London Marathon was due to be held, the 2019 winner talks about becoming the first runner to go the distance in under two hours – a record he set last October in an experimental event in Vienna. Tomorrow, there’s a chance to relive the first staging of the race in The 1981 London Marathon: A Historical First (2pm, BBC1).

POINTLESS CELEBRITIES

6.10pm, bbc1 HHHH

John Shuttleworth, the Rev Kate Bottley, Sue Jenkins, Robin Askwith, Gyles Brandreth, Baga Chipz, Rachel Yankey and Faye White are the celebrities taking part in an England-themed edition of the fun general knowledge quiz.

CASUALTY

7.25pm, bbc1 HHH

Connie is horrified when a familiar face returns to the emergency department in the most heartbreaking of ways. Can she help them, even when faced with resistance? Meanwhile, Fenisha and Will’s short-lived happiness comes crashing down.

ALL ROUND TO MRS BROWN’S

9.15pm, bbc1 HHH

Agnes’s guests this week are the TV judge Rob Rinder and his mammy, Angie, plus chat show host Jonathan Ross and singing sisters The Nolans. Fleur East provides the music.

BECOMING MATISSE

9.15pm, bbc2 HHHH

Henri Matisse’s great-granddaughter, Sophie, tells the story of the early life of one of the most beloved painters of the 20th century. Special access to family photographs, letters and diaries help to tell the story of how a boy from the industrial north of France went on to become the toast of the art world.

SUNDAY SONGS OF PRAISE

1.15pm, bbc1 HHHH Sean Fletcher looks back to Songs Of Praise’s most memorable pilgrimages, including Lourdes and the spectacular abbey of Montsaint-michel in France. There will also be a selection of wonderful hymns and songs recorded before the current restrictions, celebrating the theme of pilgrimage.

COUNTRYFILE

6.15pm, bbc1 HHHH Matt Baker is on his home patch, doing all the jobs he’s not had time to do until now. Meanwhile, in the first of a series of new films, Kate Humble takes us round her home village to find out how the community is pulling together in these challenging times.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

7.15pm, bbc1 HHHH

The Roadshow returns to Castle Ward in Northern Ireland, famous as one of the backdrops to the hit TV series Game Of

Thrones. There, treasures include topsecret D-day plans and a watch designed for astronauts to wear on the moon.

RACE ACROSS THE WORLD

8pm, bbc2 HHHH

It’s the thrilling final leg of the race – but the couples still have 4,800km to cross before they reach the finish line at Ushuaia in Argentina. After 54 days, which team will triumph and claim the £20,000 first prize?

STACEY DOOLEY: COSTA DEL NARCOS

9pm, bbc2 HHH

The fearless investigator heads to southern Spain, which is now the main gateway for drugs into Europe. After meeting police, dealers and smugglers, she then heads to the source of the problem, Colombia, to meet the powerful cartels responsible for flooding our shores with cocaine.

KILLING EVE

9.15pm, bbc1 HHH

They killed Kenny! The lovable geek was thrown off a building in the dramatic finale to episode one, and this week, Eve (Sandra Oh) strikes up an unlikely alliance with Kenny’s colleagues at the website Bitter Pill to investigate her friend’s death. Villanelle (Jodie Comer), meanwhile, is finding that management isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

MONDAY NORMAL PEOPLE

9pm, bbc1 HHHH See TV feature, page 12.

BEAT THE CHASERS

9pm, itv HHHH Over the next five nights, contestants selected from the studio audience will be taking on not just one Chaser, but up to all five at the same time! Can anyone get the better of the Beast, the Governess, the Vixen, the Sinnerman and the Dark Destroyer?

CELEBRITY SAS: WHO DARES WINS

9pm, ch4 HHHH

This time, the instructors focus on the recruits’ mindset as the 12 celebrities are tasked with a set of mental and physical challenges to see if they have what it takes to be a special forces operative. But after a brutal night-time exercise, the first celeb quits the course. Who’s your money on?

BLOOD

9pm, ch5 HHHH

The engrossing psychological drama set in rural Ireland returns for a new, second series, which begins with a double bill and continues nightly until Friday’s dramatic feature-length finale. Adrian Dunbar is back as Jim Hogan, whose family is about to be torn apart again by a disturbing discovery.

TUESDAY LIFE AND BIRTH

8pm, bbc1 HHHH This week’s fairly graphic visit to the maternity wards of Birmingham introduces us to two very different mothers. Sarah

is taking everything in her stride as she arrives to give birth to her fifth baby, while Samantha needs all the support of partner Jordan as she prepares to have her first. Sadly, Jordan doesn’t seem too keen…

THE VILLAGE

8pm, itv HHH

Famous as the home to ITV’S 1960s cult series The Prisoner, Portmeirion is one of Wales’s premier visitor attractions. This series meets some of the men and women who help to run this magical Italianate village.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR DOG HAPPY AT HOME

8.30pm, itv HHH

The UK’S ten million dogs are every bit as bored with the lockdown as their owners. Luckily for them, Ben Fogle is on hand with a new series featuring tips on how to keep them entertained, happy and healthy at home.

OUR GIRL

9pm, bbc1 HHH

Georgie (Michelle Keegan) returns to active duty in this last of the series, and grows increasingly suspicious about Omar – and about someone she had considered to be an ally. Will Elvis’s killer ever be brought to justice? And will Georgie ever find love again?

WEDNESDAY THE REPAIR SHOP

8pm, bbc1 HHHH

This week, the restorers breathe new life into a miner’s lamp that saved its owner’s life, a mysterious rug-covered armchair,

an old phonograph, and a lamp that once stood outside a chemist’s shop.

ABSOLUTELY INDIA: MANCS IN MUMBAI

8PM, ITV HHHH

In this fun-filled new six-part series, the famous Thomas brothers – Ryan, Adam and Scott – set out on the ultimate journey of discovery, exploring their Indian roots in the hope of seeking out long-lost relatives.

THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE

9PM, BBC1 HHHH

It’s holiday week in the sewing room, and the 11 remaining stitchers have to run up a pair of palazzo pants, transform beach towels into stylish cover-ups and create bright, colourful men’s shirts. Who will impress the judges?

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO CATCH CORONAVIRUS?

9PM, CH4 HHHH

An estimated 80 per cent of us could contract the virus, and while many will suffer very little or not at all, it’s still a frightening prospect. This documentary features firsthand accounts from people who have filmed their experiences of Covid-19, and explains how it can also affect our mental health.

MISTER WINNER

10PM, BBC2 HHH

The big day has arrived for Leslie and Jemma (Spencer Jones and Lucy Pearman) in the last of the series. All Leslie has to do is show up at the venue on time, and in one piece – easier said than done for the hapless groom. If you’ve missed this whimsical comedy, catch it all on BBC iplayer now.

THURSDAY THE MARTIN LEWIS MONEY SHOW – A CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL

8PM, ITV HHH The financial guru will be taking your questions on how coronavirus could affect not just health, but jobs and family finances, too.

SPRING AT JIMMY’S FARM

8.05PM, CH4 HHH

Jimmy Doherty invites us to celebrate the season at his 280-acre Suffolk farm – home to an animal park full of exotic creatures. This first episode introduces us to the goats, sheep and reindeer about to give birth – and a camel that needs to find a mate, fast.

SECRETS OF YOUR SUPERMARKET FOOD

8.05PM, CH5 HHH

This week, Environmental Health Officer Gareth Jones explains the difference between ‘best before’, ‘display until’ and ‘use by’ dates, Sian Williams investigates E. coli in supermarket pork, and Stefan Gates learns about challenges facing the salmon industry.

FIRST DATES HOTEL

9PM, CH4 HHHH You can’t go on holiday at the moment, so here’s the next best thing as twinkly-eyed maitre d’ Fred Sirieix and his team of cupids set up shop in the south of Italy for a new series of the entertaining dating show.

FRIDAY THE WORLD’S MOST SCENIC RAILWAY JOURNEYS

8PM, CH5 HHHH

Back for a new run comes the enchanting series narrated by Bill Nighy. In the first episode, we hop aboard the famous Highland Railway, where passengers enjoy spectacular views and Scottish heritage.

HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU

8.30PM, BBC1 HHHH

Paul Merton, Ian Hislop and guest host Romesh Ranganathan are joined by comedian Maisie Adam and satirist Armando Iannucci.

GARDENERS’ WORLD

8.30PM, BBC2 HHHH

Our gardens should be looking great now that we’ve had that bit more time to take care of them – and at Longmeadow, Monty Don offers more advice and inspiration.

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW

9PM, BBC1 HHHH

Lockdown has had a big impact on chat shows, but Graham has soldiered on with some impressive big-name guests and music acts – and all now in primetime.

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER

10PM, CH4 HHH In the finale (followed by a repeat of the very first episode), Adam and Jonny bring their girlfriends home to meet their parents – and both women are called Lucy, which confuses neighbour Jim. While Jackie is delighted, Martin makes a poor first impression…