BEST OF THE REST
PORTILLO’S HIDDEN HISTORY OF BRITAIN Channel 5, 9pm
WITH illegally obtained corpses that were dug up in the dead of night, to women being murdered and dissected, this could be the plot of the latest thriller.
But these grisly tales are part of the real history of the Royal London Hospital. It’s a building that holds many secrets, and Michael Portillo, above, is the well-dressed man to guide us through its extraordinary doors.
There will be other abandoned locations in this series – a 400-year-old prison, a ghost village and a top secret military base. But tonight’s hidden history of the 250-year-old hospital, which closed in 2013, is a fascinating opener.
We learn that Joseph Merrick, the famous Elephant Man, spent the last three years of his life as a resident. Jack the Ripper murdered five women in the streets around the hospital.
And before the Anatomy Act of 1832, students practised dissection on animals and bodies that they stole from graves.
THE BUTTON BBC1, 8.30pm
WE are the Gogglebox nation now. Watching people on their sofas is totally normal, and audience participation is frankly expected.
In this latest game show, five families compete for cash from the comfort of their living rooms. It’s the ultimate lazy competition.
‘The Button’ is set up in each home, which sets a series of fiendish challenges simultaneously for the families across the country, with prize money to be won.
It’s an amusing and surprisingly addictive format, elevated massively by the mocking sarcasm of ‘The Button’, aka comedian Alex Horne. “I feel like the button is judging us,” observes one concerned contestant. (He’s right).
Taskmaster creator Alex has essentially brought that format to the streets here, dishing out similar tasks – and it works.
Whether it’s bouncing a ping pong ball into a cup or building a tower from only books, cans and pillows, you may even be tempted to join in.