PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY

Britain’s Most Historic Towns (C4, 7.45pm)

The latest stop on Professor Alice Roberts’ tour is Portsmouth, a place synonymous with the Royal Navy. Unsurprisingly, it’s the focus of her research, during which she discovers some rather unpleasant facts about one of England’s most famous military heroes – Lord Horatio Nelson. She also learns what life was like during the battle of Trafalgar, and the punishments dished out for even minor offences during the Victorian era – it’s fair to say both were pretty brutal. After that, matters get rather more peaceful as Roberts visits an archaeological dig on Burrow Island and samples a lantern show at the New Theatre Royal.

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 7.15pm)

The pro-celebrities are dwindling fast – after last week’s shenanigans on the shiny floor, only nine remain. Is your favourite among them, or has the notorious and dreaded red light fallen on their shoulders, resulting in a disastrous (or, as Craig Revel Horwood might say, “disaaaaaaastrous dahling”) dance-off? Whatever the answer, there’s still life in the old show yet, with another set of performances to enjoy. Once again, Craig, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabusi are the judges, while Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly present. The results of the vote will be revealed tomorrow evening.

The Valhalla Murders (BBC4, 9pm)

It’s difficult to travel at the moment, but the

Beeb is helping us deal with any wanderlust we may be suffering by bringing us the best foreign crime dramas around. The Danish DNA came to a conclusion last week, so this Saturday we’re taking a trip to Iceland instead. It’s loosely based on a true story from the 1940s, although the action takes place in the present day. Norway-based detective Arnar is sent home to Reykjavik to help veteran police officer Kata investigate the murder of Por Ingimarsson, who has been found stabbed to death at the harbour. Por’s girlfriend, Iris, is the prime suspect, until it becomes clear the murder couldn’t have been carried out by a woman. When another body is found with identical wounds, the authorities suspect a serial killer is on the loose.

Fela Kuti: Father of Afrobeat (BBC2, 9.30pm)

When he died, aged just 58, in 1997, Fela Kuti left an amazing legacy of work. This fascinating documentary claims the pioneering Nigerian musician created a sound for a continent, which perhaps explains why more than a million people made the pilgrimage to his funeral in Lagos. Kuti gave the world Afrobeat, but he was also a thorn in the side of his nation’s military regimes; he was a countercultural revolutionary whose actions, including marrying 27 women in one ceremony, caused much controversy. Even his death proved problematic – although his younger brother announced he died due to complications

1960s to the 1980s got off to an explosive start last week with the real-life tale of Notting Hill restaurateur Frank Critchlow, featuring a careerbest performance from Shaun Parkes in the lead role. On paper, the second story seems more joyous, although what happens is as a result of racism. It focuses on how black youngsters, after being made unwelcome in the capital’s white nightclubs, were forced to create house parties. It’s told through the eyes of those who find love and freedom via such events and stars a few new names alongside more established ones, including Amarah-Jae St Aubyn, Micheal Ward and Ellis George.

The South Bank Show (Sky Arts, 10.45pm)

The arts programme returns with presenter Melvyn Bragg meeting Gillian Anderson at the Young Vic in London where she starred as Blanche Dubois in the award-winning production of A Streetcar Named Desire back in 2014. The Chicago-born and London-raised actress discusses her diverse and prolific career in film, TV and theatre, including her performances in The X-Files, Sex Education, The Fall, Bleak House and American Gods. Plus, she also performs an exclusive reading as Margaret Thatcher, who she plays in Netflix drama The Crown.

MONDAY

Nigella’s Cook, Eat, Repeat (BBC2, 8pm)

If you’re vegan or vegetarian and lucky enough to be friends with Nigella Lawson, it seems there’s a good chance you will have tucked into a dinner of roast vegetables with fragrant cumin and fennel seeds, accompanied by spiced bulgur wheat and finished off with a pink beetroot sauce. Nigella explains why it’s such a perfect dish for entertaining – not only is it delicious, it can also be left on the side until everyone is ready to eat. She also whips up a cake with chocolate peanut butter layers and opens her liquorice case to select the perfect ingredient for her Basque burnt cheesecake.

Return from ISIS: A Family’s Story (BBC1, 10.45pm)

Filmed over the course of four years, this documentary tells the extraordinary story of how Samantha Sally (also known as Samantha Elhassani), who grew up in Arkansas, and her family went from a small town in America to the heart of the Islamic State group – and back. Journalist Josh Baker learns how, after Sally’s arrival in Syria, her Moroccan-born husband became an ISIS sniper, while her young son Matthew was forced to take part in an infamous propaganda video. Matthew who is now 13, reveals how he never thought he’d see the US again, while Sally, who is currently in prison, describes her own life with the terror group, including the part she played in buying sex slaves.

The Hijacker Who Vanished: The Mystery of DB Cooper – Storyville (BBC4, 9pm)

Emmy-nominated director John Dower’s feature-length documentary seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding DB Cooper, who boarded a Northwest Orient Airlines plane in November 1971 and hijacked the flight while it was still on the tarmac. He claimed to have a bomb in his briefcase and demanded four parachutes and $200,000, which he exchanged for the 36 passengers on board. Cooper ordered the flight to take off for Mexico City and somewhere on the journey, he managed to jump out of the back of the aircraft with a parachute and the money, and was never seen again.

Hospital (BBC2, 9pm)

As a specialist centre for both kidney and liver transplants, the Royal Free Hospital would normally perform around 140 transplants a year in each discipline, but from March, the operations were largely unable to continue due to Covid-19. This had a big impact on the patients. People with kidney disease who are on dialysis and waiting for a transplant are extremely vulnerable to Covid-19; a quarter of the hospital’s dialysis patients who caught the virus during the first wave of the pandemic died. The latest episode of the fascinating documentary series looks at how, thanks to dropping numbers of Covid-19 cases and the implementation of new infection control protocols, the operations were able to resume. However, when the numbers start rising again, what does it mean for the department and its patients?

Is Covid Racist? (C4, 9pm)

The pandemic has brought us many shocking numbers, but one of the more alarming statistics is that around two thirds of the NHS workers who have died so far were from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, rising to around 90 per cent of NHS doctors. In this documentary, A&E medic Dr Ronx sets out to investigate the possible causes and asks what is being done to protect frontline workers. The documentary also features the stories of people who have lost their lives and features a visual tribute to many more.

TUESDAY

The Great British Bake Off: The Final (C4, 8pm)

Has this been the most wide-open series of Bake Off to date? The first seven episodes saw seven different contestants crowned Star Baker and some people who seemed like they were in it for the long-haul – if only because the viewers had taken a shine to them – ended up leaving surprisingly early. So, it’s been difficult to call who would make it to the last episode, let alone win, which makes tonight’s final particularly interesting. Just to make it even more tense, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are setting three challenges designed to test every aspect of their baking skills, including a deceptively simple signature that combines custard and puff pastry, a chocolate-and-nut based technical, and a showstopper that involves dessert towers. But who will emerge from the Bake Off bubble as champion?

The Martin Lewis Money Show Live: Countdown to Christmas (STV, 8pm)

Last Christmas, few of us could have guessed just how different the festive season would be this year. Not only are people wondering whether they will be able to spend it with their loved ones, but for many viewers, cash is going to a be lot tighter in 2020. Sadly, Martin Lewis probably doesn’t have the answers when it comes to the first problem, but he and co-presenter Angellica Bell have plenty of advice to offer when it comes to festive spending. With Black Friday looming, they’ll be sharing some top tips for finding Christmas bargains, offering hints on relieving the financial pressure many of us are feeling right now and will also be putting viewers to the test with a consumer-rights quiz.

Cold War Steve Meets the Outside World (Sky Arts, 9pm)

At the start of 2020, Christopher Spencer, otherwise known as artist Cold War Steve, was about to set out on a nationwide tour of pubs, hairdressers, village halls, libraries, shops and

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