PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY Ant & Dec’s Saturday Knight Takeaway (STV, 5.15pm)

Cast your mind back to last year, when the country went into lockdown for the first time, yet Ant and Dec still found a way to bring us their Saturday Night Takeaway, presenting it from their own homes. It was proof that Saturday nights just aren’t quite the same without Ant and Dec, so the good news is they are back again, bringing us one of their Takeaway capers. In this one, a criminal mastermind is kidnapping members of the Honoured, which is putting the country at risk. Can the duo find out who is behind the plot before it’s too late? The impressive cast includes Joanna Lumley, Emilia Fox and Michael Sheen, as well as another man who knows a thing or two about Saturday night TV, Noel Edmonds.

Casualty (BBC1, 7.35pm)

After a four-month break, the medical drama is back – and it finds the team coping with the toughest challenge of their careers as they are faced with the Covid-19 pandemic. Connie (Amanda Mealing) is leading the department, but even with the support of Charlie (Derek Thompson) and Jacob (Charles Venn), she finds herself battling her personal demons.

Will is also feeling angry and frustrated as the hospital struggles with the mounting pressure, while Fenisha (Olivia D’Lima) realises her unborn baby has to be her priority.

Amazing Grace (BBC2, 8.30pm)

Directed by Sydney Pollack, the man behind Out Of Africa and Tootsie, this film of Aretha Franklin as she recorded her 1972 gospel album Amazing Grace at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles had the potential to be one of the great concert films. However, due to technical problems with syncing the audio and visuals, it went unreleased until after the singer’s death in 2018. Luckily, once the film was finally completed it proved to be worth the wait, as Franklin shows just why she was known as the Queen of Soul.

Spiral (BBC4, 9pm & 10pm)

You can forget The Killing, The Bridge and all those other headline-grabbing European crime dramas. Those who are really in the know will tell you that Spiral – aka Engrenages in its native France – is the true gem in BBC4’s crown. Gripping, brilliantly acted and frighteningly believable, with flawed characters trying to do their best in often impossible circumstances. The eighth series is here at last and begins as police detective Laure and her beleaguered team try to regain their reputation by taking on a case nobody else wants. Will they live to regret their decision? Caroline Proust stars.

Stevie Nicks: 24 Karat Gold Tour (Sky Arts, 8pm)

“The 24 Karat Gold Tour was my all-time favourite tour,” says Stevie Nicks. “I not only got to sing my songs but I was able to tell their stories for the first time.” Filmed and recorded in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in 2017 during the singer-songwriter’s 67-city sold out tour, this concert features Nicks’ solo hits Stop Dragging My Heart Around, Stand Back and Edge Of Seventeen, as well as Fleetwood Mac classics Rhiannon and Gypsy. It also includes her first ever live performance of Crying In The Night, plus other live rarities.

SUNDAY The Great New Year Bake Off (Channel 4, 7.40pm)

Although there will probably be spin-offs throughout the year, fans will have to wait until the autumn for another full run of GBBO. We should all make the most of tonight’s special edition then, as Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas,

Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood reunite to get the New Year’s celebrations started in the famous white tent. Joining them are former contestants Helena and Henry from 2019, Nancy from 2014, and 2018 winner Rahul, all hoping to impress the judges with their skills and creativity and take home the coveted Festive Star Baker title. Together, they see in the New Year with a cosy sing-song round the piano.

A Perfect Planet (BBC1, 8pm)

You could say the conditions of Earth are not just good for life, they are “perfect”. This new series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, shows how the forces of nature – volcanoes, weather, ocean currents and solar energy – drive, shape and support Earth’s spectacular biodiversity. The opening edition looks at the influence of volcanoes, which are responsible for both our breathable atmosphere and our oceans. Ol Donyo Lengai in Tanzania is one of Africa’s most active volcanoes, yet it is responsible for the continent’s greatest wildlife spectacle – the gathering of two million lesser flamingos. Meanwhile, every year in the Galapagos, nearly 2,000 female land iguanas make the 10-day trek from the coast to the top of La Cumbre, Fernandina Island’s active volcano, to lay their eggs in the soft, warm ash.

Beat The Chasers (STV, 9pm)

Back in April, at the height of the first lockdown, millions of us were hooked for four nights, as ITV broadcast this quiz spin-off in which the five Chasers – Jenny “The Vixen” Ryan, Anne “The Governess” Hegerty, Shaun “The Dark Destroyer” Wallace, Mark “The Beast” Labbett and Paul “The Sinnerman” Sinha – teamed up to take on brave members of the public. It returns all this week, with contestants given the option of playing between two and five members of the quizzing quintet for increasing amounts of money. Bradley Walsh asks the questions.

The Great (Channel 4, 9pm)

Starring Elle Fanning as Catherine The Great and Nicholas Hoult as her petty and idiotic husband, Emperor Peter, this zany US comedy drama follows Catherine’s rise from young bride to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia’s history. Don’t expect much historical accuracy– The Great was created by the co-writer of Oscar-winning movie, The Favourite, Tony McNamara. Arriving at court in 1761, German teenager Catherine is shocked to find herself in an hilariously debauched and often violent setting, and wedded to a man-child brat whose only interest in her is the children she’ll one day give him (“Women are for seeding not reading,” he says). She feels hopeless until her acid-tongued maid Marial (Phoebe Fox), who was once a lady of the court until she was reduced to serfdom when her family was stripped of its status, suggests they overthrow him.

A Teacher (BBC2, 10pm)

Kate Mara and Nick Robinson star in this American drama, shown throughout this week, about the complexities and consequences of a forbidden romance between a teacher and an 18-year-old student. English teacher Claire Wilson arrives for her first term at Westerbrook High full of enthusiasm. Dissatisfied in her marriage, she finds herself attracted to one of her students, Eric. Then, in the second episode, when a house party is broken up by the cops, Eric asks for a favour from Claire.

She agrees to help, privately knowing that sharing this secret will bring the two of them closer together.

MONDAY

Rick Stein’s Cornwall (BBC2, 6.30pm)

It’s been a year in which many of us have learned to love and appreciate what’s on our doorsteps. Rick Stein was probably already aware of Cornwall’s delights, having been a resident there for many years, but he may have unearthed a few more gems while making this new series. Stein has lived in the county for more than 45 years and built up a business that includes restaurants, shops and a cookery school. He begins at his family home in Travose Head, where he has fond memories of fishing with his father.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad (STV, 8pm)

It seems the much-loved presenter/actor/ comedian and his offspring feel they have exhausted everything America has to offer because for their third series they’re taking their trusty RV on a tour of Europe instead. “Bradley usually spends his holidays on the same old golden beaches of Portugal,” says an ITV spokesman about the new run. “So Barney wants to show him exactly what the rest of Europe has on offer, starting in

The Netherlands and taking in Germany, Switzerland and Slovenia before finishing in Italy.” We can’t wait to see how it pans out.

Traces (BBC1, 9pm)

If the premise for this crime drama sounds familiar, chances are you watched it when it appeared on the Alibi channel in 2019. Those without access to that particular broadcaster will be pleased to see it’s set to get a wider audience on BBC1. The crime drama is the idea of Scottish author Val McDermid of

Wire In The Blood fame, but the scripts have been written by actor-writer Amelia Bullmore. Molly Windsor heads the cast as Emma Hedges, who’s returning to her home city of Dundee to take up a new post in a forensics lab. She’s asked to do an online course first, which demonstrates details of the job via a supposedly fictional murder case. However, the case turns out to be real, and focuses on the death of Emma’s own mother.

Feast To Save The Planet (BBC2, 9pm)

Take a pinch of Come Dine With Me, add a dose of climate change and sprinkle a bunch of celebrities on top and what have you got? That’s right, this one-off programme (a pilot for a proposed series perhaps) hosted by MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace and mathematician Hannah Fry. They’re taking over a restaurant and inviting Sara Pascoe, Amol Rajan, Nikki Fox, Desiree Burch and Matthew Fort to join them for a meal with a difference – the guests will score points for choosing the dishes that have the lowest carbon footprint.

Staged (BBC1, 9.45pm)

Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s comedy proved to be one of the televisual highlights of the first lockdown, so it’s great to see it making a return to our screens. For the uninitiated, the duo play fictionalised versions of themselves who meet via video-conferencing technology, mostly to chat, have a whinge and poke fun at each other. In-between times they’re joined by Simon Evans (who created the entire project with Phin Glynn and also plays a version of himself), director of a production of Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters In Search Of An Author, in which they are due to star. The second run begins with a disappointment for the duo – somebody they admire doesn’t like their work. Plus, last-minute travel rule changes ruin their plans. Michael Palin and Romesh Ranganathan guest star.

TUESDAY

South Africa with Gregg Wallace (STV, 7.30pm)

Gregg Wallace sets off to explore South Africa’s most famous and best loved landscapes and experiences. Along the way his love of food unlocks its culture, landscapes and people, as he meets from city entrepreneurs to village matriarchs to nomadic bushmen, gum boot dancers and big game vets. Over the next six weeks, the MasterChef judge will explore the country’s bucket-list destinations - Cape Town, The Whale Coast, Soweto, a Zulu village in the Garden Province and the magnificent Augrabies Waterfalls in the Kalahari Desert. However, he begins tonight by going on safari at the Amakhala Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. After a drive through the reserve, he camps out overnight and tastes his first poike – a traditional South African stew – cooked over a camp fire. Then, in the morning, Gregg joins vet Will Fowlds and his team as they care for a wild leopard.

How To Lose Weight Well (Channel 4, 8pm)

Dr Helen Lawal and Dr Javid Abdelmoneim ask people to road-test the most hyped-up diets on the market today. Sisters Lesley and Debra, from Essex, road-test two routines followed by celebs Adele and Rebel Wilson – a Sirtfood diet and the Mayr Method. Meanwhile, friends Temi and Bose want to shed a few pounds for Temi’s 30th birthday drinks in four weeks and try out intermittent fasting. Finally, drinking pals Maurice and Mick ant to lose weight before attempting the

Three Peaks walk in Yorkshire. Maurice has a go at the Yoga diet, while Mick tries the fitness challenge diet.

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: A Very Major Scandal (STV, 8pm)

Back in 2001, quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was at the centre of a coughing

scandal. Ex-Army Major Charles Ingram, along with his wife Diana and accomplice Tecwen Whittock were all accused of cheating and were eventually convicted of procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception and given suspended prison sentences. In this documentary, Jeremy Clarkson and Chris Tarrant look back at the case that was turned into a drama series called Quiz this year. Meanwhile, we also hear from past winners and celebrity contestants, including Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who recalls getting a second chance to win a million.

Cheetah Family & Me (BBC2, 9pm)

Having spent time with groups of black bears, grizzly bears, polar bears, snow wolves, gorillas, elephants, reindeer and snow cats, among others, Gordon Buchanan is now focusing on a family of cheetahs. Over the next two nights prepare to fall in love with the big cats as the Scottish wildlife filmmaker heads to South Africa’s stunning Tswalu Kalahari Reserve to learn more about the threats that the world’s fastest land animal faces, both from nature and humans. Gordon meets cheetah expert and guide Richard Satekge, and together they track a mother cheetah called Savannah and four of her six-month-old cubs. Around 500 miles to the south, in the Samara Private Game Reserve in the Great Karoo Wilderness, guide Julius Mkhize follows Chili, another cheetah mother. She has recently given birth to five tiny kittens and is also under pressure to feed her family.

Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild (Channel 5, 9pm)

Ben returns with a new run of the show in which he meets people who have given up the ways of western civilisation to embrace the wild and live offbeat, adventurous lives. During the previous series the host travelled to far-flung places such as British Columbia, Fiji, Arkansas, Wilderness Island and Georgia. Although Covid-19 may have curbed his travelling somewhat, Ben has still managed to find some eccentric characters closer to home in the UK. He begins the new series by moving in with a couple who gave up their careers as vets to live on the side of a mountain in Pembrokeshire with their two children.

WEDNESDAY

Cornwall And Devon Walks

With Julia Bradbury (STV, 8.30pm)

From the wilderness of Dartmoor to the soaring cliffs of Land’s End, this new series takes viewers to parts of the West Country that can only be explored on foot. From beautiful beaches to remote wilderness, ancient woodlands to winding estuaries, Julia is harnessing the country’s love of the outdoors and experiencing the best walks the south west has to offer. She begins with a 6.5-mile route on Cornwall’s most westerly point. She experiences the landmark of Land’s End, visits the famous white sands of Porthcurno beach and the historic clifftop Minack Theatre, before finishing her journey at Sennen Cove.

The Truth About Boosting

Your Immune System (BBC1, 9pm)

The coronavirus pandemic has pushed our immune system centre stage. It’s never been more important to us – but how much do we all really know about how to keep it strong? In this programme, Dr Ronx Ikharia, an emergency medicine doctor, delves into the latest science to find out what we can all do to make our immune system as healthy as possible. Ronx, who was recently seen on Channel 4 documentary Is Covid Racist?, teams up with Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, to run a unique experiment. They recruit a group of volunteers and give them an “immune makeover” – changing their diet, exercise and sleep habits for six weeks to test the impact on their immune health.

Grand Designs (Channel 4, 9pm)

The property show returns for a new run, as Kevin McCloud follows more of Britain’s most ambitious self-building projects. Not many of us would even think about building our new home within a cemetery, but that’s the mission of former army captain Justin. He has spent

£1.8 million on an abandoned neo-Gothic cemetery keeper’s lodge and adjoining ex-council toilet block in south west London. Justin’s vision is to restore the lodge but demolish the ugly toilet blocks and replace

them with an enormous luxury ground floor extension, with added moat and giant basement with a swimming pool. He plans to build the house for himself and his five-year-old son in just one year and for no more than £1.6m. Well, that’s the plan...

Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars (Quest, 9pm)

Salvage aficionado Drew Pritchard and experienced car dealer from Turbo Pickers’ Paul Cowland are back for a fifth series as they scour the UK, buying, restoring and selling classic cars. Tonight, Paul wants to buy a Citroen DS, but Drew has major reservations. This banged-up front-engine, front-wheel-drive executive car is priced at £6,500, which Drew feels is a bit pricey bearing in mind how much work needs doing on the vehicle. So will the guys take it on, and if they do, will they make a tidy profit?

THURSDAY

Pooch Perfect (BBC1, 8pm)

It’s not just humans who felt in desperate need of a trim during lockdown – there were also more hairy hounds around. Luckily, any canines who aren’t feeling their cutest can get a new look thanks to this series, which is searching for Britain’s best dog groomer. It’s hosted by Sheridan Smith, with a little help from her fluffy co-host Stanley. In the opening episode, four contestants show what they can do when faced one of the most popular breeds to grace British salons - the long-haired Shih-Tzu. However, their next challenge gives them an opportunity to really let their imaginations run riot they give four curly coated canines a cute Teddy Bear trim. The pooches then get a chance to show off their new looks in a parade in front of their owners.

George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4, 8pm)

Many of the people who have been featured on this show have adapted existing structures into incredible places to live, work or play but George Clarke is beginning the 10th series by meeting 23-year-old Max, who is building a shepherd’s hut from scratch – he’s even constructing his own nuts and bolts. George also meets a couple who have turned an old fire engine into a bar to raise money for firefighters’ charities and visits an extraordinary home in Chile, while Will Hardie gets to work building a telescope.

Death In Paradise (BBC1, 9pm)

From the second series on, this detective drama has always returned to our screens in January. That’s not the only reason it has become a ratings banker, but it definitely doesn’t hurt that it offers a bit of sun-kissed escapism when we need it most – and after last year, many viewers will be even more eager than usual to return to the beautiful, crime-ridden island of Saint Marie. In the opening episode, Neville Parker (Ralf Little) and his team are looking into the death of Melanie Sharpe (Eleanor Fanyinka), a reporter on the local TV show Today With Tourne. Suspicion initially falls on Garfield Tourne (Patrick Robinson), and his daughter and fellow reporter Helene Tourne (Shalisha J ames-Davis), but the case soon becomes more complex. Will the unexpected return of an experienced DS help the team get to the bottom of it?

Big Fat Quiz Of Everything (Channel 4, 9pm)

We’ve had the Big Fat Quiz Of The Year, which might have been trickier to set than in previous years because so much of 2020 was dominated by one subject. However, the researchers have much more scope with this special, which finds Jimmy Carr testing the general knowledge of celebrity contestants including Rob Beckett, Roisin Conaty, Nish Kumar, Katherine Ryan, Oti Mabuse and Rob Brydon. They’ll be faced with posers including what could you buy down Del Boy’s Hooky Street? Who did Johnny Cash have a fight with in 1981? And what American attraction once went by the name “Rebel Railroad”?

Egypt’s Great Mummies: Unwrapped With Bettany Hughes (Channel 5, 9pm)

There have been plenty of countdowns on TV before, but this may be the first time anyone has picked their 10 favourite Egyptian mummies. Professor Bettany Hughes is sharing the stories behind the preserved bodies, which have survived thousands of years, revealing what they tell us about the lives of criminals, priests, children and pharaohs. With cutting-edge scanning techniques and exclusive access, she uncovers new secrets, as well as tales of glimmering treasure, journeys into the afterlife and revenge

FRIDAY

Jamie And Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast (Channel 4, 8pm)

If you think some of the people are getting rather too close to each other during the new run of Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty’s popular series, that’s probably because it was filmed in 2019, when none of us had even heard of the coronavirus, never mind experienced lockdown conditions and social distancing. The first celebrity visitor to their bistro on Southend Pier is comedian Jack Dee, who regales them with tales of his time as a chef at the Ritz. Oliver also prepares a meal involving rotisserie chicken that brings back memories of childhood camping holidays for Dee, featuring ingredients sourced by Doherty in France. Also on the menu are pot-roast pork wrapped in cured meat with sage, garlic and celeriac, an apple and rhubarb compote and a simple veggie samosa with added bite.

Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out (Channel 5, 8pm)

Since her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing a few years ago, the Scottish lawyer-turnedcomedian’s career has gone from strength to strength. These days she pops up on almost anything, having tried her hand as a game show host and travelogue presenter. It’s the latter she’s dabbling in again here. It was announced a while ago she would be taking over from Jane MacDonald as the broadcaster’s cruise queen, but it’s believed the singer has decided to continue her life on the ocean wave. Does that mean Calman is out of a job, or is this Channel 5’s way of keeping her occupied? Whatever the answer, she begins by embarking on a 142-mile trip that takes in the Lake District and north-west England’s mountainous region.

Would I Lie to You? (BBC1, 9pm)

Rob Brydon returns to host a new run of the comedy panel show that continues to delight viewers, although you have to imagine team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack are running out of stories to use. Nevertheless, they are back, spinning tall tales as well as offering incredible personal tales. They’ll be joined in the first episode by Les Dennis, Richard Osman, Alice Levine and Lou Sanders. Hopefully, Bob Mortimer, who has a reputation for being the show’s most entertaining guest, will feature at some point during the series.

Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders (More4, 9pm)

The long-awaited return of the Swedish mystery series. Taking on the titular role made famous by Ida Engvoll (who is an executive producer on the new season), is actress Sascha Zacharias, whose previous credits include Beck and Modus. In the opening two-parter, local Sami families of reindeer herders are involved in a long-time feud. When poaching and retaliation sparks violence, the feud appears to lead to the death of one of the young herders. As Krister and Rebecka start investigating, his heritage comes to light, and she is tempted by the offer of a new job.