THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS

The presenter leaves the mainland and heads for the Isles of Scilly, which lie 25 miles off the south-west tip of Cornwall. Just under 2,500 people inhabit the archipelago, whose freehold is mostly owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. Bradbury is there to walk a five-mile circular loop around the northernmost island of St Martin’s, which is renowned for its white sandy beaches and beautiful azure seas. She also has the time to visit Tresco, where she explores the sub-tropical plants grown at Abbey Gardens.

The Bay (STV, 9pm)

Lancashire is famous for its high precipitation level, and certainly in Lisa Armstrong’s life, it never rains but it pours. When we caught up with her last week, she was happy about being able to return to work, but downbeat because she was once again at the bottom of the pile, carrying out menial tasks and doing the work of a dogsbody, just as she would have done when she joined the force. To add insult to injury, her ex, Andy, turned up out of the blue

Spencer conceives a plan to steal several rare editions with athletics scholarship student Warren Lipka (Evan Peters). Spencer and Warren realise they need additional manpower, and involve two friends. The students’ best-laid preparations falter and fraternal bonds buckle under the strain of a high-profile police investigation.

WEDNESDAY

Mad Max 2, (ITV4, 10pm)

A great game to play in the pub (remember pubs?) is the Sequels Which Are Better Than The Original Film game. Aliens could be one (“Is this going to be a stand-up fight, sir, or another big hunt?”) and so could George Miller’s 1981 follow-up to Mad Max, the low-on-budget, highon-nihilism post-apocalyptic road movie which introduced the world to leather-clad ex-cop Max Rockatansky (Mel Gibson) and his super-charged 1974 Ford Falcon XB GT. Here, Max happens on a community of peaceloving survivors hoarding a supply of petrol from a gang of marauding bikers who have them besieged.

Heat (1995) (Film4, 10.50pm)

Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is a career criminal who refuses to be tied down so he can commit himself entirely to his ‘work’. His archenemy, dogged cop Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), has destroyed two marriages and is well on his way to sacrificing a third to his job, which is tracking men like McCauley down. As McCauley prepares for the fabled ‘one last heist’ to see him into retirement, Hanna pulls out all the stops to get his man – even as the pair develop a grudging respect.

THURSDAY

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) (BBC4, 8pm)

Based on the best-selling novel by

claiming to be a new man. Lisa spends this episode trying to ignore his presence, but when that proves futile, begins questioning the motive for his return. She also has the time to unearth a significant lead in her latest case, while the difficult suspect gives the investigating team a hard time.

Grand Designs (C4, 9pm)

Global warming may be a worrying issue, but Britain’s winters are still chilly and keeping our homes warm throughout can be an expensive business. However, energy conservationist Andrew is determined to get around high bills by creating a radical self-heating home for his family. If he succeeds, it will be the first of its

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas relives the horrors of the Second World War from the perspective of an eight-year-old German child in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, on Thursday, at BBC4 at 8pm