PICK OF THE WEEK Chris Packham’s Animal Einsteins (BBC2, 8pm)

SATURDAY Live Six Nations Rugby Union (BBC1, 4pm)

Gabby Logan presents the heavyweight clash between Wales and their old rivals England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Under the tutelage of new coach Wayne Pivac, the Welsh struggled in 2020 and lost twice against Eddie Jones’s England in the Six Nations and the Autumn Cup. Former internationals Jeremy Guscott, Martin Johnson and Sam Warburton will be joining Gabby in the studio, while match commentary comes from Eddie Butler, Jonathan Davies and Brian Moore. The programme will be followed by a Six Nations Red Button forum with reaction to the game.

Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (STV, 7pm)

The duo were like a little ray of sunshine when they reappeared on our screens last week with the first of a new run of their much-loved show. Thankfully, the fun is all set to continue this Saturday because the Pandas are back – we’ll get to see them trying to escape from the famous Hamleys toy shop in London. Andi Peters is also in action, while Gordon Ramsay is the latest celebrity to act as the star guest announcer. Plus, there’s another chance to Win the Ads and the Takeaway Rainbow is hitting the road again.

The Voice UK (STV, 8.30pm)

We’re edging ever closer to the semi-final stage – tonight sees the second and last of this year’s Battle Rounds take place, and all those still involved in the proceedings will be desperate to get make it through. To do so, they must impress coaches will.i.am, Tom Jones, Olly Murs and Anne-Marie. Will your personal favourite be successful? There’s only one way to find out... As ever, Emma Willis is on hand to guide everyone through the often stressful and adrenalin-fuelled process.

Man in Room 301 (BBC4, 9pm)

Repeats of Inspector Montalbano are all well and good, but after the emotional trauma of the last-ever series of French thriller Spiral, crime drama fans need something new to get their teeth into. Thankfully, a little later than we had hoped, BBC Four is about to oblige. For the first time ever it’s airing a Finnish series, albeit one written by a Brit – Kate Ashfield, who is best known for her acting duties in Shaun of the Dead and Sanditon. The focus is on the Kurtti family, whose lives are torn apart by the fatal shooting of their two-year-old son Tommi. Matters take a disturbing team 12 years later when, during a holiday in Greece, they spot a man who looks just like the killer.

Zara and Anne: Like Mother, Like Daughter (C5, 9pm)

Many members of the royal family have a passion for and affinity with horses, but few have turned it into a successful sporting career. Both the Princess Royal and her daughter, Zara Phillips, have triumphed at the Olympics before

winning the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year contest. But what else do the duo have in common, and what is their relationship really like? Those are questions this eye-opening documentary aims to answer via archive interviews and testimony from experts who have been watching them interact for decades. Among them are historians, royal correspondents and other insiders who claim that Zara was raised to follow in her mother’s footsteps, despite the pair having very different childhoods.

SUNDAY

Attenborough’s Life in Colour (BBC1, 7pm)

Just when you thought there was no aspect of the animal kingdom left for Sir David Attenborough to cover, the veteran broadcaster pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Or in this case, a hummingbird, Bengal tiger, fiddler crab, and a whole host of other eye-catching creatures. Attenborough has always been fascinated by colour in the natural world – and this new twopart series sees him travel from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the snowclad Highlands to indulge in his passion. In tonight’s opening part we find out how, millions of years ago, the first animals had eyes that were unable to distinguish colour. Gradually, however, this changed and ‘seeing in colour’ gave creatures many advantages, whether to find food, attract a mate or warn off an enemy. Get ready for

amazing footage of peacocks, mandrill baboons, birds-of-paradise, Andean flamingos and strawberry poison dart frogs.

McDonald & Dodds (STV, 8pm)

If you needed proof of how likeable or popular this odd-couple murder mystery is, then look no further than the calibre of guest stars appearing in the second season’s first episode. Rupert Graves, Martin Kemp, Patsy Kensit and Cathy Tyson play Gordon, Mick, Barbara and Jackie -a quartet of friends who achieved notoriety in the 1980s. They become the chief suspects after a hot-air balloon trip ends in murder. Meanwhile, Rob Brydon co-stars as the jobsworth Roy Gilbert from the Air Incident

Investigation Agency. It’s his job to help the eponymous Bath detectives (Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins) with their investigation, as they struggle to untangle a complex web of lies spanning 30 years.

In the second edition, the Springwatch presenter looks at animals with impressive communication skills, discovering how whitethroated sparrows use song to attract mates and the complex vocabulary of prairie dogs. The programme also reveals how dolphins have names for individual animals and chimpanzees use sign language that we may be able to interpret. Plus, we learn how some species are communicating beyond our senses using ultrasound, vibrations and parts of the light spectrum that we can’t see. But what are these animals talking about and why?

Million Pound Barges (C5, 8pm)

Why invest a million on dry land, when you can build the home of your dreams on the glorious canals and waterways of Britain? From a London barge worth £2.5m moored in one of the UK’s most expensive locations to the couple who’ve thrown in everything to explore the UK’s hundreds of miles of canal, this show embarks on a journey of cash-splashing discovery. We meet ex-City trader Rob who spent £500,000 on renovating a barge and hopes to sell it for a cool million. Meanwhile, Ian is an estate agent with a difference everything in his portfolio floats. With a base value of £1m for his properties, he opens the door to a world of luxury and decadence, taking us onboard some of the priciest barges in Britain.

Bloodlands (BBC1, 9pm)

It became clear early on in last week’s opener that DCI Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt) has a pretty sizeable score to settle. Tonight, he continues the hunt for legendary assassin Goliath, despite police protocol not letting him near the island investigation. Instead, Tom attempts to solve the recent kidnapping case, and with the help of Birdy (Chris Walley), he is soon in perilous pursuit of a possible connection to the crime. But is it Goliath they are hunting, or someone making a false trail? Regardless of the culprit, there is jeopardy for Tom and his daughter.

MONDAY

My Unique B&B (BBC2, 6.30pm)

In recent years, the number of Brits renting out their spare space has almost doubled. Research shows that the quirkier and more outdoorsy the better; Brits are tired of budget chain inns and dated B&B’s, and are now looking for an experience for their next weekend away. In this new series, carpenter and master tree-house designer Simon Parfett and his team help families, couples and retirees cash in on their untapped, incomegenerating potential by creating their own unique B&B. They begin by heading to the picturesque Wye Valley to help George and Al transform their battered old family camper van.

Unforgotten (STV, 9pm)

Without the rest of the victim’s body, Cassie, Sunny and the team are unable to establish cause of death, while Andrews isn’t convinced that the police probationers were involved. Boulting has tracked down Walsh’s next of kin – his estranged son Jerome, and Cassie pays him a visit. However, the lad claims he has never met his father and the only contact he has is with his Uncle Clive. Meanwhile, Sunny gets a breakthrough when he identifies the names of the four passengers in the car, Dean Barton makes a mysterious trip to France, and Liz Baildon is up for a promotion to the top job in the East Anglian police force, just as she finalises the purchase of her new therapy clinic. Finally, Ram faces an allegation of inappropriate behaviour at work.

MasterChef (BBC1, 9pm)

Judging by the BBC schedules, the public can’t get enough of MasterChef. The cookery series currently appears in four versions: this main series, as well as Celebrity MasterChef, MasterChef: The Professionals and Junior MasterChef. And it’s the original, which John Torode and Gregg Wallace have been fronting for 17 seasons, that is returning this week. Thomas Frake won last year’s show, and he returns as a guest judge tonight, alongside 2014 champion Ping Coombes, as five chefs compete for the four aprons that represent a chance of a quarter-final place. Two of those aprons will be granted after each chef has cooked their signature dishes, and the three who miss out then vie to avoid elimination in a new ‘favourite ingredient’ challenge.

Eddie Izzard: Force Majeure (BBC2, 9pm)

In 2013, comedian Eddie Izzard returned to stage with the biggest stand-up comedy world tour ever – and what many see as his best live performance yet. Force Majeure takes fans on a hilarious journey, offering a rare and often bizarre glimpse into the mind of the master of surrealism, a man who has inspired several generations of comics and is recognised as one of the world’s greatest-ever stand-ups. The topics he discusses vary from ancient civilisations and mythical creatures to Olympic dressage and creating a musical about a trouserless spider.

Max Clifford: The Fall of a Tabloid King (C4, 9pm)

For many years, he was the man to call if you had a story to sell – preferably one involving sex, politics and a hefty tabloid payout. Then PR man Max Clifford became the story. This documentary looks at the life of the master media manipulator who would plant or prevent stories that could end the careers of politicians, sportsmen and celebrities. We hear from the survivors of Clifford’s crimes – he was sentenced to eight years in prison after being found guilty of eight counts of indecent assault in 2014. He died in jail three years later.

TUESDAY

For the Love of Britain (STV, 7.30pm)

Julie Walters narrates another episode of the series which celebrates the great outdoors, from iconic landscapes to hidden gems. The edition focuses on Dorset, as Sheila Hancock revisits some childhood memories at the Dancing Ledge rock pools, while Martin Kemp goes in the search of a special catch in the fishing village of Mudeford. Liz Bonnin witnesses the migrating birds of Portland Bill and Ben Fogle gets a sky-high view of the Jurassic coast.

Why Is Covid Killing People of Colour? (BBC1, 9pm)

Last year, it was reported that Black, Asian and minority ethnic patients were dying in disproportionate numbers from Covid-19. In this documentary, actor David Harewood tries to find out why. It’s a mission that begins in Brent, north-west London, which is one of the most diverse areas in the UK and, during the first wave of pandemic, had the highest Covid19 mortality rate in the country. David explores whether this was mirrored in other parts of the country, and in the process, discovers that your job can be a huge risk factor when it comes to coronavirus. So why are so many people from minority communities working on the frontline? He also explores the statistics which suggest that it isn’t only Covid where your race can affect your health outcomes.

DNA Family Secrets (BBC2, 9pm)

In the past decade, more than 26 million people have taken a DNA test and the growing popularity in over-the counter kits has created a network of databases that can tell people