TV & Radio
Highlights and listings
DOCUMENTARY Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People And Counting
Population forecasts suggest we are heading for a world of 10 billion people by 2050 – and many believe that this figure is unsustainable for our planet.
Naturalist and presenter Chris Packham has chosen not to have children. In this investigative film, Chris asks uncomfortable questions that challenge the very foundations of our societies, as he attempts to discover just how we might stabilise the worldwide birth-rate.
What does a world of 10 billion people look like, and what pressures would it put on resources? Can population growth truly be halted – and if so, what would not raising children mean for our place and our purpose on Earth?
Tuesday, BBC2, 9pm
DRAMA
Midsomer Murders
The murder rate in Midsomer continues to rival the most dangerous places on the planet, as the whodunit returns for another season. Like the BBC’S Murder in Paradise ,a steady stream of guest stars pop up, including Christopher Timothy as DCI Barnaby’s dad Ned. In the first episode, Nigel Havers plays Andrew Wilder, main sponsor of the Paramount Dance Extravaganza, where feuds lurk behind the smiles and sequins. Starring Neil Dudgeon and Nick Hendrix.
Tuesday, STV, 8pm
HEALTH
Easy Ways To Live Well
Most of us know we are fatter, less fit and more stressed than ever before and while we might want to be healthier, changing our lifestyles for the better is hard. Step forward Hugh Fearnley-whittingstall and Steph
Mcgovern, who are on a mission to help us all fight back, revealing the easy fixes to dramatically improve diet, fitness, mental wellbeing, and even sleep. With the help of GP, Dr Zoe Williams, the pair sift through the latest scientific research to find smart ways of tackling the nation’s biggest health concerns. They then try to implement the advice in their own lives and ask a community or family to be guinea pigs too. Wednesday, BBC1, 8pm
POLITICS Travels In Euroland With Ed Balls
Ed Balls heads to Europe as part of a three-part BBC2 series, produced in partnership with The Open University, to discover why so many people are rejecting mainstream politics. On his travels, the former politician meets voters to find out what’s behind this populist revolution. The first leg of Ed’s journey takes him to Holland – and the fishing towns of Den Helder and Scheveningen, where he goes trawler fishing for a day and visits a fish factory to hear how the impact of EU law around fishing practices has affected the industry. Future episodes see the former Economic Secretary to the Treasury visit the tip of Morocco, and the Spanish enclave of Melilla, where he spends a shift with the local police whose responsibility it is to stop migrants jumping over the 11ft fence which separates Africa and Europe.
Thursday, BBC2, 9pm
DOCUMENTARY Inside The Crown: Secrets Of The Royals
As the fallout from Harry and Meghan’s announcement to step back from frontline royal duties continues, the first episode of this four-part series about the Queen’s life and reign is especially prescient as it looks at ‘Love & Duty’. It was the abdication of Edward VIII which made Princess Elizabeth our future monarch and the programme looks at the burden of duty that she and Prince Philip undertook, how Princess Margaret ended up not marrying divorcee Peter Townsend and marital troubles and divorces of three of the Queen’s four children. ■
Thursday, STV, 9pm