THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
DOCUMENTARY Long Lost Family: Born Without Trace Monday & Tuesday, ITV, 9pm
The show that reunites long-separated family members tackles its most difficult cases – trying to trace the birth parents of adults who were abandoned days or even hours after they were born, such as Fi Beazer, pictured above with co-presenter Davina McCall. These are people who throughout their lives have desperately wanted to know who they are and where they come from. With few official records of any value, success depends on painstaking detective work and using the latest in DNA-tracing technology. Keep your hankies at the ready for a memorable twopart series that is packed with jaw-dropping and emotionally wrenching revelations.
DRAMA Cardinal Wednesday, BBC2, 9pm & 9.45pm
A murder amid breathtaking, if bleak, wintry land and dourfaced detectives in a coolly intelligent and compelling police procedural – it sounds like another dose of Nordic noir. But don’t worry about subtitles, for this is the return of John Cardinal (Billy Campbell, above) in the final season of the Canadian show based on the novels by Giles Blunt. This time our hero and his police partner Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) are on the case after a crown prosecutor, who’s the husband of a prominent politician, goes missing. Has he been abducted, or could he be the victim of one of the couple’s many enemies? An engrossing double bill marks the start of a six-part run.
COMEDY The Other One Friday, BBC1, 9pm
‘You b ****** , Colin, you lying, cheating b ****** . And you know what – I’m glad you died, and I hope you burn in hell.’ So speaks less than grieving widow Tess (Rebecca Front, above) at the funeral of the husband who has, she’s shocked to discover, had a second family that he’d kept secret during all their years together. Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) co-stars as the very different ‘other woman’ in a warm-hearted new sitcom (starting with another chance to see the original pilot), in which the widows and two daughters – both called Catherine – try to get along. Tess, meanwhile, learns the joys of the singles scene in the age of internet dating.
PROFILE Bradley Walsh: Happy 60th Birthday Wednesday, ITV, 9pm
Surely the all-round entertainer must have to pinch himself. There can’t be too many former aircraft factory workers and professional footballers (his career was ended by ankle injuries) who have gone on to become hugely popular TV stars. But that’s exactly what Walsh (above) has done. He’s worked hard to get there, too; it’s 38 years since he came second in a talent contest and decided his future lay in stand-up. This tribute, hosted by Walsh’s Odd One In cohort Jason Manford, celebrates his landmark birthday by charting his career, from his early TV appearances, through his stewardship of various game shows, to his most recent acting role in Doctor Who.
MUSIC Tom Jones At 80 Friday, BBC4, 9pm
Bradley Walsh may be 60 this week, but Welsh wonder Sir Tom Jones (right) has spent that long in showbiz. He turns 80 on June 7 and, to mark the event, the BBC is delving into its archive to find key moments from his career. It started in the clubs of his hometown Pontypridd in South Wales and has since taken him across the globe; amazingly, he is as popular now as he was in his 1960s heyday. The programme is followed by another chance to see the enthralling documentary Tom Jones’ 1950s: The Decade That Made Me (10pm) and a collection of performances from Jools Holland’s musical showcase in Tom Jones: A Little Later (11pm).