TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
THE SPEEDSHOP Tonight, BBC2, 8pm
In January, BBC2 aired a one-off programme following former Royal Marine and custom bike builder Titch Cormack as he made an adapted off-roader for Parachute Regiment soldier and amputee, Chris.
Following that show’s success, The Speedshop has been commissioned for a full six-part series. Tonight, the team builds a bespoke custom vehicle for Toby, an ex-Special Forces colleague of Titch’s who was shot in Afghanistan and is now paralysed from the neck down, requiring a mechanical ventilator to breathe.
However, he wants to experience his pre-injury passion for riding motorbikes, so Titch comes up with a plan to create a sidecar that can hold Toby securely and house his lifepreserving equipment.
THEN BARBARA MET ALAN Tomorrow, BBC2, 9pm
Barbara Lisicki and Alan Holdsworth, disabled entertainers who met at a cabaret gig and fell in love, set about changing the conversation surrounding disability in the UK in the 1990s. It was their campaigning that led to the passing of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act.
Far from a worthy, joyless telling of the pair’s struggles, this is an immensely enjoyable and celebratory love story, with Baftanominated Ruth Madeley (Years and Years) and Arthur
Hughes (Help) heading a superb ensemble cast.
BRITISH GRANDMA ON DEATH ROW WITH SUSANNA REID
Tuesday, ITV, 9pm
In 2003, Linda Carty was convicted of the murder of young mum Joanna Rodriguez so she could steal her new-born son Ray.
Almost 20 years on, she’s awaiting execution in Texas, making her the only British woman on Death Row anywhere in the western world. Susanna heads to the Mountain View Maximum Security Prison to hear Linda’s story.
She also speaks to her daughter Jovelle, who has campaigned on her mother’s behalf, as well as lawyers on both sides of the case.
THE ISLAND Wednesday, Dave, 10pm
Tom Allen invites four comics to make their own personal dream desert island. Each week, the host puts these four islands and their leaders to the test – who’s got the best house band? And you may think you want your island’s only drink to be Fanta Limon, but what happens when it attracts that swarm of angry bees?
Kemah Bob and Jason Forbes are on hand as they bring ‘live’ reports from the islands.
This week’s guests are Sara Pascoe, Johnny Vegas, Ninia Benjamin and Ahir Shah.
JOANNA LUMLEY’S GREAT CITIES OF THE WORLD
Thursday, ITV, 9pm
Oh, for the life of a travelling celeb. Ab Fab star Joanna Lumley is almost up there with the genre’s originator, Michael Palin, in terms of destinations reached and also sheer likeability and her informative style.
Here she takes a look at Rome, visiting the iconic Trevi Fountain before meeting one of the most famous of the world’s paparazzi.
She also gets to unlock the Sistine chapel with its single key, and chats with movie star Gina Lollobrigida.
NOT GOING OUT Friday, BBC1, 9.30pm
Lee Mack’s fab sitcom returns with a tribute to the late Bobby Ball, who played Lee’s father Frank.
It’s a year since Frank’s death and Wendy (Deborah Grant), having rediscovered a passion for painting, decides to create a portrait of him.
Geoffrey (Geoffrey Whitehead) is enamoured by the piece, but Lee and Lucy (Sally Bretton) can’t stand it. A shame, then, that it ends up on their wall.
ELTON JOHN AT THE BBC Saturday, BBC2, 8.35pm
Fans of the music legend are in for a treat as BBC2 dedicates an evening of programmes to the Rocket Man. It kicks off with this selection of interviews, news clips and archive sessions. There are songs from his first solo concert at the BBC in 1970, through to his 2016 performance for Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park.