This week’s best TV
FRIDAY PORRIDGE (BBC One, 8.30pm)
FORTY years after the original Norman Stanley Fletcher left prison, grandson Nigel is adjusting to his own spell inside as the relaunched sitcom continues.
This week, depressed rock star Rob Strange (Phil Cornwell) arrives at the prison and Fletch is assigned to keep an eye on him. However, events take an unexpected turn...
SATURDAY NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (C5, 10pm)
IN THE opening episode of the third series of the procedural drama about agents of the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) has to cope with the fall-out following Meredith Brody’s departure.
To make matters worse, he and the team are under scrutiny by the FBI but get a chance to prove their worth when a sniper begins a reign of terror.
SUNDAY SHERIDAN (ITV, 9pm)
LINCOLNSHIRE-BORN actress Sheridan Smith has been working on an album – and fans of her performance in Cilla will be pleased to hear it includes her version of Anyone Who Had a Heart.
Now she gets to launch it in style with this primetime ITV special. As well as performing songs from the album accompanied by a live orchestra, she chats to Alexander Armstrong about her life and career.
MONDAY CHRIS TARRANT: EXTREME RAILWAY JOURNEYS (C5, 9pm)
CHRIS Tarrant kicks off a new series of his Extreme Railway Journeys by embarking on an epic trip to the faraway North African city of Timbuktu.
He travels across Morocco, heading into the desert to find out whether a railway line once crossed the Sahara all the way to the aforementioned Timbuktu.
Taking in Marrakesh, Casablanca and Fez, Chris heads into the Sahara – only to find himself stuck in the sand in the middle of nowhere,.
TUESDAY THE PRIDE OF BRITAIN AWARDS 2017 (ITV, 8pm)
CAROL Vorderman hosts the awards ceremony that celebrates acts of bravery and selflessness from people whose actions would otherwise go unsung – ordinary folk with extraordinary stories.
Among those to look out for are members of the emergency services and NHS who helped those affected by the Manchester and London terror attacks, as well as the Grenfell Tower disaster. Other winners include a quick-thinking four-year-old who saved her mum’s life and a hairdresser whose story inspired domestic violence victims to fight back.
Celebrities set to participate include David Beckham, Michael Caine, Joanna Lumley, Rod Stewart and Lenny Henry, while politics will be represented by Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn.
WEDNESDAY BIG LIFE FIX: CHILDREN IN NEED SPECIAL (BBC Two, 9pm)
LAST year, presenter Simon Reeve hosted a show called The Big Life Fix, which featured people who were struggling with what many of us would consider to be simple, everyday tasks, and challenged some of Britain’s best designers and engineers to find a solution.
Now, Reeve and his team are back for a oneoff special that features three children with severe disabilities and the experts who are hoping to help them overcome some of the challenges they face.
THURSDAY SAM SMITH AT THE BBC (BBC One, 8pm)
IN JUST five years, Sam Smith has gone from struggling singer and chorister to one of the world’s biggest pop stars.
Despite only turning 25 in May, the Londonborn singer-songwriter has secured huge album sales, six UK No 1 singles, Guinness World Records, AMAs, Mobos, Brits, Grammys and even an Oscar and Golden Globe for his James Bond theme.
In this hour-long show, Smith is accompanied by his band and the BBC Concert Orchestra to perform old and new tracks in front of a live audience.
Presented by Fearne Cotton, the programme also features an interview with the singer as he discusses his career, music and much talked-about private life.