Rhod can talk the walk
WHEN I go for a ramble, my chief concerns are bad weather and angry cows, but apparently that’s not nearly enough to be worrying about. TAKE A HIKE (BBC2, 6.30pm) is a new reality competition that puts a spin on the Come DineWith Me format – albeit a more healthconscious one in which calories are burned rather than consumed.
Each week, five ordinary punters will lace up their boots and don their cagoules in a competition to find the perfect walk, taking turns to organise and lead.The other ramblers trail behind, casting a critical eye on the experience and then rating it based on the quality of the route, the picnic, the views and – wait for it – entertainment!
Sorry, but who thinks a country ramble is incomplete without juggling or a tug-of-war? Some bossy boots trying to force me into an impromptu game of rounders will receive a severe tonguelashing. Let’s see if the others agree when they’re asked to rate the jaunt on a scale of one to 10.
At the end of the week, whoever’s garnered the most points will waltz off with a voucher for outdoor gear and a golden walking stick. And, presumably, blisters from all that exercise.
Comedian Rhod Gilbert does the Dave Lamb bit, adding a tonguein-cheek voiceover to the action.
In future weeks ramblers will wander Northumberland’s hillsides and Scotland’s Highlands and islands, but this week’s walks are around Devon.Today’s first organiser is 63-year-old taxi driver Helen, who’s taking the others on a cultural tour of Ilfracombe’s coastal path on a hike that ends with a splashy surprise.
Come rain or shine, the contestants will be tramping up hill and down dale in a programme that marries jeopardy, bickering and scenery. Sounds addictive.
The tranquillity of the Lyell Centre is disturbed tonight in SILENT WITNESS (BBC1, 9pm) when a newcomer joins the team to solve the lab’s staffing shortage.
Adam Yuen (Jason Wong) is an expert in his field, sure, but boy does he talk too much – Adam’s eagerness to impress Nikki (Emilia Fox) and Jack (David Caves) rubs them up the wrong way at first, but we’re sure they’ll soon be swapping jokes over the mortuary slab.
Tonight the team is called out to the murder of a swimming teacher whose boyfriend looks like the likeliest culprit – interestingly, he’s a former cop.
Although it tackles big themes like human trafficking and drug cartels, the writers understand that dysfunctional family relationships often lead to the worst crimes, and that’s what it looks like here.
As always, the gifted scientists in the lab make the cadavers deliver up all kinds of fascinating secrets in this murder mystery that – with the 25th season being filmed – shows no sign of heading for the morgue.