Seven Days

MIKE MULVIHILL’S guide to the week’s TV

SATURDAY THE MASKED SINGER

7PM, ITV ★★★★

It’s the semi-final of the bonkers competition, and with three chart-toppers eliminated in the first three weeks, it’s anyone’s guess who will go through to the grand finale. It’s great fun, though, and Mo Gilligan has been a worthy successor to Ken Jeong on the panel.

SALLY LINDSAY’S POSH SLEEPOVER

7PM, CH5 ★★★

The actress indulges herself with the ultimate sleepover at some of the poshest homes in Britain. From magnificent country houses set in thousands of acres of grounds to exclusive Mayfair pads, Sally will be living the high life – well, for 36 hours, at least.

SECRETS OF THE ROYAL PALACES

8PM, CH5 ★★★★

Previously known as Nottingham House, Kensington Palace was bought by William and Mary – its first royal residents – in 1689. They hired Christopher Wren to extend it, quickly and cheaply, but, as historian Anna Whitelock reveals, it was ‘a bit of a botched job’.

CASUALTY

8.20PM, BBC1 ★★★ Domestic violence rears its ugly head when Jan and Fenisha go to the aid of a woman cowering from her partner at their farm. Back at Holby, Faith is recovering, but is her marriage to Lev finally over?

WHEN FERGIE MET THE MONARCHY

9PM, CH5 ★★★★

Sarah Ferguson’s father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was Prince Philip’s polo manager, and his daughter and Prince Andrew had played together as children. Even so, Sarah’s relationship with her husband’s family was fraught with difficulty – and that was before the divorce! Here, royal experts dish the dirt.

SUNDAY COUNTRYFILE

5.40PM, BBC1 ★★★★ Helen Skelton is on Crompton Moor in the Pennines, meeting people who are helping to bring wildlife back to the hills, while on his farm, Adam Henson uses a new app to discover just how contented his animals are.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW

6.40PM, BBC1 ★★★★

At Culzean Castle in Scotland, the team value a wonderful collection of Scottish silver, and a Chinese table that is one of the most valuable ever seen on the show.

BILLION POUND CRUISE

7PM, CH4 ★★★★ See Showtime, page 12.

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF CHOCOLATE

7PM, CH5 ★★★

Back for a new series comes TV’S sweetest show, taking us behind the scenes at more of the world’s most famous chocolate producers. The first episode explores the history of Milk Tray’s iconic selection box, before heading across the Atlantic to the home of American chocolate, Hershey in Pennsylvania.

INCREDIBLE JOURNEYS WITH SIMON REEVE

8PM, BBC2 ★★★★ Simon will be focusing on some of the incredible wildlife stories he’s encountered, from the Yorkshireman who founded a giant tortoise sanctuary in the Seychelles to the armed conservationists defending a forest in Belize. He also discovers how one of his programmes helped to protect a crucial whale sanctuary off the coast of Australia.

FINDING ALICE

9PM, ITV ★★★★

In episode four, Alice (Keeley Hawes) is growing ever more desperate as her money starts to run dry and her in-laws continue to try to sell her home from under her feet. All six episodes of this darkly comic drama are available to watch now on ITV Hub.

MONDAY WOULD I LIE TO YOU?

8.30PM, BBC1 ★★★★

Comedian Sara Pascoe, BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker, Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan and fitness guru Derrick ‘Mr Motivator’ Evans are on the panel for another hilarious round of call my bluff.

CELEBRITY BEST HOME COOK

9PM, BBC1 ★★★★

To secure their places in Wednesday night’s quarter-final (9pm), the remaining celebrity cooks are challenged to make a Sunday roast, banana bread – with no flour in the pantry – and a classic French dessert.

LONG LOST FAMILY

9PM, ITV ★★★★ Claire knows that she flew into Heathrow in December of 1962, and that she was one of 100 children adopted by British families from overcrowded Hong Kong orphanages. Can she trace the parents who abandoned her so long ago? A remarkable twist awaits…

UNDERCOVER POLICE: HUNTING PAEDOPHILES

9PM, CH4 ★★★★

The National Crime Agency estimates that there are 300,000 people in the UK who pose a sexual threat to children. This new, three-part series – three years in the making – has gained exclusive access to an undercover unit whose officers engage with suspects online and try to identify them in real life.

TUESDAY INTERIOR DESIGN MASTERS WITH ALAN CARR

8PM, BBC2 ★★★★

Week two, and the nine remaining designers are split into three teams, each tasked with making over an open-plan office – and they must try to put the clients’ needs first, and not just showcase their own signature styles.

JOANNA LUMLEY’S HOME SWEET HOME – TRAVELS IN MY OWN LAND

8PM, ITV ★★★★

The second leg of her nostalgic tour begins in Scotland, where Joanna heads to Eilean Donan Castle, the location for her first episode of The New Avengers. Then, it’s over to Northern Ireland to visit a location that will be familiar to Game Of Thrones fans.

SECRET SAFARI: INTO THE WILD

8PM, CH4 ★★★

Ostrich Cedric embarks on his first fledgling relationship, which rangers are hoping will save Ol Pejeta’s dwindling flock. No pressure then, Cedric! Lioness Sior, meanwhile, faces a tough choice as she searches for her three missing cubs after a savage buffalo attack.

FORENSICS: THE REAL CSI

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

The series that follows crime investigations in real time returns, and begins with the case of a Birmingham man who claims to have killed his wife – but doesn’t remember.

BEN FOGLE: NEW LIVES IN THE WILD

9PM, CH5 ★★★

Ben travels to Galway to meet Mark Boyle, an author who has embarked on a simple life with no technology and no money.

IMAGINE

10.45PM, BBC1 ★★★

Alan Yentob presents a timely new documentary, exploring the massive impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the UK’S pioneering performing arts industry.

WEDNESDAY THIS FARMING LIFE

8PM, BBC2 ★★★ As series four continues, it’s March 2020, and the farmers are in the middle of the lambing and calving season when the country goes into the first lockdown.

CORNWALL AND DEVON WALKS WITH JULIA BRADBURY

8PM, ITV ★★★

Julia takes a bracing coastal hike along the wild Lizard peninsula, Cornwall’s most southerly point, starting at Kynance Cove and finishing at the fishing village of Cadgwith.

TRUMP TAKES ON THE WORLD

9PM, BBC2 ★★★★

This new, three-part series looks at the first year and a half of Donald Trump’s Presidency, when, while pursuing his ‘America first’ agenda, he falls out with some of its oldest allies. Key figures help to tell the story.

THE BAY

9PM, ITV ★★★★

Episode four of this increasingly gripping drama picks up after the shocking events of last week and Lisa racing to her colleague’s side after the devastating hit and run. Surely lovely Med can’t be dead, can he?

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHANNON MATTHEWS

9PM, CH5 ★★★

A look back at the case of the Yorkshire schoolgirl who was reported missing by her mother, Karen, in 2008. The police were called in, but the truth was stranger than fiction…

THURSDAY YOUR GARDEN MADE PERFECT

8PM, BBC2 ★★★

Neil and Clare rarely use their garden, and can’t agree on how to make the most of its stunning views of the Cheshire countryside.

GEORGE CLARKE’S AMAZING SPACES

8PM, CH4 ★★★

This week, George looks back at his first big build of the series, turning a dilapidated £300 caravan into a stylish holiday retreat for himself and his children. Along the way, he meets other clever caravan converters.

ADRIAN DUNBAR’S COASTAL IRELAND

8PM, CH5 ★★★★

On the second leg of his Irish homecoming, Adrian visits Malin Head, the most northerly tip of mainland Ireland, before he heads to the mystical Mourne Mountains.

PIERS MORGAN’S LIFE STORIES

9PM, ITV ★★★★

Piers’s guest is the larger-than-life reality star Gemma Collins, who made her name as one of the cast of The Only Way Is Essex.

8 OUT OF 10 CATS DOES COUNTDOWN

9PM, CH4 ★★★

Jon Richardson and his wife, fellow comedian Lucy Beaumont, compete against Roisin Conaty and Joe Wilkinson in this new edition of the quiz. Jimmy Carr hosts.

FRIDAY SUSAN CALMAN’S GRAND DAY OUT IN THE HIGHLANDS

8PM, CH5 ★★★ Susan and her camper van, Helen, are on home turf on the final leg of her journey, touring the breathtaking southern Highlands of Scotland. Susan’s 140-mile road trip takes her from the outskirts of her home town of Glasgow to the banks of Loch Lomond.

IT’S A SIN

9PM, CH4 ★★★★

It’s March of 1988 in the penultimate episode of Russell T. Davies’s gut-wrenching drama, and Ritchie receives devastating news. Roscoe, meanwhile, is growing closer to his Conservative MP lover (Stephen Fry).

BIG WEEKENDS WITH GREGG WALLACE

9PM, CH5 ★★★

With holidays on hold, watching celebrity travel shows is the nearest we’re going to get to going abroad at the moment.

So sit back and enjoy this new series in which Gregg heads to four popular destinations, starting in the vibrant city of Barcelona…

GREATEST HITS OF THE 80S

10PM, CH5 ★★★★

Get set for plenty of big hair in this hit-filled celebration of 1980s music. Along with music videos and footage from the archives, we hear from the artists, songwriters and producers behind some unforgettable songs.