PICK OF TODAY’S TV

DIY SOS: THE BIG BUILD, 8PM, BBC1

NICK KNOWLES and his teams of expert tradesmen first came to the rescue of homeowners suffering DIY disasters all the way back in the last century. The show has run for an incredible 31 series since that first programme back in 1999, becoming the extended Big Build version in 2010, with more ambitious builds for truly deserving families — as well as special projects such Children In Need centres and the Veterans’ Village. And it’s no wonder Nick and the team are still going strong — seeing all those volunteers (more than 20,000 to date) coming together to transform the lives of members of their communities struggling with health problems and bereavement never fails to bring a tear to the eye. Now, Nick (pictured with designer Gabrielle Blackman) and his band of merry men return for a new, five-part run with a typically emotional episode as they head to Kettering in Northamptonshire to meet midwife Lindsey. Last year, Lindsey tragically lost her husband, ex-Royal Engineer Shaun, to an aggressive cancer, leaving her to raise four boys alone. To make matters worse, the couple were midway through renovating their home, which Shaun had planned to finish himself, and the family’s grief is compounded by the fact that their house is currently uninhabitable. But not for long, as Nick recruits an army of volunteers — including some of Shaun’s former comrades — to fix this broken family and their broken home.