Top TV Picks
Womanhood
BBC Two, Friday
Six famous women spanning different age ranges, background and experience come together in Leeds to tackle some of the mostly hotly contested issues. Broadcast Kirsty Wark is joined by dancer Shirley Ballas, writer Chidera Eggerue, businesswoman Jacqueline Gold, singer Sinitta Malone, and comedian Suzi Ruffell.
The Thames by Night
Channel 5, Friday
The presenter discovers how the Thames works around the clock. He explores the stretch of the waterway from the estuary – where the river meets the sea – to the Thames Barrier. It is here, at the Barrier itself, where he begins his journey, as he’s given an invitation to its control room to see how it keeps London safe throughout the night.
Freddie Mercury: The Final Act
BBC Two, Saturday
Documentary exploring the last years of the Queen frontman's life, as well as following the preparations for the concert staged in his memory at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 1992.
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
BBC Two, Tuesday
Monica Galetti and Giles Coren visit ION Adventure Hotel in Iceland, a design hotel levitating out from a dormant volcano. Guests visit here expecting the adventure of a lifetime, exploring lava flows and glaciers, where snorkelling in near-icy water reveals secret and stunning rock chasms between the Earth’s tectonic plates, and learning how to keep guests safe on an erupting volcano is a trip of a lifetime.
Paddy and Christine McGuinness: Our Family and Autism BBC One, Wednesday
Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine have three children – eight-year-old twins Leo and Penelope and five-year-old Felicity. All three have been diagnosed with autism. This film follows the couple over many months as they try to gain a greater understanding of the condition, meeting other parents, experts and people on the autism spectrum.
Surgeons: At the Edge of Life
BBC Two, Thursday
Documentary series following the work of leading surgeons as they push medical boundaries to the limit.