PICK OF THE DAY
TRAUMA, 9PM, STV
WRITTEN by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster), this equally gripping threepart drama is showing on consecutive nights — so you won’t have long to wait for your next fix. It stars John Simm (who also happens to be on BBC2 at the same time in Collateral, see below) as father-of-three Dan Bowker, whose world is turned upside down when his son, Alex, is stabbed and dies in hospital. Convinced that Alex’s treatment at the hands of consultant Jon Allerton (Adrian Lester, pictured with Simm) wasn’t up to scratch, Dan’s anger starts to bubble over. How far will he go in his quest for revenge?
STATESIDE TOUR James Martin’s American Adventure, 2pm, STV
HAVING toured France in Keith Floyd’s old 2CV, lucky James Martin embarks on another culinary expedition, this time a road trip across the U.S. in a variety of vehicles. James (pictured) begins with California and the West Coast, taking in Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and the Napa Valley. Continues tomorrow.
TABLE TOP Food Unwrapped, 8.30pm, Ch4
THE globetrotting food investigation show returns for a new series. This opener joins Jimmy Doherty in the U.S. to find out why crunchy bits in ice cream don’t go soggy, while Kate Quilton is in Italy to learn about a disease that’s wiping out olive trees across Europe.
HISTORIC TALE Julius Caesar Revealed, 10.45pm, BBC1
TWO thousand years after his death, Julius Caesar remains the most famous Roman of them all, still shaping our world and still present in our everyday lives, language and politics. Here, historian Mary Beard explores the man behind the myth — and delves in to Caesar’s surprising legacy, challenging what we think we know about the man behind the legend.
CRACKING THRILLER Collateral, 9pm, BBC2
JOHN SIMM and Carey Mulligan head an all-star cast in this four-part thriller, set over the course of four days and written by acclaimed playwright David Hare. Attending the scene of a fatal shooting in London, DI Kip Glaspie (Mulligan) soon
starts to suspect that there’s more to the killing than meets the eye. Much, much more . . .
SCOTS COMEDY Two Doors Down, 10pm, BBC2
CATHY and Colin (Doon Mackichan and Jonathan Watson, pictured) return from holiday to find they have been burgled — and Cathy is distraught to find the thief has taken her emergency stores of Valium. Will a cup of tea at Beth and Eric’s help to calm her frayed nerves?
FILM CHOICE The Deadly Twin, 3.20pm, Ch5
A WOMAN springs into action after discovering that the twin brother of her daughter’s boyfriend has escaped from a psychiatric institution intent on revenge. Thriller, starring Brigid Brannagh.