OF TODAY’S

JAY BLADES: NO PLACE LIKE HOME, 9PM, CH5

WHO Do You Think You Are? meets A House Through Time in this three-part series, which sees the furniture restorer and host of The Repair Shop (pictured) returning to the Hackney streets where he grew up to view them through adult eyes. It’s a nice mix of personal and social history, as Jay discusses trips to the market with his mother and his days playing in rat-infested streets, while also learning about the events that took place in this corner of East London. On his first walk, full of fascinating stories and rich archive footage, Jay learns about the terrifying zeppelin air raids that saw the first-ever bombs raining down on London in 1915, during the ‘Forgotten Blitz’ of the First World War. He also explores the mythology built up around the infamous Kray twins, getting a personal insight into the East End gangsters from former glamour model and family friend Maureen Flanagan. Jay seems genuinely pleased to learn about the rich history of his area, but he is shocked by revelations of local slave owners — some of whom could have owned his ancestors in Barbados — and learns of the fights that took place between the Blackshirts and anti-fascist protesters on Ridley Road. It’s a clever idea, and one that will inspire you to look at the streets around you in a different light.