What to watch
The Big Hospital Experiment
BBC TWO, 9.00PM; NOT SCOTLAND
Based on an initiative in Germany, this eye-opening and often moving new four-part series follows 14 young volunteers as they spend a month on the wards of the Royal Derby Hospital, looking after patients and assisting staff. Could such a programme offer a partial solution to the staffing crisis that’s still ravaging the NHS? The recruits are the usual combination of eager beavers, natural carers and layabouts primed to go on “A Journey”; the staff are the combination of empathetic and drily sceptical that you’d expect.
Following a fortnight of training, indulged and unemployed smoker Will, keen but nervous Deborah and pampered rich kid Eric (who “loves a bit of Casualty”) are our three protagonists in this opener, working on the cancer, colo-rectal and head-and-neck wards respectively. Initially, it appears that the staff are supporting the volunteers rather than vice-versa, but bonds are formed with patients – who cut dignified, brave figures no matter what their vulnerabilities are – a good deal of squeamishness is overcome, and the nursing teams are won over (in most cases, at least). It’s a classic set-up: the gamble is big and the stakes are real. Gabriel Tate Mccloud’s architectural rubbernecking. This opener begins with a man building a new house on top of a sheer cliff while his partner is away; chaos ensues. GT Gordon Ramsay Uncharted NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, 9.00PM
This latest vehicle dispatches the intemperate chef around the world to learn about the cultures and flavours of less-known culinary hotspots. Tonight, some Maori know-how in New Zealand. GT
News
The Andrew Neil Show
BBC TWO, 7.00PM
In February, This Week ended after 16 years on air. Fortunately, its combative host returns to grill the denizens of Westminster in a new weekly show.
ITV, 10.45PM; STV, 11.05PM
This new run for Robert Peston’s political magazine show is likely to prove its