TV REVIEW AND PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY When Lynn Barber met Phyllida Barlow (BBC Two, 7.30pm)

Artist Phyllida Barlow met journalist Lynn Barber years ago when they were both mothers in North London. Barlow raised five children on a part-time teacher’s salary, and it is only now in her seventies that she is achieving international art stardom. three decades on from her last visit to Barlow’s house, Barber returns to interview Britain’s representative at the art exhibition Venice Biennale 2017.

Paula Rego: Secrets and Stories (BBC Two, 9pm)

Now 82, Paula Rego is one of Britain’s foremost artists. She studied at the Slade School of Fine Art but it was becoming part of the London group, alongside David Hockney and Frank Auerbach, that helped to establish her career in the 1960s. This documentary offers an insight into her life and work. Rego is notoriously private, and opens up on film for the first time here. There’s also an opportunity to see clips from an archive of home movies and interviews spanning 60 years, as well as a chance to view examples of her extraordinary work.

SUNDAY Top Gear (BBC Two, 8pm)

After the false start of last year’s series, Matt LeBlanc has helped revitalise this rebooted show, and the presence of new team regulars Rory Reid and Chris Harris has restored that matey trio feel. This week, Chris and Matt compete in a race across the Arabian peninsula. They pit the Bugatti Chiron (a bargain at around £2,119,000) against an assortment of other ways of travelling – with money no object. Meanwhile, Tinie Tempah takes to the track in a Toyota GT86.

Line of Duty (BBC One, 9pm)

Thandie Newton, last seen wearing very little in Sky Atlantic’s Westworld, is back again, fully clothed (in fact under body armour and police uniform) in the fourth series of Jed Mercurio’s acclaimed crime drama which explores corruption within the force. Newton plays DCI Roz Huntley, a married mother of two who is under pressure to prove herself to her superiors by catching a serial killer, but when she makes an arrest, a forensic expert reports her to the AC-12 team, claiming a miscarriage of justice has taken place.

MONDAY The Repair Shop (BBC Two, 6.30pm)

We’re often told we live in a disposable culture, where items are routinely thrown away and replaced, but it seems some people still know how to make do and mend. For this new series, a collection of skilled craftspeople, including furniture restorers, horologists, metal workers, ceramicists and upholsterers have been gathered together in once place to help bring broken or damaged family heirlooms back to life. Most of the objects come with a story attached, including the accordion featured in the opening episode, which belongs to a woman in her 90s who shares her memories of playing it during the Blitz. Other items featured over the series include a Davenport desk complete with fake drawers that fooled a burglar, and a pinball machine that currently doubles as a kitchen counter.

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (BBC Two, 9pm)

It’s likely that Giles Coren and Monica Galetti are no strangers to luxury hotels, but in this new series they won’t be checking in as guests - instead, they’ll be rolling up their sleeves and learning about the work that goes into offering visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience in some incredible locations. They begin by heading to Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, which was created as part of a government plan to triple tourist income within 10 years. It cost £3.5billion to build, caters to more than one million guests a year and boasts the longest elevated infinity pool in the world (it’s the equivalent of three Olympic-sized pools). Giles and Monica are on attendant duty, which goes beyond making sure there is no bombing or petting, as they find out how the laundry cleans 10,000 towels a day.

TUESDAY Stargazing Live Australia (BBC Two, 8pm)

New series. Professor Brian Cox and Dara O Briain travel to Australia to explore the night skies, with the programme joining them as they finish a long night under the stars and as dawn approaches. Brian and Dara are joined by Liz Bonnin on a remote mountain top in New South Wales, site of the world-famous Siding Spring Observatory, and will have Australian outback-astronomer Greg Quicke as their guide to the southern sky, revealing some of the wonderful star-tales told by indigenous people.

Inside Kensington Palace (Channel 5, 8pm)

Kensington Palace was originally a two-storey mansion, built in 1605 by Sir George Coppin; it was expanded by Sir Christopher Wren in 1689, who turned it into a residence fit for monarchs William and Mary. It’s remained a royal house, and is now the official London residence of, among others, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry. The palace is also where Queen Victoria was raised, and was converted into a heavy artillery base during the Second World War, when it also saw a German POW camp established in the grounds.

WEDNESDAY MasterChef (BBC One, 8pm)

New series. John Torode and Gregg Wallace return to put 64 more amateur cooks to the test. The first eight hopefuls begin by creating a dish using ingredients chosen from the new “MasterChef market”, stocked full of produce from all over the world, including pork mince, halibut and pancetta. Only five contestants will survive the first round, and the remaining cooks are then challenged to prepare a two-course meal to secure a place in the quarterfinal. The amateurs not only have to impress John and Gregg, but also the finalists of last year’s MasterChef competition.

Brian Pern: A Tribute (BBC Four, 10pm)

There’s sad news for fans of fictional prog rock stars – Brian Pern (played by Simon Day) has been killed off. The good news is that Rhys Thomas is presenting a celebration of his life in the form of this spoof tribute. The programme features Brian’s final prophetic interview, which has never been transmitted before, as well as the true story behind his untimely death and the making of his last album Heaven Calling – released just 271 days after his 66th birthday. It also features contributions from friends, lovers, fans and his dentist.

THURSDAY Galapagos (BBC One, 9pm)

Liz Bonnin and a team of boffins are hunting high and low for flora and fauna in this stunning new series. Located on the equator, the Galapagos is an archipelago where evolution has proceeded at a remarkable pace. However, with the climate changing fast, this tropical paradise is under threat. Ms Bonnin and assorted scientists team up for the most ambitious scientific expedition attempted in this remote region. Episode one sees Liz joining the scientific team aboard the research vessel the Alucia on an expedition across the Galapagos Archipelago. The trek starts on the Galapagos’ west side at the youngest, most volcanically active islands in the archipelago, Isabela and Fernandina, home to a diverse wildlife scene.

Eyewitness (Channel 4, 10pm)

Thanks to the success of offerings such as Lilyhammer and Headhunters, Norwegian drama has proved a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. This latest offering should prove just as compelling. It involves two besotted teenage lads whose liaison at a remote sand quarry in Mysen, Norway is interrupted by car’s arrival. It looks like a kidnapped man is about to be assassinated by a gang of thugs, but when matters take a left-hand turn, the endangered teens swear to keep the incident quiet and dispose of evidence in the hope of covering their tracks. Featuring a mix of Norwegian and English dialogue, this stylish thriller starring Axel Gehrken Boyum and Odin Waage should leave many perched on the edge of their seat.

FRIDAY Unreported World (Channel 4, 7.30pm)

A year has passed since decades of military dictatorship came to an end in Burma, and Aung San Suu Kyi began leading a new era of civilian government in the nation also known as Myanmar. However, the woman once hailed around the world is now being criticised for failing to bring real freedoms to many in the country, and the fighting against various rebel groups has intensified. Krishnan Guru-Murthy and director Karim Shah travel to the country to investigate whether its fledgling democracy can overcome such attacks.

Decline and Fall (BBC One, 9pm)

Friday night is often sitcom night on BBC One, but with no offence to Not Going Out or Still Game, this new comedy has a classier pedigree than most, as it’s based on the novel by Evelyn Waugh. It also boasts an impressive cast, including David Suchet, Douglas Hodge, Eva Longoria and, in the lead role of Paul Pennyfeather, Jack Whitehall. Paul begins the series as a divinity student at Oxford University, but his academic career suffers a major setback when a prank sees him wrongly expelled on the grounds of indecent exposure. It seems his only option is to become a teacher at a substandard boarding school in Wales, although the job does start looking up when he meets the glamorous mother of one of his pupils.