BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND

Eve, so busy on TV this year. Every drama should have a part for Shaw.

More delicious intrigue in Death and Nightingales (BBC2, Wednesday, 9pm). This time the setting was Ulster, 1885, and the estate of William Winters. Living there with Winters was his step-daughter, Beth, who longed to escape the place now that her mother had gone. Beth (Ann Skelly) was a passionate sort, her favourite poet being Keats, who writes of “death and nightingales”. Thus far in her life, she has had nowhere to direct her passion, until the day a tenant farmer (Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey) comes looking for help to pull a pony out of a ditch (it’s surprising how many epic romances begin this way).

Death and Nightingales is set over 24 hours. A simple enough time frame, but a flashback, or rather flash forward at the beginning led to some initial confusion. Matters got back on track and by the end the drama was nicely poised to plunge further into darkness.

With his mate Holly off filming some obscure jungle show or other, This Morning’s Phillip Schofield whiled away the time with How to Spend it Well at Christmas (STV, Tuesday, 8pm).

Phil’s mission, and boy, has he chosen to accept it, is to guide you through the aisles of so-so presents towards the good stuff. This week it was toys.

Schofield is in his element with this type of light but informative consumer journalism. Through him we learned that unicorns are big again this year, with their ranks including Poopsie the Unicorn, who produces glittery stools. Not to be outdone, Mystery Mao the interactive cat, read minds. Poor Barbie and Ken, having to compete with this lot.

Phil was underwhelmed by Rollie My Kissing Puppy for its limited range of actions. “Lovable,” said Phil, “but does it do anything else?”Aw, I think he’s missing Holly.

Finally, Lydia has to use all her ingenuity to retrieve precious jewellery from a jammed safe.