PICK OF THE WEEK

documentary series tells the incredible story of the tycoon’s empire, interweaving Murdoch’s behind-the-scenes influence on world events with the personal battle for power within his own family. The programme begins in 1995, with a young Tony Blair flying halfway around the world to Murdoch’s private island looking for support to become Britain’s next Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the Murdoch family is rocked when Rupert marries Wendi Deng, a woman 37 years his junior, in 1999.

Our Yorkshire Farm (C5, 9pm)

New series. Return of the documentary series following hill shepherds Amanda and Clive Owen and their nine children. This third series begins as the family bids farewell to Raven as she leaves for university. Four-year-old Clemmy is also about to start school - but is less keen on leaving the farm, especially since it means less time with her beloved pony Tony. The family all has to pull together when Clive goes into hospital for hip replacement surgery, preventing him from working on the farm as winter draws nearer.

WEDNESDAY

Sporting Legends: Simone Biles (BBC2, 3.45pm)

Simone Biles is just four feet and eight inches tall, but she’s a giant in the world of gymnastics. She rose to fame in 2013 - winning two World Championship golds aged just 16, including the all-around title. She followed that with four more golds in 2014 and another four in 2015. By the time Rio 2016 - her first Olympics - rolled around, she was the hottest of hot favourites for the title. And she didn’t disappoint: Biles won gold in the all-around, team, vault and floor, and bronze on the beam. This short programme profiles the superstar gymnast, who even has her own emojis called Simoji.

Bears About the House (BBC2, 8pm)

Conservationist Giles Clark is taking on a new mission - he’s been asked by his friend, Matt Hunt, CEO of Free the Bears, to help with building a pioneering new sanctuary in Laos, Southeast Asia. That’s going to be a challenge, but the role also means taking on the illegal wildlife trade, which sees bears being sold as trophy pets and for their body parts. Their gallbladders are particularly prized, as their bile is thought to have medicinal properties, and over 10,000 bears across Asia are kept caged in farms so their bile can be extracted. As well as following Giles and his team as they tackle the problem, cameras also chart the progress of Mary, a five-month-old rescued sun bear who moves in with Matt and Giles while her enclosure at the sanctuary is being built.

Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs - Back in Business (STV, 8pm)

Back in March, the staff at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home realised that a lockdown was looming and that they would have to shut their doors to the public for the first time in their 160year history. So, the pressure was on to find as many families and temporary foster carers as

kinder to put to sleep some of the most severely injured, ill or deformed creatures featured during the past six years of this series, but seeing them gamboling around happily as well as the joy on the faces of their owners in this catch-up show should convince them otherwise. This week we revisit three animals we first met in 2015. First up is Darcy, a chihuahua who needed emergency surgery after having her pelvis crushed in a road accident. Darcy provided a link for autistic teenager TaJournee with the rest of the world, so her recovery was much needed. Then there’s a chance to find out how three-legged rescue cat Jersey has got on after undergoing hip replacement surgery, before the family of deerhound Willow discuss how she recovered from a suspected broken neck.

Ambulance (BBC1, 9pm)

Award-winning documentary following the North West Ambulance Service as they care for the people of Liverpool and all across Merseyside. The control room experiences a spike in calls for patients with breathing difficulties, and when Sherilee talks to a daughter calls whose mother has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it proves tough for the call handler as her own mum had the same illness. Meanwhile, call hander Brogan has to guide a caller through lifesaving CPR while they wait for an ambulance, and there’s a full emergency at John Lennon Airport when a plane loses contact with air traffic control. Last in the series.

Outlander (More4, 9pm)

As the period drama nears the end of its fourth season, Jamie, Claire and Young Ian embark on a long and uncertain journey to rescue Roger. Meanwhile, Brianna begins to feel the pressure from Aunt Jocasta to find a suitable husband, and fast, before the baby arrives. Following a dinner party soiree, she receives a marriage proposal from Mr Forbes. However, she has other ideas and begins to forge a friendship with Lord Grey, who has arrived because Jamie wrote to him and asked him to look in on Brianna while they were gone.

There She Goes (BBC2, 9.30pm)

Rosie is obsessed with Christmas, despite the fact that it is only mid-February, forever wanting to watch festive films on repeat and even dragging Simon to buy a tree. So when she finds another special day marked on the calendar - President’s Day at the end of February - her parents wonder if celebrating that instead will help distract Rosie from her yuletide obsession. In the flashbacks to 2008, Emily and Simon are no longer talking, except to argue. But eventually, months of pent-up frustration comes to a head in an emotional showdown.

FRIDAY

Celebrity Snoop Dogs (C4, 8.30pm)

The celebrity property show continues, as we take a look around more famous homeowners’ abodes, guided by the dogs who live there. Specially kitted out with mounted cameras attached to a harness, the pooches tour their lavish homes and the secluded gardens their owners normally retreat to. In this episode, we snoop inside the homes of a Labradoodle and two American spaniels - brothers from different mothers. But who do these loveable rogues and their beautiful homes belong to? Kevin McCloud commentates on everything from the architecture to their owners’ choices in decor and feng shui.

Jack Whitehall’s Sporting Nation

(BBC1, 8.30pm)

For the second episode in his nostalgic look at Britain’s sporting history and what it says about the country, Jack Whitehall is turning his attention to the people Britons love cheering on almost as much as we enjoy watching them come crashing down - our sporting heroes. It seems if you want to reach the top of your field, you need a thick skin as well as talent and dedication, because there are very few sportsmen and women who can claim to have been given a completely easy ride by the British public and press. To prove his point, Jack looks back at David Beckham’s free kicks and red cards, Andy Murray’s tumultuous journey to the top of tennis, and Zola Budd’s infamous tangle at the 1984 Olympics.

The Other One (BBC1, 9.30pm)

Fed up with Cathy festering in her bed, postwedding cancellation, and stalking Marcus and Meredith on what was supposed to be Cathy and Marcus’ honeymoon, Cat decides the best thing to cheer up her half-sibling is to take her away on their own ‘sister honeymoon’. She’s got just the place in mind - their late Dad’s favourite pub. At the solicitors, Marilyn and

Tess learn that Colin’s will contains an absolute bombshell and that they must pass on some shocking news to their daughters. Comedy, starring Ellie White, Lauren Socha, Siobhan Finneran and Rebecca Front. Last in the series.

The North York Moors: A Wild Year (BBC2, 9pm)

An exploration of the upland area of North Yorkshire, where heather-clad uplands and sheltered dales have been shaped both by the elements and by its people. Hardy Swaledale sheep roam the high moors all year round only coming down to the lowlands for lambing and shearing. Red grouse feed and breed amongst the heather alongside curlews and other ground nesting birds and billions of purple heather blooms provide nectar for the bees, brought to the moors by beekeepers in the summer. Toby Jones narrates, as time-lapse camera techniques bring fresh insight into the restless rhythms of the region. Last in the series.

A Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes (C5, 9pm)

The historian travels through the Corinth Canal - a feat of engineering that required the removal of 12 million cubic metres of earth - before heading for her penultimate stop of Corfu, where Count Flamburiari reveals the island’s close connections to Britain. From there, Bettany sails to Ithaca, Odysseus’s home island, finally completing her 1,700-mile voyage across the Greek Islands. However, there’s a startling surprise in store when she is awoken in the night by an earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale. Last in the series.