PICK OF THE WEEK

boys became caught up in a tussle for control which culminated in them being taken to the Tower of London ‘for their own protection’. Now Lucy Worsley is looking back over centuries of speculation over what happened next and sharing the latest evidence.

Elephant Hospital (C5, 9pm)

Cameras return to a Thai forest to catch up on the work of a remarkable hospital, which cares for thousands of elephants every year, treating ailments ranging from cancer to mental health issues. Filmed over four months, the series follows conservationists Paul O’Donoghue and Katherine Connor and the resident vets as they deal with daily emergencies, but also offers an insight into the mammals’ behavioural patterns. In the first episode, Paul helps an elephant with chronic diarrhoea, and Kat discovers what’s behind a recent outbreak of aggression among the male herd members.

The Bridge: Race to a Fortune (C4, 10pm)

AJ Odudu hosts the second series of the reality show, which this time around has raised the jackpot to £200,000 – and doubled the drama. In the first episode, 16 strangers from the UK arrive on the uninhabited islands of Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, where they are divided into two teams of eight, ready to build a bridge over 1,000 feet of water in just 12 days to reach the cash, which lies below a tower on an island between two beaches. The twist is that only one person from the winning team can take the money home. So, while working together is essential, expect some deviousness along the way. Adventurer Aldo Kane is on hand to oversee the challenges.

WEDNESDAY

The Repair Shop (BBC1, 8pm)

Instrument expert Pete Woods has a challenge on his hands this week as a woman asks him to work his magic on a cornet that once belonged to her late mum and which she hopes to able to play again in her memory.

The team also tackle a ride-on rocking motorbike which isn’t looking its best after being stored in the garden under a tarpaulin, and a much-loved monkey toy which has seen better days. Finally, book binding expert Chris Shaw and embroidery specialist Sara Dennis work together to save an autograph book containing the signatures of some of Britain’s leading suffragettes.

How to Catch a Cat Killer (Border, 9pm)

Steven Bouquet, who was dubbed ‘the Brighton cat killer’, caused the deaths of nine cats and violently injured seven others. His horrifying acts took a toll on local pet owners, and left police wondering whether there would be an escalation in the attacks. Now, this documentary takes a look at his case, drawing on interviews with those affected and behindthe-scenes footage, including clips of Bouquet in custody, to tell the story of how a community came together to help detectives make the breakthrough they needed. The programme also investigates another spate of vicious cat murders in Croydon, South London, but in this case, there’s a surprising twist concerning the identity of the attacker.

DNA Family Secrets (BBC2, 9pm)

The people learning more about the secrets contained in their DNA tonight include Georgina, who was the result of a holiday romance between her mum and a Portuguese waiter 34 years ago. Now, she’s hoping the team can help her to find out if her father is still alive so she can tell him he has a daughter. Meanwhile, Matthew grew up in foster care with no knowledge of where his father came from, but he thinks his roots may lie in the Caribbean. Finally, Michaela and Richie are testing their newborn son’s DNA to discover if he needs to undergo life-saving gene therapy.

Ash Cloud: The Week the World Stopped (C5, 9pm)

Whether it’s lockdowns or staffing problems, there’s been a lot of upheaval when it comes to air travel over the past couple of years. However, this documentary is taking us back to 2010, when an Icelandic volcano grounded flights and unleashed air traffic gridlock in Britain and beyond. People who were on the frontline of the natural disaster tell their stories, from those who responsible to clearing the skies to the people who found themselves stuck at home and abroad. The programme also raises questions about whether a similar disaster could strike again.

The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC1, 9pm)

We’re getting to the sharp end of the competition – the remaining stitchers are battling it out for a place in the quarter finals. So, it makes sense that they are being faced with some particularly tough challenges as they find themselves taking on lingerie week. First, presenter Sara Pascoe informs them that for their pattern challenge they are going to be making a lace underwired bra and matching

knickers. It’s a fiddly job involving small pattern pieces, and judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young will be expecting perfection. The transformation challenge involves turning thermal underwear into outerwear you would be seen in public in, and then finally, for the all-important made to measure, male models arrive in the sewing room, ready to be fitted for a pair of luxury pyjamas.

Killing It (E4, 10pm)

Hot Tub Time Machine and The Office star Craig Robinson takes the lead in this comedy as a down-on-his-luck single father who applies for a loan to start a new dietary supplement business. After he is turned down, Craig has an encounter with Australian Uber driver Jillian (Claudia O’Doherty) that changes his life forever. He finds out that there’s a python-killing contest, with the prize being the money he needs to start his firm. Then, in the second episode, the South Florida Python Challenge begins. And with $20,000 on the line, Craig decides to compete alone while

Jillian looks for a new partner.

THURSDAY

Phone Scams: Don’t Get Caught Out! (C5, 8pm)

Alexis Conran investigates the new scourge of fake text and WhatsApp cowboys who are after your money. They may pretend to be Amazon, your bank or even the police, and he explains how they operate, what you need to look out for, and how you can avoid getting stitched up. Alexis speaks to victims, cyber security experts, hackers fighting back, banks and the police who are on the trail of these conmen and women. And above all, he will hopefully help you, the public, avoid being caught out by these sophisticated scams.

Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, 9pm) Richard Osman ‘wasn’t interested’ in exploring his father’s ancestry in this week’s episode of the genealogy series. The House of Games presenter and his older brother Mat were raised by their mother, Brenda Wright, after his father walked out on the family when Richard was nine years old. After describing the departure as “the worst thing to ever happen to him”, Osman explained that they met 20 years later but didn’t form a significant bond. “My dad’s side of the family wasn’t something I was interested in because that’s not the family I grew up in,” he added. Although he only focuses on half of his ancestry, Richard still finds plenty of intrigue in his family tree.

Bradford on Duty (BBC2, 9pm)

With wide-ranging access to the West Yorkshire city’s public services, this programme takes viewers to the heart of Northern England and meets the men and women dedicated to making Bradford a better place. Each episode will follow the frontline workers patrolling the streets and the leaders making strategic decisions in City Hall. From the difficulties in tackling rough sleeping, to the shocking health inequalities, viewers will hear unflinchingly honest accounts from those who are tasked with the incredible challenge of helping to rebuild pride in their city.

Million Pound Pawn (STV, 9pm)

The return of the fly-on-the-wall series. Sheffield-based pawnbroker Dan arrives on the Costa Del Sol with big plans to expand his business. First up he meets Aiden, a classic car restorer on the Costa who’s looking to sell his 1960s’ Rolls Royce for over £300,000. For Kathy, Spain’s sunshine coast offers the chance of closing lucrative deals with her family who have moved to the area and work in the gold bullion business. Kathy’s first client is George who wants to sell some luxury jewellery to add to his retirement pot. But with constantly fluctuating gold markets, will Kathy be able to meet George’s high expectations?

Hollywood Greats: Judy Garland (BBC4, 9pm)

Jonathan Ross investigates the tragic life behind the glamorous image of popular actress and child star, who, away from the glare of public scrutiny, was an unhappy young woman who attempted to escape her despair with drugs. The programme includes her greatest on-screen moments, and interviews with those close to the star, including Tony Bennett, Artie Shaw and Mickey Rooney. The programme is followed by Judy (9pm), the biographical drama starring an Oscar-winning Renee Zellweger, and set six months before Garland’s tragic death in 1969.

FRIDAY

This Is My House (BBC1, 8.30pm)

We’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good is that this bonkers contest is returning to our screens – the run actually began with a Comic Relief special in March, so technically this is the second episode. The bad is that Stacey Dooley isn’t back as host. What’s more, each episode will only be 30 minutes in length. What will remain the same is that in each edition, four members of the public try to convince a panel of celebrity judges (in this case Richard Madeley, Judi Love, Harry Hill and Harriet Kemsley) that the home they’re in and describing is their own.

My Name Is Leon (BBC2, 9pm)

Prepare to be moved by this charming featurelength adaptation of Kit de Waal’s awardwinning debut novel. The drama is executive produced by Lenny Henry, who also stars alongside Monica Dolan, Olivia Williams, Christopher Eccleston, Malachi Kirby, Shobna Gulati and Poppy Lee Friar. However, it’s Cole Martin, in his first TV role, who takes the lead as Leon, a nine-year-old mixed-race boy growing up in 1980s Birmingham. The story is told through his eyes as he deals with numerous hardships and forms a close bond with his foster mother carer trying to reunite with his relatives, including his beloved baby brother. Along the way, he learns valuable lessons in life, love and what family really means.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? For Soccer Aid (STV, 9pm)

Comedians Eddie Izzard and Omid Djalili are not only very good at making us laugh, they’re also barmy about their favourite football teams – while Izzard supports Crystal Palace, Djalili is passionate about Chelsea. As a result, they’re both keen to participate in Soccer Aid this year, although in a more cerebral fashion than running about on a pitch. That’s why they’ve bravely accepted Jeremy Clarkson’s challenge to appear on a special edition of the quiz in which they try to win £1million for the charity UNICEF.

Celebrity Gogglebox (C4, 9pm)

The regular series is always great fun, but even better is the celebrity version. It’s rare for famous folk to let viewers see behind their perfectly marketed facades, but Gogglebox allows that to happen. Over the years, some great names have popped up alongside their friends, family members or other halves. We’re not sure who’s signed up for the first episode of the latest series, but what we do know is that since the last run, Denise Van Outen has split from her fiance Eddie Boxshall, and Maureen Lipman has quit, so a few fresh faces may appear.

British Planes That Won the War with Rob Bell (C5, 9pm)

The engineer reveals how four iconic Britishbuilt planes became masters of the sky, beginning with the war plane Sopwith Camel. Two years into the First World War, the British fleet was being outgunned and outmanoeuvred by the newer German fighter planes. The Allies needed a new design that could give them an edge, and the answer came from the Sopwith Aviation Company and a designer called Herbert Smith.

Avoidance (BBC1, 9.30pm)

Does Romesh Ranganathan ever sleep? The comedian and presenter hardly ever seems to be off our screens, and yet he’s still somehow managed to find the time to co-write a new sitcom in which he also takes the lead role. Jonathan is a somewhat hapless individual whose lack of get-up-and-go is about to cost him his relationship with his partner Claire, who’s had enough of his passive ways. Jonathan is, however, a good and loving father to his young son Spencer, and is keen to make sure he remains happy after the split.