PICK OF THE WEEK

SATURDAY

Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World (C4, 7pm)

In the second episode of the series, the historian is heading to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where some iconic sites are becoming accessible to tourists for the first time. As well as taking in the Red Sea, she also finds out what the ancient rock art and desert camps of local Bedouin tribes tell us about how humanity has adapted to and shaped this awe-inspiring landscape across the millennia. Bettany ends the episode in Petra, where temples and tombs have been carved into the rose-tinted rock.

The Masked Singer: The Final (STV, 7pm)

There’s been an eclectic line-up of performers lurking behind those elaborate costumes. Chris Kamara, Lulu, Stephen Hendry, Claire Richards from Steps and a heavily pregnant Katherine Ryan are among the famous faces who have been unmasked. Now, as we reach the final, it’s time to identify the remaining celebrities and discover who has won. One thing we do know is that none of them are comedian Lee Mack he’s joining panellists Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross, Davina McCall and Mo Gilligan to try to decipher the clues.

Living Wild: How to Change Your Life (C4, 8pm)

Sophie Morgan meets more people who have followed their dreams, beginning with Sue, who lives and works alone in the Lake District, managing England’s most remote hostel. She explains why living off grid has brought her contentment. In the Scottish borders, Andy and Aneela discuss how they have overcome some personal challenges to start new careers as mountain-bike guides, while in the Inner Hebrides, Jen reveals why a medical diagnosis left her wanting to return to Colonsay, the island where she grew up. Sophie also heads to Leicestershire to meet sixtysomething couple Rachel and Sally, who are just beginning what they describe as their last big adventure after taking a delivery of a narrowboat shell.

Starstruck (STV, 8.30pm)

The Stars in Their Eyes-esque talent show is back for a second series, but this time without Sheridan Smith on the judging panel. Luckily though, the show’s makers have found a very impressive new expert to replace her - Shania Twain, who has sold 100 million albums worldwide, picked up five Grammys and generally should know a star performer when she sees one. She joins returning judges Adam Lambert, Beverley Knight and Jason Manford as teams of superfans are transformed into their musical heroes. The panel decides which team wins, before the studio audience picks their favourite individual performer. And if you’re thinking you’d also like to hear the judges sing, you’re in luck, as presenter Olly Murs leads them in a special performance.

Movie Themes at the BBC (BBC2, 8.40pm)

It’s the Bafta film awards tomorrow, and to get us in the mood, BBC2 is bringing us a selection of archive performances of songs that featured prominently on movie soundtracks. Listen out for tracks from Destiny’s Child, Paul Simon, All Saints, Simple Minds and Dolly Parton. Of course, when it comes to pop-movie crossovers, few people have done it better than 007. This programme is followed by ... Sings Bond, which features Adele, Garbage, Matt Monro, Tina Turner, Tom Jones and, naturally, Shirley Bassey.

David Bowie: Love You Till Tuesday (Sky Arts, 10.20pm)

This short promotional film, made in 1969, was designed to showcase the talents of David Bowie, who back then, was an earnest mime star under Kenneth Pitt’s tutelage. Pitt financed Love You Till Tuesday as a television film in an attempt to bring Bowie to a wider audience but it was never shown on a major network. The performance includes the single versions of Love You Till Tuesday, Rubber Band, When I Live My Dream, and importantly, it contains the previously unreleased version of Space Oddity.

SUNDAY

Ski Sunday (BBC2, 6.15pm)

Chemmy Alcott and Ed Leigh present the final programme of the series from CourchevelMeribel in France, as the Alpine World Championships draw to a close. We finish with the men’s slalom - can Dave Ryding create more history and win Great Britain’s first ever medal at this historic event? After the racing, we hear from the pioneering cast and production crew of the incredible ski film Nexus, which follows five distinct groups of female skiers, and looks at their connection to the mountains and how skiing has shaped their lives.

Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs (BBC2, 8pm)

Sunday is turning into dinosaur night - at 7pm, you can watch Dinosaur with Stephen Fry on Channel 5, and then switch straight over to BBC2 for the first of two documentaries presented by Liz Bonnin. It finds the host heading to the remote badlands of Wyoming, where an international team of palaeontologists are unearthing a mysterious dinosaur graveyard. The area contains more than a dozen skeletons, including the fearsome Allosaurus and iconic giants like Diplodocus, along with fossilised plants and footprints. As well as taking a closer look at the finds, Liz learns how these discoveries are adding to our understanding of the Jurassic period and what ultimately killed the dinosaurs.

The Gold (BBC1, 9pm)

Stealing gold is one thing - selling it on is quite another as this drama makes clear. Noye and Palmer have put together a chain to smelt the Brink’s-Mat gold and sell it back to the market, while Cooper and Parry take charge of laundering the profits. However, imprisoned robber McAvoy wants a cut in the form of houses for both his wife and his girlfriend, which could potentially cause problems. Meanwhile, Archie Osborne of HM Customs and Excise has some sage advice for Jennings and Brightwell when he suggests they ask around Hatton Garden to find out if anyone has

been in the market for a smelter. When it turns out there has been a recent cash buyer, have the police struck gold?

Ukraine from Above: Secrets from the Frontline (C4, 10pm)

To mark a year since the Russian invasion, this documentary looks at how the people of Ukraine have defended their country, focusing on the use of drones by everyone from teenagers who use their hobby drones to call in artillery strikes to the pop stars who have fought on the frontline using military hardware. The programme also looks at how military strategists use satellite data to plan their next move, and draws on drone photography to show the scale of destruction over the past 12 months, including the strike on the Mariupol Drama Theatre, where 600 people lost their lives.

Michael Jackson: A Faking It Special (Really, 10pm)

Before his death in 2009, Michael Jackson was the biggest pop star on the planet. But his private life was marred by allegations of child sex abuse. Using high-profile interview footage and televised statements, experts closely analyse his behaviours to check for clues as to whether there was any truth to the allegations. The programme, previously shown on Quest Red, begins with the King of Pop’s 2003 interview with Martin Bashir, and goes on to highlight his 2003 arrest for child molestation and subsequent appearance in a Santa Monica court, charges for which he was acquitted.

MONDAY

Police: Suspect No 1 (C5, 9pm)

Cameras follow detectives on more serious cases, from the very start of an investigation to the moment when they confront their suspects with the evidence. In a terrifying case of ‘home invasion’ by three hooded men, a family is held and subjected to a violent ordeal, late at night in their own home in a suburban street. The family endure a prolonged and violent ordeal - they are abused and assaulted with the men demanding one thing - “where are the drugs?”. Rushing to the scene, police officers discover that they have no idea why they were attacked. Could it be a horrific case of mistaken identity? Searching for their suspects, CID Detective Simon Hawkins and the team work day and night to track down the violent offenders.

Better (BBC1, 9pm)

Although it is being shown on Monday nights, rather than Sundays, this tense drama already looks to be an ideal filler for the gaping hole left by the BBC’s other Yorkshire-set drama, the much-loved Happy Valley. In tonight’s second episode, Lou struggles to keep up appearances with Col, inviting even more suspicion. Desperate to get away from him and clear her conscience, she seeks help from an unexpected source. Meanwhile, Bulgey and Artem pay Jade Wilkes a visit to determine whether she revealed the whereabouts of Noel’s safe house to anyone.

Maternal (STV, 9pm)

The hard-hitting drama about a trio of exhausted doctors and mothers going back to work after having children draws to a close tonight. And if you managed to resist bingeing the series on ITVX, the finale is well worth the wait. It sees all three women looking to future and faced with some very difficult decisions. While Paediatric Registrar Maryam and General and Trauma Surgeon Catherine summon up the courage to speak up at the investigation panel, Registrar in Acute Medicine Helen is presented with an unexpected and very tempting offer.

Everyone Else Burns (C4, 10pm)

The Order celebrates the annual Chapter Congress, when different branches of the church all come together. However, the jamboree soon turns into a battleground. As the Lewises suffer through the festivities and ego clashes, including the puritanical Bolton chapter who think that self-raising flour is decadent, and the insufferably cheerful Worsley lot who perform Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat four times a year, Aaron anxiously awaits his baptism. While he’s waiting, he finds himself drawn to the Ancoats congregation, who are proudly emblazoned with rainbow flags.

The Challenge UK (C5, 11.05pm)

Shown over the next five nights, this new series sees stars from the entertainment world join host Mark Wright in Argentina to fight for their share of £100,000, the title of Challenge UK Champion, and the chance to represent the UK in MTV’s The Challenge: War of The Worlds against the winners of the Argentinian, Australian and American versions. The contestants are Ella Rae Wise, James Lock, Kaz Crossley, Arabella Chi, Kaz Kamwi, Curtis Pritchard and his brother AJ Pritchard, Danni Menzies, Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, Courtney Veale, Zara Zoffany, Callum Izzard, Tristan Phipps and Ashley McKenzie. Most of these stars have a track record of parties, hook-ups and memorable one-liners, but they are soon shocked by the nature of the competition.

TUESDAY

Ukraine’s War Diaries (BBC1, 9pm)

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, instigating Europe’s largest refugee crisis since the Second World War, Panorama asked five Ukrainians to start filming their lives. This personal and powerful documentary marking the first anniversary of the war is the result. Cameras follow a wedding-turned-war photographer, a TV presenter who rescues civilians under fire, a 19-year-old army volunteer and a young couple whose home town has now been occupied by the Russians. They each tell their shocking but also heartwarming stories.

Inside Our Autistic Minds (BBC2, 9pm)

Chris Packham concludes his quest to help a group of autistic people create short films to reveal how they truly feel. Among them is teaching assistant Anton who finds it difficult to deal with change and times his daily routine to the exact second. Meanwhile, Ethan, a 19-year-old student from Essex, is hypersensitive to sound which makes everyday environments unbearably loud. To cope in college, he blocks out the noise by listening to music through his headphones, but as a result he’s become isolated from his classmates.

SAS: Who Dares Wins - Jungle Hell (C4, 9pm)

After five gruelling weeks, we’ve reached the series finale, as the seven remaining recruits are ambushed by a hunter force team behind enemy lines. Handed over to the feared interrogators for questioning, the recruits are subjected to punishing techniques, exhaustion and hunger, as they attempt to stick to their cover story. Then, in the most feared phase of the course, they must endure psychological and physical punishments designed to break their will and force a confession. Will the final seven prove to be magnificent?

Desperate Measures (C5, 9pm)

In the past, the broadcaster has been muchmaligned due to its cheap-and-cheerful approach to programming, but things have changed in recent years. Where reality shows and fly-on-the-wall documentaries were what we could usually expect, top-level drama has also been thrown into the mix. The most recently offering, The Catch, went down a treat, and the same is expected of this fourpart drama. Amanda Abbington heads the cast as Rowan, a hard-working bank clerk who has raised her teenage son while trying to pay off her absent father’s debts. She seems to have her life under control - until Finn is coerced into taking part in a local gang’s drug deal that goes horribly wrong. Warren Brown and Sunetra Sarker are among the supporting cast.

Katie Price’s Mucky Mansion (C4, 10pm)

Mother-of-five Katie, who was declared bankrupt in 2019, apparently landed a £45,000 payday for the first series of this