PICK OF THE WEEK

dialogue needs to be opened featuring both sides, and Channel 4 is trying to do just that via what promises to be a fascinating programme. It features contributions from people with very different views, including philosopher and writer Kathleen Stock, who quit her university post after protests against her controversial opinions on gender selfidentification, and veteran transgender campaigner Professor Stephen Whittle.

Colin from Accounts (BBC2, 10pm)

There’s some good news and some bad news surrounding this wonderfully charming Australian comedy. The bad is that tonight’s episode is the last of the current run; the good is that a second is in the pipeline, albeit on hold due to the writers’ strike in the US, where husbandand-wife creative team Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall are based for part of the year. The pair also take the lead roles of trainee doctor Ashley and brewery owner Gordon, who seemed to be making a go of their relationship - until last week’s episode, when Ashley’s birthday bash, held at Gordon’s brewery, got a little out of hand, to say the least. As a result, they decide they’re no longer compatible so must go their separate ways. With neither of them capable of caring for Colin alone, they try to find him a new home - but can the trio really be parted?

WEDNESDAY

Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star (BBC3, 8pm)

This week, the MUAs have been booked by Adidas to design digital looks for Metaverse Fashion Week. Guest judges Isamaya Ffrench and Erika Wykes-Sneyd from Adidas and GG will be scrutinising everyone as they have to work in teams and choose a leader. After using unconventional materials to create a digital look, a shock lies in store back at the Glow Up studios, where half the chairs are red. Who will save themselves during the Creative brief by creating amazing cartoon characters, enabling them to stay in the running?

Location, Location, Location (C4, 8pm)

Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer wind back the property-hunting clock to 2016 when they catch up with Lynn. They first met her while she was hunting for a new place to live for herself and her guide dog Lucy in Bangor, north Wales, for which she (Lynn, that is) had one stipulation - a lightfilled conservatory. Also featured are Liz and Carl who, as newlyweds in 2014, were looking for what they hoped would be their forever home in Hertfordshire. Phil thought a Victorian end terrace in Tring might work. But was he right?

999: Critical Condition (C5, 9pm)

Trauma team leader Paul Hancock and the staff at Royal Stoke are faced with an unusual injury this week - patient Peter has been flown in from Wales after being gored by an angry tusked boar. The team need to assess the damage quickly as if the blood supply to Peter’s leg has been badly damaged, he could lose his limb. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Sam also requires urgent treatment - he’s been coughing up blood and his condition is deteriorating rapidly. Paul suspects a pulmonary embolism, which could have devastating effects if left untreated.

The Gallows Pole (BBC2, 9pm)

Shane Meadows is best known for creating searing, gritty dramas set in modern (well, within living memory at least) times. But every writer-director of note should try something new at least once in their careers, and The Gallows Pole is certainly a departure for the Uttoxeter-born auteur. It retains an earthy working-class quality, but is set during the late-18th century and focuses on the real life story of the Cragg Vale Coiners, a group of West Yorkshire weavers and land-workers who, in order to feed their families, masterminded the biggest fraud in British history. Meadows regulars Michael Socha and Thomas Turgoose star, alongside Ralph Ineson, George MacKay and Tom Burke.

The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC1, 9pm)

A travel wardrobe is the order of the day as Sara Pascoe welcomes the remaining sewers. Judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young start by getting them to make something to put their garments in - a rucksack (it might come in handy later, when one more competitor is told to pack their bags and leave the contest). However, it’s turning old windbreakers into emergency rainwear and creating madeto-measure swimsuits for their models that put their skills to the test.

A Paedophile in My Family: Surviving Dad (C4, 9pm)

Incredibly moving and powerful, this documentary isn’t easy to watch, but it’s essential viewing and reminds us that sometimes, TV can be far more than just the idiot box in the corner of the room. Emily spent years suffering abuse at the hands of one of the people who was supposed to take care of her; despite her ordeal, she somehow managed to forge a successful career in business. Here, she bravely discusses what happened to her, meets the police officers who handled her case and talks to the adults who may have been able to help her, including teachers, family friends and her mother. Emily also reveals why she’s considering confronting her father following his release from prison.

THURSDAY MasterChef (BBC1, 8pm)

All three finalists can give themselves a pat on the back - to make it this far, they’ve had to stand the heat of the MasterChef kitchen and impress judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace. Now though, they face the toughest challenge of all as they set out to prove that they should follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, marine pilot Eddie Scott, and be crowned Britain’s best amateur chef.

That means they will have to make the three best dishes of their lives, showing just how far they’ve come since the competition started eight gruelling weeks ago, and demonstrating their ability to push the culinary boundaries. And, of course, it will also have to taste nice. But who can convince John and Gregg that they deserve to lift the trophy?

Taskmaster (C4, 9pm)

It’s the last in a series that has seen Jenny Eclair giggling with delight while sitting in a chair as new potatoes poured over her head, Ivo Graham and Frankie Boyle forming an occasionally strained father-andson-style team, and everyone being baffled by the idea of peeling an egg. Now, it’s time to find out who will be going home with a golden (vague) likeness of Greg Davies’ head as Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Mae Martin and the aforementioned contestants tackle their final tasks, which include an intense game of face-changing chess with Alex Horne.

Alexander Armstrong in Sri Lanka (C5, 9pm)

The final leg of the Pointless presenter’s journey takes him away from the popular tourist destinations in the south of the island as he heads north into Tamil country. There, he learns more about the bitter civil war which raged for 30 years before coming to an end in 2009, and volunteers to help with a project to locate the lethal mines which are still lurking underneath the land. He also witnesses a controversial local sport involving racing bulls with carts, and finds out how the 3,000-year-old martial art of Angampora still flourishes despite British attempts to ban it.

Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, 9pm)

The new series of the genealogy drama features some impressive big names, including Claire Foy, Lesley Manville and Bear Grylls, but it begins with Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is one of Britain’s most successful composers - he was recently commissioned to create an anthem, Make a Joyful Noise, for the coronation of King Charles III. Andrew already knows he comes from a musical family - his brother Julian is a virtuoso cellist - but now he’s keen to find out if any of his ancestors also shared his love of theatre and showbiz. Along the way he discovers a certain Uncle Peregrine, who played a key role under Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, as well as a missionary who dedicated his life to helping the poor and needy. There are also stories that have uncanny parallels with Andrew’s own life, as he learns he’s not the only person in his family with a famous cello-playing brother.

Great British Dog Walks with Phil Spencer (More4, 9pm)

In the second episode of this series, Phil and Luna are joined by sprinter Libby Clegg and her guide dogs Hatti and Bramble. Libby is a double Paralympic gold medal winner, former World Champion and mum of one. She also reached the final of Dancing on Ice as the first partially sighted contestant. As they walk through the Yorkshire Dales, she shares her life story, including how Hatti helps Libby to live life fearlessly, Plus, Phil realises how unstoppable she is when a spring snowstorm threatens their plans.

Strike: Inside the Unions (BBC2, 9pm)

Britain has been hit by a wave of industrial action over the past year, which has been dividing public opinion. If you want to come to a more informed decision about where you stand on the issues, then this documentary series, which began last week, is here to help. It offers an insight into the circumstances that led to the strikes, and also has access to union leaders including Mick Lynch of the RMT and Pat Cullen from the Royal College of Nursing, as they try to get a better deal for their members.

FRIDAY

Our Lives: My Husband the MMA Fighter (BBC1, 7.30pm)

It’s natural to be protective of one’s partner, and so to see a spouse routinely punched in the face during the course of their work must be something of a challenge. This documentary in the BBC’s Our Lives strand follows cage-fighting pro Stevie ‘Braveheart’ Ray, who is just one fight away from becoming Scotland’s first world champion, and his wife, Natalie. Through Natalie’s eyes we follow the lead-up to Stevie’s big fight, and the aftermath - which will be painful whatever the outcome.

Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out (C5, 8pm)

The unfailingly likeable Scottish comedian Susan Calman and her beloved little camper van - a 1999 Romahome Daihatsu Hijet she’s named ‘Helen Mirren’ - leave UK shores for the first time in this series. They make for the Isle of Man, a magical island full of beautiful landscapes, friendly people and exciting discoveries. She kicks things off by exploring the historic port of Peel, a former Viking stronghold, and savouring a local delicacy: a kipper and lime marmalade bap. Could this be the new Manx national dish? In Douglas, the capital, Susan meets the president at the world’s oldest continuously running parliament. And the event that puts the Isle of Man on the map the TT - also features heavily at the island’s Motor Museum.

The Big Interiors Battle (C4, 8pm)

The semi-final of the interior design competition and still three designers remain. However only two can make it through to next week’s final, so we know we’ll be seeing the last of one of the hopefuls. It’s the apartments’ spare rooms that are the focus this week, and with the prize - the winner gets the keys to the flat they’ve been working on all this time - within sniffing distance, they are starting to think about how they actually want to use the space, as well as what they think judge Dara Huang wants to see.

Hidden Treasures of the National Trust (BBC2, 9pm)

We’re off to the North East of England this week, for a behind-the-scenes peek at the goings-on at three very special, but very different, Northumbrian properties. First up there’s Cragside, an awe-inspiring mansion built by one of the Victorian era’s wealthiest industrialists, William Armstrong. It was the first house in the world to be lit by hydroelectricity, using Armstrong’s own technology. Then we visit graceful Georgian mansion Seaton Delaval Hall, just 20 miles from Cragside. The Delaval family were known for their raucous, hard-partying lifestyle, and staff renovate a portrait that still bears damage from a Champagne cork. Finally it’s Cherryburn, the unassuming farmstead birthplace of famed 18th-century naturalist Thomas Bewick.