FIVE OF THE BEST
Food Unwrapped Does Christmas
Channel 4, 8pm
Over on BBC 1, Mary Berry is teaching a group of celebrities how to make some festive favourites, but Channel 4 is concentrating on finding out where the ingredients come from while carrying out some intriguing tests. First up, Jimmy Doherty is in Sri Lanka to learn more about the spices we use every yuletide, and whether or not they can give us all a dose of Christmas cheer.
Matt Tebbutt exercises his sweet tooth during a visit to a massive mince pie factory and finds out what the difference is between raisins and currants. Kate Quilton figures out if eating lots of boozy festive food can put the boys over the limit and last, but by no means least, Helen Lawal investigates the theory that we should be scouring our sprouts.
24 Hours In A&E
Channel 4, 9pm
The documentary following patients being treated at St George’s in south–west London reaches its
200th edition. Ky, 18, is brought in after being knocked off her motorbike in a hit–and–run, and her mother Sam is by her side as doctors assess the damage to her legs and pelvis. Aleks, 41, is suffering from confusion and memory loss after falling from her loft on to her head, and as her husband Paulo arrives at the hospital, medical staff are still unsure as to whether she has sustained permanent brain damage.
Inside The Christmas Factory
BBC2, 9pm
Gregg Wallace visits a factory that produces two million tins of festive chocolate assortments a year, with 5,500 individual sweets packaged and dropped into containers every minute. Cherry Healey learns how the Royal Mail produces Christmas stamps, and also travels to Germany to join a crew of 35 ornament decorators applying glitter and paint to glass Santas. Historian Ruth Goodman goes on the trail of the festive turkey, a tradition that began in the 16th century when these birds were first introduced from Mexico.
Warship: Life At Sea
Channel 5, 9pm
The Russians have sent warships to face off against HMS Duncan - and are threatening to fire on them if they launch missiles into Syria. It is a tense affair, and as the orders to fire are given and the strikes on Syria begin, the crew members are at action stations. Young sailor Danny Oldfield is going for his first promotion, knowing he must prove his knowledge of all the ship’s systems. Chef Liam, meanwhile, has been caught drinking vodka, breaking a strict no spirits policy. He faces serious punishment and could be banned from disembarking the ship.
First Dates
Channel 4, 10pm
Helicopter pilot Paul, 59, is embarking on his first date dressed in women’s clothing and hopes that 51-year-old Sydney can see that underneath he is “just a normal bloke”.