2013-12-20

Saturday
7.20pm Splash! ITV - Vernon Kay and Gabby Logan return for a new series of Splash! as a new group of 'celebrities' prepare to jump in at the deep end, under the guidance of Olympic diving medallist Tom Daley.
8.50pm Take Me Out ITV - Paddy McGuinness returns for a sixth series of the hilarious dating show, introducing a brand new batch of 30 single girls to a succession of single guys.
9.00pm The Bridge BBC4 - Danish/Swedish crime drama series. A coastal tanker leaves the Oresund waterway and is headed straight for the Oresund Bridge. When the coastguard board the ship they discover there is no crew and three Swedish and two Danish youths are chained below deck.
9.30pm Catherine Tate's Nan BBC1 - Comedy featuring Catherine Tate's Nan character. While Jamie, Nan's grandson, is away in Africa doing voluntary work, a young girl called Alice has been allocated to Nan by the Young and Old Buddy-Up Foundation to keep her company and cheer her up. Alice soon discovers that Nan's kitchen tap is broken, and accompanies her to the council office to arrange to get it fixed. Unfortunately Nan, in her usual style, causes mayhem and upset at the offices, ending with her being given a community service order to work in the local hospital.
Sunday
6.15pm Dancing on Ice: All Stars ITV - Phillip Schofield and Christine Bleakley return for the final series of the celebrity ice skating competition featuring former champions and viewers' favourites. Olympic skating heroes Torvill and Dean once again coach the celebrities, while Jason Gardiner, Robin Cousins, Ashley Roberts and Karen Barber return to the judging panel. Taking to the ice for this very special series are Beth Tweddle, Sam Attwater, Ray Quinn, Hayley Tamaddon, Kyran Bracken, Suzanne Shaw, Bonnie Langford, Gareth Gates, Gary Lucy, David Seaman, Jorgie Porter, Joe Pasquale, Zaraah Abrahams and Todd Carty.
7.00pm Trucking Wars Channel 4 - Trucking Wars follows a group of transporters as they crisscross Britain and beyond, picking up and dropping off some of the most gob-smacking, seemingly un-shippable loads, hoping to fill every inch of their vehicles to maximise pay.
8.30pm Sherlock BBC1 - Second episode of the third series. Sherlock faces his biggest challenge of all - delivering a best man's speech on John's wedding day.
9.00pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow BBC2 - Dan Snow and team take on the rapids of the Grand Canyon in antique wooden boats to rediscover one of the wild west's great adventures of discovery.
9.00pm It'll Be Alright on the Night ITV - Griff Rhys Jones returns with a brand new offering of previously unseen out-takes salvaged from cutting room floors all over the world. There are moments from ITV favourites Coronation Street, Emmerdale, This Morning, Surprise Surprise and Dancing on Ice as well as the show's first ever royal collection of cock-ups.
9.00pm The Magaluf Weekender ITV2 - The reality show following revellers on holiday in the notorious resort of Magaluf returns for a brand new third series. What do young British visitors really get up to when they are away from the UK and their family home? Cameras follow two groups of holidaymakers as they arrive for a long weekend of partying and debauchery at the Lively Hotel, guided by four colourful resort reps - Jordan, Imogen, Tobi and new girl Ali. The series opener sees a group of girls from Liverpool and a trio of lads from Weston-super-Mare descend on the resort.
Monday
9.15am Wanted Down Under BBC1 - Return of the daytime series in which British families experience a trial week living in Australia or New Zealand before deciding whether to move to the other side of the world for good.
11.00am Rip-off Britain BBC1 - Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville are once again in Tenerife investigating viewers' holiday disasters, with invaluable advice to avoid being caught out the same way.
2.15pm Father Brown BBC1 - Series 2 of the daytime drama series based on the novels of GK Chesterton. Father Brown is sceptical when a parishioner believes she is being haunted by the sister who went missing years ago. However, when she herself vanishes, he must investigate both disappearances.
4.00pm Britain's Best Bakery ITV - The competitive baking series returns, pitting local independent bakers in a head-to-head challenge under the watchful eye of cake connoisseur Mich Turner and bread expert Peter Sidwell. It begins in Yorkshire as a contemporary Yorkshire baker goes head to head with a 1940s vintage style cake maker and a Ukrainian bread specialist. They need to come up with an original bake using polenta, and produce rhubarb and custard muffins good enough to book them a place in Friday's regional final.
8.00pm A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones ITV - Brand new series in which Griff Rhys Jones explores some of the most beautiful and magical regions of Wales. In a twist to the conventional travelogue, Griff is set a challenge in each programme. In this programme, he is in Snowdonia where he must find a Snowdon lily - one of the rarest plants on the planet.
9.00pm The 7.39 BBC1 - David Morrissey, Sheridan Smith, Olivia Colman and Sean McGuire star in this 2-part romantic drama about a man and a woman whose lives are transformed by a chance encounter. After a Monday morning fight over a seat on a train, health club manager Sally and sales executive Carl begin talking on their daily commute and hit it off. Carl is married and Sally is engaged, so they see no harm in talking. But as their friendship grows and the worst part of their day becomes the best part of their day, dare they admit to themselves - or even each other - that there is more to their interactions than friendship on the 7.39? Concludes Tomorrow at 9.00pm.
9.00pm The Bletchley Circle ITV - Return of the drama series about a group of former Bletchley Park codebreakers. Former Bletchley Park worker Alice Merren is in prison awaiting trial for the murder of the eminent scientist John Richards. Driven by her belief in Alice's innocence and that she is hiding the truth about John's death, Jean attempts to regroup the circle in order to help establish the innocence of one of their own.
9.00pm Benefits Street Channel 4 - Observational documentary series that reveals the reality of life on benefits, as the residents of one of Britain's most benefit-dependent streets invite cameras into their tight-knit community. The series, from the makers of Make Bradford British and Why Don't You Speak English?, follows residents of 'Benefits Street' as they navigate their way through life on the bottom rung of Britain's economic ladder. It's a place where residents face challenges such as bringing up children in poverty, illiteracy, low levels of education and training, drug and alcohol dependency, and crime.
9.00pm The Truth About Skunk BBC3 - Documentary looking at how skunk - a hybrid created in the 80s which has transformed the marketplace over the last decade - has revolutionised the world of cannabis.
9.00pm Revenge E4 - Season three of the US drama starring Emily Van Camp as a young woman seeking revenge on those who destroyed her childhood.
9.30pm PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster BBC2 - Jeremy Clarkson tells the story of the Arctic convoys of the Second World War, revealing the terrible hazards faced by the Merchant and Royal Navy sailors who delivered vital war supplies to the Soviet Union via this treacherous route. Accompanied by first hand testimony from those who served on the convoy, Clarkson retraces the voyage of convoy PQ17, a joint Anglo-American convoy which would become one of the biggest naval disasters of the 20th century.
10.00pm Secrets of Living Dolls Channel 4 - This eye-opening documentary delves into the secretive world of 'female masking', where men transform themselves into dolls by squeezing into a second skin. Female maskers, also known as 'dolls', are a hidden community of ordinary family men who lead extraordinary double lives, dressing up in elaborate rubber suits as they strive to become their own ideal fantasy woman.
10.35pm Secrets of Sales BBC1 - With exclusive access to some of Britain's biggest high street chains, Cherry Healey goes behind the scenes to find out how the sales work from the inside. Cherry goes backstage in the John Lewis summer sale, gets inside a critical mark down meeting where sale prices and sale strategy are set, and she discovers the addictive way bargain hunting can affect our bodies. Cherry also uncovers hidden sales offering huge price cuts, learns how major high street retailers use scent to try and influence our behaviour, and meets with a sofa manufacturer willing to admit furniture sales can be a psychological trick.
10.35pm I Shot 2013 ITV - One-off programme which looks at how much of today's news footage is shot by ordinary members of the public using their mobile devices. It reveals many of the year's most dramatic pictures on our screens shot by some of the people actually caught up in the events, including spectators at the Boston Marathon bombings. A teacher trapped in a school with her pupils films the devastating Oklahoma tornado, and there are clips filmed closer to home revealing some of Britain's more extreme weather.
Tuesday
7.30pm River Monsters ITV - Extreme angler Jeremy Wade is on the trail of a monster that leads him to the site of the worst nuclear accident in history - Chernobyl. Stories of attacks by a monster fish at a lake in this remote region of the Ukraine tempt adventurer Wade to brave the radiation in a nerve-shredding race against time.
8.00pm Stargazing Live BBC2 - Brian Cox and Dara O Briain are back at Jodrell Bank Observatory, in the first of three live shows with the latest news and the best views of the night sky. This time the team have taken on an astonishing challenge - to capture one of the top highlights of the solar system - the mysterious and elusive Northern Lights. But will the lights reveal themselves? Liz Bonnin reports live from within the Arctic Circle, joining aurora researchers in northern Norway who will help her unravel the secrets of this eerie spectacle. Concludes Thursday.
8.00pm Weight Loss Ward ITV - Return of the documentary series chronicling the work of the UK's biggest and busiest obesity unit based at the Sunderland Royal Hospital. The unit is at the heart of one of the fattest places in the country, and deals with thousands of patients turning to surgery to beat their obesity. This programme focuses on three friends from the same village who all turn to the Weight Loss Ward for help. We catch up with 29-year-old Terry Gardner, who weighed 47 stone eighteen months ago. He has gone from cheating and denial to an operation that will save his life. Laura Lamb is also 29 and weighs 19 stone, but has already been refused surgery twice. David Harper is 35 and weighs 31 stone, and is also struggling to follow the advice of the surgeons.
8.00pm Location, Location, Location Channel 4 - Britain's property dream team kick off the new year with a bang, as Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer return with a new series of the property search show. Kirstie and Phil are in urban East London and the rural Essex countryside, helping two couples who know exactly what they want and are not afraid to say it.
8.00pm Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun Five - Second series of the observational documentary series following the lives of the natives and expats who live in Gibraltar. During a dispute with Spain, local explorer Tito and his fellow re-enactors march to the top of the Rock to fire a ten-gun salute and explode a 64-pound cannon. Head of ape management Dr Eric Shaw tries to trap a feisty female monkey with his ketamine gun for an international scientific project. At the top of the Rock, the cable car is undergoing major maintenance work.
9.00pm The Lying Game: Crimes that Fooled Britain ITV - Documentary in which top forensic psychologists and behavioural experts look with fresh eyes at some of the most notorious criminal cases from the past 20 years in which the perpetrator has appeared in front of the cameras with sham displays of grief. These include the cases of Stuart Hazell who killed his step-granddaughter, Mitchell Quy who brutally murdered his wife, Ian Huntley who murdered two children in a fit of rage, Karen Matthews who plotted to kidnap her own child and Fadi Nasri who hired a hitman to kill his wife. Dr Sharon Leal demonstrates the techniques that give away verbal mannerisms which reveal their lies. Cliff Lansley pinpoints how lies are given away through minute movements in the face and body. Kerry Daynes explains the personality types behind these crimes and what motivated them to do what they did.
9.00pm The Taste Channel 4 - Multi award-winning food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson; the critically-acclaimed chef Ludo Lefebvre; and legendary food maverick Anthony Bourdain begin their search for the first British winner of The Taste: the high-stakes cooking competition where flavour is the only thing that matters. In the first episode, the mentors sample the cooking of 25 hopefuls, ranging from talented amateurs to professionals from some of Britain's best restaurants. Each of them must deliver just one spoonful of food that will showcase their talent and earn them a spot on the show. Where they're from and how they're trained doesn't matter; only those who can deliver a mouthful of sensational flavour will make the cut.
9.00pm God Cadet's: Joining the Salvation Army BBC4 - Documentary going inside the training college for this most distinctive of British institutions, the Salvation Army, introducing individuals and families who give up their jobs and leave their homes to work full-time for just £7,500 a year.
9.30pm The Truth about Immigration BBC2 - BBC political editor Nick Robinson examines the public's anxieties about immigration and reveals the facts of an issue that has transformed British politics. With Britain braced for a new wave of migrants from eastern Europe, a subject once regarded as toxic is now at the forefront of political discussion. The programme dissects the decisions which led to the biggest surge of immigration in modern history and asks whether politicians can control immigration as much as they claim, looking at the potential consequences of their pledges.
10.00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA - Gordon Ramsay continues his travels across the United States in a bid to save failing restaurants from disaster. In this brand new episode, Gordon heads to Norwalk, Ohio, in America's farming heartland, for the first of two visits to the Mill Street Bistro. There he encounters Joe Nagy, one of the most pretentious restaurant owners he has ever met.
10.00pm Autopsy: Michael Jackson's Last Hours Five - Documentary series in which forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd investigates celebrity deaths. Termed 'The King of Pop', Michael Jackson died suddenly at the age of 50, leaving $400 million in debts and more questions than answers. The most startling evidence in his autopsy uncovers the bewildering number of drugs that were in his system, bearing witness to a number of addictions that had spiralled out of control.
10.35pm Secrets of the Body Clock with Terry Wogan BBC1 - Sir Terry Wogan discovers why timing is everything as he explores the human body clock, a ticking timepiece that lives in our brain and controls the daily rhythms of our body with the outside world. Many people are completely unaware of it, and have no idea there is an optimum time for everything - from driving safely to exercising, and even visiting the dentist.
Wednesday
8.00pm Midsomer Murders ITV - Barnaby and Nelson investigate a series of murders in Midsomer St Claire that seem to be inspired by macabre images on a medieval fresco recently discovered in the church crypt. As the village prepares for storms and flooding, it appears that someone is using ancient torture methods to punish modern-day sinners. But who is responsible and what motive do they have?
8.00pm The Restoration Man Channel 4 - Alan Appleby and his wife Dora might be restoration experts, but they've never taken on a project as ambitious as this. They've saved a flint mill in Stone, Staffordshire, which was about to fall down. Since Alan is a building surveyor, he shouldn't have a problem fixing the massive structural damage. But his passion for old buildings soon takes over and they end up ploughing everything they have into this build. George Clarke helps them every step of the way and uncovers its unique history and the link between this building and the world-renowned pottery and ceramics of Josiah Wedgwood.
8.00pm Bigger Big Body Squad Five - Documentary series following teams of medical and service personnel tasked with looking after and moving the severely obese. A fire crew are forced to reduce a car to scrap metal to extract a 30-stone driver from a crashed car. Forty-stone Diane wants to get out of bed and into her sitting room to test-drive her specialist £8,000 chair. A medical team prepares an obese diabetic with failed kidneys for surgery before she can receive dialysis treatment.
8.00pm Ashley Banjo's Big Town Dance Sky1 - The diversity star attempts to teach the entire town of Stockton-on-Tees, how to dance.
8.30pm Waterloo Road BBC1 - The school drama returns, and chaos descends when what appears to be a masked intruder disrupts the start-of-term assembly. However, the intruder is soon revealed to be new PE teacher Hector Reid. Meanwhile, new girl Gabriella Wark causes a bit of a stir.
9.00pm 24 Hours in A&E Channel 4 - The award-winning series, filmed round the clock at King's College Hospital in South London, returns with an episode filmed on Red Nose Day. For most of the people being treated at King's it may be no time to laugh, but patients and staff reflect on the importance of being able to focus on the brighter side of life.
9.00pm The Tomorrow People E4 - US sci-fi drama, based on the original UK TV series of the same name, about the next evolutionary leap of mankind, a generation of humans born with paranormal abilities. Teenager Stephen Jameson has been hearing voices and teleporting in his sleep, never knowing where he might wake up. Now his mother is worried about his strange behavior, most of his school friends have abandoned him, and he is beginning to question his own sanity. In desperation, Stephen decides to listen to one of the voices in his head, and it leads him to his first encounter with the Tomorrow People - John, Cara and Russell - members of a genetically advanced race who are capable of telekinesis, teleportation and telepathic communication. Stephen learns from his new friends that the Tomorrow People are being hunted down by a paramilitary group of scientists known as Ultra, led by Dr Jedikiah Price.
9.30pm Live at the Apollo BBC1 - Jack Whitehall presents a selection of North America's finest comics, with stand-up performances from Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan and American comedy legend Rich Hall.
9.30pm The Hidden World of Britain's Immigrants BBC2 - Foreign correspondent Fergal Keane finds out what life is really like for a group of illegal immigrants struggling to survive on Britain's streets.
10.00pm This is Jinsy Sky Atlantic - The curveball comedy is back and, keeping up the kookiness, things get hairy during Maven's annual Arbiter ceremony. Stephen Fry guest stars.
10.30pm Hens Behaving Badly Five - Documentary series exploring the British hen party phenomenon.
Thursday
8.00pm Supersize V Superskinny Channel 4 - Health magazine programme which cuts through the weight debate by examining the minefield of issues around weight, food and body image.
8.00pm World's Worst Holiday Horrors Five - Documentary series in which holidaymakers capture the moment their dream holiday becomes a nightmare. A relaxing cruise around Liverpool's world-famous Albert Dock leaves one family fighting for survival after their vessel sinks in seconds with all 31 passengers still on board. A Dutch couple are trapped on an Italian beach when a huge wildfire cuts off their escape route and threatens to engulf them and over 4,000 fellow holidaymakers. A snowboarder becomes trapped upside-down in an ice tomb.
9.00pm The Undateables Channel 4 - The Undateables returns for a third series to follow the journeys of several extraordinary singletons as they enter the dating circuit in pursuit of love. This episode features Mary, a 44-year-old mature student with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.
9.00pm Tough Young Teachers BBC3 - Series which follows the journey of six graduate trainee teachers. It's the first day of term and the trainees are thrown in at the deep end. Oxford graduate Charles is teaching at the Archbishop Lanfranc School in Croydon, a rundown and overcrowded comprehensive. Charles faces a huge workload of 500 students a week to teach, some of whom have only just arrived in the country and cannot speak English.
10.00pm What Happens in Sunny Beach... Channel 4 - This series takes a look at the latest holiday destination of choice for young Brits. Sunny Beach in Bulgaria was once an upmarket playground for the Eastern bloc elite, but is now the new destination for British teenagers looking to get their fix of hard-core hedonistic fun.
10.35pm The Brits are Coming ITV - Nick Grimshaw reveals the nominees for the Brit Awards 2014 with music from Rudimental, Tinie Tempah and this year's Critics Choice winner, Sam Smith.
Friday
8.00pm Jamie & Jimmy's Friday Night Feast Channel 4 - This new six-part series, presented by childhood friends Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty, is all about feasts for the weekend. Coming from their caff at the end of Southend pier, Jamie's got recipes to blow friends and family away; while Jimmy shows how to cook great food you wouldn't usually try at home with some DIY food builds; and some very special guests drop by to help out in the kitchen and serve. Plus the two Essex boys hit the road, touring Britain and trying to save some of Britain's best regional foods from extinction, including Lancashire's Tosset cake, Colchester Pudding, Nottinghamshire's Colwick cheese, Huckle-My-Buff from West Sussex and Bedfordshire's Clanger. In the first episode, the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt, cooks his Aunt Lily's jerk pork; Jamie cooks the ultimate steak; and Jimmy makes a tandoor oven out of a dustbin and a flower pot.
9.00pm Italy Unpacked BBC2 - Beginning in Liguria, a region bordered by mountains and a beautiful rocky coastline which inspired the English Romantic poets, Andrew Graham-Dixon and Giorgio Locatelli travel along the west coast of Italy, exploring the culture and cuisine of the diverse regions.
9.00pm Born to Be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock BBC4 - Series telling the story of the rise and fall of the golden age of American rock from the late 60s to the early 90s.
9.00pm Weight of the Nation Sky Atlantic -  Documentary series exploring the issue of obesity in the US, and the facts and myths of the public health crisis it is causing.
11.45pm Live at the Electric BBC3 - Russell Kane hosts more emerging talent from the live comedy scene.

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