NEXT WEEK’S TV
THE ALL NEW MONTY
Monday
and Tuesday, STV, 9pm
It’s
time once again to raise awareness of the importance of health checks to
prevent prostate, testicular and breast cancer, as another group of celebrities
whip out their bits under the expert gaze of dance coach Ashley Banjo. The
responsible fun begins on Monday with Who
Bares Wins, in which the likes of Joe Pasquale and snooker legend Willie
Thorne, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, get to grips with a
complex strip routine to be performed in front of a packed theatre. In Ladies’ Night, it’s time for Martina
Navratilova and various soap and reality stars to do the same. Most of the
participants have personal reasons for getting involved with the promotion of
this vital cause.
24 HOURS IN A&E
Tuesday,
Channel 4, 9pm
This
impeccable series is an admirable celebration of the NHS. It’s also a
guaranteed anxiety inducer. If we’ve learned anything from watching years of
what essentially boils down to a relentless hokey cokey of terribly upsetting
drama, it’s that accidents and sudden failures of health occur every day. You
could be the next unwitting victim. Fortunately, dedicated medical
professionals will be on hand to rescue you from the brink. If you’re lucky.
The latest series begins with a moving meditation on elderly people trying to
come to terms with the possibility of losing their partners. Meanwhile, the
marriage of Harry and Meghan unfolds in the background. Humane and tacitly
political, it towers above every other show in this genre.
THE SINGER STORY: MADE
IN CLYDEBANK
Wednesday,
BBC One, 9pm
In
the late 19th century, a vast modern factory transformed a village
on the Clyde into an industrial powerhouse. Its finely crafted product, the
Singer sewing machine, went one giant step further: it changed the world. As
the years roll by, the historical importance of Clydebank is in danger of being
forgotten. This fascinating documentary should restore its reputation. There
was a time when one in five households in the world had a Singer sewing machine,
most of them made in Clydebank. Via vivid contributions from former employees,
a portrait emerges of a town characterised by civic pride and humour. The site where
the factory once stood is now a bland business park. Progress ain’t what it
used to be.
WHEN I GROW UP
Thursday,
Channel 4, 8pm
Spontaneously
inspired by recent social mobility research, three generous businesses have
invited some seven-year-olds from all walks of life to briefly join their ranks.
Fortunately, a television crew was on hand to capture the results. Will giving
them jobs they’ve never dreamed of change their ambitions? This week they don customised
uniforms to manage an artisan chocolate business. I don’t doubt for a single whiff
of a second that the producers had the very best of intentions – they’re not
cruelly inviting us to sneer at a sadly precocious rich kid who fences and
plays golf, of course they aren’t - but it comes across as an unnerving fusion
of The Apprentice and Channel 4’s
notorious ‘80s misfire, Minipops.
LAST WEEK’S TV
GHOSTS
Monday
29th, BBC One
This
supernatural sitcom from the Horrible
Histories team continues to plough a fairly amusing yet inessential furrow.
It’s a likeable show populated by excellent comic actors, but the characters
and storyline aren’t exactly riveting. We’re three episodes in, and I don’t
really care about any of these people, either undead or alive. It gets by on a
thin cushion of happy-to-please charm.
PLANET CHILD
Wednesday
1st, STV
What
can protective British parents learn from examples set by foreign cultures? In episode
one of this revealing new series, twin doctors Chris and Xan van Tulleken
attempted to find out by conducting carefully controlled child development experiments.
We met Japanese and African kids with far more independence than their
cossetted UK counterparts, who gradually managed to navigate central London while
unaccompanied by mum and dad.
EASYJET: INSIDE THE
COCKPIT
Thursday
2nd, STV
Whimsically
narrated by undiscriminating workhorse Stephen Fry, this series provides fly on
the fuel gauge access to pilots from Britain’s biggest airline. They were, of
course, depicted as cheerful, unflappable professionals tirelessly serving the
needs of their customers. I daresay that’s true, but it was like watching a
high-end promotional video. Still, nice scenery, and when was the last time you
saw Inverness Airport on television?
