Tonight's TV tips
Neville and the Design Team are back for a third series of the hit home makeover show, Neville’s Doorstep Challenge for TV3.
In the series premiere, Neville and the Design Team pay a visit to Claire and Gary Fitzpatrick in Tallaght. The young couple and their one year old son Alexander, have moved into Gary’s family home to save money to buy a house of their own.
Gary’s mum has given the couple permission to build a granny flat at the bottom of the garden so the couple can have a space to relax in.
Having taken out a small loan to cover the building of the granny flat, the couple were out of ideas on how to stretch the budget to cover the interior design.
Neville transforms the space into a funky and contemporary combined living space.
This eye-opening documentary looks at the lifestyles and attitudes of some of those living on benefits, who are not currently seeking employment.
Mum of eleven, Heather has been branded one of Britain’s biggest benefits scroungers. The local council announce plans to build a new six bedroom house for her extended family and with the benefits bill increasing, so is the controversy that surrounds her.
Julie and Vinnie from Liverpool have not worked for six years but have no problem paying their cable bill. Jobs may not be plentiful but houses certainly are and with the drop of a hat you can move and increase your benefits, which is exactly what Julie and Vinnie do.
Rent in London is sky-high and benefits picks up their £1,200 a month rent. Emma and Sophie came to London as teenagers and have been on benefits since becoming mums. They want work that pays well but with no qualifications they are not prepared to take just any job.
In the space of just five years, the number of children waiting to be adopted has doubled. Now, with 15,000 on the list at the time of the last count, child protection figures are more daunting than ever.
This three-part documentary has shown many of the problems faced by social workers, foster carers, birth parents and adoptive parents during the process of adoption as cameras followed their plights.
During tonight’s closing edition, we find out more about the transition from the familiar foster home to the unknown of adoptive parents – and the toll that this stage can take on those at the centre of the process: the children.
As they try to fit in with a new family though, it may help the youngsters to know that the adults share many of their anxieties. As the programme discovers, both sides are often asking the same, simple question: ’Will they like me?’
As a nation, it’s probably safe to say, we’re not the most patient of drivers. We’re always in such a rush and with so many other things on our minds, so it’s little wonder the Beeb has seen potential to make a series about motorists involved in parking disputes.
This four-part documentary follows people involved on both sides of the car-parking battle – from wardens under pressure to motorists who are fighting back and the bailiffs whose job it is to pursue unpaid fines.
In this first instalment, parking campaigner Mr Mustard is at the disposal of a 93-year-old man who is appealing against a fine he’s been given by Barnet Council.
Meanwhile, bailiff Debbie joins the police in a roadside operation - but it’s not easy work, as she’s confronted by a very angry man whose van needs to be confiscated.
In Lincoln, there are problems afoot with parking in its increasingly busy city centre.
Elsewhere, residents in a quiet Sussex village aren’t happy with London commuters parking on their road, and in Devon, we meet the businessman who has developed a talking ticket.
It might shock most to know that there are more pensioners than children living in Britain, and more pressure than ever is being placed on the NHS and social services.
This insightful three-part series examines the issue, as cameras follow teams in Birmingham dealing with older adults, charting cases over the course of a year from their perspective.
In this first instalment, we meet Betty, Jim and Henry, who have each found themselves in hospital as the result of a fall, and are all keen to get home as soon as possible.
However, not everyone is convinced this is the best course of action. Betty, who has lived alone since her husband’s death four years ago, lay undiscovered for 24 hours following her fall, and her niece, doctor and social workers are concerned that the cluttered state of her house could lead to another accident.
Jim is suffering from dementia, which also poses challenges, while Henry’s discharge looks in doubt when he contracts pneumonia.
Can the professionals find a way to balance their patients’ safety with their need for independence?
This brand new six part series follows the adventures of Irish-American writer and comedian Des Bishop as he moves to China for a year in order to learn mandarin and eventually attempt to perform a one-man stand up comedy show for a Chinese audience.
There are a couple of problems though – the locals areunaware of the subtleties of western style comedy and are laughing for all the wrong reasons. Is Des’ attempt to explore comedy in a foreign country and a strange culture a task too far?
Part reality, part travel, part humour, Des’ new Chinese project will follow his move to Beijing, his fumbling first steps in Mandarin, his adventures with the local kids. His Chinese host family will encompass the quirks of an intriguing nation that is changing at a blistering pace.
Over the six episodes Des will go to Chinese university, share everyday life with the family and explore the wider China beyond. He plans to set up his own comedy club in a Beijing city venue and with luck build a loyal following and a successful business. By journey’s end he even hopes to make his name on Chinese television which attracts the largest audiences on the planet.
Film stars Gwen Harrison and Eddie Thomas were America’s favourite couple, but now they’ve split up in real life, the public don’t seem as interested in watching them play lovebirds.
With their latest movie due for release, publicist Lee Phillips tries to get them to pretend they’re back together for the purposes of a press screening.
However, his job is made harder by the fact that the eccentric director is refusing to let anyone see the final cut, and Gwen’s sister is nursing a huge crush on Eddie.
As a Hollywood satire, it’s fairly toothless – as you might expect from a film so fluffy, it casts Julia Roberts as a movie star’s dowdy sister – but as a romantic comedy it works pretty well.
John Cusack brings his usual hangdog charm to the proceedings, while Catherine Zeta-Jones has fun as a spoilt, self-obsessed prima donna. But the less said about Hank Azaria’s hammy turn as a Latino ladies’ man the better.
John Cusack, Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken
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