Tuesday's TV tips
What can be said about this gentle series that hasn’t been mentioned before?
Probably very little. After all, it’s been on the box for far longer than anybody expected (once Nick Crane and co had exhausted the British coastline, most people expected them to hang up their raincoats and enjoy a rest) and the format has barely changed.
Nevertheless, it’s still going strong, and the researchers involved deserve a pat on the back for constantly coming up with new material to entertain its millions of viewers.
This week, the presenters are hopping around all over the place, from Cornwall to Australia and Holland, as they retell the fortunes of various explorers.
Among the highlights is 18th-century artist William Daniell’s 10-year mission to illustrate a book, a trip on the UK’s oldest boat to commemorate the first sailor to navigate Britain and an insight into how Scot Lachlan Macquarie laid the foundations of what would become Australia.
Just the mere idea of working with Connie Beauchamp is enough to send shivers down the spine of even the hardest medic, so spare a thought for Jac this week.
Although Connie is based in the emergency department these days (ie, she’s a Casualty stalwart rather than a Holby City one), she’s back on her old stomping ground to help out with a complicated procedure.
After turning down his offer of a promotion, Guy decides Jac should be the person to assist her former colleague. Is he forcing her into this for snubbing his offer, or does he truly believe she’s the best person for the job? And will the women manage to put aside their differences for the sake of their patient?
Meanwhile, things get personal for Raf when his brother arrives on the ward following a mugging – but it’s Harry who realises his injuries are far worse that anybody originally thought.
In this brand new series of Killers Behind Bars, Professor David Wilson, Head of Criminology at Birmingham City University, again looks into the cases of some of the UK’s most infamous modern serial killers.
Infamous for the murder of schoolgirl 13 year old MillyDowler, Levi Bellfield is one of the most despised serial killers.
As well as Dowler’s murder, Bellfield was convicted of the brutal murders of French student AmelieDelagrange and Marsha McDonnell, whom he killed with brutal hammer blows to the head, and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, whom he ran down with his car in Twickenham as she walked home from a night out.
We do like our dramas to be intelligent, even if it means we have to concentrate fully on the screen at all times.
You certainly can’t afford to nip off to make a cup of tea or check your emails while Utopia is on – in fact, just a quick blink can make you miss a crucial piece of the plot.
So prop open your eyelids for this, the fourth episode which begins as Dugdale offers Jessica a safe place to stay, despite the fact they don’t seem to trust each other.
Ian, meanwhile, is a wanted man. Both Jessica and Milner are searching for him, but he’s holed up with Becky, trying to work out why Anton declared they were all going to die.
Eventually, Becky discovers more about the dark past of the mystery man, who has a bigger part to play in this story – just as The Network prepares to release Russian flu on the world, Anton makes another announcement, this time involving the horrifying adjustment he has made to Janus...
A squad of British Army officers take part in a routine military exercise in the Scottish Highlands.
They stumble on a pile of human remains and an injured comrade who appears to have been attacked by an animal. Before they know it, the squad is soon under siege from giant, wolf-like creatures.
Shot on a shoestring budget, Neil Marshall’s horror thriller is a mix of An American Werewolf in London, Aliens and countless other horror films.
However, despite being influenced by a host of cult movies with bigger budgets, this home-grown offering has a sick and twisted sense of humour which will appeal to many post-pub revellers.
Kevin McKidd, Sean Pertwee, Emma Cleasby, Liam Cunningham
Frank D’Arbo is full of anger when his wife leaves him for a drug pusher, and takes the bizarre decision to channel his rage by becoming a masked vigilante.
Soon, ’The Crimson Bolt’ is punishing even minor transgressions with extreme violence, before resolving to bring his wife’s new lover to justice – with a homicidal comic store clerk as his young sidekick.
It’s an inventive and slightly twisted dark comedy from Slither director James Gunn, which boasts a star cast and some very witty dialogue. It’s no Kick-Ass, but nor is it lacking in laughs or action.
Rainn Wilson, best known for his role in The Office: An American Workplace yet again proves his deadpan comic chops in the lead role.
Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Nathan Fillion
