The Quest for Bannockburn (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 29th June 2014)
The first of two absorbing documentaries telling the story of a two-year project to identify the spot where Robert the Bruce secured victory over the English in June 1314. The Battle of Bannockburn helped seal Scotland’s future as an independent country, but the precise location of the rout of Edward II’s vastly superior army on the second day of the fighting has been a matter of conjecture. A major investigation involving bodies including the BBC, Glasgow University and the National Trust for Scotland has come up with the answer and with some fascinating archaeological finds. Neil Oliver and Tony Pollard take up the story of a battle that became a defining moment in Scottish history.
A Cabbie Abroad (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 29th June 2014)
London cabbie Mason McQueen takes on the challenge of driving a taxi in three very different cities around the world. In this episode Mason takes on the harsh conditions of Iqaluit, Canada’s gateway to the eastern Arctic. The boomtown of the far north, Iqaluit’s population has doubled in the last decade. With no public transport to speak of, the city’s small band of taxi drivers are vital to keeping the city on the move in the face of some of the toughest driving conditions on Earth. Mason battles Arctic storms, icy roads and winds of 70 miles per hour as he tries to get his passengers to their destination. Through his passengers, Mason discovers the story of the native population, the Inuit, whose way of life has been radically transformed over the last century. During his time Mason has a glimpse of their traditional values and ways of life, from hunting to throat singing, as well as the modern challenges of poverty and homelessness that now plague the Inuit.
Coast Australia (BBC 2/HD | 9:10pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 2nd July 2014)
Series exploring Australia’s coastline. Tim Flannery begins this Top End adventure at Victoria Settlement and learns of its tragic history in the struggle to colonise Australia’s northern frontier. Neil Oliver examines the ferocious bombing of Darwin and a remarkable story of reconciliation between former enemies. Miriam Corowa confirms that not all Hollywood dreams come true, especially along this unforgiving coast. Plus, Xanthe Mallett goes on patrol with Australian Customs Fisheries to hunt for killer ghost nets. And no Top End story would be complete without a crocodile – Emma Johnston draws blood in the name of science.
George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 3rd July 2014)
George meets a couple who love VW campervans so much they have given up their jobs and sold their home in order to completely drop out of the rat race. They are spending £40,000 renovating an original split screen van which will become their home on the road. George and Will’s Texan road trip brings them to the state capital of Austin, where no more than a mile from city hall a woman has handbuilt her £10,000 three bed family home from mud. George attempts to fulfill a lifelong ambition of building a butterfly house. He also meets a glamping enthusiast who, having been made wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident, has set about making luxury glamping pods which are accessible to everyone.
The Secret Life of Students (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:00pm | Thursday 3rd July 2014)
Every year, thousands of students head off to university for the first time, leaving behind their friends, family and childhood homes. This brand new documentary series presents all the drama, gossip and goings-on from 12 students embarking on their first year at Leicester University. And it’s not just their grades that are being examined. Their texts, tweets, pictures, videos and status updates pop up on screen alongside their on-campus shenanigans. From neknominations to 3000-student strong bar crawls, getting ‘smashed and dashed’ and gossip spreading like wildfire, how do the students cope in their first term? Will they struggle with homesickness as lectures begin and the reality of living away from home sets in? And how will their social media updates correlate with their real life experiences?
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.