UK TV programmes to watch this week : 11/07/2015

Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure (YouView app)Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure (itv/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 12th July 2015)

First in a three-part series which sees Joanna Lumley travel the 6,400 mile route from Hong Kong to Moscow. Joanna begins her train journey in Hong Kong – which she last visited when she was four – while she has not been to Moscow since 1966 when she was there as a model at the height of the Cold War. In the first episode, she sets off from The Peak above Victoria Harbour, before jumping on the Mass Transit Railway to Shenzhen where she catches the bullet train to Beijing. In China’s capital, she discovers that more Rolls Royces are sold there than anywhere else in the world. She visits a bizarre restaurant dedicated to Chairman Mao and encounters an old lady who knew Emperor Puyi’s favourite concubine. She then joins the Trans-Siberian, stopping off in Datong and visiting a wild stretch of the Great Wall. From there she travels by overnight train to Mongolia, where she passes through the Gobi desert and visits a local shaman.

The Cycle Show (itv4 | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 16th July 2015)

The cycling magazine show with celebrity guests, cycling stars and features on all things bike related. Presented by Matt Barbet.

Coast (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 16th July 2015)

Bounty from the Sea. Coast explores the incredible riches within our seas and the surprising stories of how we use them. Nick Crane is on a mission in the Faroes to gather all manner of bounty to take to a traditional feast. He starts by diving for 50-year-old mussels before discovering how the Faroese like to eat their sheep! Mark Horton undertakes a piece of experimental archaeology in Denmark in a quest to understand why our Stone Age ancestors fished at night. Hermione Cockburn delves into the microscopic world of plankton that fascinated the Victorians. She meets the artist creating fantastic works of art using diatoms – microscopic pieces of plankton.

The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 17th July 2015)

The award-winning show continues with the sixth series of unique irreverent satire. Adam Hills and co-hosts Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker tear into the week’s main talking points, joined by a live studio audience and weekly celebrity guest.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.