Great Canal Journeys (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 3rd April 2016)
Timothy West and Prunella Scales conclude their latest series of boat journeys with a trip down the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal, one of Britain’s most picturesque waterways. The couple return to some of the scenes of their early lives together and also revisit the start of their acting careers in an episode that also serves as a tribute to William Shakespeare. Accompanied by Tim’s daughter and her family, they travel through the gentle Warwickshire countryside and cross the longest aqueduct in England. When they reach Stratford-upon-Avon, they visit the Royal Shakespeare Company, before putting on a performance at the church where Shakespeare is buried.
The Food Chain (Channel 4/HD | 8:30pm to 9:00pm | Monday 4th April 2016)
This new food series follows the journeys made by Britain’s best-loved foods; from field, farm, and sea, all the way to our supermarket aisles, kitchens, cafes and some of the country’s top restaurants. The series reveals the inner workings and secrets of the UK’s food distribution web, exploring where our food comes from and how what we eat connects us all. The second episode follows two British seasonal delights – succulent cherry tomatoes from the Isle of Wight and Cornish sardines – on a whistle-stop cross-country journey, before arriving at various locations, including the Google office’s lunchtime menu, or as part of a mouth-watering feast for the GB Rowers squad.
The Tube: Going Underground (Channel 5 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 4th April 2016)
Documentary series following the work of the staff who keep London’s underground train service running smoothly. As the network braces itself for the night of the living dead, there is fury as massive engineering works disrupt one of the Tube’s busiest stations, and the emergency response team are sent to St John’s Wood, where passengers have reported hearing gunfire.
James May: The Reassembler (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Monday 4th April 2016)
Series in which James May explores the intricacies and engineering marvels of various objects by putting them back together again from a pile of hundreds of their component parts. Not only must he make sure every piece is put back together in order, and explain the purpose of every single nut and bolt, he also has to hope that the reassembled machine will actually work at the end of the process. In the opening episode, James is faced with the 331 pieces that make up a 1959 petrol lawnmower. The Suffolk Colt helped make mowing accessible to the masses by producing a smaller and affordable machine to keep our nations lawns at regulation height. As this is a petrol lawnmower, James’s first task is to put the engine back together before he gets to grips with the gearing, the clutch and the blades themselves. Armed only with his toolbox and an endless supply of tea, James experiences the highs and lows only possible when attempting to put history back together again, piece by piece.
Inside Obama’s White House (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 5th April 2016)
The story of how Barack Obama tried to reshape America, as told by his inner circle and the president himself. Episode four begins with president Obama’s decision to launch the special operation into Pakistan, to catch Osama Bin Laden. Former CIA director Leon Panetta describes how Obama decides to go ahead despite odds no better than 50:50 and the strong misgivings of top advisors. As his re-election campaign gears up, Obama has to make a tough choice on contraception – whether to side with the Catholic bishops, or health secretary Kathleen Sebelius and feminist activists. Obama chooses the women and they contribute to his convincing election victory. But soon after his re-election, America is shocked by the Sandy Hook massacre. The families of the victims and senior advisor Valerie Jarrett recall the president’s attempts to strengthen gun legislation but they are defeated by the gun lobby. Obama’s other ambitious reforms fared no better.
James May: The Reassembler (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Tuesday 5th April 2016)
Series in which James May explores the intricacies and engineering marvels of various objects by putting them back together again from a pile of hundreds of their component parts. He tackles a 1957 Bakelite dial telephone – 211 pieces, most of them very small indeed, must be reassembled in the correct order if this telephone is ever to ring again. From the receiver with its carbon filings that enable speech to be amplified, to the electrical pulses created by the dial itself that connect the phone to the outside world, James soon discovers that every single piece of the telephone played a crucial role in revolutionising communication around the world.
Secret Britain (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 6th April 2016)
Series exploring the hidden corners of the UK and revealing landscape secrets.
Employable Me (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 6th April 2016)
Ellie has Tourette’s syndrome and Ben has autism. Both are desperate to find work and have strengths that would benefit employers. 23-year-old Ellie lead a perfectly normal life until two years ago when, out of the blue, she started yelling marshmallow in a supermarket. Ellie was forced to leave her job as a youth worker because she can’t control the words that come out of her mouth. Thanks to a neuropsychologist, she discovers that her condition is linked to superior strengths in areas such as empathy and a new career avenue is opened up to her. 27-year-old Ben has a form of autism called Asperger’s syndrome and finds the world an extremely challenging place. Ben has devoted his adult life to studying law and has two degrees under his belt. Despite his credentials, no law firm has ever given him an interview in the three years since he graduated. When Ben meets autism expert Professor Simon Baron Cohen, he realizes that Asperger’s syndrome shouldn’t just be seen as a disability.
James May: The Reassembler (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 9:30pm | Wednesday 6th April 2016)
Series in which James May explores the intricacies and engineering marvels of various objects by putting them back together again from a pile of hundreds of their component parts. James concludes his quest with an electric guitar. 147 pieces must be reassembled carefully and in the correct order, which will entail soldering, extensive use of James’s precision Japanese screwdrivers and some fiddly electronics. The electric guitar transformed the music industry and society itself and, channelling his namesake Brian, James will plug in his reassembled guitar and hope he put all the bits together correctly as he gets ready to perform one of most unexpected guitar solos of all time.
How to Stay Young (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 7th April 2016)
In this new two-part series, Angela Rippon and Dr Chris van Tulleken travel the world in search of the latest science that could help us all stay young and healthy for longer. They investigate the best ways to help both our bodies and brains age better. Up first is the body, and Angela travels to Germany to join a groundbreaking study which reveals the exercise that holds off ageing the most. Chris visits America to find out about the unexpected diet that can add years to our lives. And in Ecuador we meet a seventeen-year-old who looks like a child to discover how scientists hope he may hold the key to preventing the diseases of ageing.
Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury (itv/HD | 8:00pm to 8:30pm | Friday 8th April 2016)
Julia Bradbury chooses some of her favourite and most accessible family treks from across the UK, in search of the perfect walk with a view suitable for all experience levels. Starting in picturesque Winchcombe, Julia takes up the many walking trails on offer to discover an ancient burial mound and a historic castle, before taking in the spectacular views from the top of Cleeve Hill, the highest point in Gloucestershire.
Billy Connolly’s Tracks Across America (itv/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Friday 8th April 2016)
Billy Connolly continues his travels on the US rail network, taking in the vast and astonishing landscapes that make up America’s backyard. This week’s journey kicks off in the north-west city of Portland, where Billy meets farmer Tom, a veg grower turned organic cannabis producer, before heading to California to see some elephant seals. En route he hears some extraordinary real-life hobo tales and visits the unique folk art architectural sprawl that is Nitt Witt Ridge. Next, he visits the deserts of Arizona, including a border control site and a former nuclear missile silo, before finishing this leg of the journey in the Texas border city of El Paso, where he succumbs to the charms of a luche libre wrestler and visits the cowboy boot factory that made his boots.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.