Blue Planet II (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 26th November 2017)
Documentary series narrated by David Attenborough which explores the planet’s oceans. From enchanted forests to undersea prairies, green seas teem with life. Giant cuttlefish do battle for a mate, and an ingenious octopus outwits deadly sharks.
Coastal Railways with Julie Walters (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 26th November 2017)
Julie Walters, one of the country’s best-loved actors, travels the most beautiful and interesting stretches of coastal railway routes in the UK. In this new series, Julie takes a magical mystery tour through dramatic landscapes while uncovering surprising historical secrets. From pristine Scottish shores to Cornish fishing villages, this is a journey of discovery – of how our coastal railway routes helped shape us as a nation and the stories of the people who brought them to life. In the first episode, Julie rides the West Highland Railway in Scotland, on board the famous Jacobite steam train, memorable for its starring role in the Harry Potter films. She gets some practical training in blowing up railway lines at Arisaig House, home to the Special Operations Executive from the Second World War. There’s also herring gutting in Mallaig; a traditional Scottish storyteller on Skye; and cattle wrangling at Duirinish.
Expedition Volcano (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 26th November 2017)
Two-part documentary. The first programme follows an extraordinary expedition to one of the world’s most dangerous, spectacular and lesser-known volcanoes – Nyiragongo. The volcano contains a massive boiling cauldron of molten rock – the world’s largest continually active lava lake. But it is also one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet. It has erupted twice in the last 50 years, most recently in 2002, wreaking havoc and destruction on the people who live in the nearby city of Goma. This region is also dangerous for another reason – it has been racked by war and humanitarian crises for most of the last 30 years, so Nyiragongo is one of the least studied active volcanoes on Earth. But now, an international and local team of scientists are mounting a major expedition to study the volcano. They are attempting to discover the warning signs that it is building towards a new eruption, so they can alert the people of Goma before it erupts again.
Guy Martin v the Robot Car (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Sunday 26th November 2017)
Motorcycle racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin investigates the most disruptive new technology to be introduced to the automotive world: autonomous vehicles. He becomes the first person to ever take on an artificially intelligent race car to discover what’s fastest: man or machine? In just over ten years, half of all new cars sold will be electric, and 15% will be autonomous. So what does the future of transport hold for petrolheads like Guy, who loves traditional engines so much he has a lawnmower piston tattooed on his leg? He thinks the best way of learning is by doing, and while Silicon Valley spends millions designing next-generation vehicles, Guy attempts to make his own robotic Ford Transit, at home, in his shed. He discovers that the hard part is replicating human thought, and travels to Budapest to experience a fully so-called ‘Level 5’ autonomous vehicle: a car that can truly think for itself.
Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 27th November 2017)
Travelogue in which Chris Tarrant rides some of the world’s wildest trains. From the deserts of Lawrence of Arabia, Chris follows the route of the Hejaz Railway up through Jordan, before crossing the border into Israel. He’s headed for the holiest city of all-Jerusalem.
The Secret Life of the Zoo (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Wednesday 29th November 2017)
Andean bear Lima has a three-month-old cub, but keepers are concerned that her overprotective behaviour may curb its development. And when Lima’s back is turned, cub Madidi embarks on an adventure into the paddock next door. The rock hyrax family enjoy the quiet life, spending eight hours a day sitting on their rocks. But they’re in for a rude awakening when three new pups are born. For mum Daissie there’s no escaping their demands. The pygmy marmosets also have new babies. Mum Audrey has to carry her twins everywhere she goes to ensure their safety. But the whole family is soon on hand to give her a rest. Young elephant Nandita is desperate to make friends with babies Aayu and Indali, but her boisterous behaviour is proving too much for them. Can she learn the maternal skills she needs to win them round and persuade them to go swimming with her?
The Channel (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 29th November 2017)
The English Channel is the world’s busiest waterway: 400 ships pass through the 21-mile-wide Dover Strait every day. It defines our border with Europe, but has brought us closer to it: the free flow of goods and people has transformed our economy and our lives. But as our relationship with the continent changes, these are uncertain times for the people who live and work these waters. This ambitious access-all-areas series goes inside the Channel Tunnel, on board ferries and freighters, through our highly-fortified border, and into the hidden nerve-centres that keep the whole system moving. And the maintenance workers, engineers, sea pilots and ship’s captains – who move 17 million of us across the sea every year – reveal how the Channel works. The first episode captures the Channel’s rush hour: two weeks in summer when freight lorries share the ferries with 250,000 holidaymakers.
Blitz (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 30th November 2017)
During the Blitz over 450,000 bombs dropped on Britain, and every bomb has its own story. This second episode explores the ramifications of a bomb that fell on 6th Avenue in the port city of Hull, flattening two houses and changing the lives of two families. The Taylors lost baby Peter and 14 year-old Vera was very badly burned. Her sisters Doreen and Tina remember that terrible night and it is the first time they have talked about the trauma they endured. Next door, Mrs Owens had put three of her children under the stairs for safety but they sadly didn’t survive. Their sister Janet who was born after the war didn’t know about their existence until she was in her twenties. Her father was so traumatised that he refused to discuss anything to do with the Blitz. It means she has a lot of unanswered questions, which are finally answered when Janet meets Doreen and Tina, and she learns that her siblings were buried with baby Peter.
Greatest British Bridges: The Severn (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 1st December 2017)
Documentary series. Rob Bell explores the history and construction of the world’s iconic bridges. Opened in 1966, the Severn Bridge was the first road bridge to connect England and South Wales by spanning the vast Severn estuary. Rob reveals why its design by Dr Bill Brown revolutionised the way that modern suspension bridges are built. He also surfs the Severn Bore and meets the construction workers who braved the wave and tidal ranges of up to 50 feet in order to build it.
The Last Leg (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 11:05pm | Friday 1st December 2017)
The live, joyous, topical comedy extravaganza hosted by Adam Hills, Alex Brooker and Josh Widdicombe examines the biggest and most entertaining news stories and rounds up the main talking points of the week. In this show, they are joined by Matt Lucas and Rebecca Front who help dissect the week’s events.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.