Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Saturday 20th January 2018)

Five villages from this week’s heats go head-to-head for a spot in the grand final and the chance to win Village of the Year and the £10,000 prize money. Penelope Keith and her three judges have been searching for the very best of British village life, and in this episode they find out even more from the five contenders in the Western Zone. Will the buildings, the scenery or good old British eccentricity win the day?

Call the Midwife (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 21st January 2018)

Drama about a group of midwives in 1960s London. The winter continues, and the team at Nonnatus House welcome their newest midwife, Lucille Anderson. Nurse Crane and Dr Turner care for an elderly cancer patient facing eviction.

The Biggest Little Railway in the World (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 21st January 2018)

Dick Strawbridge and a team of model railway enthusiasts attempt to build the longest model railway in the world, 71 miles across Scotland, from Fort William to Inverness. On its first gentle hill, the tiny train grinds to a halt. Bearing in mind the monster hills that it must still face, this is alarming. But one of the train team has a brainwave… Further ahead near Fort Augustus, Claire has come across an impassable rocky stream. After a conference with her team, they decide to build an ambitious curving trestle bridge. But the train doesn’t look like it will make it that far. It keeps falling off the track, so Dick drives into the nearest town to see if he can manufacture a bespoke tool that will stabilise the track. After six days of non-stop building everyone’s getting tired so they reward themselves with an exuberant birthday party for one of the team members, led by Lawrence the DJ.

Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 3:00pm to 4:00pm | Monday 22nd January 2018)

Penelope Keith and her fellow Village of the Year judges are searching the British Isles to find the very best in village life. From the South East, four more shortlisted villages have their chance to impress the judges. Penelope discovers eccentric events in Elstead, Surrey. Alex retraces ancient footsteps on the Norfolk coast in Happisburgh. In the heart of Berkshire in Hampstead Norreys Patrick explores a tropical rainforest. And Juliet rounds up a flock of rare sheep in Ashwell in Hertfordshire.

The Forest (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 7:30pm to 8:00pm | Monday 22nd January 2018)

Mark Bonnar narrates a series revealing the hidden world of Galloway Forest, the country’s largest afforested area. In this episode, Planning and Environment forester Bill Fisher surveys the vast forest and checks the health of the cash crop in a helicopter, where the bird’s-eye view allows him to better spot any pockets of larch disease. Forestry Commission recreation boss Archie McNeillie attempts to balance the needs of the public with the needs of the timber industry by spray-painting some trees as a marker to the harvesters to save them so the public can still enjoy the scenic views. And Environment forester Gareth Ventress hires some traditional horse loggers to carry out a method called horse rolling in an area of dense bracken. Crushing the bracken using a horse is less damaging to the soil and allows light and space for oak saplings and native herbs and flowers to flourish.

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 22nd January 2018)

A US diplomat is shot dead in a central London square, forcing the team to work closely with the embassy and the FBI and to overcome jurisdictional hurdles.

Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 3:00pm to 4:00pm | Tuesday 23rd January 2018)

From the north of Scotland to the west of Cornwall, Penelope Keith and her team of judges are on the hunt for the Village of the Year. Craft expert Patrick Grant helps to update the 3000-year-old white chalk horse of Uffington. In Kent, Penelope takes in the magnificent views of peg-tiled roof tops in Goudhurst. Archaeologist Alex Langlands travels to Suffolk and finds the Bardwell bells appealing. And in Blunham in Bedfordshire, garden designer Juliet Sargeant comes up smelling of roses at their yearly floral festival. Which village will have a chance of being a Village of the Year finalist?

Silent Witness (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 23rd January 2018)

Nikki is still in shock as the team arrive at Matt’s residence but insists on working at the Lyell, determined to help. When analysing crime scene photos and the positions of the victims’ bodies, Nikki realises there is a pattern. Together, the team uncover a secret that has been held by those at the very top of the US government.

Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 3:00pm to 4:00pm | Wednesday 24th January 2018)

Penelope Keith explores a medieval masterpiece in the Kent village of Penshurst. On the Norfolk coast, Alex Langlands meets the volunteers keeping Mundesley’s beaches ship-shape. Juliet Sargeant has a go at building a traditional wall in Haddenham. And in the New Forest, Patrick Grant falls under the spell of the ancient village of Burley. 

Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 3:00pm to 4:00pm | Thursday 25th January 2018)

Archaeologist Alex Langlands meets the residents of Rowhedge, Essex, who are making a splash in the river Colne. Craft expert Patrick Grant visits Findon; a village that’s breeding winning riders and horses. In Redbourn in Hertfordshire, Juliet breaks bread with the local miller. Penelope Keith attends the world custard pie championships in Coxheath in Kent.

Death in Paradise (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 25th January 2018)

Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island. Jack and the team find themselves embroiled in the mysterious world of faith healing when a woman is poisoned during a ceremony and all evidence points to the arrogant healer himself.

Walks with My Dog (more4 | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 25th January 2018)

The Reverend Richard Coles is with his dachshund Audrey exploring the rugged Galloway coast of southern Scotland – walking in the footsteps of a 5th-century missionary who brought Christianity to the Scots and visiting the place where one of the best British horror movies was filmed: The Wicker Man. TV presenter Selina Scott takes a walk through history in the North York Moors National Park. With her dogs Dougie and Kendie, she strolls from the majestic medieval splendour of Helmsley Castle to the breathtaking ruins of Rievaulx Abbey – taking in an amazing bird of prey display along the way. Olympic champion cyclist Victoria Pendleton and her dobermans Stella and Mr Jonty climb into the green serenity of the Chiltern Hills – a place she now calls home. They visit one of England’s oldest windmills and see an unusual artist at work before finishing high on Ivinghoe Beacon, where model aircraft soar through the sky and the views are spectacular.

Village of the Year with Penelope Keith (Channel 4/HD | 3:00pm to 4:00pm | Friday 26th January 2018)

In West Sussex Penelope Keith meets the harbour master of Lindfield’s village pond. Alex travels to the heart of Constable country in East Bergholt in Suffolk. Juliet gets green-fingered in Woburn in Bedfordshire. And Patrick is swanning around in Cookham in Berkshire. Which village will make it through to tomorrow’s semi-final?

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