Endurance: Race to the Pole (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 2nd October 2023) ** NEW SERIES **
The Discovery Expedition, 1901-1904. Series 1, episode 1. Ben and Dwayne Fields tackle the trials and tribulations faced by the expeditions racing to become the first to reach the South Pole at the beginning of the 20th century, experience decisive moments that saw Roald Amundsen reach the pole first, Ernest Shackleton become a seasoned explorer and Robert Falcon Scott reach the pole only to die on the return journey. In the opeining episode, Ben and Dwayne land on Antarctica and transition from modern polar explorers into their historical clothes and follow in the footsteps of Britain’s three-year-long Discovery expedition, which began in 1901.
Norfolk and Suffolk (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 8:58pm | Wednesday 4th October 2023)
At a Second World War airbase in Norfolk, 30 members of the Women’s Institute take to the air with the Norfolk Gliding Club. Elsewhere at Thetford Forest, Geoff Scrivens and his team erect two giant tipis in time for a wedding, which takes place as the sun begins to set, and in Lowestoft in Suffolk, the 77ft fishing smack Excelsior is readying for sea.
Celebrity Race Across the World (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 4th October 2023) ** PICK OF THE WEEK **
As they approach the halfway point, the teams must travel from the Mediterranean island of Corsica to the third checkpoint in Zermatt, a mountain resort in the Swiss Alps. Harry Judd and his mother Emma hold a slim one-hour lead having jumped from last place to first place in the previous leg. The pair plan their route to Zermatt via Italy where they take a horseback tour of Lake Como which reawakens Emma’s childhood passion while Mel Blatt and her mum Helene opt for a route through France. Billy Monger and his sister Bonny decide to have some fun after a challenging last leg but Bonny will need some convincing to go with Billy’s caving idea. Alex Beresford and his dad Noel arrive at the checkpoint over 24 hours after the race leaders but are determined to catch up.
Grand Designs (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 4th October 2023)
North Lincolnshire 2023. Series 23, episode 2. Kevin McCloud meets college deputy principal Danny who plans on building a four-bedroom house in his garden in North Lincolnshire. He plans to build a stylish, sustainable but affordable home among the trees with dramatic bedroom pods raised on steel stilts on the edge of a fishing pond to help his three children connect to nature. With plenty of ambition but no experience as a self-builder, his £300,000 budget doesn’t seem to match the scale of his project.
Saving Lives at Sea (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 5th October 2023)
In a Split Second. Series 8, episode 2. In Whitby, north Yorkshire, the crew race to the rescue of two fossil hunters who are cut off by the tide – and soon find that they too are in grave danger. On Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, in Swanage, a trainee yachtsman has suffered a mysterious head injury and is in need of urgent treatment.
All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 5th October 2023) ** NEW SERIES **
Broodiness. Series 4, episode 1. Return of the drama, starring Nicholas Ralph and Samuel West. It is Spring 1940, and without Tristan, Skeldale House is busier than ever. James and Helen dream about the future, hoping that he won’t be called up. And a chance encounter with young lad, Wesley Binks, leaves James worrying if his dog, Duke, is being mistreated.
Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out (Channel 5/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 6th October 2023) ** NEW SERIES **
Pennines and Northumberland. Series 6, episode 1. The comedian returns for a fresh batch of adventures, beginning with a trip to the northeast corner of England, taking in the Pennines and Northumberland coast. Susan enjoys a stretch of Heritage Coast and the rolling countryside of the North Pennines. She also explores the Northumberland National Park.
All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.