Coronation Street (Monday 7.30/8.30pn, ITV1)
Bless Sally Webster - if ever there was a character that’s gone through more personality changes in Corrie over the years, it’s her. From young mum to cheating temptress to comedy middle-class harpie, she’s done it all. But it kind of works, and Sally, after years on The Street, has had some great things to do of recent years. Not sure about the current house swap storyline, mind, as the Websters prepare to move across the road to Ashley and Claire’s, who will be taking up residence chez Webster. It’s perhaps a sign of how slight Corrie feels at the moment, but as we know, soaps are cyclical, and there’ll be some meatier fare along any week now…
Waking the Dead (Monday 9pm, BBC1)
The final story of this series of Waking the Dead has Boyd and the team investigating the link between a body found on a roadside and a brutal murder during the Bosnia/Serbia conflict. It brings Eve into the foreground a bit more as was involved in the conflict, having worked on some of the mass war graves uncovered there. This series has been a bit and hit and miss, but it’s always entertaining and this story is a good one to go out on. It concludes tomorrow at 9pm, and Waking the Dead will return for a new series next year. Here’s to more shouting from Boyd!
Delta Forever (Monday 11pm, BBC3)
Another day, another comedy pilot for BBC3, this time concerning the online fans of fantasy book heroine Delta Dempsey. It’s okay, but typically thin and the characters need fleshing out as they descend on a test screening for the latest film devoted to their hero. Not one I expect to see going to a series, but fun nonetheless.
Eurovision Song Contest Semi-Final 2008 (Tuesday 8pm, BBC3)
The first of two semi-finals this year (apparently they’re trying to split things up a touch and minimise the spectre of block voting). Of course Britain will be there for the real deal on Saturday thanks to the financial contributions made towards the comp, but I’m rooting for Dustin the Turkey, representing Ireland. With an ex who hails from the Emerald Isle, I’m more than familiar with Dustin - he’s a foul-mouthed puppet with a cult following. I’d like to see this audacious stunt go the distance and be there on Saturday night. Brilliant!
Battlestar Galactica (Tuesday 9pm, Sky One)
Unless you’re still banging the Lost drum, Battlestar Galactica is the one show it’s worth having Sky for at the moment. I won’t go into plot details - suffice it to say it’s as tense and taught as ever, with the crew going after a Cylon resurrection hub in tonight’s episode. Oh god, I love this show more than is probably healthy!
UEFA Champions League Final Live (Wednesday 7pm, ITV1)
It’s summat about football, but if Liverpool aren’t playing, I don’t really care.
The Apprentice (Wednesday 9pm, BBC1)
While the footie rages over on ITV, this is where I’ll be. Last week’s edition dipped in the tension stakes somewhat, although the sight of Raef in a bear costume was worth the entrance fee alone. Tonight’s endeavour is quite insidious in its execution as the teams are tasked with creating their own brand of tissues and shooting a commercial to market them. There’ll always be one who thinks they can direct and makes a right tatty hash of it - I can’t wait to see who!
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Wednesday 9pm, ITV1)
She’s due back in Doctor Who in a few weeks time, but here we get a terrestrial showing for Billie Piper’s risqué ITV2 drama based on the diaries of call girl Belle du Jour. It’s a bit juvenile in places with lots of flesh on show, but it is quite entertaining, and Piper remains a talent to watch over the coming years.
The Invisibles (Thursday 9pm, BBC1)
There have been better dramas on BBC1 (much better, to be honest), but there have been many worse, and The Invisibles is becoming quite enjoyable a couple of episodes into its run. It’s worth it for the trio of Anthony Head, Warren Clarke and Dean Lennox Kelly, even if the material doesn’t quite lift off the page. In tonight’s knockabout, Maurice’s daughter (Emily Head, daughter of Anthony) announces she is off to New York with her bloke to become a burlesque dancer. So what does a concerned dad do in this situation? Breaks into the boyfriend’s flat, of course!
The Midnight Man (Thursday 9pm, ITV1)
Not the greatest thriller ever foisted on an audience, but much like The Invisibles, it’s not the worst either. Max (an excellent James Nesbitt) is pushing closer to the truth as he suspects Hagan (Alan Dale) is behind the funding of the death squad, who is also getting his claws into Daniel Cosgrave (Rupert Graves). Will this series finish with Max stepping out into the daylight and getting over his phobia of daylight? Not if they want a second series he won’t! Unless they want to call it The 12 Noon Man.
Isn't Billie's show on after the news, at 10.35pm? Despite being shot in extreme soft-focus (I thought my eyes were going) it's still a bit risque for 9pm.