Coronation Street (Monday 7.30/8.30pm, ITV1)
This is like one of the vintage episodes of 1970s Corrie that would routinely send Bet Lynch and a mis-matched travelling companion like Rita off in a camper van for a couple of days… with hilarious consequences. Packing Audrey Roberts and Bill Webster off on a booze cruise with Janice Battersby has disaster written all over, as Audrey is the only member of the party capable of driving back to Weaherfield after much alcohol has been imbibed. I like a soap that still finds time to embrace its fun side, but will there be more serious consequences for the haughty hairdresser?
The Genius of Charles Darwin (Monday 8pm, C4)
Ooh, this is likely to be a contentious piece of work as Richard Dawkins delves into the work of Charles Darwin 150 years after he attempted to educate the world on this new-fangled notion called “evolution”. Dawkins is a tricksy commentator and gets people’s danders up no end - you should see what the Doctor Who fans are saying about him following his appearance at the end of the last series (ironic, considering he’s married to an ex-Who girl Lalla Ward). But this is an engaging documentary that does what the best television should do - gets you thinking. Whatever your opinion of Dawkins, he always gets a reaction.
New Tricks (Monday 9pm, BBC1)
Family history comes back to haunt Pullman in tonight’s episode of the reliable drama series when the team reopen an investigation that was handled by a corrupt colleague of her father’s. Are there more familial skeletons waiting in cupboards?
Dr Alice Roberts: Don’t Die Young (Tuesday 8pm, BBC2)
A double-bill of bodily investigations with the likeable and engaging Dr Alice Roberts that’s as fascinating as it is quease-inducing. In this pair of episodes, the liver comes under Roberts’s piercing gaze, followed by the stomach and intestines. Nice! It’s an uncomfortable watch, but Roberts is so watchable and enthusiastic it hardly seems to matter. But then, I think I have a crush on her, so I’d probably watch Doc Roberts read the phone book to be honest.
Bonekickers (Tuesday 9pm, BBC1)
I had a shock at the weekend - a visit home and a trawl through my parents’ Sky+ habits revealed a worrying liking for Bonekickers. After getting over the shock and deleting all traces of the offending programme, I told my father the error of his ways and the subject was closed. But perhaps I’ve missed something about this show, some hitherto hidden element that’s alluring to a certain strata of the audience. Or perhaps I’m being too generous. I think there are good stories buried very deep beneath the ham-fisted execution, but however much I try, I simply cannot engage with Bonekickers. Tonight’s exciting unearthing revolves around the discovery of a First World War tank and the bodies of six soldiers within.
House of Saddam (Wednesday 9pm, BBC2)
This cracking piece of drama continues as we get to 1988 in the life, loves and wars of Saddam Hussein. Following the war with Iran, Iraq is on the brink of bankruptcy, but there is a celebratory air around the capital. The world events anchor House of Saddam to historical context, but the compelling moments in this mesmerising piece take place around the chicanery of the family dynasty. That’s where the real drama is to be had.
Doctor Who (Wednesday 7pm, BBC3)
After the hoo-ha of Doctor Who’s season finale that left the sci-fi adventure as popular and loved as ever, go back to where the revival started with Christopher Eccleston’s first outing as the Time Lord. David Tennant is so established in the role now, seeing the leather-jacket clad, harsher take from Eccleston is somewhat eye opening and makes you wonder how things would have gone had he stayed beyond the one series.
Rogue Restaurants (Thursday 8.30pm, BBC1)
I’m not recommending Rogue Restaurants, I’m warning you to stay clear. This is the worst kind of smug, patronising consumer show that has no place on the BBC, and would even get short shrift from Five in a perfect world. Matt Allwright and Anita Rani try to dress up this expose of the restaurant world with some painful humour as they send people undercover in kitchens across the country. True, there are some pretty horrendous discoveries along the way, but it’s how this show is packaged that really turns your stomach.
Harley Street (Thursday 9pm, ITV1)
Hurrah! My favourite guilty pleasure, Bonekickers aside, comes to brighten up Thursday night. Things are perked up no end this week by guest-appearances from Wendy Craig and June Whitfield as two sisters, and they really show these young whipper-snappers what proper acting is. I will say this for the three leads though, they have very nice coats.
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