Square Eyes 13-16 October

The Sarah Jane Adventures (Monday 4.35pm, BBC1)

I love this show, and I love Sarah Jane Smith, a heroine for me in 1975, and now doing it all over again in 2008 - who’d have thought, eh? In the first of a two-part tale, The Day of the Clown, guest star Bradley Walsh is really rather excellent as sinister clown Odd Bob, who seems to be terrorising children at the local school. Among them is new girl Rani (and Sarah’s new neighbour), but her dad, strict headmaster of the school, won’t believe a word of it. Of course, it’s up to the journo across the road with the adoptive genius son and the supercomputer in the attic to save the day. Part two is on the CBBC channel straight after.

Wired (Monday 9pm, ITV1)

ITV has been scoring well in the Monday night, 9pm drama slot, and this is a strand the network should look to cultivate. While Wired isn’t as good as the excellent Place of Execution, it’s still a halfway decent thriller with a tasty cast. Laurence Fox is the bad lad who blackmails bank manager Louise (Jodie Whittaker) into entering an elaborate plot to scam loads of cash. Toby Stephens and Charlie Brooks join Fox and Whittaker in a drama that is a bit daft, but slick and entertaining. Job done.

Sunshine (Tuesday 9pm, BBC1)

Sunshine is a very frustrating drama to watch. There are moments when it threatens to be consumed by a sense of overarching pathos and a need to be gritty and northern yet always lovable. But within the on-going story of bad lad with a heart (and a huge gambling problem) Bing and his attempts to do right by his young family, there is a lot to like. Steve Coogan as Bing is the draw, displaying a talent for underplayed drama that is usually lost beneath his penchant for constant improvising. Here, however, he is magic. And when he’s acting alongside an old pro like Bernard Hill as Bing’s dad, you appreciate just how good he is.

Comedy Classics: Brass (Tuesday10.35pm, ITV1)

An early 80s comment on Thatcherite politics, Brass remains a high point in ITVs generally patchy arsenal of comedy greats. Timothy West starred as the greedy, wealthy industrialist pit-owner Bradley Hardacre, living it up while the populace of Utterley exist in abject poverty. Full of northern cliché (lots of flat caps and whippets), Brass was funny, a metaphor for modern living at the time - and possibly has a lot more to say about how we live now considering the current climate. A repeat of the first episode follows this talking heads look back at the making of the show, which was resurrected by Channel 4 for a third series in 1990 after a successful repeat run.

Silent Witness (Wednesday 9pm, BBC1)

A final two-part tale in this brief run for Silent Witness is a mish-mash of storytelling as a police raid leaves two suspected terrorists and a police officer dead. As our fearlessly rule-breaking (and always glam) pathologists dig in and around the blood and guts, things might not be all as they seem, considering the despatched police officer’s wife was having it away with one of his colleagues. Was he killed in the line of duty or in the line of love?

Heroes (Wednesday 9pm, BBC2)

You’d think now that Mohinder is getting some, he might actually cheer up a bit and stop wibbling on in that dull monotone he has a habit of falling into. But no… Oh well. This week it’s still the usual meandering storylines about far too many characters that make it hardly worth the effort to care about any of them. I wish Sylar would just slice the heads of every last one of them if I’m being honest.

Desperate Housewives (Wednesday 9pm, Channel 4)

If the US Writer’s Strike has left you somewhat confused about just where you are with some of your favourite Stateside dramas, you’re not the only one. Especially in the case of Desperate Housewives - tonight is the season finale. Ahead of the season premiere next week. Okay, with you… Take a deep breath and don’t worry about it, as this episode is as climactic as usual, with some secrets tumbling out of closets before the whole Wisteria Lane world goes insane and leaves you… Well, we can leave that for next week, can’t we?

Blue Peter’s Live 50th Birthday (Thursday 5.15pm, BBC1)

As I alluded to on last weekend’s Square Eyes round-up, Blue Peter may not be long for this world amidst the shrinking of children’s programming across the broadcasting spectrum and declining ratings. But that doesn’t mean the veteran kid’s show can’t light a few candles and get the bumps for this remarkable TV milestone. There may be some presenters left off the Queen’s invite list (I won’t be looking for John Leslie) to the celebratory garden party, but there should be some old favourite faces popping up during proceedings. And of course, there’ll be fun back in the studio with Peter Purves turning up to host a Blue Peter quiz, on a set that has remained largely unchained since 1958. Celebrate while we can - sadly I doubt we’ll be looking at a BP century…

Beautiful People (Thursday 9.30pm, BBC2)

Beautiful People is enjoyable enough to make a point of watching it, especially for Olivia Colman’s sublimely brilliant performance as Simon’s bonkers mum. But you might want to pay extra special attention to this episode for Brenda Fricker’s turn as Simon’s gran, who seems to be undergoing something of a personality change.