Children in Need (Friday, 7pm, BBC1)
Personally, I think Pudsey Bear has been pulling the wool over our eyes for decades now - pull up that bandage, and I bet the little yellow scamp has a healthy eye and he’s just scamming us for cash. Fair play though - millions will be raised this evening in the BBC’s annual telethon, and although I rarely sit through it these days, it’s all in a good cause. There’ll be fun along the way, banter with Terry, and for Doctor Who fans, a sneak peak at the first two minutes of this year’s Christmas special.
Taggart (Friday 9pm, ITV1)
If you’re not into the charidee-fest on BBC1, Taggart should provide a suitably grim alternative as Glasgow’s favourite detectives investigate a body found in a bath. Nice! It’s good to see Taggart still going strong, but isn’t it about time poor old Jackie Reid got a promotion? She’s been a DS for donkey’s years!
Merlin (Saturday 7.20pm, BBC1)
It’s very pleasing to see Merlin holding up in the ratings game, despite the schizophrenic scheduling, and the adventure series seems to be well into its stride now. A mysterious knight turns up in Camelot in this evening’s outing - is his mission fare or foul?
Outnumbered (Saturday 9pm, BBC1)
An odd piece of scheduling for a brilliant comedy. I hope this doesn’t turn into another Trevor’s World of Sport for co-writer writer Andy Hamilton, because the second series of this insidiously clever piece of work deserves an audience. Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner return as parents Pete and Sue, constantly trying (and generally failing) to corral their brood of three boisterous children. The beauty is in the fact the kids are rarely working from a script, with a lot of the comedy coming from just letting the child actors get on with it and see what happens. Cracking!
The Fallen (Saturday 9.05pm, BBC2)
Documentary maker Morgan Matthew’s film, setting out to remember those soldier’s who have fallen in Afghanistan and Iraq, is haunting, poignant, funny, heartbreaking and, ultimately, necessary. Through home movie footage and interviews with parents and siblings of those who have given their lives in service to their country, this is not an easy three hours to sit through. But such a powerful piece of TV deserves to be watched, even if only for a little time.
Top Gear (Sunday 8pm, BBC2)
Mark Wahlberg is the star in a reasonably priced car this week, publicising his not reasonably priced movie, Max Payne. That’s quite a big name guest and shows the reach that Top Gear has now - and let’s face it, we’re all tuning in to see what Jeremy says next, aren’t we?
I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (Sunday 9pm, ITV1)
That’s it, prepare to lose your life to the most addictive and joyous of reality shows. I’m a Celebrity… has shown no sign of Big Brother-style waning, and there’s no reason to think that this new run will dent the ratings in any way. Ant and Dec are on hand, as always (watch those phone lines, boys), and jungle playmates this year include Dani Behr, Brian Paddick, George Takie (off of Star Trek) and, joyously, Robert Kilroy-Silk. Bring it on!
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