Alan Dee’s guide to the pick of the week’s TV

SATURDAY

Jools Holland: London Calling (BBC Two, 9pm)

Some cities are inextricably linked with one particular type of music – think Chicago and blues, or Memphis and soul for example. But what exactly is the sound of London?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chas ‘n’ Dave? The EastEnders theme tune? Or an eclectic mix that takes in from music hall to grime?

With the Olympic spotlight about to fall on the capital, Jools Holland goes on his own personal journey through the city, finding it out how it has inspired generations of musicians.

Ray Davies, Damon Albarn, Suggs and Roy Hudd are among those who help him on his way

Sunday

Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars (BBC Two, 10pm)

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Louis Theroux returns to California’s adult film industryto see what happened to some of the folks he met in 1997.

Catching up with the stars, he finds one has fled, one was sent to prison and another has killed himself. Louis also meets some of the new performers, asking how they cope in a business that offers less money, more insecurity and stress than ever.

Monday

Britain in a Day (BBC Two, 9pm)

At first glance, November 12, 2011, didn’t appear to be a very special day. However, what many of us didn’t realise was that here in the UK, an eclectic range of people were filming themselves going about their daily business. Some of it was mundane stuff, but other parts were extraordinary.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It fell to BAFTA-winning director Morgan Matthews to cut the films together in an attempt to create a 90-minute feature aimed at offering a picture of UK life in the early 21st century. It wasn’t an easy job _ he had more than 750 hours of footage to trawl through, including 11,526 clips submitted to YouTube. However, he’s made an excellent job of it, and thankfully, we’re about to get a chance to see the fruits of his labours.

Tuesday

Silk (BBC One, 9pm)

Martha tackles the biggest – and most worrying – case of her career to date representing a man sentenced to death in Jamaica. Martha must find a way to save his life, and the emotional strain is beginning to show. Watch out for the chemistry between Maxine Peake and Rupert Penry-Jones – it’s what makes the whole show tick.

Wednesday

A Short History of Everything Else (Channel 4)

In this four-part panel show, host Griff Rhys Jones quizzes his guests, led by regular team captains Marcus Brigstocke and Charlie Baker, on Britain’s recent social history.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Each week the teams try to out-do each other to see who remembers the most about anything and “everything” from the past 30 years – and to offer their own, rather unique, interpretations of events, trends and fashions along the way.

Thursday

Country House Rescue (Channel 4, 8pm)

Entrepreneur Simon Davis replaces Ruth Watson in the fourth series of this larger-than-life programme about restoring and maintaining stately homes.

The first owners to get the benefit of his expertise are aristos who have been living in Colebrooke Park, a neo-classical mansion in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, for over 30 years but need new income to keep it all together

Friday

The Graham Norton Show (BBC One, 10.35pm)

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tonight, Graham will be using his charm to interview two stunning ladies on his sofa tonight. British actress Emily Blunt, star of Hollywood big-hitters The Devil Wears Prada and The Adjustment Bureau, nips in to chat about her latest projects, while Rihanna’s probably got a fair bit she’d like to say after being in the papers so much recently.

Related topics: