Alan Dee’s guide to the pick of the week’s TV
The Story of Musicals (BBC Two, 8pm)
The second part of this three-part documentary reveals how Cameron Mackintosh and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber became the world’s most powerful theatrical forces not only in the UK, but also the world, with respective hit such as Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and Les Misérables.
Don’t miss the finale next week, which reveals how much-loved jukebox musicals such as Mamma Mia! and We Will Rock You took the world by storm, alongside Billy Elliot, and why Jerry Springer: The Opera kicked up such a huge amount of controversy when it was first staged.
Sunday
War Horse: The Real Story (Channel 4, 8pm)
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Hide AdMichael Morpurgo’s children’s novel about a lad’s battle to be reunited with his horse after it is shipped off to work during the First World War has been turned into an acclaimed play and movie, both of which have had audiences sniffling in the aisles.
But how much of it is based in fact?
This documentary goes some way to answering that question, as historian Richard van Emden reveals the part these equine heroes played. Rare archive footage featuring the work of the RSPCA, the Army Veterinary Corps and horse hospitals
Monday
Out On a Limo (Channel 4, 10pm)
Behind the scenes of the stretch limo industry. Limos used to be held up as an example of how the other half lives, but these days we’re all at it. Drivers tell a few tales about outrageous behaviour and unlikely bookings they have taken.
Tuesday
Racing with the Hamiltons: Nic in the Driving Seat (BBC One, 10.35pm)
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Hide AdRace ace Lewis Hamilton’s inspirational younger brother Nic has cerebral palsy but he’s determined to see if he has what it takes to become a competitive driver. He’s well aware that the odds are against him to even finish a race in one piece, but his family are behind him and you’ll be rooting for him, too...
WEDNESDAY
Gok Wan: Made In China (Channel 4, 8pm)
Gok’s heading to a place close to his heart to explore the largely unseen world of Chinese mass production, and hear from the people in the factories that work tirelessly to supply the needs of the West.
He takes a journey of discovery round a country that now produces one in every four man-made objects on the planet.
Gok goes to ‘Jeans Town’ and ‘Bra Town’, the factory that makes London cabs and Thames Town, as well as ultra-modern Shanghai – where he meets a stylist pushing the boundaries in Chinese fashion.
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Hide AdHe also gets the chance to visit for the first time the town in which his father grew up.
Thursday
White Heat (BBC Two, 9pm)
Expectations are high for this high profile drama series, which focuses on seven students who meet for the first time when they share a flat in Tufnell Park, London, in 1965.
An impressive cast includes MyAnna Buring, Sam Claflin, Lindsay Duncan, Claire Foy, Tamsin Greig and Lee Ingleby.
Friday
The Secret Policeman’s Ball (Channel 4, 10pm)
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Amnesty, which champions the right to free speech for people worldwide, the latest show in this popular series of annual benefits is the first to be staged in the USA, at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York.
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Hide AdThe line-up includes including Coldplay, Mumford & Sons, Russell Brand, Jimmy Carr, Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets, Jack Whitehall, Noel Fielding and Bridesmaids star and co-writer Kristen Wiig.