This week we see the return of many shows including our favourite bomb disposal unit, unlikeliest detective and an in-depth look into another of Britain’
This week we see the return of many shows including our favourite bomb disposal unit, unlikeliest detective and an in-depth look into another of Britain’s maternity wards. There is also the fascinating story of how an orang-utan learned to become human and with the Blind Auditions over, the coaches’ singers battle it out to keep their place on the teams.
1. One Born Every Minute (Monday, Channel 4)
The BAFTA-winning show that has us all watching through half-covered eyes is back for a fifth series. The fly-on-the-wall documentary returns from a new location, capturing daily life on the maternity ward in Southmead Hospital, Bristol.
Midwife Vicki helps her next-door neighbour Louisa through an emotional labour, while Michael risks missing his daughter’s birth when he heads home for the evening and his wife Michelle’s contractions suddenly kick in.
Elsewhere, Georgina is determined that expectant dad Rich will swap his flamboyant lifestyle for something more family friendly after their baby is born. Grab the tissues for this one as they’ll be enough tears to fill a baby’s bath from both the new bundles of joy and those watching.
2. Jonathan Creek (Friday, BBC One)
17 years ago, a straggly-haired, antisocial, duffle coat wearing magician’s assistant turned into TV’s unlikeliest detective. Alan Davies’ Jonathan Creek is back in the first full series since 2004.
Gone are the days of the ‘will they won’t they’ tension Jonathan enjoyed with past sidekicks Maddie (Caroline Quentin), Carla (Julia Sawalha) and Joey (Sheridan Smith) as the master illusionist has retired from crime-solving to join the corporate world and settled down with wife Polly, played by Sarah Alexander.
The first episode sees him tempted back into the detective world to help investigate a seemingly impossible attack on Juno Pirelli, a West End actress. Tailed by a criminology student who is after work experience, Jonathan sets out to solve the unexplainable bloody attack.
Also, him and his wife must come to terms with a personal tragedy which sees Polly questioning the meaning of her life.
3. Bluestone 42 (Thursday, BBC Three)
Base camp, bombs and banter! It can only mean one thing…the return of the Afghanistan-based bomb disposal unit for another run of hilarious adventures. Raw recruit Towerblock, played by Harry Potter nerd turned TV hunk, Matthew Lewis, has now settled into the squad’s routine and is being shown off by Nick (Oliver Chris), who soon lives to regret it.
Elsewhere, Simon (Stephen Wight) and Bird (Katie Lyons) come to blows over a special book belonging to the Lt Colonel.
4. The Ape Who Went to College (Wednesday, Animal Planet)
The title of this fascinating documentary sounds like a joke, but the subject is no laughing matter. It reveals what happened when anthropologist Dr Lyn Miles taught and orang-utan how to use sign-language.
In October 1978, a student arrived at the University of Tennessee to take part in an experiment to help mankind better understand the world around them. That student was a nine-month-old orang-utan named Chantek, and university professor Dr Lyn Miles took the primate on as a foster child. She did everything a proud mum would do for a baby – she fed him, shared a bed with him and changed his nappies.
As a result of his education, Chantek began to consider himself a very human orang-utan – he was able to understand spoken English, understood vocabulary of several hundred signs, uses toold and can create paintings, necklaces, crafts and music. He would even help Lyn drive to his favourite fast-food outlets.
Looking for a heart warming tale? Then this is for you.
5. The Voice UK (Saturday, BBC One)
The blind auditions are complete and the coaches have chosen 12 acts each. Now begins the process of whittling them down by half for the live shows – and that means the return of the battle rounds.
Emma Willis and Marvin Humes host as the coaches are joined by four advisers – Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, singer Katy B, award-winning rapper Tinie Tempah and Black Eyed Peas founder Dante Santiago – who give the acts the benefit of their experience, before pitting them against each other in head-to-head musical performances.
It’s then up to Kylie Minogue, Ricky Wilson, Tom Jones and Will.i.am to decide who to keep and who to eliminate. However, it’s not necessarily over for the losers as the coaches have a chance to `steal’ a rejected artist for their own team, giving them a total of seven acts to take into the knockout rounds.
Let us know what you’re looking forward to next week by tweeting @KettleMag and your tweet could feature in next week’s ‘What’s Brewing on the Box.’
