Below are my picks of the most notable new shows, returning or premiering on UK screens over the next 7 days...
MONDAY 23rd
Homes Under the Hammer (BBC1, 11am) Series 18 of the property auction show. Hosted by Lucy Alexander & Martin Roberts. (1/90)★ NHS: 2 Billion Pound a Week & Counting (Channel 4, 9pm) New interactive series where viewers are challenged to keep the NHS system running, despite a predicted £30bn shortfall in funding over the next decade.
Oscars Highlights 2015 (Sky Living, 9pm) Highlights of last night's awards ceremony, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.
TUESDAY 24th
Wanted in Paradise (BBC2, 7pm) New series where people from the UK sample life in exotic places, before deciding if they want to emigrate. (1/8)Mary Portas: Secret Shopper (Channel 4, 8pm) Series 2 of the show where the retail guru helps four businesses improve their customer service. (1/4)
Natural World (BBC2, 8pm) Series 35 of the wildlife documentary. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough. (1/10)
★ Critical (Sky1, 9pm) New medical drama set in state-of-the-art major trauma centre. Starring Lennie James, Claire Skinner, Catherine Walker, Kimberley Nixon, Neve McIntosh & Ellen Thomas. (1/13)
World's Toughest Jobs (BBC3, 9pm) New series where three unemployed youngsters take on challenging job positions around the world. (1/6)
Immigration Street (Channel 4, 10pm) Documentary special focusing on an ethnically diverse Southampton street.
Childbirth: All or Nothing (BBC1, 10.45pm) Documentary following four pregnant women making difficult choices about their births.
WEDNESDAY 25th
Suffragettes Forever! The Story of Women and Power (BBC2, 8pm) New series where historian Amanda Vickery explores the history of the suffragette campaign. (1/3)The Brit Awards 2015 (ITV, 8pm) Annual music awards ceremony. Hosted by Ant & Dec. Live performances from Taylor Swift, Take That, Paloma Faith, Madonna, Ed Sheeran, George Ezra, etc.
★ The People's Strictly for Comic Relief (BBC1, 9pm) New series where the Strictly Come Dancing professionals are partnered with six members of the British public. (1/4)
THURSDAY 26th
★ Timeshift: The Nation's Railway – The Golden Age of British Rail (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary on how British Rail transformed after WWII. Narrated by Rebecca Front.FRIDAY 27th
★ House of Cards (Netflix) Season 3 of the U.S political drama. Starring Kevin Spacey & Robin Wright.SATURDAY 28th
★ The Rise of James Brown: Mr Dynamite (BBC2, 10.15pm) Documentary charting the rise of soul legend James Brown.SUNDAY 1st
★ Pompidou (BBC2, 6.30pm) New comedy series about a penniless aristocrat. Starring Matt Lucas, Alex Macqueen, Roy Barraclough & Alex Lowe. (1/6)Off their Rockers (ITV, 7.30pm) Series 3 of the hidden camera prank show focusing on elderly pranksters. (1/9)
Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief (BBC2, 9pm) New series where professional darts players team-up with celebrities for a knockout tournament. Hosted by Gabby Logan. Contestants are Roisin Conarty, Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Bob Mortimer, Martin Offiah, Richard Osman, Liza Tarbuck, Tim Vine, Martin Adams & Anastasia Dobromyslova. (1/7)
For a look at what the rest of the year's going to bring,
why not read and bookmark my TV Calendar?
