Alan Dee’s guide to the pick of the week’s TV
Let’s Dance for Sport Relief (BBC One, 7pm)
Charismatic duo Steve Jones and Alex Jones return to host this dance-competition-with-a-twist, which sees all kinds of familiar faces don too-tight fluorescent lycra, a little too much make-up and put their best foot forward to show off the dance moves that they’re hoping will win over the nation. Plus it is all for a good cause. Saturday night telly with the feel-good factor clearly doesn’t get much better than this.
Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, Shooting Stars’ Angelos Epithemiou and Ulrika Jonsson, comedians Ava Vidal and Terry Alderton, TOWIE’s Amy Childs and Harry Derbridge and singer Olly Murs are among those performing.
Sunday
Upstairs Downstairs (BBC One, 9.30pm)
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Hide AdSunday night is clearly period drama night on BBC One – no sooner has Call the Midwife finished, than Upstairs Downstairs returns for a brand new run.
It’s now 1938 and Sir Hallam is worried about Britain’s relationship with Germany, and tries to warn the powers that be about Hitler, but when no one seems prepared to listen, he begins to question his own beliefs.
At home, his wife, Lady Agnes, is extremely fragile after giving birth to their second child, and Rose is out of action too, having contracted a nasty case of TB, poor thing.
Meanwhile the servants welcome spirited new maid Beryl, who catches Harry’s eye.
Monday
The Bleak Old Shop Of Stuff (BBC Two, 8.30pm)
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Hide AdThe Dickensian spoof, whose first episode aired at Christmas, returns for three more episodes.
The all-star cast includes Robert Webb, Katharine Parkinson, Derek Griffiths, Kevin Eldon and Adrian Edmondson. The scripts, by Mark Evans, are pretty sharp too.
Tuesday
The Brit Awards 2012 (ITV1, 8pm)
In what looks like a repeat of last year’s music awards ceremony, host James Corden will be fronting the event from the O2 in London, and Adele may dominate proceedings if her standout success at the Grammy ceremony is anything to go by.
Look out for Blur who will be picking up a gong for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
Wednesday
Waterloo Road (BBC One, 8pm)
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Hide AdThe award-winning series about life in a troubled northern English school begins a new term, and there’s no shortage of problems for the returning staff and pupils.
Melanie Hill joins the cast as Grantly’s new nemesis, Maggie.
Thursday
Kidnap and Ransom (ITV1, 9pm)
Most people complain about their job from time to time, but when Dominic King tells you he’s had a particularly stressful day, you know he means it.
He’s the hostage negotiator (played by Trevor Eve) at the centre of Kidnap and Ransom, so if he makes a mistake at work, it could result in someone losing their life.
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Hide AdThe second series of the drama certainly gets of to a tense start as Dominic finds himself in Kashmir, negotiating for the release of a British Asian family who were in the region to visit their son Mahavir.
Friday
Benidorm (ITV1, 9pm)
If you’ve ever been on a package holiday to Spain, you will know that certain things are guaranteed to happen.
When some of Britain’s biggest comedy talents realised all this, they spotted a gap in the market for a new comedy based around the notion of Brits abroad – and they landed themselves a major success.
This time round the Solana resort gets a new manager and she means business! Joyce Temple Savage (played by Loose Women’s Sherrie Hewson) is on a mission to upgrade the Solana resort into a 4 star hotel - at all costs.