This week's TV includes the return of Phillip Pullman’s much-loved sci-fi series His Dark Materials and a celebration of 40 years of Children In Need.
Don’t Rock The Boat
Monday 2nd November
ITV, 9pm
Celebrities from reality stars to politicians, to Olympic medallists will team up to attempt to row the length of Britain in new ITV series Don’t Rock the Boat.
Hosted by Freddie Flintoff and AJ Odudu, 12 celebrities will travel across 500 miles of water, with checkpoints in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The celebrities taking part include singer-songwriter Fleur East, former deputy leader of the Labour Party Tom Watson, Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis, Red Dwarf and Coronation Street actor Crag Charles, and Love Island winner Jack Fincham.
Model Jodie Kidd, Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton, The Chase’s Shaun Wallace - also known as The Dark Destroyer, former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt, actor and presenter Adam Thomas, Coronation Street actress Lucy Fallon and social media star Joe Weller will also join the race across the length of Britain.
Educating Greater Manchester
Tuesday 3rd November
Channel 4, 9:15pm
Educating Greater Manchester is back, with Harrop Fold secondary in Salford once again opening their doors to reveal the changes that have been made since cameras last visited the school in 2017.
Last year Harrop Fold was put into special measures by Ofsted following the resignation of the then headmaster Drew Pove,y who faced allegations of off-rolling.
Introducing new faces and returning to familiar faces, the fly on the wall documentary looks at the lead up to GCSEs, the competition for the next head boy and girl, and the challenges involved with supporting the mental health of the students.
Children In Need: 40 Fabulous Years
Wednesday 4th November
BBC One, 8pm
Ade Adepitan MBE presents a one off special to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Children In Need, looking at how it has evolved over the four decades.
The special will pay homage to previous appeal shows in 40 fun-filled parts and will include the greatest moments that have made up the last 40 years, looking at the people whose lives have been changed by the donations.
The event will be filled with fun sketches, uplifting performances, appeal films and appearances from much-loved famous faces.
Being Frank: The Frank Gardner Story
Thursday 5th November
BBC Two, 9pm
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner was 43 when he was shot six times by al-Qaeda gunmen while reporting on growing terrorist activity in Saudi Arabia. The bullets damaged his spinal nerves and left him partially paralysed and in a wheelchair.
This documentary takes an in-depth look at the impact the accident had on Gardner’s life, work and relationships with friends, family and himself.
Sixteen years on, Gardner still struggles with the realities of being disabled, finding it easier to openly talk about the physical indignities that he has suffered due to the attack, but harder to talk about the emotional side effects.
Gardner meets other people who suffered life-changing injuries, from a young woman who suffered a spinal cord injury after a climbing accident, to Gerald, a man who requires 24-hour live-in care following a driving accident.
His Dark Materials
Sunday 8th November
BBC One, 8:10pm
Series two of the sci-fi series takes inspiration from the Phillip Pullman novel The Subtle Knife.
It starts by returning to a devastated Lyra (Dafne Keen), who is still reeling from the death of her best friend Roger (Lewin Lloyd) because of her father Lord Asriel (James McAvoy).
Lyra finds herself in the abandoned city of Cittàgazze where she meets Will (Amir Wilson), a boy running from his troubled past and separated from his father.
Lyra and Will discover that their destinies are intertwined and are dependent on reuniting Will with his father, but a war is on the horizon and the pair will find their path blocked at every turn.
At the same time, Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson) has not given up on the hunt for Lyra and will do anything necessary to bring her home.
