Channel 4

The Academy (w/t) will reveal the work that goes into developing the next generation of footballing talent at Crystal Palace F.C. Academy in South London, with insider access to the staff, players and families.

Over the course of twelve months, The Academy will follow the academy players, aged between eight and 18, as they try to achieve their dreams of becoming professional footballers, and the club coaches and staff helping them reach their potential.

Returning designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen will be joined by 2LG Studio designers Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, with Tibby Singh completing the team as the carpenter and joiner.

The six-part series will see homeowners work with either the 2LG team or Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to transform the chosen rooms in their house, with each team offering bold and opposing styles.

Nina Sosanya (His Dark Materials) leads the cast as Leigh, the head of the team of 'screws' formally known as prison officers, who has devoted her life to the all-male prison and its inmates. Working on an overpopulated wing and having to battle against broken bureaucracy and short-term thinking, Leigh works hard to keep her inmates in line and support them when they need it. However, to her work team, she remains an enigma, with her own dark secrets that could cost her more than her job if they were ever discovered.

Fan favourites Nas (Amy-Leigh Hickman) and Missy (Poppy Lee Friar) were among those who left at the end of the last series, but there are plenty of pupils joining the returning cast to fill the gaps.

Among the newcomers are Kayla Azfal (Robyn Cara) and Fizza Akhtar (Yasmin Al Khudhairi), loyal best friends but both lovestruck by new boy Johnny Cooper (Ryan Dean).

Given the two-year hiatus and all the new faces, we thought viewers new and old could do with a little refresher course. Find out who's who in Ackley Bridge.

Monday

Ackley Bridge series four

Channel 4, 6pm

This series love is in the air at Ackley Bridge academy, as best friends Kayla (Robyn Cara) and Fizza (Yasmin Al Khudhairi) both fall for new boy Johnny (Ryan Dean), a cocky heartthrob from the traveller community.

From Father Ted to Derry Girls, Channel 4’s reputation for Irish comedy is second to none. Now comes Frank of Ireland, a new, six-part series made by Sharon Horgan’s production company, Merman, producer of BBC Two’s Motherland. The show stars Brian Gleeson, who plays the eponymous Frank, and his brother Domhnall. The Gleeson family are, of course, Irish acting royalty.

The four-part series will serve up new ideas for meals and reducing food waste, helping our pockets and the planet.

In the UK, the equivalent of 1 in 6 shopping bags or 1 in 8 prepared meals end up in the bin, and most of this waste is destined for landfill or incineration. If this food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Hellmann’s will sponsor the series as part of their mission to enable British households to “make great taste and less waste,” highlighting the simple ways we can all make a difference.