Drowning in Plastic

Monday: BBC One, 8.30pm

Wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin discovers the growing dangers of plastic polluting the world’s oceans in this one-off special.

Showrunner Chris Chibnall commented, “Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

Past notable writers have included Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Richard Curtis.

Alfred Hitchcock was the first filmmaker to widely use them, making cameo appearances in 39 of his films.

Over the years Easter eggs have become more complex and are almost a trademark for some series such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the small screen they remain prolific in shows where the writers wish to give something back to their audience.

Whether it’s secret messages, inside jokes or obscure references, we’ve got a rundown of ten of the best Easter eggs from British TV.

It really is the season to be jolly as far as television is concerned, the line-up is full of one-off specials, film premieres and climatic soap storylines.

So, crack open the port, grab a selection box and feast on our compilation of some of the finest moments in the history of Christmas television.

​Only Fools and Horses

Award-winning screenwriter Danny Brocklehust explores the realities of family, parenthood and marriage in new BBC One family drama.

The three-part series, set and filmed in Northern Ireland, questions the implications of a mother walking out on her family and the personal and social complexities of her action, as well the investigating the mystery of why she came to the such an extreme decision.

In an interview for BBC 6 Music, the actor spoke of her excitement to take on the role and to work again with Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, who is taking over from Steven Moffatt as head writer and executive producer. “I already know how incredible he is,” she said, adding “He’s come from a fan’s point of view, so the direction he’s going to take it is going to be incredible.”

Trust  is made by Nicola Shindler’s Red Production Company and stars Jodie Whittaker as a nurse, who, out of desperation, steals the identity of her friend, a former hospital doctor, and starts afresh, working in Edinburgh. But she lives with the constant threat of being discovered, not only by her colleagues but by someone else hot on her trail.

Monday: Growing Up With Cancer

BBC One, 7.30pm

The lives of three young cancer patients are explored in this documentary as part of BBC One’s Our Lives series.

Growing Up With Cancer looks at the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit Unit in Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children where young people find a retreat at one of the most difficult times of their lives.

Most people, asked to identify the show that changed the career of Chris Chibnall, would point to his ITV crime trilogy Broadchurch. But, for Chibnall, the show that altered everything was, unusually, a flop: Camelot, his king-and-wizard drama for the US cable network Starz, which struggled to the end of one season in 2011.

The Doctor Who Bot offers a unique interactive digital experience called The Saviour of Time, in which players are given the chance to become the Doctor's companion on an exciting adventure through time.

The interactive experience immerses the new companion in a special six-part Doctor Who adventure that is centred around the hunt for a mysterious artefact known as the Key To Time, which has been scattered into fragments throughout time and space.