Alexander Armstrong’s Heavenly Gardens (BBC1, 1.40pm)
This two-part special sees the Pointless host and garden designer Arit Anderson visit gardens of reflection and contemplation. At Pluscarden Abbey in Moray, Alexander helps harvest luscious apples and accompanies the monks singing midday psalms. He then returns to his student haunts in Cambridge to discover a place designed to inspire joy, even on the bleakest days, in the university’s Botanic Garden.
Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back (C4, 8pm)
The comedian hit the headlines a few weeks back when he announced he had officially changed his name to Hugo Boss. It was all part of a campaign we’ll see more of during this run of his consumer programme. The first series, which aired last year, went down a treat with viewers. Unlike Watchdog (which has now been consigned to a footnote on The One Show), it avoided being preachy, instead using humour to highlight various serious issues.
Around the World by Train with Tony Robinson (C5, 8pm)
The actor rides the El Chepe train from the west coast of Mexico through to the Copper Canyon, a system larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon. From there, Tony jumps on Mexico’s only passenger line to head towards the USA. Along the way, he stops in the city of Chihuahua where he discovers Sotol, the region’s answer to Tequila. He then heads to Juarez, a city once strongly associated with drug cartels.
The Graham Norton Show (BBC1, 9pm)
We know what you’re thinking: with the country in lockdown, how can a chat show possibly operate? Well, in its regular format, the simple answer is it can’t. But as the BBC announced recently that it was dedicating itself to not only keeping us as up to date as is humanly possible on all matter coronavirus-related, it’s going to keep us entertained too.
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