Here I provide a comprehensive list of the best of the coming week’s TV – from tennis to testicles!
Saturday 22nd June
The Voice UK: The Final
BBC1, 7:15pm
I’m going to own up: I only watched the first two episodes of this series of The Voice UK. I just got a bit sick of it. However, this year’s Final is a big TV event so, tempted as I was to write about Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, I feel duty-bound to blag my way through the next few paragraphs and inform you of this show. So here we go…
I have watched the four Finalists’ Semi-Final performances on YouTube and I have to say that I 
enjoyed all of them – they each have quite individual voices. My favourite, though, is Mike Ward (pictured). If his Semi-Final performance is representative of those of his throughout the series, he deserves to be the winner! His voice is so distinctive and strong – and actually not dissimilar to Tom Jones’s, so I can see why he picked him to be his coach.
That’s not to say that the other contestants wouldn’t be worthy winners, too. I think they’re all very good but I personally hope that Sir Tom retains his The Voice UK crown. And I’m sure Mike will have more success in music than last year’s winner, Leanne Mitchell did.
Of course, it’s not just the contestants who will be performing tonight: Dizzee Rascal and Robbie Williams will be singing their single, ‘Goin’ Crazy’ and Michael Buble will be taking to the stage, too.
Well I hope I’ve appeared at least slightly knowledgeable about The Voice – else all that has been a waste of time and research.
Also today: Episodes’ Stephen Mangan and The X Factor’s Caroline Flack and Joe McElderry will be trying to win some money for charity, with the help of their relatives, in Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Family Special (ITV, 7:15pm); The Many Faces of Dame Helen Mirren (BBC2, 8:00pm) charts the actress’ rise to fame – hopefully including her stage debut in my hometown of Sunderland; Rufus Hound narrates The Nation’s Favourite Dance Moment (ITV, 8:15pm); funny and moving film Calendar Girls, starring the aforementioned Dame Helen, is on BBC2 at 9:00pm; and The Big Dirty List Show: 50 Years of Sex and Music (Channel 4, 10:15pm) looks at 20 of the sexiest songs of the past five decades.
Sunday 23rd June
Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet
BBC1, 10:25pm
For this one-off documentary, presented by Sue Barker, tennis ace Andy Murray has granted the BBC exclusive access to his life – both on and off the court.
As well as featuring interviews with his friends, family and sports rivals, Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet will give viewers a rare insight into his life, with particular focus on his activities outside of tennis and his journey to become a national icon.
As per his Wimbledon performance, if the documentary’s good, he’ll be ‘British’, but if it’s bad, he’ll undoubtedly be relegated to just ‘Scottish’.
Also on this thoroughly tennis-themed day: 2004 film Wimbledon (Channel 5, 4:20pm); Zac Efron and Matthew Perry star as the same person (but at different ages) in 17 Again (Channel 4, 6:05pm); Tom Hanks and Megan Ryan are in classic film Sleepless in Seattle (Channel 5, 6:05pm); Venus and Serena tells the story of the Williams sisters’ lives, in a way not too dissimilar to the Andy Murray documentary (BBC2, 7:00pm); Ed Byrne, Amir Khan and Denise Welch (now there’s an eclectic mix!) compete on Tipping Point: Lucky Stars (ITV, 7:00pm); Kate Humble and Helen Czerski present The Secret Life of the Sun (BBC2, 8:00pm); and documentary film Glastonbury, about the music festival of the same name, is on BBC2 at 11:30pm.
Monday 24th June
Bodyshock: The Man With the 10-Stone Testicles
Channel 4, 9:00pm
Men, prepare to wince.
In 2008, Wesley Warren Jr., from Las Vegas, turned over in bed and knocked his testicles, causing a shooting pain and immediate swelling. This swelling still continues, to the point where his testicles now weigh an incredible 10 stone.
This condition, which the doctors have referred to as scrotal lymphedema, is debilitating and humiliating for Wesley. He cannot wear trousers, drive a car or have sex, and can only sit down with the help of a milk crate.
The only way for Wesley to have his testicles treated is to pay for the relevant operation, which is what this Bodyshock special shows. The doctors who are preparing to treat Wesley have never seen a case like this before. Will he be able to regain his dignity and revert back to his normal life, after five years of pain and embarrassment or will it be a balls-up?
Sorry.
Also today: Coach Trip’s Brendan Sheerin’s new series, Brendan’s Magical Mystery Tour begins (Channel 4, 5:00pm); one-off documentary Traveller Feuds is on Channel 5 at 9:00pm; Don’t Call Me Crazy shows the experiences of teenage patients at Manchester’s McGuinness Mental Health Unit (BBC3, 9:00pm); two men set off on a Thai martial arts adventure in documentary series Kung Foolery (Sky1, 9:00pm); this week’s What a Load of Buzzcocks focuses on 2005 (BBC2, 10:00pm); and Daisy Donovan’s superb series The Greatest Shows on Earth continues (Channel 4, 10:00pm).
Tuesday 25th June
Secrets From the Workhouse
ITV, 9:00pm
In Victorian society, the poor, homeless and unemployed were all sent to live in the workhouses – otherwise they starved on the streets.
In these workhouses, the inhabitants were forced to work ten hour days, completing such menial tasks as breaking rocks or separating ropes. Again, this was their only option, other than starvation.
In this two-part series, stars such as Fern Britton, Brian Cox (the actor, not the professor), Kiera Chaplin and Barbara Taylor Bradford wade through history to discover what life was like for their own ancestors in such environments.
Also today: Alan Titchmarsh returns with Love Your Garden (ITV, 8:00pm); the conclusion of the very informative Something for Nothing (Channel 4, 8:00pm); we find out what has happened to Erica following her shock revelation to her brother in the superb Dates (Channel 4, 10:00pm); the series highlights of Sweat the Small Stuff (BBC3, 10:00pm); Mad Dogs: Behind the Madness goes behind the scenes of the third series of the drama about four mates abroad (Sky1, 10:00pm); Alan Yentob is back for another series of Imagine (BBC1, 10:35pm); and the final episode of Dawn O’Porter’s (suprisingly entertaining) documentary, How to Find Love Online (Channel 4, 10:35pm).
Wednesday 26th June
The Apprentice
BBC1, 9:00pm
Well there’s just no point in Lord Sugar continuing with his search for a business partner, now that he’s fired the brilliant Jason, is there? I was truly gutted when he abdicated last week and allowed 
himself to be usurped by Luisa, who elbowed her way into becoming Project Manager. The Apprentice will not be the same without you, Mr Leech.
Anyway, back to this week. The ninth task that the candidates face is creating and branding their own ready meals, which means some of them are forced into the kitchen to whip up a tasty treat while the others are in charge of creating the brand itself. Then, the following day, the teams meet the heads of some of the UK’s biggest supermarket names, and pitch their new ready meals to them.
The question is: who will be left with a bitter taste in their mouth?
Also today: Sally Dynevor (Corrie’s Sally Webster), Splash! champ Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards and JB Gill (25% of JLS) and their partners test their knowledge of each other on All Star Mr & Mrs (ITV, 8:00pm).
Thursday 27th June
Eye Spy
Channel 4, 10:00pm
I struggled to understand this programme at first but am beginning to see how interesting it could be.
In this three-part series, members of the public will have their scruples tested to the max as they will 
be secretly filmed facing dilemmas, stuck between what is morally right and what would be best for themselves.
The first episode, for example, sees a bag stuffed with £30,000 in cash left in a public phone box – will anyone have the gall to take it? Also, a waiter in a restaurant faces a dilemma when he sees an interracial couple being harassed: will he fulfil his moral obligation and intervene or keep life simple for himself and turn a blind eye?
It should be very interesting to find out.
Also today: Four Weddings returns to Sky Living (8:00pm); Michael Scott examines the ancient Greeks in two-part documentary Who Were the Greeks? (BBC2, 9:00pm); and Radha Bedi presents India: A Dangerous Place to Be a Woman (BBC3, 9:00pm).
Friday 28th June
Glastonbury
Across BBC TV and radio this weekend
Glastonbury 2013 is here, and presenters from across the Beeb’s radio stations will be bringing you coverage the weekend. For information on exactly when radio coverage will be available, check the
Radio 1, Radio 2 and 6 Music schedules. On TV, hosts including Lauren Laverne, Chris Evans, Gemma Cairney, Jo Whiley and Greg James (pictured, L-R) and many more will be switching between BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4 from tonight, beginning at 7:00pm on BBC3.
Right, well that’s the complicated scheduling info out of the way, now to the event itself. The line-up this year is incredible, with almost everyone who is important in music today taking to one of the six stages (including the BBC Introducing Stage, which has previously helped stars such as Jake Bugg, Florence and the Machine and Ed Sheeran shoot to fame).
The Rolling Stones are of course headlining on Saturday, and fans will be able to see an hour of their performance on the Pyramid Stage as the BBC reached an agreement with them just last week to dedicate that time to their set.
Plus, keeping with tradition, it’s going to rain for two of the three days! Yey!
Also today: Jimmy Carr, Griff Rhys Jones and Susanna Reid are on Would I Lie to You? (BBC1, 8:30pm); Emma Willis sends another housemate packing in the Big Brother: Live Eviction (Channel 5, 9:00pm); Samuel L Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Nick Frost and Jake Bugg all drop by for the last in the series of The Graham Norton Show (BBC1, 10:35pm); Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore star in 2007 romance Music & Lyrics (ITV, 10:35pm); and there’s a repeat of Alan Carr’s hilarious 2011 Spexy Beast tour (Channel 4, 11:40pm).
Are you particularly looking forward to any of these shows or is there something else from the world of TV which you want to have your say about? Feel free to comment below or tweet me about this or any other TV show – @UKTVReviewer.
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