It’s good pickin’s for TV next week so as always at the weekend, here are our Primetime Picks for your upcoming televisual delight…

Find Me a Family, 9:00pm , Channel 4

In the first of three programmes in this series, Cathy and Richard, both 34, are hoping to adopt a sibling for their daughter Rachel, who was conceived after fertility treatment. After five years of trying unsuccessfully for a second child, they’ve decided to adopt.

They think they want a toddler, but have enrolled on a project designed to encourage them to consider adopting older children who – unlike the little cute toddlers – sometimes struggle to find homes.

David Akinsanya arranges for Cathy and Richard to spend some time with siblings to find out if they could cope as a family of five. They decide they could adopt more than one child after all, but their social worker has concerns about whether their daughter Rachel could cope with a new adopted child in the family. Eventually, the family are matched with a child with a possible disability. David sets out to help the couple decide whether or not they could cope with the needs of a disabled child.

Dispatches: Lost in Care, 8pm, Channel 4

Part of the Britain’s Forgotten Children season, this programme reveals the scandals of the British care system and asks, is it working or failing our children?

Reporter Rageh Omaar examines each stage of state provision for the 25,000 children who enter the care system every year, from adoption and fostering to residential care homes. Why do so many babies have to wait for adoption? Why are so many kids shunted from foster parent to foster parent? And why has residential care become a refuge of last resort, and a potential school for failure and crime?

Tuesday

A Place in the Wild, 8:00pm, ITV1

Englishmen Batian Craig and Richard Vigne have taken on the challenge of a lifetime – running 90,000 acre wildlife conservancy in the heart of Kenya.

A Place In The Wild goes behind the scenes at the magnificent Ol Pejeta reserve and follows the twosome as they work tirelessly to protect and conserve over 400 of Africa’s most endangered species.

It’s a massive undertaking and, to realise their dream of transforming Ol Pejeta in to a world-class reserve, the intrepid duo have their work cut out for them.

In tonight’s episode, Batian enlists the help of lion-expert Elaine Matteson after a hungry lioness helps herself to a local farmer’s cattle. The team also have the tall order of moving a giraffe, while a baby elephant is rehoused to an orphanage in Nairobi. Over at Sweetwater sanctuary a pair of baby chimpanzees have a bumpy ride when they are integrated in to an adult group.

Horizon: How Violent Are You? 9:00pm, BBC2

Michael Portillo investigates what makes ordinary people commit extreme acts of violence, in the final Horizon of the series, and explores the fine line between control and aggression.

Michael looks at the environmental and psychological factors that can cause an individual to snap and to lose their self-control. He explores a much darker side of people’s nature and asks if anyone can be driven to deliberately kill. In a thought-provoking and sometimes uncomfortable journey, Michael discovers that each of us could be inherently more violent than we think.

But what does it take for ordinary people to inflict pain in everyday situations? In a fascinating psychological study, Michael watches a replication of one of the most controversial studies in history, the Milgram study. Will participants be willing to administer a seemingly lethal electric shock to someone they think is an innocent bystander?

Wednesday

Never Did Me Any Harm, 9:00pm, More4

In a unique social history experiment, four modern families turn back the clock for two weeks so that their children can live as their parents did when they were young.

Jon Gregory, a father of two from Milton Keynes, wants more respect from his kids so recreates his strict 70s upbringing for his kids. Will 12 year old Hannah and 10 year old Josh get over their initial hatred of their new youth and discover some admiration for their dad?

Curious Tribe, 10:00pm, Eden

This documentary series follows five members of the Insect Tribe of Papua New Guinea as they experience Western life and culture for the first time.

In tonight’s episode, they’re amazed to see snow and are in awe of the spectacle, but they’re soon throwing snowballs with the same accuracy they display during their spear hunting!

And a pheasant shoot allows them to swap spears for rifles but homesickness soon kicks in…

Thursday

Cutting Edge: The Homecoming, 9:00pm, Channel 4

At the age of four, journalist Rachel Roberts was placed in a children’s home in Doncaster.

Now, more than 30 years later, with only an old photo and fading recollections of her time there, she’s searching for the other children she shared the home with to find out what became of them.

Although focusing on Rachel’s individual search, The Homecoming casts a wider look at the care system in general – and the long-lasting effects it can have on those caught up in it.

Lie to Me, 10:00pm, Sky1

Tonight sees the pilot episode of a new series starring Tim Roth adds as Dr Cal Lightman, a human “lie-detector machine” who’s called upon to solve crimes. Able to spot facial give-aways and body language, he can spot a liar from a mile off.

From writer Samuel Baum and the executive producers of 24 and Arrested Development, Lie To Me is being hailed as “a compelling new drama series inspired by the scientific discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, a real-life specialist who can read clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose both the truth and lies in criminal investigations.”

Friday

Firestarter, 10:00pm, ITV4

This is a brilliant film based on the book of the same name from one of my favourite authors, Stephen King…

Andrew and Vicky McGee met while earning money as guinea pigs for an experiment at college. The experiment was shrouded in suspicion and mystery and seemed to be related to psychic abilities. The two then married and had a daughter Charlie, who has the ability to start fires just by thinking about it.

This is a ‘talent’ that the government takes a great interest in and operatives from the secret department known as “The Shop” want to quarantine and study her so the little family must go on the run to avoid losing Charlie…

Here’s the film’s original 1984 trailer…

Cheaper by the Dozen, 7:10pm, Film4

Another great film to get your weekend started is Cheaper by the Dozen in which the Bakers, a family of 12, move from small-town Illinois to the big city after Tom Baker gets his dream job of coaching his alma mater’s football team.

Meanwhile, his wife also gets her dream of getting her book published but while she’s away promoting her book, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while at the same time coaching his football team, as the family routines descend into chaos. Here’s the film’s trailer…

Saturday

The Silence of the Lambs, 10:35pm, ITV1

Yet again, this is one of my favourite films and it’s worth watching again, no matter how many times you might’ve seen it already! In case you haven’t seen it though, here’s what it’s all about…

A psychopath known as Buffalo Bill is kidnapping and murdering young women across the Midwest. Believing in the principle of ‘it takes one to know one’ the F.B.I. sends Agent Clarice Starling – Jodie Foster – to interview a demented prisoner who may provide psychological insight and clues to the killer’s actions.

The prisoner is psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lector, a brilliant, murderous cannibal who will only help Starling if she feeds his morbid curiosity with details about her own complicated life. This twisted relationship forces Starling not only to confront her psychological demons, but leads her to a battle with a demented, heinous killer who she must outwit to save one of his victims.

As always, here’s the film’s trailer!

Prisoners Out of Control, 9:00pm, Reality TV

This fascinating documentary reveals the brutal nature of prison life; featuring footage of real-life incidents captured on prison security cameras, including prisoners resisting guards, fighting, and staging full-scale riots. Awesome!

Sunday

The Unloved, 9:00pmm Channel 4

Samantha Morton’s directorial debut is a powerful single drama about a young girl growing up in a children’s home. Working alongside acclaimed writer Tony Grisoni, Morton has created a fictional script that gives an honest and intimate child’s-eye view of the care system in the UK.

Filmed in Morton’s hometown of Nottingham, the two young leads – Molly Windsor as Lucy, and Lauren Socha as Lauren – were cast through a series of open auditions held across Nottingham schools, drama groups and at The Television Workshop, which Morton herself attended aged 12.

Head of Channel 4 drama, Liza Marshall, says: ‘We at Channel 4 are very excited to be supporting Sam in her first directorial venture. This is a story very close to her heart, and her empathy and understanding of children in care should make for an exceptional film.’

Fawlty Towers Exclusive: Basil’s Best Bits, 9:00pm, Gold

John Cleese – who of course played Basil – hosts this special tribute to the acclaimed sitcom, marking the three decades since the show ended.

The actor talks about the making of the show and picks out his favourite moments and clips.

That should be a good one! I love that show…

So, have a great week and we’ll see you back here next weekend for more Primetime Picks!