As I’m writing this, that most rare of events – a sunny day – is happening outside my window, so I’ll be making the most of it, but if you’re stuck indoors next week, here’s what we recommend you tune into on your tellybox…

Monday

Prince John: The Windsors’ Tragic Secret, 8:00pm, Channel 4

Born in 1905, John was the youngest of George V’s children. Diagnosed with epilepsy, he died in 1919 after a particularly severe seizure.

Had he lived he would have been the present Queen’s uncle. The popular image of Prince John has since been one of a neglected child who was regarded as an embarrassment and shut away from public view, deprived of contact with his family.

Using testimonies of individuals with direct personal connections to the prince, together with new research and photographs of the real ‘Johnny’, this documentary unravels some of the mysteries and misconceptions surrounding him, presenting a more complete story than has ever been told before.

Mario and Nini: A Childhood Under Threat, 10:00pm, Sky1

This is filmmaker Chloe Ruthven’s powerful documentary about two boys growing up in inner-city London.

The footage begins in 2001 and follows the boys for the next seven years as they move from infanthood to begin to be socially aware. The boys are both subject to peer pressure and must live amongst a gang culture, and as the boys grow, they talk about their inner anger, the lure of the streets and the “brotherhood” of being in a gang.

Ruthven’s aim by making the film is to get Nini and Mario to consider where their lives are heading and to pose serious questions about the world they’re growing up in.

Tuesday

My Shocking Story: Wild Child, 9:00pm, Discovery Science

This fascinating documentary provides a look into the world of feral children. These are kids who have been brought up in complete isolation from human contact and the documentary explores the impact on them as they are reintegrated into human society.

True Stories, 10:00pm, More4, Tears, Tiaras and Transsexuals

Jeremy Stanford takes a behind-the-scenes look at the first ever ‘World’s Most Beautiful Transsexual Pageant’ in Las Vegas, meeting the six hopefuls who are attempting to realise their diva dreams.
With the dramatic competition to win the crown (and a starring role in a sensational new Vegas revue) as a high-stakes backdrop, the film explores the personal stories behind the pageant.

Provocative profiles and interviews document the always intriguing, sometimes moving and often humorous journeys of the contestants.

United by common histories of hardship and persecution, their ultimate triumph is a moving celebration of the human spirit.

Wednesday

Visions of the Future: The Biotech Revolution, 10:00pm, BBC4

In the second this new three-part series, leading theoretical physicist and futurist Dr Michio Kaku explores the cutting edge science of today, tomorrow, and beyond.

He argues that humankind is at a turning point in history. In this century, we are going to make the historic transition from the ‘Age of Discovery’ to the ‘Age of Mastery’, a period in which we will move from being passive observers of nature to its active choreographers.

And according to Kaku, this will give us not only unparalleled possibilities but also great responsibilities.

The Sex Chamber, 10:00pm, Five USA

This documentary profiles David Parker Ray, one of America’s most prolific and sadistic serial sex attackers. In 1999, Ray’s secret life was about to be discovered when one of his prisoners escaped.

The woman told authorities about the abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her captor, including his use of an horrific torture chamber.

Thursday

Patrick Swayze: The Truth, 8:00pm, Fiver

Best known for his starring roles in such big-screen successes as Dirty Dancing and Road House, actor Patrick Swayze has, in recent years, been battling inoperable pancreatic cancer.

In this special programme, US TV reporter Barbara Walters talks to Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi at their ranch in California about his career and how he’s coping with his terminal illness.

Ghost Ship, 10:00pm, National Geographic

Documentary examining the feasibility of ghost ships, such as the crewless Mary Celeste, or the echoing of dead sailors that is said to haunt the Queen Mary.

In this riveting documentary, experts investigate the concept of ghost ships to see if there are supernatural powers at work.

Friday

How to Snare a Millionaire, 7:30pm, Channel 4

The new run of First Cut, Channel 4’s documentary strand showcasing bold, bright and original films by up-and-coming directors, continues with Rebecca Arnold’s manhunt for a millionaire, complete with frank and humorous musical interludes.

Twenty-eight year old Essex girl Rebecca is single and broke, and has never had a long-term relationship. She decides it’s time to find a man, and a rich one at that. Rebecca transforms herself from tomboy to glamourpuss as she hits the nightclubs where men lure in eager women with champagne and fireworks; she meets up with a sugar daddy; and she signs up to one of the world’s most exclusive dating agencies, with fees to match, who set her up with a tall, dark, handsome stranger who whisks her off to Cannes in a helicopter.

Amidst all the glitz and glamour, Rebecca soon discovers that a rich man comes with his compromises, and this modern day Cinderella is forced to question how far she’ll have to go to snare her very own Prince Charming.

Eye for an Eye, 10:00pm, ITV3

After the assault, rape and murder of her 17-year-old daughter at home, Karen, played by Sally Field, becomes obsessed with putting the rapist behind bars.

But what Karen soon finds is that the criminal justice system is more interested in procedure than justice and soon frees the killer of her daughter on a vague technicality.

So, determined to get revenge, Karen proceeds with her own plan for justice as the system has again failed to protect the innocent and the victims.

A very powerful film which also stars Kiefer Sutherland, Ed Harris and Beverly D’Angelo. Here’s the film’s trailer…

Saturday

Meet the Fockers, 8:25pm, BBC1

A much more light hearted offering is this brilliant sequel to Meet The Parents.

Greg and Pam climb aboard Jack’s new state-of-the-art RV – with the Kevlar-reinforced hull and the two-inch Plexiglas windows – for a trip to Focker Isle, the Cocoanut Grove domicile of Bernie and Roz Focker, played by Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Steisand.

The next 48 hours will provide the parents of the intended bride and groom a little time to get to know each other, but more importantly, give Jack – Robert DeNiro – the opportunity to study Greg’s parents.

Things start off well enough, but that’s before Jack discovers that the lawyer and doctor Greg presented are, in fact, a liberal stay-at-home dad and a senior citizens’ sex therapist.

Then there’s the RV toilet episode, the overly zealous game of touch football, the saucy Cuban caterer with the secret, the incident with the toddler and the glue… Ready or not, it’s time to Meet the Fockers…it’s just one weekend together. What could possibly go wrong? Let’s take a look…

The Fog, 10:00pm, ITV4

If you’d rather be scared witless than have a laugh, then this film’s for you…

The centennial of the small town of Antonio Bay, California has finally arrived. However, the events of 100 years ago are about to come back to haunt the town, because a conspiracy of the town’s founders resulted in the deaths of several lepers in a shipwreck.

The conspirators had planned to lure the lepers’ ship towards the rocks so that it would sink, and they could recover the cargo of gold and use it to pay for building the town. The sinister plot succeeded when a fog rolled in, blinding the crew, and forcing them to follow the false fire on shore. Now the ghosts of the Elizabeth Dane’s crew are back – and so is the fog that led them to their doom. Only now, it conceals and protects the ghosts of the crew, as they seek their revenge on the residents of Antonio Bay…

Sunday

Wuthering Heights, 9:00pm, ITV1 Yorkshire

This is ITV’s new and glossy first episode of a two-part adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic novel, set on the Yorkshire moors.

The free-spirited Cathy Earnshaw must choose between two men; the passionate but tormented Heathcliff, and the weak Edgar Linton, who offers her a life of comfort and wealth.

Her decision has repercussions through the years that follow, and leads to the entrapment of her daughter at Wuthering Heights, the Earnshaw family home.

21st Century Outbreak: Bioterror, 9:00pm, Discovery Science

Yet another interesting and timely documentary, with this one exploring how medical advances in infectious disease have led to the new threat of biological warfare.

It’s a scary watch but well worth watching… you never know when you might need the info they provide on surviving a bio-terror attack!

That’s it for this week. Have a great week and we’ll see you next Sunday!