Can you believe we’re nearly officially into Autumn?? It’s shocking!

However, with the return of darker nights and shorter days, at least the TV line-ups tend to improve somewhat, so as we go boldly into September, here’s what we recommend you take a squiz at on telly next week…

Monday

Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed, 8:00pm, ITV4

This show is a must watch for anyone who’s sat scratching their heads as ladies vanish, people are sawn in half and rabbits mysteriously appear from hats.

In this show, the Masked Magician returns to television to defy his fellow illusionists and reveal the secrets that lay behind tricks that have astonished audiences for centuries. I’m betting that hasn’t made him popular at Magic Circle dinners!

Framed, 8:30pm, BBC1

Trevor Eve and Eve Myles star in Framed, a brand-new, one-off family drama based on Frank Cottrell Boyce’s best-selling children’s novel. Set almost entirely in Wales, this drama tells the story of 10-year-old Dylan Hughes and his family’s small petrol station.

When his father leaves the family, it coincides with the arrival of a contingent from the National Portrait Gallery in London, who have brought paintings to Wales for safe-keeping after the gallery was flooded.

The novel was inspired by the real-life practice during the Second World War of keeping paintings in Welsh mines.

Tuesday

The Fixer, 9:00pm, ITV1

In this opening two-parter, the underground crime fighters take on the Barber Boys, a gang who are terrorising the streets of South London, under their leader Clinton McSmith.

A young teenage girl, Savannah Ford, is a witness to the gang’s violent activities, so she’s on the run, and it’s down to the deniable unit to protect her so she can testify against McSmith.

Andrew Buchan, Tamzin Outhwaite, Peter Mullan and Jody Latham star.

Rich Man, Poor Man: Ben Dover Straightens, 9:00pm, BBC4

For years, Ben Dover has been one of Britain’s top porn performers and producers. This fictional character, a middle-aged man who women can’t resist, is the alter-ego of one Lindsay Honey.
Porn has made him rich but dissatisfied, and he has always yearned to be taken seriously as a straight actor. Now, when money is not an issue but personal fulfilment is, he sets out to achieve his dream of performing, with lines and a costume.

Can he make it or will his previous success make him unemployable?

Wednesday

Dying to Sleep: My Shocking Story, 9:00pm, Discovery Science

Meet the Whites, a family suffering from Fatal Familial Insomnia. Siblings Meg and Andy have a 50% chance of having the disease that affects their parents, and in this fascinating documentary, they find out if they have or not.

Fatal Familial Insomnia is caused by a mutant gene which deprives its victims of their balance and memory, then speech and sleep, until it ultimately proves fatal.

The Queen’s Coronation: Behind Palace Doors, 10:00pm, More4

This riveting documentary uncovers the tensions and conflict between the Queen Mother and Prince Philip in the build up to Princess Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953.

With a glittering ceremony dating back almost 1,000 years, the Queen’s coronation was one of the most important national events of the 20th century, but while on the surface, the royal family painted a picture of family unity, there were in fact deep divisions within the House of Windsor.

Thursday

Doctor Who Greatest Moments: The Enemies, 8:00pm, BBC3

This series has taken viewers on a journey through time and space to relive action from the legendary sci-fi show, featuring exclusive interviews with key actors offering unique insights on the classic moments.

In this episode, we see how The Doctor has faced a whole galaxy full of formidable foes through which we are guided by David Tennant and a host of stars including John Barrowman, Derek Jacobi, Zoe Wannamaker, Freema Agyeman and Sarah Parish.

Benefit Busters, 9:00pm, Channel 4

One of the government’s targets is to shift one million people off long-term sickness benefits and get them back to work.

In Oldham, the charity Shaw Trust has won the contract to implement this policy. Sherrie Jepson, a former car saleswoman, has the job of selling the idea of employment to people who were previously considered too sick to work.

Kieron Tandy fell from a third-floor balcony while celebrating his 18th birthday in Turkey. He has metal pins in his back and has restricted mobility.

His family doctor had confirmed him as ‘unfit for work’ but under the new system he’s examined by an independent medical examiner employed by a private health care company, which will determine whether he is fit enough to return to work.

Meanwhile, Sherrie starts to try to convince Kieron that he could work if a suitable job that allowed for his condition could be found.

Friday

From Bin to Banquet: Tonight, 8:00pm, ITV1

Last year, ‘Tonight’ exposed the growing problem of food waste in Britain – and how much is thrown out by individuals and businesses including restaurants, producers and supermarkets – an estimated 20 million tonnes each year.

Some of this food is not even past its use-by date – the date the Food Standards Agency say could make it unsafe to eat based on scientific evidence. But some of it is food that has past its best before date, which is just a measure of quality, meaning food past that date may not taste as good.

To test if the labelling system is always necessary, last year Jonathan Maitland ate progressively out-of-date food to see if there would be any health implications. Not only did he not fall ill, but laboratory tests showed that all bacteria formed on food he consumed were entirely killed off during the cooking process.

In this latest episode, Jonathan returns to Britain’s growing food waste mountain with a bold plan to see just how many people could be fed by the food thrown in supermarket bins in one evening – and whether consumers would be happy to eat the cast-offs that shops say no one should or will buy.

The Boy Who Was Born a Girl, 8:00pm, Channel 4

For this documentary, filmmaker Julia Moon follows the story of teenager Jon who was born and brought up as Natasha for 15 years. We also meet his mother Luisa as Jon goes through life-changing treatment to complete his gender realignment.

Diagnosed with gender dysphoria – a condition that affects 100 British children every year – Jon prepares himself for male puberty while his supportive mother attempts to come to terms with the loss of a daughter.
Saturday

World Trade Center, 9:00pm, Channel 4

In the aftermath of the World Trade Center disaster, hope is still alive, at least it is according to this film.

Refusing to bow down to terrorism, rescuers and family of the victims press forward. Their mission of rescue and recovery is driven by the faith that under each piece of rubble, a co-worker, a friend a family member may be found.

This is the true story of John McLoughlin and William J. Jimeno, two of the last survivors extracted from Ground Zero and the rescuers who never gave up. It’s a story of the true heroes of that fateful time in the history of the United States when buildings would fall and heroes would rise, literally from the ashes to inspire the entire human race.

Here’s the film’s trailer…

Little Miss Sunshine, 9:00pm, Film4

In this often weird and somewhat sad – despite it being billed as a comedy – film, Olive is a little girl with a dream: winning the Little Miss Sunshine contest. Her family wants her dream to come true, but they are so burdened with their own quirks, neuroses, and problems that they can barely make it through a day without some disaster befalling them.

Olive’s father Richard is a flop as a motivational speaker, and is barely on speaking terms with her mother. Olive’s uncle Frank, a renowned Proust scholar, has attempted suicide following an unsuccessful romance with a male graduate student. Her brother Dwayne, a fanatical follower of Nietzsche, has taken a vow of silence, which allows him to escape somewhat from the family whose very presence torments him.

And Olive’s grandfather is a ne’er-do-well with a drug habit, but at least he enthusiastically coaches Olive in her contest talent routine. Circumstances conspire to put the entire family on the road together with the goal of getting Olive to the Little Miss Sunshine contest in far off California.

Here’s the film’s trailer…

Sunday

9/11: The Calls from the Towers, 9:00pm, Channel 4

This and many other moving documentaries in the coming two weeks mark the anniversary of the awful events of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers.

This particularly moving film hears taped last calls from the Towers as well as personal memories about the last time survivors heard from those who were to die on 9/11.

Swinging, 10:30pm, Fiver

This character-based comedy show explores the funny sides of love, sex and relationships in modern Britain.

Among the characters are Carla the fussy swinger, George and Tabitha, the posh and snobby ‘doggers’, and Patty, the sex therapist who’s scared of sex.

May as well end your weekend with a bang, as it were!

So that’s it for this week’s Primetime Picks. Have a great week and we’ll see you next Sunday!