What's on TV 14-Jan-23

Maternal NEW Monday, 9pm, ITV1 Drama (box set, ITVX) Follow three women returning to their high-pressure jobs as doctors after maternity leave in this new series. Paediatrician Maryam (Parminder Nagra) has two children under two and is feeling anxious, while ambitious surgeon Catherine (Lara Pulver), a single mum, is itching to get back and has already got her eye on a promotion. Meanwhile, Helen (Lisa McGrillis), a doctor in acute medicine, is struggling as her marriage implodes and she’s forced to work with her cheating husband, a fellow doctor at City General Hospital. P9 Michael McIntyre’s Big Show NEW Saturday, 6.50pm, BBC1 Entertainment Get ready for sensational surprises, squirming celebs and ingenious pranks as Michael McIntyre’s fun-filled show returns. Family favourites including Midnight Gameshow will be back, plus famous faces surrendering their phones to Michael, starting with Rylan…

NEW MICHAEL McINTYRE’S BIG SHOW Saturday, 6.50pm, BBC1 Entertainment Q What can you tell us about this series? A We’ve done a brilliant TV takeover of Antiques Roadshow where we pranked a collector. We took a few of his pieces and made a fake version of Antiques Roadshow with me disguised as one of the experts. Then we secretly filmed him watching the episode at home. He couldn’t believe it when his items appeared on screen! Q Have you had any pranks that were too ambitious to pull off? A Yes, there was a crazy idea that was going to be called Unexpected Argh of the Show involving some high-adrenaline stunts. One plan was to have someone strapped on to what would turn out to be the wing of a plane and then suddenly find they…

Best known for… The actor and comic appeared alongside Rory Bremner and John Fortune in the C4 satirical sketch show Bremner, Bird & Fortune, which ran between 1999 and 2008. Other achievements… He started out in That Was the Week That Was in the 1960s and went on to feature in many other hit television shows, including Jonathan Creek, One Foot in the Grave, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Chambers and Yes, Prime Minister. Family life… John died from complications following a stroke on Christmas Eve. He is survived by his two stepsons from his marriage to his late wife Libby Crandon.…

NEW VERA Sunday, 8pm, ITV1 Drama A passionate affair and accusations of malpractice at a GP surgery are exposed when DCI Vera Stanhope and DS Aiden Healy return to solve more deadly crimes in Northumberland. In the first of six new episodes, Brenda Blethyn and Kenny Doughty’s sleuths tackle a case that sees them called to a quarry. ‘The charred remains of a local doctor called Lucy Yo are found in a burnt-out car,’ says Kenny. ‘As Vera and Aiden investigate, they discover GP Lucy made quite a few enemies among the locals.’ Murky medic? Former Holby City star Hugh Quarshie plays Lucy’s colleague Dr Leon Parmer, who seems to have secrets of his own. ‘It was great working with Hugh,’ adds Brenda. ‘We’re lucky to have lots of fantastic guest stars.’…

CASUALTY Sat, 8.50pm (Wales, 9.20pm), BBC1 Drama Hospital manager Marcus Fidel unleashes his dark side when a fight with alcoholic anaesthetist Jonty Buchanan turns deadly! The drama kicks off when Jonty, played by Poldark’s Richard Harrington, arrives at the hospital for a HR meeting and spots Marcus in a clinch with consultant Stevie Nash. Bitter Jonty has been itching for revenge since Stevie reported him, causing him to lose his job, so he snaps a picture of the clandestine lovers! Jonty then publicly exposes the couple in front of staff and patients, and accuses Stevie of sleeping her way to the top! Marcus promises humiliated Stevie that he will sort everything and secretly arranges to meet Jonty in an isolated alleyway. Things quickly turn nasty, however, when drunk Jonty lunges at him. Marcus fights back and…

★ When Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes arrives on BBC2, he’ll be joined by former England footballer and queen of the jungle Jill Scott. Robson’s new series sees him travel around north-east England, showcasing the region’s coasts, castles and countryside. ★ British actor Jason Watkins and his wife, Clara Francis, tell the emotional story behind the loss of their two-year-old daughter to sepsis in 2011 in ITV1 documentary Jason and Clara: In Memory of Maudie. ★ Following on from the long-running garden makeover series Love Your Garden, Alan Titchmarsh and his team show us how to create a dream garden on a tight budget in spin-off show Love Your Garden for Less on ITV1. ★ Jason Segel joins Harrison Ford to star in comedy-drama series Shrinking on Apple TV+. Jason plays a therapist who…