Tuesday's TV tips
Captain Picard of the Starship Enterprise once again encounters old enemies the Borg, attempting to prevent the relentless aliens from altering Earth’s history.
One of the best offerings from the Next Generation crew thanks to a smart script, a great opening battle and one of the finest villains in Trek history, the Borg queen.
It also boasts a stunning turn from Patrick Stewart as the obsessed skipper who will stop at nothing to bring down his enemy.
His literally shattering speech, which echoes Captain Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick, is one of the highlights of any Trek movie.
It was ably directed by Jonathan Frakes (aka Riker), who earned the nickname ’Two Takes Frakes’ because of his speedy skills behind the camera.
The next Star Trek film, directed by Roberto Orci, is due for release in 2016, marking the 50th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry’s saga.
Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Alice Krige, James Cromwell
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It’s always nice to see Ray Mears gracing our screens, and if he looks a little smug in this latest series, it’s because he’s got reason to be.
This year sees the bushcraft expert celebrate 20 years in the business (yep, it all started back in 1994 on the BBC’s Tracks), and although in that time, there have been plenty more survival specialists cashing in on their niche skills, Mears is still the one they all look up to.
Tonight he kicks off a six-part series in which he will be journeying through some of Britain’s most spectacular and diverse landscapes. He will travelling from dusk until dawn to intricately explore each habitat and the wildlife that exists there.
First up, Ray visits a personal favourite of his – Dartmoor – travelling across the granite peaks and oak forests in search of the country’s largest ground beetle and the elusive wood warbler.
He also takes in High Willhays, the highest point in the National Park.
It’s as if UTV have heard our thoughts – what happens after these long-lost relatives are reunited?
You have to wonder if the people involved are genuinely pleased to be found and it’s the start of a lovely, long-lasting relationship, or whether there’s a quick hug and a few tears for the cameras and then their reinstated bond simply peters out over time.
For twins Jennifer and Kathleen, happily, the latter definitely isn’t the case. They unknowingly lived just three miles from each other in Rotherham before their reunion after 60 years apart, but as Davina McCall and Nicky Campbell hear in this catch-up show, they’re now inseparable.
Kathleen explains: “She has become my soul mate. I suppose I did everything before with Derek my husband. But he never complains. He knows how happy I am.”
Meanwhile, Polly and Steve, a mother and son who had been apart for more than 50 years also talk of their new-found relationship, and Laura and her half-sister Alison were brought together after Laura’s mother died.
Ever wondered how you’ve somehow managed to get to this point in your life without knowing how to roast a chicken?
Or how the minute you lose a button on your jacket you call your mam for help?
How about the fact that for you cleaning involves an antibacterial wipe and 5 minutes of your time once a fortnight?
Many of us who grew up through the Celtic Tiger years have side-stepped basic life skills in favour of take-away dinners, bringing the washing home to mammy once a week and throwing out anything that isn’t as shiny and new as the moment we bought it.
We’re convenience addicts. But real convenience is all about planning.
The Divas come to the rescue of a mother and daughter who are struggling to deal with sharing a house as adults when one of them does all of the housework while the other does nothing.
Ann is the doting mother of 20 year old Lauren. Ann enjoys housework but would like for Lauren to be more involved in their household chores and not just assume Ann will do it all.
Genevieve lies to her new boyfriend about her age, much to Zoila’s dismay.
Rosie begins working at the Powells. Carmen learns Odessa is hiding something. Marisol goes with Taylor to a fertility clinic.
In “Devious Maids,” murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills’ wealthiest and most powerful families.
Class warfare has never been as fun and dirty as it is in the tiny enclave where the staff is as clever, witty, outrageous and downright devilish as their employers.
The series centers on a close-knit group of maids, Marisol (Ortiz), Rosie (Ramírez), Carmen (Sánchez), Valentina (Ganem) and Zoila (Reyes), who are bonded together by their jobs, life struggles and the melodramatic universe that engulfs their employers.
Internationally renowned classical pianist James Rhodes is a man on a musical mission.
He fully believes that the power of music can change lives, so shocked at the state of music education in the UK, he’s attempting to launch the country’s biggest ever ’instrument amnesty’, asking the public to donate unused instruments to children who can benefit from them.
In the first episode of a two-parter, he heads to St Teresa’s Primary School in Basildon, Essex, to test run his plans with the pupils of year 5.
The school was placed in special measures after its last Ofsted inspection, and while its new headteacher is determined to improve academic performance, music isn’t at the top of her list of priorities.
However, there’s nothing in the budget for teaching, so the pressure is on James, who thinks music could be the key to the school’s transformation.
But with a stock cupboard containing just a few African drums, the pianist has his work cut out.
