TV Picks: 2-8 November 2009

Pick of the Week: "Comedy Showcase" – Channel 4, Fri @10pm

As always, here are my picks of the best stuff British television is debuting this week:

MONDAY 2nd

Michael Jackson's Private Home (Sky1, 7pm) Four-part documentary looking at many of Jacko's homes.
Into The Storm (BBC2, 8.30pm) Drama-documentary sequel to The Gathering Storm following Winston Churchill's rise to power.
Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi, 9pm) Re-run of the award-winning sci-fi drama from beginning to end. Stars Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer, Mary McDonnell & Jamie Bamber.

TUESDAY 3rd

The F Word (Channel 4, 9pm) Return of the culinary entertainment show. Hosted by Gordon Ramsay.
Ross Kemp Remembers Gang (Sky1, 9.30pm) The actor-turned-documentary filmmaker reminisces about his experiences in Kenya.
Breaking Bad (Five USA, 11pm) The hit US drama about a terminally ill chemistry teacher who becomes a druglord to provide for his family comes to a wider audience. Stars Bryan Cranston.

WEDNESDAY 4th

Spooks (BBC1, 9pm) Series 8 of the spy thriller.
The Family (Channel 4, 9pm) Series 2 of the documentary series following a British family's lives.
The Noughties - Was That It? (BBC3, 9pm) Two-part look back at the past decade.

THURSDAY 5th

Cutting Edge: The Boy Who Sailed The World (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary about a 14-year-old boy who crossed the Atlantic single-handed in a boat.
Wonderland: I Won University Challenge (BBC2, 9.45pm) Documentary about past winners of the notoriously difficult university quiz show.

FRIDAY 6th

Comedy Showcase (Channel 4, 10pm) Series 2 of the comedy pilot season, where the most popular weekly pilots could become full-blown shows (as Plus One, The Kevin Bishop Show, and Free Agents can attest.) Starts with Campus, from the creators of Green Wing and Smack The Pony (watch a clip); the Ricky Gervais script-edited Phoneshop; Sharon Horgan in The Increasingly Poor Decisions Of Todd Margaret; a female sketch show co-starring Josie Long; Guantanamo Phil, about a birdwatcher who returns home from the titular internment camp; Pete V Life, about a man whose life is narrated by two sports commentators, from the writers of Peep Show; and Rhys Darby headlines The Amazing Dermot, about a failed magician on the comeback trail.
Michael Jackson: The Live Séance (Sky1, 10pm) Spiritual medium Derek Acorah tried to make contact with the recently-deceased King Of Pop.

SATURDAY 7th

Nothing.

SUNDAY 8th

The Children Who Fought Hitler (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary telling the story of a heroic battle fought by the children of the British Memorial School to help defeat the Nazis.
Alexander Armstrong's Very British Holiday (BBC1, 10.25pm) The actor/comedian explores the state of the UK tourist industry.