TV highlights: Sat 14 - Fri 20 Dec

The X Factor (Sat 8pm, and Sun 7.30pm, ITV)
It’s the biggest weekend of their lives for Sam Bailey, Nicholas McDonald and Luke Friend as they perform at Wembley Arena in front of 10,000 live on Saturday, before one of them is eliminated by the public vote. The duets could be a highlight: Sam will join Nicole Scherzinger for 'And I Am Telling You' from ‘Dreamgirls’, Shane Filan from Westlife will join Nicholas for a bash at ‘Flying Without Wings’ and Ellie Goulding will duet with Luke on ‘Anything Can Happen’. Also on shows this weekend are megastars Katy Perry, Sir Elton John, The Killers and former runners-up One Direction, whose success proves that reaching the final two is probably the bigger battle than actually winning it. The boys perform their new single ‘Midnight Memories’. You can catch up on the gossip with The Xtra Factor afterwards, while there is also a series of specials on ITV2 throughout the week looking back at the best and worst acts in the show’s history.

Sports Personality Of The Year (Sun, 7.40pm, BBC1)
The hoopla around this event grows bigger every year, with the BBC having taken a good long run up by releasing the names of the contenders nearly three weeks ago. There was some concern that this year’s version might be a bit of an anti-climax compared to the greatest sporting year of our lifetimes, 2012, but a certain Scotsman put paid to that with his magnificent Wimbledon victory. Given that this awards event is as much about the ‘personality’ as the ‘sports’, the BBC documentary ‘Andy Murray: The Man Behind The Racquet’, which showed a more likeable, human side to the driven tennis star, has all-but assured he will win. Bookies make him 14/1 on – even after the news that he will not be present at the ceremony. Among those playing for second place are Mo Farah and AP McCoy, while there’s a special lifetime award for one legendary sportsperson...

The Great Train Robbery (Wed and Thu, 8pm, BBC1)
50 years ago this year, the gang of Bruce Reynolds, Buster Edwards, Ronnie Biggs et al pulled off the most daring and storied heist in British history. It still captures the public imagination, a time of smart-suited, suave thieves, the beginning of the Swinging Sixties, and the age-old thrill of a good cops and robbers tale. ‘Broadchurch’ writer Chris Chibnall brings it all to vivid life in this two-parter, the first of which focuses on the thieves, led by Luke Evans – to be seen in cinemas as Bard The Bowman in the second ‘Hobbit’ film this week – as Reynolds. The following night, we turn our attention to the police response to the crime, with the wonderful Jim Broadbent in top form as the dogged Chief Superintendent on the trail of the thieves.

Text Santa (Fri, 8pm, ITV)
No rest for the wicked, as Ant and Dec jet back from Australia (should we not have given them a try in the cricket team?) to rattle the tin on behalf of six worthy causes. ITV’s version of ‘Children In Need’ will this year be lending a helping hand to Age UK, Barnardo’s, BeatBullying, British Heart Foundation, CLIC Sargent and Help the Hospices, and there will be plenty of treats in store for viewers. Coronation Street stars will perform a special version of ‘Fairytale of Weatherfield’ featuring Shane MacGowan of The Pogues, Emmerdale faves also appears, and the cast of Big Reunion will do their cover of ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ live. Among the presenting talent are Christine Bleakley, Paddy McGuinness, Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. Phil and Holly also present A Night Of Heroes: The Military Awards (Mon, 9pm, ITV) this week.

Psychopath Night (Sat, 9pm, C4)
Ruthless, manipulative, unable to empathise, uses people to get what they want with no remorse or thought for their feelings? Does that sound familiar? Is it your boss? One per cent of the population is classified as being psychopathic, but many of them have developed extremely sophisticated masking techniques, and not all (obviously) are murderers. This 115-minute programme explores the nature of psychopaths, both in life and in the movies, and suggests ways to spot them. It gets to meet some actual killers who were diagnosed as being psychopathic; pretty chilling. There’s input from a real-life Clarice Starling, who uses the movies to train FBI students, and the revelation that one member of the England football team (only one?) scores highly on psychopathy tests. A fascinating exploration of the darker side of human behaviour.

Also…
Look out for ‘Fresh Meat’ co-star Greg McHugh as a tramp in the Jack Whitehall-written Christmas special of Bad Education (Tue, 10pm, BBC3). Far more serious, but also very good, there’s a chance to catch up with the teachers and pupils of Thornhill in Educating Yorkshire (Thu, 9pm, C4). Topical weather doc Britain’s Killer Storms (Sun, 7.30pm, C4) will make you glad you’re safe inside, perhaps enjoying a warming snifter with Alexander Armstrong and Giles Coren in The 12 Drinks Of Christmas (Thu, 9pm, BBC2), or even knocking out a pie or loaf with Mary and Paul in The Great British Bake Off Christmas Special (Tue, 8pm, BBC2). Sir Alex Ferguson is on Live Celebrity Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (Thu, 9pm, ITV). And finally this week, fans of car crash acting performances simply have to check out Lindsay Lohan’s disastrous Elizabeth Taylor turn in Liz And Dick (Thu, 9pm, Lifetime).