TV highlights - Sat 1 – Fri 7 September

Doctor Who (Sat, 7.20pm, BBC1)

The seventh series of the new ‘Doctor Who’ begins with a cracking episode that takes the show back to its core clash: Doctor v Daleks. Funnily enough, it is the first story involving The Doctor’s most iconic enemy that Steven Moffat has written, but he’s well away with a smart, scary yarn that will please kids and long-term fans alike. Moffat takes Matt Smith and company on a terrifying journey to the Dalek Asylum, a planet where they keep the Daleks that even other Daleks think are crazy, psychotic and unpredictably violent. With Amy and Rory having all sorts of problems amongst themselves, it is left to The Doctor to save their bacon yet again – and this time their marriage as well. The BBC is back in the Saturday night game with five episodes this series as well as a Christmas Special.

The Corrie Years (Thu, 8.30pm, ITV1)

Katherine Kelly, who played Becky McDonald, narrates a second series of the show that celebrates five decades of Weatherfield’s greatest dramas. Later in the series, we’ll relive the most famous feuds, stunts and kids on the soap, but first of all, there’s a look at Weatherfield’s biggest scandals. How about the juicy 2007 episodes where Leanne Battersby claimed to be running a property empire, but was in fact working as a call girl? Here, Jane Danson, who plays her, reveals her surprise at the storyline. More shocking still in its day, Julie Goodyear explains how the 1970 storyline of Bet Lynch’s abortion affected her. And Nigel Havers, who had a ball as smooth swindler Lewis Archer, reveals that plenty of fans were very taken with his performance. “I did get the odd pair of knickers sent through the post,” he tells this fun, nostalgic, highly enjoyable celebration of the soap.

Hilary Devey: Women At The Top (Thu, 9pm, BBC2)

Why, asks ‘Dragons’ Den’ star Devey, are there so few women at the very top of business? Is it because they’re all too busy being on BBC TV shows about business? No. Don’t be silly. Before she began this two-part programme, says Devey, she was dismissive of the idea of a glass ceiling, believing that each individual had it in her to achieve anything she wanted to as long as she worked hard enough. But after delving further into issues including childcare and maternity leave, she concludes that there are systemic problems to address; and the experiences she has in her own pallet freight company go some way to shaping her conclusions. The fact of the matter is that men are filling 80% or more of the seats at boardroom level – and look at what a splendid job they’ve been doing with manufacturing, the financial system and the economy. It has to be time for a change, doesn’t it?

Dallas (Wed, 9pm, C5)

“Blood may be thicker than water, but oil is thicker than both.” JR’s famous line is a great one, and a generation who grew up when ‘Dallas’ was the biggest deal on British TV will surely be at least curious to see how this reboot turns out. As the new series begins, there’s a new cast of very good-looking, largely awful Texan oil types who will be playing out the tried-and-tested mix of feuds over black gold, land and business, as well as all manner of interpersonal and romantic skulduggery. But for fans, it’s the chance to see Bobby Ewing, Sue Ellen and JR (Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman) still looking fit and feisty that will be the big drawcard. As the series begins, JR is battling to stop the Southfork ranch being sold. It’s cheesy rubbish, really, but who can resist a quick look for old time’s sake?

Fool Britannia (Sat, 6.55pm, ITV1)

It doesn’t seem possible that it is 12 years since Dom Joly’s ‘Trigger Happy TV’ hidden camera prank show shoved its way onto British TV with its giant fighting bunny rabbits, an obnoxious idiot shouting into an outsized mobile phone and a park attendant harassing the old and helpless. Presumably in an attempt to fill the ‘TV Burp’-sized hole in the Saturday night schedules, ITV have brought Joly (now in his mid-forties) back for another prank show in which unsuspecting members of the public watch on in unease, bafflement or shock as Joly variously plays the role of an ambulance-stealing vicar, a deranged health and safety officer in Liverpool, and a disturbed tourist office employee. By its nature a little patchy, but at its best this is very funny indeed.

Round-up

A Mother’s Son (Mon, 9pm, ITV1) is a decent psychological thriller starring Hermione Norris. Mrs Biggs (Wed, 9pm, ITV1) finds Sheridan Smith in a biopic as the wife of train robber Ronnie. Catch some radical and indeed bodacious waves in 3D on Storm Surfers (Sun, 7pm, Sky 3D). Off to Karachi for a new series of Ross Kemp: Extreme World (Mon, 9pm, Sky 1). The nation’s favourite runner, Mo Farah, and the nation’s favourite choirmaster, Gareth Malone, are on The Jonathan Ross Show (Sat, 9.55pm, ITV1) (pictued). Ronan Keating, Jason Manford and Neil Morrissey are guests on The Rob Brydon Show (Tue, 10pm, BBC2). This week’s Who Do You Think You Are? (Wed, 9pm, BBC1) features Annie Lennox, and her great-great-great-great grandfather, who was apparently by way of being a sort of Victorian deadbeat dad. There’s a new series of All Star Mr & Mrs (Wed, 8pm, ITV1) in which famous people prove how well they know their spouse. First up, John Prescott. Not kidding.