Harlots (BBC2, 9pm)
IF you haven’t already binged it on subscription TV, here’s a chance to see one of the most lavish period dramas of the past three years with some of the finest actors around. Among them are Samantha Morton as Margaret Wells, the madam of an up-and-coming brothel, and Lesley Manville as Lydia Quigley, a ruthless rival. Fans of Manville’s sublime sitcom Mum should also look out for her co-star Dorothy Atkinson as religious zealot Florence Scanwell. In the first of a double bill, Margaret plans to move up in the world by taking over a house London’s Soho, while Lydia enlists religious crusaders and police to raid it.
Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me (BBC1, 9pm)
TWIN doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken have been two of the most recognisable TV medics of the past few years. This documentary examines their view of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, Xand contracts Coronavirus, which leaves him sluggish and tired. He also develops an irregular heartbeat. In the third week of lockdown in the UK, Chris returns to work on the wards for the first time in a decade.
READ MORE: These 7 Covid-19 border restrictions show up Scottish Tory hypocrisy
Lose a Stone in 21 Days with Michael Mosley (C4, 9pm)
AS a nation we’ve consumed far more and exercised much less than usual during lockdown. Here, doctor and dietician Michael Mosley devises a lifestyle intervention that will make us feel good while it overhauls our health, as he puts five volunteers on a very low-calorie diet for three weeks. In the first episode, he runs a series of tests to find out just how badly lockdown has affected his volunteers’ health, before creating a bespoke diet plan.
24 Hour Baby Hospital (More4, 9pm)
AFTER a romance kindled in the supermarket where they worked, Jessica and Sean are in the Rotunda for the birth of their first baby. Also awaiting the arrival of their newborn are Kristina and Rafael who met on a New Year’s Eve date in Kristina’s home country of Lithuania. In Neo-Natal ICU, Aileen and Ruairi keep an anxious vigil after their baby Emily she was born at just 26 weeks’ gestation. After having a stroke early in her pregnancy, Aline and her husband Tiago reflect on their relationship, which has brought them from their native Brazil to Ireland.
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