Eurovision Song Contest 2021 (BBC4, 8pm)
In 2020, Eurovision had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but fortunately, this year’s competition is set to take place as planned, marking the 65th edition since its inception in 1956. Tonight sees the first semi-final as 16 countries – Lithuania, Slovenia, Russia, Sweden, Australia, North Macedonia, Ireland, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, Israel, Romania, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Malta – battle it out for a place in Saturday’s final. Rylan Clark-Neal, Scott Mills and Chelcee Grimes are the presenters. The second semi-final takes place on Thursday.
All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star (BBC2, regions vary)
After five weeks of fierce competition, the series draws to a close as Katherine Ryan hosts the final. The eight talented up-and-coming jewellers have been whittled down to three and they return to the workshop in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter to battle for the title. To win, they’ll have to make a pair of pearl earrings that could be a bestseller and a bespoke maang tikka, a traditional Indian wedding headpiece for bride Nikki. But who will award-winning industry experts Solange Azagury-Partridge and Shaun Leane crown as the champion?
The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live Summer Special (ITV, 8pm)
With coronavirus restrictions finally easing and the travel traffic-light system coming into effect this week, many of us are asking: “when can we go holiday?” Never fear, financial guru Martin Lewis is joined by his co-presenter Angellica Bell for a one-hour special in which they look at the possibilities, perils and pitfalls of breaks, both at home in the UK and away in foreign (and probably sunnier) climes. The duo will also be bring viewers up to speed on the latest personal finance and consumer news.
The Money Maker (C4, 9pm)
This week, Eric Collins investigates the burgeoning meal delivery market by paying Birmingham-based Winny’s Meals a visit. Shaun Sookoo started his Caribbean-inspired frozen meal delivery company three years ago when he decided to turn his mum’s home-cooked meals into a business and had friends queuing round to block to buy them. Winny’s Meals has been expanding at an exponential rate, but when Eric takes a deep dive into their books, he’s shocked to discover there are serious problems. Not only are customers not reordering, but it transpires Winny isn’t actually involved anymore. With £120k of his own money invested in the business, Eric has no option but to change literally everything. But will it work, can can he help Shaun successfully pitch the all-new brand to one of the UK’s biggest supermarket chains?
Hospital (BBC2, regions vary)
Although it’s great to see the real-life heroes finally getting the praise and exposure they deserve on the box, there’s one healthcare-based documentary series that stands head and shoulders about the rest. The BBC’s award-winning Hospital programme continues tonight, as the gynaecological oncology department, at University Hospital, Coventry, led by surgeon Smruta Shanbhag, emerges from the pandemic facing a backlog of suspected cancer patients. As women previously afraid to visit their GP because of Covid reveal symptoms, referrals for suspected gynaecological cancer reach almost 50 a week. With a referral target to see patients in two weeks and with some complex cases already breaching this goal, Smruta and her team has to find diagnostic and theatre space in the hospital.
Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer (BBC Four, 10.05pm)
This series explores the lessons learned from previous global pandemics – including smallpox, cholera, the Spanish flu – and reveals how scientists, doctors, self-experimenters and activists changed how we think about illness and ultimately paved the way for modern medicine. Historian David Olusoga and best-selling author Steven Johnson combine expertise to guide viewers across 300 years of medical innovation and meet the unsung heroes who are tackling public health threats. The opening episode looks at the development of vaccines.
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