Holding court

THE 125th All England Lawn Tennis Championships start today and, love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that Wimbledon remains the spiritual home of tennis, just as Lord’s is the home of cricket and Wembley the home of football.

And you just know you will end up watching at least one match, even if it’s one of the finals, or a midweek evening epic (which have become a SW19 tradition) especially since the addition of the retractable roof on Centre Court, in 2009.

But, as ever, the question on most people’s lips is: can Andy Murray finally end GB’s 75-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion?

It has become an enigma since the days of Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski in the Nineties, with the fanatical and patriotic crowd cheering, groaning and gasping at every swing of a British racquet.

But, alas, their heroes always found the elusive crown just one or two serves and volleys too far.

Since Lleyton Hewitt secured the title in 2002, it has been either Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer lifting the silver gilt cup, with Federer’s dominance interrupted by Nadal in 2008 and 2010.

But, whoever reaches the finals this year, viewers will now be able to watch every stroke of the showpiece matches in 3D for the first time. The service will be available to viewers without a subscription on the BBC’s HD channel, although viewers will still need a 3D compatible television and an HD set-top box.

NO, you’re not seeing quadruple.

You’ve just clapped eyes on Ellie, Georgie, Jessica and Holly – the UK’s only set of identical quadruplets.

The Carles quads are miracles of nature, conceived against odds of one in 64 million. They are identical, monochorionic quadruplets – extra rare babies formed when one fertilised egg splits four times, creating four identical embryos all sharing the same placenta.

The odds of their survival are so small that only one other set of identical monochorionic quads is known to be alive in the world today.

Over a period of months, the Carles family allowed cameras into their Bedfordshire home for the documentary Four Of A Kind, which follow these miracle girls in the run-up to their fifth birthday, sharing with them some of the milestones of their lives, from Christmas, to their first swimming lesson to their first day of school.

THE Beeb seems to have gone all investigative on us this week, serving up a spate of programmes delving into where we’ve come from and attempting to shed some light on our past.

The documentary Treasures Of Heaven sees Andrew Graham-Dixon exploring how some of Christianity’s most important relics have been preserved over the years, as well as investigating the art of creating reliquaries.

Many believe that these containers storing sacred items hold the power to work miracles. Graham-Dixon will be learning why these beliefs came about, as well as viewing three reliquaries associated with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

He’ll also be hearing opinions from art historian Sister Wendy Beckett and Neil MacGregor, of the British Museum.

THERE are some things that shouldn’t quite work together but, somehow, do – prints and stripes, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and Sean Bean and Mark Addy.

The two share the same screen in the fantasy drama Games Of Thrones and their talents put them up there with some of the best collaborations we’ve seen.

In the final episode of this first series, Robb’s prowess in battle seems to change his destiny. Meanwhile, Catelyn involves herself in confrontations about Bran’s near-fatal fall, while Aria tries to flee the capital and Tyrion is sent on a surprising assignment by Tywin. And Daenerys tries to get her life back on track after a tragic event.