by Ben Felsenburg
As The Lady goes twice-monthly, with priceless serendipity, the Time Lord is reborn in the first female incarnation. Doctor Who (Sunday 7, BBC1, 6.45pm) stars Jodie Whittaker, bringing her Yorkshire sass as she replaces Peter Capaldi. Adding to the excitement, Chris Chibnall – who directed Whittaker in Broadchurch – takes charge behind the camera. Already essential family viewing, it is now even more of a must-see, as the good doctor begins her adventures in the reassuringly down-to-earth location of Sheffield.
Time of the jail sort is the main issue at stake in the thoroughly entertaining documentary series Last Chance Lawyer NYC (Sunday 7, BBC2, 9pm). If you’re in trouble in New York City, Howard Greenberg is the man you want to call. Crowned with a shock of hair worthy of a mad professor, he promises defendants: ‘You can’t lose with the stuff I use.’ Everything is at stake in the opening episode for his client Wanda, a veteran police officer charged with letting off her gun at a love rival’s car in a jealous, drunken rage. Greenberg tries every trick in the book to keep her out of the slammer: less Rumpole of the Bailey, more rumpled of the big apple.
Alan Titchmarsh and the rest of the team are back together for the returning series of Love Your Home and Garden (Tuesday 9, ITV, 8pm). They’re dedicating themselves to helping out 15-year-old wheelchair user Josh and his mother Benita, deploying inspired creativity to transform their living space to better suit his needs, as big brains, big hearts and green fingers all work together as one.
Which of us hasn’t sometimes dreamt of a break from all the distractions of the modern world? But what about 10 days far underground without television, a phone signal, or another person to distract you? That’s the experiment documented in Horizon – Body Clock: What Makes Us Tick (Thursday 11, BBC2, 9pm), as former royal marine commando Aldo Kane finds out what happens when you have no way to find out the time, under the supervision of presenter Ella Al-Shamahi. her revealing study ultimately provides a reminder of the importance of keeping to regular hours.
Am I a Murderer? (Thursday 11, ITV, 9pm) investigates the disappearance of Derbyshire farmer Fred Handford in 1976. His body has never been found, and the case remains open. But a few years ago his former business partner, Janet Holt, came forward to say that he attacked her, she killed him and then disposed of the body. Now the police must tease fact from fantasy as they assess her confession, in an engrossing real-life mystery.
Informer (Tuesday 16, BBC1, 9pm) delves deep into the heart of the war on terror. The quietly compelling Paddy Considine plays a counter-terror officer dancing on a knife-edge as he maintains a fragile network of informants and races against time to stop a bomb plot. This is a riveting if unsettling drama of the very first rank, right from the nerve-wracking opening scene.
