On your marks, get set, bake!
This week's best telly sees a new group of celebrities enter the famous Bake Off tent, whilst Derek Thompson says goodbye to Charlie in Casualty, a role he's played for almost 38 years and Hunted and Beyond Paradise both return.
Elsewhere, Jordan North investigates the truth about vaping for a new BBC Three documentary, Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston embark on three very special road trips and Jason Watkins stars in Channel 5's newest drama, Coma.
Here are 7 TV shows you can't miss this week...
1. Casualty
Saturday 16th March at 9.25pm on BBC One
GOODBYE CHARLIE
After almost 38 years playing Charlie Fairhead in Casualty, the show's longest-serving cast member Derek Thompson is leaving with his character's exit airing this weekend.
Over the years, Charlie has been the lynchpin of the hospital’s emergency department and at the centre of countless major storylines which explored challenging and thought-provoking subjects.
Having cared for thousands of patients himself, Charlie has also seen a fair few of his own struggles throughout his long tenure in the ED, including when he was run over by an ambulance on his wedding day, a near-fatal cardiac arrest during a gang siege, and his loving relationship and heartbreaking farewell ,with his beloved fellow nurse Duffy.
Charlie always pulled through as the beating heart of the department, and has remained a loyal colleague to anyone that needs him. But as his life hangs in the balance, can Stevie regain her confidence in time to save Charlie?
12/12
2. The Great Celebrity Bake Off
Sunday 17th March at 7.40pm on Channel 4
RETURNING
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer is back as hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond welcome more celebrities into the tent to put their baking skills to the test, under the watchful eyes of judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.
The first famous faces to enter the tent are actor Jodie Whittaker, singer Paloma Faith, comedian Munya Chawawa and TV personality Spencer Matthews.
For their Signature challenge, the celebs make cake pops, before taking on a twisted New York favourite in the Technical. And in the Showstopper, they have the daunting task of recreating Paul and Prue in biscuit form. Who will win the Star Baker apron?
1/5 Continues weekly
3. Hunted
Sunday 17th March at 9pm on Channel 4
RETURNING
After a break in 2023, Hunted is back as 12 ordinary people from across the UK have once again turned fugitive. If they can successfully outwit an elite team of hunters for 21 days, they will win a share of £100,000. On the run across the length and breadth of the UK, the fugitives will be looking over their shoulders, ever fearful that the hunters have picked up their trail.
Leading the investigation at Hunted HQ is Assistant Chief Constable of Cleveland Police Lisa Theaker, who oversees a handpicked team of top police and military personnel, armed with the powers of the state, including live CCTV, ANPR, GPS positioning, drones, tracker dogs, mobile phone monitoring, publicity campaigns and, for the first time, motorbikes. In one of the most closely monitored countries in the world, where will the fugitives hide?
In the first episode, for the first time ever the 12 fugitives are on the run in London, one of the most watched cities in the UK. Making their escape from Piccadilly Circus, they are tracked by a hunter helicopter beaming live pictures to HQ.
Deploying motorbikes, cars and the helicopter, the hunters track best friends Cathy and Annida to Westminster Pier. But they're not the only ones in the firing line. A transaction made by city boys Jack and Alex starts a chase to Liverpool Street and on into Essex. Is the game over for Jack and Alex within less than 24 hours? And childhood sweethearts Christine and Munya hitch a lift to Norwich with musician Laura Veirs. But could Laura's posts on social media be a big mistake?
1/6 Continues weekly
4. Coma
Monday 18th to Thursday 21st March at 9pm on Channel 5
BRAND NEW
Jason Watkins leads Channel 5's new drama, Coma, as devoted family man Simon who finds himself at a breaking point as his neighbourhood falls victim to the terrorising behaviour of a group of teenagers, led by menacing 17-year-old Jordan, played by rising star Joe Barber, and his questionable companions.
Simon and his wife, Beth, played by Claire Skinner, are desperate to move their young daughter to a safer area away from the threatening atmosphere. When Simon's frustration reaches its peak and he confronts Jordan outside his own home, a split-second decision changes everything.
It also stars David Bradley as Simon’s quiet grumpy neighbour Harry, Jonas Armstrong as Jordan’s dangerous father Paul, Kayla Meikle as determined DS Kelly Evans and David Mumeni as Simon’s untrustworthy boss Jimmy.
1-4/4 Continues nightly
5. Ricky, Sue and a Trip or Two
Tuesday 19th March at 9pm on More4
BRAND NEW
Ricky Tomlinson and Sue Johnston first appeared on screen as husband and wife over 40 years ago, but despite all that time together, there's still a lot they don't know about each other. So they're taking three very special road trips, to show each other some of the places that shaped their lives.
Like any good road trip, there's some diversions along the way, as they explore new places, try new things and meet some famous friends. In this first episode, Ricky and Sue take a trip around their home city of Liverpool, exploring the nostalgic and the new with their trademark warmth and humour.
They visit Brookside Close, where they first starred together in Channel 4's famous soap, and the Cavern Club, where Sue recalls her friendship with Paul McCartney. Legendry Liverpool footballer John Barnes joins them for a pie-making masterclass at a community bakery, before they take a tour of Anfield. Finally, they experience a big night out Liverpool-style, at Bongo's Bingo.
1/3 Continues weekly
6. Jordan North: The Truth About Vaping
Wednesday 20th March at 9pm on BBC Three
BRAND NEW
In this one-off documentary for BBC Three, Jordan North sets out to decide, once and for all, if it's time he quit vaping. The number of young people vaping has skyrocketed in recent years with annual sales in the UK now thought to be £1.7 billion.
As a vaper himself, something he took up to help reduce the number of cigarettes he smokes, Jordan is aware of the increasing popularity of the product but also of the steady stream of negative news reports about them in recent months.
Once simply marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes for smokers, vapes can now be bought in hundreds of different shapes, sizes, colours and flavours, and are available in shops on most high streets.
But many of those who now use them have never smoked, and there is increasing concern about the number of young people vaping and getting hooked to nicotine. That has led to the government announcing they intend to ban disposable vapes from being sold in the UK.
So Jordan, like many vapers, is confused. Is vaping bad for you or not? If so, how bad? What’s even inside them, and how do they work? Are they all the same, or are some more harmful than others? Do we know what the long-term impact of vaping has on our health? To help him decide whether it’s time he packed in the vapes, Jordan tries to answer these questions.
1/1
7. Beyond Paradise
Friday 22nd March at 8pm on BBC One
RETURNING
After a successful first series and Christmas special, Death in Paradise spin-off Beyond Paradise is back for its second series as Shipton Abbott continues to keep DI Humphrey Goodman, played by Kris Marshall, and his team busy, with a new baffling crime each episode.
In the first episode, as a steam train races through the Devonshire countryside, Humphrey and Esther, played by Zahra Ahmadi, join the Shipton Abbott Players for a murder mystery rehearsal. Though Humphrey is only playing a detective, things turn from amateur to professional when the actor playing the victim is found dead with a real knife in his back.
Life begins to imitate art as the pretend suspects become all too real, and the steam train is scoured for genuine clues. With the victim barely known to his fellow performers, and the whole group under suspicion, the team sets out to unravel a dark past that reveals hidden connections between the actors.
Meanwhile, love is in the air as Humphrey and Martha, played by Sally Bretton, enjoy date nights and Anne throws herself into the world of online dating. But has she bitten off more than she can chew? And it’s all change for Humphrey and Martha as they start a new chapter in their lives, embarking on the process of becoming foster parents.
1/6 Continues weekly