The Wine Show, Channel 5, 7pm
NOT content with starring in dramas such as Rome and Downton Abbey, actors James Purefoy and Matthew Goode have landed another dream job as they become our guides in a new series of The Wine Show. They are travelling to the south of France to find wines to accompany a six-course lunch chosen by Michelin-starred chef Stephane Reynaud. Their first task is to seek out a wine to accompany the pre-lunch snacks and, in setting of the charming, picturesque village of Cotignac in Provence, the pair sample some excellent rosé wine.
Room 101, BBC 1, 8.30pm
CHARLIE Brooker first found fame in the UK as a newspaper columnist and the host of Screenwipe and Weekly Wipe, where he demonstrated a definite talent for ranting. So, doubtless he’ll have plenty of pet hates just waiting to be sent to Room 101 as he appears in the first in a new series. It won’t just be 30 minutes of Brooker though. Host Frank Skinner will also be hearing from former Goggleboxer Scarlett Moffatt and recent Doctor Who companion Pearl Mackie, and evaluating the case against everything from Crocs and mosquitoes to haircuts.
The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, Channel 4, 9pm
FULL marks to Vic Reeves, Bob Mortimer, Claudia Winkleman, Miranda Hart, Jonathan Ross and Nish Kumar who have agreed to be questioned by Jimmy Carr on 100,000 years of human history, including what was said on the first ever phone call and what specifically doesn’t impress Shania Twain. There will also be appearances from some celebrity question-setters, including Charles Dance and Jon Snow.
Rome Unpacked, BBC 2, 9pm
CHEF Giorgio Locatelli and art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon conclude their exploration of Italy’s capital. In the second of two programmes, as well as marvelling at the mosaics in the 12th-century Basilica di San Clemente, Andrew takes Giorgio to an ancient Roman schoolteacher’s classroom. Then it’s on to a true architectural and civic wonder – the vast Testaccio Slaughterhouse, where workers were once paid in offal. Travelling to the Palazzo Colonna, Andrew shows Giorgio the Beaneater by Carracci.
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