This week in TV sees celebrities stand up to cancer, a soulmate sci-fi from the creator of Misfits and the return of Top Gear.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Tuesday
Channel 4, 8pm
Famous faces don their aprons for another celebrity special of The Great British Bake Off in aid of Stand Up to Cancer.
With Noel Fielding on paternity leave, Matt Lucas will present the show on his own, while Star Wars actor Daisy Ridley, comedians Tom Allen and Rob Beckett, and singer Alexandra Burke are the first four contestants submitting themselves to the stress of the tent.
They’ll be looking to impress regular judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, but here’s hoping for more meltdowns.
I Can’t Say My Name: Stammering in the Spotlight
Wednesday
BBC One, 7.30pm
BBC producer Felicity Baker has long tried to hide her stammer, but in this documentary she opens up about living with the condition and it turns out she is far from alone.
She seeks solidarity from a rugby player who blames his stammer for his aggressive behaviour on the pitch, a rapper who found music stopped him stammering and comedy legend Michael Palin. The Michael Palin Centre for Stammering was named after Palin following his role in the film A Fish Called Wanda, in which he played a character who stammered called Ken.
DNA Journey
Wednesday
ITV, 9pm
Six celebrities hit the road in pairs to unearth their ancestries, including TV personalities Amanda Holden and Alan Carr, and father-son duo Martin and Roman Kemp.
Best mates Freddie Flintoff and Jamie Redknapp bring their banterous rivalry to the first road trip, as they compete for the more respectable forebears. Flintoff, Lancastrian and proud, fears his DNA will lead him to Yorkshire, while Jamie’s taken to the East End where a notorious mystery is solved. There’s even a surprise royal connection in store for one of them.
The Dog House
Thursday
Channel 4, 8pm
The documentary following the staff of Wood Green animal charity returns for another heart-warming series of matching homeless dogs with prospective owners.
An eight-stone Newfoundland makes a good first impression but staff are concerned that he will self-sabotage his chances at adoption with his tendency to shower slobber on anyone and everyone.
Meanwhile, newborn French bulldog Kevin competes for a loved-up couple with a nervous terrier, and a recently widowed grandmother seeks a new trusty companion.
The One
Friday
Netflix
A new ‘soulmate sci-fi’ series from the creator of Misfits that asks: what if you could find The One?
The fictional MatchDNA company develops a test that allows you to find the one person you are genetically predisposed to fall for with little more than a hair sample. Hannah Ware stars as the CEO, Rebecca, alongside Dimitri Leonidas as James, the co-founder and Rebecca’s best friend.
Rebecca says the technology will “change relationships and dating forever,” but will they change for the better?
Top Gear
Sunday
BBC One, 8pm
Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuinness are back for more high-octane antics in the 30th series of Top Gear.
The series premiere sees the threesome head to the Lake District for a reunion with their dads’ old cars, and Chris test drives Lamborghini’s most powerful car ever, the hybrid Sian.
