TV: Diary confessions, criminal masterminds and comic relief

Maxine Peake and John Henshaw in Confessions of a Diary Secretary
Maxine Peake and John Henshaw in Confessions of a Diary Secretary
 

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Monday, 26, Feb 2007 05:38

A new detective thriller hits screens this week in Instinct (26/02/07 ITV1). Anthony Flanagan, of Cracker, Vincent and Shameless fame, stars as a young, new detective and the series kicks off with him investigating a gruesome and mysterious murder. Expect twists, turns and shocks a plenty over the 90 minutes.

Far less gruesome but arguably as nauseous is Confessions of a Diary Secretary (28/02/07 ITV1). John Henshaw and Maxine Peake star as the deputy prime minister John Prescott and his diary secretary, poking fun at the relationship which hit headlines last year. It's a comprehensive show, stretching from the start of the extra marital affair at the office Christmas party (where else?!) in 2002 to when the torrid details of their shenanigans became public knowledge.

For people who have been flummoxed by why the NHS is facing mounting debts when billions of extra pounds have been spent on the health service, then Dispatches: Where Did All The Money Go? (26/02/07 Channel 4) could provide some of the answers. Award-winning journalist and economist Liam Halligan does the undercover work.

Delving around in the NHS is also the focus of Panorama (26/02/07 BBC1). But it's attacks on staff rather than pennies in the bank which this show centres on, as it claims to have uncovered 75,000 attacks on health workers in the past year.

ID cards have been one of the biggest hot potatoes in Westminster and in The Insider: Fighting Identity Fraud (02/03/07 Channel 4) former home secretary Charles Clarke makes the case for implementing them and angrily denies that they will help bring about a fascist state or British gulags.

With the charity fundraising event Comic Relief just days away Does Africa Need Ade...Edmondson? (28/02/07 BBC1) sees actor and comedian Adrian Edmondson travel to Kenya to see how the money raised in the UK helps. While there he meets the nomadic pastoralists of Wajir who face starvation and witnesses the effects of drought.

Then on Saturday night the first in the Comic Relief Does Fame Academy (BBC1) series kicks off and sees 13 celebrities flexing their vocal chords in order to stay in the show as long as possible and be crowned as the winner.

Jo and Katie are at each other's throats in Emmerdale (26/02 - 02/03/07 ITV1) this week and Andy tries to do all he can to keep the piece - unlike David, who creates a raucous when he tells Del that Val made a pass at him, naughty boy.

Michelle is on cloud nine in Coronation Street (26/02, 28/02 and 02/03/07) after she is made an unexpected proposal, but it may not last for long as Steve tries to set her straight. Meanwhile Jason slowly comes round to the idea of being Holly's dad.

In EastEnders (26/02, 27/02, 01/03, 02/03/07 BBC1) Stacey hosts a party for Preeti to take her mind off of Max and May does some digging around to find out why Dawn isn't coming back to Watford.


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