Dispatches - Bloody Foreigners (Saturday, 8.05 p.m., Channel 4) goes undercover in an investigation into the hidden world of Britain's one million illegal immigrants. The programme finds illegal workers in some of the most famous names in the London hotel trade, on government agency building sites and cleaning for some of Britain's best-known companies. The second part of the documentary can be seen on Channel 4 on Sunday at 8 p.m.

Since privatisation, the British Railtrack management has presided over a network that's gradually falling apart - leading to the disaster at Hatfield and the months of chaos since then. Panorama - The Wrong Track (Sunday, 10.15 p.m., BBC1) visits architects DWL in Selby, North Yorkshire, who are counting the cost of the chaos.

In 1970 the average pay for Irish women was 52 per cent of that of men. Leargas - Life For Women in Ireland 30 years ago - and what is it like today? (Tuesday, 7 p.m., RTE1) looks back on a time when a woman lost her job in the Civil Service if she got married. And then came the women's movement.

The Money Programme - Goodbye Fish and Chips? (Wednesday, 7.30 p.m., BBC2) reports on the serious state of the fishing industry. The North Sea is on the brink of an environmental catastrophe and cod faces commercial extinction. Over-fishing - the result of commercial pressures, squabbling politicians and inadequate regulation - means catches have collapsed. The programme reveals how the disaster was avoidable.

With spare cash now swishing around the State, charity lunches have taken on a new life. Off The Rails (Wednesday, 8.30 p.m., RTE1) meets Cork ladies who lunch - all in a good cause. And the programme gives a sneak preview of the work of some of the hottest young fashion designers.

sokelly@irish-times.ie