TV guide: 17 of the best shows to watch this week

When Bridges Collapse: The Genoa Disaster
Monday, BBC2, 9pm
On August 14th last year, the Morandi Bridge in Genoa collapsed in heavy rain, sending vehicles plunging 90m to the ground and killing 43 people. The A10 motorway viaduct was part of the fabric of everyday life in the north Italian port city and used by some 25 million vehicles every year. Despite Atlantia, the Italian infrastructure group, denying claims its subsidiary neglected maintenance of the bridge, a report has suggested that it had a series of safety problems in the 10 years before the disaster. This documentary tells the story of some of the people on the bridge that day and asks what caused it to fail so catastrophically.

Who Do You Think You Are?
Monday, BBC1, 9pm

Kate Winslet follows a rumour of Scandinavian ancestry on her late mother Sally’s side of the family and is delighted when it turns out to be true and that she has Swedish heritage. However, her joy turns to tears and anger when she uncovers the extreme hardships her ancestors endured, from famine to flogging and imprisonment. Switching to her father’s side of the family, Winslet finds a drummer boy in the Grenadier Guards and, this time, an unusually positive encounter with prison.

The Great Train Robbery: The Hidden Tapes
Monday, Channel 4, 9pm
The robbery of the Royal Mail train on August 8th, 1963 remains one of Britain's most notorious crimes and continues to fascinate 56 years on. The thieves executed the "crime of the century" didn't just rob the establishment of £2.6 million (equivalent to around £50 million today) – they became household names. With access to tapes made by one of the masterminds, this documentary goes behind the legend to uncover the true story. It explores the background to the robbery and the audacious planning to carry it off. It also reveals how much of the cash was never recovered and how one of the men managed to live off his share of the loot until he died a few years ago.

When Michael Met Davy: ‘He pretends to be a tough child, but he’s a very soft child’

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Shortscreen: Animal
Monday, RTÉ2, 11.50pm

Animal Rescue Live: Supervet Special
Monday-Friday, Channel 4, 8pm
Prof Noel Fitzpatrick, Steve Jones and Kate Quilton return to try to rehouse as many animals as possible from rescue shelters across the country and also ask viewers to help raise much-needed funds to help the thousands of homeless animals. To kick off the week of programmes, actor and ex-Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp and his animal-loving wife and former pop star Shirlie Holliman join the Supervet at Raystede Animal Shelter in East Sussex to lend a helping hand.

Kathy Burke's All Woman
Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
Actor, writer and director Kathy Burke doesn't seem like someone who would be easily swayed by societal pressure. She's skipped many of the traditional female rites of passage, including marriage and motherhood. So, who better to host a new series on what it means to be a 21st-century woman? Burke begins by looking at the beauty industry, meeting former Love Island contestant Megan Barton Hanson, who spent more than £20,000 on cosmetic surgery, and meets a plastic surgeon to ask what it would cost to "freshen up" her own look.

The Yorkshire Vet
Tuesday, Channel 5, 8pm
Yorkshire vet Julian Norton meets young people with a passion for farming who are making their mark on their countrysides. They include teenage sheep-breeder Laura, who has enjoyed a successful year showing her prize-winning Wensleydales and is now looking to take the next step and do her own shearing. Meanwhile, brothers George and Henry lost a pregnant cow earlier in the year, so they are in for anxious time as their pregnant herd gets ready to calve. And, at 24, Ben is preparing to leave his dad's farm and go it alone, but is he ready for all the challenges ahead?

Deep Water
Wednesday, UTV, 9pm

Set against the backdrop of England’s Lake District, this new series, based on the novels of Paula Daly, follows the sometimes messy lives of three women as they navigate the choppy waters of family, friendships and finance. Anna Friel plays Lisa, a disorganised mum whose efforts to juggle her family life with running her own business often result in chaos. Roz (Sinead Keenan) is a physiotherapist trying to repay crippling debts, and wealthy and attractive Kate (Rosalind Eleazar) appears to have the perfect life, the perfect husband and the perfect kids – but is it all just for show? This filmed the petal-pretty surrounds of Lake Windermere, but we’re a long way from Beatrix Potter.

Unforgotten
Wednesday, RTÉ2, 9.35pm

Detectives Cassie Stuart and Sunny Khan are tasked with solving another old missing persons mystery in the third series of the Bafta-winning cop drama, which originally ran on UTV last summer. When workmen uncover human remains on the central reservation of the M1 motorway, Stuart (Nicola Walker) and Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) identify them as those of a schoolgirl who disappeared on New Year’s Eve 1999. But reopening the case opens up a big can of worms and other slippery customers.

Eisteddfod 2019 with Jason Mohammad
Wednesday, BBC4, 7.30pm
The National Eisteddfod of Wales is regarded as the largest music and poetry festival in Europe, with some 160,000 visitors attending the eight-day event that dates back to the 12th century. Mohammad presents the first of two reports from the small market town of Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley, bringing highlights and stories from last week's cultural competitions and performances.

Interior Design Masters
Wednesday, BBC2, 8pm (repeated Thursday, 11.15pm)
Remember The Great Interior Design Challenge, in which Tom Dyckhoff led the search for Britain's most talented amateur interior designer? It has now been dusted down, given a revamp, some new staff members and returns as Interior Design Masters. This time, teams of budding designers take part, determined to transform a variety of spaces, from hairdressing salons and hotel bedrooms to holiday chalets. Fearne Cotton is on hand to mop any fevered brows, while judge Michelle Ogundehin, editor in chief of Elle Decoration magazine, is joined by a guest expert each week.

The Story of Rugby
Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.45pm

Just to whet your appetite for the Rugby World Cup this September, this six-part documentary series looks at the origins of the game and how it has evolved into the spectacle we know and love. The globe-spanning show delves into the birth of rugby as a pastime for English gentry and how it grew to become a powerful symbol of national identity for Britain’s former colonies. We’ll learn how rugby influenced the modern Olympics, and discover the links between rugby, soccer and American football. We’ll also see how rugby, a symbol of apartheid in South Africa, was instrumental in ending the racist system during Nelson Mandela’s presidency. (I saw Invictus – great film!) The first episode looks at how William Webb Ellis, a 16-year-old pupil of Rugby School in the 1800s, became the father of the modern game.

Fleadh TV
Thursday-Friday, TG4, 8.30pm
This mix of music and entertainment showcases the best of trad and folk music from this year's Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Drogheda, Co Louth (August 11th-18th), with performances from international artists as well as the best new talent form Fleadh competitions.

Murder Case
Thursday, BBC2, 9pm
Viewers in BBC Scotland managed to see this compelling strand a while ago. Now everybody else gets a chance. With access to Police Scotland's Major Investigations Teams, the series goes behind the scenes on the most complex murder and large-scale criminal investigations. This episode follows the investigation into the disappearance and subsequent murder of 47-year-old Julie Reilly, who went missing from her Govan flat in March 2018. The case continues as the police's No 1 suspect is interrogated.

24 Hour Baby Hospital
Thursday, More4, 9pm
The Rotunda in Dublin is the world's longest-running maternity hospital, where over one million babies have been born,some 24 ever day. It's a place of extreme highs and devastating lows. This series goes behind closed doors with parents and staff as they meet in the most intimate of ways, experiencing moments that will change their lives. Accompanied by her mother Kay, Nicola arrives at the labour ward, hoping for the safe arrival of her fourth baby. Young engaged couple Shauna and Daryl are expecting their first child together, and Monaghan couple Aine and Arnaud discover that their unborn child has a life-threatening condition.

Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation
Friday, BBC4, 10pm

From August 15th-18th, 1969, more than 400,000 people converged on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm near White Lake in upstate New York to hear a pop concert. However, something far more profound happened – Woodstock became pivotal moment in popular music history, defining a cultural revolution. Through the voices of those who were there, the music and unique imagery, this documentary tells the story of the lead up to those four historic days of sex, drugs, rock’n’roll and mud, mud, MUD, and explains how the festival was nearly pulled at the last minute.

Cher: The Greatest Showgirl
Friday, Channel 5, 10.15pm

She was born Cherilyn Sarkisian in May 1946, but she’s better known across the world by a far more straightforward moniker – Cher. She became a star in the 1960s as one half of the pop duo Sonny & Cher alongside her first husband, Sonny Bono. When their marriage broke down, she reinvented herself as an all-round entertainer, turning to acting and eventually winning an Oscar for the 1987 movie Moonstruck. Despite all this success, she regards herself as an outsider, one who has been dogged by dissatisfaction and discontentment all her life. This documentary digs beneath Cher’s public persona to figure out why, despite her many accolades and achievements, she continues to strive for more.

Contributing: PA