TV tonight: an ice-bath warm-up for Scotland’s wild swimmers Jules and Greg

1 week ago 15

Jules and Greg’s Wild Swim

8.30pm, BBC Two
In case you’ve missed it in the Guardian’s pages over the past 10 years, wild swimming is really good for you! Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill are testament to this – they have been married for 25 years and seem very happy. In this six-parter, they explore the best cold water spots across Scotland, starting with urban locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh. But first, they must “warm up” by plunging into an ice bath for something “colder than you’ve ever experienced” for more than 10 minutes. Hollie Richardson

Stacey & Joe

8pm, BBC One
Back from their holidays and back to normality for celebrity couple Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash. Or at least what passes for normality at Pickle Cottage, where Joe is looking to return to work and Stacey hopes to replace him as primary carer for the three youngest children. And two dogs. And four ducks. Ellen E Jones

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

9pm, Channel 5
“Academia meets the wild” is how botanist Arthur describes his family’s entirely off-grid setup in the dense forests of Canton, Maine. Fogle encounters a beguiling and complex blend of stone-age living (hunting with bow and arrows, foraging and wild rice-eating), tragedy, loss and gently understated wisdom. Ali Catterall

Jack the Ripper: Written in Blood

9pm, Sky History

A different angle on the serial killer: how did the Whitechapel murders fuel the rise of tabloid journalism? This documentary drama series focuses on the Star, which used the killings to boost circulation and profits. Journalists, former detectives, psychologists and others tell the less-told story. HR

Neil & Martin’s Bon Voyage

9pm, U&Gold
Neil Morrissey and Martin Clunes conclude their pleasant if undemanding journey through southern France. Inevitably, it ends with a boozy party at Morrissey’s farmhouse. But first, to the Camargue for a spectacular horse ride and a visit to Arles where the pair pay questionable tribute to Vincent van Gogh. Phil Harrison

The Change

10pm, Channel 4
Another gorgeous and hilarious series finale for the menopause comedy drama. The double bill starts with a witchy supper that terrifies the uneasy men of the Forest of Dean. Then, Linda (Bridget Christie) makes peace with recent discoveries about her family – and gives a beautiful lecture about life lessons learned from mushrooms. HR

Film choice

Paddington in Peru (Dougal Wilson, 2024), Netflix

A South American immigrant in London has to return home. But this isn’t a Reform political broadcast, and the marmalade-addicted bear in question has a shiny new British passport. Aunt Lucy has gone missing from her Home for Retired Bears in the Peruvian rainforest, so Paddington and the Browns (with Emily Mortimer taking over as Mrs Brown) fly off to find her. Less a fish-out-of-water comedy than a fish-back-in-water quest, Dougal Wilson’s film gives Paddington a few slapstick pratfalls but it’s more of a spoof Indiana Jones tale, revolving round the myth of El Dorado, with Antonio Banderas as a boat captain and Olivia Colman as a nun joining the fun. Simon Wardell