MONDAY 31 MAY 2021

MON 19:00 A Pembrokeshire Farm (b007hzf0)
Episode 1

Griff Rhys Jones begins a personal restoration project at his 200-year-old farmhouse in Pembrokeshire.


MON 19:30 The Joy of Painting (m000wn0t)
Series 4

Valley Waterfall

A regal vista on canvas. Bob Ross paints incredible mountains and a waterfall enclosed by proud evergreens and mossy cliffs.


MON 20:00 Fake or Fortune? (m0007m6z)
Series 8

A Venetian View

In this episode, Philip and Fiona investigate a highly desirable Venetian view. It was inherited by owner Nick Hopkinson from his great-grandfather, Meyer Spielman. Nick grew up with the painting and has always loved it, but there’s a mystery about it that he would love to solve. On the back of the painting there are two labels from the Royal Academy – one names the artist as Marieschi and the other as Guardi. Nick has long wondered whose hand was behind one of his most treasured belongings, and how he has contacted the Fake or Fortune? team for help.

Francesco Guardi and Michele Marieschi are both known for their paintings of Venetian views and were contemporaries in the 18th century of the most famous view painter of them all, Canaletto. But there’s a big difference in value between them: if Nick’s painting is a Marieschi it could be worth £500,000, but if it’s a Guardi it could be worth up to £10 million.

With such high stakes, Philip and Fiona get to work. On a trip to Venice they learn that when it comes to attribution, even in the 18th century confusion reigned. There was such a huge demand for Venetian views that artists churned them out, often from workshops with apprentices or other artists filling in details such as the figures, and they rarely signed their paintings. At the Art Academy archives in Venice, Fiona and Nick look at a document that details a sort of 18th-century version of Fake or Fortune? A committee tried to establish who painted a picture, with some familiar names being debated – Canaletto is mentioned, as are Marieschi and Guardi. At that time, Guardi was still alive and so was brought in to verify the identity of the painting. Centuries later, Fiona and Philip will have to follow the clues in the painting itself to solve this mystery.

Back in London, Philip compares Nick’s painting to other known works by both Marieschi and Guardi and decides that stylistically, it’s far closer to Marieschi than Guardi. On the provenance trail, Fiona and Nick head to the Royal Academy to see if they can find out any more about the labels on the back of the painting. There, they make a shocking discovery that puts an even bigger question mark over Guardi’s name. It’s the first of several family stories that Nick discovers aren’t quite as he thought.

With Guardi in doubt, the team turn their attention to Marieschi. The view in the picture is one that Marieschi often depicted, which is encouraging, but it does also raise the possibility that this is a copy. The demand for these highly desirable Venetian views was so high that in the late 18th and 19th centuries the market was flooded with fakes and copies. A factory was even opened in London churning out what were known as ‘Canaletti’. We are entering murky waters and there’s a worrying prospect that Nick’s picture could turn out to be neither a Guardi nor a Marieschi but a fake, so the picture is analysed using a revolutionary new piece of imaging technology called Artmyn. A scanner takes 20,000 photographs, mapping the surface of the picture and revealing in minute detail how the paint has been applied. Such insights could be crucial in distinguishing a genuine Marieschi from a copy.

There is one more lead to follow up – an intriguing seal on the back of the painting that says ‘Firenze’. Could this place the painting in Italy in the 18th and 19th century and rule out the possibility of it being an English fake?


MON 21:00 Great British Photography Challenge (m000wn0w)
Series 1

Episode 2

This week sees 'The Six' challenged to use their smartphone to capture the fast-moving arena of the boxing ring, with Rankin offering the opportunity for one image from each to be uploaded to his social media platforms. Whose images will capture the imagination of his followers?

The students then travel to Birmingham's wholesale market to meet with award-winning artist and photographer Maryam Wahid, who takes them into the world of documentary photography. The third challenge featured in this episode sees them tasked with their first high-end fashion shoot, under the guidance of Rankin and creative direction of international stylist and fashion editor Cheryl Konteh.


MON 22:00 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (b0074tlq)
Series 1

Smiley Sets a Trap

Acclaimed dramatisation of John le Carre's novel. Smiley's investigation to snare the traitor at the heart of the Circus leads him to Jerry Westerby, a Fleet Street journalist.


MON 22:40 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (b0074tmm)
Series 1

Flushing Out the Mole

In the final part of John le Carre's classic story, George Smiley's search for the mole at the heart of the Circus finally comes to an end.


MON 23:25 Mark Lawson Talks To... (b00dwcp6)
John le Carre

John le Carre converses with Mark Lawson about his fragmented childhood, life in the diplomatic service, working with Alec Guinness and his book A Most Wanted Man. Le Carre worked as an intelligence officer in the 1970s before turning to writing full time. His personal experiences during the Cold War informed a string of best-selling espionage novels including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He also wrote the corporate corruption thriller The Constant Gardener, which became a Oscar-winning film.


MON 00:25 Motherland (p07mvqj6)
Series 2

No Mum Left Behind

As a new school year begins, a new mum at the school gates attracts the attention of Julia, Liz and Kevin. Amanda has all the gossip and tells them Meg is a high-flying businesswoman with five kids and a sexy silver-fox husband.

Meanwhile, Julia is struggling to keep her head above water at work when she is offered the choice of promotion or redundancy. When Meg invites the gang for drinks, they go along against Julia’s better judgement and the evening takes a surprising turn, leading Julia to make a big decision.


MON 00:55 Motherland (p07mvr9b)
Series 2

Soft Opening

Having resigned from her job in PR, Julia tries to adapt to life as a freelancer and reluctantly agrees to help Amanda launch her new shop even though she believes it is nothing but a vanity project. The soft opening is a success but a careless online post threatens to destroy her good work.

Meanwhile, Liz rails against the gentrification of the area and the loss of her beloved kebab shop and Kevin reveals he has written an unusual children’s book, which he wants Amanda to sell in her shop.


MON 01:25 Motherland (p07mvrqr)
Series 2

Mother's Load

Julia finds that working from home is impossible due to all the tasks she has to do for her family. Meg tells her this is her 'mother’s load' - all the things that no-one else will do but that need to be done to keep the home running. Julia removes herself to the cafe to work but even there finds that it is not that easy to get her work done. A possible solution presents itself when she shares a table with a fellow freelancer, but is Julia taking advantage of him?


MON 01:55 Motherland (p07mvsgm)
Series 2

The Purge

Kevin reluctantly agrees to host a last-minute Halloween party despite the fact that he’s had no time to prepare. Meanwhile at the school gates the mums are all talking about a celebrity who has moved into the neighbourhood - Lee Mead from Holby.

As this is Julia’s favourite programme she is determined to meet him and decides to take all the kids trick or treating hoping that they will find his house. Liz tags along as she has been stood up by a date and Anne is in attendance trying to make sure that the kids are safe. However by the time they reach Kevin’s one of the kids is missing - Amanda’s little boy Manus. Despite the fact that the happy teatime trick or treat atmosphere has now turned violent and terrifying Liz, Kevin and Julia must venture back out into the streets to search for him through terrifying hordes of teenage zombies and mutant nuns.


MON 02:25 Motherland (p07mvszc)
Series 2

Le Weekend

The gang are delighted when Kevin books a cottage for them to spend half term holidays in the countryside with all their kids. But it is not as nice as the pictures online, and Kevin seems to have miscalculated the number of bedrooms.

When it transpires that Julia has failed to bring any booze, the atmosphere takes a turn for the worse. All hopes rest on Kevin’s plan to cook an event meal by roasting a whole pig in a pit he has dug in the garden. As the long night wears on, tempers begin to fray. Meanwhile, Liz catches the eye of a handsome shepherd.


MON 02:55 Motherland (p07mvtbr)
Series 2

Good Job

Julia struggles to abide by the rules and clashes with Mrs Lamb as she attends her first ever school sports day. Apparently it's no longer acceptable to cheer for individual kids, and you can only offer generic support like 'good job'. Over at the Kidiverse soft play centre, Kevin is devastated that an important work presentation means he will miss the dads' race. Liz worries that her new boyfriend is blanking her. And Anne discovers something that leads to a nasty surprise for Amanda.


MON 03:25 A Pembrokeshire Farm (b007hzf0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:00 today]