Secret Garden
BBC One, 6pm; all episodes will be available today on iPlayer
David Attenborough presents this fascinating new five-part series, conceived as part of his 100th birthday celebration, which falls next month. Over five episodes, he shows us the hidden natural world of our gardens, no matter how big or small, urban or rural, and how they can be surprisingly rich in flora and fauna – from otters in Oxfordshire, pine martens in the Western Highlands to blue tits in Bristol, dormice in South Wales and swallows in the Lake District. Some gardens are “almost as diverse as a tropical rainforest”, Attenborough informs us.
The first episode focuses on the garden of a thousand-year-old mill house in Oxfordshire. The building is surrounded by water and the garden is lovingly tended by owners Henry and Sara, who have allowed much of it to go wild, creating a haven for wildlife. Attenborough describes how the garden’s inhabitants come and go over the seasons: a male kingfisher looking for a mate, a bank vole evading grass snakes, otters, bats and red kites patrolling the area they all regard as their territory. Doris, the garden’s resident mallard, meanwhile, must protect her nine ducklings from any number of predators.
Landward
BBC Two/iPlayer, 9am
This special episode (previously shown on BBC Scotland) celebrates the Scottish rural affairs programme’s 50th anniversary. Dougie Vipond revisits stories from the archives, providing a fascinating snapshot of a changing countryside, while past presenters recall high and lows – including Ross Muir’s memory of a guinea fowl that “evacuated its bowels over my suit”.
Easter Day Service: Live from Ripon Cathedral
BBC One/iPlayer, 10am
The Very Revd John Dobson, the Dean of Ripon, leads the Eucharist service of prayers and music, while the Bishop of Ripon, the Rt Revd Anna Eltringham, delivers the sermon. The programme is followed by Urbi et Orbi at 11am, when Pope Leo XIV delivers his first Eastertide “to the city and to the world” address to 1.4 billion Catholics.
Live Snooker: Tour Championship
Channel 5, 12.30pm & 6.30pm
Katie Shanahan presents coverage of the two sessions of the final at Manchester Central, where the first player to reach 10 frames will be crowned champion, win £150,000 and take over the title from John Higgins – who won in a memorable comeback against Mark Selby last year.
The Other Bennet Sister
BBC One, 8pm & 8.30pm; all episodes are already on iPlayer
This delightful adaptation continues with Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) considering Mr Ryder’s (Laurie Davidson) audacious – and potentially ruinous – offer.
Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island
BBC Two, 9pm; all episodes will be available today on iPlayer
This often illuminating programme returns as seven new celebrities – of many faiths and none – walk through Northumberland to Lindisfarne, one of Britain’s most historic pilgrimage sites. They are Diversity’s Ashley Banjo, actresses Hermione Norris and Patsy Kensit, reality star Tasha Ghouri; stand-ups Hasan Al-Habib and Ashley Blaker and broadcaster Jayne Middlemiss. Continues tomorrow and Tuesday. VL
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