Firestarter?

MOST people know that Pudding Lane was the starting point of the The Great Fire of London, in September 1666. This four-part re-imagining of the events which destroyed the homes of most of its citizens focuses on Thomas Farriner, the baker often blamed for starting the blaze because his premises was the first to go up in flames.

Andrew Buchan, star of Broadchurch and The Honourable Woman, plays Farriner and says: "He made loaves, pies and pastries and also ship's biscuit for the Navy. So, because of that he became known as the King's baker, although he wasn't as such. There are no frills to Thomas Farriner. He is a very humble, modest, honest working man who cares for his family a great deal and just goes about his everyday business - until the fire."

He admits he knew little about one of the capital city’s most famous events.

"Tom Bradby (writer) has included so many relevant and factual elements to this story. The things that really did happen in London back then, from the Mayor virtually ignoring the fire to Pepys burying his cheese and the Farriners having to escape out of their window on to a neighbour's roof.

"All of that is historically correct and part of a staggering story of the firestorm. Tom's scripts are beautifully written and I like the fact it's such a human story about the relationships of all the characters. I also get to meet Samuel Pepys, played by the brilliant Daniel Mays."

The other main roles are Sarah Farriner (Rose Leslie), his brother’s wife; King Charles II (Jack Huston), who is terrified of leaving his palace; Lord Denton (Charles Dance), the King’s protector playing, effectively, a mixture of Thomas Cromwell, Machiavelli and Alastair Campbell.

The drama turns Farriner into a heroic figure. Buchan was delighted to see this and says: "There was a desperation to pin the blame along with the hostility towards Thomas Farriner and mob violence with a breakdown of law and order. I don't think this story has been told in a TV drama before so it will be revealing for viewers. There are so many angles to what is a truly fascinating story."

Crimewatch (BBC1, 9pm)

KIRSTY Young is back with more appeals for information about crimes committed across the country.

Over the years, this long-running programme has had several notable successes, so hopes will be high that members of the public come forward to help the police with their inquiries.

The first case focuses on e-cigarettes tycoon Jason Cropper. In August last year, he was attacked in his own home by thieves who attacked him, tied him up, doused him in bleach and stole cash, gold bars, valuable watches and his Range Rover.

In the months since, he has offered a sizeable reward in the hope of finding the culprits, and now hopes that TV coverage will help.

There is also a report on the work of anti-terror police as they battle extremism, which is now hugely topical following Britain's involvement in air strikes in Iraq, as well as the usual line-up of wanted faces and crimes caught on camera.

The Knick (Sky Atlantic, 9pm)

SKY has been trailing this new medical maverick series really heavily. I’m not surprised having paid out for a drama starring Clive Own and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The content is like Casualty in a grip of a power cut, however, with Owen’s surgeon Dr John Thackery operating with hand-cranked equipment at New York’s Knickerbocker Hospital, in Harlem, in1900. Another hero with feet of clay, Thackery is guilty of using pithy putdowns and addicted to cocaine and opium. Hopefully, he doesn’t have a sidekick called Watson.