Kids With Cameras: Diary Of A Children’s Ward (ITV, 9pm)

FOR most of us, fact is always much more fascinating than fiction, so this look at Newcastle’s Great North Children’s Hospital (the new name for part of the RVI) is going to hold our attention... particularly as the youngsters concerned are from the region.

Giving the children control of the camera means that the programme makers gained 100 opportunities to discover what it’s like to put childhood on hold when treatment is required. It was particularly nice for the parents of six-year-old Samuel to get in touch with The Northern Echo to let us know the series was being transmitted from last week.

Over the three episodes, youngsters aged six to 16 talk about their illnesses, record their treatment and interview their parents about the effect that seeing their offspring in pain has on them. This week, we hear abhout nine-year-old Hannah, who has one of the worst cases of juvenile arthritis the staff have ever seen and, on top of the medication she takes every day, arrives at the hospital every three weeks to have an injection in her chest.

Here she describes how frustrating it is to be stuck in hospital while her sister and friends are out enjoying themselves: "I hate hospital. That's what every kid says and I say the same. It's quite annoying, especially when my sister gets to have fun. My sister's at my friend's while I'm stuck here. It's hard for me to live my life properly when I've got arthritis because it hurts, but I have to live through it."

Also featured is 11-year-old India, who has cerebral palsy and is about to have an operation that should improve her ability to walk. Thankfully, it appears to be a success. "I think I walk better with my splint on because as soon as I got it on, mum was like, 'very pleased with that, miles better'. I'm very pleased too."

Then there's 12-year-old Shane, who suffered a stroke following a freak accident while playing football. He's been paralysed down his right side ever since and is undergoing physiotherapy to get his mobility back. He says, "I want to go back to the things I was doing before like rugby, football and that. My legs just feel like they want to burst out with all that energy."

Location, Location, Location (Channel 4, 8pm)

WELL, it’s back to the day job for Kirsty Allsopp and Phil Spencer for a new, eight-part run which begins in Kent, where Robin and Gemma hope to settle down and raise their baby after living in Singapore for three years. There's also a chance to meet Gemma (yes, another one) and Barney, who are first-time buyers with £250,000 to spend hoping to find somewhere to live in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, 9pm)

THE larger-than-life man from Mexborough, Brian Blessed, erupts onto our screens in another lively hunt for ancestors of TV celebs. His research takes him from his birthplace in South Yorkshire to London and then Portsmouth, where he learns about his great-great grandfather Jabez, who loved adventure as much as Blessed, having survived an appalling childhood against the odds.

"I'm approaching this with humour, but I'm very serious about it as well, almost naive and full of faith," says Blessed. "I can't wait to get started."