Walk on the wild side (From The Northern Echo)

Walk on the wild side

3:40pm Thursday 16th February 2012 in Tonight's TV By Steve Pratt

The Great British Countryside (BBC1, 8pm)
Strictly Soulmates (BBC3, 7pm)
A Dad Is Born – A Wonderland Film (BBC2, 9pm)
The Restoration Man (C4, 9pm)

COUNTRYFILE’S Julia Bradbury loves a good walk, as anyone who has been hooked on her assorted TV shows will testify.

Having followed in the footsteps of Alfred Wainwright and trekked across the UK in Coast to Coast, she’s off for another telly hike in The Great British Countryside.

She and Hugh Dennis will be travelling across Britain to explore its landscapes and the people who live in them, as well as how they have been shaped by the country’s varied geological history.

Their journey starts in Cornwall and Devon, where Dennis seems to have been possessed by the spirit of The Fall Guy’s Colt Seavers.

The Outnumbered star leaps into the Atlantic from a granite clifftop, tries to land in a dangerously-placed helipad and, in a rather safer part of the programme, retraces the steps of King Arthur at Tintagel Castle.

Meanwhile, Bradbury learns about Cornwall’s surfing tradition and ventures into one of the eeriest areas of Dartmoor.

The pair are a perfect double-act. He’s a naturally funny soul who appears to be in great physical shape, while her enthusiasm for her subject matter is always infectious.

It also says a lot about Dennis’ versatility that he can be at once an acerbic and politically-astute satirist on Mock the Week and Radio 4’s Now Show, and also such an easy-going and affable presenter of this kind of fare.

WE’RE all the looking for the man or woman of our dreams, but while a handful find that special someone during their teens and stay with them for decades, for others it’s not quite so easy.

Faith can be a deal-breaker, and documentary series Strictly Soulmates examines problems surrounding such issues concludes with a trio of Jewish singletons trying to find the right person.

They include Natalie, whose long list of requirements may be the reason she’s never had a boyfriend.

After months of searching for a suitable woman, Jason finally secures a date, while Richard falls for a girl who doesn’t share his religion, which leads to a painful decision.

WHEN it comes to pregnancy, most of the attention is lavished on the woman, but during that nine months, the expectant father is also there, trying to give as much support as he can.

Raising a child is a long process, and dealing with that realisation during the nine months of pregnancy can either be a wonderful experience, or a terrifying, daunting one, depending on your outlook.

A Dad Is Born – A Wonderland Film aims to chart the emotions felt by three men in the weeks before and after they become fathers. City HR worker Jamie is taking the practical approach, reading as many self-help books as he can.

Reformed womaniser Viktor, a cab driver, is determined that becoming a family man will be the making of him, while multi-millionaire trader Greg hopes his girlfriend’s pregnancy offers him a second chance to make up for past mistakes.

RIDING the Settle to Carlisle railway line is a must for lovers of both trains and beautiful scenery. Most people who travel it think afterwards, “That was very nice.” Not many think, “I’m going to buy part of its history.”

But that’s what former Bradford police officer Mark Rand and his wife, Pat, decided one day. So they snapped up the Victorian Settle Station water tower, planning to convert it into living accommodation for themselves.

It’s a grade II-listed building and, although its position on an industrial estate wouldn’t make it everybody’s ideal home, the couple are determined to make a go of the project, but they really have their work cut out. For a start, the place hasn’t been in use since the Forties.

Mark has some 21st Century renovation ideas that may raise a few eyebrows among purists, but architect and presenter George Clarke is willing to offer his expert opinion on the matter.