Thalidomide The Fifty Year Fight (BBC2, 9pm)

WHEN the drug Thalidomide was first launched in 1957, it was marketed as a sedative, but was later given to pregnant women to combat morning sickness.

However, by 1961, it became clear the drug was having another, very different effect it was causing birth deformities, including babies being born without limbs.

Its been estimated that as many as 10,000 children were affected worldwide, leading to a global scandal. Yet while the case may have made headlines, many victims were ignored, with some being left to die or shut away from the world.

This documentary also suggests that as devastated families fought for compensation, they had to resort to covert tactics to keep their campaign in the public eye. In particular, the film focuses on Art dealer David Masons battle for justice against one of the UKs biggest corporations, but it also hears from other victims and their families as they talk about the long fight through the courts, and the way they have been treated by society.

The Food Inspectors (BBC1, 8pm)

MATT Allwright, Chris Hollins and Gaby Roslin are taking on our food outlets by going out and about with the inspectors who are trying to protect the public from unhygienic restaurants and potentially harmful food.

In this first instalment, Allwright investigates how clean supermarkets really are by sending an undercover team to ten London stores to test for levels of bacteria.

Meanwhile, Roslin and Hollins discover what's in ice-cream as they investigate the difference between soft scoop and dairy, and learn how to make both before offering them to schoolchildren for a taste test. Also in this episode, cameras head out with food inspectors, who find everything from undercooked burgers to rat droppings and a leaking toilet. Its probably a good idea not to settle down to watch this while eating your evening meal.

The Big Allotment Challenge (BBC2, 8pm)

ITS the final, and the competition is so tense, the BBC didnt think we could wait a whole week to get the results, so they're squeezing in an extra episode TONIGHT.

But while viewers may be impatient, the "allotmenteers" should have learned over the past few weeks that some things just cant be rushed after all it, takes time and hard work to grow the sort of produce that could take a rosette in a country show. Lets hope the three remaining pairs of contestants are in no hurry to hear Fern Britton announce the winner, because Jim Buttress sets them a double-grow challenge asking them to present melon and sweetcorn to the show bench.

Jonathan Moseley continues to scrutinise the specimen flowers, as he asks them to make a suspended hanging device involving dahlias, while Thane Prince wants them to assemble a gift basket full of unique produce from their allotments.

Wanted: A Family Of My Own (ITV, 9pm)

IF you want tear-jerking rollercoaster rides then forget drama and focus on the last of this thought-provoking series.

Presenter Nicky Campbell aims the spotlight on Grant and Diane from Edinburgh, who knew when they met 12 years ago that they would be unable to conceive their own child because Diane underwent a hysterectomy during a successful fight against cancer.

Her sister offered to be a surrogate for them, but tragically, their son, Lyle, was stillborn. However, they're not giving up on their dream and are determined to become parents. As a result, they have spent a year going through the trials and tribulations of the adoption process.

Meanwhile, cameras follow the progress of Tom, a nine-month-old baby who has been living with foster carers Sean and Danielle since he was just a few days old.

Babies are usually easier to place, but Tom has a genetic disorder that affects his hearing, and doctors are uncertain how it will develop in the future.

Nevertheless, his social workers decide to take his details to an adoption exchange day, where he catches the eye of single mum Clair, who already has three children, two of whom are adopted.

All three have hearing difficulties her son Christian was born profoundly deaf, which prompted Clair to adopt two siblings for him with similar issues.