TV Highlights: From a stolen van to a flock of rare breed Cotswold sheep

Telly Today picks for January 24th…

All Shook Up, red style..

From the 1960s until the collapse of Communism, the most famous musician in the Soviet Bloc is not Elvis Presley, John Lennon, or a Communist Party-back hack. It’s a U.S. born, former teen idol from Denver named Dean Reed.

In the Eastern Bloc, Dean sells out stadiums, preaches Marxism and inspires a generation. Along the way, he plots revolution with Che Guevara, talks poetry with Pablo Neruda and is lauded by Nikita Khrushchev. For the top brass, he’s a propaganda coup; for the Communist youth, he’s their Red Elvis… until his body is found floating in a lake in East Berlin, dead at age 47.

Featuring exclusive access to Dean’s friends and family, a treasure trove of unseen film and music, and previously sealed government documents, Red Elvis reveals the extraordinary story of the
American who defected to the East at the height of the Cold War and became a superstar.

Red Elvis, Sky Documentaries, 9 pm

On the Road Again…

Presented by Jamie Theakston it’s time for another edition of Traffic Cops.

Burglary and the theft of cars and vans is a perennial problem for Derbyshire’s traffic cops. PC Andy Swift is on the lookout for a high-value car that’s been taken from a dealership after being driven on a test drive. Its tracker system has been activated, and police think it’s travelling on the M1.

Control then locate it at a service station, and Andy and a colleague intercept the car filling up at the pumps and arrest the driver — who turns out to be only 16 years old. Coercing the young and vulnerable is a tactic used by gangs to shield themselves when stealing high-powered cars to order. The trade plates are still in the car, along with a £38,500 price tag.

Andy Swift is involved in another vehicle theft that shows how quickly a valued and essential possession can be lost if proper precautions aren’t taken. A builder’s van is taken from a house driveway while its owner pops briefly inside to collect his tools and equipment. The builder’s iPhone is also in the van, but this turns out to be a good thing as his daughter uses it to track the van to where it’s been taken. Andy recovers the van.

Traffic cop PC Dave Shaw is patrolling on a night shift when he follows a car suspected of being used in a house burglary. The car fails to stop and a dangerous chase ensues — which is only brought to a halt after the tyres are stung. Two suspects run off into the darkness, but are soon detained by police. A third man, who is trapped in the car by a large flat-screen TV, is also arrested. It turns out the driver has no insurance or licence to drive.

Traffic Cops, Channel 5, 8 pm

By ‘Eck as Like…

Kelvin Fletcher and his wife Liz have bought a 120-acre farm in the Peak District National Park which they are attempting to bring back to its former glory, despite having zero farming experience.

In a significant milestone for the rookie farmers, they buy their first livestock – a flock of rare breed Cotswold sheep. It’s the shearing season and Kelvin wants to find out if he can make a quick return on his investment by selling their fleeces.

Unfortunately, nothing is as straightforward as he hopes. He and Liz manage to contaminate the freshly shorn fleeces with farmyard muck and, with a wool buyer visiting imminently, they face an desperate struggle to get them ready for sale.

Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure, BBC One, 8.30 pm

How’way kidda…

Based across Newcastle’s hospitals, this uplifting series ‘Geordie Hospital‘ celebrates the extraordinary work performed by NHS staff, following world-class medics and dedicated support teams as they pull together, working all hours to save and transform lives forever.

In this episode, neurophysiotherapist Rachel helps Jason learn to walk again after a serious accident at work.

Reconstructive plastic surgeon Dan performs complex surgery on skin cancer patient Bill, whose tumour returned 16 months after it was first removed. And eight-year-old Violet’s life is transformed by corrective surgery on her feet, which helps with her walking, as well as with feeling more comfortable at school.

Geordie Hospital, Channel 4, 8 pm