Programme Information

Heather's health is better but hospital tests reveal shocking news for her, in the week's last visit to Albert Square.

Billy has a birthday party at the Vic but he is not in the mood. Elsewhere, Janine discovers that Syed has a girlfriend.

Heather is played by Cheryl Fergison; Billy by Perry Fenwick; Janine by Charlie Brooks; and Syed by Marc Elliot.

KS3

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Reggie Perrin Ep 2/6

Friday 1 May

9.30-10.00pm BBC ONE

Reggie's (Martin Clunes) plans are thwarted

Reggie's frustration rises further as his hopes for some quality time with Nicola are thwarted, as the modern-day update of the classic British sitcom The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin, starring Martin Clunes, continues.

Nicola's dad turns up for breakfast and Reggie's mother turns up unannounced just when he was hoping for a rare romantic evening at home. Reggie also finds himself unable to get along with his work colleagues and takes a step too far with Jasmine, Groomtech's new head of balms and lubricants.

This new series is written by Simon Nye, the writer behind Men Behaving Badly, and David Nobbs, the writer and creator of the original Seventies show.

The cast is led by Martin Clunes as Reggie Perrin; Fay Ripley plays Nicola Perrin; Kerry Howard plays Vicky; Jim Howick plays Anthony; Nick Mohammed plays Steve; Neil Stuke plays Chris Jackson; Wendy Craig plays Marion; Lucy Liemann plays Jasmine Strauss; Justin Edwards plays Monty; and Geoffrey Whitehead plays William.

Reggie Perrin is also simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.

IV

Stewart Lee joins Dave Gorman for a touch of Genius

Comedian Stewart Lee joins host Dave Gorman, as the show that searches for ideas with more than a hint of genius about them concludes.

The selection this week is as bizarre as ever and includes swimming lanes instead of cycling lanes; virtual-reality headsets for chickens; funny faces on car airbags to defuse tension; and "socks reunited" – a website for reuniting lost socks.

There can only be one winner, though, and the final decision of who is crowned Genius lies with Stewart. One of the inventors will be named winner and declared genius, taking home the Genius trophy – and an immense sense of self-fulfilment.

SM4

The cornerstone of a weekend of programming celebrating blues music, Blues Britannia charts the story of the British love affair with the blues from the Fifties to the early Seventies.

Narrated by Nigel Planer, contributors include Keith Richards and Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones); Paul Jones and Tom McGuinness (Manfred Mann); Chris Dreja (The Yardbirds); Phil May (The Pretty Things); John Mayall (The Bluesbreakers); Jack Bruce (Cream); Mick Fleetwood and Bob Brunning (Fleetwood Mac); Ian Anderson and Mick Abrahams (Jethro Tull); Dick Taylor (The Pretty Things); and jazz trombonist Chris Barber.

Structured in three parts, the first – Born Under A Bad Sign – focuses on the arrival of American blues in Britain in the late Fifties, and the first performances here of such legends as Muddy Waters and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. A young generation of British teenagers embraced the intensity, authenticity and depth of this black folk music, and some of these educated white boys even dared to think that they could learn to play – and feel – the blues...

Sittin' On Top Of The World charts the birth of the first British blues boom in the early Sixties, spearheaded by the Rolling Stones. In taking their own version of the blues to young white audiences worldwide, groups like The Stones, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, The Animals and The Pretty Things not only succeeded in selling the blues back to America, but they also helped reinvigorate the careers of their older, American heroes.

Crossroads looks at the second blues boom of the mid-to-late Sixties. This was the golden age of star players such as guitarists Eric Clapton and Peter Green, and the international dominance of their bands (Cream and Fleetwood Mac). British blues had become big business but, down at the crossroads, the signposts now pointed the way towards progressive rock, hard rock and jazz rock. The blues were about to be subsumed in a very heady Seventies mix.

A prequel to the recent Prog Rock Britannia, Blues Britannia is an in-depth look at what this music meant to a generation looking for an antidote to their experiences of living in post-war suburban Britain.

This weekend of programming continues with documentaries and concerts including Blues At The BBC, Blues On Later...With Jools Holland, and new films on Peter Green and Bobby Bland.

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As part of BBC Four's weekend of programming celebrating blues music continues, Blues At The BBC follows Blues Britannia with a collection of stunning performances from the BBC archives.

Originally recorded for shows including the The Beat Room and A Whole Scene Going from the Sixties, The Old Grey Whistle Test in the Seventies and The Late Show in the Nineties, some of the finest British and American blues acts have played at the BBC's studios over the last half century.

From the seminal slide guitar of Son House, the British R&B of The Kinks, the unmistakable electric sound of BB King and Buddy Guy, to blues legends such as Eric Clapton and John Lee Hooker, Blues At The BBC features classic tracks and some less-familiar songs from the likes of Freddie King, Delaney & Bonnie and Long John Baldry.

SH3

There's a brand new pedal go-kart in the playground, and all the animals are desperate to have a go – not least Timmy. But his eagerness behind the wheel soon leads him into trouble and he reverses into a very smelly compost heap! After cleaning the go-kart, Timmy starts to understand the importance of waiting his turn.

Stylised, bright and colourful, this animated series from the makers of Shaun The Sheep features stories presented with charm, humour and bags of fun. Timmy's nursery is set in a cosy farm building in gently rolling hills. It's the perfect place for a young lamb to start finding his place in the world.

Only on CBeebies, Timmy Time is Aardman's first pre-school series. Specially created for two- to five-year-olds, it combines the studio's world-class "stop motion" techniques with the colourful simplicity of classic pre-school animation.

FW