Programme Information

Waterloo Road Ep 14/20

Wednesday 23 February

8.00-9.00pm BBC ONE and BBC ONE HD

• www.bbc.co.uk/waterlooroad

Cesca's (Karen David) relationship with Jonah spirals out of control

Ruby's political views land her in hot water following the arrival of a new Polish caretaker to Waterloo Road, as the popular school drama continues. Cesca, meanwhile, finds it increasingly hard to resist Jonah's seductive charm; Janeece and Ronan go head to head over a stolen test paper; and Bex tries to return to normality despite the presence of Hodge.

When Ruby witnesses Martin Dowling and Kyle Stack taunting new Polish caretaker Lukas Wisniewski about his right to work in the country, she controversially takes the side of the pupils. Keen to clamp down on this behaviour, Chris discovers that the normally intelligent Martin is emulating his father's right-ring views to gain approval. Lukas is pushed to the brink when Martin and Kyle step up their hate campaign, leaving Ruby condemned by the school and questioning her own views.

Meanwhile, Ronan's scheme to sell exam papers to the other pupils looks set to be a success, especially since Janeece can't prove that he has stolen the original copy from her office. However, Janeece proves to be more resourceful than first thought and hatches a clever plan to thwart him.

Elsewhere, Cesca's relationship with Jonah spirals further out of control as she desperately uses Tom as a decoy to cover up her feelings. And Bex's attempt to forget about her problems with a shopping trip is short-lived when an ever-determined Hodge arrives on the scene, leading to a dramatic showdown.

Ruby is played by Elizabeth Berrington, Cesca by Karen Brown, Jonah by Lucien Laviscount, Janeece by Chelsee Healey, Ronan by Ben Ryan Davies, Bex by Tina O'Brien, Hodge by Ciaran Griffiths, Martin by Kieran Hardcastle, Kyle by George Sampson, Lukas by Rad Kaim, Chris by William Ash and Tom by Jason Done.

Waterloo Road is simulcast in HD on BBC One HD on Freesat channel 108, Freeview channel 50, Sky channel 143 and Virgin Media channel 108.

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MasterChef Ep 3/15

Wednesday 23 February

9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE and BBC ONE HD

• www.bbc.co.uk/food

Thousands dreamt of being chosen, but only 20 amateur cooks have made it through the auditions and gained a place on this year's MasterChef. Tonight, judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace welcome the talented 20 into the stunning brand-new MasterChef kitchen, as they search for this year's best amateur chef.

With no time to be complacent, the contestants face their first test in the staggering new space – the ultimate elimination challenge. Selecting from a full larder of ingredients, which includes an astounding array of eggs, the contestants have just one hour to prepare one dish – in which they must use an egg – that proves their culinary skill to the judges. Nerves are running high as only those who produce the best dishes go through. Any serious slip-ups will mean immediate elimination and the end of their MasterChef journey.

The pressure is ever-present as contestants that divide the judges are thrown a lifeline and must cook again the next day. This time it's their interpretation of the best roast dinner on the menu and John and Gregg are joined by an expert in this field and one of the country's harshest cooking judges, Amy Willcock – national cookery judge for the WI – to help them make their decision.

Only the best will survive to battle on to become the next MasterChef champion.

MasterChef is simulcast in HD on BBC One HD on Freesat channel 108, Freeview channel 50, Sky channel 143 and Virgin Media channel 108.

RB

Madagascar – Land Of Heat And Dust Ep 3/3

Wednesday 23 February

8.00-9.00pm BBC TWO and BBC HD

The mouse lemur

Narrated by David Attenborough, the final episode of the natural history series about one of the most intriguing wild places on Earth focuses on the desert-like west and south of Madagascar. It might not rain there for nine months of the year and some years not at all.

To live here, you have to be a specialist. The Verreaux's sifakas lives in the strange "spiny forest" – many of the trees here have savage spikes and some drip toxic chemicals. But this species of lemur is totally at home here – they get all the moisture they need from the plants' hard leaves. Slow-motion filming shows their incredible knack of moving among the dagger-like spines without harming themselves.

Among the iconic baobab trees live huge-eyed mouse lemurs – the world's smallest primates – emerging at night to feed on the droppings of fluffy bugs. This is a land where opportunists survive the lean times – the female vasa parrot gets males to feed her by singing loudly to them.

Gangs of ring-tailed lemurs bring up their babies through the toughest time of year. But these canny lemurs catch giant flying insects, plucking them from the air.

When at last the rains come for a few fleeting weeks, everything changes. Labord's chameleon is the shortest-lived land vertebrate in the world. This striking animal lives just 12 weeks from hatching to adulthood. It spent nine months in an egg and has only three months to pack in the rest of its life – growing to adulthood, fighting off rivals, mating and dying soon afterwards.

The challenge for Madagascar's wildlife is not just with the passing seasons. Much of it is under threat from hunting and loss of habitat. David sums up: "We are still unravelling the mysteries of Madagascar's wildlife. How tragic it would be if we lost it before we've even understood it."

The Madagascar Diary features the filming of the mating of fearsome predator the fossa.

Madagascar is simulcast on the award-winning BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel available through Freesat channel 109, Freeview channel 54, Sky channel 169 and Virgin Media channel 187.

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HANDS ON HISTORY
A History Of Ancient Britain – Age Of Cosmology Ep 3/4

Wednesday 23 February

9.00-10.00pm BBC TWO and BBC HD

• www.bbc.co.uk/history

Neil Oliver continues the story of how today's Britain and its people were forged over thousands of years of ancient history and, in tonight's penultimate episode, explores one of the most mysterious periods in our prehistory, a time that sees the building of vast stone circles, passage tombs and Stonehenge itself – some of the most glorious monuments of the ancient world.

Neil climbs into the mountains of the Lake District to discover a 6,000-year-old axe factory. The Neolithic people who first came here held deep beliefs about the land, their ancestors and stone itself. But this belief system was to evolve over the coming centuries to include the cosmos as well. By 3,000BC, tombs and stone circles were being built that were astronomically aligned.

Britain and Ireland have some of the best preserved sacred monuments in the world – above all, Stonehenge. Neil joins thousands of people who come here to celebrate the mid-summer sunrise, but evidence is showing that for the people who built Stonehenge it was mid-winter that was important. Stonehenge was a monument to the dead.

Around 3,000BC the Stone Age reaches its height, introducing the beginnings of status and class. Elite travellers would have journeyed between the great sacred sites of Britain and Ireland. And discoveries are now suggesting that people at the very top of society were not buried with their ancestors here on Earth, but cremated and sent to a new world of the afterlife. Neil discovers that here in Britain, 5,000 years ago, was possibly invented an idea that continues to this day – the notion that in the sky there's a heaven.

A History Of Ancient Britain is simulcast on the award-winning BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel available through Freesat channel 109, Freeview channel 54, Sky channel 169 and Virgin Media channel 187.

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