MY WEDDING DAY RUINED MY LIFE

Documentary

Your wedding day is the only day that has to be perfect. The big problem is, because absolutely everything has to be right, anything can go wrong. My Wedding Day Ruined My Life charts the sense of shock, chaos and farce when dreams of the perfect wedding turn into a nightmare.

In this documentary we hear extraordinary stories, where the crazed behaviour of people under the pressure and anxious due to the big day, or incredible acts of God, turn their weddings into a disaster - from anthrax terrorist attacks to 90-minute marriages and beyond.

MY WEDDING DAY RUINED MY LIFE, Saturday 19th December 7.30pm

JUDGE JOHN DEED

FINAL EPISODEDrama

imageDuring a reality TV show one contestant, in an explosion of stress-filled anger, kills another on camera. Judge John Deed hears the trial of the producers, who are charged with manslaughter when it's discovered that psychologists profiled contestants to find those with 'the most entertaining flashpoints'.

Meanwhile, the judge is pushing for a police enquiry into the death of Rufus Barron. But as the judge gets closer to the truth, the armaments manufacturer, Sir Tim Listfield, is provoked into more extreme measures. An attempted assassination leaves Jo Mills in a coma. Listfield is arrested, but will Jo recover?

JUDGE JOHN DEED, Saturday 19th December 8.30pm

SUNDAY 20th December

BONDI RESCUE

Reality

At Bondi, some things get lost in translation. Tourists can't read the signs, let alone the conditions; hence lifeguards are brought into play. A woman is found floating face down in the water - when young trainee Max races to her assistance she responds by saying she was just staring at the bottom of the sea. The strange interpretations of how to have fun at the beach continue as people dig giant holes with spades and do Karate in the water. Work in the tower is no less demanding than in the water and when an 11-year-old boy collapses lifeguards struggle to interpret the signs and symptoms of his dramatic black out. 59-year-old lifeguard Harry Nightingale has no illusions about the dangers of Bondi. When two men are swept out in the worst rip of the season, he and Chapo head out on rescue boards. The rip is so strong lifeguards can't make it back to shore so Harry takes the unorthodox step of heading for the rocks. A dangerous move, Chapo doesn't think will pay off.

BONDI RESCUE, Sunday 20th December 7.00pm

MAD MEN

imageDrama

It's the summer vacation season, and many New Yorkers are out of town, including Trudy. Pete, alone at home, is feeling a little restless. His restlessness is cured when he meets Gudrun, an au pair who is working for his neighbours. Pete decides to assist a teary eyed Gudrun with a problem she is having. In doing this favour for Gudrun, Pete expects more than just a little gratitude in return, which causes some problems.

At the Draper's, Betty is buoyed by the help that Henry Francis has provided in at least delaying the reservoir project. Henry admits that he helped for one specific reason.

Don, who is also taking time off from work, is unexpectedly called by Connie Hilton to make a two day site visit to one of his hotels in Rome. Although a work trip, Betty, on Don's invitation, accompanies him on this trip. The two end up having more than just a little fun while in Rome.

Arriving home, Betty realizes that her world is not perfect. But just what aspects of it does she want to change?

MAD MEN, Sunday 20th December 9.30pm

SPORT BOX - 20th December, 10.30am OFF THE ROPES - 20th December, 1.30pm SPEEDMACHINE - 20th December, 2.00pm FISHING NZ - 20th December, 3.00pm

PRIME SPORT SUNDAY

MONDAY 21st December

STARGATE ATLANTIS

Sci Fi Series

McKay and Ronan, each unaware of the other's motive, volunteer to assist Dr. Jennifer Keller with a medical follow-up away from Atlantis. But once in the settlement, a nervous child patient prompts Keller to ask Ronan and McKay to wait for her in the local tavern while she finishes her treatment.

Later, when the pair return, they are surprised to learn that she left sometime ago. An exhaustive search of the village turns up no sign of her. But a set of footprints in the dirt just past the village confirms Ronan's mounting suspicion that Keller has been kidnapped.

Ronan, wasting no time, begins to track her abductor while McKay runs back to the stargate to radio for assistance. But just as he reaches the DHD, four Hunter Wraith come through the gate and fan out in separate directions. Ronan, knowing full well that these wraith exist to chase Runners, suspects there is a connection to Dr. Keller's disappearance. And he knows he must draw on his uncommon skills as a former Runner if he is to save her.

STARGATE ATLANTIS, Monday 21st December 7.30pm

TRUE STORIES: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING BOY

Documentary

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Twelve-year-old Matthew Hosker is a bright and articulate boy but he weighs a staggering twenty-four stone and can't even fit in an aeroplane seat. He won't eat fruit and veg, only meat, endless amounts of bread, potatoes, spaghetti, curry, pizza and crisps.

His doctors say he'll be dead from a heart attack in five years if he doesn't halve his weight. Although physically active, he consumes around 5,000 calories a day and is constantly on painkillers for his aching joints.

He's about to be admitted to Rhodes Farm, a residential unit for childhood eating disorders. For the next year this documentary will observe a life or death struggle to lose the weight, under the supervision of top eating disorder specialist Dr Dee Dawson. Matt will be the biggest child she's ever treated in over fifteen years of interventions. And he'll be living cheek-by-jowl with dozens of young anorexics, offering him a totally different perspective on body image issues and food obsessions.

Watch Matthew shrink as he is forced to change his eating habits and confront the root causes of his obesity, witnessing his struggle with a 1,500 calorie-a-day diet, healthy foods he's never touched before, a gruelling exercise regime and intensive therapy sessions with the other kids and with his mother. The transformation from obesity to normality is both painful and inspiring.

TRUE STORIES: THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING BOY, Monday 21st December 8.30pm

THE LISTENER

Drama

After attending a fatal shooting in Chinatown, Toby finds himself getting emotionally involved with Kim Chu, the blind sister of one of the victims. In an effort to help her find out who killed her brother, Toby discovers a cover-up involving a Chinese crime boss who has been lying to police. As he collects telepathic thoughts and sorts through them, he realizes that Kim's brother was involved in human smuggling and they'll have to act quickly before more lives are lost.

THE LISTENER, Monday 21st December 9.30pm

TUESDAY 22nd December

RIVER COTTAGE CHRISTMAS

Lifestyle

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This year, River Cottage celebrates a family Christmas with everyone getting involved to make this dinner their very best yet.

There's been plenty of healthy competition at River Cottage this year, and Christmas dinner is the toughest test. Hugh challenges his chefs, Gil and Tim, to help transform the reputation of the much maligned Brussels sprout by coming up with new recipes to showcase its potential.

He'll be delving into the River Cottage store-cupboard to find potatoes, onions and parsnips from the autumn harvest to make the perfect trimmings. Meanwhile, master butcher, Ray, helps Hugh find the most tender cuts in the relatively neglected forequarter of beef and joins Richard the gamekeeper to stalk a sika deer for a venison roast.

Everyone at River Cottage is also challenged to take part in Hugh's Secret Santa. Each guest has to make one Christmas gift and it's pot luck who picks out which gift at the dinner table. Dan the baker, Pam the jam, gardener Mark and forager Johnny Mushroom are all plunged into a world of plotting and scheming as curtains are drawn and doors bolted when everyone starts to work on their creations.

RIVER COTTAGE CHRISTMAS, Tuesday 22nd December 7.30pm

LEVERAGE

Drama

When the downtown church of Nate's former priest - and childhood best friend - is about to be razed by a profiteering real estate developer, the Leverage team must steal a miracle in order to save it. But as the story progresses, the question arises as to who exactly is saving whom.

LEVERAGE, Tuesday 22nd December 9.35pm

WEDNESDAY 23rd December

AUSTRALIAN GLADIATORS

Entertainment Series

It's a battle of the gymnasts on Gladiators this week. But will their flexibility and agility help them to evade defeat?

Aerial acrobat Rony, 26, from Queensland and gymnast Ashleigh, 21, from Victoria should have an advantage in the aerial games of Hang Tough and Pendulum. But the female Gladiators will be out to bring them back down to earth.

Will age prove to be an issue for the men when science teacher Phillip, 24, from Queensland takes on 34-year-old business manager Shane from NSW? Both the men have football backgrounds, so will it help them against the hard hits of the Gladiators in the Gauntlet or the big tackles of Powerball.

AUSTRALIAN GLADIATORS, Wednesday 23rd December 7.30pm

CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA

Entertainment Series

In tonight's heat, Miss Universe Australia Rachael Finch, AFL player Ryan O'Keefe and journalist and author, George Negus are going head to head in the MasterChef kitchen.

Round one sees Ryan serve the judges his Fettuccine Bolognese. Rachael serves crispy skin salmon with mango salad and beurre blanc, as well as French crpes with crme p"tissire and strawberry salad. George Negus presents his Oysters Negus and Risotto Bonza.

The winner of this first round gets to pick which of the two Tony Bilson dishes they will all cook in the pressure test. The winner must choose from a Tart of Scallops and Truffles with Sweetbreads, Spinach Puree and Beurre Blanc or a bouillabaisse.

CELEBRITY MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA, Wednesday 23rd December 8.30pm

WIFE SWAP UK

Reality Series

Pampered mum Karen Orchard is a complete stranger to the kitchen, so in the Orchard house, it's dutiful house-husband Jason who not only takes care of all the housework but also cooks the family meals too. At just 24, Jason looks after Karen's every need while she works part time at a weight-loss company. When it comes to her two children, Karen has help there too - Karen's mum and stepdad live in the same house to help care for the kids.

Over in Middlesex things couldn't be more different. Devoted wife Andrea Sinclare is so put upon that she is expected to be waiting on the driveway with refreshments for husband Colin as soon as he arrives home from work. That's just one of Andrea's many duties. She does all the washing, cooking, and cleaning. The standards are so high in the Sinclare household, that even after 20 years of marriage, husband Colin will phone home regularly just to make sure Andrea does it all properly.

How will house-slave Andrea cope with a man taking care of her for a change, and how will domineering husband Colin react when his extreme demands in the house are not met? On the first day of the swap both mums are so shocked by the other's lifestyle that the exchange threatens to deteriorate before it's even started. Despite their differences, the experience results in some very surprising life changes.

WIFE SWAP, Wednesday 23rd December 9.30pm

THURSDAY 24th December

CUSTOMS

Documentary Series

In Bristol, Ann catches three passengers with 87 kilos of tobacco worth nearly 11,000. It's the largest amount officers have seen for years, but the passengers claim it is all for their own consumption. Knowing it's unlikely he'll get to keep the tobacco, the man's temper boils over and he decides to fight Ann all the way. In Cornwall, the officers onboard the Customs Searcher have the power to board any vessel, but when a sailor refuses to let them onto his yacht, the crew board it anyway and swab it for drugs. And in Gatwick, sniffer-dog Rossie picks up the scent of a suspected drug smuggler and a swab gives a massive hit for cocaine.

CUSTOMS, Thursday 24th December 7.30pm

THE ONE TO WATCH

imageTERRY PRATCHETT'S HOGFATHER

Fantasy

From the delightfully twisted mind of best-selling satirist Terry Pratchett, Hogfather weaves together pagan myths, druid worship, winter solstice rites, childhood bogeymen, and holiday spirit delivering a present filled with fanciful dreams and incredible nightmares. It is unlike anything ever imagined hilarious and horrifying, magical and menacing, wicked and witty. Take a wild trip to Discworld, and restore your faith in the power of imagination.

Susan, Death's half-human granddaughter, is taking a holiday in the human realm on Discworld, a landscape literally carried on the backs of giant tortoises. As governess to the young and innocent Gaiter children, Susan can't wait to celebrate Hogswatch, that special time of year when Hogfather delivers presents to the children of Discworld. Then comes the dreadful news that Hogfather has been snatched by the Auditors, the ethereal keepers of logic who vehemently object to the propagation of myths. They will do anything to swing public opinion back to where it logically belongs, even if that means kidnapping someone they don't believe exists. Enlisting the help of Death, Susan embarks on a phantasmagorical rescue mission. But she had better act fast, because if belief in Hogfather fades, the sun will never rise again.

imageMeanwhile, the Auditors have enlisted help as well from professional assassin Lord Downey and the Bad Seed, a master of destruction working closely with a band of lowlifes who've already put a spell on children's teeth in order to rot their faith in the Tooth Fairy. With Hogfather's time running out, Susan leads a hobgoblin's gauntlet of villains, including the sadistic Teatime, Chickenwire and his gang of thieves, the Grim Squeaker, and the Hair Loss Fairy. Death is doing his part by masquerading as Hogfather in a makeshift sleigh pulled by a giant pig, a sight that only manages to appall. Whatever it takes from infiltrating the Castle of Bones to outrunning the snapping blades of the Scissor Man Susan and Death are determined to bring Hogfather back and re-establish faith in Discworld.

Starring David Jason, Marc Warren and Tony Robinson.

TERRY PRATCHETT'S HOGFATHER, Thursday 24th 8.30pm and 25th December 8.35pm

FRIDAY 25th December

MYTHBUSTERS: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Factual

Christmas is traditionally a time for peaceful reflection, and quiet time with family - but not in the Mythbusters workshop. Jamie and Adam consider it their civic duty to put festive myths to the test, and they do so with their usual random mix of enthusiasm and intuition.

Will putting a silver spoon in a champagne bottle keep it fizzy? Can turkeys explode if you cook them too fast? If you step outside after a few too many festive drinks, and relieve yourself in the snow, could it ever be cold enough for your urine stream to freeze? Will lighting a fire actually make your house colder? Which melts faster - a dressed snowman, or an undressed one? If you fall asleep under the eaves of your house, could an icicle fall and kill you?

The Mythbusters come up with answers to all these questions, so that we can all celebrate this Christmas with greater certainty

MYTHBUSTERS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, Friday 25th December 7.40pm

ELVIS: VIVA LAS VEGAS

Entertainment

This documentary examines how the King of Rock-and-Roll reinvented Las Vegas and how it reinvented him. Produced in cooperation with Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc., this programme incorporates rarely seen footage of Elvis performing in Las Vegas, revealing interviews with those closest to him, and special performances from some of today's top recording stars singing Elvis' Vegas classics.