January on BBC – BBC highlights for the month of January include Silent Witness, Call the Midwife, The Jonathan Ross Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Doc Martin, Attenborough month, Steve and Aneeshwar Go Wild and Supertato.
Silent Witness – Series 27
Australian Premiere – Express From UK
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11am from January 9, Encore Wednesdays 7.30pm
Also available on Binge and On Demand
Starring: Emilia Fox, David Caves & Alastair Michael
10 x 60’
The multi-award-winning crime drama returns with five more gripping stories for the team of scientists to solve.
Led by pathologist Dr Nikki Alexander and forensic scientist Jack Hodgson, no case is ever the same for the investigators. A serial killer resurfaces, death stalks a campus, a mummified woman rocks a community, bodies are found entombed underground and deep fakes obscure the truth. As the team use their expertise to unlock the mysterious deaths and help police solve some of their most chilling cases, they are tested to their very limits.
Call the Midwife – Series 13
Australian Premiere – Express From UK
Mondays at 10am from January 8, Encore 7.30pm January
Also available on Binge and On Demand
Starring: Joyce Highland & Rosalind Clifford
8 x 60′
The midwives of Nonnatus House continue to face complex medical and personal dilemmas as the multi-award-winning drama returns for a thirteenth series.
It’s 1969 and more babies than ever are being born in hospital. Pressure on maternity beds remains extremely high across the country. However, Poplar is coping better than most due to the popularity of home births under the auspices of the Sisters. And a new midwife-training scheme sees Nonnatus House welcome a host of new midwives. The recruits face social problems arising from the docks, concerns among the Nigerian and Sylheti communities and health challenges from cerebral palsy, tetanus and TB.
Cast this series include Matthew Aylward, Trixie Franklin, Jenny Agutter, Linda Bassett, Rebecca Gethings, Georgie Glen, Judy Parfitt and Laura Main.
The Jonathan Ross Show – Series 20
Australian Premiere
Wednesdays at 9.30pm from January 17
7 x 60′
The heavyweight of comedy chat, Jonathan Ross, gets up close and personal with A-list stars in this no-holds-barred talk show. For over two decades Jonathan has been a giant of the television landscape, winning massive audiences for every show with his celebrity guests, live music and trademark humour. From the light entertainment shows that made him a household name, to film reviews, comedy panel shows and hosting awards ceremonies, Jonathan Ross is showbiz. His charming style means he gets far more from his guests than any other interviewer, as stars spill their secrets. Must-watch TV has never been so much fun.
Guests this series include Russell Crowe, John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Liam Neeson, Bella Ramsey, Niall Horan and Jeff Goldblum.
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown – Series 15 (New Episodes)
Australian Premiere
Wednesdays at 8.30pm from January 24
10 x 45′
8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown follows the format of Countdown, with its compulsive play along factor as a familiar spine, but is packed with comic appearances and content that viewers wouldn’t ever see on regular Countdown: the show’s opening when Jimmy Carr affectionately roasts all the participants, a comic discussion of the players’ preparation and funny mascots for the show, visual gags while the Countdown clock runs down, and comics showcasing funny items in Dictionary Corner.
The show is hosted by Jimmy Carr, with team captains Jon Richardson and Sean Lock. The series also features Rachel Riley and Susie Dent on maths and dictionary duty respectively.
Guests include Lee Mack, Alan Carr, Josh Widdicombe, Rhod Gilbert, Sara Pascoe and Catherine Tate.
Doc Martin – Series 10
UKTV Premiere
Mondays at 8.30pm from January 29
Starring:Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz & Dame Eileen Atkins
8 x 45′
Martin Clunes returns to Cornwall to play the nation’s favourite grumpy medic for the last time in the final series of the hugely successful Doc Martin. He stars as Dr. Martin Ellingham, the GP with a brusque bedside manner and a phobia of blood, in eight new episodes of the popular drama set in the idyllic hamlet of Portwenn in Cornwall.
At the end of the last series the Doc decided, after having his medical career scrutinised by the General Medical Council because of his blood phobia, that he would resign from being Portwenn’s GP.
This final series sees the Doc making efforts to overcome his phobia, and beginning to question whether he made the right decision about resigning. He and Louisa have also welcomed a baby daughter, Mary Elizabeth, a sister for four-year-old James Henry.
With Louisa pursuing her new career as a child counsellor in his old surgery, the Doc is left literally holding the baby, and indulging his hobby of repairing clocks on the kitchen table. But does he really want his old job back?
Attenborough Month
Daily at 7.30pm from January 1
This January join BBC Earth for a month-long stunt that celebrates iconic naturalist and broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough. BBC Earth will take audiences on an awe-inspiring journey through the world’s most captivating ecosystems, showcasing a number of David Attenborough’s most remarkable series.
Throughout January, viewers will have the opportunity to delve into the mesmerising beauty and diversity of our planet’s wildlife, as Attenborough guides them through each breathtaking adventure. From the depths of the ocean to the vastness of the savannahs, this stunt offers an opportunity to witness the wonders of nature from the comfort of your own home.
Series include The Green Planet, Planet Earth, Planet Earth II, A Perfect Planet, Frozen Planet, Life Story, Blue Planet II, The Mating Game plus more.
Steve & Aneeshwar Go Wild
Australian Premiere
Mondays at 8.30am from January 22
Presented by: Steve Backshall
20 x 7′
Steve Backshall and young conservationist Aneeshwar Kunchala visit zoos and safari parks to meet amazing animals with wild connections.
Aneeshwar won over judges on Britain’s Got Talent after sharing his passion for the natural world. Now he’s teamed up with presenter Steve Backshall to meet a host of incredible animals. Together they come face to face with the world’s biggest land animal, the largest rodent, a very noisy bird and some underwater marvels to discover how even the most unusual animals are connected. As the animal-loving pair meet these wonderfully exotic animals, the series helps children see the wonders of our natural world and make connections with the wildlife in their own local parks and gardens.
Supertato – Series 1 (New Episodes)
Australian Premiere
Weekdays at 7.50am from January 8
7 x 7′
Good battles against evil among the aisles of a local supermarket in this slapstick comedy animation series featuring the world’s greatest potato superhero.
The supermarket may be closed but everything is far from quiet. Evil Pea has escaped her icy lair in the freezer and is determined to take over the store forever. Based on the bestselling books by Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, this brand-new action-packed animation series follows the adventures of Supertato as he and his fruit and vegetable pals do everything they can to try and stop Evil Pea.
Each episode brings new challenges and hilarious silliness – from riding an out-of-control toy dinosaur to building a baguette rocket to visiting the stinky cheese moon in the deli aisle. But will our superhero be able to protect his friends and return Evil Pea to the freezer where she belongs?
See more TV Central BBC stories HERE
BBC programming info can be viewed HERE
January on BBC
All our channel content is available on Foxtel and Fetch.
About BBC
BBC First, BBC Earth, UKTV, CBeebies, BBC World News, BBC Kids and BBC Brit are channels owned by BBC Studios featuring our content. Selected channels are available through a Foxtel, Fetch or Binge subscription.