Paul Merton reveals the mysteries of China to British viewers in this new four-part travel documentary series. He will be casting a wryly observant eye on the new cultural revolution taking place in China as he explores a country that is home to one in four human beings on the planet and has the fastest growing economy in the world. Each episode will see Merton giving his unique take on this vast country that is still associated in people’s minds with Chairman Mao and The Great Wall.

This week Paul arrives in Shanghai, China’s most dynamic and moneyed city. He has dinner with powerful socialites and visits a park where hundreds of parents gather to find a match for their sons or daughters. Being a wealthy westerner, it’s not long before Paul attracts quite a lot of interest.

Monday 11th June, Channel Five

Paul Merton reveals the mysteries of China to British viewers in this new four-part travel documentary series. He will be casting a wryly observant eye on the new cultural revolution taking place in China as he explores a country that is home to one in four human beings on the planet and has the fastest growing economy in the world. Each episode will see Merton giving his unique take on this vast country that is still associated in people’s minds with Chairman Mao and The Great Wall. Read more & comment »

Comedian Paul Merton ventures into the unknown as he embarks upon a six-week tour of China for Five. Paul’s trip will take in the major cities of China, as well some of the most breathtaking countryside and remote backwaters that this vast country has to offer. In his own inimitable style, Paul will attempt to unravel the deep mysteries and baffling contradictions of this ancient country.

In the taxi from Beijing airport, Paul explains his long-standing desire to visit the world’s next superpower: “With the Olympic Games coming up, this is a really good, exciting time to come,” he says. A challenge soon presents itself, however, when Paul realises that his driver has no idea as to the location of his hotel. “I have a sneaking suspicion my driver only arrived in Beijing ten minutes before I did,” he says.

After eventually finding his hotel, Paul kicks off his trip with a visit to a night market – where he is confronted with an array of unidentifiable food. Later, in a speciality restaurant, he is called upon to sample a particular part of a male donkey that he would rather leave alone. Read more & comment »

This eye-opening documentary follows five different families with one thing in common – all of them have more than ten children. Over the course of the documentary, we find out why each family chose to keep having children, and how they coped with the often bizarre living arrangements. We also get to grips with why some families who already have 12 children, are determined to have more, despite contrary medical advice and problems with conception. We are also made acutely aware of the trauma and financial difficulties experienced when one of the families is suddenly left without a father.

Pete and Tracy from Bournemouth have been married for 23 years and have 13 children. Although they wouldn’t change their situation for the world, Pete admits that it is “a total financial nightmare” involving relentless forward planning. It is also hard to grab a peaceful moment, says Charles, the couple’s only son. “It does get really loud,” he says cheerfully. To keep the household running smoothly, Tracy spends at least 40 hours a week doing housework. “We’re like the manager and manageress of a hotel,” she grins. Read more & comment »

This series of observational documentaries explores a variety of complex medical conditions and treatments at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital. Cameras follow 13 children and their families as doctors diagnose and treat their conditions using cutting-edge techniques. In this programme, we meet seven-year-old Kyle, who has an extremely rare immunodeficiency disease, and 17-year-old Leanne, who suffers from pulmonary hypertension.

Young Kyle’s condition, CD40 ligand deficiency, is found in only one in a million male births. It makes him highly susceptible to infection, and his lungs and liver have already been damaged. But Great Ormond Street now offers the hope of a cure, in the form of a bone-marrow transplant. A matching volunteer donor has been found and hopes are high, but there is no getting away from the fact that this will be a risky procedure. “We’ve given him a 50% chance of success, which is not good,” admits consultant Paul Veys. Read more & comment »

This new series of observational documentaries explores a variety of rare and complex medical conditions and pioneering treatments at one of the most famous children’s hospitals in the world –

London’s Great Ormond Street. Filmed over eight months, the series follows 12 children and their families at home and in the hospital, as doctors diagnose and treat their conditions using cutting edge techniques. In this programme, we follow six year-old Alex, who has a bone disease so rare only 200 cases have ever been recorded, and 11 yearold Matthew, who has flown in from New York for life-saving heart surgery. Read more & comment »

Gaby Logan is all set to present Channel Five’s newest reality Tv show which will follow 18 pregnant mums in the run up to their births.

The show will have live footage of natural labours, and will include testimonies from celebrity mums such as Meera Syal and Nancy Sorrell, wife of comedian Vic Reeves.

The show will be filmed at the maternity unit of Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham. Footage of a new caesarean section technique will also be screened, along with what has been called a “comprehensive” guide to childbirth.

“Some of us have very big reservations about this. If they really want to show the wonder of birth, why don’t they film it and then transmit it once they know everything has gone well and mother and baby are fine?” a senior member of staff at the hospital said.

“Childbirth isn’t always that simple and things can go wrong. Imagine if there was some disastrous complication, live on TV, where perhaps the mother or the baby was in serious danger.”