Friday 9pm, BBC Two Ask any farmer what their biggest enemy is, and they might say the foxes that feed on their chickens, but there’s a good chance they’ll mention the threat of bovine TB, apparently spread by badgers . However, Queen lead guitarist Brian May has long been a critic of the practice of culling the badger population in the UK. He believes the animals are scapegoated and killed needlessly, and has sponsored a research programme into the causes of the disease.
This one-off documentary follows May as he takes his case to sceptical farmers, hoping to persuade enough of them to back his radical plans to stop the cull. 8pm, BBC Two Monty Don makes a start on adding some foxtail lilies to his borders. The winter salads he sowed last month are also ready to plant out, and in the greenhouse, there’s the conundrum around what to do about fuchsia gall mite.
Rachel de Thame, meanwhile, delves into the extraordinary world of bees. 8pm, BBC Four As part of the Proms 2024 season (it was recorded last Friday), Gemma New conducts the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the National Youth Choir of Scotland’s Chamber Choir in Bonis’s “Salomé”, followed by Mozart’s “Clarinet Concerto”, featuring American clarinettist Anthony McGill. The Prom culminates in a semi-staged performance of Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
9pm, ITV1 The final furlong for this somewhat absorbing docuseries about National Hunt jump racing. After his success in the Gra.