ABC2's blog

8:30pm – Wednesday, August 10 on ABC2

Andy Tedder is 32 and has Treacher Collins, a genetic condition that he was born with. At some point in the womb his facial development stopped. He was born with a receded jaw, no cheekbones, no nose, a cleft palete and no ears.

Because of his condition, Andy underwent numerous surgical procedures as a youngster. The nature of his condition lead doctors to warn Andy’s mother that he might never speak, but she was determined that he would and made huge efforts, spending hours doing speech therapy at home.

Andy stopped having surgical procedures in his early teens and is happy with the way he looks. “There’s a couple of ops I could have that would be purely cosmetic, but I don’t think the disturbance is worth the outcome” he says.

Elicia Davies, 23, is the reigning Miss Manchester and works as a freelance makeup artist and is currently doing agency work in Selfridges. She describes herself as being, “very vain” and spends approximately �300 a month on cosmetics and products. She has a degree in drama from Manchester Met and wants to be an actress.

Her beauty regime includes hair extensions, fake eyelashes and fake tan, all of which take about an hour, but getting ready for a big night out will take her at least 4 or 5 hours.

6:05pm – Wednesday, August 10 on ABC2

Wednesday,10 August 2011 Created by Chapman Entertainment (Roary the Racing Car) and narrated by BAFTA award-winning actor James Cordon (Gavin And Stacey), the loveable series, Little Charley Bear, is back for a repeat screening on ABC 4 Kids.

The animated series features a creative and playful teddy bear called Charley, who, under the watchful eye of his friend the Narrator, uses his imagination and role play to go on adventures to discover new things about himself and the world around him.

Joining Charley on his adventures are Frozo a penguin, Midge a teddy bear, Rivet a robot, Nibbit a rabbit, Caramel a cow and Bellarina a ballerina.

Episode 1: Teddy For Blast Off – Wednesday, August 10 at 6.05pm on ABC 4 Kids Charley doesn’t want to go to bed just yet; he wants to go to the moon first! So he blasts off in his rocket and lands on the moon. There he meets a friendly alien who wants to play moon ball. It’s fun but seeing the Earth in the sky reminds Charley that he should get back to Earth and go to bed.

10:20pm – Tuesday, August 9 on ABC2

Imagine being young, beautiful and the future of the world.

Those are the kids who go to Valemont University – an exclusive, historic and secretive college in rural Massachusetts.

All of the students are special in some way but at Valemont nothing is quite as it seems…

When Valemont student Eric Gracen (Eric Balfour) is found murdered his sister Sophie (Kristen Hager) is determined to discover the truth behind his death.

Sophie finds out that her brother was burned alive, and travels to the morgue where she sees her brother’s burnt, black body covered in ashes. She steals his mobile phone and flees to her brother’s old school, Valemont University.

Going undercover as a student she sets about unravelling the school’s dark secrets from within.

Taking the identity of Sophie Fields (a student who turned down her acceptance to Valemont University due to pregnancy) so her real identity won’t be discovered, she delves deeper into the mystery of her brother’s disappearance.

Sophie meets her roommate, ebullient Poppy (Nikki Blonsky); dark, sinister Sebastian (Dillon Casey); and the crusading Gabriel (Tyler Hynes).

Each episode begins with a video clip or text message from Eric’s mobile phone, which Sophie stole at the morgue.

9:30pm – Monday, August 8 on ABC2

As the brutal but brilliant third season of Deadwood draws to a close this deliciously profane and blood soaked slice of the wild west continues to thrill.

This has not been a TV series for the faint hearted as frequent coarse language abounds – as does nudity and gore.

Tonight, there’s a pre-dawn meeting at the hardware store and Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) heads over to find out what’s happening when he runs into newspaper man Merrick (Jeffrey Jones) who shows Al his article about Mrs Ellsworth’s (Molly Parker) shooting.

They are interrupted with news trumpeting the arrival of 25 guns for hire.

En route to the hardware store Al picks up Langrishe (Brian Cox) and E. B.

Farnum (William Sanderson) demanding to know what’s going on.

Meanwhile, in his tent on Alma’s claim, Ellsworth (Jim Beaver) ponders the impact of his visits to the camp when he is shot dead by one of the Pinkertons.

Later, a Cornishman drives his wagon bearing Ellsworth’s body through the thoroughfare, as George Hearst (Gerald McRaney) and Swearengen observe the unfolding drama from their vantage points.

When Trixie (Paula Malcomson) sees Ellsworth’s body she reacts. Heading to the Grand Central, her hand on her derringer, she bares her breasts as she enters and marches up to Hearst’s door, exposing her privates as he answers her knock. Hearst is caught off guard and in that split second she shoots him – aiming for his heart but hitting his shoulder.

7:30pm – Monday, August 8 on ABC2

Armed with their skinny secrets, Gizzi Erskine, Harry Eastwood, Sal Henley and Sophie Michell are helping disillusioned dieter and single mum, Jill Kenton, to drop a dress size in six weeks without giving up her favourite foods. Jill hates her stomach.

She can’t resist take-away Chow Mein, hamburgers and calorie-loaded shop-bought desserts. Can the girls come up with tasty skinny versions.

On the menu tonight a skinny chicken stir-fry, a spicy burger, mouth-watering lamb and squash tagine and a wickedly tempting lemon meringue mess.

They also show how to shop wisely when you’re suffering from a snack attack. Plus, a dietary supplement goes on trial – miracle cure, or just a big fat fib?

8:30pm – Sunday, August 7 on ABC2

Sunday,7 August 2011 No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo And Vilmos follows the lives of renowned cinematographers Laszlo Kov�cs and Vilmos Zsigmond from their escape of the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary to the present day.

As film students in Hungary, Laszlo and Vilmos took to the war-torn streets of Budapest to shoot footage of the Russian invasion, and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, the two friends fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera.

Told through interviews with Laszlo (who died in 2007) and Vilmos, as well as directors such as Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, John Boorman, Graeme Clifford, Richard Donner, William Richert, Mark Rydell, composer John Williams and actors such as Jon Voight, Peter Fonda, Sandra Bullock, Karen Black, Dennis Hopper and Sharon Stone, No Subtitles Necessary is an intimate portrait of two giants of modern image making and a deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary. Two heroes. One road.

7:30pm – Sunday, August 7 on ABC2

Nearing the end of his project in the Hertfordshire housing estate of South Oxhey, choirmaster Gareth Malone sets out on a grand venture to get the whole community behind his choral project.

He decides he wants to stage a free choral festival at South Oxhey playing fields; a large green space normally used for football and dog-walking, and embarks on putting together the largest event this area has seen for half a century. With the help of local residents, the new South Oxhey Festival gradually begins to take shape.

Gareth draws together every strand of his singing project to form a grand choir, of unprecedented size, which will sing together at the Festival for the first time.

But will South Oxhey’s residents take their community choir to their hearts?

8:30pm – Saturday, August 6 on ABC2

Saturday,6 August 2011 James McKay, a seaman from Baltimore, comes to the far west community of San Rafael to marry Pat Terrill, the pampered daughter of Major Henry Terrill. Both Major Terrill and his arch enemy, Rufus Hannassey, want a piece of land called the Big Muddy for its water. Julie Maragon, local schoolteacher and Pat’s best friend, owns Big Muddy and refuses to sell it to either of the rivals.

McKay’s genteel manner and eastern clothes mark him as a dude, earning him the contempt of Steve Leech, the Major’s ranch foreman. Steve is also bitter because of his love for Pat. But McKay’s peaceful philosophy draws everyone’s contempt, including Pat’s. McKay is ridiculed for not seeking revenge on Buck Hannassey, who drunkenly attacked him and Pat.

McKay develops an interest in Julie, and she agrees to sell the Big Muddy to him. As a result, Pat has a final argument with McKay. Leech fights McKay, but learns to respect his strength and toughness.

Directed by William Wyler, The Big Country stars Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston and Carroll Baker.

7:00pm – Saturday, August 6 on ABC2

Alpha male Tarak is weakened by hunger so his position as king of the Galta monkey troop is precarious, and the devious Zamir plots to overthrow him.

If the troop doesn’t find food soon, alpha female Rani will be forced to abandon her nursing baby Esha in order to save herself.

But a devout Hindu bearing bags of fruit and treats appears and the desperate monkeys enjoy a feast fit for royalty.

9:30pm – Friday, August 5 on ABC2

Being a superhero has never been so painful – welcome to Misfits where the irreverent humour is bigger, bolder and brasher than ever.

Full of killer lines and gruesome scenes, Misfits, the critically-acclaimed Bafta award-winning series, is in a class of its own.

In this new series the gang are still on community service and still trying to adapt to their new lives: Nathan (Robert Sheehan) has found out he is immortal; Kelly’s (Lauren Socha) still secretly in love with Nathan; Curtis (Nathan Stewart Jarrett) and Alisha (Antonia Thomas) still can’t touch each other due to Alisha’s magnetic, sexually charged super power; And Simon (Iwan Rheon) is….Simon.

Meanwhile, there is a new, mysterious, masked figure watching over them from afar.

Tonight, Nathan’s brother Jamie (Sam Keeley) shows up at the community centre but Nathan didn’t even know he had a brother. They discover that they at least have one thing in common – neither of them can get on with their dad, Mike (Dexter Fletcher).

Discussing parental responsibilities (in between chatting up the barmaid over a pint), Jamie confesses he’s got Mike locked in the boot of his car. But when the car goes missing and the pair find an abandoned car on fire they fear the worst. Eventually they set Mike free just as the cops arrive.

Meanwhile, it’s decided all their problems can be solved by getting really drunk but the gang’s super powers go into sensory overload after popping one pill too many at a local rave party.