Best of this week's TV.

DANCING WITH THE STARS 

MON, WATCH, 9pm

Hot-shoe stars shine in States

What do Kelly Osbourne, Donny Osmond, Melissa Joan Hart and Macy Gray have in common?

Not very much - until it was announced they were among the 16 celebrities set to appear in the US take on Strictly Come Dancing. Obviously it's not even in the same league as that perennial favourite, but if you have an overwhelming hunger for glitterball action, then it should sate your appetite.

Actually, we're probably being a tad unfair to the show because, if Strictly didn't exist, Dancing with the Stars would probably be wowing millions on Saturday night on the BBC.

It certainly has the same amount of perma-tanned contestants and spangly outfits. And viewers are often left wondering exactly what those taking part did to warrant their celebrity status.

Yes, for every Osbourne or Osmond, there's a Tom DeLay or Michael Irvin (they're a Republican politician and America football player-turned-radio host, by the way).

But that aside, the presence of Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli among the judges does give the show a familiar feel. Now, if Watch could persuade Claudia Winkleman to host a daily spin-off show, it'd really be on to a winner.

RUTH WATSON'S HOTEL RESCUE

WED, CH4, 8pm

The truth for Ruth

She may have left Five's The Hotel Inspector behind her but there's really no stopping Ruth Watson.

After signing a two-year deal with Channel 4, she fronted Country House Rescue for the station, in which she visited various rundown estates on the verge of financial collapse, helping their owners work out a way for them to make money from their properties.

A new run of that will air in early 2010, but now she's returning to her first love - the hotel business.

Ruth and her husband have successfully run several such establishments, which means she's perfectly placed to help others set up their own businesses.

In the first edition, she meets Diana Graham and Steve Fernie, who've lived a comfortable lifestyle thanks to their lucrative music industry careers. But now their children have flown the nest, they're rattling around their large family home and believe they have what it takes to run a B&B.

Cue lots of arguments between the various parties as viewers are left wondering why the homeowners bothered asking for help in the first place if they're not going to listen to advice. No doubt Ruth will be right!

GAMESWIPE WITH CHARLIE BROOKER

TUESDAY, BBC4, 10pm

You didn't really think Charlie Brooker had only one field of expertise?

If so, you should be ashamed of yourself. Okay, so the presenter has cornered the market in caustic television reviews thanks to Screenwipe and Newswipe, wrote the reality show/horror spoof Dead Set and even focused on the small screen for his recent Channel 4 quiz You Have Been Watching, but there's far more than just telly to him.

Back in the days when he was still sharpening his acerbic tongue, Brooker was a magazine-based computer games reviewer. Who better than him to front this one-off special, which takes a look at the inner workings of the computer games industry?

Although it's semiaffectionate in tone, fans of Brooker's previous work needn't worry: their hero will also be his usual sarcastic and cynical self. He's also promised the show will follow the Screenwipe format - and he aims to prove that video games can, like TV, be entertaining as well as ridiculous.

And fans of Brooker's other regular shows needn't worry - Newswipe returns in 2010, and there'll be a Screenwipe special in December.

MOBO AWARDS 2009

WED, BBC3, 9pm

It feels as if barely a week goes by without some trophy-giving shindig or other cropping up on our screens.

Now it's the turn of the Music of Black Origin Awards (that's Mobo, to you and me) to take centre stage - live from Glasgow's SECC, the first time the city has hosted the event.

And it promises to be a poignant evening because there'll be a tribute to Michael Jackson. His brother Jermaine will be in attendance, and will even perform.

Others set to take to the stage include Chipmunk and JLS.

Up for awards will be the likes of Tinchy Stryder, Dizzee Rascal, N-Dubz and Beyonc. Reggie Yates hosts the proceedings.

SCOTLAND'S CLANS

MONDAY, BBC2, 8pm

Presenter Paul Murton is back for a new run of the series that explores the origins of some of the country's most famous family names. So, if you've ever wondered about the heritage of the Armstrongs, Camerons, Douglases, Stewarts, Macleans and Grants, here's a chance to find out. Paul begins by examining the turbulent history of the clans who once lived on Scotland's border with England.

UPGRADE ME MONDAY, BBC4, 9pm

Simon Armitage has tried his hand at almost everything. He's been a probation officer, undertaker's assistant and shelf stacker. These days he's best known for his poetry, but is about to try his hand at a new job - that of TV presenter. Here, Simon tries to work out why we're obsessed with getting our hands on the latest gadgets, whether we really need them or not.

HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED

TUESDAY, CH4, 8pm

If you Gok it, flaunt it

Ah Gok Wan, you're back - not that it felt as if you'd ever really been away.

Not that that is a criticism of the fashion expert. Quite the opposite, in fact, because when it comes to television presenters, Gok must be the hardest working one around.

Barely a minute seems to go by before he's launching a new show, or popping up in a fresh run of an existing format.

It's a case of the latter this week, as the programme that made his name returns.

And you can bet it won't have changed much since the last time it was on.

After all, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

How to Look Good Naked has proved to have a winning formula so far: women who feel bad about their bodies (and, let's face it, that's the vast majority of them) have their egos boosted by arguably the nicest bloke on the box. How could it fail?

Having said that, this series does see Gok tackle something a bit different - he transforms a mother and daughter together for the first time. Both women are worried that their negative views will be passed on to the latter's offspring if they don't change their ways.

Shona Collins, winner of Miss Naked Beauty, also joins the show as a roving reporter. Representing the UK's younger girls, her mission is to promote positive messages about body image to today's teens.

DON'T MISS

ROSS NOBLE'S AUSTRALIAN TRIP

MONDAY, FIVE, 10pm

Noble is Ozsome

Australia, brace yourself - Ross Noble is on his way!

While many comedians are happy to stay at home and earn a lucrative living by doing the rounds of various panel game shows, Ross is a bit different.

He's decided to - quite literally - get on his bike Down Under and explore the vast land. He also finds the time to do an 85-date tour of the country during the four months he's there.

Ross's trusty steed for his journey is a BMW motorbike. "Riding a motorbike is the best way to see a country," he says. But it isn't all plain sailing - instead, he has to watch out for a beast known as a 'road train' that regularly passes by.

"Nothing breaks the silence, until one of those giant trucks comes rumbling past," Ross says.

Bizarrely, it isn't one of these vehicles that almost puts an end to the proceedings before they've even begun - it's an emu. These birds are almost as feisty in real life as one was while attached to Rod Hull's side, and Ross is sideswiped by one. Luckily, he lives to tell jokes another day.

The comedian begins the trip in Brisbane, and continues around the south east coast. Among the places he visits in the opening programme are Surfers Paradise, Silverton, Mildura and Echuca - where he realises that not everywhere in this relatively young country is exactly moving with the times.

BEING ERICA

MONDAY, E4, 10pm

There are many acclaimed actors from Canada - Donald Sutherland, Michael J Fox and Mike Myers, to name but a few.

But how many TV shows can you name? Probably not many. While we're used to seeing American series, their Canadian counterparts are few

and far between.

It seems, however, that is beginning to change. E4 is about to begin this comedy drama which, admittedly, feels like a US programme.

Erin Karpluk (a name that sounds more like a sneeze) plays Erica Strange, who is seeing a counsellor to help her cope with her regrets, little realising he has the power to send her back in time so she can change them.

The opening double-bill sees Erica relive her school days. Then she's torn between her dream of a literary career, or settling for working in her uncle's bridal factory.

Have fate in your future

FLASHFORWARD FRIDAY, FIVE,10pm

Ever wondered whatever happened to pin-up actor Joseph Fiennes? Well, you're about to find out.

Some might say he's far hunkier and more fanciable than his popular serious thesp big brother Ralph - although he seemed destined for a similarly successful film career when he starred in the likes of big box-office hits Shakespeare in Love, Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence, and Enemy at the Gates. But then he seemed to slip completely off our radar - until now.

Like so many British stars before him, Fiennes left our shores to try his hand in Hollywood. He ended up on the small screen in this series based on Robert J Sawyer's science fiction novel of the same name, which focuses on what happens when a mysterious event causes everyone on the planet to blackout for more than two minutes, during which they experience what their lives will be like six months in the future.

Five has snapped up the rights to screen this innovative show on this side of the Pond, so many thanks to them for doing so, because it promises to be be a massive hit; its makers were also behind Lost and, with that set to end next year, they will be hoping FlashForward will fill the gap left by it. After the two-part pilot edition was broadcast in the US, 13 more episodes were immediately commissioned. And what's particularly great is that we're about to see them only days after their US broadcast - so there's little chance of any surprises or cliffhangers being spoiled by those obsessed with getting the lowdown on shows via the internet.

No spoilers here!

Fiennes plays FBI Mark Benford, who wants to find out what caused the blackout and why - particularly as his own 'flashforward' revealed he would succumb to his alcohol addiction.

Benford launches a website to collect the testimonies of other people regarding their visions, while his wife Olivia struggles with her own vision, which has depicted her having an affair.

Benford is determined to change the future, despite the fact that his fate seems sealed.

Alongside Fiennes will be excellent fellow Brit actors Jack Davenport (This Life, Coupling) and Lost's Dominic Monaghan.

I don't begrieve it!

Actor Richard Wilson investigates attitudes towards death in a moving and sometimes funny documentary

TWO FEET IN THE GRAVE

TUESDAY, BBC1, 11.15pm

Whether he likes it or not, Richard Wilson will always be best known for playing Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave.

He's appeared in numerous projects since, including Merlin, Doctor Who and Kingdom, but if he had a pound for every time somebody repeated Victor's catchphrase, "I don't believe it!" to him, he'd be a very, very rich man indeed.

Such an event was even depicted in an episode of Father Ted, in which the cleric approached Richard during a day trip - and got a violent response for his trouble. He's also approached by those who want him to say it in person - he usually obliges, but only if they offer a charity donation first! The last time we saw him on the box, he was traversing the UK's most picturesque roads in classic vehicles for the series Britain's Best Drives.

Now the actor is back on our screens, but for a very different reason: the Greenock-born thespian is about to offer us an insight into death and dying in 21st-century Britain.

Almost 2,000 people die in the UK each day, so it isn't a rare occurrence. And, let's face it, it's going to happen to all of us sooner or later. Nevertheless, many of us are uncomfortable with the subject, and prefer to brush it under the carpet.

But not Richard Wilson. Instead, the 72-year-old wants to know why death can be such a difficult topic.

We don't want to suggest that at his age he's close to meeting his maker, or that he's obsessed with the thought of kicking the bucket, popping his clogs, or other such cliches. It's just that he wants to know more about the experience - and hopes he can introduce a little bit of humour along the way.

He begins by finding out what happens when people are facing death, what happens when they eventually die, and the ways in which grief is dealt with. It's a process that's sure to leave many viewers weeping in empathy - so don't forget to have some hankies ready if you're planning on tuning in.

Then, Richard takes to the streets, to investigate the modern phenomena of roadside memorials. He also ponders 'ghostbikes', a relatively new, but increasingly popular, form of tribute to bikers and cyclists who have been killed.

He also meets some of the members of the public who deal with the dead every day of their working lives while following the process bodies go through before their funeral - beginning with the pathologist to embalmer, undertaker and then crematorium worker.

Finally, memorial photography throughout history is also explored.

This isn't always comfortable viewing, but it should make people think about the difficult choices they face.

CAPTION(S):

GIVE IT SOME STICK... Charlie's angles on gaming BLACK TO REALITY... Awards BUFFY... Gok Wan gets you naked HAVE YOU GOT TWO MINUTES?... Courtney B Vance and Joseph Fiennes MORBID MELDREW... Richard Wilson gets revved up about death