What’s hot on TV by Tony Spittles

That’s when ITV1 goes back in time more than 300 years to London in the summer of 1666 for a dramatic retelling of ‘The Great Fire.’

As many quiz fans will know, the blaze started in the Pudding Lane bakery of Thomas Farriner (slaving away over the ovens is Andrew Buchan from ‘Broadchurch’ and ‘Garrow’s Law’) and spread quickly, razing large parts of the capital with nearly 80,000 people made homeless.

The four-day inferno unfolds over the next four weeks, revisting how it affected ordinary folk mirrored against the extravagancies of the court of King Charles II (Jack Huston from ‘American Hustle’ and ‘Boardwalk Empire’) and his queen, Catherine of Braganza (Sonya Cassidy).

Writer Tom Bradby uses his insights as ITN’s political editor to give this must-see series a human and political/ thriller dimension. This is complimented by the producers adding to the realistic feel by ditching the easy, computer generated imagery of Hollywood movies to fall back on old-fashioned pyrotechnics and special effects as they used a set the size of two football pitches to recreate the fire as London -- described by the king’s confidante and diarist Samuel Pepys (played by Daniel Mays from ‘Mrs Biggs’ and ‘Treasure Island’) as “the best and fairest city in the world” -- was reduced to ruin and ashes.

More heat’s already been generated and served up on BBC2 for the past two Mondays in its domestic reality series ‘The Kitchen,’ which some critics have dubbed “Gogglebox with food” as it hones in on eight very different families and what they cook and eat.

The series includes such delicacies as spag-bol from three jars and a pheasant curry prepared from scratch, a silly, hat-wearing mother and some selfish and rude children who you wish were your own -- if only for five minutes.

If awards were being given out, Devon pensioner Marylyn should get a long-service medal for 50 years of cooking meat pies for husband Wilf, while the Mitchell-Cotts from Suffolk, who don’t mind an occasional roadkill repast, should be recognised for coming up with imaginative ways to rustle up meals for a family of eight on a very tight budget, as well naming their six children after plants. Forget Daisy and Poppy, the youngsters are Celandine (18), Tamarisk (15), Campion (14), 11-year-old twins Rowan and Valerian, and Samphire, eight -- names I don’t think will be sported by youngsters in Chad’s Cute Kids’ competition line-up.

The winner of that contest has yet to be decided, but that was not the case for retired GP surgery manager Nancy Birtwhistle who sieved and sliced her way to victory in the final of ‘The Great British Bake Off,’ which was watched by more 13 million viewers, beating figures for ‘The X Factor’ and ‘Strictly Come Dancing.’

Those who picked Nancy from the outset will no doubt be studying form anew as the 10th series of ‘The Apprentice’ continues tonight on BBC1 as 20 candidates, instead of the usual 12, try to impress Lord Sugar and his trusty aides, Nick Hewer and Karren Brady, and claim the boardroom booty of £250,000. The series continues in its regular Wednesday slot for the 10 weeks so there will be plenty of chances to hear “You’re fired” before the final, pre-Christmas shout of “You’re hired.”