Telly Today: From the songs of Humpback whales to the songs of Gary Barlow

Telly Today highlights for Sunday, December 6th.

A Time of Activation

In September, seasonal swings activate change across the natural world. The heat rises in Southern Africa as the dry season deepens.

A hungry lion pride attacks animals desperate for water and stressed hippos are forced into ever-decreasing pools. The coming of early rains encourages new life in the Kalahari as meerkat pups emerge from their dens, and new love in the rainforests of Colombia where a single Golden Dart Frog sings a serenade to entice a mate.

As the rice harvest unfolds across southwest China the arrival of Spring in Eastern Australia ignites the passions of boxing Kangaroos. The September Equinox marks the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The Caribou of north Canada run to escape the coming winter, dodging hungry wolves as they migrate.

While the warming tropical seas around Tonga are filled with the songs of Humpback whales looking for love instigating fierce competition between male titans on a ‘heat run’.

A Wild Year on Earth, Sky Nature, 8pm

Plastic modular bricks

Channel 5 run through some of the must-have toys that once dominated Britain’s festive gift list.

From Furbies to Teletubbies, Lego to Buzz Lightyears and the Rubik’s Cube in between, this is the story of mile-long queues outside toy shops, and the joy-filled sitting room on Christmas morning thanks to Santa bringing you exactly what you wanted.

Through archive clips and interviews with the creators, as well as the mega fans who collected them, the countdown reveals how toy makers harnessed Christmas magic year after year to make dreams come true.

The Toys That Made Christmas, Channel 5, 7pm

Take This

Gary Barlow hosts an hour of musical fun from the Natural History Museum in London.

Barlow’s Night At The Museum will see the hitmaker performing both new music, from his latest album ‘Music Played By Humans’, and some of his greatest hits accompanied by an orchestra in the splendid setting of London’s iconic Natural History Museum.

Gary will be joined through the night by a range of special guests including global superstar and friend Michael Bublé, Jack Whitehall, Jason Donovan, Ronan Keating, Alesha Dixon, Alfie Boe, Beverly Knight and Sebastian Yatra.

Gary Barlow’s Night at the Museum, ITV, STV and UTV, 9pm

Cooking with Four

Jamie Oliver and his family invite viewers to get into the Christmas spirit as they prepare for their own family celebrations, offering us a helpful guide to the whole festive season.

From creating edible presents for those who we can’t meet in person and ideas for a gorgeous Christmas dinner with our more immediate family to ways of reinventing leftovers, Jamie has loads of handy hints and tips for a bespoke Christmas 2020 as we navigate such unprecedented times.

Tonight Jamie looks at ways to make cracking Christmas gifts to share with our loved ones and later Jamie and the children also create the ultimate yule log for their grandparents.

Jamie: Keep Cooking at Christmas, Channel 4, 8pm