The Great British Menu

(BBC2, 7.30pm)

ALTHOUGH you wouldn't know it from the amount of food-related shows on our screens, Britain hasn't always been closely associated with fine dining. In fact, there was a time when some countries treated our cuisine as a punchline.

Now though, British cooking is respected and even revered around the world - and The Great British Menu is giving chefs a chance to show just how far we've come.

The show began 10 years ago, when professional chefs competed for the chance to cook a course for a banquet in honour of the Queen's 80th birthday. Since then, the competitors have gone on to create dishes fit for producers of British food, Olympians, Comic Relief supporters and D-Day veterans.

In 2015, The Great British Menu celebrated the centenary of the Women's Institute, which inspired some of the most memorable dishes to date - including Michael O'Hare's Emancipation, essentially a modern take on fish and chips, covered with black squid ink powder. (Sadly his main, the winningly named My Mum is Single and Looking for a Well-Dressed Man, didn't make it into the final meal).

Now in 2016, the Palace of Westminster is opening its doors for the first televised banquet to be held in the historic House of Commons Members' Dining Room.

The dinner is in honour of the Queen's 'Great Britons', the ordinary people who have been recognised over the years for their extraordinary achievements in different walks of life.

The chefs have been asked to create dishes that are not only fit for these very special guests, but can also be a fitting legacy for a modern Elizabethan age and reflect the transformation of British food during the Queen's reign.

That may seem like a lot to ask from a fish course, but the class of 2016 are up to the challenge. Judge Prue Leith says: "The chefs are competing to cook for people who have gone above and beyond to help others or to help their country, and I think these Great Britons really inspired them.

"British cuisine has changed so much in my lifetime and also in the lifetime of the competition, and in this year's competition the chefs never cease to astonish us by creating the most beautiful food."

Her fellow judge Matthew Fort agrees, saying: "In the competition this year, we see some of the finest food we have ever seen. It is modern, original and delicious. The future of British food is secure; the future of British food is exciting."

And we won't even have to wait for the final to be wowed - one of the regional heats sees a newcomer achieving the highest mark in the series' history.

The contest begins with Michael Bremner, Adam Handling and Ally McGrath representing Scotland. They are all new to The Great British Menu, but there will be plenty of familiar faces cropping up during the run, including Angela Hartnett, Simon Rogan and the aforementioned Michael O'Hare, who are back to judge the new chefs.

All Aboard! The Country Bus

(BBC4, 8pm)

THE channel that previously brought us All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride and The Canal Trip is now taking another excursion into 'slow TV' with The Bus Ride, which guides viewers on a journey along one of the most spectacular and beautiful bus routes in Britain. A bus rigged with special cameras will make its way through the Yorkshire Dales, starting out in Richmond and eventually descending towards the striking 24-arch Ribblehead viaduct, one of the great engineering achievements of the 19th Century.

The Coopers vs The Rest

(BBC2, regions vary)

THIS latest comedy which forms part of the BBC Landmark Sitcom Season is written by award-winning writer (and adoptee) Andy Wolton. It follows Tess (Tanya Franks) who was determined to adopt as many kids as she could and save them from the sort of childhood she had. So along with her husband Toby (Paterson Joseph), she now divides just about enough money and nowhere near enough time between their three adopted children, Frankie (Erin Kellyman), Alisha (India Brown) and Charlie (Joseph West). In tonight's pilot, Tess tries to improve Charlie's popularity by gate-crashing his classmate's eighth birthday party, while back at home, Toby has to deal with Alisha's sudden interest in religion.