In the 1980s, Keith and Hazel Scrimshaw ran a successful building firm in Britain, so much so that at one stage their accountant advised them to spend some money to offset against the profits they were making. Then, with the recession, they had to borrow. The banks and building society grew nasty and the downward spiral began. Another cautionary tale in the Your Money and Your Life series on Channel 4, Sunday 8 p.m.
The second programme in Riding the Tiger, Channel 4, Sunday 7.30 p.m. contrasts the future prospects of Tony Cooper, a senior civil servant in Hong Kong, who stayed on after the takeover in an office "like a graveyard", with journalism graduate, Matt O'Donoghue, a recent arrival. Holiday: Fasten Your Seatbelt, BBC 1, 7 p.m. Wednesday, looks at another side of Hong Kong as Kevin Woodford tries the job of concierge in the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel, while Toyah Willcox makes an unlikely chalet girl in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier.
Work in Progress RTE 1, Wednesday, 7 p.m., looks at the impact of knowledge and new technology on employment. In the second of this four-part series, David McConnell of Trinity College says be believes that the universities are putting their best brains to work rather than staying in the Groves of Academe.
Martin Carroll, a senior diver with the Irish Naval Service, features in the second documentary in the Glaoch na Mara series about those who earn their living from the sea, TnaG, Wednesday, 9.30 p.m.
World In Action, on Monday, UTV, 8 p.m., reveals the results of a survey on overcharging to account holders by British banks and building societies. On the same station on Wednesday, 8 p.m., The Cook Report Special, focuses on the fine art and antiques business. No better man than the intrepid Roger Cook to uncover the scams as he tries to find out if his Lowry is the real thing.
