Lenny Henry makes emotional admission to Alison Hammond in her BBC1 show airing tonight

He acts, writes, campaigns, tells jokes and - in this episode - belts out a song in a Dudley tavern… Sir Lenny Henry is the latest celeb to spend a big weekend with Alison (Alison Hammond's Big Weekend, June 13, BBC1, 8.30pm), and they get on like a house on fire. They start by eating Jamaican ‘Saturday Soup’ in a London restaurant, comparing their mums’ cooking. Lenny discusses meeting the Queen when he got his knighthood and what his 39 years of Comic Relief work means to him.

The pair then head to Dudley, with Lenny making an emotional admission on route that he had grief counselling after his mother Winnie died, devastated that he’d been away on tour in Australia when she died.

Standing outside his childhood home, Lenny regales Alison with tales of his formidable mother, who according to Lenny could throw a man through a brick wall, as well as his father’s prolific vegetable gardening. Lenny reveals how he used to sneak into his neighbour’s basement through a drain - so it’s a bit of a shock when that very same neighbour appears to say hello.

Lenny also talks about discovering that his biological father was someone other than the man who raised him - with Alison sharing her own experience of being the result of an affair. And at The Lamp Tavern in Dudley, one of Lenny’s old haunts, he recounts having his first rum punch at age eight before picking up a mic and singing his favourite blues song for the crowd. Of course, Alison joins in. She says: “Lenny is incredible and such an inspiration, I adore him.”

*Alison Hammond's Big Weekend continues on BBC1 tonight at 8.30pm

This gag-reel comedy, starring co-writer Lee Mack, is clearly not going anywhere as it returns for the first of new new series - clocking up over 100 episodes. First going out in 2006, it has followed the ups and downs for Lee (Mack) and his now-wife Lucy (Sally Bretton) as they got together and had three kids.

Studio sitcoms in front of an audience are a rare beast these days, and not to everyone’s taste, but with a barrage of one-liners from Mack, it’s near impossible not to get sucked in. “It’s risky to make a studio sitcom,” he says. “You’re basically saying, ‘I’m really trying to make you laugh’. I try to write a joke in every line.”

Series 14 rolls the story on several years, with the couple now empty nesters and moving house. With plenty of time to focus on each other, what could possibly go wrong? Over the series, watch out for more farce, mistaken identities and tension over everything from a robotic sex doll to a dilapidated campervan.

The latest celebrity to do an insane charity challenge, podcast host and TV personality Sam Thompson has taken on a mammoth 260-mile endurance challenge. The goal was to deliver the Soccer Aid for UNICEF match ball from last year’s stadiu, Stamford Bridge in London, to the home of this year’s match, Old Trafford in Manchester - visiting iconic football stadiums along the way.

His challenge involves five back-to-back endurance days, running five marathons and cycling over 130 miles, with each day more intense than the last. Sam says: “I’m not a natural runner or a cyclist. Before my training started, I didn’t run at all, let alone long distance. I also hadn’t cycled since I was 10 years old, so I knew this was going to be such a tough and difficult challenge for me. Ahead of the Soccer Aid kick off this Sunday, watch this film which follows all the ups and downs, highs and lows of this emotional and exhausting challenge.

Joe is quick to suggest that Billy might be responsible for Clemmie’s missing phone. Paddy is still furious with his dad, but Mandy encourages him to get over it so that Bear doesn’t feel unwelcome in their home. Tracy panics that she’s going to be in the frame for Nate’s murder. She’s convinced that Cain planted Nate’s phone in the playhouse. “I’ve got to get to the bottom of this or the police are going to charge me for murder,” she says.

Kat’s decision to call off the wedding leaves Alfie devastated and angry. Elaine, Yolande and Kat compare notes over a drink on the state of their love lives, and Elaine gives the others pause for thought. Alfie gets a pep talk from an unlikely source as he wonders whether he and Kat can get through this. Patrick fights for Yolande by making a grand gesture. Joel shows Tommy a video by a social media influencer who says derogatory things about women.

Maria chats to Shona about the Platts’ barbecue plans, aware that Lou is listening. As Maria passes Lou, she warns her to keep her distance. At the prison visiting room, Logan swaggers over to Betsy and Lauren and Betsy tells him she’s there to find out what really happened to Becky. Will Logan give her answers? Sally returns home to find Tim looking after Joanie and Shanice and reckons Lou is using him. Todd is gutted when Theo cancels their date.

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