6 days ago
Mum's nightmare as she's trapped with her toddler in deadly flood
When a powerful storm hit Spain, hundreds died as it became Europe's deadliest single storm flood in decades. A BBC1 documentary on tonight reveals what happened
Terrified as the water rose higher and higher, Rosalía Arena and her mother and two-year-old daughter took refuge on the top floor of her house. Outside, the river had burst its banks, cars were floating sideways and people were knee-deep in water. This was October 29, 2024, when a powerful storm hit the area around Valencia in Spain. Torrential rain fell on the hills to the west of the city, causing devastating flash floods. Across the province, 228 people died and it caused £15 billion worth of damage. It was Europe's deadliest single storm flood since 1967.
Why Cities Flood: Spain's Deadly Disaster (on Tuesday 24 June, BBC1, 9pm), with dramatic mobile-phone footage and compelling interviews, tells the story of what happened that day as flood water poured through streets, inundated houses and turned parked cars into lethal, floating projectiles. We hear first-hand accounts from survivors who had close escapes and discover from leading scientists how climate change and the places we are choosing to build could put many more people at risk of floods in the future.
Rosalía Arenas, a resident of Utiel, tells how they ran upstairs as water filled the ground floor to within inches of the ceiling. They were eventually rescued by boat from an upstairs window. Andries Klarenberg, from Paiporta, the town worst hit by the flood with 46 people fatalities, says: 'The pavements, the roads, everything was flooded with three feet of water, which was pushing cars down the streets, into buildings.' The film also asks why the authorities failed to protect people, with a slow response to the disaster that caused widespread anger.
Why Cities Flood: Spain's Deadly Disaster is airing on BBC1 tonight at 9pm.
There's plenty more on TV tonight - here's the best of the rest..
TRANSACTION, ITV2, 10.05pm
Noisy, bold and unafraid, this fresh new workplace is written and created by award-winning comedy performer Jordan Gray. Jordan stars as Liv, a transgender egomaniac, who drives her roommate Tom (Thomas Gray) absolutely mad. While Tom goes out to work at Pellocks supermarket, Liv lies around the flat painting her nails and watching telly. She's deadpan, sarcastic but secretly sad.
Meanwhile, Pellocks boss Simon (a brilliant Nick Frost) has accidentally offended the LGBTQ+ community with an ill-conceived marketing campaign. As protestors bang down the door, Simon realises that hiring someone transgender will prove the store's inclusivity - so Tom gives Liv a call, and she's soon drafted in on the night shift.
Not one to follow the rules, Liv quickly realises she's unsackable and sets about turning the store into her own personal playground, unleashing chaos on everyone and everything around her. 'Let the games begin,' she says. There are surprising moments of emotion, but mostly this is just late-night supermarket madness.
BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS, CHANNEL 4, 8pm
The main difference between watching this spin-off, compared to the non-pro version, is that you have to Google every other word. It's not a strawberry cake, it's a framboisier. A curd becomes a calamansi curd. Chocolate bcomes ganache. Biscuits are sable. Someone throws osmanthus into their pud and almost everything is infused with something else we've not heard of. It's a learning curve as top pâtissier experts Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden set tough tasks for these classically-trained chefs. No soggy bottoms, lumpy custard or split cream.
In this episode, they must make 24 identical classic framboisier slices and 24 reimagined s'mores. The s'mores must contain the chocolate, marshmallow and biscuit elements. 'If not, that will not be the only thing that gets toasted tonight,' says Cherish. There's plenty of panic, occasional swearing and tension as the teams race to finish while hosts Liam and Ellie steal cake, enjoying the leftovers. Who will the judges go gooey for?
EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm
John visits Vic to urge her to report Robert for hitting her. Robert overhears and is upset. He tries to distract himself with drinking and hook-ups, but his mood is brought down when Aaron has no reaction to this attempt to make him jealous. When Joe finds his car has been keyed, he's sure Billy is responsible and resolves to teach him a lesson. Belle convinces Vanessa to try to persuade Tracy to think again about barring the Dingles.
EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm
Kat visits Phil and suggests he needs extra support to care for Nigel, but he refuses. Later Phil is troubled to find Nigel with Lexi, who he has confused with Claire. Nicola decides to resurrect their family 'Half Christmas ' tradition, where they celebrate in June. She hopes it will cheer up Barney, but Harry is scathing. Yolande asks Jean to keep Patrick distracted while they make party arrangements. Joel is annoyed when his attempts to chat up Amy don't work out.
