Time was you could turn to BBC 2, 3, or 4 and land on something new in arts programming. Now BBC2 is the home of documentaries and upmarket quizzes, BBC3 seems laser-focused on the youth audience, and BBC4 is full of repeats. Quality repeats mind, yer Likely Lads and classic movies, but repeats nonetheless.

A tip of the hat is due, then, to relative newbie Sky Arts. Not only do its schedulers trawl the archives for landmark documentaries and profiles of leading artists, they buy new stuff. Best of all, you can watch for free. It’s like a lucky dip for arts programmes. Sometimes you might get a pebble in a box, other times a little gem awaits.

Among the most successful of the commissions returns this week for a second series with a new host replacing Jim Moir (who has a new series of his own on painting birds). Now titled Bill Bailey’s Master Crafters: the Next Generation, the aim remains the same: to keep alive heritage crafts, such as blacksmithing and stained glass making, in which the UK is a world leader. A staunch supporter of such industries, and the series, is King Charles. In the finale, the crafters work on a commission for Highgrove.

Each week three “juniors” with some basic experience are mentored by a master crafter. Last week the focus was stained glass; this week it is wood carving with Clunie Fretton leading the class. Fretton’s stunning work appears in the V&A and her private commissions include a reproduction coat of arms for King George III.

Bailey gets a chance to try his hand at putting blade to wood, and is an instant convert. “I’m really enjoying this,” he says. “So satisfying.” There speaks a man who has won Strictly.

Going for another plunge into the lucky dip bag of Sky Arts, I came across The Art of Australia (Tuesday, 9pm). Made in 2013, this three-part series is presented by the late Edmund Capon, who spent 30 years as director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

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Capon begins with a look at work by modern artists, including Hossein Valmanesh, an Iranian emigrant to Australia. Valmanesh became famous for setting alight a Persian rug and photographing it. “Was it about remembering or destroying his past, or both?” Capon wonders.

From there it is a loop back to the beginning and some great tales, including that of Joseph Lycett, a convict sent to Australia in 1814 for forgery. His simple paintings won him a pardon and a ticket home, but his ending was not cheery.

Behind the apparent search for beauty was an ugly history, with settlers killing indigenous people and robbing them of their land. The next two parts in the series look at how these atrocities have been reflected in art.

Meanwhile, Capon continues his progress, taking in the Australian impressionists, who took a more clear-eyed look at society than their romantic predecessors, and those who came after. A fascinating series that was in many ways ahead of its time. Here is your starter for ten: how weirdly excited are you at the return of University Challenge (BBC2, Monday, 8.30pm)? It’s always a ratings winner, but the new series has acquired a buzz of its own as the first changing of the UC guard in 29 years, with Amol Rajan replacing Jeremy Paxman.

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In the first contest, a team from Trinity, Cambridge, takes on Manchester. A healthy north v south rivalry can be expected there. As for any surprises to come, fans have been promised that the essentials, including Derek New’s title music and Roger Tilling as announcer, will stay the same.

Paxman and Rajan are rather similar personalities, so anyone hoping for a gentler style of questioning and less harrumphing might be disappointed.

Finally, all hail the return of Couple's Therapy (BBC2, Thursday, 11.15pm and 11.45pm), everyone’s favourite considered gaze/snoop into the intimate lives of others.

This is the fourth series of psychoanalyst Dr Orla Guralnik trying to get to grips with the various woes of New York couples. In this run we meet a Mormon pair whose crisis of faith led to a strain on their marriage. Couple two have just welcomed a child into their world and watched their sex life disappear. He feels rejected; her self-esteem is through the floor.

Meanwhile, another duo says they “need to transition into polyamory”, and the last couple are fighting over his infidelity which he refuses to recognise as such.

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Plenty there to be going on with, then, but Dr Orla and her trusty little dog are ready as always for the fray. Nico, an Alaskan Klee Kai, seems to be developing a bigger part for himself, judging by the number of times his bushy tail pops into the frame. It’s all part of the Manhattan madness. While it may be miserable at times for the couples to pick over their relationships troubles, it is never less than gripping for viewers. Judging by the introductory episode, this series has the makings of a classic. Have a seat there on the couch …