AMBULANCES, fire engines, police, all with sirens blaring and lights flashing. Over the course of an evening, the average viewer more than has their fill of the “blues and twos” as the lights and tone combos are known in the trade. Think I picked that up from London’s Burning.

A new arrival might struggle to get noticed, which would be a pity in the case of Blue Lights (BBC1, Monday, 9pm, full series on iPlayer). This new Belfast-set police drama is well worth a try.

It earns its first bonus points for ditching the usual maverick detective central character in favour of three new recruits to the PSNI: Grace, a former social worker on a midlife career change; Annie, a streetwise sort (or thinks she is); and Tommy, the least confident of the three.

One month into a three-month probation period, the trio are being told to up their game or face failure. They have steeper learning curves than most, for this is Northern Ireland, which earns the drama some more bonus points. For those unfamiliar with policing in Northern Ireland the first episode is an eye-opener. Why, for example, are name tags fixed to the uniform with Velcro? What does it mean when a car pops up as unlisted on the database?

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Besides strong characters and setting, the show has a soapy feel. You want to get to know these characters better. There is a harder edge as well though, which makes itself felt in shocking fashion from the first episode on.

Jonathan Ross, take or leave? I know, I know. But get him on a subject that fascinates him and his skills as an interviewer shine through. Jonathan Ross's Myths and Legends (More 4, Monday, 9pm) came with another reservation: this episode, the third of four (catch up on All4), brings Ross to Scotland. What was he going to tell you about Scotland that was new? Would it be the same old doc about Nessie and fairies complete with jokes about bagpipes?

All feature, true enough, but there is more to the hour. Travelling first to Skye, Ross interviews “my good friend” Neil Gaiman, learns about Scáthach, the warrior queen (with whom he is very taken), and spends an afternoon with a local artist sketching the Old Man of Storr, which he likens to a certain member of the Rolling Stones.

After that it is onwards to Loch Garve for an introduction to the kelpies and more tales of wonder (do you know why there is a spot in the loch that never freezes over?). He ends with the obligatory trip to Loch Ness then Cawdor Castle for a chat about “presences”, never ghosts. Ross might surprise you. If not, no refunds, sorry.

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The comedy game show Taskmaster (Channel 4, Thursday, 9pm) continues its bid for world domination with a new series, the 15th, starting this week. A deal has been signed for three more after that, plus a Junior Taskmaster is on the way.

A highlight of this new series is the presence of one Frankie Boyle among the celebrities who have to use their ingenuity to tackle ludicrous but fiendishly tricky tasks set by Alex Horne, the show’s creator, and Greg Davies. Accompanying Boyle are fellow comedians Ivo Graham, Jenny Eclair, and Mae Martin, plus actor and writer Kiell Smith-Bynoe of Ghosts fame.

If you fancy seeing more well kent faces being put to the test there is Celebrity Hunted (Channel 4, Tuesday, 9pm). A new six-part series in aid of Stand Up to Cancer, the fugitives start their new lives on the run at Shrewsbury Prison and fan out from there.

Watching in the control room are the “hunters”, drawn from the police and the military, who use everything from helicopters and CCTV to phone intercepts to track their prey.

The joy of Hunted, civilian version, is that it is never obvious who will be good at the game. Even the ones who start strong can start to wilt the further away they travel from home comforts. As for the galloping paranoia …

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It’s the same with this batch of celebrities. Strictly’s Katya Jones and snowboarder Aimee Fuller should have the fitness and stamina required but have they given away too much about themselves on social media (a favourite truffling ground for the hunters)? Comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble seem like a joke, but are they? Bobby Seagull, of University Challenge fame, and Saffron Barker, social media influencer, make a curious pair, even if he is a liability behind the steering wheel.

Though all know it’s a competition just for fun, a serious air sets in pretty quickly. For the “pros” there is honour at stake. As tensions rise, so do the number of sarky comments about the fugitives. When one couple’s home is raided the chief hunter, back at HQ watching the live feed, barks: “They must have a few quid but they’ve got no taste.” Harsh, and it’s only week one.