One of my oldest friends was a motorcycling fanatic until he had an accident, was in hospital for a year and lost the use of his right arm. He pocketed £50,000 in compensation and, the day he came out of hospital, went straight to the microlight shop and bought a blue one. Within ten days, he was flying solo. I've always wondered if there were others like him. It seems there are.
Here are his friends and our other TV picks for the week ahead:
Monday
Coronation Street - 7.30pm, 8.30pm, ITV1
It's wedding bells for Steve and Tracy, but bombastic Becky isn't going to leave the Street without a trip to the church. And no, it won't be to throw confetti. (Click here for our farewell to Becky, and a reminder of all her best bits)
The Real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines - 9pm, BBC2
Do you remember those Victorian beach-boxes designed to transport shy swimmers to the water, dignity intact? Well, remove the wooden walls and bung an engine on it, and there's your microlight. This is an enchanting study of what makes a bunch of pilots take to their air in these fragile instruments. In many cases, their enthusiasm to "take a step closer to heaven" is not matched in any way by ability, but never mind that while there's a round-Britain rally to be joined. Uplifting stuff!
Party Paramedics - 10pm, C4
While the microlighters are taking their celestial steps, others are wading through urban hell, taking to the streets in a 'SOS bus' to tend to those whose night on the tiles has got the better of them. This is a study of medical fighters, many working voluntarily, at the coal face of the culture of binge drinking. Sobering.
Tuesday
15 Kids and Counting - 9pm, C4
Any mum juggling with the fabled 2.4 might garner some comfort from watching these parents in action, or not. One family, with a mere 10 in the brood, set off for a camping holiday, which seems a perfect setting for disaster, but still isn't as surreal as the other family in focus. Not only is it comprised of 12 girls and a boy, but this already conspicuous bunch decide to enter the fray of beauty pageants, siblings often competing against each other. That's got to be a recipe for something.
The World Against Apartheid - 10pm, BBC4
While BBC2 shines their spotlight on Putin's enduring grip on power in the east, BBC4 turns its attention southwards with this five-part series on the changing fortunes of apartheid in South Africa. Although Nelson Mandela has become, justifiably, a totem for change in the country, other activists also gave their lives over to the struggle, and this thorough documentary highlights the tireless efforts of those, like Oliver Tambo, who had to work from exile to drum up support for the ANC, through sometimes violent means.
Wednesday
The National Television Awards - 7.30pm, ITV1
In a country whose televisual scene is increasingly dominated by the outcomes of various reality contests, it's fitting that X Factor presenter Dermot O'Leary should assume hosting duties for tonight's big gong-fest, celebrating the great and ad-revenue-rating of what's on the box.
With Doctor Who up against Downton Abbey, Waterloo Road and... Merlin?... for Best Drama, you know you're in for some unashamedly populist outcomes, but that doesn't mean quality is necessarily overlooked. And Dermot himself is in the running for Best Presenter in a strong field, including Michael McIntyre, Keith Lemon and the eternally enthusiastic Ant and Dec. You can click here to vote for your faves up until midday on Wednesday.
Natural World - 8pm, BBC2
One overlooked nomination for best entertainment performance is surely the slow loris, a bug-eyed too-cute primate who should be hanging out in the jungles of Java. But the fascinating critter is suffering the downside of its own success. While more than nine million people have harmlessly enjoyed the "tickling loris" on youtube, other more malevolent admirers have ten the endangered primate as a pet, often ripping out their teeth in the process. The loris can change hands for over $2,000 on the streets of Japan and Russia and expert presenter Dr Anna Nekaris is visibly incensed.
Jodie Marsh: Bullied - My Secret Past - 10pm, C5
Marsh has reinvented herself as a body builder, but the scars of the past remain. Not a week goes by without her revealing some hellish episode of life as a glamour model - collapsing implants is just the latest. Here, she relives memories of her school years, when she was endlessly bullied. Doesn't take a psychologist to see the connections between the past and the present.
Thursday
We'll Take Manhattan - 9pm, BBC4
There's been a lot of press flurry about this one-off drama, starring Doctor Who alumna Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard, which retells the 1962 trip to New York taken by two people who would help mould their generation. David Bailey was at the height of his photographic powers, seducing every woman with his lens, and knocking down the establishment walls with the magazine results. When model Jean Shrimpton became his lover and muse, the scene was set for one of those magical creative partnerships just as thrilling to behold half a century later.
And so they went to New York, where their photographs for Vogue magazine would change forever the style guide.
Shrimpton now runs a country hotel and contented herself with giving her blessing to the project rather than getting involved, while David Bailey was reportedly his usual self-confident self when asked about Barnard's portrayal of him - "at least they got someone goodlooking."
Putin, Russia and the West - 9pm, BBC2
Last week demonstrated just how uncompromising Putin's grip on power is, with one of his most vocal opponents within Russia eschewing the safety of exile only to find himself detained. This week's programme explores how Russia battled for control beyond its borders against the Rose and Orange Revolutions of Georgia and the Ukraine. Remember Ukraine's leader Viktor Yushchenko campaigning for change despite his appearance altering dramatically after he was poisoned during elections. Here he tells the inside story of how he would remove his drip before a speech. Fascinating and chilling.
Friday
How The Brits Rocked America: Go West - 9pm, BBC4
Continuing BBC4's Friday night music-fest is this three-parter, kicking off tonight, about how us quietly-mannered Brits, on this small island, picked up our guitars and took the States. The British invasion began in the 1960s, where the first wave included Herman's Hermits, The Animals and the sinae quae non, a small Liverpudlian quartet who landed in New York in 1964 and, quite literally, caused a riot. This is all good nostalgic fun supported by memories and contributions of many of the main players, including the ever-philosophical Macca.
Here are Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard channelling their inner Shrimp and Bailey: