TV Week: Spooks: Code 9, The X Factor and Britain from Above

Reworked as a sci-fi fantasy (where a virus wipes out everyone over 30, say?), SC9 may have worked as pulp fiction -- but its link to the reality-based Spooks is its undoing. The brand association may guarantee interest from those not accustomed to watching BBC Three, but SC9 sullies its progenitor's reputation and just gives everyone the wrong impression. You can't help but question the thinking behind the creation of this show: did someone think young adults will only watch a spy drama if it's set in the near-future and involves people their age? If so, show me a teenager who won't watch James Bond because they don't identity with someone over-35. It's crazy!

Hobbled by a premise that asks us to accept MI5 would put national security in the hands of students, SC9 struggles to overcome the pervasive feeling of nonsense. The cast are talented, but they're at the mercy of poor creative choices -- we know maths wiz Charlie's a "geek" because he wears glasses to read, cute Georgia Moffett unwisely goes redhead, an abundance of Union Jacks are watermarked over freeze-frames and flutter during scene transitions, and there's a refusal to feature ethnic actors as terrorists -- whilst hypocritically casting a black man as a reformed criminal. The show also lacks the courage to link its nuclear attack to Al-Qaeda or mention the 2012 Olympics as the magnet for its atrocity. Spooks wouldn't have any qualms over presenting the most likely culprits.

THE X FACTOR (ITV1, SAT 7.30PM) Is it that time again? The talent show that discovered the sensational Leona, then coughed up Leon (a good omen if your name's Leo this year) is back to countdown to Christmas. God, how depressing! Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Dannii Minogue return as judges, but Sharon Osbourne's been axed and replaced by Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole (themselves a reality show success.) As usual, we start with the auditions (to mostly snigger at tone-deaf crazies) as Dermot O'Leary leads us on a nationwide search for singers. While undoubtedly more entertaining than the tedious later rounds ("karaoke" for months), is there still an audience for this annual humiliation? At least try watching the highlights uploaded to YouTube: they'll save you hours of your life, believe me.

BRITAIN FROM ABOVE (BBC1, SUN 9PM) Andrew Marr's ugly mug isn't hidden by an overhead shot, sadly. He constantly intrudes in this new series, which nevertheless gives audiences a fascinating God-like view of the UK. Far from the expected cosy, aerial views of the Great British countryside, episode 1 focused on the daily grind of life: time-lapsed graphics showing webs of motorway traffic, taxi routes, rubbish trucks, security vans, airplane routes, shipping lanes, and communication signals. It was a surprisingly heartening spectacle, aided by eye-opening statistics and amusing quirks: like the explanation of "phantom traffic jams" and how the National Grid times its electrical output by the end credits of EastEnders! A very interesting, enjoyable mix of bird's-eye views and CGI – but Marr should remain in voice-over only...