With a month of holiday shopping, parties and general merriment in front of you, you’ll probably be in need of a few rest days. Here are a few things to keep you entertained if you fancy a night in.

On TV, Londonist likes:

Monday, 3 December
How London Was Built (ITV2, 20:00-20:30) Who knew there were giant “seemingly unsupported” staircases in the Bank of England? Adam Hart-Davies shows us this very impressive sounding staircase and a Roman amphitheatre in this week’s episode.

Live At The Apollo (BBC1, 22:35-23:30) As the name suggests, this comedy stand up show is filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo. This series has been a bit hit and miss, but hopefully tonight’s comedians, Sean Lock and Lee Mack, can make us laugh after a long Monday at work.

Thursday, 6 December
London Talking (ITV1, 23:20-00:20) A new debate show claims to ask the questions Londoners want answered. We’ll see if they tackle our big issues of the moment, like Heathrow expansion, Oyster mobiles and toilets by text.

Friday, 7 December
A Merry Cheaper Christmas: Tonight (ITV1, 20:00-20:30) A half hour of Christmas bargain tips, along with tests to see if party guests can notice when you skimp and buy the Tesco bargain range rather than Tesco’s Finest? Just what we need at the beginning of holiday madness season!

Online, Londonist likes:

BBC London’s Jam Cams - Want to check what the crowds are looking like before heading out shopping? These webcams are great – up to the minute views of pretty much everywhere you’d want to look at, as long as there’s a road. That means you’re on your own for Covent Garden. Good luck with that.