WHAT’S ON TV TONIGHT: THE GREAT BRITISH SEWING BEE, MEET THE RICHARDSONS AND MORE
Tuesday 21 May
The Great British Sewing Bee
BBC One, 9pm
Lacking the occasionally suffocating scrutiny accorded its stablemate The Great British Bake Off, this reliably lovely series enters its 10th year in fine form: relaxed, insightful and warmly inclusive. Ghosts actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe, following a successful dry run for the Christmas special, takes the reins full time, while judges Esme Young and Patrick Grant remain pre-eminent constructive critics, kind, analytical and collectively embodying an appealing blend of on-trend and slightly fuddy-duddy.
Tonight’s opening episode harks back to Sewing Bee’s very first, in 2013, with similar challenges: rustling up an A-line skirt and reworking a T-shirt – only this time, it’s not just the neckline but the entire garment, with results including a reversible bucket hat. The Made to Measure challenge sees the loosest possible interpretations of “casual day dress”, but it is a relief to find that the appalling timekeeping which blights the A-line test seems to have been overcome. The contestants are a beguiling bunch of enthusiasts and eccentrics – not least a tour guide with his own mannequin – and the tone of the show remains equally welcoming to experts and newcomers alike. GT
Great Forts of the Mediterranean
PBS America, 8.20pm
The military and spiritual advantages of the Mediterranean’s mountainous forts are explored in detail in this engaging documentary spanning a millennium of imperial rule from Ottoman to European.
The Gathering
Channel 4, 9pm
Helen Walsh’s classy, shocking drama of toxic parenting finds family ties getting ever more threadbare in this third episode, as Adam (Sonny Walker) struggles with his new reality and a shocking incident at a birthday party. Continues tomorrow.
Into the Amazon with Robson Green
Channel 5, 9pm
Having done his time on British waterways, Robson Green explores the titular rainforest and river. His understandable awe often leaves you wishing that he’d probed a little deeper, and the survey is inevitably wide rather than deep, but with sloths, potions, opera, and some chastening insights into the region’s colonial past and environmental future, it’s seldom dull.
The Guilty Innocent with Christopher Eccleston
Sky History, 9pm
This lively, well-conceived two-parter on miscarriages of justice deserves a full series. Tonight’s case follows the shootings of a scientist and his girlfriend off the A6 in 1961, the flawed investigation, execution of the convicted killer and the long series of enquiries that followed.
Meet the Richardsons
BBC Two, 10pm
This Dave import can now be watched in a new light given the news that married comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont are separating, particularly since this mock-doc offers a fictional take on their lives. It remains a low-key charmer, beginning with a helping hand from Bernie Clifton in party planning – and an unfortunate gag about divorce.
The Gullspang Miracle: A Nordic Mystery: Storyville
BBC Four, 10pm
Director Maria Fredriksson finds time to toy with documentary convention while telling a startling story of joy and disappointment, identity and chance, all kick-started by an understandable if fateful decision made by the parents of twins in occupied Norway in 1941. At its heart are Swedish sisters who discover that they have a half-sister. What follows plays like an extraordinary psychological thriller.
Jason and the Argonauts (1963) ★★★★
Film4, 4.45pm
Ray Harryhausen’s classic stop-motion action film tells the story of the mythological Jason (Todd Armstrong) and his quest for the Golden Fleece, involving a romp through ancient Greece and fighting off harpies and skeletons, all the while trying to keep the gods onside. Almost 60 years on, some of the effects might seem a bit naff, but there’s no denying it’s still great fun. Honor Blackman co-stars.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) ★★★★
ITV4, 9pm
Another warm-hearted Western from Clint Eastwood (who directs and stars, naturally), adapted from Forrest Carter’s novel and set during the American Civil War. Eastwood plays the Missouri farmer who, driven by memories of his family’s slaughter, becomes an outlaw when he refuses to join his Confederate comrades in surrender, preferring instead to seek the men who murdered his kin.
All is True (2018) ★★★★
BBC Two, 11.15pm
Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this beautiful meditation on William Shakespeare’s legacy, written by Ben Elton. Branagh plays the playwright, battling with personal and professional demons after he returns home to Stratford-upon-Avon after the Globe burns down. Haunted by the death of his only son, Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationship with his wife Anne (Judi Dench).
Wednesday 22 May
Trying
Apple TV+
When this slight, saccharine sitcom debuted in 2020, it began as the story of Nikki and Jason (Esther Smith and Rafe Spall), a young couple desperate to become parents. Struggling to conceive, they decide instead to embark on the long, difficult journey of adopting a child. Today’s two-part series four premiere, which jumps forward six years from the show’s last outing, finds the pair settled down with their two adopted children. As such, this series feels more like a traditional family comedy.
The first episode is set around a funeral. To reveal whose it is would spoil a delightful opening gag in which the show plays around with who it could be, which also results in a tremendous scene in which Jason and his intimidating father (Phil Davis) use football as a way of saying they love each other. The second episode, meanwhile, is anchored by a wonderful performance from Jim Broadbent. He plays George, a charismatic older gentleman who ends up taking Nikki out for an unforgettable night of dancing. The tone may be a tad too twee or earnest for some, but if you’re in the mood for something playful, with no doom and gloom in sight, Trying might be perfect. SK
Buying London
Netflix
This seven-part reality series is Britain’s answer to Selling Sunset, the hit American show set in the cutthroat world of the luxury property market. Here we follow smug property mogul Daniel Daggers and his team of glamorous estate agents as they try to sell high-end properties in swish London areas such as Mayfair and Chelsea. Your enjoyment will heavily depend on your tolerance for contrived drama.
Toughest Forces on Earth
Netflix
The Grand Tour meets SAS: Who Dares Wins in this rugged new reality series, which follows presenters Ryan Bates (ex-US Navy Seal), Cameron Fath (former US Army Ranger) and Dean Stott (ex-British Special Forces) as they explore the world’s elite military units.
MasterChef
BBC One, 8pm
In Monday’s episode the final four cooks were flown out to Singapore. Last night they were whittled down to three following a task set at esteemed London restaurant Le Gavroche. Tonight’s finale, however, is simple: cook a three-course meal worthy of being crowned the winner of the 20th series of MasterChef. No pressure, then.
The Endurance
PBS America, 8.15pm
Originally released in 2000, this absorbing documentary about Ernest Shackleton’s perilous 1914 expedition to Antarctica receives its UK premiere. Narrated by Liam Neeson, it recounts one of history’s greatest stories of survival: how Shackleton and his crew – their titular ship trapped in ice – endured for two years in the most testing of conditions.
Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game
BBC Two, 9pm
This final episode of the terrific Cold War series pivots around the daring British rescue mission of Oleg Gordievsky, the MI6 double agent who spied on his native Soviet Union. The highlight, however, is a superb anecdote involving a British spy staying at a Russian hotel – and the prying KGB agent who decided to get involved in his marital spat.
Inside No 9
BBC Two, 10pm; NI, 11.15pm
Even by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s high standards, this episode is inspired. A suburban murder-mystery filmed entirely from the point of view of a doorbell camera, it stars Vinette Robinson as the exasperated wife of Damon (Shearsmith). Nosy neighbour Sheila is played to perfection by Dorothy Atkinson.
5lbs of Pressure (2024) ★★★
Amazon Prime Video
With Manchester once again standing in for the gritty streets of NYC, Phil Allocco’s crime melodrama features some genuinely impressive action scenes. Luke Evans plays Adam DeSalvo, a criminal nearing the end of three years’ probation (after serving 16 in prison for murder) who soon realises that his life on the outside will be far from straight forward, thanks in no small part to the brother (Zac Adams) of his victim who is intent on revenge.
Absence of Malice (1981) ★★★★
Talking Pictures TV, 10.10pm
Sydney Pollack’s neo noir thriller stars Paul Newman as a mobster’s son whose law-abiding life gets turned upside down when reporter Sally Field is suckered into publishing unfounded allegations about him. One of the finest films about journalism – up there with All the President’s Men and Spotlight – despite Field’s character’s iffy ethics. Newspaper editor Kurt Luedtke wrote the film.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) ★★★
BBC One, 10.40pm
In this solo escapade for British actor Tom Holland’s teenage webby wonder, super-hero duties rub up against the traumas of everyday life, including falling in love (with real-life girlfriend Zendaya). The high-wire action sequences and angsty jokes are great fun. Sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home is on Friday (BBC One, 10.40pm); Holland is currently starring in Romeo & Juliet on the West End stage.
Thursday 23 May
Insomnia
Paramount+
There’s a gut-twisting creepiness at the heart of this six-part thriller starring Line of Duty’s Vicky McClure as Emma, an insomnia-suffering lawyer and mother who becomes increasingly convinced that she’s inherited “bad blood” from her mentally ill mother, pushing her towards a breakdown. Adapted from Sarah Pinborough’s bestseller, and atmospherically directed by Börkur Sigthorsson, we first meet Emma in full-on plate-spinning mode – under pressure to win a partnership at her busy firm and wrangling with her obstinate teenage daughter, but generally enjoying life thanks in no small part to her handsome, level-headed, furniture designer husband Rob (Tom Cullen).
Things begin to fall apart, however, when her older sister, Phoebe (Leanne Best), with whom she was brought up in care, reappears after a spell abroad and begins to insinuate herself deeper into Emma’s life. McClure and Best are a perfect pairing – the stress of their troubled relationship crackles, and Sigthorsson’s direction bring palpable menace to Emma’s shaky psychological state. GO
The Blue Angels
Amazon Prime Video
Top flight thrills as a documentary team follow the US Navy’s version of the Red Arrows for a year, as they select, train up and perform with – over a gruelling six-month show season – new recruits for their prestigious aerobatics display team, in the biggest new-pilot intake of their 78-year history.
Bay of Fires
ITVX
Imagine Ozark mixed with Fargo plus a dollop of Schitt’s Creek and you’ll get a sense of this Australian drama about a businesswoman (Marta Dusseldorp) who finds her life upended when she and her two teenage children are forced to go on the run in Tasmania, with a gang of murderous Russian criminals in pursuit.
The War on Britain’s Motorists: Dispatches
Channel 4, 8pm
For many the appalling state of our roads has become emblematic of a more serious malaise. Journalist Ginny Buckley assesses the current plight of British motoring – potholes everywhere, eco-friendly low-traffic neighbourhood schemes dividing communities, plans to transition from fossil-fuel to electric motoring stalled – and, unsurprisingly, is not impressed.
Panorama
BBC One, 9pm
What happens to criminals when they are sent to prison is well-documented. But this damning Panorama looks beyond that to the Probation Service, who are supposed to monitor those recently released in order to keep the public safe from harm. With budgets slashed and staff numbers constantly depleting, though, it’s a difficult task.
A Small Light
Drama, 9pm
A free-to-air run of this powerful eight-part drama retelling the story of Anne Frank through the eyes of remarkable young Dutchwoman Miep Gies, who risked her life to shelter the Frank family from the Nazis. Bel Powley is superb as Gies, a woman of exceptional courage and resilience who was also instrumental in getting Frank’s diary published after the war. The boxset is on Disney+.
Johnson & Knopfler’s Music Legends
Sky Arts, 9pm
The pair are in California to meet guitarist Carlos Santana, who developed a unique sound fusing psychedelia, rock’n’roll and Latin American rhythms in the early 1960s. They swap anecdotes, talk music and mysticism, and play Santana classics such as Oye Cómo Va and Black Magic Woman.
They Who Dare (1954, b/w) ★★★★
5Action, 1.45pm
A sorely underrated Second World War film from All Quiet on the Western Front director Lewis Milestone. Based on the events of Operation Anglo, where British special forces stationed in the Dodecanese islands attempted to prevent the Luftwaffe from threatening the Allies in Egypt, it’s chock full of terrific action sequences and memorable performances from Dirk Bogarde, Denholm Elliott and Akim Tamiroff.
Napoleon Dynamite (2004) ★★★★
Film4, 4.50pm
“I don’t even have any good skills. You know, like nunchuck skills, bow-hunting skills, computer- hacking Skills.” Jared Hess hasn’t yet topped his debut about a colossal nerd (Jon Heder) who doesn’t fit in – especially after his uncle (Jon Gries) shows up to keep an eye on him and he befriends new kid Pedro (Efren Ramirez). This stoned underdog comedy is an acquired taste, but the wacky characters gets funnier with every watch.
El Cid (1961) ★★★
BBC Four, 9pm
Charlton Heston stars as the 11th-century warrior who fought in Spain during its occupation by the Moors. Director Anthony Mann, known at the time as a genre director, but later revered by cineastes for exactly these kind of westerns and crime films, casts him as a tormented hero in this three-hour epic that mixes spectacular sets with extreme passions – not least between El Cid and the beautiful Chimene (Sophia Loren).
Friday 24 May
The Beach Boys
Disney+
Dampened somewhat by the recent sad news that Brian Wilson is once again being placed under a conservatorship, which enables his family to manage his personal and medical decisions (necessary, according to the LA judge, because of his “neurocognitive disorder”), this sparkly feature-length documentary celebrates the timeless music and impact of the Californian rock band. With the release of their opus Pet Sounds in 1966, which spawned hits such as Wouldn’t It Be Nice and God Only Knows, The Beach Boys – made up of the Wilson brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis, along with their cousin Mike Love and family friend Al Jardine – were catapulted to global fame.
Directors Frank Marshall and Thom Zimny blend archive footage from the band’s early years with never-before-seen or new interviews with Brian, Love and Jardine, as well as famous fans including Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and R&B singer Janelle Monáe. It does, disappointingly, gloss over the darker periods that plagued the band (and, in particular, Brian), meaning that it serves more as hagiography than deep-dive, but fans will relish the footage – and the music. PP
Unreported World: Inside the K-pop Dream Machine
Channel 4, 7.30pm
High suicide rates, eating disorders, online trolling – these are “the dark side of the [K-pop] industry,” says former boyband star Min Su. He quit music after fans complained about his tattoos and smoking; just one signal of how contrived K-pop (the lucrative genre that has exploded out of South Korea) is. Krishnan Guru-Murthy looks at the dark side of the $8 billion-dollar industry, and how teenagers at elite music schools chase fame – at the cost of starving themselves and eradicating any semblance of individuality.
The Big Steam Adventure
Channel 5, 8pm
Peter Davison, John Sergeant and Paul Middleton conclude their Scottish rail odyssey in the Highlands with a scenic ride along the river Spey (complete with a helping of neeps and tatties) and a trip to Loch Ness that’s almost ruined by dire weather.
Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
BBC Two, 9pm
Tonight’s episode takes us to the grand Palladian villa in Stourhead, where curators are eagerly awaiting the return of Angelica Kauffman’s neoclassical masterpiece, Penelope and Eurycleia, last seen in public in the early 1990s.
Rebus
BBC Scotland, 10pm
Brotherly interference leads to jeopardy in the second episode of Gregory Burke’s reboot, as John (Richard Rankin) deals with the aftermath of Michael’s (Brian Ferguson) altercation in Fife and Siobhan (Lucie Shorthouse) digs for answers. Also on BBC One tomorrow (9.25pm).
The Nevermets
Channel 4, 10pm
Dawn French narrates this series following couples who are in love and looking to take the next step – but have never actually met in real life. In tonight’s opener, we meet a 17-year-old Briton who is preparing to fly to India to meet a girl he met online on a Game of Thrones forum.
The Cancellation of Jim Davidson
Channel 5, 10pm
Once named the “funniest man on television”, the comedian and Generation Game host’s racial caricatures and right-wing views rendered him an industry pariah. Here, Davidson looks back at his working-class childhood in south London and rapid ascent to household name status in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as his wrongful arrest under Operation Yewtree and newfound fame on Celebrity Big Brother.
Atlas (2024)
Netflix
Best known for his films with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (San Andreas, Rampage), Brad Peyton here directs popstar-slash-actress Jennifer Lopez in a sci-fi flick more than a little in debt to Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report. Lopez is Atlas Shepherd, a brilliant data analyst with a deep mistrust of artificial intelligence who gets sucked into a mission involving a mysterious robot. Recent Oscar nominee Sterling K Brown (American Fiction) co-stars.
Blue Beetle (2023) ★★
Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
After more than a decade of Marvel Studios dominating Hollywood, DC Comics is still searching for a comic-book box-office colossus of its own (even Superman doesn’t seem to be up to the job). Unfortunately, only die-hard fans will agree that Blue Beetle – a CGI-heavy, laboured tale about a recent graduate (Xolo Maridueña) who is given a special armour that grants him superpowers – is the film to do it. Adriana Barraza and Susan Sarandon also star.
Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022) ★★★
Film4, 9pm
Mad Max genius George Miller (see Film of the Week, above) directs this curious adaptation of AS Byatt’s 1994 short story The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye. Idris Elba plays an ancient genie unleashed from a bottle by Tilda Swinton’s frazzled academic, who then regales her with stories from his thousands of years of existence. It’s dreamlike and beautifully shot, if slightly too whimsical.
Dr No (1962) ★★★★★
ITV1, 11.15pm
Sean Connery was transformed from gruff Scottish bit-part actor (and former milkman) to suave gentleman for this first Bond film, directed by Terence Young. He brings just the right blend of light touch and inner steel to the martini-necking spy, as he swans around the tropics of Jamaica with gold-bikinied Ursula Andress, on the hunt for the titular villain. It’s considered a classic for a reason. Also on Sunday at 2.25pm.
Television previewers
Stephen Kelly (SK), Veronica Lee (VL), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Poppie Platt (PP) and Gabriel Tate (GT)
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