PICKS OF THE WEEK

• Endeavour Sunday 12th March ITV1
• The Last of Us Monday 13th March Sky Atlantic
• Unforgotten Monday 13th March ITV1
• Ted Lasso Wednesday 15th March Apple TV+
• The Mandalorian Wednesday 15th March Disney+
• A Town Called Malice Thursday 16th March Sky Max
• Gogglebox Friday 17th March Channel 4
• Extrapolations Friday 17th March Apple TV+
• Swarm Friday 17th March Prime Video

Saturday

9.00pm Gogglebox 10th Anniversary Special  Channel 4  – To celebrate a decade since Britain’s sharpest armchair critics first hit the sofa, this ninety minute special gives viewers the opportunity to look back at stand-out moments and favourite Goggleboxers. The show reminds of old faces such as Steph and Dom, Leon and June and Sandra and Sandi as well as current Goggleboxers like Pete and Sophie, Jenny and Lee and Mary and Giles and the Siddiquis who’ve been on the show since it started.

9.00pm Hughie Green: The Rise and Fall of Mr Saturday Night Channel Five – Documentary chronicling the life of one of the country’s most successful but controversial TV personalities from his early days as a child star to his rebirth as host of talent show Opportunity Knocks. The programme also documents how he kept a quite affair with the wife of his rival Jess Yates only revealing that he was the father of TV presenter Paula Yates after his death.

Sunday

7.00pm  Wild Isles BBC One – Filmed over five years, this new five-part series fronted by Sir David Attenborough explores Britain and Ireland’s diverse wildlife and landscapes. It investigates  how our woodland, grassland, freshwater and ocean habitats support wildlife of all kinds. Using the very latest technology, each episode will capture dramatic and new behaviour across the British Isles, from battling butterflies to mighty killer whales on the hunt. However, despite these rich and varied habitats, Britain and Ireland are amongst the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Attenborough highlights this issue from a busy puffin colony as he asks how we can restore our once wild isles for future generations.

9.00pm The Story of Britpop Channel Five – Programme charting the rise and fall of the movement that put the focus of Britishness back in British music. Talking heads, such as Blur’s Dave Rowntree and Alex James, talk about how the band’s first disastrous tour in America triggered a reboot that saw them embrace their country which culminated in the classic Parklife album. Whilst members of Suede talk about how Britpop all started with the band’s glam-inspired sound and first album.

9.00pm Tartuffe BBC Four – Recording of the Birmingham Rep’s live production of Tartuffe, directed by the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony director Iqbal Khan. The play focuses on Tartuffe who has the gift of the gab. A spirituality. A certain aura about him, that comes only when you claim to have Allah on your side, hundreds of Twitter followers and access to the family’s bank account. Eventually, the lies and deceit unfold in this wickedly funny Brummie comedy about faith, family and faking it.

10.20pm Morse and The Last Endeavour ITV1 – Following the last ever episode of Endeavour, this documentary marks the end of the epic tale of Inspector Morse from the original series starring John Thaw, through to spin-off Lewis and finally the prequel fronted by Shaun Evans. The documentary features interviews with all the main cast members as the global appeal of this Oxford universe of crime is explored. The programme also goes behind the scenes of the filming of Endeavour’s final series as the team tie together over six decades of interconnecting plots.

Monday

12.15am  Inspector Ricciardi Channel 4 – Part of the Walter Presents strand, this Italian mystery drama – set in 1930s Naples focuses on the titular inspector who has a very dark secret, namely that he can see the ghosts of people who’ve died violently and hear their final thoughts. His dubious gift drives him to obsessively pursue the most complicated cases, while distancing himself from most of his colleagues and denying himself the love of his beautiful neighbour Enrica. But his solitude is somewhat alleviated by his relationships with his elderly housekeeper Rosa, his faithful sergeant Maione and the vehemently anti-fascist forensic pathologist Modo. The entire series is available to stream on All4 from Friday 10th March. 

7.00pm Between the Covers BBC Two – Sara Cox’s show that celebrates the joys of books and reading returns for a sixth series. This week she’s joined by Angela Scanlon, DJ Spoony, Cerys Matthews and Rob Rinder to review the first of this series’ new book picks – The Blink of An Eye by Jo Callaghan.

9.00pm Paula Channel 4 – First of a two-part documentary exploring presenter and journalist Paula yates; who became one of the most famous women of the 1980s. The story is told both through interviews with those who knew her and through a series of never-before-broadcast audio interviews that Paula conducted following the death of her partner; INXS’s Michael Hutchence in 1997. The first instalment focuses on Paula’s rise to fame, her grondbreaking interview segments on Channel 4’s music show The Tube and the huge fame she and husband Bob Geldof experienced after the success of Live Aid. Episode two of the documentary airs tomorrow night at 9pm on Channel 4 and can be streamed on All4 following the broadcast of episode one. 

9.00pm Jonathan Ross’ Myths and Legends More4 – In this brand-new show, Jonathan Ross travels the UK on the hunt for incredible tales as old as time. He begins his journey in Whitby, where he discovers what inspired one of the most enduring modern myths – Dracula. Ross visits many of the locations described in the novel, earning about a record-breaking event at Whitby Abbey that saw the most ‘vampires’ gathered together in one location ever recorded. Later he travels to West Yorkshire to learn about the supernatural tales that inspired the Brontë sisters to write some of our greatest literature. He visits the Brontë Parsonage to find out more before heading back out onto the Moors at night to meet Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock and discover the scientific truth about the will-o’-the-wisps. He ends his journey in Lancaster where he learns about the persecution of supposed witches and ventures into the castle dungeon where a family accused of being witches were held captive in appalling conditions

9.00pm The Oscars Highlights 2023 Sky Max – The best moments from the 95th Academy Awards where the who’s who of cinema gathered to celebrate the best films of 2022.

Tuesday 

8.00pm Skinner and Mina’s Literary Road Trip Sky Arts – In their new series, Frank Skinner and Denise Mira follow in the footsteps of two of Britain’s greatest humourists – Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift. They journey to the places where the two men’s friendship blossomed and delve into the wave of British satire they created which still influences comedians and writers today.

9.00pm Emma, Oti and Rylan’s Big Red Nose Day Adventure BBC One – As part of a fundraising effort for Comic Relief , Emma Willis, Rylan and Oti Mabuse attempt to climb  the Cairn Gorm mountain in the Scottish Highlands Unfortunately, their three-day expedition does not go as smoothly as they had hoped as 80mph winds threaten to end their journey before they barely get started.

9.00pm The Holy Land and Us: Our Untold Story BBC Two – First of a two-part documentary where Rob Rinder and Sarah Agha, along with others of Jewish and Palestinian heritage explore how their families” histories were impact by the 1948 founding of the state of Israel. The duo begin by meeting a father wand son who who follow in the footsteps of their ancestor, who became caught up in Israel’s War of Independence, and a woman whose grandmother survived one of the most notorious episodes of the Nakba.

9.00pm Fred’s Last Resort E4 – In this new competition show, Fred Sirieix discovers whether twelve eager Gen-Z hopefuls have wat it takes to make it the rarefied world of high-end hospitality as he tasks them  with running the five-star Hôtel Les Roches Blanches in the south of France. Across a stressful summer season, Fred’s contenders compete in a variety of demanding challenges, exposing them to all that the land of lavish luxury has to offer – as well as the exacting standards expected of those serving the super-rich. At the end of it all, one will win a life-changing job for an international hotel group – as well as a handsome cash prize to boot. In tonight’s opener, Fred immediately sends the recruits off on a whistle-stop tour of the resort to introduce them to the mountain of jobs they’ll be undertaking over the summer. After serving a gourmet meal to thirty VIPs, Fred’s fledglings must throw an opulent birthday party, sourcing the food and drinks themselves in the local town. Episode two airs tomorrow on E4 at 9pm. 

9.00pm Loaded in Paradise ITV2 -Originally shown on ITVX, this reality shows sees pairs of party-loving contestants hop around the Aegean Islands in a race to take control of, and spend, 50,000 Euros which are stored on a golden cash card. Continues nightly. 

10.00pm Jerk BBC Three – The third series of Tim Renkow’s sitcom sees Tim landing himself in a biopic about a famous disabled musician. Initially cast as an extra, Tim is promoted to lead in a knee jerk reaction to a few campaigners kicking up a fuss when James Norton (playing himself) is initially announced as the star.

10.00pm Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled Dave – The improvised conversational show returns for a seventh series. On tonight’s opener, Alan is joined by stand-ups Lara Ricote, Jamali Maddox and Josh Jones as well as writer and presenter Sue Perkins. They discuss such varied topics as nuns and nun chucks, Mexican soap royalty, sun beds, hallucinogens and foam parties..

Wednesday 

Ted Lasso AppleTV+ – Third and final series of comedy led by Jason Sudeikis. Jodie Balfour has joined the cast as will play Jack, a charming venture capitalist.

9.00pm Christine McGuinness – Unmasking My Autism BBC One – In this documentary, Christine McGuinness reflects on her 2021 autism diagnosis and how it made her life make sense for the first time. She meets other women who have recently been diagnosed with autism and the correlation between her own autism and a previous eating disorder. Christine also wonders if the experiences she’s had in past relationships could’ve been prevented and visits the only school in the UK solely dedicate to educating autistic girls .Finally, Christine meets a group of autistic mums and, for the first time in her life, she feels like she has found her tribe.

9.00pm Tyrant: The Rise of Adolf Hitler Channel Five – New documentary which presents a radical retelling of the events that led to the Second World War. The focus of tonight’s instalment is the six months  between March 1938 and September 1938, and explores how Hitler began to drag the world towards a devastating war. The documentary explores how Adolf Hitler manipulated and played games with the people of Czechoslovakia and with the western powers of Britain and France to achieve his ends.

9.00pm Bend it Like Bollywood BBC Three – Single documentary following Dancer Vinnay who grew up in Leicester, unable to be himself and live his life  as a visibly out and queer person,. Feeling rejected, Vinnay left for London and, three years on, has built a new life as an openly gay, gender non-conforming – a dazzling collection of sarees in tow – and running his own successful dance class, Bollyqueer. This film sees Vinnay take a bold step by returning to his hometown to launch his Bollyqueer dance classes. Vinnay encounters unfinished business on his return to Leicester as he tries to bridge the gap of understanding between himself and his father on his gender non-conformity. And, as he looks to bring his modern and unique take on Bollywood dance to the people of Leicester, he discovers whether he can be accepted by a community who he felt rejected him during his adolescence.

10.15pm  The Piano: The Concert  More 4  – Directly following the final episode of The Piano on Channel 4, More4 are airing the full final concert at the Royal Festival Hall featuring performance by Lang Lang, Mika and the programme’s four finalists.

Thursday 

Bali 2002 ITVX – Drama series based on the events of 2002 when the paradise of island of Bali was shattered by a terrorist attack on two of Kuta Beach’s busiest nightclubs.  Both the locals and the international tourists scrambled to escape, to rescue the injured and comfort the dying.  Australian and Indonesian authorities not only mobilised to evacuate survivors and identify victims, but to hunt down those responsible. The ensemble cast is led by Rachel Griffiths and also features Richard Roxburgh, Claudie Jessie and Ewen Leslie.

Shadow and Bone Netflix – Second season of the fantasy drama based on the books by Leigh Bardugo.

9.00pm Nazanin  Channel 4 – Observational documentary telling the story of  Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – the British-Iranian charity worker who was arrested at Tehran airport in 2016.  She was charged with spying, separated from her baby, thrown into Tehran’s notorious Evin prison and handed a five-year sentence. Back in London, her husband Richard begins a relentless public campaign to get Nazanin freed and to discover why she was seized in the first place. He uncovers that her fate is intimately bound up in a huge British-Iranian arms deal for tanks from the 1970s that went wrong in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. This programme was five years in the making and features unprecedented access to Richard, little Gabriella and to Nazanin herself in Iran as her family desperately struggled to get herself.

9.00pm A Town Called Malice Sky Max – Comedy thriller set in Spain in the 1980s that follows the Lords, a crime family of petty thieves from South London who have fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain. And they’re not happy about it. The series is written and created by Bulletproof’s Nick Lowe. Jason Flemyng, Jack Rowan, Tahirah Sharif and Martha Plimpton confirmed to star.

9.00pm A Country Life for Half the Price Channel Five – Kate Humble fronts the first of a two-part series joining families who are moving to pastures new. In tonight’s episode she meets Pete and Sharon who, along with their eighty animals, are relocating from Bristol to Orkney. The couple are leaving behind their cramped suburban home for a stunning seven-acre property of island countryside with everything from sheep to horses to goats and geese coming with them.

Friday 

Swarm Prime Video – In this horror comedy, co-created by Donald Glover, Dominique Fishbank plays Dre; a  a young woman who is obsessed with a fictional pop star with a fanbase known as “The Swarm”. The show is a dive into Dre’s life, her fandom, and how it takes her to dark, unexpected place

Extrapolations Apple TV+ – Anthology series which depicts the effects of climate change on the planet through interconnected stories. The cast is set to include Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker, Tobey Maguire, Sienna Miller, Kit Harrington Edward Norton, Diane Lane, and Marion Cotillard.

Class of ’07 Prime Video – Australian comedy drama starring Emily Browning which focuses on a group of women attending their ten-year reunion only to be forced to band together when an apocalyptic tidal wave hits.

7.00pm Comic Relief 2023 BBC One – David Tennant, Zoe Ball, Joel Dommett, AJ Odudu and Paddy McGuinness host Red Nose Day live from Media City UK in Salford. Tonight’s entertainment includes Tony Robinson portraying Baldrick once again for a Blackadder bedtime story, French and Saunders aiding Claudia Winkleman for a special episode of The Traitors and Kylie Minogue joining the cast of Ghosts for a special one-off sketch. Music is provided by Tom Grennan, Zara Larsson and the cast of Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical.

8.00pm Highclere: Behind the Scenes  Channel Four – Documentary portraying the behind-the-scenes life of those who inhabit the real Downton Abbey – Highclere Castle. With exclusive access to the modern-day Lord and Lady Carnarvon, as well as their loyal staff, as they strive to make up for lost time. After almost three years of closures due to the pandemic, the renowned house and gardens open their doors for Easter. With running costs of £10,000 a day, this family-owned estate needs a good start to their busy season to recoup losses, and it’s all hands on deck for the small team. Lady Carnarvon becomes an unexpected tour guide for some Americans who’ve turned up expecting a private tour of the famous castle. Head butler Luis, who’s used to serving royalty and VIPs, mans the drinks and ice cream kiosk on one of the hottest days of spring. Head of visitor reception Paul dons a chauffeur cap as he prepares a precious family heirloom – the vintage 1936 Rolls-Royce – to go on display. Meanwhile, castle manager John organises an egg hunt and hopes the first major event of the season goes without a hitch. Away from the chaos of the public opening, horse grooms Maggie and Sam are kept busy rearing Lord Carnarvon’s thoroughbred racing foals, which the Earl hopes one day will pay dividends.

9.00pm Redemption ITV1 – This new Irish drama stars Paula Malcolmson as Liverpool-based DI Colette Cunningham whose daughter Kate disappeared without a trace when she was seventeen. Upon learning that Kate, who had been living in Dublin under an assumed identity, has taken her own life Collette returns to Ireland and meets her teenage grandchildren for whom she has been named guardian of. However, when something about her daughter’s final months don’t make sense, Colette sets to uncover the truth behind Kate’s death.

10.00pm When Comic Relief Did Big Brother BBC Two – Documentary reflecting on the first series of Celebrity Big Brother which took part in 2002 and was in aid of Comic Relief. The first ever Celebrity Big Brother housemates – Jack Dee, Vanessa Feltz, Keith Duffy, Claire Sweeney and Anthea Turner all look back at this extraordinary moment in TV history where celebrity reality TV was born.