What’s on TV tonight: the Paralympics Closing Ceremony, Pet Shop Boys Night and more
Sunday 8 September
Paralympics Closing Ceremony
Channel 4, 6.30pm
After 878 medal events across the Olympic and Paralympic Games, starry guests (Tom Cruise, Snoop Dogg) and a fair amount of shoddy weather, the time has finally come for Paris to do what it does best and revert from the international limelight… oh, wait. The final hurrah for the Paralympics comes live from the Stade de France with Clare Balding back on hosting duties, as commentators and athletes reflect on another fortnight of fantastic sport.
Unlike the somewhat confused Olympic opening ceremony, which thrust thousands of athletes into boats to ride down the Seine in the pouring rain, the Paralympics iteration was a roaring success: simple, powerful and in tune with classic ceremonies of events past, it featured a parade of 168 delegations and 500 performers (including Christine and the Queens). Tonight’s closing call is shrouded in secrecy, but the musical element is nailed on: expect a celebration of French electronica from DJs Jean-Michel Jarre, Kavinsky and Cassius. The ceremony is followed by the final edition of The Last Leg in Paris, as hosts Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe and Alex Brooker reflect on the event. PP
Grace
ITV1, 8pm
Another feature-length slice of cop drama from John Simm’s DS Roy Grace, who tonight has to find a link between two murders: one in the Sussex countryside, one in central Brighton. What sets the task apart from his other cases? The killer seems to want to be found.
New Music at the Proms 2024
BBC Four, 8pm
Always a highlight of the Proms season, Radio 3’s New Music Show presenter Tom Service highlights the best new music premiered in the Royal Albert Hall this summer. From Wynton Marsalis’s jazzy Herald, Holler and Hallelujah! to James MacMillan with the Hallé orchestra, it makes for a litany of musical treats.
Sherwood
BBC One, 9pm
James Graham’s superb drama owes a lot to The Sopranos: tricky, unlikeable characters; cities plagued by drugs and crime. In tonight’s bleak penultimate episode, Daphne (Lorraine Ashbourne) continues to run from her past with little success and the town’s crime families reckon with the fallout of their reign of terror. Concludes tomorrow.
Katie Price: Where Did All the Money Go?
Channel 5, 9pm
Made in response to Price’s recent arrest at Heathrow Airport after failing to attend a court hearing relating to her bankruptcies, this by-the-numbers film dives into her once-lucrative world. She made a reported ￡45 million from novels, modelling and her relationship with Peter Andre – but is now facing bankruptcy for the second time.
Pet Shop Boys Night
BBC Two, from 10pm
A worthy tribute to Britain’s premier electro-pop pioneers. First up is today’s performance at Radio 2 in the Park in Preston, where you can expect hits from West End Girls to It’s a Sin, before Pet Shop Boys at the BBC offers a deep-dive into the archive of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s most memorable TV gigs.
Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos
Sky Documentaries, 10pm
Seven Emmy awards and one generation-defining show later, David Chase’s legacy is unparalleled. The Sopranos creator sits down with film-maker Alex Gibney to discuss what made his mob drama so great and how it was to work with such a talented cast (James Gandolfini et al); behind-the-scenes footage paints a wider picture.
The Living Daylights (1987) ★★★
ITV1, 4.05pm
In the first of Timothy Dalton’s two outings as 007, the main man of MI6 is on a mission to assassinate a KGB general. This stylish film also reunites Bond with his Aston Martin DBS after a break of eight films. Part-brutal and part-suave, Dalton hasn’t proved as popular or enduring as the subsequent Bonds, but he’s underrated; Daniel Craig’s sensitive iteration owes him a lot. Kara Milovy (Maryam d’Abo) takes up the reins as the spy’s favourite girl.
The Addams Family 2 (2021) ★★
BBC One, 4.10pm
Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1991 film The Addams Family is a classic for all ages: spooky, kooky and filled with great characters, from parents Morticia and Gomez to hairy Cousin Itt. This feeble animated sequel sees Charlize Theron, Oscar Isaac and Chlo? Grace Moretz lend their voices. Netflix’s 2022 spin-off series Wednesday, starring Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s Jenna Ortega, trumps it in every way.
The Queen (2006) ★★★★
ITV3, 9pm
Helen Mirren’s uncanny portrayal of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’s drama is reason enough to watch. The plot, which offers a riveting insight into the monarchy and the central position which it continues to occupy in British life, focuses on the tug of war between the Royal family and Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) over how best to deal with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
The Proposal (2009) ★★★
BBC One, 10.30pm
When high-flying Canadian book editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) finds out that she faces being deported from the US, she pretends to be engaged to her useless assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds). But with his side of the bargain – she must fly to Alaska to meet his eccentric family – and a suspicious official knocking around, it soon becomes more difficult than imagined. And, of course, sparks fly.
Monday 9 September
The Teacher
Channel 5, 9pm
Schlocky but gripping thrillers, stripped across the week to maximise pull, are Channel 5 drama’s stock in trade. This school-based example didn’t enjoy universal praise the first time out in 2022, though commentators agreed that the plot (Sheridan Smith played a teacher accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old pupil) was winningly meaty – if only the execution had lived up to its potential.
In this second series, Kara Tointon and Will Mellor, who previously appeared in supporting roles, take the foreground as teachers Dani and Jimmy, who give into lust while away on a school trip – with tragic consequences. Once again, it’s a premise that gets its hooks in quick. Whether it succeeds, really, depends on how credible you like your drama to be. There’s an uptick in quality, with the entire cast, including those playing the student cohort (Joni Morris, Forrest Bothwell and Cal O’Driscoll) putting in sterling performances. Emmett J Scanlan as Dani’s mercurial husband does especially well; his well-honed shiftiness instantly draws the finger of suspicion in his direction, despite not having been on the trip. Continues until Thursday. GO
Pickle Storm
CBBC, 5.35pm
A charming new pre-teen comedy following the adventures of nine-year-old Pickle (Kassidi Roberts) who, when her parents flee the fantasyland of Kleftania, must get used to living in the real world. Fortunately, she manages to smuggle her cheeky pet warthoffle out with her – apparently, an easy way to make new friends.
Jamie: What to Eat This Week: Autumn
Channel 4, 8pm
Jamie Oliver makes autumn-ready pickles, pies, jams and chutneys, sticky tarts and chunky soups and stews. Tonight, he gets creative with savoy cabbage, mixes beans, herbs and feta for a smoky sweetcorn burger, and rustles up a tasty tomato galette. All three episodes are available to stream now.
Mr Bates vs the Post Office: The Impact
ITV1, 9pm
Few dramas have raised public awareness like ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which thrust the Horizon scandal to the top of the news agenda. Here, some of the sub-postmasters portrayed in the show talk about its impact, while others come forward for the first time to tell how the scandal blighted their lives and careers.
24 Hours in Police Custody: Murder on Prescription
Channel 4, 9pm
A gripping two-part special following an investigation into the murder, in Wisbech, of a disabled woman found in her own kitchen with her throat cut. With no murder weapon or obvious motive, police are stumped. But it’s not long before the rumour mill throws up a name. Concludes tomorrow.
Trump: Should We Be Scared?
Channel 4, 10pm
Journalist Matt Frei heads to Miami and Milwaukee to learn what a second Trump presidency could mean for America. Former Trump advisors John Bolton and Fiona Hill make up most of the doom-mongering camp, although it’s what the pro-Trump true-believers are praying for that offers the most frightening vision of what the country’s future could turn into.
In My Own Words: Alison Lapper
BBC One, 10.40pm; Wales, 11.10pm; NI, 11.30pm
Disabled artist Alison Lapper – who found fame 20 years ago as the model for Marc Quinn’s Trafalgar Square fourth-plinth statue Alison Lapper Pregnant – looks back at her life through TV archive and talks about coming to terms with the death of her son, Parys, in 2019.
Napoleon: The Director’s Cut (2024) ★★★★
Apple TV+
Got three-and-a-half hours to spare? Then tuck into Ridley Scott’s expanded version of his sprawling war drama. Spanning 32 years, from the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 to Napoleon’s (Joaquin Phoenix) death in 1821, it casts his rise, reign and downfall as both a prickly psychodrama and a military epic. Phoenix is terrific, but it’s Vanessa Kirby’s turn as his fiery wife, Joséphine, who steals the show.
Fury (2014) ★★★★★
Film4, 9pm
David Ayer’s study of the habits and habitats of the American killer male makes for an astonishing, stirring drama. We’re in Germany in 1945, and Sgt “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) and his team are grinding towards Berlin in a battered M4 Sherman tank. There’s no rescue mission and no dolled-up heroism on show here – just an agonising rumble from one close brush with death to the next. Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman co-star.
Escape from Alcatraz (1979) ★★★★
Sky Cinema Greats, 10.20pm
The fifth and final collaboration between Don Siegel and Clint Eastwood was another box-office winner. Based on the true story of Frank Morris (Eastwood) who attempted to escape the prison island in the 1960s, it’s all rapid action. Eastwood perfects his quiet intensity, Patrick McGoohan broods as a sadistic warden, and Danny Glover makes his film debut.
Tuesday 10 September
Jack Whitehall: Fatherhood With My Father
Netflix
When Jack Whitehall was about to become a father last year, he went straight to his “nepo dad” Michael for advice – even though the comedian says his parenting style was never exactly hands-on. For those who enjoy Whitehall’s long-running posh boy shtick, this four-part series will hit the spot; Jack rolls his eyes at Michael’s old-fashioned views, while he delivers sarcastic commentary on his son’s modern approaches to parenting. One he does like, though, is when Jack is hooked up to a gizmo that allows dads to share their partner’s difficult experience of childbirth by mimicking painful contractions.
After the jokey opener about the imminent birth, it moves into more familiar Travels with My Father territory as they explore sights such as an Italian longevity clinic so Whitehall can learn how to be around longer with his new daughter. Also dropping on Netflix today is Ahir Shah’s stand-up comedy special, Ends, which won the Edinburgh Comedy Award at last year’s Fringe. Shah tells the story of how his grandparents migrated from India to Britain in the 1960s in a moving examination of love and generational sacrifice. VL
Emergency Helicopter Medics
Channel 4, 8pm
A new series following the vital work of air ambulance teams around the UK; among tonight’s casualties are Anthony, in cardiac arrest after coming off his motorbike, and Carol, who’s been trampled by a foal.
Waterloo Road
BBC One/BBC Two Wales, 9pm
The popular school drama has been given a metaphorical lick of paint – the school is now an academy, in a new building with a no-nonsense new head, Steve Savage (played by Jason Manford). Among the returning cast is Kym Marsh as school cook Nicky Walters, who – what are the chances? – has a history with Savage.
Ross Kemp: The Mafia and Britain
Sky History, 9pm
“Hardman” Kemp presents this five-part docu-series uncovering, he says, “how far the Mafia’s tentacles extend throughout Britain”, from the Kray twins to today. He starts with the unsolved death of Roberto Calvi (known as “God’s Banker” for his business dealings with the Vatican), finds out why a mobster ended up in a caravan park in Preston, and describes how the formerly oil-rich city of Aberdeen became the centre of a money-laundering operation.
Colin from Accounts
BBC Two, 10pm; NI, 11.05pm
The sparkily written Australian comedy continues; Gordon’s (Patrick Brammall) house becomes even more chaotic as his brother Heavy (Justin Rosniak) turns up and upsets Ash (Harriet Dyer) by revealing saucy secrets from Gordon’s past.
The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Channel 4, 11.05pm
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was convicted of orchestrating the murder of her mother (by her boyfriend) in Missouri in 2015. This true-crime series, filmed before Gypsy’s parole hearing last year, sheds light on a complex story involving a lifetime of emotional abuse at the hands of her mother, who spent years pretending Gypsy had numerous complex disabilities.
Trump v Harris: US Presidential Debate
Channel 4, 1.30am
Matt Frei hosts full live coverage of the first debate between presidential hopefuls Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in Philadelphia. With Harris currently leading in the polls and Trump on the back foot, this is likely to be an explosive showdown.
Young Billy Young (1969) ★★★
5Action, 12.05pm
This enjoyable Western from director Burt Kennedy stars Robert Mitchum (who also sings the infectious title song) as former sheriff Ben Kane, who becomes obsessed with hunting down Frank Boone (John Anderson), the man who killed his beloved son. He ropes in Billy Young (Robert Walker Jr) to help him; Angie Dickinson is an alluring dance-hall girl and the love interest who supplies Kane with vital information.
You Were Never Lovelier (1942, b/w) ★★★★★
Talking Pictures TV, 12.35pm
Xavier Cugat and his Latin rhythms add a touch of authenticity to William A Seiter’s sizzling musical romcom. Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth team up for the second time (after You’ll Never Get Rich); Astaire is an American dancer in Buenos Aires who falls for the beautiful Maria (Hayworth) – but must impress her strict father (Adolphe Menjou) first.
The Children Act (2017) ★★★★
BBC Two, 11.05pm
Directed by Richard Eyre (Notes on a Scandal) and adapted by Ian McEwan from his own 2014 novel, this juicy legal drama is anchored by some terrific performances. Emma Thompson takes the lead as a London High Court judge forced to decide if she should order a blood transfusion for a sick teenager (Dunkirk’s Fionn Whitehead) who opposes it on religious grounds; all while going through her own marital crisis.
Wednesday 11 September
Gary
Sky Documentaries, 2am & 9pm
Child actors often struggle to escape the role that made them, but Robin Dashwood’s fine if unedifying documentary posits that few had lives whose promise deteriorated in such grim fashion as Gary Coleman’s. Coleman was sensational as Arnold Jackson, adopted alongside brother Willis (Todd Bridges) by a wealthy white man in hit 1980s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes. Naturally gifted and dedicated to his craft, Coleman came to resent the part and its irresistible catchphrase, “whatchoo talkin’ ’bout?”, while drugs taken to manage a kidney condition (he was on dialysis for two decades) restricted his growth and left him with a cherubic face until his death in 2010, age 42.
Making matters worse were parents, managers, accountants and a wife who all seemed to regard him as a cash cow – all concerned are interviewed; the innocent joy of those early, instinctive performances is tempered by the knowledge that his life and career were soon to be hijacked. His final years were sad indeed, yet he remained humblingly resilient; had he been allowed to live his life, he might have been a success or faded into obscurity. Either way, he would surely have been happier. GT
The National Television Awards 2024
ITV1, 8pm
Joel Dommett hosts British television’s annual love-in from London’s O2 Arena, with the winners voted for by TV viewers themselves. This year’s nominees include Mr Bates vs the Post Office, Baby Reindeer and Netflix’s documentaries about David Beckham and Robbie Williams; such is the growing cachet of the ceremony, the latter stars might even turn up.
Kent: The Garden of England
Channel 5, 8pm
Bill Nighy talks us through this first trip to Britain’s most south-easterly county, where we find a veteran pilot taking a 1944 Spitfire out for a spin, a revived monument to Margate hospitality and a 13-mile coastal rail service.
The Chelsea Detective
U&Drama, 8pm
A leading role for the estimable Adrian Scarborough in this enjoyable policier imported from Acorn TV. Cultured but eccentric and still reeling from his father’s death and a break-up, DI Max Arnold (Scarborough) – and professional partner DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry) – tackle the case of a devout loner who has fallen under a Tube train. Or was he pushed?
Celebrity Race Across the World
BBC One, 9pm
Life lessons abound tonight as the celebrities tear across half of Argentina to southern Chile for the penultimate leg of their journey; as ever, taking the direct route comes at a cost, although there is yet more spectacular South American scenery to revel in as they go.
The Zelensky Story
BBC Two, 9pm
The central chapter of Michael Waldman’s absorbing three-parter lays the foundations for Volodymyr Zelensky the war leader, learning on the job as Donald Trump attempts to lay down the law and Vladimir Putin begins to rattle his sabre on Ukraine’s borders. Is his country ready for the looming conflict?
Grand Designs: 25 Years & Counting
Channel 4, 9pm
In some ways as unlikely a success story as some of the builds it has featured, Kevin McCloud’s long-running platform for architecture – both inspired and insane – marks two-and-a-half decades with this irresistible hour in which he returns to some of the series’ most eye-popping endeavours to see if they are still standing. Hilarious and affecting in equal measure.
Virginia City (1940, b/w) ★★★
5Action, 1.25pm
Michael Curtiz’s American Civil War film has an A-list cast, even if the plot is a bit far-fetched. Union officer Kerry Bradford (Errol Flynn) learns of a plot to send $5 million in gold to fund the Southern cause, while finding himself – what are the chances? – stuck on a stagecoach with a femme fatale (Miriam Hopkins) and a famous outlaw (Humphrey Bogart). Randolph Scott and Guinn Williams co-star.
Ronin (1998) ★★★★
Film4, 9pm
After a wobbly opening, this John Frankenheimer thriller develops well, introducing its shady mercenaries (Robert De Niro, Jean Reno and Sean Bean) who steal a briefcase from rival hoodlums but are double-crossed by one of their own. The French locations are gorgeous and the car chases stellar. It’s somewhere in the realm of a European version of 1995’s Heat, also starring De Niro as a dodgy figure pursued by the law.
Respect (2021) ★★★
BBC One, 10.40pm
Liesl Tommy’s biopic of the “Queen of Soul” is just a little too respectful. Jennifer Hudson, however, stuns in her finest role since Dreamgirls as the late Aretha Franklin; we follow the singer from her difficult childhood through abusive marriages and, of course, her record-breaking music career. But it’s all a bit shiny and surface-level, and refuses to really probe Franklin’s personal life – the Bohemian Rhapsody curse, if you will.
Thursday 12 September
Taskmaster
Channel 4, 9pm
Returning for an 18th series – with no sign yet of its exceptionally enthusiastic fan base crumbling – omnipotent taskmaster Greg Davies and his grovelling general factotum Alex Horne subject another handful of humiliation-loving comedians to degradation and impossibly silly tasks in pursuit of one of TV’s great prizes. (Or as Davies describes it, a “truly worthless” trophy of his disembodied head, covered in cheap gold paint and stuck on a plastic plinth.)
The five comedians willing to endure abasement this time round are Babátúndé Aléshé, Jack Dee, Rosie Jones, Emma Sidi and Andy Zaltzman. Whether they’re playing, as the game requires, to impress Davies, or just for fun while boosting their brand visibility, the joke is most definitely on them. Last time, egg-protection and gorilla-ring-tossing were among the challenges, while the new trials include defusing a large robot, pushing an envelope and counting chairs in a manner likely to impress a tyrant. In tonight’s opener, however, the newbies enjoy a comparatively easy start: hurling yoga balls in a theme park, and force-feeding Horne a bowlful of bubble gum. GO
Emily in Paris
Netflix
Season four’s second half drops and – surprise! – Emily in Paris is morphing into Emily in Rome. It makes sense that a show so surface-level, grown bored with Paris and in need of a refresh should simply waft off to Europe’s other most beautiful capital. And, of course, there’s a strong romantic draw to the Eternal City. The only question for Emily (Lily Collins) is: will it last?
Kids Like Us
Sky/NOW
An affecting feature-length film seen through the eyes of eight young people (aged from seven to 16 and based in Fife, London, Texas and Wisconsin) who share one thing in common: a courageous attitude to living in the shadow of cancer. Streaming only.
Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby
BBC Two, 8pm
Part high-end hotel, part theme park, everything at Shanghai’s Wonderland Hotel goes down rather than up thanks to its location in a disused quarry. Monica Galetti and Rob Rinder are put to work feeding the hotel’s 3,000 resident fish, testing drones for a dazzling light show, and serving esteemed (read: wealthy) guests in a private dining room.
Yorkshire Great and Small with Dan and Helen
Channel 5, 8pm
Channel 5’s obsession with Yorkshire continues in this cosy new series presented by Dan Walker and Helen Skelton. Beginning in the western Dales they take a cross-country hike to Malham Cove, before heading on to Grassington (location for C5’s All Creatures Great and Small reboot) and Appletreewick.
Who Do You Think You Are?
BBC One, 9pm
Plenty of surprises await Olympic gold-medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill when she sets out to get to the bottom of a (as it turns out, deeply tragic) story of abandonment on her mother’s side of the family, and flies out to the Caribbean to learn about her father’s Jamaican ancestry.
Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera
ITV1, 9pm
The series featuring gasp-inducing footage filmed by members of the public returns. This week’s shocking situations include: a kayaker trapped behind a beautiful yet dangerous waterfall in Mexico, a driver pulled from a burning car in Las Vegas, and mountain-bike world champion Gee Atherton’s near-fatal fall on a mountain in Wales.
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) ★★★★
BBC Four, 9pm
Jean Negulesco’s flighty romcom does what it says on the tin: Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall are a triple threat as determined models renting an apartment in Manhattan in order to attract wealthy husbands. But is the money really worth it? It’s all a little grating to modern feminism, but the three lead actresses are, as always, superb.
The Revenant (2015) ★★★★★
Film4, 9pm
Alejandro González I?árritu’s gritty revenge Western finally won Leonardo DiCaprio his long-overdue Oscar. It’s the true (though heavily embellished) story of a 19th-century fur trapper who gets savagely attacked by both a bear and a frontiersman, then claws his way across the frozen countryside to settle the score. For more DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese’s bloody, violent epic Gangs of New York follows at 12.05am.
Designing Woman (1957) ★★★★★
BBC Four, 11.20pm
Vincente Minnelli’s romcom is like the 1950s’ answer to The Hangover. Instead of Bradley Cooper, we have the eternally wonderful Gregory Peck: he plays sports reporter Mike Hagen, who wakes up after a boozy night out in Hollywood with no memory, courting frantic calls from his editor and trying to figure out how he knows a mysterious woman (Lauren Bacall) who approaches him by the pool.
Friday 13 September
The Grand Tour: One For the Road
Amazon Prime Video
After eight years together on The Grand Tour, and 22 years together on screen, former Top Gear trio Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson are finally driving into the sunset. This punchy two-hour special, set in Zimbabwe, is their swansong – one last grand adventure (1,200 miles long, to be exact, from the east of the country to the west) full of characteristic hijinks and uncharacteristic pathos. And because it is their last ever episode as television’s sweariest trio, they get to choose the cars they have always dreamed of owning: a Lancia Montecarlo (Clarkson), a Ford Capri 3-litre (Hammond) and a Triumph Stag (May).
It all goes wrong, of course. The cars break down constantly, and prove no match for the rough terrain. Clarkson makes a mistake and they find themselves having to cross a crocodile-infested lake. At one point they must convert their cars to run on railway tracks. All very enjoyable, if a tad contrived. What does feel genuine however is their bittersweet emotions. There is a particularly poignant moment in which Clarkson is moved at his (and his friend’s) successes. “What a job this has been,” he says, shaking his head. “What a career.” SK
In Vogue: The 90s
Disney+
This star-studded fashion documentary dives into Vogue’s 1990s heydey. Today’s three-part premiere sits us down with the magazine’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, as well as Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow and Hillary Clinton, to explore the magazine’s influence. The final three episodes follow next week.
Our Lives: The Dinohunters
BBC One, 7.30pm; NI, 8.30pm
In another delightful slice-of-life documentary, Welsh mother and daughter Claire and Tegan appear to have discovered dinosaur footprints while walking along a beach. Enter the expertise of professional palaeontologist Cindy Howells, who joins them to investigate.
Unmissable Moments at the Proms 2024
BBC Four, 8pm
Relive the 2024 Proms with this eclectic collection of highlights from standout concerts. Mark Elder’s poignant farewell to the Hallé Orchestra (with Mahler’s Fifth) is chief among them, of course, but there is also pop star Sam Smith’s debut, Mancini’s magnificent Moon River and Max Richter’s devastating performance of On the Nature of Daylight.
Gogglebox
Channel 4, 9pm
Britain’s most famous armchair critics are back for their 24th series of talking about TV while watching TV. This week’s most noteworthy shows include Sherwood, the return of Waterloo Road, a documentary on the impact of ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office and the National Television Awards, broadcast from London’s O2 Arena.
Hostage
More4, 9pm
The well-paced Swedish hijack thriller begins its smooth descent tonight. Following the revelation that air hostess Lydia (Rita Hjelm) is in league with the terrorists, the police face a race against time to rescue the hostages before the plane runs out of fuel. Complicating matters, however, is the hijackers’ demand for the government to release the truth about a covert CIA operation that apparently doesn’t exist.
Funny Woman
Sky Max, 9pm
Gemma Arterton’s beauty queen-cum-comic Sophie has managed to reunite her sitcom-writing team, but things are just not the same as they used to be. Meanwhile, there’s a marvellous scene between her love-interest colleague Dennis (Arsher Ali) and pompous writer Vernon (Rory Keenan) about the merits of the sitcom as an art form.
Uglies (2024)
Netflix
Director McG (Charlie’s Angels) auditions to join the Hunger Games/Maze Runner gang with this slick (if slightly juvenile-feeling) dystopian thriller, based on Scott Westerfeld’s 2005 novel. Set in a distant future where beauty is Earth’s most important commodity (is our world really that different?), Uglies stars Joey King as teenager Tally Youngblood, who is anxiously awaiting mandatory cosmetic surgery – and the return of her missing friend.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) ★★
Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm
Game of Thrones hunk Jason Momoa reprises his role as DC Comics’s beefy oceanic superhero. This sequel includes so much CGI that you may find your eyes twitching from blue-overkill by the end of it; but if brainless action sequences are your thing, then follow along as Aquaman fights the evil Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Nicole Kidman and Amber Heard co-star.
Alien (1979) ★★★★
BBC One, 10.40pm
Ridley Scott’s horror classic not only placed Sigourney Weaver on the Hollywood A-list, but also redefined a genre that was in need of a makeover (and, of course, spawned four sequels, including the recent Alien: Romulus). After a team of astronauts (led by Tom Skerritt and John Hurt) disturb a nest of alien eggs, they unwittingly take on board a peckish predator who wreaks havoc on both the ship and its crew members’ innards.
Filth (2013) ★★★★
Film4, 11.50pm
James McAvoy always has a ball as troubled, potty-mouthed miscreants, and this adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s 1998 novel is no exception. McAvoy plays a police officer plagued by mental illness (not helped by his marriage having recently crashed and burned, partly down to his newfound taste for cross-dressing) who is tasked with solving the murder of an Edinburgh student. Jamie Bell and Jim Broadbent support.
Television previewers
Stephen Kelly (SK), Veronica Lee (VL), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Poppie Platt (PP) and Gabriel Tate (GT)
