80 shows you won’t want to miss: Colin Farrell tells why making whaling drama The North Water in the Arctic pushed him to the limit in our… bumper crop of autumn TV!
FABULOUS FANTASTY
01 THE WHEEL OF TIME
NOVEMBER • AMAZON PRIME
Weekend magazine picked out a selection of the best shows available to watch this autumn. Pictured: Rosamund Pike as Moiraine in The Wheel Of Time
Magician Moiraine, a member of a mystical all-female organisation, takes a group of five young people on a journey around the world in the hope of unveiling one of them as a reincarnation of The Dragon, a powerful creature who is destined to either save the planet or destroy it. Rosamund Pike plays Moiraine in this six-part fantasy-drama based on the Robert Jordan novels of the same name.
02 HAWKEYE
Jeremy Renner reprises his Avengers: Endgame role in new series Hawkeye
NOVEMBER • DISNEY +
This spin-off series from Avengers: Endgame sees heroic archer Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), teaching his sassy protégée Kate Bishop (True Grit’s Hailee Steinfeld) all he knows.
03 FOUNDATION
24 SEPTEMBER • APPLE TV+
Sci-fi novelist Isaac Asimov was the visionary who wrote the books that movies Bicentennial Man and I, Robot were based on. The latest Asimov story to come to the screen is Foundation in this ten-part series, which follows Dr Hari Seldon (Chernobyl’s Jared Harris) as he leads a group of exiles to a remote part of the galaxy to rebuild civilisation.
04 DOCTOR WHO
COMING SOON • BBC1
Fire up the Tardis for Jodie Whittaker’s swansong as the Doctor. John Bishop joins the cast as new sidekick Dan Lewis for the six-part series, and be prepared… the terrifying Weeping Angels are back!
05 THE WITCHER
COMING SOON • NETFLIX
Pictured: Brit Freya Allan is Princess Ciri, possessor of mysterious powers, in The Witcher
It’s been two years since Superman star Henry Cavill swapped his tights and cape for swords and a suit of armour to play monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. In series one he became entwined with Ciri (Freya Allan), a princess with a mysterious power, and in series two he must protect her from her biggest threat – herself.
06 INVASION
22 OCTOBER • APPLE TV+
Sam Neill battled dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, but has he finally met his match? He plays veteran sheriff John Bell Tyson in this bigbudget ten-part series following different people across the globe contending with an alien invasion.
07 FANTASTIC BEASTS: A NATURAL HISTORY
COMING SOON • BBC1
Presented by Stephen Fry, this documentary examines the origins and stories behind the mythical creatures that stalk JK Rowling’s tales (such as the horntail dragon), exploring their links with real animals living today. Made in conjunction with the Natural History Museum, the show looks at creatures such as centaurs, woolly rhinos and giant squid.
GRITTY DRAMAS
08 THE NORTH WATER
SEPTEMBER • BBC2
Colin Farrell (pictured), is almost unrecognisable as the bloodthirsty whaler Henry Drax in The North Water, after gaining 3st for his role in BBC2 The North Water
To prepare for his latest role, Colin Farrell ate and ate and ate. ‘It’s not hard to put weight on if you eat more,’ he laughs when we meet towards the end of the show’s gruelling shoot which, for four weeks, took the cast and crew further north than any other.
The Irish heart-throb is 3st heavier and almost unrecognisable as the bloodthirsty whaler Henry Drax in The North Water, one of the BBC’s must-see dramas of the season. Based on the hit 2016 novel by Ian McGuire, it’s a story of murder, rape and an awful lot of blood. But it’s also one of the most hauntingly beautiful dramas ever filmed.
‘I really am struggling to articulate my feelings around this shoot,’ says Colin, 45. ‘We were filming in the most formidable environment I’ve ever found myself in. It was stunning and extraordinary.’
The five-part series tells of a disastrous 1850s whaling trip through the eyes of disgraced ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner (Jack O’Connell) who joins the crew of The Volunteer as ship’s doctor. He’s scarred by his past experiences and addicted to laudanum, but he’s almost an angel compared to his shipmates.
It feels like life is cheap as the ship moves ever north into more dangerous waters in search of whales, hunted for their blubber which was turned into oil and their bones which were used for corsets. Unbeknown to the others, Captain Brownlee (Stephen Graham) has conspired with The Volunteer’s owner Baxter (Tom Courtenay) to sink the ship in order to collect the insurance money, once another is nearby to save the sailors. But there’s a huge amount that could – and does – go wrong.
Colin’s character Henry Drax is a brutish man mountain, the dark heart of the story who’s as at home killing whales, seals and men who annoy him – including, Patrick believes, his own shipmates.
‘When I read the script I wasn’t sure about doing it – there is such a fundamental and essential darkness to this man,’ Colin admits. ‘But the interesting thing about him is that he doesn’t live in that darkness; he’s the most burden-free character in the piece.
‘He’s painted as a man of nature – and in some ways he is quintessentially Darwinian in that he’s fully engaged with the notion of survival of the fittest. He’s an abusive creature of self-preservation. I’d like to think it’s the greatest departure from myself that I’ve ever played.’
The North Water tells of a disastrous 1850s whaling trip through the eyes of disgraced ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner. Pictured: The crew of The Volunteer
This is no pretty costume drama. The actors wore special braces to dirty their teeth while some of the cast and many of the extras were told to start growing beards months before filming started so they would look realistically haggard.
But the darkness of the story is set against the stark and extraordinary beauty of the Arctic. To film so far north, the production took three ships: an ice breaker, a support boat which housed the cast at night and a wooden sailing boat, The Active, on which much of the filming took place.
The cast and crew were out in the wilderness for four long and lonely weeks and Colin, who has two sons, spent a day climbing on The Active’s rigging and learning how to work the ropes with its crew who played extras. It was a memorably isolated filming experience for all the cast and crew as, aside from a single phone, they were cut off from civilisation.
‘It was a very, very intense time for all of us,’ says Colin, who’s filming some of the final water scenes in Budapest when we meet.
‘The silence was extreme, the vastness around us was extreme, the danger was extreme, and the proximity to each other was extreme. So you had these diametrically opposed feelings of crowdedness and isolation, both simultaneously experienced in the extreme.
‘We were together from six in the morning until it got dark – and we started losing 23 minutes of sunlight every day as we headed towards the polar night and 74 days of continuous darkness.
‘So we were together a lot and it created this very special bond, but it was also hard. I wasn’t particularly happy. It was lonely. You lack everything that’s familiar; the comforts of life whether they’re family or coffee shops or just routine.
‘I’ve never been anywhere that lacked familiarity as starkly as it did up there. The world felt kind of hostile; I got the sense that we weren’t supposed to be there. Nobody is supposed to be there. Even my body felt like it was working in a way that was different – slower.’
Colin has been sober since going into rehab in 2006 and while some of the cast enjoyed the onboard bar, he deliberately stayed away.
Colin said his four weeks in the Arctic left him feeling like it’s a place where man should never have set foot as he claims there was an ever present feeling of death
‘Once we finished filming I kept myself to myself more than I usually would. Partly because I found playing Drax sticky so I wanted to keep my own counsel. I like being with people but as there was drinking I stayed in my room and that felt lonely.
‘I could hear them having a laugh and it would have been fun to be part of that but instead I was in my room looking at the script and reading The Hobbit. That feeling I was left with made it easier to play Drax but was harder on Colin.’
The toughness of the evenings was offset by the beauty of the days, but that’s when the danger was most apparent.
‘I know it sounds dramatic but the feeling of death was ever present,’ he says. ‘If any of us had slipped off an ice floe it would have been seriously dangerous. Sometimes they would crack.
‘We had spotters to look for polar bears; they were spotted about ten times and we would have to get back on the boat until they’d gone. They’re beautiful, majestic creatures – but keep them away from me! Really stunning, but also formidable apex predators.
‘I’m not sure I’ll ever have an experience like it again; to go that far and capture some of the raw beauty in a place that seems untainted by man.’
While the story is set in a different time, Colin believes its message will always be current. ‘It’s a treatise on the nature of man,’ he says.
‘All these despicable acts are committed by various characters because of greed. While whaling has mainly been outlawed, those elements of human behaviour are still alive today; we are aggressive, covetous, envious and greedy even while we’re also loving and kind.
‘The story is one of extreme polarities which are not just about killing peaceful creatures in a beautiful environment but what it is to be human; hot vs cold, comfort vs discomfort, or kindness vs murder.’ Nicole Lampert
09 HELP
SEPTEMBER • CHANNEL 4
Jodie Comer stars as a young woman who forms a deep bond with one of the residents at a care home in Liverpool, as the covid-19 pandemic strikes in Channel 4’s Help. Pictured: Jodie as care worker Sarah, with Stephen as patient Tony
Stars from Killing Eve and Line Of Duty combine in this powerful one-off drama celebrating a fictional unsung heroine of the pandemic. Jodie Comer (Villanelle in Killing Eve) plays Sarah, a young woman who’s never fitted in either at school or at work, until she lands a job at a care home in Liverpool and forms a deep bond with one of the residents, 47-year-old Tony (Stephen Graham, who appeared as undercover cop John Corbett in series five of Line Of Duty).
He’s suffering from Young Onset Alzheimer’s, a condition that causes confusion and violent outbursts, which the other members of staff at the home find hard to handle. ‘But Sarah can manage him and they form a close relationship,’ explains Jodie.
‘The success she has with Tony [below with Sarah], plus her ability to look after other patients, helps build her confidence and restore her self-belief.’
The drama takes a darker turn when the calendar ticks round to March 2020 and Covid-19 strikes the care home.
Stephen Graham, who plays 47-year-old Tony, said working with Jodie has been one of his ambitions for years. Pictured: Stephen and Jodie in Help
Sarah and her colleagues fight tooth and nail to protect the residents, with Sarah going to extraordinary lengths to look after people whose conditions make isolation even more traumatic. We see the staff’s unwavering commitment and compassion as the situation deteriorates.
The two actors, both from Liverpool (Stephen was actually a mentor to the young Jodie), may not share the love of a football team – Stephen’s a big Liverpool fan, Jodie supports Everton – but they’ve long wanted to do a big drama together.
‘Working with Jodie has been an ambition of mine for years,’ says Stephen. ‘We’re hugely passionate about shining a light on one of the biggest tragedies of our time and the people at the heart of it.’
10 LANDSCAPERS
COMING SOON • SKY ATLANTIC
Olivia Colman and David Thewlis star in the true story of Susan and Christopher Edwards, who killed her parents and buried them in their garden where they lay undiscovered for 15 years.
Olivia Colman and David Thewlis (pictured) portray Susan and Christopher Edwards in Sky Atlantic’s Landscapers, based on a true story of a couple who killed their parents
Olivia’s husband Ed Sinclair has written this four-parter about a couple driven by money and obsessed with showbusiness – after plundering her parents’ bank accounts, they spent thousands on mementos of actor Gary Cooper.
11 ANGELA BLACK
OCTOBER • ITV
Private eye Ed offers Angela, played by Joanne Froggatt, a way out of the domestic abuse she suffers in ITV’s Angela Black. Pictured: Samuel Adewunmi as Ed, with Joanne and Michiel Huisman as Angela’s husband
Angela (Joanne Froggatt) has a seemingly idyllic life with her husband (Michiel Huisman) but she’s a hidden victim of domestic abuse. Private eye Ed (Samuel Adewunmi) offers her a way out of her nightmare, but can he really be trusted? This six-parter was written by Jack and Harry Williams – the duo behind Liar and The Missing.
Robert Carlyle stars as British prime minister Robert Sutherland (pictured) in the second series of Cobra: Cyberwar on Sky One/ Now
12 COBRA: CYBERWAR
COMING SOON • SKY ONE/NOW
Robert Carlyle, in a role light years away from his performance as the truly scary Begbie in Trainspotting, portrays smooth British prime minister Robert Sutherland in the second series of Ben Richards’ thriller. Having coped with the crisis precipitated by a massive power outage and subsequent rioting in the first series, Sutherland and his staff have to deal with cyber attacks on critical infrastructure that threaten to undermine democracy.
13 THE FEAR INDEX
COMING SOON • SKY ATLANTIC
After hugely successful adaptations of his books such as Enigma and Fatherland, the latest Robert Harris novel to reach the screen is The Fear Index. In this four-parter Josh Hartnett stars as Dr Alex Hoffman, a computer genius poised to make a killing on the stock exchange through an AI-driven computer system he created that capitalises on fear in the financial markets. But after a violent assault at his luxury Geneva home, Alex’s world starts to implode…
14 TEACHER
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 5
Sheridan Smith stars as a teacher (pictured) who is accused of having a sexual encounter with a pupil but can’t remember anything about the alleged incident in an upcoming Channel 5 series
Sheridan Smith is cast as teacher Jenna, who is accused of having a sexual encounter with a pupil but can’t remember anything about the alleged incident because she was drunk at the time. Sheridan’s co-stars in the four-part thriller include Strictly winner Kelvin Fletcher as one of Jenna’s fellow staff members.
15 I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
OCTOBER • AMAZON PRIME
A modern take on the 1997 blockbuster horror movie of the same name, this new eight-part series follows the premise of the film that made stars of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe. In a rural American town, a group of teens are stalked by a mysterious killer hellbent on revenge for a fatal accident on their graduation day a year earlier.
The hook-wielding psycho seems to know their darkest secrets and it’s not long before each of them is staring death in the face.
16 HOLLINGTON DRIVE
SEPTEMBER • ITV
In four-part thriller Hollington Drive, a neighbour’s child disappears after Theresa experiences a sense of foreboding. Pictured centre: Rachael Stirling and Anna Maxwell Martin as sisters Helen and Theresa
Detectorists star Rachael Stirling and Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin play sisters Helen and Theresa, part of a tight-knit unit with their partners, in this four-part thriller. When Theresa’s ten-year-old son Ben asks to go to the park with his cousin Eva, his mother has a sense of foreboding. The subsequent disappearance of a neighbour’s child proves her instinct to be correct and sets off a story of secrets, lies and family rifts.
17 THE TRICK
COMING SOON • BBC1
Jason Watkins stars as Professor Philip Jones (pictured) in a one-off drama telling the true story of how the highly regarded professor found himself at the centre of a media furore in 2009
Climate change takes centre stage in this one-off drama from the team behind Keeping Faith. Written by BAFTA nominated Owen Sheers, it tells the true story of highly regarded Professor Philip Jones (Jason Watkins), director of climate research at the University of East Anglia, who found himself at the centre of a media furore in 2009 when his emails were stolen and published.
18 THE TOWER
COMING SOON • ITV
Gemma Whelan plays DS Sarah Collins (pictured), who investigates the tragedy of a cop and a teenage girl plunging to their deaths in three-part thriller The Tower
A veteran beat cop and a teenage girl plunge to their deaths from the roof of a tower block in south-east London. Close by when they fell were a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer Lizzie Adama, who promptly disappears.
Trying to track down Lizzie and discover the reason for the tragedy is DS Sarah Collins (played by Gemma Whelan) in a three-part thriller based on Post Mortem, the first in former detective Kate London’s Metropolitan series of novels.
19 WOLFE
SEPTEMBER • SKY SHOWCASE
Babou Ceesay (pictured) unravels deeply unorthodox cases as forensic scientist Professor Wolfe Kinteh in Paul Abbott’s series Wolfe, airing on Sky Showcase
With hits including No Offence and Shameless, there’s great anticipation for writer Paul Abbott’s latest creation. Wolfe sees Babou Ceesay, star of 2017 Sky series Guerilla, take the role of forensic scientist Professor Wolfe Kinteh, northern England’s most ingenious crime expert.
Each week, he unravels a deeply unorthodox case but along the way things tend to blow up in his face – often with gory results.
MUST-SEE MOVIES
20 RED NOTICE
12 NOVEMBER • NETFLIX
Producer Hiram Garcia claims Red Notice on Netflix has the escapism the world could use more of right now. Pictured left to right: Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson
A Red Notice is an alert put out by Interpol to police worldwide to locate and arrest a suspected criminal. It’s also the name of the eagerly awaited new thriller from Netflix, directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber and featuring Dwayne Johnson as Rusty, a top FBI profiler legendary for his success in bringing the guilty to justice, Gal Gadot as the world’s most successful – and possibly most glamorous – art thief, and the reliably charming Ryan Reynolds as the world’s greatest con man.
Details are being kept under wraps, but with a smart script that harks back to the light-hearted heist movies of the 1960s, a story that flits around the globe like a true jet-setter, and a lavish package of the sort of action sequences Dwayne and Gal have made famous, the Seven Bucks production company behind it has made it plain it has high hopes this will be one of the biggest hits of the season.
‘It’s a big, globe-trotting adventure that delivers fun escapism the world could use more of right now,’ says producer Hiram Garcia. ‘It’s the biggest movie Netflix has ever made.’
For Dwayne Johnson, action sequences – the more hair-raising the better – are par for the course: as a college football player turned professional wrestler turned A-list movie actor he’s seen them in all shapes and forms. ‘But I haven’t always been comfortable in my skin,’ he says.
‘A lot of people struggle with that and I’m no different. When I first came to Hollywood, it took me some time to find my footing and figure out who I was. It was quite daunting.
‘OK, I came in with some nice pomp and circumstance in my first movie The Scorpion King [the 2002 action adventure], but there was no Hollywood blueprint for a pro-wrestler who was half-black and half-Samoan and could be loud and bombastic and make a funny face with half an eyebrow!’
Nineteen years later, he has combined his athleticism with his acting to become one of the most successful stars in the business, and Gal isn’t far behind. A former sergeant in the Israeli army where she enlisted as a combat fitness instructor, she’s an expert in jiu-jitsu, kung fu, swordsmanship and kickboxing, and that’s just for starters.
But unlike Dwayne, who learned his moves in the wrestling ring, the Wonder Woman star says her own early inspiration came from the more gentle world of dancing. ‘I was a dancer for 12 years,’ she says. ‘Learning fight scenes reminds me a lot of choreography because it’s all about expressing yourself with that most wonderful tool, your body.’
This is the biggest movie Netflix has ever made
Now one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, she says that one day she will turn her formidable talent to a more substantial role – but not just yet.
‘My first US movie was Fast And Furious, and I think that that kind of typecast me,’ she says. ‘But I really enjoy action roles. I know I’ll have my opportunity to do heavy drama one day, but meanwhile I love this and enjoy it so much.’ Gabrielle Donnelly
21 ROBIN ROBIN
NOVEMBER • NETFLIX
Bronte Carmichael voices sweet chick Robin (pictured), who is in search of self-discovery and a sandwich in a new half-hour musical animation on Netflix
After her egg falls from a nest, sweet chick Robin is raised by mice in this delightful half-hour musical animation from Aardman, the British stop-motion specialists who brought us Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. The voice cast is first-rate, with Gillian Anderson as the villainous Cat, Richard E Grant as the Magpie who serves as a mentor to Robin, and Bronte Carmichael (Christopher Robin) as the eponymous bird in search of self-discovery – and a sandwich.
22 TICK TICK… BOOM!
NOVEMBER • NETFLIX
How much time do we have to do something great? That’s the question pondered by Netflix’s stylish musical, which marks the directorial debut of Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Andrew Garfield stars as Jon, a young composer at a make-or-break moment as he wonders if he’ll ever hit the big time by creating the next big American musical. It’s based on an off-Broadway production by the late composer Jonathan Larson, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Rent in 1996.
23 EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
17 SEPTEMBER • AMAZON PRIME
Hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which took the West End by storm in 2017, has been made into a movie that will be released worldwide by Amazon Prime. Pictured: Max Harwood and Richard E Grant in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
It all started when a schoolboy from Co Durham decided he wanted to wear a dress to his school prom in 2011. Jamie Campbell’s tale was then made into a BBC3 documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen At 16, before becoming the inspiration for the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which took the West End by storm in 2017.
Now that musical has been made into a movie that will be released in more than 240 territories worldwide by Amazon Prime this autumn. A raft of famous British faces gives it star power – Sarah Lancashire plays Jamie’s mum Margaret, Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan is teacher Miss Hedge, Coronation Street’s Shobna Gulati reprises her stage role as Margaret’s best mate Ray, and Richard E Grant steps into high heels to play Loco Chanelle, the drag queen alter ego of Hugo, who becomes Jamie’s mentor.
And a fresh star is born in newcomer Max Harwood as young Jamie, an exuberant boy born with jazz hands and a vivid imagination. Max, 23, from Hampshire, was still at drama school in London when he was selected for the lead role from 3,000 young hopefuls at a casting call.
Creator and director Jonathan Butterell came up with the idea for the musical after seeing the 2011 BBC3 documentary. ‘What inspired me was the courage of Jamie Campbell to actually set out on a mission to come out as a drag queen at school,’ says Jonathan. ‘He was frightened and he did something extraordinary.’
Jamie gains the courage to embrace his dream of becoming a drag performer after meeting former drag queen Hugo, played by Richard E Grant (pictured)
The plot sees Jamie, a gay teen brought up by a single mother, dreaming of becoming a drag performer but slapped down by his teacher, disowned by his father Wayne (Ralph Ineson) and bullied at school. Although he’s supported by his mother, it’s when Jamie meets former drag queen Hugo that he gains the courage to embrace his true self.
‘Jamie is someone who knows who he is, and he’s waiting for everyone else to catch up and get on board,’ says Max.
Richard E Grant is a revelation as Hugo, a retired drag artist who morphs back into his former stage persona to inspire the young Jamie. ‘There’s so much confidence required to pull it off,’ says Richard, who admits he struggled with the costume. ‘After ten minutes in those Jimmy Choo heels, I was hobbling like a 95-year-old!’ Vicki Power
24 THE POWER OF THE DOG
COMING SOON • NETFLIX
This well-cast drama from Oscar-winning director Jane Campion (The Piano) is based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel about Phil Burbank, a clever but cruel rancher in 1920s Montana. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Phil, who co-owns the ranch with his gentle brother George (Jesse Plemons).
When George marries local widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst) in secret, Phil is outraged and begins a vicious campaign against them in this movie that’s tipped as an awards contender.
25 DON’T LOOK UP
COMING SOON • NETFLIX
An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth in this star-studded apocalyptic comedy. Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio star as astronomers who try to warn a disbelieving world about their impending doom. The impressive wider cast includes Meryl Streep, Timothee Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett and Mark Rylance.
PERIOD DRAMAS
26 THE LARKINS
OCTOBER • ITV
Bradley Walsh claims The Larkins is just the show the nation needs as the nights close in, as he stars as Pop Larkin in the role made famous by David Jason. Pictured: Bradley Walsh and Joanna Scanlan as the new Pop and Ma Larkin
Bradley Walsh reckons that it’s just the show we need as the nights close in – a feel-good comedy-drama set in rural England in the 1950s with a cast of warm, lovable characters. ‘The Larkins will be a hoot,’ says Bradley, who plays Pop Larkin, the role made famous by David Jason in ITV’s original adaptation of HE Bates’s novel The Darling Buds Of May. ‘I’m thrilled to be a part of it.’
More than 18 million people tuned in to the ITV series in the 90s about the close-knit family living a laughter-filled life on their smallholding in Kent where they keep pigs and chickens and grow their own food.
Simon Nye, The Durrells screenwriter, has now gone back to the 1958 book for inspiration – and for a reminder of the rural idyll created by Bates, who based his work on his own experiences of life in the Kent and Northamptonshire countrysides.
Pictured: The original 1990s cast
This new adaptation will also star Joanna Scanlan as Ma Larkin (a role previously played by Call The Midwife’s Pam Ferris), former Doctor Who Peter Davison as the show’s gossipy vicar and Bradley Walsh’s son Barney as village bobby PC Harness.
The plum part of beautiful Mariette, one of the Larkins’ six children, has gone to Sabrina Bartlett, who plays opera singer Siena Rosso in Netflix’s smash-hit costume drama Bridgerton. It was the character that turned Catherine Zeta-Jones into a household name 30 years ago, and Sabrina admits she feels a weight of responsibility at taking on the role.
‘I’m aware of how successful The Darling Buds Of May was, how much people enjoyed it,’ she says.
Mariette is the local beauty, and she certainly makes an impact on Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton (Tok Stephen), an unworldly and officious accountant from the city who arrives to investigate the Larkins’ tax affairs. He falls head over heels for Mariette and becomes wildly distracted from the task at hand, but he has a love rival in Tom Fisher… and Mariette may have plans of her own which don’t involve men.
Suspicion over the way the Larkins manage their taxes is a reminder that Pop Larkin, in particular, is no angel, a wheeler-dealer with a healthy disregard for authority and a penchant for a lucrative deal, even if it does skirt around the law.
Sabrina Bartlett, who plays one of the Larkins’ six children Mariette (pictured), admits she feels a weight of responsibility at taking on the role previously portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones
‘He’s a good-hearted soul who adores his wife and children and has a very strong work ethic and a nose for a good business opportunity,’ says Bradley Walsh. ‘He’s fun to play.’
ITV clearly has confidence in the reboot, with a Christmas special commissioned already to follow on from the six-part series. ‘It’s been a delight to adapt HE Bates’s work,’ says Simon Nye.
‘I only hope we can capture the warmth and escapism of the Larkins for a modern generation.’ James Peachey
27 ENDEAVOUR
SEPTEMBER • ITV
TV’s deepest-thinking cop is back with Shaun Evans playing the younger version of Morse, the detective made famous by John Thaw, in three new episodes. The series begins with a death threat directed toward Jack Swift, a star striker with football team Oxford Wanderers, and delves into the glitz and glamour of the game at the start of the 70s. Roger Allam also returns as DCI Fred Thursday, who’s reluctantly still working after his brother blew all his savings on dodgy investments.
Four-part drama Ridley Road, recounts real events from the Swinging Sixties. Pictured: Aggi O’Casey as Vivien Epstein, alongside Tom Varey as Jack
28 RIDLEY ROAD
COMING SOON • BBC1
It’s the Swinging Sixties. Colours are bright and skirts are short, but in the East End of London the fascists are on the march once again. This enthralling four-part drama, based on a critically acclaimed novel by Jo Bloom, is based on real events when a group of Jewish people called the 62 Group infiltrated neo-Nazi factions led by National Socialist Movement leader Colin Jordan to expose their dangerous plans.
It stars Aggi O’Casey as Mancunian hairdresser Vivien Epstein, who moves to London when her father dies. She’s also searching for Jack (Tom Varey), a man she’s fallen in love with, and when she hears he’s been badly injured she agrees to infiltrate a dangerous group.
29 ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
SEPTEMBER • CHANNEL 5
Love is in the air as Siegfried Farnon and his team return for a second series of the hugely successful 1950s drama based on the James Herriot books. The eccentric Yorkshire vet, played by Samuel West, falls headlong for merry widow Diana Brompton while housekeeper Mrs Hall also has her head turned by a suitor.
James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and farmer’s daughter Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) return but remain frustratingly unmarried (they had tied the knot by the middle of series one in the original BBC version of All Creatures). Also back is lovable Pekingese Tricki Woo, but Patricia Hodge takes over the role of the dog’s owner Mrs Pumphrey from the late Dame Diana Rigg, who died last year.
30 A VERY BRITISH SCANDAL
COMING SOON • BBC1
A three-part BBC1 drama with Claire Foy, recounts how the reputation of society beauty Margaret, Duchess of Argyll was ruined in the 1960s. Pictured left: The real Duchess, right: Claire Foy as Margaret, Duchess of Argyll
The Duke instructed his legal team to use photos of Margaret in a compromising position to paint a picture of a woman he should be allowed to divorce. Pictured: Claire filming the role of the glamorous and wealthy socialite who was portrayed as a wanton woman
It was the upper-crust divorce case that scandalised 1960s Britain when it was splashed all over the newspapers and ruined the reputation of society beauty Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. But now a three-part BBC1 drama with Claire Foy, who played the Queen in the first two series of The Crown, as Margaret and Iron Man actor Paul Bettany as her second husband the duke will paint the socialite in a more sympathetic light.
Mired in debt, which his wealthy wife refused to pay off, and suspecting her infidelity, the duke hired a locksmith in 1963 to break into a cupboard at their Mayfair home in the certain knowledge that he’d find explicit pictures of Margaret with other men.
The duke, whose ancestral home was Inveraray Castle, then instructed his legal team to use these photos (including the infamous ‘headless man’ photograph which showed the duchess in a compromising position with a naked man whose head had been cropped off) to paint a picture of a wanton woman he should be allowed to divorce on the grounds of her infidelity. It worked.
Presiding judge Lord Wheatley said the duchess was ‘a completely promiscuous woman whose attitude to the sanctity of marriage was what moderns would call “enlightened” but which in plain language was wholly immoral’. The divorce was granted and Margaret had to pay seven-eighths of the £50,000 (roughly £880,000 now) legal bill.
Margaret had to pay seven-eighths of the £50,000 (roughly £880,000 now) legal bill when the divorce was granted by judge Lord Wheatley. Pictured: Claire filming the role
What the court case didn’t delve into, however, was the darker side of the duke’s life – his addictions to gambling, alcohol and prescription drugs, his temper and his resentment at his wife. Sarah Phelps, who adapted a series of Agatha Christie whodunnits for the BBC and has written this drama, is aiming to rectify that.
‘Writing the story of Margaret’s life has been a passion project of mine since 1993 when I first heard her name,’ says Sarah. ‘I felt very strongly that she’d been punished for being a woman, for being visible, for refusing to back down, for refusing to be a good girl and go quietly. This is my tribute to her.’ Tim Oglethorpe
CRIME THRILLERS
31 VIGIL
TOMORROW, 9pm • BBC1
Suranne Jones stars as DCI Amy Silva, a police officer literally dropped into a case that provides her with very personal challenges in BBC1 Vigil. Pictured: DCI Amy Silva is winched down to HMS Vigil
Suranne revealed her experiences of anxiety helped her play the role alongside Martin Compston (pictured as sonar operator Craig Burke)
Suranne Jones confronted her own experiences with mental health in Channel 4 drama I Am Victoria earlier this month, and now she’s done it again.
The Doctor Foster star burnt herself out three years ago when she threw herself into work after the death of her mother. She then drew on that experience to play a businesswoman suffering a breakdown in I Am Victoria, and in BBC1’s nail-biting new thriller Vigil she plays troubled DCI Amy Silva, a police officer literally dropped into a case that provides her with very personal challenges.
‘She has to investigate a suspicious death on board a British submarine, which means spending time deep beneath the waves,’ says Suranne.
‘To say she feels claustrophobic and caught in a boy’s world aboard HMS Vigil is an understatement. She suffers from anxiety and depression, and usually she’s on medication and works out a lot to cope with her condition. But in the submarine she loses all of that.
‘She doesn’t have enough medication because she stays longer than she planned to and she can’t exercise either. That has a big impact on her.’
Suranne’s own experiences of anxiety helped her play the role alongside Line Of Duty’s Martin Compston, Endeavour’s Shaun Evans and Game Of Thrones’ Rose Leslie in the six-part drama.
Suranne said covering mental health issues in a mainstream show is the best way to get people interested. Pictured: Rose Leslie as DS Kirsten Longacre and Suranne Jones as DCI Amy Silva
Lorne MacFadyen plays Lieutenant Matthew Doward (pictured), who shuns coxswain Elliot Glover’s assistance
‘I’ve been on medication for those conditions, so my own life research was enough for that part of the character. I’m glad we’re covering mental health issues in Vigil and putting them into a mainstream show, I think that’s the best way to get people interested in stuff.’
The reason for DCI Silva’s presence on board the nuclear sub is soon established. The body of a crew member has been discovered while Vigil is in British waters, meaning the sub has to surface to allow local detective Amy to be winched in from a helicopter to start her investigation. But the welcome she receives varies between lukewarm and hostile.
Shaun Evans’s character, coxswain Elliot Glover, is one of the few to offer genuine assistance, but Lieutenant Matthew Doward (Lorne MacFadyen) shuns her and the sub’s Commander Newsome (Paterson Joseph) won’t accept a murder might have taken place on his watch.
At the heart of Vigil is a clash between a police investigation and the obligations of a nuclear sub to protect Britain from a possible attack.
Paterson Joseph plays Commander Newsome (pictured), who won’t accept a murder might have taken place on his watch in BBC1 Vigil
‘The police investigate because the submarine is inside British waters when the body is found,’ explains the show’s creator Tom Edge, who worked with former Royal Navy officers to ensure authenticity. ‘But operationally, this is hazardous because the submarine ought to stay hidden rather than surface.’
The rigid rules real nuclear subs operate under is demonstrated in the opening scenes. A trawler, working off Barra Head in the Outer Hebrides with six crew on board, gets its nets caught in an unidentified but fast-moving object beneath the waves and is dragged under in terrifying scenes.
The crew of Vigil follow its fate on radar but can do nothing to save the men, because it would mean altering its course and revealing its location – to the fury of sonar operator Craig Burke, played by Martin Compston.
‘He becomes more and more vocal with his concerns to his superiors about this latest incident, and that’s causing a lot of friction between him and the rest of the crew,’ says Martin, who plays Steve Arnott in Line Of Duty.
He also says the set created inside a studio in Glasgow was impressive. ‘You really got a sense of the claustrophobia and how “close quarters” it is aboard a submarine,’ he reveals.
‘Yet the whole thing was so big. In one scene Craig is dismissed to his bunk, and the walk from the control room to bed just kept going on and on!’ Tim Oglethorpe
32 CRIME
NOVEMBER • BRITBOX
Dougray Scott (above, third left) plays DI Ray Lennox, whose world crumbles when a child murder case sparks a drug-fuelled breakdown in Crime
In this adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel, Dougray Scott plays DI Ray Lennox, whose world crumbles when a child murder case sparks a drug-fuelled breakdown. In the book Lennox heads to Miami, but Welsh says the six-part series is an ‘origins story’ focusing on the Scottish crime that sparked the detective’s meltdown.
33 SHOWTRIAL
COMING SOON • BBC1
Celine Buckens stars as university student Talitha Campbell, who is charged with conspiring to murder Hannah Ellis in BBC1’s five-part series Showtrial
When Hannah Ellis goes missing and fellow university student Talitha Campbell (Celine Buckens) is charged with conspiring to murder her, the stage is set for a gripping court case. This five-parter follows the case as the prosecution focuses on wealthy Talitha’s privileged life in an attempt to secure a guilty verdict.
Martin Clunes plays detective Colin Sutton (pictured) in Manhunt, based on Sutton’s diaries
34 MANHUNT
SEPTEMBER • ITV
An average of nine million viewers tuned in to Manhunt in 2019, in which Doc Martin star Martin Clunes played Colin Sutton, the real-life Met detective who caught Milly Dowler’s killer Levi Bellfield. This new four-part series, again based on Sutton’s diaries, follows the DCI as he and his team pursue Delroy Grant, the so-called Night Stalker who terrorised south London between 1992 and 2009.
35 THE RELUCTANT MADAME BLANC
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 5
When her husband dies on his way back from France and she discovers all their money has disappeared and their shop’s been remortgaged, antiques dealer Jean White (Sally Lindsay) – aka Madame Blanc – heads across the Channel to investigate in this six-part thriller.
36 THE LONG CALL
COMING SOON • ITV
Detective Matthew Venn, played by Ben Aldridge, returns to Devon after 20 years to investigate a body found on the beach in four-part series The Long Call. Pictured: Ben Aldridge with Pearl Mackie as DC Jen Rafferty
Fleabag’s Ben Aldridge is detective Matthew Venn, who returns to Devon after 20 years to investigate a body found on the beach. The four-part series has been adapted from the novel by Vera creator Ann Cleeves. Juliet Stevenson also stars.
37 DALGLIESH
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 5
Bertie Carvel (pictured) plays enigmatic detective Adam Dalgliesh in the reboot of Channel 5’s Dalgliesh
Roy Marsden became a household name thanks to his role as enigmatic detective Adam Dalgliesh in the 80s and 90s – now it’s the turn of Bertie Carvel to take on the role in this reboot. Bertie, who played cheating husband Simon in hit BBC1 drama Doctor Foster, will play Dalgliesh in three stories adapted from the novels of PD James – Shroud For A Nightingale, The Black Tower and A Taste For Death. The first, Shroud For A Nightingale, begins with the death of a student at a hospital nursing school.
ENTERTAINMENT
38 STRICTLY COME DANCING
SEPTEMBER • BBC1
Actor Greg Wise, 55, aims to make his sister Clare who died of cancer in 2016 and wife Emma Thompson proud in Strictly Come Dancing on BBC1. Pictured: Strictly pro dancers Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice with newcomer Jowita Przystal, right: Oti Mabuse and Nancy Xu with new addition Cameron Lombard
Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly (pictured) are joined by contestants Peep Show actor Robert Webb, Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Adam Peaty and Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Tilly
We’re not quite back to normal yet – there’ll be no Blackpool Week for the second year running because of Covid – but expect audiences in the studio alongside hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly to enjoy the 19th series of the Saturday-night extravaganza.
After last year’s success for Bill Bailey – at 55, the oldest contestant ever to win – can actor Greg Wise, also 55, who’s competing in memory of his ‘disco goddess’ sister Clare who died of cancer in 2016, do her and wife Emma Thompson proud? Peep Show actor Robert Webb, Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Adam Peaty and Gordon Ramsay’s daughter Tilly are also among the field, while Anton Du Beke joins Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mabuse on the judging panel in place of Bruno Tonioli.
39 SPITTING IMAGE
11 SEPTEMBER • BRITBOX
Marcus Rashford (left) and Gareth Southgate (right) are among the new puppets to feature in the new episodes of Spitting Image on Britbox
After a successful return last year, the satirical puppet show is back to put the boot into more public figures. We’re promised new puppets representing those who’ve created headlines in recent months – take a bow, Marcus Rashford and Gareth Southgate – and a script taking the mickey out of government catchphrases like ‘levelling up’. Co-creator Roger Law jokes, ‘With lunacy rife it’s a tough time for satire, but someone has to do it.’
40 BLANKETY BLANK
COMING SOON • BBC1
Bradley Walsh (pictured) revives Blankety Blank last hosted by Paul O’Grady’s alter ego Lily Savage 20 years ago, as a panel of celebrities help contestants fill in missing words
Following a Christmas special last year, the indefatigable Bradley Walsh revives the game show last hosted by Paul O’Grady’s alter ego Lily Savage 20 years ago. The Chase frontman takes charge as a panel of celebrities are tasked with helping contestants fill in the missing words of a sentence that’s invariably dripping with innuendo, and inveterate giggler Bradley enjoyed the show as much as the audience. ‘I struggle to remember the last time I laughed as much as when I was filming Blankety Blank,’ he says.
41 WALK THE LINE
COMING SOON • ITV
Simon Cowell (pictured) is on a panel deciding the fate of two singing acts competing for a cash prize in ITV’s Walk The Line
There’s no more X Factor and BGT’s been scuppered by Covid, but Simon Cowell is back with an exciting new show. He’ll be on the panel deciding which two singing acts should make it through to each night’s final where they can check out with a cash prize, or ‘walk the line’ and come back the following week to compete against a fresh set of rivals in a bid to rack up even more cash.
Dame Joan Collins (pictured) is among the celebrities taking part in Paul O’Grady’s Saturday Night Line Up airing on ITV
42 PAUL O’GRADY’S SATURDAY NIGHT LINE UP
SEPTEMBER • ITV
Dame Joan Collins is one of those taking part in a show where each week four celebrities must guess the response to questions that have been put to 1,000 members of the public, and decide where they stand in the pecking order.
‘A question might be who is the richest,’ says host Paul. ‘The celebrity has to work out whether they’d come first, second, third or fourth in the eyes of the public.’
43 MONEYBALL
NOVEMBER • ITV
Former footballer Ian Wright’s new quiz show hit the buffers when the cannon that was supposed to fire the balls that help contestants win pots of cash failed to go off in rehearsals earlier this year. With that fixed, viewers will see contestants accumulate money by answering general knowledge questions – but they must take one final shot that will either allow them to leave with their cash, or force them to re-enter the game.
44 ROCK OF AGES
COMING SOON • BBC2
Martin Kemp and rapper Lady Leshurr (pictured) hunt for amateur musicians aged over 65 to fill spots in two bands in Rock Of Ages on BBC2
Pop stardom is usually seen as a young person’s game but this new talent show comes with an intriguing twist – candidates must be aged over 65. Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp and rapper Lady Leshurr are scouring the UK for amateur musicians to fill spots in two bands.
45 THE NATIONAL TV AWARDS
9 SEPTEMBER • ITV
The Masked Dancer and Singer host Joel Dommett (pictured) hosts The National TV Awards from The O2 Arena in London after it was delayed by covid
Joel Dommett, The Masked Dancer and Singer host, finally gets to present the event from The O2 Arena in London after it was delayed by Covid. Line Of Duty’s Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar are all up for best Drama Performance, while This Morning’s Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond battle it out for TV Presenter. The Great British Bake Off and The Great British Sewing Bee go head-to-head for best Challenge Show.
46 THE LOVE TRAP
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 4
Of the 12 women taking part in this dating show, some are genuinely interested in a relationship with the show’s sole male participant and some are only after the cash prize that’s on offer. The bachelor will enjoy dates with the women to work out which ones are genuine, and if he spots a gold-digger they’re evicted through a trap door! This new show is hosted by the ubiquitous Joel Dommett.
CRACKING COMEDY
47 THE CLEANER
SEPTEMBER • BBC1
Greg Davies plays crime scene cleaner Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead (pictured) in new series The Cleaner, based on the German comedy hit Der Tatortreiniger
Paul ‘Wicky’ Wickstead has the type of unusual occupation that would probably have kept the panel on What’s My Line? scratching their heads for hours.
He’s a crime-scene cleaner, the person who comes along to remove any signs of death after a murder has been committed.
Greg Davies plays the lead character in this six-part series, which is based on the German comedy hit Der Tatortreiniger. Much of the show’s black humour derives from the conversations Wicky has with the victims’ relatives, his employers – and occasionally even with the murderers themselves.
A starry support cast includes Helena Bonham Carter and David Mitchell.
48 THE COCKFIELDS
NOVEMBER • GOLD
Bushy-bearded comedian Joe Wilkinson has been busy. Along with filming Ricky Gervais’s After Life he’s landed a second series of his own sitcom about an oddball family on the Isle of Wight. Joe returns as Simon, visiting his adoring mother (Sue Johnston) and stepfather (Gregor Fisher, replacing the late Bobby Ball) for some awkward interaction.
Daniel Mays stars as detective John Major (pictured) who is back on duty thanks to artificial intelligence after being killed in action in Code 404
Entering this bear pit of family dynamics is Simon’s new girlfriend Esther, played by This Time With Alan Partridge actress Susannah Fielding. Also onboard is Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em’s Michele Dotrice.
49 CODE 404
WEDNESDAY, 10pm • SKY COMEDY/NOW
In the first series of this hit sci-fi sitcom, detective John Major (Daniel Mays) was killed in action, but thanks to a top-secret artificial intelligence project he’s now back on duty. After a rift with his colleague DI Roy Carver (Stephen Graham), a 20-year-old cold case soon thrusts the pair back together in this second series. Major isn’t exactly RoboCop – his AI often malfunctions, leading to lots of silly fun.
50 THE GOES WRONG SHOW
SEPTEMBER • BBC1
Fluffed lines, falling scenery, faulty electrics – chaos is assured when the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society takes to the stage.
The show was the brainchild of Mischief Theatre, which originally turned it into West End hit The Play That Goes Wrong.
Comedian Peter Kay, a fan, called one of their previous shows ‘ridiculously funny’. He’s spot on.
51 THE EMILY ATACK SHOW
COMING SOON • ITV2
Comedian and actor Emily Atack (pictured) entertains with a mix of stand-up, sketches and impressions in the second series of her comedy show
Comedian and actor Emily, back for a second series of her comedy show – a mix of stand-up, sketches and impressions – says she’s looking forward to mining her own life for laughs once again. ‘My family, on the other hand, may want to cover their ears!’
52 SEX EDUCATION
17 SEPTEMBER • NETFLIX
Gillian Anderson stars as saucy sex therapist Jean (pictured) in the third series of Sex Education on Netflix
Gillian Anderson stars as Jean, a saucy sex therapist whose cringeworthy chats about what goes on between the sheets has put her awkward son Otis off getting to grips with a girl for real. But he’s still prepared to make use of his knowledge.
The show, returning for its third series, follows Otis and best mate Maeve as they give sex tips to other teens based on everything Otis has gleaned from his mother.
53 BRASSIC
OCTOBER • SKY ONE
Fans find out if Erin, played by Michelle Keegan (pictured) is still with her boyfriend – and Vinnie’s best mate – Dylan, in the third season of Brassic
More hi-jinks are promised in the third series of this anarchic hit comedy about a bunch of ne’er-do-wells. Vinnie (Joe Gilgun) is out of jail and trying to go straight, but he and his mates are a magnet for trouble. Yet the big question surrounds a potential love triangle – the season two cliffhanger saw Vinnie profess his love for Erin (Michelle Keegan, right) just as the police nicked him. Fans will be eager to find out if she’s still with her boyfriend – and Vinnie’s best mate – Dylan (Damien Molony).
54 SANDYLANDS
COMING SOON • GOLD
Emily’s diva extraordinaire mother Donna, played by Tracy-Ann Oberman (pictured second from left) arrives with a bang in the new season of Sandylands
An all-star cast including Hugh Bonneville, Sophie Thompson and David Walliams turned the first outing of this seaside sitcom into a hit. It followed Emily (Roadkill’s Natalie Dew, above, third from left) as she returned to her childhood home to bury her father Les (Sanjeev Bhaskar), only to discover he’d faked his death as part of an insurance scam and was still hiding out in their house.
Comedy chaos ensued as Emily tried to cover for her dad while also reuniting with old friends and having to contend with Les’s deceit.
But if Les was a handful, wait for series two as Emily’s diva extraordinaire mother Donna (Tracy-Ann Oberman) arrives with a bang. She’s come to cash in on the insurance payout, but will she be a reliable ally for Emily when she uncovers the scam?
55 THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR
12 NOVEMBER • APPLE TV+
Eccentric company boss Marty Markowitz, played by Will Ferrell (pictured left) seeks therapy from charismatic New York shrink-to-the-stars Isaac ‘Ike’ Herschkopf, played by Paul Rudd (pictured right) in The Shrink Next Door airing on Apple TV+
Anchorman actors Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd are reunited for this dark comedy based on a true story and a podcast series of the same name by American journalist Joe Nocera. The eight-parter follows Ferrell’s alter ego, eccentric company boss Marty Markowitz, who seeks therapy from charismatic New York shrink-to-the-stars Isaac ‘Ike’ Herschkopf – played by Rudd.
Little does Marty realise that over the 30 years he’s been in therapy Ike has been using his knowledge to infiltrate every aspect of his life, from taking over his company to moving into his Hamptons home. The series explores how the doctor-patient dynamic takes a sinister turn filled with manipulation and greed, and shows what can happen when you trust the wrong person.
CULTURE & COOKERY
56 WATERCOLOUR CHALLENGE WITH FERN BRITTON
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 5
Fern Britton (pictured) presents a rebooted series which followers amateur artists challenged to paint a stunning scene in glorious locations including Devon, Yorkshire and Cornwall
Fern takes over this rebooted feel-good classic, which originally ran for three years from 1998 with actress Hannah Gordon as presenter. During the 20-part series, amateur artists are challenged to paint a stunning scene in glorious locations including Devon, Yorkshire and Cornwall. Professional artists will then judge their work while also sharing their top tips with viewers.
57 GINO AND FAMILY’S ITALIAN ADVENTURE
NOVEMBER • ITV
In the company of his wife Jessica, their three children, as well as in-laws, Gino D’Acampo is on a mission to rediscover the flavours of southern Italy that inspired him to become a chef. ‘We go to Sardinia on holiday every summer but this is about yanking everyone out of their comfort zone and investigating a part of the country that’s dear to my heart,’ he says.
58 THE COTSWOLDS WITH PAM AYRES
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 5
Pam Ayres (pictured) explores idyllic locations in new four-part series The Cotswolds with Pam Ayres
The poet has travelled a lot in her life but to her there’s nowhere in the world ‘as lush as the Cotswolds’. In this four-part jaunt around the area, she explores Blenheim Palace, rides the Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Steam Railway and visits former Blur bassist Alex James at his idyllic 200-acre farm.
59 BEV AND JORDAN’S ROAD TRIP
NOVEMBER • ITV
Ahead of this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! comes a series reuniting two of the stars of last year’s show, former Coronation Street actress Beverley Callard and Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, who became great friends during their stint in Gwrych Castle in north Wales. This quirky, chatty trip takes them the length and breadth of the UK and is bound to include Jordan’s favourite place Turf Moor, the home of his beloved Burnley FC.
60 McCARTNEY 3, 2, 1
STREAMING NOW • DISNEY+
He’s now 79 but there’s an eternal boyishness about legendary songwriter Paul McCartney, particularly when he talks about the Fab Four. And in new documentary series McCartney 3, 2, 1 the head-waggling optimistic moptop Beatle of the 1960s is still very much in evidence as he delves back into his remarkable musical past.
The series transports us back to the boy who first picked up a guitar, met George Harrison on the school bus and loved watching his father, James, entertain the extended McCartney clan every New Year’s Eve. ‘He would get on the piano and just play all evening,’ recalls Paul.
Paul McCartney (pictured), who is best known for being in the Beatles, delves back into his remarkable musical past in six half-hour episodes airing on Disney +
That is just one of dozens of nostalgic anecdotes he shares. Over six half-hour episodes in conversation with famed record producer Rick Rubin, the pair stand over a mixing desk and listen to Beatles and McCartney songs, dissecting their parts and having surprisingly wide-ranging discussions in which Paul reveals his vulnerabilities and discusses his feelings for the other Beatles.
He addresses his relationship with John Lennon, saying, ‘John had a very defensive way, which was beautiful. But I was much more open and just bobbing along, optimistic. So as a team, that worked.
‘I would write, “It’s getting better all the time,” and he would go, “It couldn’t get much worse,” [in the song Getting Better from 1967’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album] which is the perfect foil for that song.’
Paul reveals how ideas for songs came in the most unexpected ways. Yesterday, for example, arrived in a dream.
‘I was in a little top-floor flat at my girlfriend’s [actress Jane Asher] house. I woke up with this tune. I thought it must be some old tune.’ But no one he asked had heard it before. ‘People later would say to me, “Do you believe in magic?” And I’d say, “Well, I have to.”’
The idea for Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was more prosaic. ‘I was on a plane with our roadie, and we were eating, and he said, “Can you pass the salt and pepper?”’ recalls Paul. ‘I thought he said “Sergeant Pepper”. We laughed about that and the more I thought about it I thought, “That’s kind of a cool character.”’
He admits to being astonished by how quickly he and John produced the 20th century’s most iconic hits. ‘There’s something about the work ethic or knowing each other so well. We’d spur each other on and we didn’t like to leave it.’ Vicki Power
61 DIANA: THE MUSICAL
1 OCTOBER • NETFLIX
Jeanna de Waal stars as Diana, alongside Roe Hartrampf as Charles (pictured) in a Broadway musical, which was delayed going to stage because of the pandemic
The musical focuses on the very public break-up of Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles. Pictured: Jeanna de Waal as the late Princess Diana
Since her tragic death in 1997, the story of Princess Diana has been told many times in lots of ways. In the coming months alone, we will see Elizabeth Debicki playing her in the latest season of The Crown and Kristin Stewart taking the role in the new movie Spencer. But before that, we can see Diana in a first – a Broadway musical broadcast before it has opened on stage because of the pandemic.
In this eagerly anticipated production, which focuses on the very public break-up of Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, Jeanna de Waal brings a regal presence to the title role.
62 THE BEATLES: GET BACK
25 NOVEMBER • DISNEY+
Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson recounts the making of The Beatles’ (pictured) 1970 studio album Let It Be in an eagerly anticipated three-part series on Disney+
One of the year’s most eagerly anticipated shows, this is Lord Of The Rings director Peter Jackson’s three-part series about the making of The Beatles’ 1970 studio album Let It Be. Each two-hour episode uses footage originally shot for director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s film about the creation of the LP. Jackson’s series questions the long-held assumption that the project was mired in fractious disagreements before the band split up. Rather, it suggests the group’s friendships remained largely intact.
63 RICK STEIN’S CORNWALL
COMING SOON • BBC2
Rick Stein (pictured) tours the peninsula he has called home for the past 50 years in the second series of his travelogue airing on BBC2
In the second series of his gentle travelogue, Rick tours the peninsula he has called home for the past 50 years. He introduces us to some of his best-loved haunts and favourite characters and proves a passionate advocate for the food, history, music, art, culture and wildlife of the county he adores so much.
Fred Sirieix, Gino D’Acampo and Gordon Ramsay (pictured) explore the Greek islands in an ITV series
64 GORDON, GINO AND FRED GO GREEK
SEPTEMBER • ITV
ITV’s answer to The Grand Tour trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May are back on their travels, this time taking their camper van to Athens and the beautiful Greek islands. Laughs and mishaps are guaranteed as the three amigos island-hop on a catamaran, take part in jet ski racing and dive down to investigate shipwrecks, with plenty of detours for delicious food along the way.
65 AINSLEY’S GOOD MOOD FOOD
COMING SOON • ITV
Ainsley Harriott is embarking on a foodie trip around the UK looking for his favourite produce. He visits an apple farm in Whitstable, a cheesemonger in Wiltshire and a fish smoker in Whitby, and rustles up tasty dishes in a beach kitchen that will put us all in a good mood.
66 JAMIE OLIVER: TOGETHER
SEPTEMBER • CHANNEL 4
This four-part series sees Jamie show us how to prepare meals ideal for gatherings as we re-engage with friends and family. He will also open his home to some of the frontline heroes of the pandemic to say a big thank-you for everything.
67 LOVE TO COOK
COMING SOON • BBC2
Mary Berry (pictured) shares her favourite recipes and tasty meals for beginners in six-part series Love To Cook
Mary Berry ties on her pinny for another six-part lesson, sharing her favourite recipes and tapping into the newfound love of cookery discovered by many in lockdown. Mary will show us how to whip up tasty meals for beginners and those on a budget, and meet people whose passion for food has inspired her.
Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith (pictured) judge new contestants in the 11th season of The Great British Bake Off
68 THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF
COMING SOON • CHANNEL 4
Like a cream tea on a summer’s day, Bake Off is a glorious treat. Hosted by Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas and judged by Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, this comforting show is returning with a baking trayful of eager new contestants.
Now in its 11th year, Bake Off has become a global phenomenon, as Paul says. ‘I was walking through the Alps in the winter and a Brazilian lady came up and screamed my name!’
69 MICHEL ROUX’S FRENCH COUNTRY COOKING
9 SEPTEMBER • FOOD NETWORK
Michel Roux Jr is in the South of France to create the simple French food he loves to eat at the rural Ardeche retreat he escapes to each summer. He shares no-nonsense, easy-to-prepare recipes, from a rich beef stew and a goat’s cheese salad to a delicious melon granita.
70 BRITAIN’S TOP TAKEAWAYS
COMING SOON • BBC2
With pubs and restaurants closed in lockdown, the humble takeaway took on huge significance. Now Sara Cox hosts a competition in which independent takeaways compete in a showdown by cooking in a specially built kitchen in Manchester, with no idea which dishes customers will choose.
ANIMAL MAGIC
71 SHARK WITH STEVE BACKSHALL
NOVEMBER • SKY NATURE
Steve Backshall introduces a variety of sharks, many endangered, including the tasselled wobbegong and lemon shark (pictured) in a series airing on Sky Nature
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Steve Backshall assures you that it is. In his new three-part series, he dives with sharks to dispel the image from the Jaws movies that the oceans’ biggest fish love dining on humans.
On the contrary, Steve informs us that shark attacks are very rare – most of the more than 400 species are too small to be vicious killers. Over the series Steve introduces us to numerous varieties, many endangered, including the tasselled wobbegong and lemon shark, and gets the lowdown on sharks that none of us knew existed – even ones that walk on land!
72 THE MATING GAME
OCTOBER • BBC1
Sir David Attenborough’s latest series The Mating Game, which is airing on BBC1, takes an in-depth look at the animal dating scene
Pictured: A bird of paradise in Papua New Guinea
Whether it’s lions or zebra on the plains of Africa, moor frogs in France or spider monkeys in the Amazon rainforest, they all have to do it. Mate, that is, in order to preserve the species.
Sir David Attenborough’s latest series takes an in-depth look at the animal dating scene. He explains how different creatures find partners, a process that ranges from the elaborate dance of the male bird of paradise to warring male giraffes.
Zebras (main) take centre stage in the first of the five programmes, with a male baring its teeth to intimidate its rivals as it moves in on a female who flattens her ears and opens her mouth to show she is receptive to his attention.
‘Nearly every species has its own strategy when it comes to mating – some choose to fight, others to pursue, while others create a song and dance about it,’ explains Sir David, who narrates. ‘And while some are dramatic and others hilarious, these processes of courtship all have to take on the biggest challenge there is – attracting a partner. It’s the one game that connects us all.’
73 GANGS OF MACAQUE ISLAND
COMING SOON • SKY NATURE
A five-part documentary tracks the day-to-day lives of macaques and follows the battles between rival troops. Pictured: A young black crested macaque
Macaques are incredibly resourceful monkeys, but they’re also aggressive predators with no fear of people. This five-part documentary series tracks the day-to-day lives of these agile and intelligent creatures and follows the battles between rival troops of black crested macaques in the remote surroundings of Sulawesi’s Tangkoko National Park in Indonesia.
74 THE PET SHOW
COMING SOON • ITV
Dubbed ‘Top Gear for animal lovers’, this new show is fronted by Dermot O’Leary and Gavin And Stacey’s Joanna Page. There’s a pet of the year competition, a pet clinic and reviews of the latest gadgets, plus each week a celebrity will bring in their dog to take on an agility course in the hope of topping the celeb pooch leaderboard.
75 SMOKY MOUNTAIN PARK RANGERS
20 SEPTEMBER • NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most visited in the US. This one-off special records the work of its park rangers and biologists as they work round the clock to protect the astounding range of species that call it home before winter arrives.
76 LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY
OCTOBER • BBC2
Jackie Collins’s tales of lust and power such as The Stud and The Bitch racked up more than 500 million sales in 40 countries, but there was much more to the Queen of the Bonkbuster. In this new documentary, her sister Dame Joan and her three children reveal the loving, down-to-earth woman they knew, through letters and home movies.
77 FRED AND ROSE WEST: REOPENED
COMING SOON • ITV
Sir Trevor McDonald (pictured) looks into claims the Wests may have committed many more murders than the 12 they were charged with in an ITV documentary
This documentary hit the headlines earlier this year when the film crew found possible evidence of another body in the notorious case. Fronted by Sir Trevor McDonald, it looks into claims the Wests may have committed many more murders than the 12 they were charged with.
78 BLING
COMING SOON • ITV
In his sparkling new series, fashion guru Gok Wan aims to show that jewellery can be so much more than a simple accessory. He’ll be exploring some beautiful pieces – from the perfect engagement ring to delicate timepieces – and discovering the stories behind them. He’ll also be examining why some heirlooms have particular significance and inviting experts to create and fix stunning items.
79 OUR FAMILY AND AUTISM
SEPTEMBER • BBC 1
Paddy McGuinness and his wife Christine have spent the last few years planning and filming this candid and moving documentary, which charts their own experiences of life with three autistic children – twins Leo and Penelope and daughter Felicity – as well as the experiences of others. They meet other parents with autistic children and also leading paediatricians and cutting-edge child-development experts to discover more about the condition.
80 JOANNA LUMLEY AND THE HUMAN
SWAN COMING SOON • ITV
Joanna Lumley (pictured left) offers support to adventurer Sacha Dench, who is trying to set a new world record ahead of the COP26 UN Conference in November in a one-off special
The ever game Joanna proves once again that she’s up for a challenge in this one-off special. She offers enthusiastic support to adventurer Sacha Dench, who’s trying to set a new world record as she flies around Britain’s coastline in a low-carbon electric-powered hang glider looking for solutions to climate change, ahead of the COP26 UN Conference in November.
All previews by Tim Oglethorpe, Nicole Lampert, Vicki Power, James Peachey, Katie Begley, Gabrielle Donnelly and James Rampton