Miranda star looks completely different in new slavery drama on TV tonight
Miranda star Tom Ellis is acting opposite award-winner Sterling K Brown in new Disney+ drama Washington Black - however, fans will struggle to recognise him. The 46-year-old burst onto our screens in sitcom Miranda over 15 years ago and is now taking on the role of Christopher 'Titch' Wilde in this highly-anticipated Slavery Drama.
From This is Us to Paradise, everything actor Sterling K Brown touches turns to gold – he's got the awards cabinet to prove it. He's hoping his magic will rub off on this new series, which he acts in and also produces. Adapted from the popular novel of the same name, this is a story set in the 19 th century, following an 11-year old boy called George Washington 'Wash' Black.
He is enslaved on a sugar plantation in Barbados when we meet him, but this is not a bleak tale of suffering. Instead, Wash manages to run away, and his incredibly intelligent, scientific mind takes him on an amazing and unexpected adventure across the world. Thrown into a life he never thought was possible, he has to reimagine what his future might look life as a free man, meeting interesting people and beating impossible odds along the way.
Washington Black is available to stream on Disney+ now.
The best of the rest
The Couple Next Door
With so much tension brewing, this is set to be an explosive finale to a taut and thrilling series. The couple at the heart of it all, Charlotte and Jacob, seem to be at breaking point, and as they step into theatre to operate together, their personal strife spills into their work.
With a patient's life in their hands, their marital woes could have fatal consequences. Jacob pulls Charlotte to one side and offers her a fresh start, but she needs to share what's bothering her first. Charlotte finally reveals her fears and hopes for an innocent explanation… Meanwhile, back on the cul-de-sac, Alan is worried about Mia. When Jacob tells him she's busy spending time with her fiancé, Alan immediately smells a rat, and when Mia doesn't answer the door he calls the police.
But with nothing concrete to report to them, he realises it's going to be his responsibility to make sure Mia is safe – and he's prepared to go to extreme lengths to protect her. Just as well, because inside the house, Mia's controlling ex is determined to get his own way, dragging up her past. So Alan puts himself in danger. Back at the hospital, Gemma and Leo are against the clock as they try to investigate the real culprit behind the recent deaths there. Questioning colleagues, they're getting closer to the truth, but they don't have much time to follow their hunches. To top it all off, Hari and Leo are heading for a huge fall-out.
Can't Sell, Must Sell, Channel 4, 8pm
A four-bed house in trendy Margate would usually be snapped up quickly, but Gail's property has been on the market for seven months with no offers. When property experts and presenters Stuart and Scarlette Douglas arrive, it doesn't take them long to realise what's going on. Gail's home is rammed-full of nick nacks, from Victoriana ornaments to golden cherubs and 22 lifelike baby dolls, which are making it tough for prospective buyers to visualise themselves living in the space. Gail's daughter has tried to tell her it's time to declutter, but she can't see the problem. However, with arthritis and other health problems slowing her down, Gail is finding it difficult to manage day to day life in such a large property, and she would love to move into a bungalow. Can Stuart and Scarlette use their powers of persuasion to de-personalise the house, so she can find somewhere more suitable?
Can't Sell, Must Sell airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.
Emmerdale
Robert and Kim are all set for a secret meeting to hand over Annie's Field, but Robert senses something isn't quite right. He backs out of the deal, leaving Kim exasperated. Robert does some digging.
John is frustrated that Cain is still miserable, despite the news about Owen. Struggling with his emotions, Cain grills Liam. Liam insists he can't break patient confidentiality and the pair come to blows.
Later, John feels guilty after a conversation with Liam, and messages the helpline again.
Coronation Street
Todd is livid when he realises Noah is harassing Theo. Todd and Billy turn up to the community centre to find Noah attempting conversion therapy on a member of the congregation. Todd lashes out.
It's Audrey's birthday party, but Sam isn't in the mood to celebrate.
Sally and Tim sit down with Brody to tell him his mum has pleaded guilty – and to broach the topic of a prison visit.
Dev offends Lauren with an offhand remark about her dad.
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And while some people might find out-of-body experiences "pleasurable" or even "transformative" others may find them "distressing". It comes as other experts have warned that the current online landscape is encouraging sex workers to go to great lengths to succeed in reaching mass audiences, as it favours viral and shocking content. Health psychologist Jo Rodriguez, from Straightforward Psychology, told The Mirror that younger "brains are not adaptive enough to recognise that actually that's not the real world". She warned: "It's a version of reality that is given to you in the context of the situation. These young people, they see this, they expect this to be what relationships are like. How women are or what men are like, and then believe that they need to fit these roles. [...] It can create all sorts of problems for both men and women, because it is not an accurate reflection of reality.." When asked how she feels about young teenagers coming across her content, Bonnie admits in the documentary that she "forgets" to think of it from that point of view. She then says bluntly: "There's also a parent's responsibility to say, hey, there's people in the world that do mass murders. [It] doesn't mean you do that." Despite widespread fears about her work, Bonnie's family seem supportive of her career, despite facing backlash of their own. One scene in the documentary shows Bonnie at home with mum Sarah, who speaks with pride about how her daughter was a great dancer as a child. She says: "Would it be something that I chose for her to do, no. I was really, really shocked, but now would I want her to do anything else? No, not at all. It's her choice. "People I know always liked us both, but think it's OK to make nasty comments. Most of the time I just laugh. I'm like, 'If you could earn a million pounds in a month, your morals would soon change, and you'd get your bits out'. I don't care what people say." Sarah and other family members have given up their jobs to be on Bonnie's payroll. Bonnie adds: "My family started to put up with hate, I get that, but I also get the life I live and the money. So it's like I also want them to receive some of the rewards.' The star admits she uses the widespread hate she gets as fuel for engagement, and often puts women down as part of her brand. At one stage, while answering questions at a Q&A after the screening, she even labels them "the fat women that stay at home and make TikToks." She says in the show: "A lot of the times when I'll push into the hate, I know the more women that chat about me, the more husbands are going to search my name. "The more they're talking to me in their household, the more their sons are going to go to their bedroom and search for me. So I'm happy to p*** off the women because they're not my target audience." Channel 4 defended the multiple sex scenes in the documentary, telling the Mirror: "The explicit content is editorially justified and provides essential context.' And at the screening, commissioning editor Tim Hancock said: "We are very proud to do films like this." * 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story, Channel 4, Tuesday, 10pm.
