TODAY'S TV WITH SARA WALLIS: BBC's Marie Antoinette is a lavish, feminist take on a scandalous slice of history
From thrilling new dramas and gritty documentaries through to glossy entertainment shows, reality binge-watches, returning series and all the best soaps, there's always something to keep us glued to the small screen. If you're wondering what to watch tonight, I've handpicked the best of the box, selected from all the traditional networks like BBC and ITV, as well as streamers like Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and Apple TV.
Tonight, there's a VE Day celebration to remember, something terrible is about to happen in Emmerdale and an iconic Judy Blume novel is adapted for the small screen. See below for my top telly picks.
Pick Of The Day...
MARIE ANTOINETTE, BBC2, 9pm
With plenty of plotting and pomp - and excellent corsets and wigs, this period drama returns for another round of French scandal. Emilia Schule plays the titular Marie Antoinette, a woman who was sent off from Austria to be married off to the future King of France. In the first season, she emerged as a strong-willed force to be reckoned with in the oppressive royal court of Versaille. Rising from naive teenage bride to Queen, after her husband became Louis XVI, she has now been on the throne for ten years.
She's done her duty and provided a male heir. She's won the hearts of the nation. Everything should be smooth sailing now. But powerful enemies are gathering in Versailles and Paris and Marie Antoinette is about to enter a deadly battle for her reputation. Plenty of people want to oust Louis, either replacing him or banishing the monarchy all together, so now she is a target. The scandalous 'Affair of the Necklace' becomes another chance to discredit her.
Meanwhile Louis is keeping everyone in the dark about the dire state of the nation's finances. The nobility and clergy are alarmed at rumours they will be taxed. But it is the effect of some extreme weather that adversely affects the French people in general. Discontent is brewing… and a revolt rumbles. It's a lavish series, told from a feminist perspective, with plenty of comedy and caricature to keep it from being a stuffy serious period drama.
Best Of The Rest...
VE DAY 80: A CELEBRATION TO REMEMBER, BBC1, 8pm
After a week of VE Day 80th anniversary celebrations, everything culminates with this spectacular live concert from Horse Guards Parade in London. Presented by Zoe Ball, a star-studded lineup features performances from celebs including Samantha Barks, Fleur East, John Newman, Victor Ray, Freya Ridings, Keala Settle, alongside renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Calum Scott, The Darkness, Toploader, Tom Walker and classical singer Sir Willard White.
Dazzling Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Lauren Oakley, and Kai Widdrington bring the stage to life with breathtaking choreography to accompany Fleur's opening. Dames Joan Collins, Mary Berry, and Sheila Hancock will also lend their voices to the commemoration, while actor Brian Cox delivers a powerful reenactment of Winston Churchill's iconic wartime speech. Veterans also tell their stories of love, loss and resilience, and no VE Day concert would be complete without special performances of The White Cliffs of Dover and We'll Meet Again.
VE Day saw millions celebrate while this British Paratrooper unearthed Nazi Germany's darkest horrors
FOREVER, NETFLIX
If you're a certain age, you will remember giggling and passing around a copy of Judy Blume's iconic novel. Or maybe you were reading it secretly late at night, or just heard the rumours… Controversial at the time, the coming-of-age story, first published in 1975, featured a detailed sex scene, and told teens everything they needed to know about first love.
Now adapted for this 12-part series, Lovie Simone and Michael Cooper Jr star as Keisha and Justin, the couple grappling with all the big firsts. Keisha is a driven track star with dreams of going pro and he's an academic hiding behind a front. When they meet, sparks fly. The chemistry sizzles as the pair move from crush to relationship as they deal with messy lives and big, confusing feelings. It's not just a series for teens, it appeals as a nostalgia hit for everyone… especially if you read that Judy Blume book cover to cover.
EMMERDALE, ITV1, 7.30pm
Charity is clearly up to something and Noah is blindsided after she outlines her revenge plot and the dark motivation for it. Noah struggles to process the implications of Joe being the person who drugged him and left the deaths of three people on his conscience. A glamorous surprise birthday party for Lydia is staged up at Home Farm, but is it the right time for the village to be celebrating? As the party guests gather, something bad is looming…
EASTENDERS, BBC1, 7.30pm
It's the 80th anniversary of VE Day and Nigel is excited to celebrate the historic day - but it soon becomes apparent that he believes it's 1995. Jean and Phil prepare to talk to Nigel, but Jean bottles it. Linda remains firm that The Vic is closed, until she hears the market traders buzzing about VE Day. She decides to open the pub doors to honour those who have fallen - including their very own Martin. Ross tries to make amends with Vicki.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
12 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Helen Skelton reveals she has 'finally found her happiness'
The 41-year-old presenter of Countryfile and On The Farm is no stranger to soaking up the great outdoors. A mum-of-three, she says getting out is always her priority, no matter how long her to-do list is. Speaking to Closer magazine, she said: "I've always loved being outdoors, it's so important to me. We've had lots of new arrivals on the farm over the last few days - one of them being this adorable American Miniature Horse, pictured with mum Pearl! Watch as Farmer Rob checked in on them yesterday: — Cannon Hall Farm (@CannonHallFarm) May 29, 2025 "I grew up on a farm surrounded by fields, and the ability to wake up and look at greenery everyday is something I've never taken for granted - it brings me so much happiness. "I might have a million things to do but I'll still go for a swim, paddle or walk. Even if I've got dishes to do, bills to sort and emails to answer, prioritising being outside and doing something active is as important to me as waking up and brushing my teeth." "I take one day at a time and I don't overthink things. My motto in life has always been, "How do you eat an elephant?" You just go little by little, bit by bit. Recommended reading: "I break it down, and I use that approach with everything. I might have kayaked 2010 miles down the Amazon, but in my head I only ever kayaked 16 miles loads of times. I've run loads of marathons, but in my head I haven't. I've only ever run five miles loads of times. "When I did Strictly Come Dancing, my friends would be thinking about what their next dance was, but I never ever let Gorka [Marquez] talk about the next week. Think about what you need to do today and tomorrow. "That'll get you one step closer to where you'd ultimately like to be."
Telegraph
18 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Richard Wilson's fantastic King Lear is proof that the BBC should be doing more Shakespeare
According to the actor Jonathan Pryce, you should play Lear while your back can still handle it. Pryce played the octogenarian king when he was a mere 65, and still put his back out staggering onstage with Cordelia in his arms. Drama on 4: King Lear (Radio 4, Sunday) gave us a satisfying reminder that radio drama can reach the places other mediums can't, as the 89-year-old Richard Wilson took on the role – becoming the oldest British actor to do so in the process. When he staggers on with Cordelia in Sunday's concluding part, Wilson's back will be safe. Clive Brill's production, while relatively no-frills, is a treat, as well as being a potential blueprint for BBC radio drama. Wilson is the eye-catching name at the top of the bill, but the undercard isn't too shabby either – Toby Jones as Gloucester, David Tennant as Edmund, Greta Scacchi as Goneril, Tamsin Greig as Regan. Renowned cellist Steven Isserlis adds interstitial howls from his bow, which begin a little overbearing but grow in stature as the play increases in intensity. Among the less starry cast, Trevor Fox's Geordie Fool stands out. However, it is Wilson that this production will be judged on. His Lear is a slow-burn, beginning, as he vaingloriously beseeches his daughters to shower him with sycophancy in return for a share of the kingdom, in a stubbornly low gear. It is a little jarring at first, with Lear sounding mildly peeved rather than furious at Cordelia's refusal to play ball. 'Come not between a dragon and his wrath,' he says, sounding more like a sleepy guard dog lazing in the sun. While it's sensible not to start Lear at too high a pitch – he has some serious emotional mountains to climb later – I was, in those very early scenes, left wanting a bit more p--s and vinegar from Wilson. His stolid, pompous statesman act felt like it was going to be overshadowed by Tennant's duplicitous bastard (in every sense of the word) Edmund. Tennant gave the listener a fairground ride of an opening soliloquy ('Why brand they us / With base? with baseness? bastardy? base, base?') and his slippery chameleon act was matched by an emotionally raw performance from Jones, who reacted to Edgar's invented betrayal with the sort of passion previously missing from Wilson. Perhaps Wilson was to play an anchor role next to the pyrotechnics from his younger castmates. I was, like Lear, too quick to rush judgement and gradually Wilson's haughty, dismissive old king began to take a grip on proceedings. His Lear is a man who has grown used to hearing no dissent, to having his every whim catered to. When things do not go his way, he does not get angry (at first), because he does not need to – he'll still win. At the point Cordelia 'betrays' him, his reaction is not hot anger, but a surprised disappointment followed by a swift execution. He is vain, thin-skinned, completely in love with his own power, and unwilling to brook any kind of dissent or believe the cards will not fall for him. 'Fetch me a better answer,' he says when Regan and Goneril will not meet him. There is, yes, something very Trumpian about this Lear. If there's a sense that Wilson is saving something up for the more explosive events of this weekend's instalment, that's understandable, but it's tricky to truly give a verdict on his Lear before he has wandered the heath and delivered the most memorable lines ('Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!', 'Howl, howl, howl, howl!', 'I don't believe it!' etc). Yet what a pleasure it is to hear him, age 89, delivering the words that presumably he'd long given up imagining he would. The production is also a salute to the power of the older actor – Matthew Marsh (Kent) is 70, Scacchi is 65, Jones and Greig are 58. Yet that cast is significant for another reason – put this production on in the West End, with the same actors, and you'd be paying more than £100 to sit behind a pillar or peer at them dimly from the upper circle. With theatre pricing becoming increasingly eye-watering, the BBC has a chance to remind everyone (ahead of charter renewal) of its essential place in British culture. With the Corporation's sway and reputation, they could put a star-name Shakespeare on once a month, or even once a week, increasing access beyond those who can justify the exorbitant West End fees. Not only can BBC radio drama save Wilson's back, it can save something that should be coursing through the nation's veins.
Daily Mirror
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Jermaine Jenas axed from ITV show after BBC sacking and sexting scandal
Jermaine Jenas has been largely absent from media work since being sacked by the BBC last summer and he will not be involved in Soccer Aid coverage for ITV this weekend Jermaine Jenas will not be part of the ITV team covering Soccer Aid this weekend amid the continued fallout from being sacked by the BBC over allegations of workplace misconduct. The former England international was axed in August over claims he had sent inappropriate texts to female colleagues. Jenas was removed from his role as a presenter of The One Show and a pundit for BBC Sport after an internal investigation was launched. Jenas saw his contract terminated by the broadcaster and ultimately also parted ways with his long-term agents MC Saatchi in addition to being let go from his role presenting Formula E. Previous years have seen Jenas work alongside Maya Jama as part of coverage for the charity match Soccer Aid, with the likes of Dermot O'Leary and Alex Scott taking on presenting duties. The latter pair are set to host once again as England taking on a Rest of the World side with Wayne Rooney and Tyson Fury co-managing the Three Lions at Old Trafford on Sunday. According to Mail Online, Jenas was not considered by ITV to be part of the production. The channel did not want to bring unwanted attention to an event centred around charity, given Jenas' recent controversies. It is claimed that ITV still have a good relationship with the former Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder. Jenas has returned to working in the sphere of football in the aftermath of his sacking by BBC, however. After stepping back from his role as a presenter on talkSPORT, the 42-year-old appeared as a guest and returned to action as a commentator in February. Upon his return, Jenas told the station: "The biggest thing in this whole situation is about taking responsibility and that has been at the forefront of my mind… There's a reason why you're in this position and there's a reason why this has happened. "Once you accept those things, then you can work on yourself and you can work on the other things and you can work on your family and work towards a brighter future. Essentially this is about me looking inwards, making some improvements and coming back a better person.' In March, Ellie Penfold announced her split from Jenas. The pair share four children and Penfold took so social media to confirm the end of her 16-year relationship. "I never imagined I would have to share something so personal with the public, but given the situation, I feel it's necessary," she 16 years together and 4 wonderful children, Jermaine and I have decided to part ways. "We will remain friends and continue to co-parent. We kindly ask that you respect our children's privacy during this challenging time. Thank you, Ellie." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
