06-04-2025
Gladiators final, The Banksy Story, Doctor Who, Black Mirror: What's coming up this week
This week, Gladiators and contenders gear up as the grand final of the competition takes place on BBC that's not all the week has in Banksy Story is here for a second season, Doctor Who is back on our screens, new game South of Midnight is released, and Black Mirror makes a timely on for what's coming up this week...
The race to be Gladiators champion
After 10 weeks of intense competition, the grand final of the Gladiators is almost upon Zavia Hill has been forced to pull out due to an injury. It means the fastest female runner-up from the semi-finals, Aneila Afsar, will take her place - having already made history as the first contender to appear on Gladiators wearing a will compete alongside Amanda Wah, while Joe Fishburn and Mus Dumbuya complete the Bradley and Barney Walsh promised it would be a 'nail-biting final', with some 'thrilling moments' which you won't want to BBC resurrected the hit 1990s show last year, introducing a whole new set of fans to the joy of foam fingers, Lycra-clad combatants and tense showdowns on the all the action on Saturday from 5.50pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
When Banksy comes to town
What actually happens when a Banksy original appears on the wall of your house?That's what superfan James Peak is investigating in season two of The Banksy the five-part series, James follows two Banksy homeowners in two different seaside towns, Margate and looks at the circus that can ensue when you wake up to find a Banksy spray-painted on your walls, and the strange and sometimes unexpected consequences for residents, fans and the art told me he loved being back on the trail of the elusive street artist."I learnt an awful lot more about his modus operandi - and got some more insights into how he continues to not get caught," he Banksy Story: When Banksy Comes to Town begins on Monday on BBC Radio 4, with the full boxset available now on BBC Sounds.
The Doctor is back
Fans of Saturday night TV have a lot in store this week, as Doctor Who is also on its way back to our Gatwa is playing the Doctor for a second series, alongside Millie Gibson who's back as Ruby Sunday. They'll be joined on their adventures by Varada Sethu, who plays his companion, Belinda who's 32, told my colleagues in Asian Network that when she first told her family she wanted to be an actress, there wasn't immediate she persevered and now says inspiring young girls to follow their dreams is one of her big star Rose Ayling-Ellis, who won Strictly Come Dancing as the show's first ever deaf contestant in 2021, will also be appearing as a special guest this season.
A timely return of Black Mirror
By Emma Saunders, entertainment reporter
With recent news about the upcoming release of Nintendo's Switch 2 and AI generated video hitting the headlines in Hollywood (again), the return of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror couldn't be more seven of the popular dystopian anthology series drops on Thursday on Netflix, and as usual, there's no shortage of A-list stars on the roster, including Emma Corrin, Chris O'Dowd, Awkwafina, Paul Giamatti, Issa Rae, Peter Capaldi, Harriet Walter, Will Poulter and Asim the interactive Black Mirror film Bandersnatch where Chaudhry and Poulter played a games company boss and a developer? The pair are now reprising their roles from the 2018 interactive movie in a new episode called actor Lewis Gribben, who is soon to star in the highly anticipated TV series Bladerunner 2099, plays a loner obsessed with a videogame released in the told the BBC he was also a bit of a gamer himself but had more of a handle on it than his Black Mirror character."When you have a day off… I can spend a good solid 10 hours [on video games]. But I like to think most people game in moderation or just have binger game sessions. It's more like a relaxation thing,' he said.
Loss and healing in South of Midnight
By Tom Richardson, Newsbeat reporter
America's Deep South, with its rich, troubled history and deep wells of folklore, is a curiously underused setting for video adventure South of Midnight (Xbox, PC) on the other hand, actively embraces game follows Hazel Flood, a young woman on a mission to find her mother after their trailer is swept away in a the way, she visits strange and mystical worlds packed with nods to Southern Gothic motifs and the complicated, real-life history of the quest is ultimately one of healing, as she pieces together emotional tales of loss and tragedy in an attempt to repair past might sound heavy, but reviewers have praised the game's charming presentation, stop-motion-style animations, performances and music, even if most found the gameplay at a lean 10 to 12 hours to complete, most agreed it's worth checking out when it drops on Microsoft's Game Pass service from Tuesday.
Other highlights this week
Celebrity Big Brother 2025 launches on ITV1 and ITVX on MondayMeghan, the Duchess of Sussex's new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, drops on TuesdayThe Return, starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, hits cinemas on TuesdayThe Bafta Games Awards take place on TuesdayDavid Hockney 25 opens at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris on WednesdayOne to One: John & Yoko, a documentary film, is out on WednesdayThe Amateur, starring Rami Malek, is out in cinemas on FridayDrop, starring Meghann Fahy, is also out in cinemas on FridayBon Iver's new album, Sable, Fable, drops on FridayWu-Tang Clan's new album, Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman, drops on SaturdayCartier exhibition opens at the V&A in London on Saturday
