Latest news with #GraemeVirtue
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: chapter two of the ultimate Jane Austen docu-series
9pm, BBC Two At this point in the documentary series, Austen has written Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility plus Northanger Abbey – but nobody outside her family has read them. This chapter shows her journey to getting them published. But just after she gets good news, her father becomes sick and she faces losing her biggest cheerleader. Hollie Richardson 8pm, Channel 4Not-so-smooth sailing: this new behind-the-scenes documentary series meets the people working at the non-stop transport hub that sees more than 10 million passengers and a significant percentage of the UK's European trade pass through every year. Episode one includes a cargo team preparing to receive a third of the country's weekly supply of bananas. Can they avoid any slip-ups? And what happens when a lorry driver claims he has a gun? Graeme Virtue 9pm, Channel 4More chaos on a night out with the police in Brighton – and it's not the fun kind. A welfare check has to be carried out after a phone call from an ex-partner, while a group of drunk partygoers need to be removed from a bar, and there's a suspected spiking when a woman collapses in a pub. HR 9pm, Sky WitnessVanessa Williams is great value in this unconventional crime comedy-drama as a vodka-swilling socialite who resorts to elegant but drastic measures when her plans to take revenge on a snooty jewellery store go wrong. Attorney and detective Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) has to tune in to posh vibes to solve a murder and stop a heist. Jack Seale 10pm, Sky ComedyThe second, aviation-themed series of Nathan Fielder's awkward documentary comedy takes a brief detour in this episode. Nathan helps a couple whose dog-cloning experiment has gone awry, by trying to replicate their original pet's 2011-era upbringing. He then applies the technique to himself, via a close reading of heroic pilot Sully Sullenberger's memoir. Ellen E Jones 10.50pm, U&DaveWould you be able to keep a straight face as your parent told a whole audience about their sex life? That's what one poor woman has to do in this comedy show that chips off prize money each time someone laughs. Next up, a kid takes to the stage with some outrageously adult jokes. HR
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: inside the Thames Water £3bn emergency debt package crisis
9pm, BBC Two Thames Water, the UK's biggest water company, recently won a controversial £3bn emergency debt package to prevent its collapse – for the next few months, at least. This two-parter goes inside the company during the six months leading up to this, as customer bills increase and sewage continues to flow into coasts and rivers. The new CEO, Chris Weston, speaks in this opener, as the team face a £15bn hole in the company finances. Hollie Richardson 8pm, BBC Two Seeing your school doors chained up until further notice sounds like every kid's dream. But when lockdown was enforced in March 2020 it meant two years of fitful education for our nation's youth. The BBC's education editor, Branwen Jeffreys, hears from families and teachers about the long-term effects and how they are being tackled. Graeme Virtue 8pm, Channel 4 Joe Swash and Suzanne 'the Batch Lady' Mulholland meet single dad Darran to help stop him relying on jarred sauces and oven meals when it comes to feeding his two kids after a long day's work. Sausage traybake, slow-cooked beef massaman curry and pizza-flavoured stuffed chicken breasts are all on the menu. HR 8pm, BBC Two Chess is war on a board and the queen is the most powerful piece on it. So how will the aspiring chess champions fare with a 'devilishly difficult' puzzle involving eight queens? It's hard not to root for every one of the adorable contestants as they do their best to work it out. Meanwhile, Sue Perkins looks on, totally bewildered. HR 9pm, BBC One The Bradford-set thriller concludes its first series. Harry Virdee (Staz Nair) has already officially cracked the case – but with his wife in peril, he has to go through some very unofficial channels to really come out on top. It's Reservoir Dogs meets Line of Duty as the endgame escalates. Jack Seale 9pm, Sky Atlantic As night falls in Thailand, the hedonism ramps up in Mike White's scathing satire of the self-regarding rich on their hols. Insecure TV star Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and her girl gang are out clubbing with attentive Russians, while prickly Rick (Walton Goggins) has ditched Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) for an unsettling rendezvous in Bangkok. Graeme Virtue
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: the wild story of how Falun Gong hacked Chinese news
10pm, BBC Four In 2002, activists from the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong managed to commandeer a Chinese state news broadcast to rebut what they saw as slander by the authorities. Two decades later, the comic-book artist Daxiong, who took part in the audacious plot, has painstakingly researched the guerrilla operation that changed his life. Featuring striking animation, this gripping film dramatises the hijack and its aftermath, including police raids that forced Daxiong to flee the country. Graeme Virtue 8pm, BBC One Katrina Bowen, a newly single mum, needs a fresh start. Having moved herself and her four children to the Welsh countryside, she calls on Stacey to help her sort through years of accumulated possessions. But 'things' aren't just 'things', are they? These items also tell the story of a difficult few years for the Bowens. Ellen E Jones 8pm, Channel 4 This new documentary series charts two plucky groups of teens – one from a diverse south London secondary school, the other from a rural Arkansas high school – as they trade places. Despite a very real sense of cultural dislocation, everyone's heart seems to be in the right place as they get to grips with energised cheer squads and scratchy school blazers, respectively. GV 9pm, BBC One Professional judgments clouded by personal dilemmas, love lives under threat and an 8.30am breathalyser test – sounds like another chaotic day at Waterloo Road. After learning that her abusive ex is getting married, Amy intervenes in the relationship of two of her students. Hollie Richardson 9pm, Sky Atlantic What is particularly fascinating about this drama on Mussolini's rise to power in Italy is how he bypassed established levers of democracy. Now, as his authority hardens, Il Duce (Luca Marinelli) uses the party list system to undermine rival political groups. Jack Seale 9pm, Sky Witness Kathy Bates excels as a lawyer on a secret mission to avenge her daughter's death. The list of suspects at the law firm is shrinking, which means Matty has to consider whether the answer is the one she doesn't want. As usual, the case of the week – a pregnant woman apparently fired for trying to unionise – keys smartly into that theme. JS Racing: Cheltenham festival 12.45pm, ITV1. Day one of four, concluding on Friday with the Gold Cup. Champions League football: Liverpool v Paris Saint-Germain 8pm, Prime Video. The second leg of the last-16 tie.
