Friday
Pick of the day: Hidden Treasures of the National Trust
9pm, BBC Two
The National Trust has been embroiled in the culture wars of late, with arguments as to how much it should acknowledge its country houses’ links to colonialism and slavery. This series, narrated by Jim Carter however concerns itself with the day-to-day upkeep of the trust’s properties. This week cameras visit two houses strongly associated with writers: Sissinghurst Castle in Kent (Vita Sackville-West) and Rudyard Kipling’s former home of Bateman’s in East Sussex. At Sissinghurst, the team – including house manager Eleanor Black – work on part of the ceiling that has collapsed in Vita’s writing room.
Unreported World
7.30pm, Channel 4
A report from Tennessee, where tensions over whether drag queens should perform in front of children are resulting in performances being banned. At least 15 Republican-controlled US states are now introducing legislation to stop drag performances where they can be seen by youngsters. Minnie Stephenson meets those on each side of the divide, including queens who feel they are the latest target in a wider LGBTQ+ crackdown.
The Big Interiors Battle
8pm, Channel 4
AJ Odudu has all the energy and warmth of Alan Carr, but unlike the Interior Design Masters presenter, she seems less clued up about décor. Never mind, because judge Dara Huang is on hand as the remaining designers address living room week. And with just four contestants left in the competition and the prize (the keys to the winning apartment) within reach, Huang is seeking living rooms which really need to deliver to bring the whole home together.
Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out
8pm, Channel 5
These gentler-than-gentle travelogues are fuelled by Susan Calman’s enthusiasm for everyone and everything. She takes her good cheer (not to mention her campervan) to some of the beauty spots of Devon and the south coast of England this week, digging in the footsteps of renowned fossil hunter Mary Anning, as well as driving a vintage tram. Then it’s off to discover why South Devon is a top spot for growing chillies in the UK.
The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan
10pm, Channel 4
The late-night comedy chat show space is shared this week between Mo Gilligan on Channel 4 and husband and wife team Chris and Rosie Ramsey on BBC Two at 10.40pm. Gilligan has possibly the stronger line-up of guests, including British Hollywood star Will Poulter, singer/DJ Joel Corry and the former EastEnders actress and Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis, who is about to star in the new ITV crime drama Code Of Silence. She will play a deaf catering worker called Alison Woods. Gilligan has previously won two Baftas for best entertainment performance and he was nominated for a third at last Sunday’s awards, losing out Claudia Winkleman for The Traitors.
Bump
11.25pm, BBC One
Series three of the lightly charming Australian schoolgirl-pregnancy drama, except that Oly (Nathalie Morris) is no longer at school and it’s young Jacinda who is off to her first day at Oly and Santi’s old primary school. How time flies, and some might be wondering if the show has now lost some of its USP.
Saturday
Pick of the day: Later… with Jools Holland
9.50pm, BBC Two
Jools Holland’s peerless music series returns with its long-running pre-pandemic format of artists performing in the round – the venue being London’s Alexandra Palace. The opening edition features Irish singer-songwriter Hozier and 2021 Mercury Prize winner Arlo Parks, while making their debuts on the programme are Irish folk musician Lisa O’Neill, San Diego trio Thee Sacred Souls and Kent singer Venbee. Holland also has a chat with music photographer Jill Furmanovsky about an exhibition of her work being held at Manchester Central Library.
Live Champions Cup Rugby
4pm, ITV1
Leinster vs La Rochelle (kick-off 4.45pm). Jill Douglas presents all the action from the elite European competition final at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. These sides also met in last year’s showpiece match, with La Rochelle claiming a narrow 24-21 victory in Marseille. However, Leinster will hope that the match being played in Ireland will turn the tide in their favour.
Afterglow
9pm, BBC Four
“An uplifting drama about serious illness”, to quote the BBC’s own description of this Norwegian import, in case anyone was expecting a crime drama in a time slot that is the established home of Scandi noir. As promised, the series is strangely uplifting as it follows Esther (Nina Ellen Ødegård), who is preparing to celebrate her 40th birthday with friends and family when she discovers that she has cervical cancer. Thorbjørn Harr and Sara Khorami are also among the cast.
Reel Stories: Pet Shop Boys
9.05pm, BBC Two
The unlikely yet enduring pop stars Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe are the latest musicians to hunker down with Dermot O’Leary in that deluxe London cinema and react to footage of their lives and careers. You get a pretty clear picture of the dynamic between the duo, as Tennant does most of the talking while Lowe (wearing dark glasses) lobs in the occasional remark roasting his pop partner. The clips go from the offices of Smash Hits magazine to concerts in Red Square and Glastonbury, by way of Lowe’s cameo appearance in Neighbours.
Annika
9.15pm, BBC One
Having just finished recycling the BritBox drama Magpie Murders, BBC One now raids the Alibi back catalogue with this 2021 police procedural (itself based on a Radio 4 series), in which the always-watchable Nicola Walker plays the titular Glaswegian head of the Marine Homicide Unit. Her team investigates unexplained deaths washing up on Scottish waters, starting with the murder of a man found in the Clyde with a harpoon piercing his head. The novelty here is in Walker breaking the fourth wall to address the camera. Jamie Sives, Katie Leung and Ukweli Roach also star.
The Fab Five: The King’s Grandchildren
9.20pm, Channel 5
With his scene-stealing balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace at the coronation, Prince George now shares the limelight with his siblings Louis and Charlotte as well as his cousins Lilibet and Archie for this quick turnaround documentary about the royal litter.
Sunday
Pick of the day: Depp vs Heard
9pm, Channel 4
A three-part documentary by director Emma Cooper (Bafta-nominated for The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe) is an in-depth look at the defamation trial that eventually saw Johnny Depp emerge victorious against his ex-wife Amber Heard for labelling him a “wife beater”. The first such trial in US history to be broadcast live, the series considers whether a jury can ever be truly impartial in the age of social media.
Ten Pound Poms
9pm, BBC One
Danny Brocklehurst’s drama about British emigrants to mid-50s Australia continues with the morning after the night before. Having been taken for a drunken drive which led to a hit-and-run involving a First Nations youth, Terry (Warren Brown) retraces his steps. Meanwhile, we learn more about Kate (Michelle Keegan) and her reasons for coming Down Under, while Annie (Faye Marsay) faces an unusual request on her first day at the department store.
Malpractice
9pm, ITV1
We last saw Lucinda (Niamh Algar) popping diazepam pills into her mouth after seemingly going fully over to the dark side working for Jubair Singh (Ash Tandon). It is the final episode of this Line of Duty-like medical thriller, as Lucinda’s search for the truth becomes dangerous and she needs help from unexpected places, while investigators George and Norma wonder whether they can trust her.
The Man who Played with Fire
9pm, Sky Documentaries
Former diplomat Jan Stocklassa continues to “pull at the threads that Stieg Larsson left behind” in the second episode of this gripping four-part documentary series. This time, he wades ever deeper into the murky waters surrounding the 1986 assassination of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. Crime writer Larsson’s files on the killing lead Stocklassa to a captain in the Yugoslav intelligence service, who claims that the CIA offered him $2m to shoot Palme. But might it equally have been the Russians or even the so-called “Palme haters” within the Swedish police? Murky indeed.”
Ithaka: The Fight to Free Assange
10.20pm, ITV1
Filmed over two years and across three continents, this feature-length Australian documentary tells the story of the campaign by Julian Assange’s wife and father to prevent his extradition to the US, where he faces a maximum 175-year prison sentence. Weaving historic archive and intimate behind-the-scenes footage, the film tracks Stella Moris and John Shipton as they embark on a worldwide odyssey to rally a global network of supporters for one of the world’s most famous prisoners.
Walter Presents: Mobile 101
10.55pm, Channel 4
Drama based on the true story of Nokia’s rise from a small Finnish electronics company to a global titan of the mobile phone industry. In this opening taster episode (the rest available on All4/Walter presents) CFO Jorma Ollila (Oona Airola) warns her boss of the risks of his investments, as engineers set out to make the smallest mobile phone in the world.
