British Telly

A brilliant three-part documentary starts with Run and DMC. Plus: superior Swedish thriller End of Summer continues. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Documentaries

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I think I'd rather take my eyes out with a spoon than watch this.

A new series follows the heroic Lake District Search and Mountain Association. Plus: TRNSMT festival in Glasgow. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4

From paragliders crashing into mountainsides to scramblers who have fallen down waterfalls – the Lakes may be lovely, but they can also be perilous. This new series follows the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association and some of the people it saves, starting in Eskdale where the Wasdale mountain rescue team are called out to help a man in agony with a dislocated shoulder. Hollie Richardson

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A surprisingly cheerful documentary series on preparing for death. Plus: toe-curling drama Douglas Is Cancelled. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, WWe can learn a lot about life from this team of Swedes, who are basically the Marie Kondos for people preparing for death. Amy Poehler narrates a surprisingly uplifting documentary series, which takes the Swedish death cleaning method from Margareta Magnusson’s book (“cleaning out your crap so others don’t have to when you’re dead”) and puts it into practice in the US – starting with 75-year-old Suzi, who needs to let go of her collection of phallic souvenirs. Hollie Richardson

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GF Newman, the writer and creator of Law and Order, looks back on the controversial 1978 series. Plus: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Four

Police-corruption drama Law and Order was so controversial when it aired in 1978 that it raised debates in the House of Commons and was banned from being broadcast again for 30 years. As an introduction to a reshowing of the four episodes this evening, its writer and creator, GF Newman, reflects on the show’s legacy, explains what inspired him and reveals how police officers at the time reacted. Hollie Richardson

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Police leaders have criticised the title of new ITV comedy Piglets, calling it "highly offensive" and "a disgusting choice of language".

Set in a fictional police training college, the programme's name is an apparent reference to the term "pig" which has long been used as a derogatory slang word for police officers.

Tiffany Lynch, acting national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 145,000 rank and file officers, said the title "is highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day providing an emergency service".

"It is a disgusting choice of language to use for the title of a TV programme," Ms Lynch said.

"I find it incredulous that this has passed through checks and balances at an organisation made up of people who at any time have or may need the support and assistance of the police."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/14129216

Eleven-year-old Kevin's passion for history is put to the test when he joins a ragtag group of time-traveling thieves on a high-stakes and hilarious adventure.

https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/114924-time-bandits

Cameras follow all the behind-the-scenes drama at Park House Stables. Plus: all the fun of a summer in Devon and Cornwall. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Four

Here is one for serious racing fans: a behind-the-scenes, all-access documentary series filmed at the Park House Stables – one of the top-performing in the UK – in the nine tense months leading up to Royal Ascot. Episode one starts as the 2020 season ends, with Irish jockey Oisin Murphy defending his title, and trainer Andrew Balding prepping horses for the US while also recruiting new talent. Hollie Richardson

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Michelle de Swarte’s semi-autobiographical take on her materialist former life is a gleeful romp. Plus: war arrives in Westeros – and how! Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC TwoModel turned standup comic and actor Michelle de Swarte is a naturally magnetic performer (she was excellent in 2022’s horror comedy The Baby), so this is a very exciting writer/director/star debut. Inspired by De Swarte’s real life, Spent follows Mia, a model pushing 40 who flees the US after declaring bankruptcy because, after growing up with nothing, she cannot resist the finer things in life. She returns to Brixton, where her friends and family don’t exactly welcome her with open arms and her agent (Peepshow’s Super Hans actor, Matt King) only has one gig for her – dog sitting. But how long can she keep hiding that she’s skint and sofa-surfing? Sharp, funny and an easy binge. Hollie Richardson

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The Turkish Detective is based on Barbara Nadel’s bestselling novels. Plus: the hippy days of Ibiza are brought back to life. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

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A grief therapist is forced to face her childhood in End of Summer. Plus: it’s England v Switzerland! Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Four

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The US comedian takes an irreverent look at later life. Plus: all the post-election coverage you can take. Here’s what to watch this evening

10.15pm, Sky Comedy

“I don’t think I can devote my free time to something that could marry a DJ – I think that’s reckless.” That’s the sharply hilarious US standup comedian Nikki Glaser talking about not wanting kids in her second televised standup special. She also delves into giving in to ageing with a haircut above the earlobe and chunky jewellery, and plans for her death (which she thinks about a lot). Hollie Richardson

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The final 7-day ratings for an episode of Doctor Who season 14 are in, with the season finale, Empire of Death, being watched by 3.69 million people across the period.

The episode was originally watched overnight by 2.25 million people, but this didn't account for iPlayer viewings, which as a proportion have been up considerably this season, due to the show's new release schedule.

This 7-day consolidated rating leaves the episode in around the middle when it comes to viewership this season, with it getting more viewers than Boom, Dot and Bubble, Rogue and The Legend of Ruby Sunday.

It got less viewers than Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, which were both released on the same day on BBC iPlayer, and 73 Yards, which was the season's high-mark when it comes to viewership.

Showrunner Russell T Davies and the BBC itself have both commented on the show's recent ratings, with Davies saying that "it's not doing that well in the ratings, but it is doing phenomenally well with the younger audience that we wanted".

Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie helm the BBC’s coverage, while Emily Maitlis and Krishnan Guru-Murthy do things a bit differently on Channel 4. Plus: more juicy drama in Douglas Is Cancelled. Here’s what to watch this evening

9.55pm, BBC One

Is time up for Rishi Sunak and his Tory government? After what has felt like the longest, least inspiring election campaign in UK history, it is finally time to find out. All major channels will be covering the event throughout the night and well into the early hours of the morning (get the supplies in), including Laura Kuenssberg and Clive Myrie for the BBC. They will be helped by political editor Chris Mason and his correspondents, Jeremy Vine with his famous swingometer, and Kirsty Wark, Fiona Bruce, Victoria Derbyshire and Naga Munchetty who will be dotted across the nation. At least there’s one guaranteed good bit of news here: no more nauseating TV debates. Hollie Richardson

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Pressure is building in the runup to the World Pipe Band Championships. Plus: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s whistle-stop tour of madcap houses. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Arts

Rivalries! Underdogs! Icons! Welcome to the world of competitive piping, which according to this joyful (but deadly serious) three-part series is tenser and tighter than ever. Episode one follows the powerful and precise work of Scottish pipe bands as they prepare to take part in the showpiece competition, the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. Everyone looks justifiably terrified. Hollie Richardson

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A fascinating documentary details the conundrum Justina faces when she is bequeathed the property she has worked in all her life. Plus: lifesaving surgeons at work. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC FourJustina, 60, has lived and later worked as a maid in a crumbling, eccentric mansion in rural Argentina since she was five. When Justina’s socialite employer died, she left her the property, with one stipulation – she must not sell it. Is she the owner or still a servant? This fascinating and emotionally complex documentary follows Justina, an Indigenous Argentinian, and her grownup daughter, Alexia, who wants out. Hollie Richardson

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The Financial Times columnist asks why younger generations are no longer expected to be wealthier than their forebears. Plus: House of the Dragon takes off. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

A sobering investigation from the Financial Times’s “undercover economist” and host of Radio 4’s More or Less about the lack of growth in the economy – and why it means younger Britons are no longer expected to be richer than the generation before. After hearing real-life stories and expert insights, Harford asks a crucial question before the polling stations open later this week: how can this be fixed? Hollie Richardson

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The actor makes some shocking and emotional discoveries in Salem. Plus: let’s go girls … it’s Shania Twain at Glastonbury! Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

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Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae and Disclosure are part of your mammoth lineup. Plus: all the action from Tour de France. Here’s what to watch this evening

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No tickets, no problem – just join the festival from your sofa. Plus: Nick Robinson is interviewing Ed Davey. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, BBC Four

It has been 17 years since the Beautiful South split, citing “musical similarities”, but Paul Heaton hasn’t kipped on his laurels, most recently releasing N.K-Pop with fellow former Southerner Jacqui Abbott. Expect more achingly poignant masterpieces on the Pyramid stage. Meanwhile, Sugababes will be bringing their incurably infectious pop genius, with the likes of Overload, Push the Button and latest single When the Rain Comes. Bliss. Ali Catterall

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A newsreader cracks a dodgy joke and his life implodes in Steven Moffat’s new series. Plus: Paul Whitehouse on great TV sketch shows. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, ITV1

A juicy swipe at cancel culture, which writer Steven Moffat swears isn’t based on real recent cases. The drama follows white, middle-aged, trusted national news anchor Douglas (Hugh Bonneville) whose career is about to go up in flames, thanks to a viral social media post about a sexist joke he made at a wedding. Things get worse when his younger, savvier co-host Madeline (Karen Gillan) reshares the post. With his boss (Ben Miles) telling him to be “balanced, boring and bland” and his newspaper editor wife (Alex Kingston) knowing how these things play out (“Delete these messages – I work with people who hack your phone!”), can Douglas avoid being cancelled? Hollie Richardson

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The first series of Russell T Davies’s return to Doctor Who – and Ncuti Gatwa’s first season at the helm of the world’s longest-running sci-fi show – came to an end with Saturday’s Empire of Death. But what did the show’s superfans make of the first Disney-backed season?

We spoke to four: Tony Jordan, 65, the coordinator of the Doctor Who Society, who’s watched since he was four years old; Lauren Amelia Miller, 31, a disabled writer and actress who’s been a fan since she was five and owns a Dalek nicknamed Woody; Zoe Butler, 23, a civil servant who started watching in 2005 and cites David Tennant as her favourite Doctor; and JJ, 28, who works in digital media, blogs on Doctor Who and has been a fan since 2012.

Archive

The truth is, TV superheroism is now a genre all of its own, with its own tropes, rules and language that have for the most part left the comics far behind.

Netflix’s Supacell, written and directed by rapper, record producer and director, Rapman is best seen within the context of that TV superhero genre and lineage. The six-episode show revolves around the lives of five individuals who spontaneously begin exhibiting superpowers – incredible strength, incredible speed, teleportation, invisibility… all the classics are represented. Where it differs from other superhero narratives is that all the people who get these powers live in South London, and are Black.

Its closest relations are not the Avengers, or even the Arrow-verse spandex crowd, but shows like The Umbrella Academy (which has an identity all of its own, distinct from the comics that inspired it), Misfits, Heroes, The 4400 and even The Tomorrow People.

While the future of Doctor Who is already confirmed in the short term - with the show returning for a Christmas special this year and another season next year - beyond that, things are currently less certain.

This is because the show's fate in its current form rests with Disney Plus, who the BBC did a deal with for the new era.

Not only does Disney distribute the series internationally, it also helps to finance it, meaning that while the show could continue without the streamer, its budget may have to be slashed.

The question of the show's future following what have been described as season 14's "underwhelming" ratings was raised in a recent article in The Times, and now the BBC has weighed in.

A BBC spokeswoman told the publication: "Overnight ratings no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch drama in an on-demand world.

"This season of Doctor Who premiered on iPlayer nearly 24 hours before broadcast, and episode 1 has already been viewed by nearly 6 million viewers and continues to grow.

"Doctor Who remains one of the most-watched programmes on iPlayer and is the BBC’s top drama for under-35s this year, making it one of the biggest programmes for the demographic across all streamers and broadcasters."

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Hopefully these assurances will calm fans' nerves about the show's future. It certainly appears that Davies seems hopeful, as he has already started writing season 16.

The writer has also confirmed that "there are offices that exist" that are dedicated solely to planning potential spin-offs, although what these would be focused on is currently unclear.

The Mercury Prize winner reflects on Glastonbury festivals past. Plus: Hilary Swank’s Eileen is off to the country fair on Alaska Daily. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Two

Glastonbury 2024 headliners Dua Lipa and Coldplay have already been profiled in this pre-festival hype strand. Now the spotlight falls on Little Simz, the 2022 Mercury prizewinner poised to make her Pyramid stage debut on Saturday night. It has been a fascinating journey for the rapper and Top Boy star, who first played Glasto in 2016. Here, she reflects on her previous experiences in deepest Somerset and shouts out some of her favourite festival sets. Graeme Virtue

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