What’s on TV tonight: Shetland and The Old Man return, and more

Your complete guide to the week’s television, films and sport, across terrestrial and digital platforms

ShetlandBBC One, 9pmIf the parachuting of Ashley Jensen into the lead role of this hit murder-mystery drama, as DI Ruth Calder (after the departure of longtime lead Douglas Henshall), felt forced and never entirely comfortable last time, it is good to be able to report that everything feels rather more settled in her second series. It is also promising that the character of Tosh (Alison O’Donnell), or DI Alison McIntosh, is back in her rightful place in the foreground, too, as joint lead, working alongside DI Ruth Calder rather than for her. Balance, it seems, has been restored. Not that you would think so from tonight’s cleverly set up opening moments in which Calder is pretty much the camera’s only focus (other than a menacing shotgun) in a scene that kicks off a typically absorbing Shetland storyline. At a friend’s birthday party, meanwhile, Tosh witnesses a row between two married friends and when one of them fails to answer her calls the following morning, she grows increasingly concerned for her safety – and that of her missing seven-year-old, Noah. With Calder and Tosh working together on the incidents, it doesn’t take long for a disturbing link to emerge between the two cases at hand. GO
The Old ManDisney+The slow-burn spy series starring Jeff Bridges as a former CIA agent living off-grid in the spectacular wilds of Vermont, and John Lithgow as his former chief of staff, is back. First up, after season’s one cliffhanger ending, let’s see if they can work together.
LucanBBC Two, 9pmInevitably, the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, has brought about a rash of TV and podcast revisits. This three-parter is one of the oddest (edited like an extended tease, it sometimes feels more like constructed reality than documentary) in which Hampshire builder Neil Berriman – a man consumed by the case since discovering in middle age that he is the biological son of the murdered nanny Sandra Rivett – claims to have found Lucan (who would be 89 years old now) living as a Buddhist in Brisbane. Continues tomorrow and Friday.Celebrity Antiques Road TripBBC Two, 7pm; Wales, 7.30pmA new run for the veteran series in which celebrities go in search of antiques bargains to auction for charity. Tonight, Anthea Turner and Darren Harriott tour with experts Philip Serrell and Ishy Khan.
The Secret Genius of PlantsBBC Four, 9pmSpecialist ultra-close-up photographers Thierry Berrod and Quincy Russell love to revel in the minute complexities of nature. In this two-part documentary, they apply their skills to the plant kingdom, revealing how plants, too, possess senses of smell, touch and even taste, in an eye-popping film.
Thomas Hardy NightBBC Four, from 9pmSir Michael Hordern’s enchanting 1992 film exploring the author’s intense relationship with Dorset begins another evening of Hardy-themed repeats. It is followed by Homeground, a 2003 film about the sole notebook to survive the destruction of Hardy’s personal papers, and the final episodes of the BBC’s 2008 Tess of the D’Urbervilles, starring Gemma Arterton.
Portrait Artist of the Year 2024Sky Arts, 8pmAnother nine artists compete for a chance to win the £10,000 portrait commission. The celebrity sitters are historian Lucy Worsley, world champion boxer Ricky Hatton and dancer Musa Motha. As ever, the sitters’ choices don’t always match those of the judges.
Firebrand (2023) ★★★Amazon Prime Video “Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived,” so the song goes in West End smash hit Six. The story of Henry VIII’s machinations is well-told, but Karim Aïnouz’s meaty drama is still worth a watch. Jude Law is unrecognisable as the sweaty, obese King obsessed with women and power, warring with his wife Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander). The Crown’s Erin Doherty and Simon Russell Beale lend excellent support.
Looking: The Movie (2016) ★★★★Sky Comedy, 3.30pm The final chapter in Andrew Haigh’s wonderful HBO series Looking, which followed three gay men navigating life and love in San Francisco. Jonathan Groff resumes his role as introvert Patrick, who returns to the city in search of closure after leaving his friends Richie (Raúl Castillo) and Kevin (Russell Tovey) behind. The series was cancelled too soon,but this serves as a worthwhile finale.
Wonder Woman (2017) ★★★★Sky Showcase, 9.50pm Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman joined the DC Extended Universe with much fanfare, and Patty Jenkins’s film devotes every ounce of energy to the story at hand. It’s set on the brink of the First World War, as Wonder Woman, an Amazonian demigoddess named Diana, battles her way to the Western Front – where Ares, a horny-headed foe of old, is overdue another thwarting. Chris Pine, Robin Wright and David Thewlis co-star.
The Day of the JackalSky Atlantic, from 9pmFred Zinnemann’s 1973 political thriller is rightly remembered as one of the finest spy films of all time: based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel, it weaves together an irresistible web of intrigue and ruthless ambition to tell the story of the “Jackal”, an assassin who is hired to murder French president Charles de Gaulle. Fans of the film will have surely baulked at the announcement of this Sky reboot, then, which transports the action to modern Britain and sees Eddie Redmayne take the title role once inhabited by Edward Fox. If you ignore his blatant use of the role as a Bond audition tape, he’s decidedly terrifying; watching him channel Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, as he strips extensive prosthetics from his wizened face, sends a shiver down your spine. Up against him is No Time to Die’s Lashana Lynch’s fierce MI6 agent, determined to track him down and end his reign of terror. With a script written by Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett and direction from Game of Thrones’ Brian Kirk, this Jackal is both gritty and gripping; helped, too, by the terrific supporting cast, which includes Úrsula Corberó and Charles Dance. The first four episodes air tonight, then the remaining eight follow weekly. PP
A House Through Time: Two Cities at WarBBC Two, 8pmConcluding yet another excellent series, David Olusoga walks us through the final days of the Second World War. In Berlin, locals come to terms with Germany’s epic losses at Stalingrad, while a Jewish family faces the deadly journey to Auschwitz. And in London, residents clean up after heavy bombing.
EllisChannel 5, 8pmSharon D Clarke continues to command attention in this sharp procedural, which tonight sends her and partner DS Harper (Andrew Gower) to find a missing detective. At first, it appears that the detective left of her own accord; but when Ellis (Clarke) uncovers evidence of bullying, her colleagues start to look guilty.
Until I Kill You: The Real StoryITV1, 9pmAired in tandem with the harrowing drama Until I Kill You, starring Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans (and boxsetted now on ITVX), this gripping true-crime documentary delves into the story of Delia Balmer, who survived her toxic relationship with John Sweeney – later revealed to be a murderer. Balmer herself reveals how she freed herself from Sweeney’s grip and secured justice.
Castle SecretsMore4, 9pmA fascinating new series offering a peek behind the imposing doors of some of the world’s oldest, most beautiful or strangest, castles. Tonight’s opener takes us to a German ruin that was once privy to Hitler’s occult dealings, as well as a Scottish clifftop bastion that spent decades as a hub for criminal activity.
The Synanon FixSky Documentaries, 9pmHBO’s new four-parter is a damning insight to the scourge of drug addiction in the US. In the 1950s, recovering alcoholic Chuck Dederich opened Synanon, a rehabilitation programme for heroin addicts; later, Chuck and his wife Betty turned it into a nationwide cult. Users have since accused Synanon of child abuse and assault – this opener speaks to some of them, uncovering a shocking story of exploitation.
The Titan Sub Disaster: The New EvidenceChannel 5, 10pmThe world watched with bated breath as, in June 2023, rescuers desperately searched the ocean for the Titan submersible and its inhabitants. This formulaic documentary exposes failures by the operating company, OceanGate, and assesses the event’s impact.
The Devil Rides Out (1968) ★★★★Sky Arts, 10pm With horror maestros Hammer Studios celebrating their 90th anniversary, it’s the perfect time to rewatch Terence Fisher’s shocking cult classic. Adapted from Dennis Wheatley’s rather creaky 1934 novel about a Satanic cult running amok in rural south England, The Devil Rides Out stars Christopher Lee as the moralistic Duc de Richleau, fighting the camp, malodorous force that is Charles Gray’s Mocata.
Road to Perdition (2002) ★★★★ITV1, 10.45pm Sam Mendes’s absorbing crime drama, adapted from a graphic novel, is set in Depression-era Chicago. Tom Hanks, cast somewhat against type from his usual cuddly family man, plays Michael Sullivan, a morally conflicted hitman working for an Irish mob boss (Paul Newman, in his final film role). When Sullivan’s son witnesses his father at work, the pair become targets. Jude Law, Daniel Craig and Jennifer Jason Leigh provide support.
Ali & Ava (2021) ★★★BBC Two, 11.05pm Anyone currently watching Claire Rushbrook in Rivals on Disney+ will be aware of her depth and range as an actress: coldly calculating one minute; vulnerable the next. In Clio Barnard’s anti-love story, Rushbrook plays Ava, a teaching assistant who falls, slowly and inconceivably, for Adeel Akhtar’s chirpy Bradford landlord. The roots of a great, tenderstory are there – but the Ken Loach-esque moralising lets it down.
Junior TaskmasterChannel 4, 8pmThe devilishly simple premise of Taskmaster – setting daft challenges for comedians to see how they manage (or not) – has made it one of Channel 4’s most popular shows, now in its 18th series after moving over from Dave in 2020. It’s a must-do for many rising stars, who say it’s as much fun to participate in as to watch. Now comes this junior version for nine to 11-year-olds. Rose Matafeo takes the helm as the Junior Taskmaster in place of Greg Davies, while Mike Wozniak (like Matafeo, a former Taskmaster contestant) has a ball as her sidekick (replacing “Little” Alex Horne, who devised both shows). In the opening heat, contestants Anita, Lazer, Nyarah, Persia and Reuben attempt challenges that include throwing objects into a large hat on Wozniak’s head and sniffing mashed potato. As ever, close reading of the task ora little lateral thinking might have pointed to an elegant solution rather than the messy route chosen by some in the latter challenge. Matafeo and Wozniak’s warm-hearted interactions with the contestants – and the children’s remarkable confidence – give this family friendly iteration of the show a very different, though equally entertaining, vibe. VL
Our Lives: The Boy Who Could FlyBBC One/BBC Two Wales, 7.30pmAnother warming Our Lives documentary, this one about Scotsman Liam Byrne, who has chased his dream of flying like a bird (in reality using a wingsuit) since he was a boy. Now, at 23, he’s one of the world’s youngest top-tier BASE jumpers.
Gardeners’ WorldBBC Two, 8pmA sign that autumn is properly here as this series comes to a close. But spring is never far away – so Monty Don starts to plant tulips for next year, as well as a hawthorn hedge in the orchard. Arit Anderson visits a nursery that specialises in hardy perennials, while Sue Kent meets a gardener who has radically transformed the topography of her plot.
Have I Got News for YouBBC One, 9pmComedian Roy Wood Jr, who presents the newly unveiled American version of HIGNFY, hosts the original for a special one-off. The rather insipid US iteration is more about quips than satire, so it will be interesting to see how he interacts with old-handers Ian Hislop and Paul Merton and their guests, dry-witted author and presenter Richard Osman and comedian Roisin Conaty.
Hotel PortofinoU&Drama, 9pmThe lovely-to-look-at period drama moves to a new channel (from ITVX) for its second series; all is not well for Lucien (Oliver Dench) and his new bride Rose (Claude Scott-Mitchell), made worse still when his mother, Bella (Natascha McElhone), calls him back to Italy to lend a hand.
The CleanerBBC One, 9.30pmSeries two of the comedy ends with crime-scene cleaner Wicky (Greg Davies) having to clear up at a wedding. That is, a wedding where one of the guests has been attacked with a baseball bat. As tough as the job is, it’s nothing compared to having to deal with the bride’s formidable mother – Rebekah Staton is hilarious in the role.The Graham Norton ShowBBC One, 10.40pmGuests will have to budge up on the red sofa tonight as Kate Winslet heads up a long list of A-listers. She talks about her latest film, Lee, a biopic of the war photographer Lee Miller, while Dwayne Johnson and Lucy Liu chat about their comedy action adventure Red One. Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome, meanwhile, promote their new sports drama Unstoppable, and Celeste provides the music.
Gilda (1946, b/w) ★★★★★Talking Pictures TV, 6.50pm Film noirs don’t come much headier than Charles Vidor’s sultry little number, about a two-bit gambler (Glenn Ford) in wartime Buenos Aires who gets snarled up in a deadly love triangle. Rita Hayworth is the vixen from Ford’s past, who pops up right on cue to marry his new employer, a casino owner played by George Macready. Cinematographer Rudolph Maté’s lush photography is second to none.
The Holdovers (2023) ★★★★★Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm Alexander Payne’s best film since Sideways (2004) is a beautiful period piece set in the snowy surroundings of a New England boarding school. Paul Giamatti plays a curmudgeonly classics teacher who, stuck on campus over winter break, strikes up an unlikely bond with his sullen student Angus (a star-making turn from Dominic Sessa). Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn as grieving dinner-lady Mary.
The Falling (2014) ★★★★BBC Two, 11.05pm This swooning, atmospheric study of schoolgirls’ blossoming sexuality has an uncanny power capable of placing you under its spell. Director Carol Morley’s film is set in a stuffy English girls’ school in 1969, where Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) and Florence Pugh (as always, excellent) are an infatuated odd-couple caught up in an alluring tale of a hysterical fainting epidemic. Picnic at Hanging Rock for Gen Z.
Airplane! (1980) ★★★★★Channel 4, 12.05am This spoof disaster movie is still one of the most quotable comedy films ever made. It stars Robert Hays as Ted Striker, an ex-fighter pilot called on to fly a plane after its pilots are taken ill mid-flight. A pre-Naked Gun Leslie Nielsen plays a deliciously deadpan doctor who’s seemingly never heard of the Hippocratic Oath. “Surely there must be something you can do,” he’s asked. “I’m doing everything I can. And don’t call me Shirley.”
Television previewers
Stephen Kelly (SK), Veronica Lee (VL), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Poppie Platt (PP) and Gabriel Tate (GT)