There's a Big Night of Musicals on the Beeb, more fun and games with Michael McIntyre and Ant & Dec, Julia Davis’ legendary Nighty Night, and the extraordinary The MI5 Spy and the IRA: Operation Chiffon . . .
Pick of the Day
Big Night of Musicals 2023 by the National Lottery, 7.50pm, BBC One
Jason Manford (below) hosts a special concert featuring performances from the casts of some of the most popular musicals in London’s West End, from Manchester AO Arena.
Performances include Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, Les Misérables, MAMMA MIA!, We Will Rock You the Musical, Wicked, The Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda The Musical, Disney's Newsies, Shrek the Musical UK and Ireland tour.
There’s also Six the Musical, Ain't Too Proud - The Life And Times of The Temptations, The Bodyguard The Musical, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I.
There will also be a special performance from Aspects Of Love, featuring musical theatre star Michael Ball.
Don’t Miss
Andrew Lloyd Webber at the BBC, 10.55pm, BBC Two
To mark his 75th birthday, the much-loved and hugely successful composer takes a nostalgic journey through the BBC archives..
He’ll be looking back on a collection some of his biggest and best-loved songs, with performances by stars such as Barbra Streisand, Elaine Paige, Diana Ross, Michael Ball and Michael Crawford.
Andrew Lloyd Webber (above) will also share stories from behind scenes of his most popular works, shedding light on how he knew Madonna would perform in Evita years before she did.
He’ll also reveal how the cast of Starlight Express ended up on roller-skates, and how Jason Donovan and his Technicolour Dream Coat had a new generation falling in love with musical theatre.
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, 7.00pm, Virgin Media One
Former footballer and Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott is the Star Guest Announcer, while Diversity put on a spectacular End of the Show Show.
Plus, Stephen Mulhern presents Ant vs Dec and the return of Win a Week Off Work, while a member of the audience gets the chance to win items advertised in the commercial breaks.
Michael McIntyre's The Wheel, 6.55pm, BBC One
The Mac is back with his colossal spinning wheel, offering three contestants the chance to secure the final cash prize - but only one of them can play for the jackpot.
Helping them along the way are celebrity experts Chris Hoy, Georgia Toffolo, Robert Peston, Snoochie Shy, Bez, Dr Zoe Williams and Joel Dommett.
Nighty Night, 10.30pm, BBC Four
First episode of the teak-black comedy written by and starring the great Julia Davis (think: Sharon Horgan on crack), which was first broadcast in 2004 on BBC Three.
Manipulative beauty salon owner Jill responds to the news of her husband's cancer diagnosis by pretending that he has already died, hoping to enjoy the sympathy for being a widow and seduce her new neighbour. With Angus Deayton and Kevin Eldon.
Then at 11pm, Jill continues to ignore Terry's phone calls and she invites Don over for a dinner of smashed prawns in a milky basket, but her plans are thwarted when his wife Cath turns up.
New or Returning Shows
The MI5 Spy and the IRA: Operation Chiffon, 9.50pm, BBC Two
Award-winning journalist Peter Taylor reveals the extraordinary story of how a former undercover MI5 officer put his life and career on the line to encourage the IRA to end its violent campaign and embrace politics.
The former MI5 officer, simply known as Robert, ran the top-secret back channel of communications between the UK government and the leadership of the IRA.
What Robert did has been a closely guarded secret for three decades and was the key link in the chain that led to the Good Friday Agreement.
Live Fight Night: Lawrence Okolie V David, 7.00pm, Sky Sports Main Event
Light WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie defends his title against New Zealand’s undefeated David Light.
With 20 victories and twelve matches ending in stoppages, Light is a stern test to Okolie – who last defended the title twelve months ago.
The champion himself holds a perfect 18-0 record – it remains to be seen if he will extend this by making light work of his opponent.
New to Stream
Boonie Bears: Back to Earth, Sky Cinema & NOW
In this family animation, a mysterious alien named Avi arrives in Pine Tree Mountain and befriends Bramble Bear.
Bramble learns that Avi’s people originated from Earth millions of years ago. They were a highly developed civilisation that thrived but did harm to the Earth’s environment.
In the end, they had to flee their home planet. When Avi leads Bramble to the ancient relics of his people, they are attacked by a high-tech human army using all sorts of weapons.
Can they work together to protect the Earth from this new threat?
Saturday Cinema
The Shape of Water, 9.50pm, RTÉ2
Guillermo del Toro's Oscar and Bafta-winning fantasy, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Doug Jones.
Elisa Esposito is a mute singleton who lives above a cinema. Although friends with Giles, a neighbouring artist, she lives a lonely existence.
While he has designs on the cafe worker nearby, Elisa cleans up at top-secret government lab, a bus ride away in Baltimore, Maryland.
One day in 1962, she makes a life-changing discovery when Elisa finds an amphibious humanoid creature who is being held captive, and they embark on an extraordinary relationship.
Game Night, 10.35pm, BBC One
Hugely enjoyable dramedy, starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen and Sharon Horgan.
M ax and Annie hold regular games nights for their friends, but find themselves upstaged by Max's overbearing brother, who invites the group to his murder mystery party.
Review: Game Night is worth a throw of the dice
But the evening proves far more dangerous than expected when the host is unexpectedly kidnapped by gangsters.
