Taskmaster returns for a new run, Classic Movies looks at The Graduate, a documentary considers The TikTok Effect, Minx season two lands on Paramount+ and there's the final season of Sex Education . . .
Pick of the Day
Taskmaster, 9.00pm, Channel 4
Back for a 16th season – and with a brand-new batch of (hopefully humorous) contestants vying with each other to be the latest Taskmaster champion.
They are comedian Julian Clary (below), actress writer and stand-up Lucy Beaumont, award-winning stand-up Sam Campbell, writer and comedian Sue Perkins and actress, writer and director Susan Wokoma.
As usual, Alex Horne helps maintain order amid the chaos, though falls foul of Taskmaster Greg Davies at one point in this opening episode because of peas. Yep, peas.
Elsewhere, Lucy marvels at a canned blindfold and everyone tries to put a big duck in a lake.
Don’t Miss
Classic Movies: The Story of The Graduate, 8.00pm, Sky Arts
Streaming on NOW
Up until now, this engaging series has focused on British cinema. Now it crosses the Atlantic to look at a film that virtually defined middle-class America in the late 1960s.
This week, they’re examining the seminal story of modern youth and alienation as the then largely unknown Dustin Hoffman leaps into Hollywood stardom with his leading role in 1967’s The Graduate.
The story sees Hoffman, as the titular graduate Benjamin Braddock, embark upon a passionate affair with a married friend of his parents, Mrs Robinson (superbly played by Anne Bancroft).
Hoffman was nearly 30 years old when he was cast as the 21-year-old lead character (beating notable names like Robert Redford, Charles Grodin, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson and Steve McQueen to the part).
The gamble paid off big time, with the film becoming the highest grossing film of 1967, and the hugely evocative Simon & Garfunkel soundtrack becoming pivotal in how future films would model their score.
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs, 8.30pm, Virgin Media One
Most of the spaniels at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home are full of energy, but this week Paul (below) meets one who was found tied up and has lost all hope.
The poor dog has obviously had a tough upbringing, and the presenter needs to help rebuild his trust in humans.
Plus, he meets a feisty shorkie with a Spanish chip and a worryingly large lump. There's also a very special visitor to Battersea - comedian Harry Hill.
Which reminds me: bring back TV Burp!
New or Returning Shows
The TikTok Effect, 9.00pm, BBC Three
What connects amateur sleuths turning up at crime scenes, anti-social behaviour in UK schools and French riots?
This film finds evidence they are all examples of TikTok 'frenzies’.
The BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring has spent the last year investigating unusual behaviour on TikTok spilling out into the real world.
The Instagram Effect, 9.55pm, BBC Three
This - an obvious add-on to The TikTok Effect - is the story of the social media giant and how it became the dominant force it is today.
It’s told by former staff and insiders as well as through powerful testimony from users who have been negatively impacted.
The film unpacks in intricate detail how Instagram's architecture and algorithms have the power to affect human behaviour, and reveals the important decisions that led Instagram to become a huge success.
Picasso: The Beauty and the Beast, 9.00pm, BBC Two
I remember once being in a restaurant in Rome where they had a cheque personalised by Pablo Picasso in a frame on the wall. I bet he never paid for a meal once he became famous!
Anyway, here’s an exploration of the life, death and legacy of Pablo Picasso, beginning with his years as an emerging artist in Paris as his renown quickly grows.
He meets his first love, Fernande, and starts the pattern of his lifetime, as he soon falls in love with another woman, ballerina Olga Khokhlova.
New to Stream
Sex Education, Netflix
It’s the fourth and final season of the teen drama, with all involved heading into the adult world and all that entails.
With Maeve in America and Moordale closed, Otis must find his footing at free-spirited Cavendish College - but he's not the only sex therapist on campus.
Scissor Seven: Season 4, Netflix
After an intense battle, a severely wounded Seven must bounce back to defend Chicken Island and his friends from another ruthless Shadow assassin.
Minx, Paramount+
While season one continues on TG4 on Tuesdays, season two of this fun and pacey comedy starring Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson pops up here to stream.
Set in 1970s Los Angeles, Minx centres around Joyce, an earnest young feminist who joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women.
In season two, Doug and Joyce grapple with Minx’s explosive success, which brings more money, fame and temptation than either of them know how to handle.
Sport
Rugby World Cup 2023, 7.30pm, RTÉ2
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Today’s sole World Cup game sees competition hosts France face Namibia (KO 8.00pm) in a Pool A encounter at Stade de Marseille.
With Six Nations rivals Italy still to play, French coach Fabien Galthie may rotate his squad against a Namibian side who face a daunting challenge against the number two ranked side in the world.
Jacqui Hurley presents, with analysis from Bernard Jackman and Simon Zebo.
