Danny Dyer's back in Mr Bigstuff, Unforgiveable is a new drama about sexual abuse from Jimmy McGovern, One Day in Southport looks back at the horrors of last summer in England, while Hitmakers focuses on, well, hitmakers . . .
Pick of the Day
Mr Bigstuff, 9.00pm, Sky Max
Streaming on NOW
BAFTA-winner Danny Dyer (Rivals), series creator Ryan Sampson (Brassic, Plebs), and Harriet Webb (Big Boys, I May Destroy You) return for season two of the comedy.
The opening run earned Dyer his first-ever BAFTA TV award for his performance as Lee Campbell, the estranged brother of Glen (played by Sampson).
Set in suburban Essex, the show was a huge hit, becoming Sky Max’s highest-rated new original comedy in three years.
Season two picks up two weeks after the shock news that the brothers’ dad is not actually dead, and Lee and Glen are handling it very differently.
But, with chaos mounting and questions piling up, the brothers unite on a mission to track him down.
Meanwhile, Kirsty’s taking charge in the bedroom and the boardroom, but one badly timed kiss - and a mysterious blackmailer - threaten to bring it all crashing down.
With secrets spilling and tempers flaring, it’s only a matter of time before the family blows up again.
New or Returning Shows
Unforgiveable, 9.00pm, BBC Two
Jimmy McGovern's one of UK TV’s greatest drama writers, and his latest work stars David Threlfall, Anna Friel, Anna Maxwell Martin, Bobby Schofield and Mark Womack.
It sounds pretty downbeat as Liverpool family the Mitchells deal with the aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own clan.
Having served his prison sentence for the crime, Joe Mitchell arrives at St Maura's, an institution which offers him a home and rehabilitation after his release.
With the support of Katherine, an ex-nun, Joe undertakes therapy sessions in the hope of understanding what led him to commit the abuse.
Simultaneously, his sister, Anna, is dealing with the impact that Joe's crime has had on her family - her sons, Tom and Peter, and her father, Brian.
One Day in Southport, 9.00pm, Channel 4
This will certainly make for grim viewing.
Reliving the knife attack of July 2024 through the eyes of a surviving girl and her family, this documentary also examines the roots of the mob violence which caught the government and law enforcement completely unprepared.
Online speculation caused a raging flash mob to gather - looking to burn down the local mosque.
As stricken Southport families mourned, mob violence erupted in 27 British towns and cities.
Hundreds of angry men, women and youths stormed through city squares and residential streets, targeting mosques, asylum hotels and the police.
The unrest was linked to extreme-right groups and fuelled by disinformation with a common thread of animosity towards illegal immigration and Muslims.
The rioters were processed by the courts at top speed and sentenced to a total of more than 1000 years in prison.
The Cleaner, 9.00pm, RTÉ2
It's season 3 of this dark BBC sitcom starring Greg Davies (below) as Paul 'Wicky' Wickstead, a crime scene cleaner.
Wicky finds himself on a job for old school friend Justin, who it turns out has done rather well for himself with a dream house, supercar, adorable child, and a grand piano.
Thing is, there's a big pool of blood in his hall where the grand piano unfortunately fell on someone.
Reunited after years, the pair decide to call up a few other old friends and get the gang back together again. However, Wicky finds it increasingly hard to keep a lid on his massive jealousy.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North, 9.35pm, RTÉ2
Here’s a period drama that started last Sunday on BBC One, starring Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young and Ciarán Hinds.
Surgeon Dorrigo Evans' upcoming book launch triggers memories of his time as a PoW in the Second World War, and a brief, unforgettable, love affair.
Franco: The Last Inquisitor, 7.20pm, PBS America
Known as El Caudillo (the warlord), Spain’s Francisco Franco ruled unchallenged for almost forty years, longer than any of his fellow fascist leaders.
But unlike Hitler or Mussolini, he was eventually accepted by democracies, and despite his crimes many activists continue to honour him today.
How was this possible? Why did his regime, from which the now-democratic country still bears the scars, last so long?
At a time when religious fundamentalism is making something of a comeback, Franco’s story teaches us about the concept of holy war, this time from the Western side.
This story is told through the archives and the voices of those who lived through this terrible period, who testify that political violence was too quickly forgotten.
New to Stream
A Normal Woman, Netflix
Here’s an Indonesian drama, dubbed in English. Sounds a bit bonkers!
When 36-year-old Milla, a socialite and meek housewife, believes she has contracted a mysterious illness with no cure, she starts to spiral into madness.
She is betrayed not just by the mutiny in her body, but also by the disbelief and rejection from her own family.
Only when she starts sabotaging the mythical perfection of her rosy life, can she finally transform into a healed, new, if impure self.
Hitmakers, Netflix
Behind every hit song is the person who wrote it.
This new docu-series follows twelve of the music industry's best songwriters and producers as they come together at real high-stakes writing camps to create hits for today’s biggest stars such as John Legend, Shaboozey, and Lisa of Blackpink.
With tensions high and time short, viewers get a front-row seat to the creative chaos, emotional stakes, and personal breakthroughs.
This isn’t just about writing music - it’s about the journey of a hitmaker!
Don’t Miss
The Many Faces of Helen Mirren, 8.00pm, BBC Four
A profile of British actress Helen Mirren (below), who started her career in theatre in the 1960s and appeared with the RSC before going on to make her mark in the worlds of film and television.
Her portrayal of detective Jane Tennison in ITV drama Prime Suspect made her a household name in the UK, but it was her Oscar-winning performance as Elizabeth II in 2006 film The Queen that propelled her to international stardom.
Followed at 9pm by Helen Mirren Remembers - Gosford Park, where she looks back on her role in Robert Altman's acclaimed and multi-award winning 2001 film.
Gosford Park follows that at 9.15pm. Written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, the murder-mystery tapped into that same world of servants and masters.
Along with Helen Mirren, the ensemble cast featured Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon and Alan Bates.
Listen To The Land Speak, 10.10pm, RTÉ One
Streaming on RTÉ Player
Manchán continues on his travels across Ireland to connect with the ancient wisdom embedded in the landscape.
He meets the first rays of Summer Solstice at Lough Gur and contemplates the sacred oaks, wells and bogs of our landscape but also his own cancer journey and how it is making him see these places in a new light.
He meets Robert Hensey, an archaeologist at Carrowmore and a shaman John Paul Fischbach at Dowth.
As the sun sets on the series, he celebrates Samhain in Clonakilty and ponders the darkness of winter but also the future and the light that always follows it.
