Variety the spice of holiday TV
Picks out the best on the box for the week ahead.
James Croot New Year’s with Norton
X-men stars James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender will join talkshow host extraordinaire Graham Norton for his New Year’s Eve Special. Scottish actor Mcavoy is there to promote his new horror film Split, while Fassbender will be joined by costar Marion Cotillard to help encourage viewers to their bigbudget video game adaptation Assassin’s Creed. Also on the couch will be British Olympians Laura Trott and Jason Kenny and Irish rowing sensations Gary and Paul O’donovan, while music will be provided by Pete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra.
Saturday, 9.30pm, TV3 Children’s Classic Returns
There’s little room for ‘‘providence’’ in the sweet, but slight 2016 adaptation of Lucy Maude Montgomery’s children’s classic Anne of Green Gables .So ubiquitous in the much- loved mid1980s Canadian mini-series, the word has been scrubbed out in this slightly twee makeover that also de-ages many of the central characters. However, as a clearly made-for-tv primer for the world of Avonlea, there’s a lot to like about a children’s adventure that doesn’t involve talking animals or people who wear capes.
Sunday, 7.30pm, Vibe Leave it to Beavers
Wildlife documentary Beaver Las Vegas looks at the way the Nevada city is solving its unprecedented drought problems. Suffering a 15-year water shortage, the desert oasis is victim to serious drought, but nature has provided an unlikely solution that may just cure the desperate residents and tourists once and for all. The film follows the locals who are catching, relocating, and protecting the beavers, so that they can create dams to keep water running. Viewers will discover the importance of the beaver to the future of Nevada. Whilst Las Vegas ensures the money keeps flowing, it’s over to the beavers to ensure that the water does too.
Sunday, 7.30pm, Prime By Royal Command
David Walliams is the host of this year’s Royal Variety Performance, conducted in the presence of their royal highnesses The Prince Of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. Held at London’s Hammersmith Apollo earlier this month, the show, which was first held in 1912, featured performers including Barry Gibb, Sting, Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Emelie Sande, Lady Gaga, and Rob Beckett.
Sunday, 8pm, TVNZ1 King of the Board
The 2014 film The Dark Horse provided a leading role worthy of our ‘‘multi-ethnic man in Hollywood’’ Cliff Curtis and one enticing enough to lure him home. He plays Genesis Potini, the late Gisborne speed chess champion who was widely admired for promoting the educational benefits of chess in poor communities. Writer-director James Napier Robertson delivers an emotionally powerful tale that feels like a cross between Whale Rider and Once Were Warriors. The solid supporting cast includes James Rolleston, Kirk Torrance and Miriama Mcdowell.
Wednesday, 9pm, TVNZ1