Television
The Best of the Week
SATURDAY DECEMBER 2
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Jones Too, Sky 208, 10.00am). Before Benedict Cumberbatch became a modern-day sleuthing savant with a “mind palace”, Jeremy Brett was considered the essential Sherlock: patrician, supercilious and always – always – right. Between 1984 and 94, Granada adapted 42 of the 60 Holmes mysteries written by Arthur Conan Doyle, sticking fairly faithfully to the original stories. The first series, which is split over two days on Jones Too, begins with one of the classics, A Scandal in Bohemia. David Burke plays Watson; Rosalie Williams is the bustling Mrs Hudson; and American actress Gayle Hunnicutt, who later appeared in Dallas, plays “the woman” Irene Adler. Watson’s first words to Holmes are, “What is it tonight? Morphine or cocaine?”
Cricket (Sky Sport 3, Sky 053, 4.28pm).
The Ashes series is under way in Australia and the second test, starting today at the Adelaide Oval, would be unremarkable except that it is the first day-night Ashes match and therefore historic.
Rugby League (Sky Sport 2, Sky 052, 6.30pm). The final of the Women’s Rugby League World Cup, live from Brisbane. Will the Kiwi Ferns be there? We say yes.
MasterChef Junior USA (Prime, 7.30pm). Is MasterChef better or worse when it’s kids? Presumably better language from judge Gordon Ramsay, who is joined by chefs Graham Elliot and Christina
Tosi. The usually sweary chef can be seen again on Wednesday in Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Christmas (Choice TV, 4.30pm).
Agatha Raisin (Prime, 8.30pm). Sadly, not as successful as the rather excellent adaptation of MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth series, even if Beaton herself hated it (“I wrote about a six-foot laidback Highlander and I got a 5-foot-8-inch Glaswegian with a chip on his shoulder,” she famously quipped about Robert Carlyle). Ashley Jensen is terrific as Agatha, the slightly ditzy former PR person and amateur sleuth in
the village of Carsley, although the plots are contrived, even for a murder-mystery series. Fun while it lasted.
Great American Railroad Journeys (Living, Sky 017, 8.30pm). The ebullient and self-deprecating Michael Portillo is off on another series of journeys in the US. In his pursuit of the American Frontier, he is using the 1879 Appletons’ General Guide. Portillo begins in St Louis, where he visits the world’s tallest man-made monument, the Gateway Arch. The stops on his 2400km trip include Colorado, Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, Minneapolis, Chicago and Tennessee. Grantchester (Prime, 10.30pm). Goodness, that’s a lot of
British murder-mystery for one evening: this repeat screening of season two of Grantchester follows Agatha Raisin and Father Brown. Grantchester is by far the pick of the bunch – James Norton is a wonderfully complex clergyman crime-solver who is constantly being tested, not least by his love for his friend Amanda (Morven Christie). He’s also the perfect foil for Robson Green’s dishevelled DI Geordie Keating. Season two begins with an accusation of sexual assault against Sidney; other issues include capital punishment, domestic violence and the suppression of homosexuality.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 3
House Rules (Three, 7.00pm and Monday 7.30pm). What fresh makeover hell is this? Australian devilment, to be precise, the one where teams renovate other teams’ houses. Laurence LlewelynBowen, once a force on British makeover TV, is slumming it in Oz as a judge this season.
TUESDAY DECEMBER 5
Fashion Police: The Farewell (E!, Sky 014, 8.30pm). The snarky fashion critique never quite recovered from the loss of Joan Rivers in 2014: Kathy Griffin lasted just seven episodes,
Kelly Osbourne left pretty soon after, and the show evolved into a series of specials hosted by Joan’s daughter, Melissa. This farewell episode will celebrate Joan Rivers – how could it not? – and the best of such segments as “Bitch Stole My Look” and “Guess Me from Behind”.
THURSDAY DECEMBER 7
Silly Season: Live from the
BBC (UKTV, Sky 007, 7.30pm). Something fun for the holidays: stand-up comedians filmed at the BBC’s Radio Theatre. The series begins with Nish Kumar and Canadian comedian Mae Martin, who describes living as a “legal alien” in London. That may have all changed since Brexit, however. The season also includes Brits James Acaster, Dane Baptiste, Adam Hess and Larry Dean, and Australian Felicity Ward and Dane Sofie Hagen. Live from the BBC is followed at 8.35pm by a series of full stand-up sets from the likes of John Bishop, Lee Evans and Miranda Hart. It begins with that cheeky chappie Josh Widdicombe, whose show is called And Another Thing.
Silent Witness (Prime, 8.30pm). Aw, the depressing forensic pathology series that first starred Amanda Burton and was hilariously parodied by French and Saunders turns 20. It’s now the BBC’s longest continuous running drama series, but there will be no celebratory nods to the past, no special appearance by
Burton (last seen in The Level, which is still available on TVNZ OnDemand). Instead, its first story (each one comprises two episodes) goes straight for the topical subject of the illegal trafficking of Syrian refugees. This season, Nikki (Emilia Fox) also comes up against a Mexican cartel while investigating the disappearance of an intern.
Staying Healthy: A Doctor’s Guide (Choice TV, 9.30pm). Embarrassing Bodies’ Dr Pixie returns with advice based on data from the UK’s National Health Service – among the general info about cutting down on fizzy drinks, getting a good night’s sleep and washing your hands, the only one not applicable to Kiwis is that mosquito repellent really works. Huh? Apparently, a lot of Brits don’t buy mozzie repellent on holiday because they doubt its efficacy, or they think Deet is dangerous.
FRIDAY DECEMBER 8
Bruno Mars: One Night at the Apollo (Three, 9.45pm). Hawaiian musician Peter Gene Hernandez is filmed live at New York’s Apollo Theatre and also on the streets of Harlem. Nothing whatever to do with the forthcoming four dates at Spark Arena in February: they’re sold out, anyway.