Stuff to Watch on Sky and free-to-air TV this week
New contestants are vying for the Taskmaster NZ crown, and Top Gear USA is back with a new trio of hosts,
Taskmaster
(8.45pm, Wednesdays from tomorrow, TVNZ 2)
Jeremy Wells and Paul Williams return to their thrones for a third season of mayhem. In this local spinoff of the immensely popular UK series, five funny people tackle a series of challenges in a quest for personal glory – or at least minimise the humiliation factor. Those vying for the crown – and a replica of the rest of Wells’ head – are Celebrity Treasure Island victor Chris Parker, comedic surrealist Josh Thomson, Shortland Street star Kura Forrester and veterans Justine Smith and Paul Ego.
Father Brown
(9.30pm, Tuesdays from tonight, UKTV)
Mark Williams’ charismatic clergyman sleuth returns for a ninth season. It’s now 1953 and the sleepy Cotswold village of Kembleford is stirred by such dastardly deeds as murder at the local holiday camp and at Lady Felicia’s illustrious New Year Masked Ball. With a killer in his midst, could this be the last waltz for Father Brown?
Watership Down
(7pm, Saturday, Whakaata Ma¯ori)
It was the movie that traumatised a generation. First released in 1978, this animated adaptation of Richard Adams’ 1972 leporidae tale left many young viewers in tears and not just because of Art Garfunkel’s treacly theme tune Bright Eyes. Rather it was graphic imagery of cute coney carnage and a barrage of bad bunny behaviour that gave many sleepless nights and inspired vows never to let game pie pass their lips.
A Ghost Story (8.40pm, Saturday, Whakaata Ma¯ori)
David Lowery’s 2017 study of grief and despair is equally bewildering and beguiling. What other recent movie dared to place that year’s best actor winner – Casey Affleck – under a sheet for most of the running time, or spend five minutes watching the terrific Rooney Mara devour a familysized pie? And yet, somehow, for all that craziness, you’ll still be haunted by it for days.
1 to 39: Highlander Story
(9.30pm, Saturday, Prime) The free-to-air debut for this local documentary looks at how the Southern Men transformed themselves from also-rans into a Super Rugby championship-winning side in 2015. As well as featuring interviews with the players and coaches of that squad, it also takes a look at the early high and lows of the franchise, especially the disappointment they all felt after their northern neighbours crashed ‘‘the party at Tony Brown’s’’ in 1999.
Top Gear USA (9.30pm, Sundays, Duke)
Actors Dax Shepard, Rob Corddry and motoring journalist Jethro Bovingdon are the latest trio taking on hosting duties for the American spinoff of the longrunning British motoring series. Over 11 episodes, they promise to cover everything from supercars and luxury SUVs to hot rods, poster cars and future classics.