Macdonald’s big in Japan
ANYTHING starring Kelly Macdonald tends to be a sign of quality (think Trainspotting, No Country For Old Men and Boardwalk Empire), which should put GIRI/ HAJI (BBC2, 9pm) on the TV map.
Kelly stars as Met detective SarahWeitzmann in this eight-part thriller set in London and Tokyo.
With a title meaning “guilt/ shame”, the drama kicks off with a Japanese detective, Kenzo (Takehiro Hira), discovering that a Japanese gangland boss is being framed for a murder in the UK but that Kenzo’s missing and estranged brother Yuto is the real killer. High-tailing it to London, Kenzo teams up with Met cop Sarah to search for Yuto before all hell breaks loose – it’s a truth universally acknowledged that upsetting a crime lord is best avoided.
In the meantime, working at close quarters causes feelings to develop between the pair that threatens their personal lives. In other words, here are all the ingredients for a gripping cross-cultural thriller, and have we mentioned Kelly Macdonald’s in it?
Charlotte Church is no stranger to exploring difficult personal subjects in the glare of the TV cameras. She has bared her soul in a documentary on the issue of mental illness, which affects her mum, Maria, and now she’s coming clean again. In CHARLOTTE CHURCH: MY FAMILY & ME (C4, 9pm) the singer spends five days alone with her mum and stepdad, James, in Devon.
Without the distraction of Charlotte’s kids, the show’s idea is to get parents and their adult child talking about the issues between them – and tensions rise when grievances are aired.
It’s tough for all three as they reflect on Charlotte’s sudden rise to fame as a child and the toll it took as she scaled the heights of showbiz, while offering a chance for fences to be mended.
The home-swap series RICH HOUSE, POOR HOUSE (Channel 5, 9pm) is deceptively complex.
Although on paper it sounds a bit like a gimmicky reality show inviting participants to feel smug or envious about how the other half lives, in reality this uplifting programme sends people on an emotional journey that’s worth watching.
Tonight’s London-based contestants are single mum-of three Andrea, who swaps her little Lambeth flat – where the family lives on benefits – with the £7 million Chelsea townhouse of divorced businesswoman Geeta, who lives there with her best mate Harriet.
Geeta has a strict exercise and yoga routine that tests Andrea, while Geeta and Harriet’s restricted budget means curtailing their fun.
How each copes with the others’ lives provides food for thought.