PICK OF THE DAY

FREDDIE MERCURY: THE FINAL ACT 9PM, BBC2

★★★★

This documentary explores the final years of Freddie Mercury, and the dreadful shadow cast over his life – and the lives of gay men everywhere – by the AIDS pandemic, and the stigma and homophobia associated with it. Freddie and the band denied he had AIDS almost until the end; here, Freddie’s family, friends and bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor explain why. It might start sad, but the film ends on a high note – the incredible 1992 concert that, as well as being a farewell to Freddie, also started a shift in attitudes towards AIDS.

BRITAIN BY BEACH 8PM, CH4

★★★★ Bradford-born Anita Rani relives childhood trips to Whitby in the final episode of her charming series.

She’s exploring the coasts of Yorkshire and Northumberland, where she reveals enthralling stories of pleasure beaches, wartime losses, Viking raids, shipwrecks, smugglers and pioneering surgeons.

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND 9PM, CH4

★★★★

Sathnam Sanghera concludes his series on modern Britain and the legacies of Empire. He considers multiculturalism and the culture wars that continue to split the country, while also exploring his own sense of identity. Finally, he visits his home town of Wolverhampton, and meets children eager to learn the history of Empire.

2021: THE QUEEN’S TERRIBLE YEAR 9PM, CH5

★★★★

The Queen famously declared 1992 her ‘annus horribilis’, but 2021 has surely proved to be an even more difficult time for the monarch. Setting aside the controversies and the family fallouts, it was the year that she lost Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years.