WHAT’S HOT TO WATCH TODAY
TELL me, were you a big fan of ITV drama The Bletchley Circle, in which a group of women, all former wartime codebreakers, applied their talents to solving post-war crimes?
If so, you’ll presumably have been a wee bit gutted when ITV axed it four years ago, after its second series. You may even have been one of those people who lodged an angry online protest, possibly containing swear words.
Should any of that be the case, you’re no doubt chuffed that it’s back tonight, sort of. I say “sort of” because THE BLETCHLEY CIRCLE: SAN FRANCISCO (9pm) is more of a spin-off, with just two of the original show’s four stars – namely Julie Graham (as Jean) and Rachael Stirling (Millie). So it’s a bit like when, say, a legendary rock band reunites (I’m thinking of Bucks Fizz, obviously) but doesn’t feature all the familiar faces. It’s fine, but it’s not quite the dream team.
Anyway, no matter. The story, set in 1956, shifts to San Francisco because that’s where its rumoured that a serial killer – whose victims included an old Bletchley colleague – has now resurfaced. IN episode two of ANIMALS BEHAVING BADLY (8pm, BBC1), the focus shifts from sex to food. But the point remains the same, with host Liz Bonnin showing how creatures will do whatever it takes to satisfy themselves.
Mind you, on Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, the local coconut crabs (huge buggers that can grow as long as half a metre and weigh up to four kilos) routinely go further, nicking everything from clothing to cutlery, and on one occasion even a gun.