TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
PAUL MCCARTNEY AT THE BBC
Tonight, BBC2, 7.10pm
Happy birthday Sir Paul! The muchloved singer-songwriter turns 80 today and is as busy as ever.
It’s almost 60 years since the Fab Four exploded onto the music scene; not long after that, Mccartney gave an interview in which he stated he didn’t think fame would last long and that he and John Lennon would probably go on to write for other acts once the group had run its course. How wrong can a person be? The BBC is celebrating Mccartney’s landmark birthday by looking back at some of his most memorable appearances on the Beeb.
GLASTONBURY: 50 YEARS AND COUNTING Tomorrow, BBC2, 9pm
Producer-director Francis Whately, who’s best known for the acclaimed David Bowie Five Years trilogy, is also the man behind this celebratory documentary. It offers an offbeat insight into one of the world’s greatest music festivals, as seen through the eyes of the two people responsible for it – Michael and Emily Eavis. It begins at the last event, in 2019, when Billie Eilish and Stormzy grabbed the headlines, before going back through time to explore its origins.
LONG LOST FAMILY Monday, ITV, 9pm
Joselyn Taylor was born profoundly deaf and put in a children’s home at only two weeks old – the big question at the back of her mind has always been ‘Why?’ She knows that her birth mother went on to have a son and is now searching for her older brother James as she knows that he may be the key to answer her lifelong questions. In turn, James has also been searching – for the father he never knew and had only been able to dream about. However, after 73 years, James finds more family than he bargained for. Presented by Davina Mccall and Nicky
Campbell.
THE YORKSHIRE VET Tuesday, Channel 5, 8pm
Dog lovers will sympathise with the owner of a Vizsla puppy that has eaten a washing-up sponge for the second time, and has to get a clean bill of health from Julian Norton. Meanwhile, Peter Wright is at the Greens’ farm to deal with a bullying calf, before meeting the most overgrown tortoise beak he’s ever seen.
LENNY HENRY’S CARIBBEAN BRITAIN Wednesday, BBC2, 9pm
He’s gone from Dudley kid to Sir Lenworth George Henry CBE over his long career, so he’s the perfect person to present this joyous, two-part celebration of British-Caribbean life, in which he is joined by a wealth of famous faces, including David Harewood, Judi Love,
Trevor Nelson, Floella Benjamin and Sonia Boyce.
In this opener, Lenny looks at the explosion of culture brought by post-war Caribbean arrivals, including the music of calypso and ska, to theatre and art. Lenny also reflects on his own attempts to fit into British society.
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Thursday, BBC1, regions vary Beverley-born actress Anna Maxwell Martin has become a much-loved household name, thanks to barnstorming performances in everything from Motherland and Becoming Jane to Line of Duty and The Personal History of David Copperfield. However, in this episode of the long-running genealogy show, we get a glimpse at the woman herself as she explores her lineage. Anna’s journey takes her to Northern Ireland and Scotland and, like so many famous faces who have preceded her, the research uncovers tragedy and lives built in the face of huge adversity.
ONE QUESTION Friday, Channel 4, 8pm
This new devilishly difficult quiz series sees Claudia Winkleman invite a pair of contestants to answer just a single question to win a £100,000 prize. They will be faced with 20 possible answers, but only one is correct. Eliminate the incorrect answers and they’ll be on the path to victory, but eliminate the one correct answer and it’s game over.