BEST OF THE REST
THE MET: POLICING LONDON
BBC1, 9pm
ANOTHER brutal and shocking documentary series reporting from the frontlines of police work. This one, back for a third run, follows Britain’s biggest and busiest police force – the Met.
Filmed during last year, when violent crime was on the rise in London, cameras follow everyone from top bosses to officers on the scene.
It’s a distressing start, with that well-used format of playing out 999 calls. “I’ve been robbed at gunpoint”, says one. “There’s a lot of blood”, says another.
Then we launch into a frightening account of stranger rape, with shocking CCTV images of the suspect making his escape.
In other footage, football pundit Simon Jordan has had his £130,000 watch nicked while in his car, by an armed robber on a stolen bike in broad daylight.
And in a bid to tackle knife crime, there are uncomfortable scenes as the Territorial Support Group carries out the controversial tactic of stop and search – with some locals horrified.
RU PAUL’S DRAG RACE UK
BBC3, 8pm
FABULOUS, outrageous and set to slay the TV schedules, this award-winning global phenomenon finally arrives in Britain.
The reality show sees drag queen RuPaul search for the “next drag superstar” and American fans have been hooked on it for 10 years now. It even picked up an Emmy at this year’s awards.
Over the course of the contest, ten of the UK’s most fabulous drag queens will compete in what is dubbed ‘the Olympics of drag’.
Devotees of the show will already know that they will face challenges such as a runway walk and a lip sync battle.
There’s a lot of screeching as the contestants arrive on set – enjoy their gloriously naughty names, from Cheryl Hole to Baga Chipz.
The rivalry starts immediately as they size up the competition.
After a photoshoot challenge and a regal runway, Hollywood actor Andrew Garfield, RuPaul’s veteran judge Michelle Visage (currently competing in Strictly) and our own Alan Carr decide which queen will be the first to lose her crown.