The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
LEON’S LOST LOVES
TOP My Name is Leon – TV PREVIEWS
PICK Friday, BBC Two, 9pm
Set in early 1980s
Birmingham against a backdrop of racial tensions, this sensitive drama is told through the eyes of Leon,
a mixed-race 10-year-old growing up in care. He wants nothing more than to be reunited with his beloved mother and baby brother. Based on the novel by Kit de Waal, it’s a heart-wrenching yet uplifting portrait of a lost child gradually gaining a sense of identity. Cole Martin is wholly unaffected as Leon; a stellar performance. He’s supported by an exceptional adult cast including Monica Dolan as Leon’s kindly foster carer, and Malachi Kirby as an accidental surrogate father who gently teaches him about the importance of standing up against injustice.
A beautiful film.
Long Lost Family Special: Switched at Birth – Monday, STV, 9pm
In the latest episode of this poignant and sensitivelyhandled series, hosts Nicky Campbell and Davina McCall collectively pose two difficult questions: “What if you suspect you were swapped with another baby when
you were born? And what if, as a parent, you discover you’ve raised the wrong daughter?” Septuagenarian Rosemary loves her
adoptive family, they’ve had a very happy life together, but she understandably feels the need to find out about her biological parents. Meanwhile, two Mediterranean mothers articulate the emotional impact of having their babies accidentally switched at birth. A clerical error with, to put it mildly, significant
repercussions for all.
Cooking with the Stars – Tuesday, STV, 8pm
It’s a fairly quiet TV week, folks, hence why I’m nudging this returning series in your direction. Please do not regard it as a glowing recommendation. I really can’t emphasise that enough.
Hosts Tom Allen and Emma Willis preside over another group of celebs as they attempt to learn the skills of a restaurant chef. Naturally, they’ll need a lot of help to get to that level. Enter various top chef mentors such as Rosemary Shrager. Among this year’s ovenready stars are Anton Du Beke, Dame Kelly Holmes, The Chase’s Anne Hegerty, and comedian Joe Wilkinson.
The theme in episode one is classic British dishes. A cookoff between the first pair of contestants, Du Beke and
Wilkinson, ensues.
Lucy Worsley Investigates – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm
The penultimate chapter of Worsley’s current essay is quite the historical cold case: what were the actual circumstances surrounding those 15th-Century English princes, both heirs to King Edward IV’s throne, who were allegedly murdered in
their beds? I must admit, I’d never heard of this bizarre mystery before watching the programme. My specialist area of historical expertise is
(cough) 20th-Century sociopolitical pop culture. That’s
why the likes of Worsley are always welcome. She may be
right, she may be wrong, but she informs and entertains with persuasive, questioning, sceptical rigour. I ended up falling down an internet research rabbit hole after this episode. Still none the wiser, but what a story.
The Bridge: Rocket to a Fortune – Tues and Wed, Channel 4, 10pm
In series two of this reality show, eight strangers from the UK are tasked with building a 1,000-foot bridge between their base camp on a remote Vietnamese island and a giant uninhabited rock. Why? Because if they succeed, one of them will win £200,000. This naturally throws up a thorny moral conundrum: they have to work together as a team while being aware they’re also competitors. Twist #2: there’s another team competing for the same prize, but at first they’re unaware of each other’s existence. It’s all rather cruel and dubious, as some of these people are clearly quite fragile. But of course, that doesn’t stop the producers from exploiting the situation for maximum dramatic impact.
Bradford on Duty – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm
Bradford was once one of the UK’s most affluent cities. Decades of de-industrialisation and austerity put paid to that. In this new five-part series, we follow some of Bradford’s dedicated frontline workers as they campaign to restore much-needed civic pride and wellbeing to the beleaguered city. Preview copies weren’t available, but this sounds like a potentially worthwhile endeavour. It promises to shed light upon the everyday struggles of district nurses, police officers and council workers, as well as the people who rely on them for support. It will, we’re told, confront vitally important intertwined issues such as homelessness and wealth/ health inequality but with humour, warmth and hope.
Our Lives: Darts Dreams – Friday, BBC One, 7.30pm
Eighteen-year-old Chloe O’Brien from Perthshire is a talented darts player. She’s already established herself as part of Scotland’s youth team, but now it’s time for her to try out for the Scottish ladies’ international squad. This charming documentary charts her quest. She’s sharp and likeable, a protagonist you can get behind. Like all budding sportspeople who want to get somewhere, Chloe is dedicated. It’s an all-consuming vocation. The programme cocks a snook at those who look down on darts as “not a real sport”. Chloe and her close-knit Angus Ravens team-mates prove it requires real skill; an acute combination of arithmetic, tactics, spatial awareness and hand-eye co-ordination.