SKY/NOW, BRITBOX, DISNEY+ & VIRGIN
DRAMA WARRIOR High-kicking action drama
Based on a concept created by Bruce Lee (his daughter Shannon is one of the executive producers), this action series takes place during the Tong gang wars in late-1870s San Francisco. British actor Andrew Koji (right, with Joanna Vanderham), whose previous work includes appearances in Call The Midwife and Peaky Blinders, plays Ah Sahm, a Chinese martial-arts prodigy who travels to America in search of his missing sister. His arrival isn’t a happy one – Ah Sahm is sold to a gangster and becomes embroiled in dangerous events out of his control. NOW TV/Sky On Demand, available now
A FINE ROMANCE The classic sitcom with Judi Dench
Remember this gentle sitcom from the days when Judi Dench was yet to become an international star? The series was written by The Good Life co-creator Bob Larbey and sees Dench play Laura, a translator whose sister lines her up with shy gardener Mike (Dench’s late, real-life husband Michael Williams). The pair are, however, like chalk and cheese, and over the course of four series (all of which are being made available) we see them get together, break up and reunite several times. Delightful and with some delicious one-liners, they don’t make them like this any more. Dench also sings the theme tune and reteamed with Larbey for As Time Goes By a decade later. BritBox, from Thursday
FLACK NEW SERIES Sam Neill and a starry cast in a comedy drama
Sam Neill first worked with Anna Paquin when she was a precocious ten-year-old. He played her stepfather in period drama The Piano; she won an Oscar for her role as Holly Hunter’s daughter. They reunite 27 years later in the slick comedy-drama’s second series. He plays Duncan, who is about to rekindle his relationship with his ex-wife and London PR company boss Caroline (Sophie Okonedo). Robyn (Paquin), meanwhile, pulls out all the stops at Caroline’s firm, despite multiple problems in her private life. Sky/Virgin, available now
PROP CULTURE NEW SHOW Mad about memorabilia
Presenter Dan Lanigan is like a kid in a sweet shop throughout this eight-part series. A collector of movie memorabilia, he has been let loose inside the Disney archives, which store costumes, props, set designs and more from much-loved films such as the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, Mary Poppins, The Muppet Movie and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Lanigan discusses each object he finds with those who created it and the actors who used them – and then he puts them back where he found them, of course. Disney+, available now
CODE 404
NEW SHOW
A detective comes back from the dead
Stephen Graham plays it for laughs in this new show – and that alone makes this comedy worth tuning in for. Daniel Mays plays John Major (not that one), a detective who is killed during an undercover sting. However, the small matter of death doesn’t prevent him from doing his duty and he returns as part of an AI initiative, allowing him to work alongside his old partner Roy Carver (Graham). But it soon becomes clear that John isn’t quite the man he used to be… NOW TV/Sky on Demand, now available
TO WALK INVISIBLE The Brontë sisters brought to life
How did three sisters living in a parsonage on the edge of the Yorkshire moors come to write some of the greatest, most enduring novels in the English language? Writer and director Sally Wainwright’s intense twohour drama focuses on the dynamics of a family beset by money worries, exploring Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë’s relationships with each other and with their wastrel brother Branwell. Tremendous performances from the whole cast but Chloe Pirrie as Wuthering Heights author Emily is particularly brilliant. BritBox, from Thursday
NEW SHOW IN SEARCH OF GREATNESS What’s the right stuff behind sport greats?
Built around interviews with football legend Pelé, Canadian ice hockey player Wayne ‘the Great One’ Gretzky and American footballer Jerry Rice, this documentary explores just what it is that makes recordbreaking athletes better than everyone else. It’s not necessarily speed or strength or build. It’s something more difficult to measure or quantify: creativity. Various digital platforms, from Wednesday
THE MANDALORIAN Light sabres at the ready
Monday is unofficially known as Star Wars Day (as in ‘May the Fourth be with you’), and to mark that occasion Disney+ has the global premiere of not one but two huge Star Wars properties. First is the debut – for free – of the most recent film, The Rise Of Skywalker, and second is a new series that goes behind the scenes on its own, The Mandalorian (left). Add in the fact that the series is also available as a bingeable box set from today and it’s enough to keep any budding Jedi happy. Disney+, from Monday