THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
SPORT Soccer Aid For Unicef Tonight, ITV, 6.30pm
Can they kick k it? Well, not necessarily, but then seeing the celebrity amateurs’ football skills occasionally found wanting ng is a large part of the attraction when it comes to the annual fundraiser, this year played out behind closed doors at Old Trafford and presented by Dermot O’Leary and Kirsty Gallacher. Wayne Rooney is joint manager with Sam Allardyce for an England XI in which fitness trainer Joe Wicks (above) and singer Olly Murs are possibly going to be outshone by pro star Kelly Smith. They’re up against a World XI with Ireland coach Robbie Keane and comedian Jason Manford, giving gaffer Harry Redknapp plenty to ponder from the touchline.
DOCUMENTARY Louis Theroux: Life On The Edge Tonight, BBC2, 9pm s
For 25 years Louis Theroux (right) has been revealing the weird, wonderful and wicked extremes of f society, mostly stly from America. ica Stuck at home over lockdown, the unflappable documentary maker took the opportunity to look back over his extraordinary career and revisit some of the subjects that mattered to him the most. Each episode of this four-part series is a compilation of clips chosen to explore a particular theme, and while future weeks look at family, crime and the dark side of pleasure, the opening programme is devoted to belief in an extraordinarily diverse range of forms, from eccentrics who talk to aliens to the evil of race hatred.
TRAVEL Sue Perkins: Along The US-Mexico Border Monday & Tuesday, BBC1, 9pm
Stretching S 2,000 ,000 miles from one ocean to another, the US-Mexico border has been at the heart of turmoil and controversy over the years. rs. In this two-part part series, Sue Perkins (above) explores what lies either side of the dividing line between the US and Mexico and finds two very different cultures offering so much to each other, but separated by the malignant forces of the drug cartels and the darker side of American politics under Donald Trump. In a colourful opening episode, Perkins delights in a traditional Mexican breakfast and gets a little tipsy tasting tequilas, but she also learns the disturbing truth about migrants who are forced in desperation to turn to people-smugglers.
COMEDY The Russell Howard Hour Thursday, Sky One, 10pm
Underestimate ate Russell Howard at your peril. The broad grin and general bonhomie may suggest someone from m the fluffier end of o comedy, but ut behind that smile is a performer with real teeth ready to tear into current affairs and the many failings of our lords and masters. Now he’s back for a fourth series of the Sky One show that provides a platform for his stand-up act, along with interviews with a diverse range of personalities from politics and showbiz, plus performances by guest comics. Howard (above) also celebrates unsung heroes in his Good Deeds slot, and there’s a new segment, Life Lessons, in which to ponder the eternal philosophical questions.
ARTS The Romantics And Us With Simon Schama Friday, BBC2, 9pm
This Th is the story sto of the original or Romantics, and how the th culture cu and philosophy ph forged fo amid the th turmoil of the French Fr Revolution olution has shaped so much about the modern world. Historian Simon Schama (above) presents this compelling three-part series, in which he draws on archive material from art and literature, and meets modern artists and activists to find out how they draw inspiration from the figures of the past. In the opening episode he examines the work of the great English poets William Blake and Percy Bysshe Shelley and explores the continued revolutionary influence of the French painters Delacroix and Géricault.