FIVE THINGS FOR YOUR WEEK...

It’s nearly 20 years since Stoke’s most famous musical export took to the stage at the Albert Hall for his Swing When You’re Winning gig. Of course, there’s been a lot of water under the bridge since then. At the turn of the decade, he rejoined Take That for a brief spell, while assorted projects such as Swing Both Ways proved he was still a force to be reckoned with. Now he’s back with this festive helping of music and fun. Here, Robbie (below) takes to the stage at the BBC Radio Theatre in London, performing festive songs from his new album The Christmas Present. His band includes long-time collaborator Guy Chambers, and among the featured tracks are Merry Christmas Everybody; current single Time for Change, and classics such as Feel, She’s The One and

Angels.

You may never have heard of the book Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue

Hospital by Eric Manheimer, but there’s a good bet you’ve heard of this hit medical drama starring Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist), Janet Montgomery (Black Swan/ Black Mirror) and former Doctor Who star Freema Agyeman. For newcomers, it follows Dr Max Goodwin, who has become the medical director of one of the United States’ oldest public hospitals. His aim was to reform the neglected facility by tearing up its bureaucracy, and for 22 episodes the series left millions of fans perched on the edge of their seats. champions Man City in what promises to be a preChristmas cracker. Kick-off is at 5.30pm.

The James Bond franchise gets a tough and gritty overhaul, with Daniel Craig making his debut as 007. This time around, the secret agent is on the trail of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an international criminal planning to use a highstakes poker game as a means of funding terrorist organisations across the world. This offering was a huge success, and had fans who had been sceptical about Craig’s casting eating their words. Judi Dench is one of the very few constants between the Brosnan era and the dawning of Craig. She brings the same dry wit and gravitas to the role of M, dismayed at her fledgling agent’s ability to bring her department into disrepute once again.

From Legendary producer Dick Wolf comes a new fiction podcast starring Parker Posey about the U.S. Marshals dedicated to capturing the country’s most dangerous fugitives. When four convicts escape from a maximum security prison, Deputy Marshal Emily Barnes is called in to pursue the criminals on one of the most treacherous and violent manhunts in United States history.