THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
MUSIC
Friday, BBC2, 10pm
The music maestro is back for the 55th run of his much-loved show, although for obvious reasons, this one is going to be a little different. Holland is presenting from the safety of his South London recording studio, and each week will speak to guests remotely about their careers while also giving them a chance to look back at memorable performances from the Later… archives.
First into the fray is Christine And The Queens (pictured, above) and Laura Marling.
One good thing to come out of the enforced format change is that at least viewers don’t have to put up with the co-hosts who, by and large, spoiled the previous series.
TRAVEL
Portillo’s Empire Journey Friday, Channel 5, 9pm
How did an island on the edge of Europe come to rule hundreds of millions of people living on more than a quarter of the world’s land surface, constituting the greatest empire ever seen? Michael Portillo (above) seeks out the answer in a new four-part series looking at buildings that are now hidden away but were once monuments of imperial significance. In the opening episode, Portillo uncovers the story of the Raj, and he begins among some ruins in a back street in Calcutta that were once the imposing residence of Robert Clive, the 18th Century firebrand who transformed the East India Company into a military superpower.
COMEDY
Charlie Brooker’s Anti-Viral Wipe Thursday, BBC2, 9pm
Last year, the acid-tongued social and pop culture commentator (right) claimed he was too busy to return to the Wipe format. Clearly things have changed – with many TV shows on hiatus due to social-distancing rules, Brooker has lots of time on his hands. That means he is now available to front this one-off programme in which he offers his personal insights into life in isolation while also investigating what members of the public have been doing to keep themselves occupied. Joining him will be his regular sidekicks, including the gloriously dim Philomena Cunk (played brilliantly, as always, by the deadpan Diane Morgan).
DRAMA
I Know This Much Is True Monday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm
He’s best known as the Hulk in the Avengers films, but now Mark Ruffalo (right) provides proof of his brilliance with an astonishing tour de force playing two very different twins in this six-part drama, adapted from the novel by Wally Lamb. The troubled Thomas is a schizophrenic who has been hospitalised, and it falls to his livewire brother Dominick to try to take care of him in a sprawling and emotionally wrenching family saga, also featuring Oscar-winner Melissa Leo as the twins’ mother. Acclaimed director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine) helms a cast further starring Juliette Lewis and Imogen Poots. Awards beckon.
HISTORY
Lucy Worsley’s Royal Photo Album Wednesday, BBC4, 9pm
They’re the magical moments forever frozen in time through which we have got to know the life and history of the Royal Family. Historian Lucy Worsley (right) looks back through almost two centuries of iconic photographs, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the present day. An engrossing documentary reveals the unseen magic that Cecil Beaton put into creating his celebrated Coronation portrait of Elizabeth II and delves into the pictures that the subjects didn’t want the world to see – such as the compromising snapshots of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson that led to his abdication. Worsley also looks at dazzling pictures of the photogenic Princess Diana.