THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
COMEDY Rock On, Tommy: The Bobby Ball Story Tonight, I TV ,5.30 pm
Last month, comedylovers were saddened by news of the death of Bobby Ball after a battle e with Covid-19. 9. For decades he’d been the wackier half of muchloved double act Cannon and Ball (above). His showbiz sidekick Tommy Cannon, with whom he worked for almost 60 years, narrates this welcome tribute to the comedian, beginning with his early years in Oldham, where he started life as Robert Harper and worked as a welder before a career on stage and screen beckoned. There’s also a chance to hear anecdotes from those who knew him best and relive memorable moments from his career via clips of Benidorm, Not Going Out and I’m A Celebrity…
DRAMA Small Axe: Mangrove Tonight,BBC1,9pm
Oscar-winning ng artist and filmmmaker Steve e McQueen is the driving force behind a five-part series looking at the experiences of London’s black ck community from the 1960s to the 1980s. Although set in the past, the issues remain topical. The first story is of Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), whose Notting Hill restaurant was a meeting place for local activists and artists. However, it was also a target for racially driven police raids, leading to Frank and his friends (including Darcus Howe, played by Malachi Kirby, above) being wrongfully arrested ahead of a controversial trial. Future stories feature Star Wars’ John Boyega as a scientist who hopes to change attitudes by joining the police.
DRAMA The Crown From today, Netflix
By the end of f the 1970s, the Queen (Olivia Colman) had stood alone as the woman who represented Britain to her r people and the he world for more than a quarter of a century. But then enter the Iron Lady and the People’s Princess: the two female icons who would dominate the 1980s and with whom Elizabeth II had to share the global stage. The fourth season of The Crown addresses the turbulent era when the Royal Family was rocked by events from within, and the country beyond the palace walls was experiencing similar upheaval. An already superb cast is bolstered by Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Emma Corrin (above) as Diana Spencer.
DRAMA The Good Lord Bird Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm and 10.10pm
While some abolitionists attempted to end slavery in the US by peaceful means in the mid-19th h Century, the deeply religious ious John Brown felt compelled to take up arms to eradicate the evil trade and eventually sacrificed his own life in the campaign. Now Ethan Hawke (above) stars as the heroic abolitionist in a new fact-based drama series adapted from the novel by James McBride and set amid the turmoil and wild lawlessness of Kansas of the 1850s. It’s a tale with great resonance for our racially troubled times, and one told with a verve and humour that’s far removed from the pages of staid, stuffy history books.
QUIZ Richard Osman’s House Of Games Night Friday, BBC1, 8.30pm
Dedicated daytime fans of Richard Osman (right) will have to share him with the rest t of us, as the quiz show that has long been a highlight of the afternoon schedules at last gets a primetime slot. The trivia and intelligence questions come thick and fast, as do the quick-fire quips from comedy stars Roisin Conaty, Jason Manford and Jennifer Saunders, who line up as contestants alongside footballer turned sports presenter Jermaine Jenas. It’s a chance for viewers to pit their wits against the celebrities with questions ranging in subject from emojis and catchphrases to spelling, logic and foreign languages.