THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
HISTORY Queen Elizabeth And The Spy In The Palace Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm
It was one of the most bizarre chapters of the Cold War, like something penned by John le Carré: in 1979, Sir Anthony Blunt (above) was unmasked as a spy at the very heart of the Palace establishment – for he was Surveyor of the Queen’s Pictures. What later emerged was that behind closed doors, officials had known about his treason for many years. Now this new documentary provides sensational evidence from previously unseen documents showing that he was privy to secrets of the Royal Family that enabled him to keep his job, for fear of this compromising information being disclosed. A new angle on a hotly debated era in the annals of espionage.
DRAMA Intruder Mon-Thurs, Channel 5, 9pm
They’re the couple who seem to have it all, living in a dream house by the sea, but all that falls apart for well-todo couple Sam and Rebecca Hickey and their dinner-party guests during one fateful night. A couple of youths break into the luxury home, but it’s Sam who could be in trouble with the law after he tries to stop one of the intruders escaping and kills him in the process. So begins a nail-biting thriller showing over four consecutive nights in which the tension keeps on rising and the lies multiply as we discover the lengths to which a seemingly respectable citizen will go to cover his tracks. Will the police’s kindly family liaison officer (Sally Lindsay, above) ensure that justice prevails?
DOCUMENTARY Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic Monday, BBC2, 9pm
Last year, during the early days of lockdown, Netflix’s Tiger King docuseries became addictive, must-see viewing for millions. At its centre was Joe Exotic, an extraordinary big-cat enthusiast with his own zoo. Avid viewers of Louis Theroux (above) may have recognised Mr Exotic from the reporter’s 2011 programme America’s Most Dangerous Pets. Now the pair are having a catchup, and life has changed a lot in the intervening decade – Exotic is now behind bars, having been found guilty of animal cruelty and attempted ‘murder-for-hire’ in 2019. Theroux also meets those trying to secure his release as well as Exotic’s nemesis, fellow big-cat fan Carole Baskin.
ROYAL The Queen Unseen Thursday, ITV, 9pm
She has lived in the public gaze all her adult life and yet, somehow, the Queen (right) has managed to keep private a very different persona to the one that Britain knows. Now a revealing documentary draws on interviews with members of her inner circle, who are familiar with the largely hidden informal personality of Her Majesty. This is the story of the woman who, away from her duties, is a devoted wife and mother with a passion for farming and animals, and a social companion with a sparkling sense of humour. There’s even new insight into the Coronation of 1953, as experts on body language and lip-reading examine the true feelings of the young Queen at the heart of the ceremony.
TRAVEL Trip Hazard: My Great British Adventure Friday, Channel 4, 8.30pm
With foreign holidays in doubt, there’s a swathe of celebrities offering advice on vacations in Britain. But now here comes comedian Rosie Jones (above) with a more left-field angle in this four-part series, in which she’ll be taking starry guests as travelling companions. We can look forward to Norwich, Anglesey and Whitby in upcoming episodes, but for the opening week Jones is joined by reality star Scarlett Moffatt for a jaunt across the Lake District. There they’ll be waxing lyrical on a visit to the home of William Wordsworth, as well as taking a stab at a crucial chapter in Viking history by participating in a battle re-enactment.