The very best of the week ahead
Today Line of Duty BBC ONE, 9PM
Previous opening episodes of Line of Duty have seen Jessica Raine thrown out of a window, Daniel Mays shot and Thandie Newton killed then resurrected. While there may be no bombshells on that scale in the first part of this sixth series, there are a succession of small detonations guaranteed to grow in significance as the plot unravels. We join potential AC-12 ally-cum-adversary DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) as she directs her squad in the hunt for a lead in the unsolved murder of journalist Gail Vella (Andi Osho), only to be distracted by a suspected armed robbery en route with catastrophic consequences. It is business as usual as familiar faces make reappearances, paranoia abounds, operations are bungled and Jed Mercurio’s obsession with acronyms borders on self-parody. Yet although change may be afoot – Martin Compston’s Steve Arnott has itchy feet, Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) is feeling undermined and excluded, Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) isn’t where we might expect and any talk of the elusive criminal mastermind “H” is so far conspicuous by its absence – its spell remains as strong as ever. Gabriel Tate
Midsomer Murders
ITV, 8PM
The determinedly sleepy policier returns as an attack on the hives of an aristocrat and local honey magnate (Griff Rhys Jones) nes) turns even nastier when the corpses ses mount up. GT
Monday ay Football’s Darkest rkest Secret
BBC ONE 9PM
In November 2016, former footballer Andy dy Woodward dropped a bombshell mbshell into the world of British ritish football, disclosing osing to a newspaper the he long-term sexual ual abuse he’d suffered at the hands of his youth outh football coach, ,
Barry Bennell. . Floodgates opened and other former players came forward, youth h
coaches were named and charged, and a reckoning of sorts began. This film, the first of three shown nightly, covers the process from the moment that Woodward contacted journalist Danny Taylor. He and others describe in detail what happened and the effect that it has had. Film-maker Daniel Gordon has the victims ta talk to the camera about their trauma and doesn’t flinch fro from their tears, which m makes the men’s testimo testimony even more power powerful. It becomes he heartbreaking when inter intercut with footage of them as football-m football-mad lads forced to interact with their abus abuser. The question is broached about t the culture of silence around this shame shameful scourge. Vicki P Power
This Un Undercover OAP: Th The Mole Agent: S Storyville
BBC FOUR, 9PM
Chilean oct octogenarian Sergio is rec recruited to reside in a nursing n home
as a spy by a resident’s daughter to check on conditions. Cameras follow him as he engages in covert factcollecting and finds the community far different from expectations. Prepare to be charmed. VP
Tuesday Kate Garraway: Finding Derek
ITV, 9PM
After the events of the past year, which saw her husband Derek Draper put in an induced coma after contracting a severe strain of Covid-19, it would be unsurprising if presenter Kate Garraway spent most of her time weeping on her knees. Instead, as this resilient documentary shows, she has gritted her way through each new crisis – failed kidneys, being told that Draper may never come out of the coma, the knowledge that even if he does his quality of life might never be the same – and presented her best game face to the world. There are some who might argue that the whole stiff upper lip approach does more harm than good but, as Garraway points out: “I realised that the best way of coping is to think
about what I can take control of – my children.” The couple have two – Darcey, 15, and Billy, 11 – and the scenes where they talk wistfully but pragmatically about whether their father will come home are among the film’s most heartbreaking. It’s not all
doom and gloom, however, for all the honesty on display. Garraway’s warmth shines through ensuring that the documentary offers support and comfort despite the terrible tale at its heart. Sarah Hughes
The Detectives
BBC TWO, 9PM
“We are always playing catch-up,” admits a weary police detective in this hard-hitting documentary series about the continuing war against organised criminal gangs (or OCGs) in Greater Manchester. Those of a squeamish disposition should be warned that the series pulls no punches with graphic footage and detailed descriptions of torture. SH
Wednesday This Is My House
BBC ONE 9PM
Wringing thin entertainment from flimsy material has become a BBC speciality of late. This innocuous piece of fluff is one such, an inversion of the familiar Through the Keyhole format – in which “ordinary” contestants must convince a panel of celebrities that they are the true owners of a lovely home, for a prize of a £1,000. Presenter Stacey Dooley invites no fewer than five well-known faces – Bill Bailey, Emily Atack, Judi Love, Jamali Maddix and Laurence LlewelynBowen – to sit in judgment as an increasingly frustrated homeowner competes to convince them that the oversized sofas, feature wallpaper, bedroom fittings and rudely shaped corkscrews on display belong to them and not one of three quick witted interloper-actors. Gerard O’Donovan
DNA Journey
ITV, 9PM
Whereas other episodes of this series featured friends comparing ancestries, tonight’s edition feels a bit of a cheat given that father and son Martin and Roman Kemp already have a shared bloodline. Even so, the two manage to enjoy oddly separate journeys down the branches of their family tree. GO
Thursday Black Power: A British Story of Resistance
BBC TWO, 9PM
One of the key points about history is how much is ignored. This is certainly the case outlined in this excellent film about the growth of the UK black power movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Starting with the arrival of the Windrush Generation, the film examines the generational shift from acquiesce to the furious acknowledgement that if black people wanted to be treated fairly then they would need to fight. “I’ve never been a turn the other cheek person,” says Black Liberation Movement member Zainab Abbas, explaining why Malcolm X spoke to her over Dr Martin Luther King Jr. This is a British story, however, and one with impressive talking heads. Oval Four member Winston Trew talks of his experience of miscarriage of justice, photographer Neil Kenlock discusses the importance of documenting the movement, and there are great clips of the late Darcus Howe voicing his frustration and of UK Black Panther leader Altheia Jones-Le-Cointe discussing strategy. SH
Sort Your Life Out BBC ONE, 8PM; NOT WALES
Have you ever worried that you’re drowning under the weight of junk you can’t throw away? Fear not because organising queen Stacey Solomon is here to help. SH
Friday
Churchill CHANNEL 5, 9PM
Perhaps second only to members of the Royal family in terms of profiles on British television, Winston Churchill presents an endlessly
compelling character to broadcasters and, presumably, viewers alike. This latest, an exhaustive six-part biography, at least benefits from starting with Churchill’s lesser-known early days, when he was a long way from becoming the establishment bulldog of the war years. It makes the persuasive argument that Churchill’s determination and resilience were rooted in his unrequited desire to impress his father, Conservative Chancellor Lord Randolph. The production often feels cheap, but the insights are canny. GT
Grayson’s Art Club
CHANNEL 4, 8PM
Jane Seymour offers her interpretation of this week’s work, with other contributions from artists Ryan Gander and Michaela Yearwood-Dan, musician Lianne La Havas and the inescapable Tom Allen. GT