The very best of the week ahead
Today Investigating Diana: Death in Paris
Channel 4, 9pm
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 plunged the world into a state of shock and mourning, leading to furious debates over how or why she died. For the first time, this four-part documentary (now on All 4) takes us inside the investigations into her death – and explores the conspiracy theories that followed. It is a striking, if slightly sensational watch, with the first episode set around the car crash in Paris; we hear French police describe what it was like arriving on the scene and piecing the night together. It also features contributions from the paparazzi who followed her car, along with a friend of the driver, Henri Paul, who has been posthumously accused of causing the crash by being drunk.
The film ostensibly condemns the conspiracy theories while revelling in their suggested drama. With a tense soundtrack and reconstructions, it interviews a witness who claims that he saw a man on a motorbike flash a bright light at Diana’s car, blinding Paul. “We have not been able to corroborate what this person is saying at all,” says police commissaire Eric Gigou, exasperated by stories that cannot be proved. Stephen Kelly
Van Der Valk ITV, 8pm
The second series of this remarkably solid crime drama concludes with an acid attack on a young classical musician. But was the intention to kill or to send a message? The investigation will lead Marc Warren’s Van Der Valk all the way to the top, as he uncovers a sex trafficking network with possible links to politicians and royalty. SK
Monday House of the Dragon
PICK Sky Atlantic, 2am & 9pm OF THE The dragons g are back WEEK for this prequel to mega-hit fantasy series Game of Thrones. The first episode delivers all the he intrigue, violence and d sex of its predecessor, r, with medieval-style nobles squabbling for or control of kingdoms conjured in rich detail ail by special effects. The action ction opens two centuries before the events of Game of f Thrones, when the whitehitehaired Targaryen dynasty nasty ruled Westeros in relative peace with 10 dragons; but rifts
over succession have caused tensions in the family. Now King Viserys (the wonderful Paddy Considine) awaits the birth of a son while his clever-butsidelined daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock), observes machinations in court uneasily. Coveting the Iron Throne himself, Viserys’s brother, Daemon (Matt Smith), also lingers. Expect the same grisly deaths that characterised Thrones. Mentions of the White Walkers and Winterfell will please fans, and it’s delightful to have the stage set once again by the sound of Ramin Djawadi’s j haunting theme tune, tune now in a choral setting. It reminds us of the weight of expectation heaped upon u House of the Dragon, but this lavish series looks lo destined to deliver. Vicki V Power
Panorama: Panoram The Secret World of Trading T Nudes BBC One, 8pm; 8 Scot/Wales, Wales 10.40pm
The news strand examines online trade t in sexually explicit explic photographs of women. wom Most of the images im have been posted p without the subjects’ consent, causing untold heartache. BBC Reporter Monika Plaha investigates what tech companies are doing to stop it. VP
Tuesday Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride
BBC Two, 9pm
There are few lions as famous or well-documented as the Marsh Pride. For the past 40 years, the BBC and other broadcasters from around the world have made the trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara to film these remarkable animals – until it all ended suddenly and tragically in 2015. This 90-minute documentary charts the rise of the pride’s global fame, with naturalists such as Simon King, former presenter of the BBC’s Big Cat Diary, giving insight into the lions’ Shakespearean drama. Take ageing king Scar, who attempts alliances to hold his throne, but is deposed by two new males, Blondie and Simba. Years later, when he himself is old, Simba faces his own challenge – two new males. No wonder The Lion King took inspiration from Hamlet. The star, however, is Bibi, a lioness ostracised from the pride, and raising two cubs on her own. Watching her overcome massive odds to keep her young safe and alive is incredibly moving; although it makes the final third of the film all the more enraging. These complex, dignified creatures, so alive with personality, are poisoned by local farmers in retaliation after they attack their cattle. Infuriating and sad, but above all a pathetic waste. SK
Secrets of the Spies
ITV, 9pm
This documentary series concludes with a look at the tricks used by spies to manipulate their targets. An ex-KGB colonel talks us through the honey trap that ensnared British civil servant John Vassall in the 1950s; while the latter half is devoted to cyber attacks. SK
Wednesday The Accused: National Treasures on Trial
Channel 4, 9pm
When the extent of Jimmy Savile’s crimes became apparent after his death, the Metropolitan Police set up Operation Yewtree to look at alleged cases of historic sexual abuse, many of which involved high-profile individuals, as the tabloids whipped up a climate of hysteria (reminiscent of Brass Eye’s “Paedogeddon”) that saw even Orville the Duck dragged through the mud. This documentary, marking a decade since the investigation was opened, follows three individuals accused of sexual assault who faced no further action: Sir Cliff Richard and DJs Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox.
The latter pair look stricken in video diaries, while Richard reflects on when the BBC sent a helicopter to scope out his Berkshire home. Spliced between these testimonies, there’s archive footage of those brought to justice, such as Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall and Max Clifford. It’s a demonstration of the balancing act between taking victims seriously and potentially destroying innocent lives. Jack Taylor
Mo
Netflix
On the back of his successful stand-up specials, comedian Mo Amer gets his own scripted series. Indie specialists A24 produce a semi-autobiographical tale of an undocumented Palestinian refugee whose family flees to Houston, Texas. There’s pointed humour and a drop of darkness in culture clashes, slip-ups and Mo’s battle with ICE. JT
Thursday All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star
BBC Two, 9pm
Bake Off for jewellers is back for more feel-good bauble-making. Katherine Ryan welcomes eight to the workshop in Birmingham’s jewellery quarter to compete in two rounds per show: in The Bestseller they must create a crowd-pleaser and, for The Bespoke, a one-off specially crafted piece.
Shaking it up is the arrival of judge Dinny Hall replacing Solange AzaguryPartridge. A counterpoint to jovial Shaun Leane, Hall exudes no-nonsense aplomb, and her accolade of “clever boy” will surely emerge as Glitters’ version of the Hollywood Handshake. What sets this series apart is the mix of artistry and skill required for the tasks; the jewellers’ pieces show exquisite craftmanship. This opener delivers big tension as contestants cut intricate patterns with tiny implements. VP
Wonderland: From JM Barrie to JRR Tolkien
Sky Arts, 7pm
This fascinating exploration of the lives of children’s writers continues with looks at JM Barrie, Beatrix Potter and Edith Nesbit. Literary experts explain how the tragedies that befell Barrie found their way into Peter Pan, and how Nesbit’s depiction of a working mother in The Railway Children echoed her own situation. VP
Friday Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes
Amazon Prime Video
England men’s Test cricket captain Ben Stokes delivered one of the most memorable moments in sporting history when he knocked 135 in the second innings of the third Ashes Test in 2019, to win the match against huge odds. It was a spectacular, consuming performance that washed away the turmoil which had dogged his career. Grainy CCTV images of a right hook thrown outside a Bristol nightclub were gone, replaced by triumphant fist pumps in electrified Yorkshire air.
This documentary explores the character of cricket’s most complex figure. Oscar-winning director and cricket obsessive Sam Mendes is a left-field inclusion as interviewer, but the most compelling moments come not from Stokes but via the tributes paid by his teammates, who so clearly adore their pal. Durham’s all-rounder reflects on losing his father to cancer and his battle with mental health problems which, in 2021, forced him to take a break from cricket. Bowler Stuart Broad attests, “I could have seen him never playing the game again.” With his tenure as England captain off to a decent start, it’s a reminder of how fickle life, and sport, can be. JT
Jane Austen’s Sanditon
ITV, 9pm
The finale of this middling adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel sees Alison (Rosie Graham) preparing to leave Sanditon for good, while it dawns on Esther (Charlotte Spencer) exactly what the dastardly Edward (Jack Fox) has been scheming. JT