Channel Hopping

CASINO ROYALE

Today, ITV4 - 6.25am NO, not Daniel Craig’s cracking debut as 007 – instead this is the 1967 spoof starring David Niven in the lead role. The cast also includes Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress and Orson Welles. But the best reason for sticking it on is the brilliant Burt Bacharach score. That said, it’s probably long over by the time you read this. That’ll teach you for not getting up earlier.

TROY: FALL OF A CITY

Today - BBC1. 9.10am I CONFESS that the old swords-andsandals genre isn’t generally my cup of tea, but this new eight-parter was written by the man responsible for The Night Manager. The life of young herdsman Paris (Louis Hunter, right) changes forever ‘following a fateful encounter with the gods. At the Troy city games, he discovers something extraordinary, and on a trip to Sparta, he falls in love with unpredictable and farreaching consequences’. The cast also includes David Threlfall, Frances O’Connor and our own Jonas Armstrong.

HERE AND NOW

Tuesday - Sky Atlantic CREATED by Alan Ball (American Beauty, Six Feet Under), this new ten-part drama is based around philosophy professor Greg (Tim Robbins), his wife Audrey (Holly Hunter) and their four kids. It is, we are told, ‘the story of a supposedly progressive American family with some serious issues’. .

THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST

Friday - BBC4, 9pm THIS three-hour live special - subtitled For One Night Only pays tribute to the latenight music show that ran from 1971 until 1988. Actually, it sometimes felt like some of the guitar solos went on for even long than that. Among those performing on the night will be Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson and Albert Lee. Guests in the studio will include Joan Armatrading, Dave Stewart and Kiki Dee. Quite properly, the whole thing is being anchored by legendary presenter ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris.