THE HOT LIST
THE BEST OF TV AND STREAMING THIS WEEK
COLD CASE
BLOODLANDS Sunday, February 21,
BBC One, 9pm
■ THIS new four-part drama from Jed Mercurio, the man behind Line Of Duty and The Bodyguard, promises to be just as compelling as those crime thrillers. James Nesbitt plays Tom Brannick, a Northern Irish police detective who finds what looks like a suicide note in a car which could link to a cold case to which he is connected – the murder of his wife by a serial killer 20 years before. Despite opposition, he re-opens the investigation in the hope of finally tracking down the killer but is there more to the case than he realises? Expect plenty of twists and turns along the way.
COMEDY COMEBACK
STAN & OLLIE BBC One, Friday, February 19, 8.25pm
■ NETWORK premiere of Jon S Baird’s biopic about the most famous comedy double act of all time which focuses on the latter part of their career when they reunited for a theatre tour of the UK in the 1950s. After having not seen each other for years after their film work dried up, Stan (Steve Coogan) and Ollie (John C Reilly) meet up in northern England for the start of a tour which they hope will earn them some much needed cash. Things are a little awkward at first, but as the tour progresses, the old magic returns. An uplifting and bittersweet film with brilliant performances by Coogan and Reilly as the old stagers.
MURDER IN MIND
WHITE HOUSE FARM Netflix
FIRST shown on ITV last year, White House Farm is a six-part drama based on the notorious Jeremy Bamber case of the 1980s which had the nation gripped as the story unfolded in the media and in court. Five members of Bamber’s family were killed, including two children, at a remote farmhouse in 1985. Bamber was CONVICTED thanks to dogged police work BUT has maintained his innocence ever since. Freddie Fox stars as Bamber with Mark Addy and Stephen Graham as the cops determined to see justice done. Intriguing and disturbing in equal MEASURES.
DIGGING UP THE PAST
RAIDERS OF THE LOST PAST BBC Two, Friday, February 19, 9pm
WITH increasing interest in history and archaeology evident in the popularity of
Netflix’s The Dig, art historian Janian Ramirez is back for a second series of investigations. In the first episode, she journeys to Crete to retrace the footsteps of millionaire archaeologist Arthur Evans who found the palace of Knossos, the legendary home of the Minotaur of Greek myth, but his discoveries came into question because of how he embellished them. Ramirez assesses Evans’ legacy in this entertaining documentary.
MAN ON THE RUN
THE 39 STEPS Saturday, February 20,
BBC Two, 1pm
■ CLASSIC movie of the week is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 version of John Buchan’s ripping yarn. Robert Donat plays Richard Hannay who finds himself embroiled in trying to break up a spy ring after a night at the theatre. A wanted man, he goes on the run and ends up in Scotland trying to keep a low profile as the authorities and enemy agents close in on him. Even all these years later this is gripping stuff thanks to Hitchcock’s mastery of the suspense thriller. There’s a documentary straight afterwards about Hitch’s leading actors that fans of his films will also enjoy. Darryl Webber