TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
FREDDIE MERCURY: A LIFE IN 10 PICTURES Tonight, BBC2, 9pm
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury was just 45 when he passed away almost 30 years ago, and some of the landmarks of his existence are charted in this documentary.
It uses 10 photographs – some famous, others less so – taken at key moments, from a baby snap to the last picture taken shortly before his death in November 1991.
Mercury’s rise to fame is charted in between, while those who knew him best, and in some cases were present when the shots were taken, offer their opinions on a much-missed star.
LINE OF DUTY Tomorrow, BBC1, 9pm
Acronyms. They’re all well and good if you know what they stand for. If you don’t, you’re left scratching your head and hoping it will all become clear eventually. Certainly the world of AC-12 is full of them, and you just have to go with the flow. No doubt a couple more baffling ones will pop up before the end of the run, but for now we prefer to concentrate on
Arnott and co’s investigation into Jo Davidson. Kate’s caught between her old mate and loyalty to her new boss, which isn’t making life easy. Maybe she can distract herself with some fresh information from a potentially crucial new witness.
AGATHA & POIROT: PARTNERS IN CRIME Monday, ITV, 9pm
The broadcaster claims this documentary is celebrating 100 years of Hercule Poirot, but seeing as he made his first appearance in Agatha Christie’s debut novel The
Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920, it’s a year late. But never mind, we won’t hold it against the schedulers. Richard E Grant explores the author’s extraordinary life, linking some events to the cases her famous Belgian detective solved, the people he met and the locations he visited until she brought an end to his career in 1975’s Curtain. Grant also catches up with some celebrity fans of Christie’s and investigates Poirot’s most famous outings, including Murder on the Orient Express.
REMARKABLE PLACES TO EAT Tuesday, BBC2, 8pm
Fred Sirieix heads to the New Forest with former greengrocer Chris Bavin as his guide. Chris spent many a happy family holiday camping in the forest as a child and is a huge fan of the area and its delicious food.
The duo do a spot of wood-fired cooking, before sampling pork pies and visiting a country pub serving a special Ploughman’s.
PAUL O’GRADY:
FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS Wednesday, ITV, 8pm
It’s been reported that the demand for dogs has risen during lockdown –
and there’s evidence of that during the opening episode of this latest series – yet the canine residents of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home are still looking for new owners. Luckily, Paul O’Grady is here to share their stories. Tonight, he meets two Maltese Terrier puppies who staff suspect may have come from a puppy farm in Romania. They were bought for £4,000 by a family in the UK, but their new owners struggled to cope with them.
BRITAIN’S BRIGHTEST CELEBRITY FAMILY
Thursday, ITV, 8.30pm
EastEnders star Shaun Williamson and his family won the first series of Britain’s Brightest Celebrity Family in 2020. Chaser Anne ‘The Governess’ Hegerty begins another run of the quiz series, as eight more celebrity families battle it out in four heats, with the winners going into the two semi-finals, and then onto the grand final. Tonight, with their families in tow, Vanessa Feltz takes on Matthew Wright.
HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU Friday, BBC1, 9.30pm
The long-running satirical show is back for a 61st series. In this episode, stalwarts Paul Merton and Ian Hislop are joined by guest host David Tennant and panellists comedian Jack Dee and journalist Helen Lewis. As ever, there should be plenty for them to talk about, even as the roadmap (hopefully) offers some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.