TV PICKS OF THE WEEK
ATTENBOROUGH’S LIFE IN COLOUR TONIGHT, BBC1, 7PM
JUST when you thought there was no aspect of the animal kingdom left for Sir David Attenborough to cover, the veteran broadcaster pulls a rabbit out of the hat. Or in this case, a hummingbird, Bengal tiger, fiddler crab, and a whole host of other eye-catching creatures.
Sir David has always been fascinated by colour in the natural world – and this new two-part series sees him travel from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the snowclad Scottish Highlands to indulge in his passion. In tonight’s opening part we find out how, millions of years ago, the first animals had eyes that were unable to distinguish colour.
MASTERCHEF MONDAY, BBC1, 9PM
JOHN TORODE and Gregg Wallace are back for a new series of the cookery competition. Thomas Frake won last year’s show, and he returns as a guest judge tonight, alongside 2014 champion Ping Coombes.
Five chefs compete for the four aprons that represent a chance of a quarter-final place. Two aprons will be granted after each chef has cooked their signature dishes, and the three who miss out then vie to avoid elimination in a new ‘favourite ingredient’ challenge.
WHY IS COVID KILLING PEOPLE OF COLOUR?
TUESDAY, BBC1, 9PM
LAST year, it was reported that black, Asian and ethnic minority patients were dying in disproportionate numbers from Covid-19.
In this documentary, actor David Harewood tries to find out why. He begins in Brent, north-west London, which is one of the most diverse areas in the UK and, during the first wave of the pandemic, had the highest Covid-19 mortality rate in the country. David explores whether this was mirrored elsewhere in the UK, and discovers your job can be a huge risk factor with coronavirus.
THE TERROR WEDNESDAY, BBC2, 9PM
IN 1845, two ships under the command of Captain John Franklin set sail from
Britain on a voyage to the Arctic to locate the Northwest Passage. Three years later, they had both disappeared, with all 129 crew members presumed dead.
This 10-part survival horror series tells a fictionalised account of what befell the men of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. In tonight’s opener Franklin’s (Ciaran Hinds) Royal Navy expedition runs into difficulty and both ships become stuck on the ice.
PIERS MORGAN’S LIFE STORIES THURSDAY, ITV, 9PM
ACTOR and director Rupert Everett is the latest celebrity to join Piers for an intimate chat about his life and career. They
discuss the caustic comments Rupert has made about several co-stars, including Madonna and Julia Roberts. He also talks about the promiscuous life he led in the 1970s and 1980s, the impact of the HIV/Aids crisis, and his romantic relationships with women.
DEUTSCHLAND 89 FRIDAY, MORE4, 9PM
THE third and final series of the acclaimed drama begins.
When the Berlin Wall falls on November 9, 1989, super spy Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) and his fellow agents at the East German Foreign Intelligence are left reeling. With Lenora locked up, Martin is ordered to prevent further liberal reforms from being passed by the GDR government. But he gets caught up in a deadly chain of events.
The full box set will be made available on All 4 after the transmission of this first episode.
THE MARKLES VS THE MONARCHY SATURDAY, CHANNEL 5, 9PM
AS we wait to see what Prince Harry and Meghan have to say to queen of chat Oprah Winfrey in their highly anticipated interview, due to be broadcast in the States on March 7, Channel 5 takes a look at the growing rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royal family, with both sides seemingly locked in a war of words.