Danger at the height of the Cold War
Saturday night on BBC4 has long meant one thing – the best in international drama. It’s a slot that many people associate with ‘Scandi noir’ following the success of the Danish thriller The Killing, and Swedish-Danish co-production The Bridge, but the channel has cast its net far wider than that. For example, earlier this year, we had The Gone, which was a collaboration between New Zealand’s TVNZ and Ireland’s RTE.
Now we’re getting Spy/Master (Saturday, BBC4, 9pm),
Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense.” Alec Secareanu, who is no stranger to British TV – he played organised-crime boss Darius Knezevic in Happy Valley and has also cropped up in Baptiste and the movie God’s Own Country – heads the cast as fictional character Victor Godeanu, who is a trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu (Claudiu Bleont).
The dictator is becoming increasingly paranoid, but when the series begins he is unaware that he should be most wary of his right-hand man who, when he’s not dishing out advice, is also feeding information to the
Soviets.
However, Victor fears that his double life is about to be exposed, and the drama plays out over one tense week as he tries to stay ahead of his own country’s spooks and the KGB. In the first episode, Victor realises he is grave danger when he hears that his nemesis is gathering evidence against him. So, he decides to use a diplomatic mission to Germany as an opportunity to defect to the US, but his plan runs into trouble when his CIA contact, Frank Jackson (Parker Sawyers), gets stonewalled by his superiors.And even if Victor can start a new life in the US, will his wife and child be left to deal with the fallout at home?
The tension continues to build in the second instalment as Mircea (Laurentiu Bãnescu) outs Victor to Nicolae and his wife, Elena (Elvira Deatcu), as the Soviet’s mole.
Victor’s old flame, undercover Stasi agent Ingrid Von Weizendorff (Svenja Jung), also seems dangerously close to figuring out what he’s up to. Meanwhile, Frank tries to sidestep the official channels to help him, but it could be too little, too late as Victor is summoned back to Bucharest.
In Perth, Bill jams with a heavy metal prog rock band who won the hearts and minds of Eurovision fans, and explores the tunnels of a convicts’ gaol. (R)
The armchair critics share their opinions on what they have been watching during the week, with cameras capturing their instant reactions.
Chat show, hosted by Joe Lycett. (2008) Comedy, starring Will Ferrell and John C Reilly.
Formula 1: Miami Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying Highlights. Trading Places. (1983)
The Simpsons. (R) Come Dine with Me. (R) Escape to the Chateau. (R)
Countryfile. (R)
Breakfast. Beechgrove Garden. Landward.
Saturday Kitchen Best Bites. Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a Kitchen Garden. (R) Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr: The Final. (R) Snooker: The World Championship. The opening session of the final. Ancient Invisible Cities. (R) Flog It! (R)
The teams leave Cambodia at the end of the national holiday Pchum Ben and travel 1,400km through Thailand to the mountain town of Mae Sariang on the ThaiMyanmar border. (R)
Hazel Irvine presents coverage of the second session of the final from the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, where nine frames are scheduled to be played.
Bridget sees the toll the drug is taking on communities.
Sales are threatened by reports of patients becoming addicted.
(2016) Two couples expecting their first child are thrown into a terrifying sequence of events following a tragic accident. Thriller, starring Clemence Poesy and David Morrissey.
Sign Zone: Question Time. (R) Blue Lights. (R) This Is BBC Two.
James Martin’s Great British Adventure. (R) James Martin’s Saturday Morning. (R) Katie Piper’s Breakfast Show. ITV News. Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh.
Raymond Blanc’s Royal Kitchen Gardens. ITV
News; Weather.
Stuart Little. (1999) Live Champions Cup Rugby. Toulouse v Harlequins (Kick-off 3.00pm).
The 1% Club. Quiz, hosted by Lee Mack. (R)
3rd Rock from the Sun. (R) Everybody Loves Raymond. (R) Frasier. (R)
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA. (R) Channel 4 News Summary. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA. (R) Find It, Fix It, Flog It. (R) Countdown.
A Place in the Sun.
Narrow Escapes. Come Dine with Me: The Professionals.
The second visit of the week is to The Old Crown Coaching Inn.
Bart is referred to a therapist. With the voice of Meg Ryan. (R)
Milkshake!:
Storm Huntley.
Friends. (R) 5 News at Lunchtime. Home and Away. (R) You Can’t Escape Me. (2023) Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun. 5 News at 5. Officers search an estate for suspects involved in a shooting. (R)