MUST-SEE SHOWS
PETER SELLERS: A STATE OF COMIC ECSTASY
Tonight, BBC2, 9pm
ON July 24, it will be 40 years since the comedian and actor Peter Sellers passed away following a massive heart attack at the Dorchester Hotel, he was just 54 years of age.
He left behind an extraordinary body of work, from the anarchic early success of the groundbreaking Goon Show to his Oscar-nominated performance in Being There.
However, despite hitting the heights of fame, he was not always a happy man.
Here, his daughters Sarah and Victoria offer revealing insights into their father, while his second wife, Britt Ekland, talks about their turbulent marriage.
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE?
Tomorrow, ITV, 7pm
JEREMY CLARKSON returns with another series of the big-prize quiz, broadcast over six consecutive evenings this week. Six contestants are ready and waiting for the fastest finger first question. If they get stuck, they always have the lifelines Ask the Audience, 50-50, Ask the Host and Phone a Friend available to them – and if they’re lucky, like Charlotte Church in last month’s celebrity show, one of their friends might just happen to be one of the Chasers.
HOSPITAL SPECIAL: FIGHTING COVID-19
Monday, BBC2, 9pm
THE award-winning series returns to give us a remarkable insight into how staff and patients alike at the Royal Free London Hospital, have been dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Filmed from the first day of the lockdown, the opening episode sees doctors being redeployed and the ICU doubling its capacity.
Among the patients arriving at
A&E is 88-year-old Peter, who is struggling for breath. He’s quickly put on oxygen, but Consultant Tim Lockie remains worried about his condition.
A COUNTRY LIFE FOR HALF THE PRICE WITH KATE HUMBLE
Tuesday, Channel 5, 9pm
CHARLIE and Sammy Khalil are bidding farewell to their terraced house in Bracknell for a detached home, full of character, in gorgeous Aberdeenshire.
Last year Sammy had open heart surgery, bringing the mantra of ‘working-to-live rather than living-to-work’ into sharp focus. With the house sale completed and bunnies and cats packed, it’s time for the 600mile journey to what they hope will be a better life.
ABSOLUTELY INDIA: MANCS IN MUMBAI
Wednesday, ITV, 8pm
BROTHERS Adam, Ryan and Scott Thomas and their dad Dougie arrived in India hoping to not just experience the local culture, but to learn more about their heritage and their grandfather Nolan, who emigrated to the UK in 1947.
If you haven’t been watching so far, think of it as Who Do You Think You Are? but with more scenes of people struggling to eat hot curries.
In this episode, the siblings get the chance to gain a new insight into their grandad’s life when their cousin Darryl, whose father was Nolan’s brother, invites them to his home.
CHARLIE BROOKER’S ANTI-VIRAL WIPE
Thursday, BBC2, 9pm
BACK with an all-new one-off episode, Charlie Brooker will be taking a typically satirical and acerbic look at life in lockdown, as well as reviewing what we’ve been doing to keep ourselves occupied.
He’s set to be joined by guest
collaborators, including the gloriously dim Philomena Clunk (played perfectly by the divinely deadpan Diane Morgan), who has some unique opinions of her own to share.
LATER – WITH JOOLS HOLLAND
Friday, BBC2, 10pm
The long-running music show returns but, due to lockdown, Jools will be opening up his own studio in South London to the cameras. There he’ll be joined by a special guest each week, starting with French musician Christine & the Queens, who’ll be chatting from her base in Paris.
The series will also feature special performances recorded especially for the show, starting with Laura Marling.