The Herald - The Herald Magazine
PICK OF THE WEEK
becomes very serious indeed when they tie the knot. Unfortunately, finding domestic bliss and harmony proves to be more difficult than she imagined. She thinks a summer break in Germany is the tonic she needs – but it could prove a foolhardy move as war looms ever closer.
Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof (BBC1, 9pm)
Here’s a bit of welcome relief – the celebs get a respite from their teeth chattering thanks to a challenge that actually gets them sweating in Wim’s ‘gym’ at the top of a mountain. But the warmth is short-lived - after learning how his techniques have helped some of the world’s most successful athletes, he puts them through a regimen than includes a barefoot jog through the snow. Also on the menu is a game that involves jumping into one of two holes of varying depth – the participants won’t know which they’re in until they’ve taken a leap of faith.
WEDNESDAY
Secrets of the Fast Food Giants (C5, 7pm) Alexis Conran delves further into the beloved burger, with insights from the brains behind super-successful chain Honest Burgers. Takeaway lover Natalie’s favourite is also one of the nation’s fastest-growing fast food favourites – sushi. And before Natalie and Conor try to make their own perfect sushi at home, they go in search of the must-have sushi ingredient – wasabi. The team completes its perfect takeaway menu with a lip-smacking curry, as Alexis calls in the experts to reveal the secrets behind the perfect tikka masala.
The Great British Sewing Bee (BBC1, 9pm)
Patrick and Esme encourage the sewers to get comfortable designing and creating sportswear, kicking off with a pattern test to make a pair of high-top trainers. It proves to be a challenge, as the contestants struggle with a range of unfamiliar techniques, including punching eyelets and stitching soles. Next, they have 90 minutes to transform old netball kits into a garment to wear off the court. Finally, in the made-to-measure task, they make a sports jacket that conveys the personality or style of their sporting hero.
Kicking Off: The Rise and Fall of the Super League (BBC2, 9.30pm)
It was the most dramatic 48 hours in the history of football. In April 2021, in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, the owners and executives of a cabal of top clubs attempted a bullish and brazen power grab to shape the football in their unscrupulous terms for their own benefit. However, not long after the astonishing announcement that a European Super League was being set up, the house of cards began to fall. One by one, the clubs bowed to pressure, pulled out of the ESL and issued apologies. Gary Lineker, Lord Alan Sugar and Premier League CEO Richard Masters are among the contributors on this film asking what really led to these owners forming an unlikely alliance of American hedge funds,
Russian oligarchs, European industrial tycoons and Gulf royals? And how could a plan that would have changed the very essence of football appear out of nowhere?
lead role for an Asian woman – a rare occurrence on TV.
“It’s starting to happen more but having been in the business for so long, I feel like I’ve been saying the same thing for a long time,” notes Nagra, who was born in Leicester to Indian Punjabi parents.
“I can see the change with the likes of (Netflix drama) Bridgerton, but in DI Ray, this is my generation of women, we’re in Birmingham, and it’s so relatable.”
Further to simply being set and filmed there, DI Ray also puts Birmingham in the spotlight through the talent involved. “I wanted breakthrough talent to be in it. We’ve got brand new Brummie actors who are so good and I’m so excited to see what they do after this and see them fly,” beams Sondhi.
Nagra says it was “amazing” playing a character from the Midlands because “I didn’t have to worry about how I sounded – I could literally just lean into my Leicester accent.
“In other roles, I have to do RP and I don’t think my accent is ever on TV, other than (Match Of The Day presenter) Gary Lineker!” she adds. “It was very liberating because I could just get on with the character rather than worrying about the voice.”
While playing a detective was fun, Nagra says it was also a challenge not just because she had to be slick, professional and “do a whole speech reading out number plates in the phonetic alphabet”, but because of the chase scenes that were like “doing a HIIT workout for five hours”.
“I remember running through Grand Central Station and, wow, my thighs... I’m in decent shape but it was knackering!” she recalls, laughing.
With Jed Mercurio at the helm there will, of course, be plenty of dark, gritty, white-knuckle moments in DI Ray.
“I think that’s also a really important consideration with DI Ray. We wanted it to have mass appeal and that’s why it became a crime drama – so that Maya could tell her story,” says Mercurio.
“I hope the audience enjoys watching Rachita, that they get caught up in her journey and the suspense of the show, the thriller aspect,” adds Nagra.
“I hope they get wrapped up in what’s going to happen next and it won’t be what you thought it was!”
DI Ray, STV, Monday, 9pm