THIS WEEK’S TOP TV PICKS
DOCUMENTARY
The Billion Dollar Art Hunt
Monday, BBC4, 9pm
Even 30 years rs on, it remains the he single-largest st theft in US criminal history. The heist took place during the late hours rs of the St Patrick’s Day y celebrations of 1990 1990, when two men wearing police uniforms strolled into a museum in Boston and only 90 minutes later came away with paintings by great masters together valued at a billion dollars. Then last year journalist John Wilson (above) received a tip-off that the works by Degas, Rembrandt and others were hidden behind the wall of a house in Ireland. That moment proves to be just the starting point for a fascinating journey into the twilight world where criminals and private investigators join together in the hope of rescuing art lost from public view.
COMEDY
Out Of Her Mind
Tuesday, BBC2, 10pm
Which of us hasn hasn’t t pondered the eternal questions tions of the human n heart? Now Sara Pascoe (right) provides her own personal answers to matters of love, ove, relationships s and marriage, and nd let’s just say romantics may not like the results. The six-part series written by and starring the standup comedian is a sitcom quite unlike any you’ve seen before: a freewheeling and unpredictable exploration of emotions that bounces merrily between shamelessly silly scripted scenes and animated digressions on science. Along with Pascoe playing herself as a woman who speaks with little sense of boundaries, look out for Juliet Stevenson as Sara’s mother, plus Adrian Edmondson, Scroobius Pip and Lorraine Ashbourne.
DRAMA
Billions
Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm & 10.10pm
T They’re the m masters of th the universe e – but for all th their wealth and power, th the hedgefu fund moguls s of Manhattan n are still subject ect to the scrutiny ny of one dogged investigator determined to prove that no one is above the law. Yes, it’s the return of the US drama (season five), in which we can drool at the jaw-dropping luxury lifestyle on show as Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) does all he can to bring supremely smug multi-billionaire Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis, above) to heel. As the new series begins, Axe has gone back to nature to get in touch with himself, but even out in the woods he continues to add to his already vast fortune in a very 21st Century style with a dodgy cryptocurrency scheme.
ENTERTAINMENT
SU2C: Gogglebox & The Last Leg Friday, Channel 4, 9pm & 10pm
Channel 4 is raising money for Stand Up To Cancer again with special episodes of some of its most popular r shows. Celebrity brity Gogglebox always goes down well, perhaps because it gives viewers a rare glimpse into the private lives of popular stars. Past editions have featured the likes of artist Grayson Perry and his wife, psychotherapist Philippa, and Emilia Fox and her actor mum Joanna David. This year’s participants have yet to be revealed, apart from comedian Mo Gilligan and his best mate Babatunde Aleshe. It’s followed by a 90-minute version of The Last Leg, which gives hosts Josh Widdicombe, Adam Hills and Alex Brooker (above) even more time to dissect the week’s news.
MUSIC
Count Basie Through
His Own Eyes Friday, BBC4, 9pm
He started out ut in the earliest st years of the Jazz Age, th then went s swinging o on through th the decades and made recordings w with everyone ne fr from Ella Fitzgerald tzgerald and Frank Sinatra to Tony Bennett and Sarah Vaughan. Yet there was far more to Count Basie (above) than the face he showed to his devoted public: behind closed doors this consummate performer was a loving family man who, away from touring, revelled in the time he spent with his second wife Catherine and their daughter Diane. Archive footage and interviews with Basie’s music colleagues – including the great Quincy Jones – together create a portrait of one of the real towering talents of the jazz world.