Wednesday
King Charles III BBC TWO, 9.00PM
Any suspicion that Mike Bartlett’s justly lauded 2014 play might have dated in the wake of recent political turmoil is steamrollered within minutes of this superb adaptation. Director Rupert Goold opens the action thoughtfully and effectively as the titular new monarch (Tim Pigott-Smith) provokes a constitutional crisis by refusing to give assent to a bill restricting press freedom. The ensuing issues of democracy vs decree, conscience vs pragmatism, remain relevant, while the audacity of the thing – written in blank verse, no less – is undiminished. And then there are the performances, delivered by a cast largely transferred from the stage (although Charlotte Riley is a compelling addition as a steely Duchess of Cambridge). Adam James makes a slippery prime minister; Chris Oliver is a dithering Wills, and Richard Goulding’s reading of an aimless Harry is touching, sympathetic and radically different to his performance as the same prince in Channel 4’s uproarious farce, The Windsors. It’s a memorable epitaph for the late Pigott-Smith, whose valedictory TV performance is profound, incisive and moving. GT
Cbeebies Bedtime Story CBEEBIES, 6.50PM
With Tom Hardy, Tim Peake and Rosamund Pike already recruited for this star-studded series, Chris Evans ( Captain America, see Film choice) becomes the latest to sign up. He’ll be reading the none-more-appropriate title of Even Superheroes Have Bad Days, which offers insights into how to handle their emotions. GT