Wednesday

The Countess and the Russian Billionaire BBC TWO, 9.00PM

At the beginning of this addictive film it’s nearly impossible to feel sympathy for Countess Alexandra Tolstoy as she shows the us around her Chelsea mews houses airily announcing: “We have two houses, one for us and one for the children.” The British Tolstoy is, at this point, in a relationship with Russian oligarch Sergei Pugachev, having met when she was approached to help him improve his command of English idiom. “She was not my teacher though,” he mutters in an early warning sign of what’s to come. For what starts off as the plot of a trashy novel soon takes a darker turn. We learn that Pugachev has fallen foul of Putin and that he lives under threat of assassination. It’s an engrossing film filled with jaw-dropping moments, and one that turns out to be rather affecting. SH

Save Me Too SKY ATLANTIC/NOW TV, 9.00PM

Strong stomachs are needed for this second episode as we flash back to Grace (Olive Gray) giving testimony against her abuser Gideon (Ade Edmondson), from whom she was rescued by Nelly (Lennie James). SH