The very best of the week ahead
Today Revisor by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young BBC FOUR, 10.00PM
It’s not just lockdown that can prevent us from going to the theatre. When
Revisor made its UK debut at Sadler’s Wells in London, it ran for just three nights in March – meaning that not even many dance lovers who live in the southeast will have had a chance to catch it, let alone those who aren’t based within easy distance of the capital. So this BBC Four showing is a welcome one, kicking off a new season of dance-themed programming.
Revisor is a production that lends itself well to television, combining farcical comedy, via lip-synced lines, with the exaggerated, unnaturally fluid movement of cartoon characters. It’s the much-anticipated co-creation by choreographer Crystal Pite and dramatist Jonathon Young, which is based on Nikolai Gogol’s satirical play
The Government Inspector, a comedy of errors about the much-feared arrival of an inspector to a small Russian town. Catherine Gee
Mayans M.C BBC TWO, 10.55PM & 11.45PM
If you like your drama to come with Mexican motorcycle clubs, stylish violence, intricate plots and excellent moustaches, then this Sons of Anarchy spin-off is for you. Now entering its second season, it begins with a murderous raid that goes wrong. CG
Monday Snowpiercer NETFLIX
The initial problem with wt this t s flawed awed TV adaptation of Bong ong Joon-ho’s ( Parasite) dystopian n 2013 film – about a train endlessly ssly traversing the globe and the class ass tensions within – is that it can’t n’t compete with the original’s visual or narrative flair. Instead ead there’s an old-fashioned feel el to this version, which was made for US channel TNT. That hat said it is worth sticking with ith despite a slow beginning nning thanks largely to two wo compelling lead performances rformances from Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connelly. The latter plays Melanie Cavill, l, the train’s uber-competent hospitality spitality director and her tightly htly wound performance slowly y relaxes to reveal conflicted ideals. The charismatic Diggs is a “tailie”, one of the starving group stuck at the tail of the train. He also happens to be a former detective, a skill that sees him moved out of steerage class following a murder on board. The first two episodes land today, with the rest arriving weekly. Sarah Hughes
Grow Your Own at Home with Alan Titchmarsh ITV, 8.30PM; NOT WALES
Alan a Titchmarsh tc as is i joined (remotely of course) by Katie Rushworth, Frances Tophill and David Da Domoney for this new show pre presenting practical tips on how to grow fruit, salad and vegetables. vegetables SH
Tuesday Tue A Hou House Through Time BBC TWO, 9.0 9.00PM
David Olusoga’s ingeniously simple history format – tracing the past of a single residential building, uncovering remarkable stories along the way – was a hit with critics, viewers and awards judges alike when it debuted in 2018. Now it’s back for a third run and promises to be equally riveting. The property to get Olusoga’s painstaking treatment is an 18th-century sea captain’s house in the historian’s adopted home city of Bristol: 10 Guinea Street. The address itself is a clue – the street is named after West Africa’s Guinea Coast, a hub of the international slave trade. Bristol’s docks were a major port in the trafficking of African slaves to Caribbean sugar plantations. From here Olusoga discovers dramatic stories of piracy, peril and revenge. There’s a foundling baby, a daring runaway slave and an abolition protest on the doorstep. This all adds up to a fascinating tale which takes the series further back than it’s ever gone, connecting the wider picture to individual lives. Michael Hogan
Unprecedented BBC FOUR, 10.00PM
Another nimble reaction to the coronavirus lockdown, this threepart compendium sees celebrated playwrights team up with more than 50 actors to perform short plays, shot in their homes. Further details at press time were minimal but we’re promised creative responses to how our world has changed in the past few months. MH
Wednesday McMillions SKY DOCUMENTARIES/NOW TV, 9.00PM There are three channel launches on
Sky and NOW TV today – Sky Documentaries, Sky Nature and Sky History. All launch at midday and do what they say on the tin. Sky Nature will be the home to a cornucopia of high-definition wildlife, including a glut of David Attenborough films. The pick of today’s schedule is Gangs of Lemur Island (7pm), a charming look at the primate turf wars of Madagascar. There’s less excitement on Sky History, which is simply a rebranding of Sky’s History channel. Sky Documentaries, however, looks far more promising, with some exciting programming in the pipeline this year. The jewel in the crown on launch day, and one of the best documentaries of the year so far, is the labyrinthine McMillions, an enormously entertaining six-part investigation courtesy of HBO. In 2001, the FBI got wind that there was some sort of fraud going on with McDonald’s popular Monopoly game – essentially, collect tokens, win prizes. However, a tip-off suggested that those winning the big prizes – including $1,000,000 – were all related. And it all linked back to someone called “Uncle Jerry”. What begins as a thriller, morphs into a delicate character study. Superb. Chris Bennion
Men at the Barre: Inside the Royal Ballet BBC FOUR, 9.00PM
An evening of dance on BBC Four begins with an absorbing documentary that goes behind the scenes with the male dancers of the Royal Ballet. This is followed by two performances from the brilliant BalletBoyz at 10.30pm and 11.00pm, as well as Dance on Film: BBC Introducing Arts at 11.30pm. CB
Thursday Football, Prince William & Our Mental Health BBC ONE, 8.05PM
Of all the initiatives that the younger members of the Royal family have attached their names to in recent years, the decision to open up the conversation about mental health through the Heads Together initiative is probably the most important. This film aims to move that conversation on as the Duke of Cambridge looks at the continued “stigma about mental health” with a particular focus on football. The headlines will be generated by the professional footballers who open up on camera. Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart discusses how he struggled to cope after his career began to decline; Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is impressively open both about his own earlier attitudes towards mental health. That said, some of the most moving scenes come from the Duke’s interactions with members of the public. In particular, a visit to Sands United, a club composed of players who have lost babies to stillbirth and miscarriage, leads to a thoughtful conversation about what is and isn’t allowed to be said about grief. Sarah Hughes
The First Team BBC TWO, 9.30PM
Fill the football-sized hole in your life with this raucous new comedy from The Inbetweeners creators Iain Morris and Damon Beesley. Set in a struggling top-flight club, it follows three young stars (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah, Jack McMullen and Jake Short) trying to break into the first team. SH
Friday Space Force NETFLIX
Netflix’s new entry in the space comedy genre is a slick, smart 10-parter that comes with impeccable credentials. It’s co-created by sitcom supremo Greg Daniels ( The US Office, Parks &
Recreation) and actor Steve Carell. Comedy stalwarts such as Lisa Kudrow, Noah Emmerich and Jane Lynch are joined by a heavyweight thesp in John Malkovich, to lend further class. Carrell stars as General Mark R Naird, a decorated pilot who dreams of running the Air Force. Much to his displeasure, he instead finds himself leading the newly formed sixth branch of the US military: Space Force. Relocating his reluctant family to a remote Colorado base, he meets the eccentric team tasked with getting American boots on the Moon (again). It’s all a spoof of President Trump’s galactic ambitions, while Naird is a parody of his real-life equivalent, John W Raymond. MH
Later: with Jools Holland BBC TWO, 10.00PM
Actor and musician Hugh Laurie is the guest in this latest lockdown edition. Laurie will discuss his love of blues and New Orleans jazz, while sharing stories of his collaborations with Tom Jones, Irma Thomas and Dr John. MH