British Telly

Big Mood is Channel 4’s promising new comedy-drama. Plus: Taskmaster is back. Here’s what to watch this evening

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According to the head of one of the BBC’s most successful franchises, the broadcaster’s end is inevitable.

Speaking on television podcast They Like to Watch, Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies explains that there is a good reason for the fantasy drama being co-produced with Disney: it means that its survival doesn’t require the continued existence of the BBC.

“You’ve got to look in the long term at the end of the BBC, which is undoubtedly on its way in some shape or form,” says Davies.

“Is Doctor Who going to die then? No! You’ve got to prepare for that kind of stuff.”

The lack of lavish BBC budgets is another reason that Davies claims Doctor Who’s future requires Disney’s involvement – particularly in a world where high-budget productions are increasingly the norm, as Doctor Who needs “to be up there with the big hitters”.

Mandy kicks off her new career as a flight attendant with the long-suffering Lola. Plus: Tom Allen makes the wedding magic happen. Here’s what to watch this evening

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The late psychotherapist and his wife, Kate Garraway, provide an insight into terminal illness. Plus: nocturnal trouble on the mean streets of Brighton. Here’s what to watch this evening

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Ritchie’s latest venture into ultraviolence and subjunctives comes via his new Netflix series The Gentlemen, a spin-off from his film, also called The Gentlemen. That the film generated a TV show is in itself a surprise because the movie was, how can I put this, explicably overlooked during Oscar season.

Anyway, viewers can once again revel in arch sentence structure, menacing syntax and the exaggerated use of posh first names. Hence a Ritchie thug might look up from dismembering a corpse to wonder, “Are you familiar with the Hobbesian concept of the Leviathan, Rupert?”

The characters are essentially what we’d expect if Russell Brand decided to take up armed robbery. “You will of course be aware of Proudhon’s theory of asset management, Basil. Now stick that cash in the bag before I remind you of Sun Tzu’s theories on irresistible force.” 

Sometimes they correct one another’s grammar: “It’s not an hatchet, it’s a hatchet. The ‘h’ is pronounced, you see, rendering the ‘an’ otiose. If you get my drift, Cornelius.”

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What distinguishes the Ritchie/Tarantino dialogue is the conflation of the coarse and the refined in largely working-class villains, who maintain the poise of an Oxford Union debater while knee-deep in blood. This, after all, is a world that turns to Vinnie Jones for gravitas. We are witnessing the nobility of the gangster, as bestowed upon them by public-school manners. That’s the joke, and it was funny for a while.

An extraordinary documentary transports us to the awful everyday reality of soldiers. Plus: Anton du Beke and Giovanni Pernice head to Benidorm. Here’s what to watch this evening

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Passenger isn’t your standard cop series. Plus, Danny Dyer dons an apron for the Bake Off tent. Here’s what to watch this evening

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The Jonathan Ross Show boasts a lively lineup of famous folk. Plus, a fabulous celebration of Diana Ross. Here’s what to watch this evening

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There’s only enough room for 513 inhabitants as the apocalypse destroys the world around them. Plus: Joe Lycett is back as Travel Man. Here’s what to watch this evening

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The boss of Channel 4 has apologised to a former staff member for not investigating a “serious” allegation made against Russell Brand.

However, the broadcaster found “no evidence” that staff knew about the accusations made by four women in a Dispatches documentary prior to it being aired in September.

The Star Wars actor’s career is the focus of a new series that uses photographs to discuss the lives of 10 famous people. Plus, tips to avoid being scammed. Here’s what to watch this evening

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After rumours galore, the writer, who helmed the BBC sci-fi from 2010 to 2017, will officially make his return for Ncuti Gatwa's season.

Moffat said of his return: "Yes, OK, fair enough – apologies to everyone I've very slightly misled – I am in fact writing an episode of the series of Doctor Who. Exactly like I said I never would. What can I tell you?

"There was begging, there was pleading but finally Russell agreed to let me have another go – so long as I got out of his garden. Working with old friends and a brand new Doctor I couldn't be happier.

"Sorry I was a bit reticent on the subject for so long. It was all part of an elaborate plan that would have delighted millions but at the last minute I forgot what it was."

Think grown-up British drama in the Misfits, The Power and Heroes vein, but specifically exploring Black British perspectives on the superpower genre.

Speaking to Deadline in August 2022 Rapman explained where his show would differ from Marvel and DC superpower stories:

“If I got powers, my first thing wouldn’t be to go and buy a spandex outfit. I was thinking ‘What can I use my powers for to put my family in a better position?’ As much as I love Marvel and DC you know it’s going to work out in the end but in our story you just don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s a grounded superpowers show. They are hero characters but they’re all very flawed.”

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Supacell arrives on Netflix in June 2024.

Jordan North makes some shocking discoveries about the nation’s bad habit. Plus, the emotional final episode of Bring the Drama. Here’s what to watch this evening

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In this intense series, the convicted killer is asked about murders he has never been tried for. Plus: The Hairy Bikers Go West comes to a poignant end. Here’s what to watch this evening

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Journalist Ade Adepitan asks uncomfortable questions as he spends a week in Orania. Plus: Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice waltz around Spain. Here’s what to watch today

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Former Dr Who Jodie Whittaker is among the guest as the charity baking show returns. Plus: Stacey Dooley begins another series of sleepovers in a Nevada brothel

Alison Hammond helps to host her first celebrity Bake Off, with a pretty good group of famous faces. Former Time Lord Jodie Whittaker, Brit winner Paloma Faith, comedian Munya Chawawa and that one from Made in Chelsea, Spencer Matthews, will be battling it out in the tent. First up: cake pops. Then it’s time to recreate Paul and Prue in biscuit form. Hollie Richardson

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An Irish couple go missing in this dark new drama. Plus: a speedily-assembled look at Glasgow’s most underwhelming new tourist attraction; Willy’s Chocolate Experience

Fans of thrillers Kin and Hidden Assets will enjoy getting stuck into this tense six-parter. Irish detective Theo Richter (Richard Flood) teams up with a Kiwi detective, Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe), when an Irish couple go missing in rural New Zealand. Is there a connection to a murderous Irish gang? Hollie Richardson

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Funny for Money also stars David Tennant, Davina McCall, Alan Partridge – and the cast of W1A. Plus: Fantasy Football League. Here’s what to watch this evening

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A middle-aged couple rekindle their steamy teen romance in present-day Bologna. Plus, Kerry Godliman’s cosy teatime crime drama. Here’s what to watch this evening

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Zara McDermott investigates the queasy online fallout after the 2022 Idaho student killings. Plus, Boris Johnson plumbs new depths. Here’s what to watch this evening

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Bloody docu-drama Royal Kill List tells the vengeful tale of Charles II. Plus: the ever-loveable Mel Giedroyc hears more cringeworthy celebrity stories. Here’s what to watch tonight

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Parents are accused of being part of a paedophile conspiracy in this wild documentary. Plus: is university really worth it? Here’s what to watch this evening

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Jonathan Ross guides us through Hollywood’s biggest event. Plus, catch up with Beth Ditto and Gossip’s stomping set at 6 Music Festival. Here’s what to watch this evening

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