British Telly

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s hit show Hacks has finally landed on Sky. Plus: Claudia Winkleman’s devilish quizshow. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky MaxIf you’re late to the party, all three seasons of Hacks – one of the most lauded comedies in years, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder – are on Now/Sky, and the show is playing from the start on Max. We’re halfway through season one this week, and after writer Ava (Einbinder) has a wild night in Vegas, she wakes up regretting the voicemail she left comedy legend boss Deborah (Smart). And, somehow, things get even worse from there … Hollie Richardson

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The soap is celebrating its 40th anniversary with this interactive special. Plus: the finale of The Vanishing. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, BBC One The BBC has gone all in for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary: Ross Kemp’s back on the square as Grant Mitchell, and iPlayer is overflowing with classic “doof doof” episodes and spin-offs. The jewel in the crown, though, is this live episode, with an interactive twist as the public will be allowed to decide the outcome of one storyline: will Denise end up with Mr Reliable, Jack, or take a chance on Ravi? But more importantly, will anything go disastrously wrong? Hannah J Davies

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Am I Being Reasonable? is Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli’s brilliant series. Plus: a mysterious Scottish 1984 murder case is reopened. Here’s what to watch this evening

9.30pm, BBC One

Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli’s wonderfully bizarre comedy drama gets murkier and funnier as Nic (Cooper) continues to completely spiral. Yes, she is dealing with the emotional turmoil of trying to get away with murdering her extramarital lover and brother-in-law. But she is also doing marriage therapy, worrying about her cat-killing son, Ollie (the awesome Lenny Rush), and oversharing with her fishy friend Jen (Hizli). And all this comes with cracking gag after cracking gag. Hollie Richardson

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The BBC has assured Doctor Who fans that the sci-fi drama has not been cancelled, following an "incorrect" tabloid report.

The Sun stirred up concern that the long-running series was to go dormant again for between five and ten years, as it previously did after Sylvester McCoy's final season – and once again after Paul McGann's 1996 standalone film.

The speculation comes after perceived disappointment over Doctor Who season 14's viewing figures, although the BBC and showrunner Russell T Davies have previously drawn attention to the show's strong engagement from younger viewers.

The Sun's anonymous source claimed that star Ncuti Gatwa was eyeing a move to Los Angeles to pursue Hollywood work – and that he had filmed a regeneration sequence for the end of the current run.

However, a spokesperson for Doctor Who commented: "This story is incorrect, Doctor Who has not been shelved. As we have previously stated, the decision on season 3 will be made after season 2 airs.

"The deal with Disney Plus was for 26 episodes – and exactly half of those still have to transmit. And as for the rest, we never comment on the Doctor and future storylines."

Storyville’s beautiful documentary follows the lives of cowboys and cowgirls. Plus, can one person’s fear of clowns be cured? Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC FourThis black-and-white documentary is so artfully crafted by directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw that it feels more like a cinematic western drama. It follows the everyday lives of Argentina’s shrinking community of gauchos (cowboys and cowgirls) who preserve their traditions and fight to remain free in the modern world. There are no introductions or to-camera interviews, just mesmerising observations of cattle herding, family meals and horse-riding. Hollie Richardson

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A 10-year-old TikToker and an 11-year-old who dreams of being a paramedic show us the horrors of living in a warzone. Plus: unbearable holidaygoers check in at the White Lotus. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

A teenager narrates this absolutely vital film about what life has been like for young people in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Abdullah, 13, is incisive, quick on his feet and at times alarmingly indifferent as he shows the horrors around him. We also meet cooking TikToker Renad, 10, who stops whisking when a bomb hits nearby: “We’re not afraid, we’re used to it.” And Zakaria, 11, who dreams of being a paramedic, is determined to “find a way to fit in” by helping casualties; it is a relief to see him enjoy a moment in the sea. Most haunting still, following news of Donald Trump’s intentions for Gaza, are Renad’s words after the ceasefire is announced: “If Gaza goes back to how it was before, I’ll stay for sure.” Hollie Richardson

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David Tennant hosts the big film awards night. Plus: the shocking story of a New Zealand religious cult. Here’s what to watch this evening

7pm, BBC One

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Ugly events occur on the beautiful isle of Harris in An t-Eilean. Plus: Brian Cox and Christina Hendricks chat to Jonathan Ross. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Four

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A very funny series about the Funboys’ Fun Club. Plus: Claudia Winkleman asks just One Question. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC ThreeA very funny and original four-part series based on an offbeat Northern Irish comedy short about the members of the Funboys’ Fun Club – “a playgroup for childish young men to engage in wholesome mucking about”. Life is a perfect ride of video games for the lads until Callum (Ryan Dylan) gets his first girlfriend and Jordan (Rian Lennon) reacts very badly. Will she fit into their way of life at the club? Hollie Richardson

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The host embarks on a mission to discover the truth about history’s most famous explorers. Plus: the finale of cracking comedy Far North. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 5James May’s new series is about the explorations of Christopher Columbus, Walter Raleigh and James Cook and their contentious legacies. May starts by taking the helm of his own sailboat in south-west Spain, where he discovers the origins of the stubborn young sailor Columbus, who dreamed of sailing to Asia but ended up on two continents previously unknown to Europeans. James’s visits to the Alcázar palace in Seville and St Barts back in London fill in details of a man driven by daring and greed. Hollie Richardson

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The hugely fun Motherland spin-off continues to create excruciating moments. Plus: Charlie and Daisy May Cooper reunite. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC OneExcruciating comedy in the hugely fun Motherland spin-off, with fallen-from-grace snob Amanda (Lucy Punch) reinventing herself as a lifestyle influencer – or “visual storyteller”. She’s going for a minimalist look in her downsized abode, but finds it hard to part with her treasures at the football club’s car boot sale (“Please don’t finger my pouffe!”). Meanwhile, mummy Felicity (Joanna Lumley) is reeling after a depressing funeral and making her feelings known to anyone who will listen. Hollie Richardson

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Storyville goes inside San Quentin jail to investigate a transformative fitness programme. Plus: a frog-phobic gardener faces his fear. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC FourThe 1,000 Mile Club is a running group inside San Quentin state prison, California, in which inmates serving life sentences are coached by a group of volunteer elite athletes to run an annual marathon within the facility’s walls. This powerful film follows the men training in the grounds (“The yard is the only place you can wear clothes that don’t say ‘prisoner’”) and examines the transformative power of the club. Hollie Richardson

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Staz Nair plays a British Asian detective in the BBC’s new crime series. Plus: tears flow in the season finale of Bump. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC OneA full-throttle opening sequence throws you into the high-octane world of detective Harry Virdee (Staz Nair) in this crime thriller based on Amit Dhand’s novels. But it’s not just Bradford’s turf war that is keeping him on his toes; there’s plenty of drama in his private life, with his estranged family disapproving of his interfaith marriage. Virdee is not exactly subtle in leaning into its genre, but there’s fun to be had with it, and deeper issues are explored. Hollie Richardson

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Big Boys is at its most gratifying when hymning this slightly dated picture of joyously ordinary British life: bingo, Tesco meal deals, Fleet services, The X Factor. Cousin Shannon – who has become the show’s primary comic engine thanks to a bravura performance from Harriet Webb – is an endless font of such references (in the first episode alone, she shoehorns in Balamory and Hollyoaks Later).

Occasionally, the show’s warm relatability strays into sitcom cliche; storylines such as Jack getting sunburnt in Greece or his mum, Peggy (Camille Coduri), donning uncomfortable knock-off shapewear that makes her behave strangely on a date feel very familiar. But some cliches exist for a reason. Jack entering his pretentious poet era may seem like a well-worn comic trope, but the plotline is genuinely (and, in light of the disastrous literature produced, regrettably) rooted in Rooke’s real life.

Dylan Llewellyn and Jon Pointing return as the lads one last time – prepare to laugh (and cry). Plus: a grisly crime in Unforgotten. Here’s what to watch this evening

Sunday, 10pm, Channel 4

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It’s not easy doing up an old barn in one of the country’s most remote places. Plus: cry your heart out to gut-wrenching songs. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.10pm, Channel 4

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The beardy comedian is back with an uplifting fourth series. Plus: what could be the daftest Death in Paradise yet. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, BBC One

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Don’t miss this unsung gem of a series. Plus: a dark drama about the search for Ireland’s vanishing women. Here’s what to watch this evening

10.05pm, ITV2

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Lucy Punch is snobby Amanda in this brilliant comedy. Plus: the return of Daisy May Cooper’s Am I Being Unreasonable? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One

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Italy’s fascist figurehead gets the biopic treatment. Plus: tents relations in the company of David Mitchell. Here’s what to watch this evening.

9pm, Sky Atlantic

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/23655915

Granada TV's 'TX', 1985. With Tony Slattery

It’s the start of term at St Gilbert’s, with a new headteacher in charge. Plus: Channel 4’s controversial documentary Go Back to Where You Came From. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Three

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Now that's... something.

The great literary mystery about the novelist’s burned letters unravels in this period drama. Plus: the dark days of Boyzone revealed. Here’s everything to watch this evening

9.05pm, BBC One

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Norwegian detective William Wisting is back on a knotty new case. Plus: lots of family fun with Michael McIntyre. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Four

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