British Telly

The criminal barrister presents an eye-opening documentary. Plus: a new series of cosy teatime drama McDonald & Dodds. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

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It’s time for the Police Federation of England and Wales to apply lavender oil to all available pulse points, because the new ITV comedy Piglets is here. When the title of the sitcom about six recruits to the fictional Norbourne training college was announced, the Federation’s condemnation was swift and lengthy. One can only assume that every investigation had been closed and the last criminal in the country locked up that morning and our boys in blue have been looking for a new project ever since. It was, the federation said, “A disgusting choice of language to use for the title of a TV programme,” and “highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day, providing an emergency service”. And “inflammatory against a landscape of rising threats and violence against officers”. And “incredibly dangerous to incite more negativity and misinformation against a public sector service that’s already under so much pressure”.

Now that they have had a chance to view the programme, perhaps the federation can put the toys back in the pram and note that, by some whim of the comedy gods, there is virtually nothing – given the wealth of material offered almost daily in recent years of endemic police corruption, failures and general inadequacies – in it to distress its members. Beyond that wounding title, of course.

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Piglets was created in large part by the team behind Smack the Pony and Green Wing, and you can see the idiosyncratic ghosts of both shows in the attempts at surreality and absolute silliness. But here they don’t quite come off, and instead just make you feel embarrassed and sad.

Love & Hate tells the real story of a woman who killed her neighbour with an axe. Plus: Piglets is a new British comedy about police officers. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, ITV1

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Clive Myrie hosts as Elim Chan conducts the opening night of the Proms. Plus: the terror of a passenger breaking into the cockpit. Here’s what to watch this evening

7pm, BBC TwoIt’s Proms season! Clive Myrie launches eight wonderful weeks of classical music at the Royal Albert Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra presenting Beethoven’s 5th Symphony for the opening night. Conductor Elim Chan makes her Proms debut, while star soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason is showcased championing the piano concerto by Clara Schumann. Settle in for a magical two hours of music. Hollie Richardson

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The long-rumoured Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, is set to start filming in September, it's been reported.

In January 2023, showrunner Russell T Davies confirmed that spin-offs were part of his plan upon his return to Doctor Who, with reports suggesting the first one will focus on the Sea Devils, the iconic monsters who first faced Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor and returned in 2022 in a special with Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor.

Deadline has now reported that "shooting will commence in September" on the long-awaited show.

The wedding party ‘joke’ finally comes to light in Douglas Is Cancelled. Plus: what really happened in one of India’s deadliest train crashes? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, ITV1What “joke” did Douglas (Hugh Bonneville) tell about his co-host Madeline (Karen Gillan) at the wedding party? We’re finally going to get answers in the intense finale of Steven Moffat’s cancel culture drama, which mostly focuses on Douglas’s brutal practice interview. We last saw Madeline’s strong suggestion that she knows exactly what happened and why – and Douglas isn’t the only person in the room viewers will be keeping an eye on. Hollie Richardson

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This popped up at the weekend on iPlayer's promo list and we thought we'd give it a go, knowing nothing about it at all.

Well it became our latest binge watch (not too difficult, there are only 6 half-hour episodes). It's very well written and acted and just the right mixture of comedy and pathos.

I would love to know what others think about it.

Fans of Plebs and Brassic will want to check out Ryan Sampson’s new series. Plus: Anne-Marie Duff returns for the second series of Suspect. Here’s what to watch this evening

9****pm, Sky MaxDanny Dyer is back on lovably daft geezer form as Lee in this six-part comedy-drama about two dysfunctional siblings. It’s written by Ryan Sampson (Plebs, Brassic) who also stars as Glen, a carpet salesman who lives a very normal life and is getting ready to marry his beloved fiancee, Kirsty, (Big Boys’ breakout star Harriet Webb) – until big, bad brother Lee crashes back into his life on his “trotters” causing trouble. Enjoy a top British comedy trio. Hollie Richardson

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Isobel Yeung leads an alarming Dispatches investigation. Plus, the trauma behind Olympian Daley Thompson’s life. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, Channel 4There are neighbourhoods in England and Wales where 100% of crimes go unsolved, according to astonishing police data in this alarming investigation. Isobel Yeung puts it to the test by observing a brazen theft in action and trailing what happens next with the goods, speaking to criminals who claim to have no fear of the police and learning how a global criminal network rakes in thousands of pounds a month. Hollie Richardson

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A blunt detective teams up with a podcast journalist (because: 2024). Plus, the third and final series of The Great. Here’s what to watch this evening

Monday, 9pm, BBC OneJenna Coleman is back with another twisty primetime thriller – a timely four-part story about a detective and a podcast journalist coming together to see how crimes in a Lancashire lakeside town might be connected. Coleman is straight-talking DC Ember Manning who, after her husband’s death, seems to be moving on well enough with their teenage daughter. A local arson attack leads Manning to reach out to Riz (Weruche Opia) – who is investigating a missing persons cold case – and a man in his 20s who had relationships with two underage girls. Manning’s discoveries soon compel her to question her own past relationship and the age gap between them when they met. Hollie Richardson

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Latest Star Wars TV series The Acolyte proves that the Force is strong in Wales - after pivotal scenes were shot across Bannau Brycheiniog.

Starring Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae, the new Star Wars show brought a glimpse of sci-fi action to the national park - also known as the Brecon Beacons - as well as the south Wales valleys as the production spread across several locations in the country.

"We shot a lot in Wales," said showrunner Leslye Headland. "What was incredible about Wales was that, you know, you could shoot in a beautiful wooded area, but then if you moved up further, you’d be in snow."

Welcoming both Jedi and other Force users, Wales has officially become part of the galaxy far, far away for the very first time.

Those who smuggled drugs in the 90s tell their shocking stories. Plus: is football coming home? It’s England v Spain. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, Sky Documentaries

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A brilliant three-part documentary starts with Run and DMC. Plus: superior Swedish thriller End of Summer continues. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Documentaries

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I think I'd rather take my eyes out with a spoon than watch this.

A new series follows the heroic Lake District Search and Mountain Association. Plus: TRNSMT festival in Glasgow. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4

From paragliders crashing into mountainsides to scramblers who have fallen down waterfalls – the Lakes may be lovely, but they can also be perilous. This new series follows the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association and some of the people it saves, starting in Eskdale where the Wasdale mountain rescue team are called out to help a man in agony with a dislocated shoulder. Hollie Richardson

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A surprisingly cheerful documentary series on preparing for death. Plus: toe-curling drama Douglas Is Cancelled. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, WWe can learn a lot about life from this team of Swedes, who are basically the Marie Kondos for people preparing for death. Amy Poehler narrates a surprisingly uplifting documentary series, which takes the Swedish death cleaning method from Margareta Magnusson’s book (“cleaning out your crap so others don’t have to when you’re dead”) and puts it into practice in the US – starting with 75-year-old Suzi, who needs to let go of her collection of phallic souvenirs. Hollie Richardson

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GF Newman, the writer and creator of Law and Order, looks back on the controversial 1978 series. Plus: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Four

Police-corruption drama Law and Order was so controversial when it aired in 1978 that it raised debates in the House of Commons and was banned from being broadcast again for 30 years. As an introduction to a reshowing of the four episodes this evening, its writer and creator, GF Newman, reflects on the show’s legacy, explains what inspired him and reveals how police officers at the time reacted. Hollie Richardson

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Police leaders have criticised the title of new ITV comedy Piglets, calling it "highly offensive" and "a disgusting choice of language".

Set in a fictional police training college, the programme's name is an apparent reference to the term "pig" which has long been used as a derogatory slang word for police officers.

Tiffany Lynch, acting national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents more than 145,000 rank and file officers, said the title "is highly offensive to police officers risking their lives to protect the public every day providing an emergency service".

"It is a disgusting choice of language to use for the title of a TV programme," Ms Lynch said.

"I find it incredulous that this has passed through checks and balances at an organisation made up of people who at any time have or may need the support and assistance of the police."

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/14129216

Eleven-year-old Kevin's passion for history is put to the test when he joins a ragtag group of time-traveling thieves on a high-stakes and hilarious adventure.

https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/114924-time-bandits

Cameras follow all the behind-the-scenes drama at Park House Stables. Plus: all the fun of a summer in Devon and Cornwall. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Four

Here is one for serious racing fans: a behind-the-scenes, all-access documentary series filmed at the Park House Stables – one of the top-performing in the UK – in the nine tense months leading up to Royal Ascot. Episode one starts as the 2020 season ends, with Irish jockey Oisin Murphy defending his title, and trainer Andrew Balding prepping horses for the US while also recruiting new talent. Hollie Richardson

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Michelle de Swarte’s semi-autobiographical take on her materialist former life is a gleeful romp. Plus: war arrives in Westeros – and how! Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC TwoModel turned standup comic and actor Michelle de Swarte is a naturally magnetic performer (she was excellent in 2022’s horror comedy The Baby), so this is a very exciting writer/director/star debut. Inspired by De Swarte’s real life, Spent follows Mia, a model pushing 40 who flees the US after declaring bankruptcy because, after growing up with nothing, she cannot resist the finer things in life. She returns to Brixton, where her friends and family don’t exactly welcome her with open arms and her agent (Peepshow’s Super Hans actor, Matt King) only has one gig for her – dog sitting. But how long can she keep hiding that she’s skint and sofa-surfing? Sharp, funny and an easy binge. Hollie Richardson

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The Turkish Detective is based on Barbara Nadel’s bestselling novels. Plus: the hippy days of Ibiza are brought back to life. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

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A grief therapist is forced to face her childhood in End of Summer. Plus: it’s England v Switzerland! Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Four

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The US comedian takes an irreverent look at later life. Plus: all the post-election coverage you can take. Here’s what to watch this evening

10.15pm, Sky Comedy

“I don’t think I can devote my free time to something that could marry a DJ – I think that’s reckless.” That’s the sharply hilarious US standup comedian Nikki Glaser talking about not wanting kids in her second televised standup special. She also delves into giving in to ageing with a haircut above the earlobe and chunky jewellery, and plans for her death (which she thinks about a lot). Hollie Richardson

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The final 7-day ratings for an episode of Doctor Who season 14 are in, with the season finale, Empire of Death, being watched by 3.69 million people across the period.

The episode was originally watched overnight by 2.25 million people, but this didn't account for iPlayer viewings, which as a proportion have been up considerably this season, due to the show's new release schedule.

This 7-day consolidated rating leaves the episode in around the middle when it comes to viewership this season, with it getting more viewers than Boom, Dot and Bubble, Rogue and The Legend of Ruby Sunday.

It got less viewers than Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, which were both released on the same day on BBC iPlayer, and 73 Yards, which was the season's high-mark when it comes to viewership.

Showrunner Russell T Davies and the BBC itself have both commented on the show's recent ratings, with Davies saying that "it's not doing that well in the ratings, but it is doing phenomenally well with the younger audience that we wanted".