This article was originally published in The Courier on 6th May 2023.
NEXT WEEK’S TV
Crime – Thursday, ITVX
Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, who co-scripted this six-part adaptation, Crime stars Dougray Scott as Ray Lennox, an Edinburgh cop investigating the abduction of a young girl. Lennox is recovering from a severe nervous breakdown.
It’s basically a standard police procedural warped through the prism of its author’s unremitting nihilism and recurring obsessions: Rebus without the chucklesome feelgood factor (the presence of Ken Stott as Lennox’s boss is no coincidence).
Crime was first made available on subscription site BritBox in 2021. I don’t usually cover repeats, but this is its premiere on free streaming site ITVX, and I daresay some of you may have missed it. A second series is currently in production.
Eurovision Welcomes the World – Monday, BBC One, 6:30pm
The Eurovision festivities kick off with Rylan and Sunetra Sarker attending the spectacular opening ceremony in Liverpool. Later that night on BBC One at 9pm, Jason Manford and Chelcee Grimes present Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide, a programme exploring how Eurovision became the world’s largest live music event.
You can also enjoy the live semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday, both of which go out on BBC One at 8pm, and ‘countdown show with a twist’ Eurovision: Everyone’s a Winner (Friday, BBC One, 7:30pm).
The event should be taking place in Ukraine, who triumphed last year, but that, alas, is obviously impossible. We are, however, promised some impassioned spoken word and musical pieces pledging solidarity with our absent friends.
Andrew: The Problem Prince – Monday, Channel 4, 9pm
In the concluding episode of this documentary about the events surrounding Prince Andrew’s disastrous encounter with BBC journalist Emily Maitlis, we arrive at the actual interview itself.
Andrew felt he was equipped to mount a defence of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but he ended up making a total fool of himself with a bizarre string of counterclaims.
Why on earth did he agree to the interview? Maitlis wonders if he was desperately trying to save his children from further humiliation. If so, it backfired.
Prior to its broadcast, Andrew apparently felt that the interview had gone well. He is not, to put it mildly, a man troubled by much in the way of self-awareness.
The Greatest Auction – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm
AJ Odudu hosts this brand new gavel-banging series in which millionaires, private collectors and heavy-duty antique dealers compete for possession of some extraordinary items at a specially created auction house. It’s an emotional experience for the various sellers, but also an opportunity to find out what their precious belongings are actually worth.
In episode one, some Banksy experts risk their money and reputations on a piece of wall adorned with a work that’s been attributed to the elusive street artist.
Other items up for grabs include a jar of pickled pig foetuses, an impressive collection of Buzzcocks ephemera, and – best of all – a fez that once belonged to Tommy Cooper.
The Kidnap of Angel Lynn – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Three years ago, Angel Lynn was kidnapped by her abusive boyfriend. She fell out of his speeding van and suffered near fatal injuries.
Preview copies weren’t available, but this sounds like an utterly devastating documentary. It gives voice to a young woman, a victim of coercive control, who is gradually learning how to live again.
Angel was a fun-loving teenager when she first met her abuser. He took over her life. She was bombarded with degrading messages and isolated from her friends and family. That horrifying ordeal culminated in a crime that left her unable to walk, speak or feed herself.
The story is told via Angel’s texts, social media posts and assistance from her loved ones.
Therapy: Tough Talking – Thursday, BBC Three, 9pm
Rapper, actor and writer Kema Kay struggles with his mental health. In this documentary, he invites a film crew into his therapy sessions. Kay is an outwardly successful and talented young fella, but he’s dealing with a lifetime of trauma.
I haven’t seen the programme, this one wasn’t available either, but I’m recommending it based on my long-standing trust of BBC Three as a reliable source of sensitive documentaries about mental health issues.
It takes tremendous courage to admit that you need therapy, as there is still – even in this ostensibly enlightened age - too much stigma attached to opening up about our need for help.
Hidden Treasures of the National Trust – Friday, BBC Two, 9pm
This new series goes behind the scenes at one of Britain’s most important cultural institutions. Every year, millions of people flock to the historic homes and gardens owned by the National Trust, all of which are tended by a dedicated team of experts.
In episode one, property curator Liz and senior paintings conservator Rebecca look after one of the finest surviving portraits of Elizabeth I, which is about to go on loan for a tour of North America.
We also visit the home of Victorian horticulturalist James Bateman. His wondrous garden is missing one of its most important parts: an ornate wooden bridge. Meanwhile, a 17th century portrait hanging in a world-renowned library is in need of a deep clean.
LAST WEEK’S TV
Attica: America’s Bloodiest Prison Uprising – Tuesday 2nd May, BBC Four
In September 1971, the inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility in New York took over their hellhole prison. A tense stand-off ensued.
By the end, ten hostages and more than 30 prisoners were dead. Most of them were killed by law enforcement officers on the fourth and final day of the insurrection.
This riveting, angering Storyville documentary delivered an in-depth account of an appalling tragedy and human rights scandal.
The story unfolded via candid eyewitness accounts from former inmates, negotiators, lawyers, journalists and the children of some of the guards who died.
The Attica uprising was a disaster waiting to happen. When
people are stripped of their humanity and brutalised, eventually they’ll rebel
against their oppressors.
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