Mobile (Monday 9pm, ITV1)
Part two of this intriguing thriller and the perspective changes to one of the gunmen (Jamie Draven) who offed our mobile phone engineer at the end of last week. Time is rewound to give some background as to why the shooting took place, with links to the Iraq War. However, it all remains bewildering and I’m holding out the vain hope that all will become clear with next week’s closing instalment.
Coronation Street (Monday 7.30pm/8.30pm)
A pair of episodes that displays just why Corrie is still top of the pile when it comes it the soap mountain. Last night’s two hander between Tracy and Deirdre was top notch (even if it did give Anne Kirkbride too much opportunity to emote), and the trial of the century kicks off. Tongues are going to be wagging down Weatherfield way for weeks! Jason Grimshaw takes the stand – will the builder be able to grunt more than one syllable and get Tracy sent down for murdering his boss?
The Original Godfathers (Tuesday 11.30am, Radio4)
More of a Square Ears recommendation this (i.e. it’s on the wireless!), but anybody with half in interest in TV history will find this essential listening as Paul Jackson charts the writing partnership of Frank Muir and Dennis Norden. These giants of British comedy practically invented the sitcom with the family The Glums, part of the radio comedy Take it From Here, and here the pair receive just tribute.
Castaway: The Last 24 Hours (Tuesday 8pm, BBC3)
Danny Wallace counts just how many viewers have buggered off over the last day.
Life on Mars (Tuesday 9pm, BBC1)
We’re just a few episodes from the final reel, but Sam Tyler still has some 1970s style police work to slog through first before we discover the truth behind his unique predicament. When a Ugandan Asian is shot dead in his own record shop, it’s suspected that he may have been involved in drug dealing (bolstered by a wrap of heroin being found in his pocket). All good stuff, with plenty of Gene-isms to keep all of us amused, but with some issue based drama on the sidelines. Two weeks to go until we find out if there really is Life on Mars…
Coronation Street (Wednesday 7.30pm, ITV1)
A second recommendation for Coronation Street this week as the murder trial continues. This is worth it for a chance to see Kate Ford as toxic Tracy going for it full throttle as the Barlow bitch takes the witness stand in her defence. I’ll confess, when Kate Ford made her Corrie debut, I thought she was dreadful. Jump forward 5 years, and she’s one of the best things in it. Enjoy these final performances from this cracking soap actress while you can – one way or the other, Trace won’t be around much longer…
The Apprentice (Wednesday 9pm, BBC2)
The end of Masterchef has left me seriously in need of a TV obsession, and true to form, Auntie Beeb has answered my call. The Apprentice is back, on a new channel, but you can bet Sir Alan Sugar is going to be as much of a miserable old soak as he was last year. And hurrah for that – it wouldn’t be The Apprentice if he wasn’t. But will the new series provide us with a new Ruth Badger? Surely that’s just too much to ask!? The Apprentice - You’re Fired follows on BBC2 at 10pm.
Remembering Roots (Thursday 9pm, BBC4)
Still regarded by many as the finest example of television drama, this timely documentary examines just what it was about Roots that redefined the television viewing experience for a generation. Just one question: where’s the repeat for the series itself?
Bones (Thursday 9pm, Sky One)
Stephen Fry off of Jeeves and Wooster in Bones with David Boreanaz off of Angel. The mind does indeed boggle…
Wedding Belles (Thursday 10pm, C4)
This is a no-brainer for a drama of the week, being a darkly comic tale from the pen of novelist Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh and featuring a headlining turn from the divine Michelle Gomez. Set in Leith, Amanda (Gomez) is preparing for her wedding to an airline pilot. Along with her three lifelong friends, Rhona, Kelly and Shaz, the route to the wedding is not a smooth or happy one. As this has Welsh’s name to it, prepare for filthy (but charged dialogue), violence and explicit sex, but put in context, it all works beautifully. Keep watching for another Irvine Welsh drama, The Granton Star Cause, directly afterwards at midnight.
