Sport Relief (Friday, from 7pm, BBC1)
It’s for charidee, so we’ll give this BBC fund-raising extravaganza a thumbs up. Of note to regular readers are Sport Relief editions of Strictly Come Dancing, but personally, I’ll be popping in for the conclusion of Sport Relief Does The Apprentice. Sir Alan goes up against former editor of The Sun, Kelvin McKenzie, in the boardroom showdown. Bliss!
Space: 1999 (Friday 7pm, ITV4)
The crew of Moonbase Alpha encounter some frozen humans. In space.
Coronation Street (Friday 7.30/8.30pm, ITV1)
Devilish David Platt is up to his old tricks again, which is fine by us as we were getting worried the troubled lad was starting to reform. He has a nice girlfriend, looks a bit more groomed, and he was almost fitting into society. Well, it’s back to business as usual for the teen who routinely drives cars into canals for a laugh when he pushes poor old Gail down the stairs. It seems he’s not happy about his mam colluding with Tina over an abortion, and he leaves her for dead. Is this the moment our little tearaway comes unstuck for good?
The Passions of Girls Aloud (Friday 10pm, ITV2)
Erm…
Harry Hill’s TV Burp (Saturday 6.40pm, ITV1)
Isn’t it about time Harry Hill was knighted for his services to television? TV Burp is one of those rare pleasures that comes along every now and then and becomes true appointment TV for all the family. There’s no swearing, no phone lines, no CGI. Just a bloke in a studio saying and doing funny stuff that will have you belly laughing for half an hour on a Saturday night. And we love it, don’t we?
The Culture Show (Saturday 7.10pm, BBC2)
One to watch tonight as on offer will be a contribution from James Corden and Ruth Jones ahead of the new series of Gavin and Stacey on Sunday. There’s also a look at the making of The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency which airs on Easter Sunday, which was commissioned for a run of 13 episodes earlier this week.
I’d Do Anything (Saturday 7.30pm, BBC1)
Who would have thought when the search for a new Maria began that BBC1 would find itself with a new, reliable brand for a Saturday night? Well, with Connie Fisher and Lee Mead having been propelled to stardom thanks to How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do, the search for West End talent now turns to a new production of Oliver! Over the coming weeks, we’ll be looking for a new Nancy and three new Olivers, as always under the watchful gaze of Andrew Lloyd Webber and the regular panel. Graham Norton provides his usual graceful hosting skills, and additions to the judging panel this time round are Cameron Mackintosh and one-time Fagin Barry Humphries. And you’ll be pleased to know that TV Today will be providing our usual in-depth commentary on all the episodes. I’m sure we’ll be asking for more after this show (sorry)!
Love Soup (Saturday 9.30pm, BBC1)
Easily one of the best things on TV at the moment, it’s a shame Love Soup can’t hold a bigger audience. That being said, it would appear that 3.5 million on a Saturday night is sufficient to win the slot, so it’s far from a disaster. Tonight’s slice of life from our favourite makeup counter girls features a guest appearance from Sanjeev Bhaskar as an old school friend of Alice’s who she suddenly finds herself attracted to.
Dancing on Ice – the Final Skate-off (Sunday 7pm, ITV1)
A two-hour extravaganza to finish the series off.
The Passion (Sunday 8pm, BBC1)
BBC1 gets out the sandals to mount this perfectly reasonable pass through some of the most debated events that history has to throw at us. Joseph Mawle is Jesus in a drama that surely needs no introduction. It’s quite a sumptuous affair, with able support in the ranks of disciples from Dean Lennox Kelly, and Paul Nicholls on good form as Judas. However, it’s James Nesbitt who gets most of the attention for a rather fine turn as Pontius Pilate. The Passion continues and Monday and concludes over Easter weekend.
Lewis (Sunday 9pm, ITV1)
Am I the only one to find it funny that Rebecca Front plays Chief Supt Innocent in Lewis? Um… Probably. This second series of the Morse spin-off comes to a close with a tale of yet more murder in the cloisters and back streets of Oxford. With its decent ratings, I would think ITV rather wish Lewis and Hathaway could be on the beat all year round, but don’t worry. The Royal or something will be along anytime soon.
Gavin and Stacey (Sunday 9pm, BBC3)
Forget anything else that’s on this weekend. There’s only one place the discerning TV viewer should be, and that’s BBC3 at 9pm on Sunday for the first two episodes of a new run for Gavin and Stacey. TV Today was praising this show to the heavens long before it was fashionable, and we’re very pleased to see it return. The superb cast are all back where they should be, and the script is as pithy and loveable as ever. For a more detailed run down of these first episodes, see Scott’s First Look from earlier this week.
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