EastEnders (Monday 8pm, BBC1)
Bianca Jackson finally arrives back in Albert Square this evening, seeing Patsy Palmer return full time to a show she once vowed never to darken the doors of ever again. This event, however, has been tainted by the dreadful trailer that has Bianca and her brood dancing and singing to a Jackson 5 track in the middle of Albert Square. And it had all been looking so good.
The Fixer (Monday 9pm, ITV1)
This week The Fixer takes to examining what happens to those assassins used by Peter Mullan’s brilliant Lenny Douglas when they are no longer required when Mercer (Andrew Buchan) is assigned to take out Patrick Finch (the always good value Patterson Joseph). Finch used to work for Lenny, but went rogue, taken over by his desire to kill. Will Mercer come to face to face with his own future, or with a typical wry one-liner dispatch his latest mark and ask for more? This series can be surprising, but the early promise of some dramatic bite to this series hasn’t really developed.
Chuck (Monday 10pm, Virgin 1)
A promising comedy drama from the US about a store clerk who finds himself with a stack of state secrets downloaded into his brain (I hate it when that happens…). Poor clumsy Chuck is press-ganged into being a secret agent (I hate that too). A little silly, but good fun.
Damages (Monday 10.35pm, BBC1)
This 13-part example of drama brilliance comes to a close this evening, and even with this conclusion you’re still not quite sure where you are with any of these characters - will the Frobisher case even come to a close, and will David’s killer be revealed? You can bet that some questions will be resolved, but with more Damages in the pipeline in the States, you can bet that more will be posed before the closing credits roll. Brilliant!
Hotel Babylon (Tuesday (9pm, BBC1)
It’s the end of another series of Hotel Babylon (my, don’t they go quickly?). New guy in charge, Jack, finds himself on the wrong end of a hostage situation when an evangelical preacher checks into the hotel. As it’s the season closer and there are guns in the mix, could it be that certain casts members might not make it to season four (which TV Today is relieved to know has already been commissioned)? Place your bets here.
Battlestar Galactica: The Phenomenon (Tuesday 9.30pm, Sky One)
An exercise in talking head hyperbole, various celebs and those in the know yak about their appreciation of BSG and hopefully get us excited about the upcoming fourth season that starts next week. To be honest, I’m excited enough, I don’t need this lot to tell me that.
The Apprentice (Wednesday 9pm, BBC1)
This week the candidates must transform a pub into a themed restaurant and make lots of money peddling food in the process. We’re only three weeks in, and Sir A is throwing in ball-breaking tasks in at a very early stage. If there’s one to separate the wheat from the chaff, it’s a good catering based task, and this should push the entertainment factor through the roof.
Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me (Wednesday 9pm, BBC4)
BBC4’s Curse of Comedy season has been largely excellent, with stunning performances helping to paint some poignant portraits. But I have a problem when we get to this Frankie Howerd piece - David Walliams. Yes, I know he’s a Bafta award winning, multi-millionaire, but I simply do not rate him as an actor. His performing talent has been frequently put in the shade by Matt Lucas on Little Britain, and his turn in Poliakoff’s last piece of self-indulgent twaddle didn’t convince me that we have a fantastic dramatic talent waiting to emerge. His presence here makes me nervous… But, this could also prove to be a turning point in my opinion on Walliams as an actor. I’m prepared to be impressed. An Arena profile of Howerd follows directly after at 10pm, also on BBC4.
Celebrity Come Dine with Me (Thursday 8pm, C4)
I have frequently lost whole Sunday afternoons of this to the repeats on More 4, and now the once daytime show comes to prime time Channel 4 with a celebrity theme to start things off. Obviously “celebrity” is used very loosely - Tamara Beckwith, Lynsey de Paul, Jonathan Ansell and MC Harvey (who?) do not celebrities make (although de Paul is rather fab). But such is the way with these things, and the format is strong enough to provide plenty of entertainment as the celebs turn up en masse at one of their number’s houses to eat and then vote on the quality of the dinner. And so on… There’s a lot to cram in to an hour, so they’ll have to keep the pace up.
House/Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday 9/10pm, Five)
Looking at the schedules of recent weeks, it looks like we are on the final approach to the months of light nights and not much on the telly. Thursdays are no exception, so here we are once again tipping House and Grey’s Anatomy for a looksee. House seems a little past its best this year, but both shows are among the best the US has to offer on the drama front, and always worth watching.
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