Recently in Square Eyes Category

Celebrity Big Brother Channel 4, Friday 8.30pm & 10.05pm
The final night of the seventh, and final, series. Fingers crossed the gorgeous Stephanie Beacham triumphs over the classless berks she’s trapped in with.

So You Think You Can Dance BBC1, Saturday 6.30pm & 8.20pm
We’re down to the final eight, and it’s getting harder to predict who’ll be out. As usual, join us on Twitter live during the show (I’m @scottm) and come back on Monday for my review.

Harry Hill’s TV Burp ITV1, Saturday 7pm
It may not have felt like it’s been away, with the various best of shows that have been running recently, but we get a new eight-part series of the superb take on the week’s telly. Who and what will be the targets are anyone’s guess, but I daresay Heather from EastEnders will make an appearance at some point…

Hamlet BBC4, Saturday 7pm
In retrospect, maybe early evening on Boxing Day — when most people are still in that post-Christmas stupor — wasn’t the best day for this brooding, clever reworking of the RSC’s recent stage production. Ratings weren’t particularly high then, so this repeat is welcome now. David Tennant stars as the Danish prince, with Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

Mo Channel 4, Sunday 9pm
The highlight of the weekend, as Julie Walters produces one of her best performances yet as Mo Mowlam, the forthright MP who, as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, helped to broker what would become the Good Friday Agreement while fighting her own battle with cancer. For more, read the Square Eyes Special from earlier this week.

The South Bank Show Awards ITV1, Sunday 10.15pm
As ITV1’s only highbrow arts show has gone, so goes its annual awards bash. Reports are that it turned into a bit of a wake, with the likes of Prince Charles and Billy Connolly criticising ITV for giving culture the boot — how much of those comments make the final cut will be anyone’s guess.

Previous series of Skins have kicked off with a lighter episode, showcasing the series’ knack for comedy as a means of drawing in its audience, before heading off into darker territory.

Not so series 4. Co-creator Jamie Brittain’s first script of the new series has its lighter moments, for sure, but it’s a much more sober storyline than we’ve seen at the start of earlier series.

The very first scene is a blistering steadicam shot following a young, drugged-up girl as she walks through a heaving nightclub, blithely walking past the series regulars, heading up towards a balcony and then throwing herself off, killing herself in the process. It’s a shocking scene that works so well partly because, in typical Skins style it doesn’t shy way from showing anything: where other series would cut away just before impact and rely upon sound and other people’s reactions, we see the whole thing (thanks to some clever use of digital compositing).

The investigation into the girl’s death — and who sold her the drugs she was taking — is something that will provide an ongoing story in at least the first few episodes. The bulk of the first episode, though, is taken up with Thomas (Merveille Lukeba) who was organising the club night at which the girl died. As he struggles internally with the desire to move away from the drug world of the clubs, his encounter with the daughter of his church’s pastor lead him to betray his girlfriend Pandora (Lisa Blackwell).

As usual with Skins, the adults are predominantly feckless idiots, none more so than new college director David Blood, played by The Thick of It’s Chris Addison as a simpering, smarmy bureaucrat. It’s a great role, if the sort of caricature that doesn’t always sit well with the wonderfully drawn teenagers who make up the central cast. But Skins was ever thus.

All in all, then, this makes possibly the show’s strongest first episode to date, and suggests that Series 4 may have the potential to be the best yet.

Oh, yeah - and Effie’s back. Things are going to get interesting.

• Skins, E4, Thursday 10pm

Last week, Channel 4 were kind enough to invite me along to BAFTA for a screening of their new film Mo, starring Julie Walters in a drama based on the last years in the life of politician Mo Mowlam. Created by the team behind See No Evil: The Moors Murders, the resulting film is, like its protagonist, by turns lovable, infuriating, funny, impassioned and ultimately heartbreakingly tragic.

Starting just before Labour’s 1997 election victory, from the second Walters walks on screen it’s clear that she has mastered enough of Mowlam’s physical and vocal mannerisms to effectively portray the Redcar MP who was renowned for her fearlessness and compassion. As the election approaches, her hand tremors lead to a consultation with a cancer specialist (Toby Jones) who diagnoses a malignant tumour on the front of her brain, with a prognosis of just two to three years.

Initially keeping her diagnosis a secret - including lying to her boss, Tony Blair, about the malignancy - so that she can help fight the general election, Mowlam endures taunts from the media about her looks as she dons a less than glamorous wig and piles on the pounds as a side-effect of the steroids she takes as part of her treatment.

But it’s after the election, once Mowlam is given the office of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, that the film really kicks into gear. Her lack of pretension breaks a lot of deadlocks and helps propel the province towards an uneasy peace. All the while, though, the unctuousness of Peter Mandelson (a delightful portrayal by Steven Mackintosh) is lurking, seen whispering in corners with David Trimble.

Mandelson, of course, took over form Mowlam as NI Secretary. Was she removed because, as her husband Jon Norton (David Haig) helped her believe, Mandelson and Blair felt she was getting too popular? The drama lets us, the audience, draw our own conclusions, presenting enough information to make it clear why Mowlam may have felt paranoid but staying short of going all out for either point of view.

Once out of office, Mowlam’s health deteriorates — and her specialist speculates that her tumour could, in the years before it was diagnosed, have helped to contribute to the disarming, disinhibited behaviour that had been her trademark for years.

From start to finish, Julie Walters puts in one of her strongest performances to date. She has so many of Mowlam’s vocal and physical mannerisms down pat, helped by superb make-up and costume work to evoke one of the most recognisable figures of recent political history. It is a funny, heart-warming, frustrating and, ultimately, tearfully sad portrayal. Keep the tissues handy for the closing minutes - you’ll need them.

• Mo, Channel 4, Sunday 9pm

Mrs Mandela BBC4, Monday 9pm
Sophie Okenedo plays Winnie Mandela, one of the most controversial figures in modern South Africa’s history. While her husband was imprisoned, she became one of the most recognisable faces of the anti-apartheid movement, whose outspoken support for “necklaces” (burning tyres placed around the necks of suspected police informants) and her network of township toughs who went under the name of ‘Mandela United FC’.

The Good Wife Channel 4, Monday 10pm
The latest US import stars Julianna Marguiles (ER) as a wife and mother who has to return to work as a lawyer when her husband (Sex and the City’s Chris Noth) is imprison on corruption charges after a very public scandal. Personally, when it comes to American dramas I find courtroom-based ones among the least appealing, but as long as the courtroom elements are secondary to the family drama, I’ll give it a chance.

Billie and the Real Belle Bare All ITV2, Monday 10pm
Secret Diary of a Call Girl ITV2, Thursday 10pm
As a prelude to the new series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl (which starts on Thursday) Billie Piper, who plays the call girl Belle de Jour in the series, meets the author of the original books, Brooke Magnanti. The series itself is as brash and blowsy as ever — and as in previous series, is neither as witty nor insightful as it thinks it is. Some fun is to be had, though, as Belle’s memoir is published and she attends her own book launch diguised as a waitress.

Shameless Channel 4, Tuesday 10pm
The seventh series of life upon the Chatsworth estate, and everything’s pretty much as usual — violence, drinking, sex, and the occasional bit of romance. The latter is provided by Pauline McLynn, whose librarian with a passion for the Byronic begins a whirlwind romance with David Threlfall’s Frank Gallagher.

Mad Men BBC4, Wednesday 10pm & 10.45pm
The most stylish show on the box returns for a third season. It’s now 1963 and the takeover of Sterling Cooper is complete. Don is back with his wife Betty, but his eye is still wandering — as is closeted gay Sal, who finds himself attracted to a young hotel worker…

Only Stwpd Cowz Txt N Drive, BBC3, Monday 8.30pm
This half-hour drama, made in association with Gwent police, received lots of press coverage when first released on the internet. It’s an uncompromising depiction of the potential consequences of taking your eyes off the road while texting on your mobile. Slow-motion special effects add to the goriness.

Glee E4, Monday 9pm
The third episode of the musical sitcom sees teacher Will setup an all-male a capella group, the Acafellas (and you thought Only Men Aloud! was a naff name for a male choir). While his attention is elsewhere, the new glee club members, led by the treacherous Quinn, enlist a fierce new choreographer. Meanwhile, Mercedes has a cruch on male soprano Kurt, but his attentions lie elsewhere… Guest stars in this episode include Josh Groban sending up his own persona something rotten, plus Broadway legends Victor Garber and Debra Monk make an appearance as Will’s parents.

• View a video preview of this week’s episode

National Television Awards ITV1, Wednesday 7.30pm
New host (Dermot O’Leary replacing Sir Trevor Macdonald), new venue (the O2 Arena instead of the Royal Albert Hall), new time of year — same good old populist appraach to awards. There may not be any surprises on the scale of the last ceremony’s live link-up to the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon in which David Tennant made the formal announcement that he was leaving Doctor Who, but chances are he’ll grab the show’s only non-soap acting gong. It’s followed by a “backstage” programme on ITV2, which if similar events are anything to go by will prove to be car-crash telly.

Leverage Bravo, Wednesday 9pm
A set of con-artists do their thing in a slickly-shot, entertaining drama. Yes, it’s American television’s answer to Hustle, and none the worse for that.

Mock the Week BBC2, Thursday 9pm
A new series of the topical comedy panel show returns, with Frankie Boyle’s seat now vacated to make way for another guest panellist. Disappointingly, the first programme maintains the bloke-iness of previous runs, with an all-male guest roster of Milton Jones, Patrick Kielty and Mark Watson.

* Rab C Nesbitt* BBC2, Thusrday 9.30pm
Gregor Fisher and Elaine C Smith return as Rab and Mary, in a long-awaited ninth series of the Govan-set sitcom.

Bellamy’s People BBC2, Thursday 10pm
When Radio 4 comedy Down the Line first started, several people failed to recognise that it was a spoof of the type of phone-in that dogs the airwaves. Rhys Thomas’s Gary Bellamy, the bland host of the radio show, transitions to television to front the sort of meandering documentary that deserves the same sort of pillorying. A host of familiar comedy faces (Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Lucy Montgomery and more) portray the people Bellamy meets, with varying degrees of success. It doesn’t have the subtlety of, say, People Like Us, which lampooned a very different style of documentary, but it’s very funny nonetheless.

Popstar to Operastar ITV1, Friday 9pm
A variety of popstars are trained to sing in a classical style, mentored by mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins and tenor Rolando Villazon, and then have to perform in front of critics Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen and Meat Loaf. The show is presented by Myleene Klass (what isn’t these days?) and Alan Titchmarsh. The whole thing sounds like one of those weird dreams you occasionally have after eating too much cheese. But no, it is all too true. Contestants include Blur’s Alex James, Bernie Nolan, McFly’s Danny Jones, Darius from Pop Idol, Jimmy Osmond, Kym Marsh, Marcella Detroit and the Saturdays’ Vanessa White.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross BBC1, Friday 10.35pm
A new series, the first after Ross announced he would not be seeking to renew his controversial BBC contract, with guests including Ray Winstone, So You Think You Can Dance judge Arlene Phillips and Catherine Tate. Speculation is still rife over who may take over this slot once Ross’s time is up. It sounds as if NBC’s Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien may be free, as former host Jay Leno is rumoured to be returning to his old slot (in response, O’Brien has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with NBC). Conan the Beebarian, anyone?

So You Think You Can Dance BBC1, Saturday 6.30pm & 8.20pm
It’s never going to be the glitziest show around — the same people who criticised last week’s show for not having the flair of the US parent’s show would then complain the BBC was spending too much on shiny floor shows — but it’s fun. And I still can’t help flicking back to watch Tommy and Charlie’s hip hop routine from last week’s show

• Follow all the latest SYTYCD comment on my live tweets on Saturday and read all TV Today’s posts at http://thestage.co.uk/soyouthink

Casualty BBC1, Saturday 8.50pm
Poor Jessica’s still in her coma after the car crash into the icy lake that meant she lost her baby. Tonight’s episode is a flashback-filled show that’s full of eerie moments (we’re in Jessica’s head, in a Life on Mars kind of way). Nice to see that telly’s most formulaic drama can still try something different.

Glee Channel 4, Sunday 5.35pm
A musical comedy drama that’s better than those three words alone can imply. The double bill that aired on Monday on E4 start a regular ‘terrestrial’ run, and will be repeated again next Saturday in case you miss it. Watch out for Golden Globe-nominated Jane Lynch as cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester stealing every scene she’s in — but in my view, the far more villainous character is Jessalyn Gilsig’s Terri, wife of Glee Club teacher Will Schuester.

• Watch preview clips of Episode 1, Pilot and Episode 2, Showmance
• Watch a preview clip of Episode 3, Acafellas

Law & Order: UK ITV1, Monday 9pm
Touted as a second series, this is actually the last six episodes of what would originally have been a 13-part first series (a further 13 episodes have already been commissioned). The structure remains the same: we follow a crime from first police investigation to trial, which usually means that Bradley Walsh’s compellingly watchable detective, Ronnie Brooks, never gets enough screen time. Tonight, the death of a young gay police officer raises the possibility that a homophobic faction within the police could be prosecuted.

Glee E4, Monday 9pm
A double bill to kick off one of the most exciting US series to hit our shores in years. Hence why we’ve been going on about it quite a bit recently. Cracking musical numbers, great one-liners and some sweet romantic storylines are all overshadows by Golden Globe-nominated Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, the cheerleading coach for whom glee club is a threat to her own dominance of the school.

• Watch our video previews of episodes 1 and 2

Survivors BBC1, Tuesday 9pm
Picking up from where the first series left off, Abby (Julia Graham) is still abducted by mysterious people who want to know how she recovered from the virus, Greg (Paterson Joseph) is still shot, and I’m still yawning and wondering why this series got recommissioned.

American Idol ITV2, Wednesday 7.30pm
You know the format by now: a few great singers and lots of awful ones audition, they get whittled down to a few moderately good ones and then the live shows demonstrate that they each have limited potential. With Paula Abdul surrendering her judge’s seat, this year Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson will be joined by a succession of guest judges, including comedian, talk show host and all-round good egg Ellen DeGeneres.

Emmerdale ITV1, Thursday 7pm & 8pm
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the small village of Emmerdale was rocked by a murder mystery whodunnit, with Tom King defenestrated and seemingly the whole village under suspicion. But it’s about to get another one, as Mark Wylde (Maxwell Caulfield) is the latest to make an exit by body bag. With such a high mortality rate, one almost espects Inspector Barnaby to move up to the Dales from his Midsomer home…

Material Girl BBC1, Thursday 8pm
Think Hotel Babylon but in the fashion industry instead of the hotel trade. That’s pretty much what you get here, with another series based on a book by Imogen Edwards-Jones. Light, frothy stuff that makes you yearn for the next season of Ugly Betty, which does comedy and melodrama much better.

The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen BBC4, Friday 7.30pm
It’s a repeat, but a goodie - a 1995 look at the 1960s telefantasy powerhouse that was Irwin Allen. With Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Allen’s primary-coloured fantasy series dominated American television, and with feature films The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, he pretty much defined the disaster movie genre as well.

Dancing on Ice ITV1, Friday 9pm, Sunday 6.45pm & 9.30pm
ITV’s celebs-with-professionals dance show returns for a new series, starting with a preview show tonight before the live shows commence on Sunday night. The tabloids have been cock-a-hoop that uber-vocal divorcee Heather Mills (an alumna of the US’s version of Strictly, Dancing With the Stars) is on this year’s show: personally, TV Today is getting behind Emmerdale and stage musical actress Hayley Tamaddon, partnered with series 1 winner Daniel Whiston.

Blades of Glory BBC1, Friday 10.45pm
We don’t normally mention Hollywood films here, but whoever scheduled this Will Ferrell/Jon Heder ice dance comedy on the night that Dancing on Ice returns deserves a pat on the back.

The Good Life G.O.L.D., Saturday from 9.35am
The entire first series shown back-to-back on UKTV’s comedy channel. It’s like a box set of classic comedy, interspersed with regular pleas to turn your gold to cash.

So You Think You Can Dance BBC1, Saturday 7pm & 9.45pm
And so the dancing — the proper kind, done by professionals on stages rather than ice rinks — begins. Fourteen young professionals compete for the title. Allocated into pairs by the judges, this week and next the public will vote for their favourite couple, and out of the three lowest scoring couples, one boy and one girl (not necessarily from the same couple) will be sent home by the judges. On the panel, Nigel Lythgoe, Arlene Phillips and Louise Redknapp.

We’ll be reviewing each episode at thestage.co.uk/soyouthink. If you’re on Twitter, keep an eye out for posts including the hashtag #SYTYCD (I’ll probably be commenting live as @scottm).

Harry Hill’s the Best of TV Burp ITV1, Saturday 7pm
For those not watching SYTYCD, here’s a chance to catch up with why Harry Hill was won British Comedy Awards, BAFTA Television Awards, and in our New Year issue was declared one of the top 20 people in UK broadcasting. Of course, if you want to watch SYTYCD, TV Burp is repeated six times on ITV1 and ITV2 over the course of the week. You see? Not only is he extremely funny, he’s also good value.

Heroes BBC2, Saturday 10.10pm
A double bill of the first episodes of season four. By all accounts it’s a good opening — including the introduction a mysterious new carnival populated by superhero types — but after the last two seasons have both seen great setups let down pretty quickly by subsequent episodes being deathly dull, I’m not holding out much hope.

Lark Rise to Candleford BBC1, Sunday 8pm
Bill Gallagher’s charming period drama returns, with the two villages still as divided by class as they are by distance. This week, a messenger brings news that Emma Timmins (Claudie Blakley) may have come into some money, but daughter Laura (Olivia Hallinan) is more taken with the messenger himself. Well, he is played by Ben Aldridge, so one can see the appeal. But he’s a journalist, so there’s bound to be something nefarious afoot.

Wallander BBC1, Sunday 9pm
Bleak landscapes. Hushed tones. Miserable police officers. Perfect television.

Being Human BBC3, Sunday 9.30pm
BBC3’s best drama by miles for years returns for a second series. Russell Tovey’s werewolf, George, is wracked with guilt for having infected his girlfriend, while elsewhere the effects of his killing of head vampire Herrick at the end of last series have seen turmoil in the vampire world. Paul Rhys and Amy Manson join the regular cast as a couple of vampires eager to take advantage of the power vacuum caused by Herrick’s death; Aidan Turner and Lenora Critchlow remain as excellent as ever as reformed vampire Mitchell and ghost Annie. Unmissable.

Missing BBC1, Monday-Friday 2.15pm
A welcome repeat for last year’s daytime series starring Pauline Quirke as a detective in charge of a Dover-based missing persons unit. This week’s repeat run should whet the appetite for the forthcoming second series, which has been bumped up to ten episodes in length.

Hustle BBC1, Monday 9pm
The comedy drama returns for a sixth series, with the grifters out to con a banker who has recently been hit by a very public pensions scandal. But they also have a new DCI to evade. Lucy Britford (Indira Varma) has a 95% conviction rate and is all too aware of what Mickey and the team are up to.

Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia ITV1, Monday-Wednesday 9pm
Lynda La Plante adapts the second of her Anna Travis books into a three-part crime drama for ITV1. Kelly Reilly and Ciaran Hinds are reunited as DC Travis and DCI James Langton. In modern day London, a copycat killer recreates the notorious Black Dahlia murder that scandalised 1940s Hollywood.

Nurse Jackie BBC2, Monday-Friday 10pm
In their wisdom, BBC2 has decided to show this latest quality import stripped across the entire week, which I’m not sure does it justice. Edie Falco (The Sopranos) plays Jackie Peyton, a nurse in a busy New York emergency room who is addicted to prescription painkillers and has only a passing acquaintance with ethical practices. It’s a bleak comedy that has been making impressive waves in the US and should hopefully do the same here.

Silent Witness BBC1, Thursday 9pm
An incomprehensible thirteenth series for the pathology drama starring Emilia Fox, Tom Ward and William Gaminara. I’ve never managed to get back into this show since Amanada Burton left — will this series be the one to do it?

If David Tennant isn’t your cup of tea, then the BBC isn’t going to be for you over Christmas. He departs his role as the Doctor over two Doctor Who specials (BBC1, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). John Simm returns as the Doctor’s nemesis, the Master, more unhinged and dangerous than ever. With supporting characters played by Bernard Cribbins and Catherine Tate also returning, it’s likely to be the highest-rated drama of the season.

Tennant-mania continues with a specially filmed adaptation of the RSC’s Hamlet (BBC2, Boxing Day), with the actor reprising his role as the Prince of Denmark and the rest of Gregory Doran’s lavishly praised cast, including Patrick Stewart as Claudius and Penny Downie as Gertrude, also returning. In addition, Tennant will be a guest on comedy general knowledge show QI (BBC1, Christmas Eve), joins his former Doctor Who colleague on Catherine Tate: Nan’s Christmas Carol (BBC1, Christmas Day) and can be found reading the CBeebies Bedtime Story (CBeebies, December 21-Christmas Eve). Oh, and he’ll be starring in the BBC1 idents between programmes. There really will be no escaping him. Don’t try finding refuge on radio - he’s more or less taking over there as well.

One way to find sanctuary will be to hop on the ever-encroaching railway that continues to head towards Cranford (BBC1, December 20 and 27). The spinster ladies of the bonnet-clad idyll return for two new episodes penned by Heidi Thomas, with the small community ever more changed as the great iron way brings trouble with it. An already strong cast is joined by Jonathan Pryce, Celia Imrie and Lesley Sharp.

If all the lace and whimsy get a bit much, you may well appreciate the gentle ribbing that the costume drama genre receives in Victoria Wood’s Midlife Christmas (BBC1, Christmas Eve). The comedian’s first TV special for seven years spoofs both Cranford and Lark Rise to Candleford, as well as reuniting us with pretentious actress Bo Beaumont (Julie Walters), still struggling to escape her past as the woman who played Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques.

Elsewhere in the comedy schedules, the final episodes of Gavin & Stacey (BBC1, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) eschew the usual seasonal trappings. Not so another special from The Royle Family (BBC1, Christmas Day), nor the glorious, semi-improvised world of Outnumbered (BBC1, December 27), where the only predictable thing is that the children will gain the upper hand over their exasperated parents.

When it comes to unruly children, there are none more sinister than the two orphans left under the care of a young governess (Michelle Dockery) in The Turn of the Screw (BBC1, December 30). Continuing the tradition of the television Christmas ghost story, Henry James’ novella has been dramatised by Sandy Welch and also stars Sue Johnston and Dan Stevens.

ITV, meanwhile, mainly concentrates on its core strengths over the festive period, with Ant and Dec’s Christmas Show (ITV1, Boxing Day) complementing a range of celebrity light entertainment shows over the festive period. On the drama front, the ongoing series of Poirot adaptations continues with a lavish Appointment with Death (ITV1, Christmas Day), while present-day crime drama Taggart celebrates its 100th episode (ITV1, Christmas Eve).

In previous years, Sky 1 has relied upon big-budget fantasy adaptations for Christmas. This year, its drama offering is lower key, but all the more interesting for it. Ten Minute Tales (Sky 1, from December 21) is a series of ten-minute short films, each of which is completely free of dialogue. With performances from actors of the calibre of Timothy Spall and Bill Nighy and with writers including Coraline author Neil Gaiman, each story promises to be a little gem.

But it’s ITV1 that delivers one of the best dramas of the season. While the BBC remakes yet another sci-fi classic, The Day of the Triffids (BBC1, December 28 and 29), a quick flip of the channel reveals An Englishman in New York (ITV1, December 28). A sequel to 1975’s ground-breaking The Naked Civil Servant, John Hurt reprises his role as Quentin Crisp. Capitalising on his new-found fame after the original film is shown in Britain and America, Crisp moves to New York, where his one-man shows go down a storm.

But it’s when he dismisses the AIDS epidemic as a ‘fad’ that he finds out not only who his friends are, but is forced to reflect on the persona he has built up for himself. It’s a highly moving film that, while unlikely to have the same lasting effect as its predecessor, shows that ITV drama can still deliver powerful moments.

• Square Eyes previews will return in the New Year

Coronation Street (Friday 7.30pm, ITV1)

Blimey, Nigel Havers has been getting about recently, popping up in US drama Brothers and Sisters and in a cracking tale from The Sarah Jane Adventures. In tonight’s Corrie he guests as one half of a glam couple that turns up to the Weatherfield Trader’s Association Christmas party. His other half is played by Rula Lenska, and Audrey is certainly taken with this gorgeous husband and wife team.

In the Spirit of Diaghilev (Friday 7.45pm, BBC4)

Edited highlights from the Sadler’s Wells centenary celebration of the Ballet Russes, complete with rehearsal footage of all the many talents, on stage and behind the scenes, that brought this excellent piece together. God bless you, BBC4.

Heston’s Christmas Feast (Friday 9pm, C4)

Heston conjures up an array of clever Christmas eating for a group of celebrity diners. Wot, no turkey sandwich?

Sherlock Holmes Weekend (from Saturday, 6.55am, ITV3)

What better way to spend a lazy Saturday before Christmas than in the company of arguably the definitive take on Conan Doyle’s great detective? Jeremy Brett is note perfect in a selection of vintage adventures from ITV’s rarely bettered Sherlock Holmes adaptations.

Merlin (Saturday 5.45pm, BBC1)

A stirring finale to what has been a cracking series once it got going. After being freed by Merlin at the end of last week’s episode, The Great Dragon is opening a can of whup ass on Camelot, leading to Arthur and Merlin setting out to find the last of the dragonlords, the only man with the skill to stop the carnage. It’s good stuff, and always pleasing to see a show get a handle on what it’s about.

Strictly Come Dancing - the Final (Saturday 6.35pm/8.40pm BBC1/BBC HD)

It’s the final of what I’ve found to be a thoroughly enjoyable contest this year, despite various moments of controversy across the weeks. Personally, I think the right couples are in the final, with both Ricky and Chris representing the best qualities of Strictly. Ricky Whittle, a genuinely stunning, talented dancer, and Chris, the have-a-go celeb who has improved across the weeks and gathered a strong following. Perhaps it should have been Ricky and Ali in the final based on talent, but when will people learn this is not purely a talent contest? Until the results are based purely on the judges’ vote, then Strictly will always be more popularity contest than talent show.

Cranford (Sunday 9pm, BBC1/BBC HD)

Christmas officially starts for me with this first of two feature length returns to the delightful town of Cranford, inspired by the books of Elizabeth Gaskell. It’s a few years after our first visit to the area, and the railway comes ever closer, bringing with it some new faces. But rest assured, Miss Matty (Judi Dench) is still firmly ensconced at the centre of town life, with able support from a colourful array of memorable characters. Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie and Francesca Annis also return for this very welcome outing for the citizens of Cranford. Delightful.

The Fattest Man in Britain (Sunday 9pm, ITV1)

Caroline Aherne co-writes this enjoyable comedy drama starring Timothy Spall as Georgie Godwin, who literally could be the fattest man in Britain. His agent (a surprisingly good Bobby Ball - yes, really) is charging tourists to come through the door and gawp at this modern day circus sideshow, but is there a challenger to Georgie’s title? Good fun, and Spall, as you’d expect, is marvellous.

Move Like Michael Jackson BBC3, Monday 8.30pm & 9.30pm, Tuesday 9pm, Wednesdqay 10pm
Ahead of next year’s BBC1 Saturday night dance extravaganza So You Think You Can Dance? (which, rest assured, TV Today will be telling you all about nearer the time), BBC3 launches its own, smaller scale, talent show. The prize is the opportunity to perform a dance tribute to MJ at the official tribute concert in 2010. With input from Jackson’s key choreographer Lavelle Smith Jr and a judging panel including casting director Mark Summers, performer Jamelia and Michael’s brother Jermaine Jackson, the series culmniates with a live final this coming Sunday.

Jamie’s Family Christmas Channel 4, from Tuesday 8pm
Pukka Yuletide fare prepared by Jamie Oliver, and with various members of his family helping or hindering. I’m not sure how well stripping five programmes across four days will work for a cookery show, but I suppose it’s better than starting a weekly series back in November.

Glee E4, Tuesday 9pm
Can. Not. Wait. This comedy series from US broadcaster Fox has been taking the American market by storm — and, judging from the numbers of friends who have been downloading episodes from the internet, is going to be just as huge here. Following the fortunes of a high school glee club (think school choirs with the sort of campery of some of the Last Choir Standing numbers turned up to 111) the series combines kick-ass musical arrangements of a wide variety of numbers from different genres with storylines that are both hilarious and moving. If you saw Joe McElderry performing Don’t Stop Believin’ on this weekend’s X Factor and liked the song, you’ll love the arrangement on display here.

This one-off, labelled a ‘sneak peek’, seems to be the pilot episode for the first season. The series proper starts in the New Year, and apparently improves upon the promise seen in this week’s episode.

True Stories: The Last American Freak Show More4, Tuesday 10pm
A controversial documentary about a group of performers with disabilities who wholeheartedly embrace the “freak show” and use their bodies as part of their act. It’s a programme which, while asking all sorts of questions about audiences and their/our attraction to such shows, at least reclaims the notion of “freak” from the exploitative documentary that both Channel 4 and Five have indulged in.

The Royal Variety Performance ITV1, Wednesday 7.30pm
Over fifty years since the RVP was last hosted in Blackpool, this year the show rolled back into town. Hosted by Peter Kay from the Opera House, the bill includes Faryl Smith, Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity and Bette Midler. Read The Stage’s review here.

Buzzcocks - The Doctor Who Special BBC2, Wednesday 10pm
David Tennant would have been good enough as a guest host for Never Mind the Buzzcocks, but everything is stepped up a level as part of the BBC’s ongoing eulogy to the departing Doctor. His Doctor Who co-stars Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) and Bernard Cribbins (Wilfred Mott) are guest panellists, and there’ll be cameos from TARDISes, Daleks, Ood and probably much more.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales BBC4, Thursday 10pm
While Gavin & Stacey continues on BBC1 and showcases Ruth Jones’ skills in writing and delivering deadpan comedy, here Jones displays a much different side to her acting talents. Inspired by Dylan Thomas’s short story but set in the 1980s, Jones stars with Mark Lewis-Jones as the parents who host the extended family’s Christmas celebrations in their Welsh terraced house.

Mister Eleven (Friday 9pm, ITV1)

Despite the usual likable performance from Michelle Ryan, this damp squib of a romantic comedy drama isn’t really worth the time of day. It’s based on a shaky premise, with Ryan’s numbers obsessed brainiac holding out to marry her eleventh sexual partner as that’s what the statistics say will be her optimum partner. Er, what? Amazing she got to her eleventh partner with a hang up like that, as most men would probably run away screaming. That being said, put this against Big Top and it looks like a Poliakoff epic.

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (Friday 10.35pm, BBC1)

As Sir Terry of Wogan begins his final days in the chair of the most coveted slot on radio, Ross should, we hope, give due reverence to this genius of the radio genre in tonight’s interview. Hopefully Sir Tel will be able to run rings round JR if he starts playing up.

Cheryl Cole’s Night In (Saturday 6.30pm, ITV1)

A night in with Cheryl Cole you say? How could we possibly resist? Without the protection of her fellow Girls Aloud or The X Factor hoopla, will she be a LE natural? Bet now!

The X Factor (Saturday 7.30pm, ITV1)

It’s summat about a final (although we don’t get the results until tomorrow). This year’s competition has passed me by, but as I have Joe in the office sweep, I’m firmly behind a performer I haven’t heard croon one single note. Go Joe!

The British Comedy Awards (Saturday 9.30pm, ITV1)

Jonathan Ross is back at the helm for this year’s awards, but I can’t really get much enthusiasm going, to be honest. Do we honestly care any more? Although, I fully expect Big Top to make a good showing in next year’s nominations.

The Thick of It (Saturday 10.10pm, BBC2/BBC HD)

This brilliant, brilliant series comes to an end this evening, and it’s all change at the centre of British politics as Malcolm Tucker has dramatically spun himself on to the dole queue. As Nicola waits for Malcolm to jump out of filing cabinets, the sweary spin-meister may not be as finished as it looked last week. And there is another appearance from the magnificent David Haig as Steve Fleming, giving a performance that is to die for. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ve seen of The Thick of It.

Sports Personality of the Year (Sunday 7pm, BBC1)

It’s a TV staple at this time of year, and is a decent alternative if you’re not into the singing shenanigans on ITV.

The X Factor Final (Sunday 7.30pm, ITV1)

Will I be 10 quid richer come Monday morning? It’s all up to Joe!

Small Island (Sunday 9pm, BBC1/BBC HD)

Concluding part of this excellent adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel. Britain in the post war years is as challenging as ever for the characters whose lives entwine at various points. Gilbert and Hortense find that Britain still isn’t the welcoming home they were promised, and Queenie comes face to face with the past, which has some far-reaching consequences.

Miranda BBC2, Monday 8.30pm
One of the best things about Miranda Hart’s sitcom is her old schoolfriend Tilly, played by the inestimable Sally Phillips. This week, she tries to fix up her old mate mate “Kongers” with a blind date, “Dreamboat Charlie” (Adrain Scarborough). When that doesn’t work, she has to suffer the indignity of her mother setting her up. At a Pride and Prejudice-themed party…

Mouth to Mouth: Rakim BBC3, Monday 9pm
Mouth to Mouth: Faith BBC3, Monday 9.30pm
This superb series of comedy monologues concludes with the characters who started out as the butt of the joke and the mysterious name on the mobile respectively, but have gradually grown into the centre of Karl Minns’ intricately plotted love hexagon. The understated nature of this comedy is so different to BBC3’s normal output that it seems to have gone under most people’s radar: thankfully, the previous episodes with Meeshell, Tyler, Luke and Devine are still available on iPlayer for another 7 days. Thanks to the overlapping nature of each storyline, you can almost start watching with any episode — but do catch all six.

Bennett on Bennett BBC4, Monday 10pm
This series of ten-minute monologues by Alan Bennett, on the subject of his own life, started yesterday, and continues throughout the week until Thursday. Each is followed by an episode of the classic Talking Heads series (which are not available on iPlayer).

Robson Green’s Wild Swimming Adventure ITV1, Tuesday 9pm
I’ll have to admit, seeing Robson Green stripped down to either trunks or a wetsuit doesn’t do much for me. But in terms of emotion, this tale of his attempt to swim from Northumberland to Holy Island is the sort of documentary that’s as much about the emotional journey as it is the physical and geographical — and there are few actors who can take you with them in such a gripping way.

Paradox BBC1, Tuesday 9pm
“Dear the past. We have foreseen a future where BBC1 drama commissions a drama containing the sort of time-changing premise that US shows such as FlashForward and Lost have done successfully. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stop such a show being commissioned. And if you can’t do that, muck about with the scripts so much that they become so silly that nobody wastes their time watching it. Lots of love, the future.”

Russell Brand: Skinned Channel 4, Tuesday 10pm
After a certain pre-recorded Radio 2 programme generated a record amount of complaints after being eviscerated by the Daily Mail, Russell Brand jumped before he could be pushed and has been fairly quiet on British television screens since. This hour-long programme could spell the start of his rehabilitation, mixing elements of his live stand-up routine with some behind-the-scenes footage and, more importantly, a revealing interview with Frank Skinner.

Spooks BBC1, Wednesday 9pm
Of all of last year’s series of Spooks, which focussed on a threat from the Russians, it was the episode set on a bank trading floor that I was least looking forward to — and ended up must enjoying. Here’s hoping that tonight’s, which sees the team fighting to retrieve over a billion pounds from a dodgy bank, pulls off the same trick.

Gavin & Stacey BBC1, Thursday 9pm
Oh. Smithy. What’s occurring? He’s got a text from Nessa after they ended up in bed together (again) at the end of the previous episode, and it’s freaking him out. And that threatens the big lads’ get-together that Gavin is organising in Barry for all of his Essex mates. As with previous series, James Corden and Ruth Jones give the most interesting storyline to their own characters, but it’s all part of a tremendous whole that will be a real wrench when it leaves our screens for good on New Year’s Day.

Wonderland: Alzheimer’s the Musical BBC1, Thursday 9.50pm
Hilda has lost the ability to recognise even those closest to her, including Ted, her loving husband of fifty years. But one thing she can still remember is the tune to Doris Day’s Que Sera, Sera. This documentary follows the Bristol branch of Singing for the Brain, which enables people with Alzheimer’s and their spouses to reconnect, however briefly, through the medium of song.

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! The Final (Friday 8.30pm, ITV1)

If you can really be bothered (assuming you don’t have a library book to take back or something more interesting to do) then you can see whichever of the barrel scraped “celebs” has lasted the course to be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll get charged a late fee if I don’t get this book back to the library.

Beautiful People (Friday 10.00pm, BBC2)

I fear that the second series of this charming comedy has been overlooked somewhat, which is a shame as it’s so good. This week there’s a holiday in the offing for Simon’s family, but as always, it never quite seems to work out. When guff like Big Top gets commissioned, we can be thankful there’s still room on TV for quality fare like this.

The History Boys (Friday 11.35pm, BBC2)

Perhaps lacking the vibrancy that characterised the stage version, Nicholas Hytner’s take on the Alan Bennett play he directed at the National is still hugely enjoyable in its cinematic form. The tale of a group of Yorkshire schoolboys being prepared for their Oxbridge entrance exam is blessed of a wonderful script (as you’d expect from Bennett) and engaging performances from the original stage cast, including Richard Griffiths. Good stuff.

Strictly Come Dancing (Saturday 6.40pm, BBC1/BBCHD)

Bette Midler will perform on the results show at 9.40pm, but first up, the main Strictly show sees some changes, as Darcey Bussell is welcomed onto the judging panel for the last few weeks. Not quite sure why this is happening, but it should mix things up a bit as we hit the final stages of the competition. As for who’s going to win, it might be too early to call even now, but I’m looking at Chris Hollins as a cheeky outside bet.

Being Alan Bennett (Saturday 9.30pm, BBC2)

As you’d expect, any hour spent in the company of Alan Bennett is a delight from start to finish. This profile of the writer forms part of BBC2 and BBC4’s Bennett season (which sees a repeat of all the Talking Heads monologues) and is one of this weekend’s must-see programmes.

The Thick of It (Saturday 10.30pm, BBC2)

Malcolm Tucker is confronted by his bete noir tonight, the oft-mentioned, never seen Steve Fleming, favoured spinner of the PM. It’s likely to be an explosive encounter, and with David Haig playing Fleming, we can expect some truly spectacular fireworks when he and Malcolm get to it. Elsewhere, Nicola has a new healthy eating campaign underway, which brings problems of its own.

Small Island (Sunday 9.00pm, BBC1/BBC HD)

Highly effective adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel chronicling the social change taking place in Britain in the 1940s as the first Caribbean immigrants arrived in the country. Naomi Harris is teacher Hortense, unable to find work in her chosen profession on in Britain, while her husband Gilbert (David Oyelowo) is forced to take menial jobs. Their lives entwine with a variety of other characters to form a brilliantly told, sometimes shocking narrative. Part Two is next Sunday.