Monday 4 May 2015

TV Picks: 4-10 May 2015 – BAFTA • Bugsplat! • Charlie Brooker's Election Wipe • Murder in Successville • Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment • No Offence • Penny Dreadful • The Vote

Monday 4 May 2015

Below are my picks of the most notable new shows, returning or premiering on UK screens over the next 7 days...

EARLY SPRING BANK HOLIDAY
Don't Get Done, Get Dom (BBC1, 10.45pm) Series 9 of the consumer help series. Hosted by Dominic Littlewood. (1/20)
Oxford Street Revealed (BBC1, 11.30pm) New observational documentary series about the London thoroughfare. (1/10)
VE Day: Remembering Victory (BBC1, 8.30pm) Documentary about the end of WWII, announced 70 years ago. Narrated by Julie Walters. Contributors include David Attenborough, Honor Blackman, Jilly Cooper, Michael Parkinson, John Craven, Esther Rantzen, Patrick Stewart, Anne Reid, Una Stubbs, and others.
The Stranger on the Bridge (Channel 4, 9pm) Documentary about the true-life story from 2008, about a Good Samaritan known as "Mike" who helped persuade a suicidal man not to jump off Waterloo Bridge, and was tracked down six months later via a social-media campaign.
Handmade (BBC4, 9pm) Documentary examining the crafting of handmade objects, filmed in real-time without voiceover or music. (1/3)

TUESDAY 5th
Inside the Factory: How Our Favourite Foods are Made (BBC2, 8pm) New series looking at the production of three stapled of the nation's diet, beginning with bread. Presented by Gregg Wallace & Cherry Healey. (1/3)
No Offence (Channel 4, 9pm) New comedy-drama series about an unorthodox team of cops. Starring Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy, Alexandra Roach, Will Mellor, Colin Salmon & Paul Ritter. (1/8)
Penny Dreadful (Sky Atlantic, 10pm) Season 2 of the supernatural drama about a team of misfit monster-hunters. Starring Timothy Dalton, Eva Green, Josh Hartnett, Harry Treadaway, Billie Piper, Rory Kinnear & Helen McCrory. (1/10)
Nick Helm's Heavy Entertainment (BBC3, 10.30pm) New comedy variety series, hosted by Nick Helm. (1/6)


WEDNESDAY 6th
Charlie Brooker's Election Wipe (BBC2, 9pm) Satirical special ahead of the General Election tomorrow. Featuring Diane Morgan, Al Campbell, Morgana Robinson, Jake Yapp, Caitriona Knox & Adam Curtis,
Bugsplat! (Channel 4, 10.30pm) New comedy about a group of RAF drone pilots. Starring Vincent Franklin, Fiona Button, Hugh Skinner, Aimee-Ffion Edwards, Lauren O'Neil & Rufus Jones.
Murder in Successville (BBC3, 10.30pm) New structured reality comedy cop drama, half-improvised by a cast that includes Tom Davis, Jamie Laing, Liam Hourican, Jenny Bede, Cariad Lloyd, Tony Way, Harry Peacock & Colin Hoult. (1/6)

THURSDAY 7th
The Vote (More 4, 8.25pm) Televised theatre play set in a fictional London polling station, broadcast live from the Donmar Warehouse theatre. Starring Catherine Tate, Mark Gatiss, Nina Sosanya, Timothy West, Bill Paterson, MyAnna Buring & Fisayo Akinade.
Shark (BBC1, 8.55pm) New wildlife documentary focusing on the notorious underwater predator. Narrated by Paul McGann. (1/3)
Channel 4's Alternative Election Night (Channel 4, 9pm) Live election commentary with a satirical edge, presented by Jeremy Paxman & David Mitchell.

FRIDAY 8th
Britain's Greatest Generation (BBC2, 9pm) New series of stories from the men and women who lived through WWII. (1/4)

SATURDAY 9th
VE Day 70: A Party to Remember (BBC1, 8.30pm) Live concert from the Horse Guards Parade in London to celebrate the 70th anniversary of VE Day. Hosted by Chris Evans, featuring Alexander Armstrong, Alfie Boe, Blue, Chas & Dave, Katherine Jenkins, Collabro, Elaine Paige, Jamelia, Status Quo, Rebecca Ferguson, Pixie Lott, Diversity & Gregory Porter.

SUNDAY 10th
The British Academy Television Awards (BBC1, 8pm) Annual showbiz ceremony, honouring the best of UK TV. Hosted by Graham Norton.

For a look at what the rest of the year's going to bring,