Super Bowl LV – Live
Sunday, BBC1, 11.30pm
It's one of the most-watched global sporting events of the year. The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending champions but the opposing, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have a home advantage – in fact, they are the first team in the event's history to be playing in their own stadium. Mark Chapman presents all the action with analysis from two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora, Jason Bell and Mike Carlson, while the half-time show is headlined by The Weeknd.
Musicals: The Greatest Show
Sunday, BBC1, 7.40pm
Had enough TikTok sea shanties for one lockdown? Then tune in as the Beeb’s biggest stars take a break from Strictly and have a go at singing iconic tunes from classic musicals, in the hallowed halls of the London Palladium, home of a zillion TV variety shows since time immemorial. There’s no grand prize, no elimination rounds, no Simon Cowell telling them that he’s just not feeling it. It’s just the stars singing their favourite showtunes just for the sheer heck of it. Amanda Holden, Sheridan Smith, Nicole Scherzinger and Michael Ball are among the stars wrapping their pipes around well known tunes from Chess, The Greatest Showman, Hamilton, Hairspray, Mamma Mia! and Phantom of the Opera. Me, I think I’m quite ready for a few more sea shanties now.
The Ranganation
Sunday, BBC2, 9pm
There's no doubting Romesh Ranganathan's commitment to this show, in which he tries to find out what the nation is thinking with the help of his trusty focus group. When the pandemic struck last year he hosted it from his garage. For this latest series he's back in a studio but still been joined remotely by 20 outspoken characters who represent a cross-section of modern Britain, as well as a couple of bonus celebrities. In previous editions they examined such crucial issues such as paranormal activity, home-schooling during lockdown, dating apps and whether you should wash your legs in the shower. Once again they will tackle topics from the lighter side of the news (although lighter really is a relative term at the moment.)
Transaltantic Sessions
Sunday, TG4, 9.30pm
Togha agus Rogha brings together the best of Americana and Celtic instrumental and singing talent. Under the music directorship of Nashville’s Jerry Douglas and Shetland fiddle ace Aly Bain, an all-star house band welcomes featured guests to an exclusive Highland location, a world away from the pressures and standard repertoires of the concert stage. Major artists featuring in this episode include Alison Krauss, Sarah Jarosz, Alison Moorer and Rosanne Cash.
Catherine Celebrates Valentine's
Monday, RTÉ One, 7.30pm
Covid isn’t the only thing in the air this weekend as couples get loved up for a very different Valentine’s Day. With restaurants closed, most of us will have to entertain our valentines at home, and Catherine Fulvio is on hand to make sure your dinner doesn’t ruin their appetite for amlur. How about yummy beetroot and goats cheese ravioli with lemon cream sauce and walnuts, followed by grilled Dublin Bay prawns with roasted asparagus? If that doesn’t have them whipping off their mask and licking their lips (and yours) in anticipation, then you might as well just order a takeaway and an early taxi. Fulvio also shows you how to make a dessert to melt the hardest heart: white chocolate strawberry custard cream pots, and a raspberry lemon cocktail and raspberry lime mocktail just to break down any remaining resistance. Fulvio also meets some of Wicklow’s finest Irish artisan producers, who showcase their mouthwatering wares.
Darcey Bussell's Wild Coasts of Scotland
Monday, More4, 9pm
The former ballerina and erstwhile Strictly Come Dancing judge is the latest celeb to be handed their own travelogue, using the experience to scour her own Scottish ancestry. She begins her journey of four parts on the Isle of Skye, which during normal circumstances is a popular tourist destination. There she tries scallops plucked fresh from a local sea loch, has a go at traditional step dancing, and goes wild swimming in honour of her grandfather.
Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles
Monday, Channel 4, 9pm
Channel 4 adds to its already impressive stable of blue-light reality documentaries with this hard-hitting three-part series about officers who adopt undercover online identities in an attempt to lure out people with a sexual or predatory interest in children. It is harrowing work, and as you can expect the documentary doesn't make for easy viewing, though it is a fascinating insight into the lengths the police go to in order to keep children safe. In this first shocking edition, an undercover officer pretends to be a 47-year-old paedophile abusing his 10-year-old daughter, looking for other men to join him.
RTÉ Investigates: Covid 19 – The Third Wave
Tuesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm
The latest RTÉ Investigates takes us into the heart of Tallaght University Hospital, where once again frontline staff face enormous challenges, in the latest surge of Covid-19.
Forensics: The Real CSI
Tuesday, BBC2, 9pm
The fascinating documentary series returns, following crime investigators as they use forensics to get to the truth in complicated cases. In this episode, a man from an affluent Birmingham suburb rings 999 to say he has killed his wife. When he is arrested outside his home, he is covered in blood, but during his initial interview, he claims not to remember anything. So, it's up to crime scene coordinator Jo Ward to lead the search for clues that could establish what happened. Forensic scientist Phil Field goes to the scene to carry out blood-pattern analysis to help create a sequence of events, while the digital experts manage to crack the suspect's mobile, which offers a new insight into a possible motive.
First Dates: Valentine's
Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
It's Valentine's Day at the restaurant and Alexandra, who works as a wedding planner, should know all about romance. However, her own love life hasn't been quite as successful as her clients' – she describes herself as the "Bridget Jones of Northampton". Can Tom, who also works in the wedding industry, be her own Mark Darcy? Meanwhile, retired politician Roger sits down for dinner with fellow jet-setter Jean. Delivery driver Adam admits that people sometimes think he's a bit much, but will fun-loving Charlie think he's just enough?
Imagine: We'll Be Back?
Tuesday, BBC1, 11.45pm
The UK's performing arts industry can usually be relied on to push boundaries and break new ground – even in a pandemic. Here Alan Yentob finds out how the sector has risen to the challenge, from drive-in opera to innovative live-streamed theatre performances on our most iconic stages and urgent new work inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, drawing on footage filmed throughout 2020. But while some shows found a way to go on, Yentob also looks at the grave risks Covid-19 poses to the industry. The companies and venues featured include The Old Vic, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Opera and Alexandra Palace. Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo and Vanessa Redgrave are among the people sharing their views.
Finné
Wednesday, TG4, 9.30pm
It wasn’t until he saw his older brother Willie involved in boxing that Kenneth Egan joined Neilstown boxing club. But the young Kenneth was hooked immediately. In this gripping documentary, Egan recalls his rise from national finals to his silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. In this searingly honest interview, he says that the greatest fight of his career was his battle to come to grips with rising alcohol addiction.
Scéalta Grá na hÉireann: WB Yeats & Maud Gonne
Wednesday, TG4, 8.20pm
Ireland's most famous unrequited love story. Feminist icon and Irish revolutionary Maud Gonne was WB Yeats's great muse and the love of his life, inspiring some of his finest poetry, including No Second Troy ("With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind/ That is not natural in an age like this..."), a prime example of the enduring nature of troubled love stories. Their powerful personalities had a lasting impact on each other and on the history, literature and politics of Ireland.
Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Sandi Toksvig clearly hasn’t upset anybody at Channel 4 by bowing out of presenting The Great British Bake Off. Since announcing her decision to quit, she’s hosted the moving two-part literacy-based programme The Write Offs. Now she’s back with a new series in which she explores some of the UK’s wildest and most remote holiday destinations alongside a variety of extraordinary women. First up is actor Alison Steadman, who joins Toksvig on the Suffolk coast. Among the sights they enjoy are an imposing 19th-century Martello tower that has been turned into a stunning home. They also visit a 5,000-acre wildlife conservation area and tour an 11th-century priory, while Steadman discusses her loves, life and career to date.
The Disappearance of Shannon Matthews
Wednesday, Channel 5, 9pm
The incredible story of Shannon Matthews hit the headlines in 2008; The Moorside, a gripping two-part drama focusing on the case and starring Sheridan Smith and Gemma Whelan, followed in 2017. The tale is being retold, again in two parts, in this fascinating documentary. Shannon was nine when she was reported missing from the Dewsbury, West Yorkshire home she shared with her mother Karen, several of her siblings and her mother's boyfriend Craig Meehan. She was found less than a month later, hidden in a divan in the home of Meehan's uncle, Michael Donovan. It was later revealed that Karen and Donovan had concocted the plot in a bid to claim any reward money available for Shannon's safe return. Here, experts in the case discuss the timeline of events.
Trump Takes on the World
Wednesday, BBC2, 9pm
There was very little about Donald Trump's tenure in the White House that was run-of-the-mill. No matter what you think of him, there's no doubt he shook up the establishment, both in the US and abroad. This three-part documentary offers insights into his approach to foreign policy, with insights from his advisers and opponents. The opening programme focuses on the president's first 18 months in office, during which he fell out with some of his nation's oldest allies and left others reeling.
First Dates Ireland
Thursday, RTÉ2, 9pm
Dating’s a whole different game these days, and the makers of First Dates Ireland have had to move things round a bit to ensure the sixth series can go ahead while ensuring the safety of all participants. So, this season’s crop of hopefuls arriving at the First Dates restaurant will have to stay socially distant, and they’ll have to keep their hands to themselves. And the other diners in the restaurant will be family and friends of the daters, so everyone will be safe in their bubble while romance bubbles up. They can also keep watch and make sure nobody tries any sneaky games of footsie (Nphet would definitely put its foot down on that carry-on).
As usual, maitre d Mateo Saina will be on hand along with master mixologist Ethan Miles, waitress Alice Marr and waiter Pete Ungless. But who are the daters? The first episode features “bubbly” Amy from Dublin, who’s hoping her date is a gas ticket and not a gasbag; Shane from Meath, who has recovered from a traumatic head injury and making his tentative first steps back into the dating scene; and Game of Thrones actor Tim from Tralee, who’s hoping to conquer the heart of painter-decorator Rory.
Piers Morgan's Life Stories
Thursday, ITV, 9pm
Speaking to Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain after recording this edition of the interview show, former TOWIE Gemma Collins said how nervous she was about it airing – because, she says, she has really "spilled the beans on a lot of things that people haven't heard before". Among them will be a fresh insight into her much-publicised on-again off-again relationship with James "Arg" Argent, including the times she had to call emergency services due to his drug use. Collins also reveals last year's painful journey to having children after suffering her third miscarriage, in a cathartic interview that Morgan himself has described as "very emotional ... very inspiring as well".
Stonehenge: The Lost Circle Revealed
Friday, BBC2, 9pm
Alice Roberts is the go-to presenter for archaeological shows these days, so no surprise to find her popping up on this one, during which she’s joined by fellow professor Mike Parker Pearson. They want to know more about a fascinating project designed to unlock some of the mysteries surrounding Stonehenge, which have baffled experts for centuries. The duo meet archaeologists who have been using cutting-edge technology, including innovative 3D scanning techniques, combined with more traditional research methods, to discover where the iconic stones were quarried.
The Graham Norton Show
Friday, BBC1, 10.45pm
Miranda Hart’s sitcom may not be returning for a new run any time soon, but we’re about to get the next best thing. US comedy Call Me Kat has been inspired by the hit show and stars Blossom and The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik in the lead role; she joins Norton to discuss the project tonight. Daniel Kaluuya promotes his new film, biopic Judas and the Black Messiah, which tells the story of Black Panther member Fred Hampton and reunites the actor with his Get Out co-star LaKeith Stanfield. Plus, Sienna Miller talks about surreal drama Wander Darkly. And there’s music from Arlo Parks.
Big Weekends with Gregg Wallace
Friday, Channel 5, 9pm
Gregg Wallace is off on his travels again. Actually, he probably filmed his latest jaunt months, maybe even over a year ago, before coronavirus-related restrictions were enforced. As we're still unaware of a time when we might be able to jet off on holiday again, at least the light-hearted four-part programme gives us a glimpse of the wider world. Wallace begins his jaunt in Barcelona, and he doesn't have to search too hard to find some of the city's artistic highlights – he's surrounded by them in the form of architect Antoni Gaudí's incredible buildings. He also learns about Picasso before attending a street festival and, of course, tasting the local cuisine.
ON DEMAND
The Head
From Sunday, StarzPlay
Setting murder mysteries against the backdrop of frozen wastes is not a new idea, as fans of Nordic noir would no doubt tell you. But few have actually been set in the Antarctic. The Head, then, is a little different right from the off. The tale takes place at an international research station populated by scientists from various countries. When the summer staff return home, leaving behind a skeleton crew to keep things ticking over, a series of grisly murders, beginning with a decapitation, take place. Months of radio silence ensue until spring returns – and that's when the trouble really starts. John Lynch, Alvaro Morte and Katharine O'Donnelly are among the cast in this six-part Spanish/Japanese production.
Soulmates
From Monday, Amazon Prime
Imagine there was a scientific test that could tell you exactly who is the right person for you. No need to swipe endlessly on Tinder: this test will hone in on your soulmate, the one person you were meant to be with, making it pointless to bother looking for anyone else. Would you pop open a bottle of Champagne (the brand that just happens to be both your favourites)? Or would you perhaps feel a bit deflated now that the thrill of the chase and the delicious uncertainty of it all is gone? Hmm, let me sleep on it… This anthology series is set 15 years into the future, when science has unlocked the secrets of mutual attraction (obviously no pandemics taking up scientists’ precious time). But will everyone want to know who their soulmate is? And what if it turned out to be Scarlett Johansson? We need to know.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
From Wednesday, Netflix
Imagine a camera crew arrived at your hotel to make a documentary about the guests who've been murdered or mysteriously disappeared while staying at your premises. You'd either set the dogs on them or welcome the added revenue from the morbidly curious queuing up to take a room. LA's Cecil Hotel has seen its fair share of nefarious deeds over the past 100 years – the notorious serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the Nightstalker, stayed there in 1984 while committing many of his crimes. This four-part documentary focuses on the 2013 disappearance of college student Elisa Lam while staying at the Cecil. CCTV footage of Lam in the hotel's elevator just before she disappeared went viral, sparking a frenzy of amateur sleuthing as would-be detectives around the world tried to solve the mystery.
Red Dot
From Thursday, Netflix
The streaming giant's first Swedish feature film follows the fortunes of a young couple (Anastasios Soulis and Nanna Blondell) struggling to make a go of their ailing marriage. They refocus their efforts after discovering she is pregnant and try to breathe new life into the relationship during a hiking trip to the north of the country. But their supposedly romantic break takes a decidedly nasty turn following an argument with two hunters. On the run in the freezing wilderness with gun-toting, sadistic maniacs on their trail, the couple face a battle to survive – and what's more, the past is also about to catch up with them.
Contributing: PA
