The Control Room
Sunday, BBC One, 9pm
Gabe is an operator who handles emergency calls. One day he receives a call from a woman who seems to be claiming to have killed someone. Then it gets chilling, as the woman appears to know Gabe personally. He must try to work out who this woman is, and must also make some very difficult decisions in this Glasgow-set thriller, shown over three consecutive nights, starring Iain De Caestecker, Joanna Vanderham, Sharon Rooney and Daniel Portman. Will everything be as it seems? It would seem not.
Maryland
Wednesday, BBC Two, 10.05pm
Zawe Ashton and Hayley Squires play two women named Mary in this one-off short drama, adapted from Lucy Kirkwood’s play, which was written in response to the real-life violence women experience every day. These two women share more than a name — they have both been subjected to a sexual assault, and when they meet at a police station following their attacks, the scene is set for a hard-hitting examination of how violence against women has been normalised in society.
Big Oil vs the World
Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm
This explosive three-part documentary lays bare the lies told by the oil industry in order to conceal the true extent of climate change and play down the threat of climate catastrophe caused by the uncontrolled burning of the earth’s natural resources. The series outlines how big oil manipulated scientists, politicians and the public to accept a false narrative about the causes of climate change, and to delay action being taken on reducing dependence on fossil fuels. The makers of the documentary show how the industry mounted a decades-long campaign of denial, spending millions to sow doubt about the scientific evidence and block climate legislation at every turn. Of course, there’s nothing surprising here — what’s shocking is just how the oil industry’s cover-up has permeated all strata of society — right up to the highest corridors of power.
FBI, FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International
Thursday, Sky Witness and Now, 9pm/10pm; Friday 22nd, Sky Witness and Now, 9pm
Time was when every crime drama on Sky began with the letters CSI, whether it was CSI: Miami, CSI: Boise, Idaho, or even CSI: Ballina. These days the letters CSI have been replaced by FBI, and Sky has triple treat for fans of the series made by the folks behind Law & Order, with not just season four of FBI, but also season three of FBI: Most Wanted and the first season of a brand new series, FBI: International. All three series start with a special three-part “crossover event”, starting with FBI, in which a young woman dies in suspicious circumstances following a yacht party, continuing with FBI: Most Wanted, in which the team hunt a notorious fugitive, and finishing with FBI: International, in which the team in Budapest takes up the baton.
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Jane Austen’s Sanditon
Friday, ITV, 9pm
Trends come and go, but the appeal of a good old costume drama never seems to wane, and everyone’s portable telephonic device is all a-twitter with news of the latest goings-on in Downton Abbey or Bridgerton. Just last week, Netflix released a film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, starring Dakota Fanning, and if that whets your appetite for more Austen, here’s series two of Sanditon, based on Austen’s unfinished final novel, which picks up the social action nine months later, as Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) moves back to Sanditon and is joined by her feisty younger sister, Alison (Rosie Graham). We’re promised new romances, new scandals and new challenges — one thing is certain: the wardrobe department will be very, very busy.
