Horrible, unseasonal weather… time to curl up under the rug and see what’s on the box, and there are some real genuinely fine goodies this weekend – including the finale of best police thriller ever (ARGUABLE) and best documentary ever (UNARGUABLE)!
See what you think...
Friday
Episodes - 10pm, BBC2
I’ve watched three episodes now, and I have to say I’m loving this second series. Lots of escapist LA warmth, but enough of an English raised eyebrow at the whole nonsensical luxury around, particularly from Stephen Mangan, to keep us Brits engaged. Tonight, even the defiantly unimpressed Mangan has a hard task of staying true to his principles, and resisting the rich trappings that Matt LeBlanc, as Matt LeBlanc, offers in the hope of restoring their friendship after accidentally sleeping with his friend’s wife. Would you let it drop for a car, and not just any old car?
The Graham Norton Show - 10.35pm, BBC1
The affable Irishman scores another big hit tonight with his lineup – Gary Barlow and Will Smith. Gary’s obviously l‘homme du jour judging by his two current bosses, Simon Cowell and the Queen, and Will Smith, here to promote Men in Black 3 (YOU CAN READ OUR REVIEW HERE) wouldn’t be an unwelcome name on anyone’s dinner list. Tonight, they provide more than the sum of the parts, too, with Barlow performing Will’s Fresh Prince tune, and Will coming to the party with a dusted-off, word-perfect rap. Is there ANYTHING he can’t do?
Saturday
The Voice - 6.30pm, BBC1
What will we do without BGT? Wait and see if The Voice can raise its game, that’s what. This week sees Danny and Jessie’s team reduced by half each, with a strangely speeded up elimination process. It’s worth watching just to see if Sir Tom cries again – apparently he has to mop up every week.
The Bridge - 9pm, 10pm, BBC4
The final two episodes tonight bring to an end what has yet again raised the bar for Scandi-crime. All that ‘truth terrorist’ business sounded too good to be true, and so it was. Unsurprisingly, the serial murders have turned out to be the work of a rogue cop on a revenge mission, and he’s not finished yet. But who is it? The police chief's looking a bit trigger-happy all of a sudden, but I'd say to keep your eye on Sebastian, Mitte’s Johnny-come-lately romancer, surely? Forget BGT, this is the void I’m worried about filling.
Sunday
Chelsea Flower Show - 5pm, BBC1
Perfectly timed aspirational viewing for a Sunday night, inspiring all viewers to get going with the secateurs, if only the weather wasn’t so awful. Judging Day is Monday, so this is our chance to get a good look at what’s being put in front of them, and make up our own minds whether we prefer studied wilderness or a bit of boutique box. Horticultural heaven.
Channel 4 Comedy Gala - 9pm, Channel 4
Comedic talent, and for a very good cause - what’s not to like? Jonathan Ross, Michael McIntyre, Jo Brand, Alan Carr, Keith Lemon and much company crack the gags in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Something for everyone in this mixed bag, hopefully?
Man on Wire - 10pm, BBC2
Here we have a) a singularly breath-taking feat of courage, discipline and concentration, b) cameras that captured the event at the time, and c) the good luck to have the man himself still around and happy to chuckle away and explain why he did what he did. The result of this fortunate combination is, to my mind, the best documentary ever made. In brief, in August 1974, Frenchman Philippe Petit took a tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. AT THE TOP. The film made 34 years later is by turn suspenseful, revelatory and poetic. I can’t say enough. If you only watch one thing this weekend, etc, etc.
