Hannah J Davies

The Guardian’s television recommendations highlight You’re Killing Me, a light murder mystery starring Brooke Shields and Amalia Williamson as an unlikely novelist-podcaster crime-solving duo. Other selections include a Miles Davis concert at the Proms, the tense season finale of Bergerac, concluding episodes of Station Eleven, the emotional sitcom finale of Ann Droid and an uneven but occasionally brilliant episode of Grimsburg. The film choice is Georges Franju’s unsettling 1960 horror Les Yeux Sans Visage, while live sport features Arsenal v Coventry in the Premier League.

The podcast recommendations highlight Matt Baker’s warm celebrity-and-pets interview series, alongside shows about the rise and fall of the Maya civilization, the Luigi Mangione trial, Megan Rapinoe’s discussions with figures challenging social norms, and queer and gender-fluid historical figures. The selections favor accessible, personality-led formats, mixing feel-good entertainment with true crime, activism, sexuality and overlooked history.

The Guardian’s evening television guide recommends a varied lineup, led by Warren’s Vortex, a sci-fi comedy about a father and daughter navigating a time portal, alternate dimensions and murderous refrigerators. Other highlights include Martin and Roman Kemp’s road trip around Ireland, Chris Packham’s Evolution finale about the development of horses, emotional family-reunion stories on Long Lost Family, Celebrity Hunted’s escape challenge, Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives, and live coverage of the European Athletics Championships.

Eric Goode’s Monsters of God examines the feud between rival reptile traders Hank Molt and Tommy Crutchfield, alongside the wider illegal wildlife trade and its global supply chains. The documentary is praised for its bizarre characters, gripping opening episode and conservation focus, including the near-extinction of Malaysia’s ploughshare tortoise, but criticized for losing narrative momentum across its five episodes and indulging too many tangents. The review concludes that it is entertaining but would have worked better as a two-part series.

The evening television guide highlights a Sky Documentaries investigation into the 2018 Salisbury poisoning, using testimony from journalist Emma Volney, Theresa May, intelligence officials and counterterrorism leaders to recount the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Other recommendations include the medical comedy Best Medicine, a dramatic Survivor Australia campfire confrontation, Joe Wilkinson and David Earl’s sitcom-location tour, the continuing vampire drama Interview with the Vampire, and a documentary about Izabel Rose’s ketamine addiction and arrest in Japan. The film selection includes Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, while live coverage features The Hundred cricket.

The week’s podcast recommendations include Fern Brady and Alison Spittle’s chaotic comedy chat show Ignore That Feeling; Joe Bloom’s relaunch of A View from a Bridge, featuring David Byrne alongside ordinary callers; the surreal comedian-led Skinwigs; Karel Prince’s Lie Detector quiz featuring Brian McClair; and Dane Stewart’s intimate Resurrection: The Ghost Writer, which explores his grandmother’s death, caregiving and grief through the writing of Joel Redon.

The Guardian recommends an evening television lineup led by the UK terrestrial return of Ramy, praising Ramy Youssef’s flawed Muslim American comedy drama and a particularly disastrous Tinder-date episode. Other selections include Elgar performances at the Proms, the third season of Granite Harbour, a Station Eleven episode exploring the origins of its graphic novel, the touching comedy Ann Droid, and the adult cartoon Grimsburg. The film recommendation is Ben Wheatley’s Normal, a Bob Odenkirk thriller combining slapstick gunplay with deadpan crime drama.

The television guide highlights the return of Tinie Tempah’s Extraordinary Extensions, featuring lavish renovations in London and an eco-focused Norfolk cottage project. Other recommendations include Ken Burns’s account of an early American road trip, a Deal or No Deal compilation, hospital and crime documentaries, and a Katie Price programme featuring her children. Film picks include The Devil Wears Prada 2, praised as an entertaining but familiar sequel, and Primate, a violent horror film about a sign-language-using chimp turned into a killer.

BBC Three’s Shabaz Asks: Are Billionaires Bad? is reviewed as a successful parody of the channel’s earnest documentary format. TikToker Shabaz Ali uses deadpan humor and mock naivety to question billionaires, luxury consumption and wealth creation, while interviews with figures including John Caudwell, economist Faiza Shaheen and retailer Emily Abraham give the programme some substantive grounding. The review argues that Ali’s jokes make the absurdity of billionaire wealth compelling, although his personal views increasingly replace the comic persona. The pilot’s future depends on whether it becomes a conventional documentary, a comedy vehicle or a sharper hybrid of both.

Bill Oddie, the comedian, broadcaster and conservationist best known for The Goodies, Springwatch and Autumnwatch, has died aged 85. His agent David Foster praised his intelligence, wit and lifelong commitment to protecting the environment. Oddie rose to fame through comedy before becoming a prominent wildlife presenter, author and campaigner, including opposing badger culls with the RSPCA. He also spoke publicly about depression, bipolar disorder and a serious episode of lithium toxicity. He is survived by his wife Laura and daughters Rosie, Kate and Bonnie.

The Guardian recommends five podcasts for the week. Alexander McCall Smith’s The Positive Distraction Podcast uses original short fiction to offer listeners a more optimistic view of the world. Other selections explore London criminals who tried to make a film, a sitcom about a blind young man, grim historical stories, and the investigation of the death of a Gaza soup-kitchen chef despite restrictions on accessing the site. The roundup highlights storytelling, humor, disability representation and the human consequences of the Gaza conflict.

The evening television guide recommends Chris Packham’s Evolution on BBC Two, focusing on the origins of animal digestion and the first anus, alongside documentaries about the Warsaw ghetto and the Holocaust, emergency cases in 24 Hours in A&E, and the worsening power struggle in House of the Dragon. Other highlights include the reality series Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives, featuring influencer Trewley Precious Temple, and a documentary in which Mimi Faust revisits the media controversy surrounding her 2014 sex tape.

The Guardian review argues that The Curse of Love Island appropriately examines the pressures of reality television but oversimplifies the suicides of Sophie Gradon, Mike Thalassitis and Caroline Flack by focusing too heavily on Love Island. Testimony from former contestants, especially Anton Danyluk, highlights manipulation, online trolling, substance use, fame, financial and personal pressures, and inadequate support. The review concludes that the wider problem is the broader culture of overnight fame and social-media exposure, not a singular curse caused by the programme.

The Guardian’s evening television guide highlights Ghosts Australia on BBC Three, praising its new characters and entertaining take on the British sitcom. Other recommendations include Alan Carr’s Picture Slam, a Bonnie Tyler music retrospective, the French World War One drama The Sentinels, The Staircase, and a triple bill of Schitt’s Creek. Film picks are Lurker, about an obsessive relationship between a clothing-store worker and an emerging musician, and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Cannes-winning Monster. The guide also lists live coverage of the Commonwealth Games, the Tour de France and the World Matchplay Darts.

A collection of contributors celebrates television’s happiest endings, focusing largely on comedy and dramedy finales. The selections include career triumph for Midge Maisel, friendship and fulfilment in Detectorists, hope after the Troubles in Derry Girls, renewed purpose in Hacks, romantic reunions in Sex and the City and Gavin and Stacey, and warmly resolved ensemble stories in shows such as 30 Rock, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. Even darker series including Mr Inbetween and The Leftovers are presented as emotionally satisfying through ambiguity, redemption or dark humour.

The Guardian’s television guide highlights the return of The Undeclared War on Channel 4, with Simon Pegg’s GCHQ operations director investigating a suspected mole amid worsening personal and governmental secrets. Other recommendations include The Great British Sewing Bee, Murder 24/7, Faithless and Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop of Antiques. The guide also selects Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book as its film choice and lists live fixtures from The Hundred women’s and men’s cricket competitions.

The Guardian recommends five podcasts and audio series. Buried: Dead Rabbit follows Chris Packham’s investigation into murdered animals dumped outside a Hampshire primary school, uncovering illegal bloodsports and rural organised crime. Other picks include Mystic Mates, a lighthearted exploration of spirituality; Intimacy, Lena Headey’s disturbing audio drama about an intimacy coordinator; Pretty Scary With Clair Buckley, focused on unexplained mysteries and true crime; and Doing It Anyway, Katty Kay’s interview series about self-belief and confidence at work.

The television schedule features a centenary celebration of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry with Carrie Underwood, Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss; a documentary about US border officers; a Beethoven-focused Proms programme; and episodes of The Piano, Love Island and the provocative comedy panel show Unacceptable. The evening’s live sport is the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in New York/New Jersey.

A warm, funny and emotionally rich review of the BBC comedy Ann Droid highlights the show’s blend of silliness, heartfelt themes and fresh perspective on robot caregiving. Diane Morgan’s performance as an awkward yet compassionate robot carer is praised, as is Sue Johnston’s portrayal of a widow navigating loneliness and grief. The series mixes deadpan humor with poignant moments while engaging lightly with real-world questions about AI, elder care and social isolation, creating a distinctive and affectionate comedy.

A roundup of television highlights includes the Swedish drama Faithless, culinary contest Bake Off: The Professionals, the medical comedy Best Medicine, the concluding episode of The Pike County Murders, Canadian police procedural Allegiance, the finale of I Kissed a Girl, and the French thriller Misericordia, along with coverage of cricket and World Cup football.

A selection of new and notable podcasts highlights an experimental audio magazine exploring the threatened lute, a true‑crime investigation narrated by Keith Morrison, a humorous outdoors interview series hosted by Caitlin Moran and Adam Frost, a theoretical exploration of manifestos by Dan Taberski, and a comedic attempt to revive 2000s UK indie music by forming an imagined supergroup.

A selection of evening television highlights includes a Scottish crime drama, a countdown of wealthy TV stars, a documentary examining troubling tech industry ambitions, the return of a piano talent show, a comedy panel debate, a family thriller, and a dark film drama featuring Daniel Day-Lewis and Sean Bean.

A review praising The Sentinels as a confident and original alternate‑history sci‑fi drama centered on a secret First World War program that transforms wounded soldiers into enhanced fighters. The plot follows Gabriel Ferraud’s struggle with the physical and psychological consequences of forced experimentation, alongside parallel storylines involving his wife’s investigation and internal tensions surrounding the project’s origins. While noting some familiar sci‑fi tropes and action sequences that feel game‑like, the piece commends the series’ worldbuilding, thematic depth and refusal to rely on existing franchises, concluding that its ending strongly sets up a second season.

A set of television recommendations highlights the finale of The Traitors US, a rerun of The Marlow Murder Club, Ruth Madeley’s family journey on Who Do You Think You Are?, a portrait of life in coastal Cornwall, a documentary on Greta Garbo, and the conclusion of a crime series examining a contested conviction.

Several TV recommendations highlight a reality series following participants adapting to Amish life, a comedy-drama about a surgeon integrating into small‑town Maine, a reinterpretation of an Ingmar Bergman love‑triangle story, a true‑crime examination of an Ohio family massacre, a double bill of a cancelled BBC gay dating show, and a historical documentary on the final phase of the American Revolution.

Several standout podcasts are highlighted, including a Rolling Stones series chronicling the making of their new album, a mindfulness show from the Getty Museum, an art-focused programme featuring influential creators, a travel-based espionage series, and an NPR and Seattle Times investigation into the unsolved killing of Antonio Mays Jr during 2020 protests.

A new panel show, Unacceptable, has comedians defend contrived controversial opinions, resulting in forced jokes and awkward segments despite a strong cast. Romesh Ranganathan’s exaggerated royalist stance and other performers’ uncomfortable set pieces contribute to a format that fails to generate meaningful comedy. The review argues the show wastes considerable talent and lacks purpose, offering little promise for long-term success.

A roundup of evening television highlights includes Ed Gamble’s new panel show Unacceptable, environmental coverage in Countryfile, a documentary on US border control, and classical performance programming. Additional picks feature country music celebrations, award-nominated shorts, classic films such as Tombstone and Blade Runner, and a slate of live sports including Formula One, cricket, and the World Cup match between Mexico and England.

A roundup of UK television highlights features the return of Schitt’s Creek to BBC platforms following Catherine O’Hara’s death, along with a variety of factual, entertainment and music programming from major broadcasters. Additional picks include royal commentary shows, US travel documentaries, archive-based music specials, Love Island extras, Wimbledon coverage and the film Bugonia. Live sports listings round out the day’s schedule.

A roundup of television highlights includes competitive baking challenges on Bake Off: The Professionals, the US adaptation of Doc Martin, a Canadian police procedural, a true‑crime investigation set in Ohio, a historical account of the American Revolution, and the return of the firefighting drama Fire Country. The film recommendation is The First Wives Club, and live sport features the Women’s ICC World T20 cricket semi‑final.

A roundup of notable new podcasts highlights Nicky Woolf’s investigation into a right‑wing YouTuber’s alleged ties to a Russian front company, conversations about challenges in the hospitality industry, a true‑crime series following the final appeals of a man on death row, a 1990s‑set fraud story involving a teenager posing as Steven Spielberg’s nephew, and a history podcast exploring the foundational role and cultural appropriation of Indigenous peoples in the United States.

Highlights upcoming television programming including the finale of Two Weeks in August, a new royal panel show, a charity quiz special, Alexander Armstrong’s US travelogue, a Glastonbury retrospective and the concluding chapter of a biopic on Evonne Goolagong, along with live Test cricket coverage.

A set of television recommendations highlights Madonna’s return to Koko for a world-exclusive interview with Graham Norton, alongside a documentary on the Battle of the Somme, new episodes of Gardeners’ World and Our Farm Next Door, a celebrity edition of Gogglebox, and the season finale of the medical mockumentary St Denis Medical.

The second and final series of the BBC’s groundbreaking queer dating show I Kissed a Girl is praised as joyful, culturally important and uniquely valuable for young LGBTQ+ audiences, making its cancellation feel especially disappointing. Its cast, conversations about identity and relationships, and celebratory queer references help create a wholesome, engaging environment distinct from other dating shows. With strong personalities, meaningful discussions and an energetic soundtrack, the series is described as both entertaining and socially significant, highlighting the loss of a rare queer-focused format in UK television.

A selection of notable new podcasts highlights Barack Obama’s historically focused series on post-slavery America, a road‑trip exploration of US democracy, a troubling investigation into the world of swinging, a look at British traditions such as tea, and a true‑crime probe into a 1995 child murder. Each show is described through its thematic focus, tone, and investigative depth.

A review of the three-part ABC drama Goolagong highlights its affectionate but sometimes overly sweet portrayal of Evonne Goolagong’s rise from rural Australia to tennis stardom. Strong performances anchor the series, which touches on racism, sexism, and Goolagong’s exploitation by coach Vic Edwards, though tonal inconsistencies and heavy-handed flashbacks diminish its impact. The drama culminates in her celebrated return to Wimbledon after childbirth, ending with real-life footage that reinforces her legacy and ongoing support for Indigenous youth.

A set of podcast recommendations highlights a lively pop culture show hosted by Clara Amfo and Munroe Bergdorf, Adam Buxton’s offbeat exploration of accomplishment, Leon Neyfakh’s nuanced look at online sex work, a gripping investigation into a man selling lethal chemicals, and a meta discussion of podcasting’s shift toward video.

A curated selection of standout podcasts from 2026 highlights innovative comedy, investigative true crime, boundary‑breaking interviews, historical storytelling and intimate narrative series. The list spans subjects from surreal celebrity interactions and wrongful‑conviction reporting to rebellious women, American history, intergenerational book discussions, prison psychology, personal investigations, family‑tied crime stories, nature appreciation and a tribute to MF Doom’s life and legacy.

A roundup of television highlights features a cold war thriller led by Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson, a documentary on the world’s largest curry restaurant, a cultural conservation episode, new comedy installments, and film recommendations including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!.