Hannah Verdier

The evening’s main recommendation is Love You to Death on Channel 4, a documentary about Lisa Hayden-Johnson’s fabrication of her son Matthew’s severe illnesses and the collapse of the deception, with testimony from both of them. Other listings include the conclusion of Welsh choir series Voices of the Valleys, a new Professor T episode, Guy Montgomery’s comedy spelling show, and Outback Murder Highway, which investigates disappearances along Australia’s Flinders Highway. Couples Therapy continues on BBC Two. Film choices include Bertrand Bonello’s science-fiction romance The Beast and Dev Patel’s violent revenge thriller Monkey Man. Live coverage features England v Pakistan Test cricket, the Tour of Britain women’s cycling race and Celtic v LASK in the Champions League.

The Guardian’s evening television guide highlights Little Bird, a drama about a young woman investigating her adoption and searching for siblings taken from their Indigenous family during Canada’s Sixties Scoop. Other recommendations include a sand-sculpting contest, a controversial documentary questioning ADHD, Celebrity MasterChef, a comedy tour about sitcoms including The Office, a vampire drama and live rugby league.

The evening’s television recommendations lead with Buried With Michael Sheen, a two-part BBC investigation into alleged PCB contamination in parts of Wales and related pollution in Anniston, Alabama. Other highlights include crime dramas, family-reunion documentaries, Celebrity Hunted, Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives and the French series Everybody Lies. The film choice is The Wedding Singer, praised for Adam Sandler’s unexpectedly sweet performance, Drew Barrymore’s appeal and its nostalgic 1980s soundtrack.

The Guardian’s television picks include Savage Mountain, a documentary about Kristin Harila and Tenjen “Lama” Sherpa’s record of climbing 14 of the world’s highest peaks in 92 days, and the controversy over porter Mohammad Hassan’s death. Other recommendations include a forensic examination of the murder of Damilola Taylor, a sports-themed Great British Sewing Bee, the launch of a new RuPaul’s Drag Race UK cast, a Fawlty Towers-themed sitcom tour, a dramatic episode of The Vampire Lestat: Interview With the Vampire, and the screen-based thriller Missing.

The Guardian’s television guide recommends a varied evening schedule, led by Warren’s Vortex, a sci-fi comedy about a father and daughter confronting murderous refrigerators across dimensions. Other highlights include Martin and Roman Kemp’s road trip through Ireland, Chris Packham’s concluding Evolution episode about the development of fast horses, emotional reunions on Long Lost Family, Celebrity Hunted’s escape plot, Secret Lives of Gypsy Wives, and European Athletics Championships coverage.

The evening’s television recommendations lead with Voices of the Valleys, a warm Sky Arts documentary series about Welsh male voice choirs and their role in local communities. Other picks include hospital documentaries Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts and 999: Critical Condition, the cyber thriller The Undeclared War, Guy Montgomery’s comedy spelling competition and a documentary about alleged funeral-home abuses involving Robert Bush. Live coverage of The Hundred cricket is also scheduled.

The evening’s main recommendation is The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door on Sky Documentaries, which uses first-hand accounts from journalists, politicians and intelligence officials to revisit the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Other picks include the American medical remake Best Medicine, a heroes-versus-villains episode of Survivor Australia, Joe Wilkinson and David Earl’s sitcom-location tour, the vampire drama The Vampire Lestat: Interview With the Vampire, and a documentary about Izabel Rose’s arrest in Japan for ketamine possession. The film choice is Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me, alongside live coverage of The Hundred cricket.

Richard E Grant’s Very Modern Odyssey leads the evening’s television recommendations, following Grant through Mediterranean locations associated with Homer’s epic. Other highlighted programmes include the nature series Force of Nature, the Amsterdam-set crime drama Van Der Valk, The Piano, a Proms violin special, and Groomed: The Truth Behind the Lie, which examines Ellie Williams’s conviction and how far-right groups have exploited grooming-gang narratives. The film recommendation is Singin’ in the Rain, alongside live coverage of The Hundred cricket.

Bob Stanley, Pete Wiggs and Sarah Cracknell of St Etienne created “7 Ways to Love” as a deliberately simple club track, initially pressing and distributing white-label records themselves. After Arista expressed interest, contractual complications led to a re-recording featuring Janey Lee Grace, with Andrew Midgley recruited to appear as Cola Boy. The song became a hit, bringing club appearances, support slots with Take That and a Top of the Pops performance, while Grace’s improvised vocals and distinctive 1960s-inspired styling helped define the act’s image.

The Guardian previews that evening’s television, highlighting Joe Wicks as a guest investor on Dragons’ Den, where he considers a portable “gym in a bag” training kit. Other recommendations include Sandi Toksvig’s woodland conservation programme, Bangers & Cash, A League of Their Own, the Lockerbie drama starring Colin Firth, and the New Zealand crime caper Far North.

A television guide highlights evening programmes including Lives Well Lived, a BBC tribute to cultural and sporting figures who died in 2024, with Maggie Smith, Steve Wright, Edna O’Brien and Sven-Göran Eriksson among those remembered. Other recommendations include archival footage of Maggie Smith, a retrospective of Christmas television in 1984, Oasis concert films and the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. The listings also cover celebrity quizzes and the day’s rugby and darts broadcasts.

The evening’s main recommendation is a BBC Two documentary in which Si King celebrates the life of his Hairy Bikers co-star and best friend Dave Myers, who died of cancer in February, including the fundraising Dave Day motorbike ride. The programme is expected to be moving but ultimately celebratory. Other highlights include a warmly praised wartime Christmas special of All Creatures Great and Small, the Junior Taskmaster final, a behind-the-scenes look at Lapland UK, the return of Christmas University Challenge and a Coronation Street-versus-Emmerdale quiz.

The Guardian’s evening TV recommendations highlight Sky Max comedy Bad Tidings, starring Strictly winner Chris McCausland and Lee Mack as feuding neighbours forced to confront robbers. Other picks include Matthew Bourne’s ballet adaptation of Edward Scissorhands, a Bernina Express travel programme, Anne-Marie Duff reading A Christmas Carol, a festive Death in Paradise mystery and a tribute to Inside No 9, alongside live Premier League football.

The Guardian’s Christmas television guide recommends Mary Berry’s festive baking special on BBC One, featuring celebrity guests and recipes including boozy apricots, turkey pasties and clementine crème brûlée. Other highlights include a Christmas murder mystery on Channel 5, the finale of My Brilliant Friend, a behind-the-scenes look at Marks & Spencer’s seasonal preparations, a dog-rehoming special and Stacey Solomon’s budget-friendly decorating programme.

A comprehensive guide to British Christmas television in 2024, covering drama, factual programming, entertainment and family viewing across the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and other broadcasters. Highlights include the finales of Gavin & Stacey and My Brilliant Friend, a new Wallace & Gromit adventure, the Doctor Who special Joy to the World, festive editions of established favourites, documentaries about the Paris Olympics and major retailers, and a range of Christmas films, concerts, quizzes and comedy specials. The selections are presented with enthusiastic recommendations alongside humorous criticism of weaker or more indulgent offerings.

The Guardian recommends a range of notable podcasts, led by Trump’s Terms, which examines Donald Trump’s incoming administration, its personnel, abortion rights, spending and expectations placed on women. Other featured selections include biography, true crime, audio drama, experimental and AI-assisted formats, poetry, interviews with imagined objects, walking-based audio and stories about immigrants and refugees. Additional recommendations explore names and identity, overlooked music, British food culture, working life, and psychoanalytic readings of politics and pop culture.

Television recommendations highlight The Hunt for the Oldest DNA, a documentary featuring biologist Eske Willerslev’s search for ancient genetic material and its implications for understanding humanity’s past and future. Other picks include a smartphone-deprivation experiment, the finale of Shetland, Guy Martin’s Royal Marines training challenge, My Brilliant Friend and a documentary about the controversial yoga figure Katie Griggs. Film choices include Sugarcane, which investigates abuse of Indigenous children at a Canadian mission school, Andrei Tarkovsky’s The Sacrifice, and a Champions League match between Arsenal and Monaco.

A humorous countdown ranks the ten most memorable EastEnders Christmas episodes, highlighting the soap’s signature mix of murder, family conflict, romance and melodrama. The selection spans the 1986 divorce-paper revelation involving Den and Angie Watts, Sharongate, the Carter family’s 2014 Christmas crisis, the 2023 Queen Vic murder mystery and other landmark episodes. The specials are available on BBC iPlayer.

A Guardian television guide highlights the latest episode of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, in which Jane’s death after childbirth leaves Cromwell seeking a new queen for Henry while struggling with accusations of betrayal. Other recommendations include the wildlife documentary Asia, Bill Bailey’s walk with Shaun Ryder, Alan Cumming’s luxury railway journey in All Aboard! Scotland’s Poshest Train, and a documentary about Barlinnie prison before its closure. The guide also recommends the satirical film The American Society of Magical Negroes and the Irish-language drama The Quiet Girl, alongside listings for FA Cup and Premier League football.

The Guardian recommends The Rest Is Classified, a Goalhanger podcast hosted by former CIA analyst David McCloskey and national security journalist Gordon Corera, which explores the 1953 Iranian coup through espionage, diplomacy and power struggles. The wider selection includes comedy, investigative reporting on Britain’s social housing crisis, true crime, food and relationships. A second group highlights advice-focused podcasts covering private investigation, Parkinson’s, therapy, Black history and personal finance, with additional recommendations from progressive politics, Black European history and decision-making.