TV tonight: celebrating the life of Paul O’Grady – and Lily Savage

1 month ago

The Life and Death of Lily Savage

9pm, ITV1

To people the first anniversary of nan decease of Paul O’Grady, this affecting documentary explores his life via his celebrated change ego. As an underground cabaret prima who started retired successful cheery clubs but afloat infiltrated nan mainstream, Lily Savage’s communicative useful arsenic a parallel history of caller LGBTQ+ life successful Britain. Graham Norton, Ian McKellen and O’Grady’s sister, Sheila Rudd, are among nan contributors. Phil Harrison

Pilgrimage: The Road Through North Wales

9pm, BBC Two

A return of nan bid successful which celebs of varying belief outlooks trek done intelligently designed landscapes. Features nan wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan, nan lapsed Muslim standup and character Eshaan Akbar and The Traitors’ sweetly smiling assassin Amanda Lovett. Ali Catterall

Susan Calman’s Great British Cities

9pm, Channel 5

The peripatetic Calman continues her UK jaunt pinch a stop-off successful Leeds. As good arsenic exploring nan city’s business past – and learning nan root of nan building “little nipper” – she has a awesome chinwag pinch soulful geezer Arthur France, nan man who first brought Caribbean carnival civilization to nan metropolis backmost successful 1967. Graeme Virtue

Terry Hall astatine nan BBC

9pm, BBC Four

An evening celebrating nan life of the late, awesome Terry Hall. The propulsive two-tone ska of nan Specials is good represented but expect tunes from Hall’s consequent career, from Fun Boy Three and nan Colourfield to his underrated solo work. An replacement nationalist treasure. PH

Chernobyl: Countdown to Armageddon

10pm, Channel 5

If you’re looking to trigger your nucleomituphobia, Ben Fogle is each excessively happy to oblige. This documentary explores nan events that led to nan Chernobyl disaster of 1986. Expect cover-ups, corruption and a catalogue of threats posed by each that ongoing radiation. Kayleigh Dray

Helgoland 513

10.05pm, Sky Atlantic

Another double measure of dystopian German play astir an insular North Sea land pinch a brutally strict societal hierarchy. The full constituent of Helgoland is to beryllium a unafraid refuge from an apocalyptic virus. So what happens erstwhile a resident originates to show unwelcome symptoms? GV

Film choices

Exactly nan correct level of perky … Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie successful Barbie.

Barbie (Greta Gerwig, 2023) 11.40am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
The biggest movie of past twelvemonth is besides arguably nan smartest. Director Greta Gerwig and her co-writer Noah Baumbach person managed to make a big-budget, Mattel-approved movie highly captious of a artifact that has go a bete noire for feminists, while besides celebrating nan doll’s elemental optimism and independent spirit. Margot Robbie finds precisely nan correct level of perky arsenic Barbie, who lives successful an eye-wateringly pinkish imagination onshore pinch her devoted Ken (Ryan Gosling). But an existential situation takes her and Ken to nan existent world, wherever thing called nan patriarchy is successful control. With giddy philharmonic numbers and crisp comedy, it’s a movie that has its cake, eats it, past orders different one. Simon Wardell

Steve! (Martin): A Documentary successful 2 Pieces, Apple TV+
Steve Martin has been successful nan nationalist oculus for truthful agelong arsenic an actor, it’s a astonishment to realise that, backmost successful nan precocious 70s, he was nan first comic ever to waste retired stadiums and gain platinum albums. Part 1 of Morgan Neville’s engrossing dive into Martin’s profession traces his decade-long emergence to fame, and illuminates conscionable really overseas his enactment was: a transverse betwixt a magic show, children’s intermezo and dadaist happening wherever laughing was optional – pinch Martin patiently waiting for nan assemblage to drawback up. And erstwhile they did, he discontinue to make movies. Part 2 shows america Martin now, riffing pinch champion mate Martin Short and reminiscing astir his creation collection, banjo playing and hard-to-please father. SW

The Beautiful Game (Thea Sharrock, 2024), Netflix
Her Wicked Little Letters is conscionable retired successful cinemas, but Thea Sharrock already has different quirky drama fresh to go. This is besides based connected a existent story, arsenic it revolves information nan Homeless World Cup. Bill Nighy is his accustomed wryly comic aforesaid arsenic Mal, nan head of nan England squad – young men who each person tragic backstories – arsenic they caput to nan adjacent tourney successful Rome. Mal’s concealed limb is Vinny (Micheal Ward), who astir made it arsenic a pro but is simply a now bundle of self-centred resentment. The societal issues are only touched on, but nan civilized of togetherness is large and clear. SW

The Robe (Henry Koster, 1953), 9.20am, BBC Two
The heavenly choirs you perceive astatine nan commencement are a giveaway that we’re successful biblical territory. But Henry Koster’s sweeping sword’n’sandals yarn sidesteps Jesus himself (he only appears successful nan region aliases disconnected camera) to show an root communicative for Christianity, done nan life of Roman tribune Marcellus (Richard Burton). Sent to Jerusalem, he has a belief epiphany aft rubbing Christ’s cloak and, aided by Greek enslaved Demetrius (Victor Mature), rails against imperial persecution of nan caller religion’s followers. SW

Kung Fu Panda (Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, 2008), 12.30pm, Channel 4
The 4th instalment is being released this week so, arsenic if by magic, nan original 2008 animation appears connected our screens. It’s a nosy family escapade afloat of tiny animals and lightly worn violence. Jack Black voices Po, a young panda who useful astatine his father’s noodle edifice but dreams of being a martial artist. Then unexpectedly he finds himself anointed arsenic nan Dragon Warrior, a mythical combatant of awesome powerfulness who is expected to prevention nan municipality from vengeful snowfall leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane). Unfortunately, Po is overweight, unfit and clumsy – but he will do thing for a atom shot … SW

Footloose (Herbert Ross, 1984), 2am, Channel 4
Herbert Ross’s 1984 play is portion of an era of films (Flashdance, Top Gun) that were musicals successful each but sanction – without nan oddity of group randomly bursting into song. A near-constant soundtrack of popular bangers – Holding Out for a Hero, Let’s Hear It for nan Boy, Footloose itself – is nan prop for nan communicative of a mini municipality that has banned rock’n’roll and dancing. Obviously, nan kids are not each correct astir that and, led by caller boy Ren (Kevin Bacon), they rebel against their parents done choreographed toe-tapping and insignificant driving offences. SW