From the return of Sanditon’s low-cut frocks and handsome heroes to neo-pagan drama The Crimson Rivers, the best on demand TV to watch this week
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Sanditon
The drama based on Jane Austen’s unfinished final novel returns for a second series, following the lives of the inhabitants of a picturesque coastal resort
Charlotte Heywood (above, right) and Rosie Graham (above, left) star in this sexed-up period drama inspired by Jane Austen
Critics loved the first series, and it’s not hard to see why: if you’re a fan of period shows packed with romantic intrigue alongside the pretty bonnets, low-cut frocks and handsome heroes in military garb, Sanditon’s got the lot.
It is, needless to say, written by Andrew Davies, who virtually invented the term ‘sexed-up’ and was the creative force behind Colin Firth’s definitive Darcy.
Rose Williams stars as Charlotte Heywood, alongside Rosie Graham and Tom Weston-Jones as the dashing Colonel Francis Lennox. BritBox, from Monday
Arsene Wenger: Invincible
This film paints a portrait of the legendary Arsenal football manager, featuring previously unseen archive footage and interviews with Sir Alex Ferguson, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright. Amazon, from Friday
Spencer
If you’re looking for a Crown-style royal drama, keep looking. This arthouse movie, with a screenplay by the creator of Peaky Blinders, is more psychological horror than historical saga.
Kristen Stewart (above) is great as the tragic Princess in this reimagining of Diana’s experience of an awful Christmas at Sandringham
It’s an imagining of Princess Diana’s experience of an awful Christmas at Sandringham over a few days that leave her on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Kristen Stewart is great as the tragic Princess. Amazon, from Friday
People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan
The gang are back in this big-screen comedy spin-off from the BBC sitcom.
Since the demise of their pirate radio station Kurupt FM, life has been quiet for the lads, but everything is about to change when one of their tracks is used on a popular game show in Japan. Sky/NOW, from Saturday
The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Drama about the rise and fall of Tammy Faye, wife of US TV evangelist Jim Bakker (Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield). Jim, like almost all televangelists, was a grifting fraud who ended up in prison.
Drama about the rise and fall of Tammy Faye, wife of US TV evangelist Jim Bakker (Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield, both above)
Tammy Faye became a gay icon after sympathetically interviewing a man with AIDS on her TV show in 1985 – unusual behaviour for someone on the ‘Christian’ right. Disney+, from Wednesday
Shane
A look at the late Shane Warne’s rise to the top of cricket, focussing on his private life, including his relationship with Liz Hurley.
As the man himself said: ‘I drank a bit, I smoked a bit, and I bowled leg spin.’ Amazon, available now
Spider-Man: No Way Home
With Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity now revealed, the friendly neighbourhood web-slinger is no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from his role as a superhero.
With Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) identity revealed, he asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch, above)
When he asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the resulting spell tears a hole in their world and releases the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Sky store/Rakuten, from Tuesday
Pachinko
Squid Game has paved the way for a drama almost entirely in Korean and Japanese to be considered mainstream rather than arthouse. Good thing too, because this eightpart series is going to win every award going.
The multigenerational story of a Korean family, it has stunning cinematography, brilliant performances and a powerful, involving story. If you need a mood boost, check out the wonderful title sequence. Apple TV+, from Friday
The Batman Collection
Sky/NOW marks the release of the new Caped Crusader film with showings of 12 classic films.
From Christian Bale’s Dark Knight to Michael Keaton’s arch Batman, and even the Lego version, they’re all on Sky/NOW to mark The Batman’s release
From Christian Bale’s Dark Knight to Michael Keaton’s arch Batman, and even the Lego version, they’re all here – even the dumb Batman & Robin with George Clooney. Sadly, no Adam West, though. Boxset available now
Boiling Point
A single restaurant, a single very busy shift and – apparently – a single take. Stressed head chef Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) looks as though he’s heading for a breakdown as problems mount over the course of a very trying evening.
This film is a brilliant technical achievement that makes for a gripping 90 minutes and will leave you in need of a very strong digestif. Netflix, from Wednesday
Parallels
France’s answer to Stranger Things. Four teenage friends live on the Franco-Swiss border, not far from the Large Hadron Collider
They are thrown into different timelines by a mysterious event. They then have to work out what happened – and how to reverse it. Disney+, from Wednesday
ALL4, MY5, BBC iPLAYER, ITV HUB & TALKING PICTURES TV
The Crimson Rivers
Detective Pierre Niémans and his partner Camille Delaunay (Olivier Marchal and Erika Sainte) return for a third season of this unsettling crime drama in which they investigate bizarre murders – crimes considered too extreme for local forces to deal with.
Detective Pierre Niémans and his partner Camille Delaunay (Olivier Marchal and Erika Sainte, above) return for a third season of this unsettling crime drama
This time, we kick off with a double killing in a church in a small Belgian village. There’s a neo-pagan angle as the pair track down a serial killer who chooses his next victim based on the order of the zodiac calendar. All4, from Friday
Borgen
Fans of the hit Danish political drama are eagerly awaiting the fourth series, due on Netflix soon.
Meanwhile, enjoy the first three series in which Sidse Babett Knudsen gives a charismatic performance as Birgitte Nyborg, the first female Danish prime minister. BBC iPlayer, available now
The Saint: The Early Years
The greatest eyebrow-actor of them all, Roger Moore, earned his acting chops as The Saint, ie debonair Simon Templar, in the series that ran from 1962 to 1969 and rivalled The Avengers for secret-agent mystique.
It’s now enjoying a rerun on Talking Pictures TV on Sunday evenings. Arguably, Templar had the cooler car: a pristine white Volvo P1800. And for its star, a golden future as James Bond.
The same could almost be said for his co-star in three episodes of The Saint, Shirley Eaton: she too went on to star in Bond… but ended up suffocated by paint in Goldfinger. Talking Pictures TV Encore, from Sunday
The Holiday
The most recent of Channel 5’s home-grown dramas stars Jill Halfpenny. The plot, told across four compelling episodes, focuses on a quartet of families whose trip away isn’t the joyous sunfest they’d hoped for.
Jill Halfpenny (above, centre, with Aidan McCann, Owen McDonnell and Lara McDonnell) focuses on a quartet of families whose trip away isn’t the sunfest they’d hoped for
Secrets and lies soon lead to murder. My5, available now
Bruce Springsteen: A Secret History
‘The Boss’ reflects on his career in a 1998 interview recorded at home.
As well as archive footage of barnstorming shows, Springsteen speaks about life, marriage, politics, and the ‘moments of pure experience’ he uses in his songwriting. BBC iPlayer, until March 28
Gentleman Jack
Extremely popular period drama from a couple of years ago, which thrilled viewers with its saucy, groundbreaking subject matter – and undeniable charm.
Suranne Jones (above) is the real-life Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack’, as she was nicknamed, in this extremely popular period drama
Suranne Jones is the real-life Anne Lister, ‘Gentleman Jack’, as she was nicknamed, a charismatic, well-to-do lesbian living in 19th Century Yorkshire who isn’t much interested in observing societal norms. BBC iPlayer, available now
The Ipcress File
Stylish, timely adaptation of the Len Deighton Cold War thriller.
Joe Cole is Harry Palmer, a soldier press-ganged into the espionage game, where one of the few consolations is working with the beautiful but chilly secret agent Jean Courtney (Lucy Boynton) as they investigate the disappearance of British nuclear scientists.
ITV Hub, available now
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