From a crime drama set in Shetland, to a look at the Fringe in Edinburgh, and a study in grief. There’s a big range on the small screen.
Shetland – Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm
The latest series of this ruggedly atmospheric crime drama will be the last to star Douglas Henshall as D.I. Jimmy Perez, as the actor has decided to move on to pastures new. It’s not the end for Shetland, however; Henshall’s replacement will be announced in due course. My money’s on Paul Chuckle. Perez’s final batch of cases begins with a troubled young author of graphic novels who goes missing on the day of his book launch. Has he disappeared of his own volition, or are more sinister forces at play? Meanwhile, Perez makes a hesitant attempt to rekindle his stagnant love life. It’s a typically diverting piece of twist-strewn Celtic noir, packaged in a crate of prime red herring.
The Fringe, Fame and Me – Monday, BBC Scotland, 10pm
The Edinburgh Fringe celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. As we all know, it’s been responsible for propelling hitherto unknown comedians, actors, directors and writers into the stratosphere or thereabouts. This documentary convenes with some of those eternally grateful artistes. Chief among them are Bill Bailey, Frankie Boyle, Eddie Izzard, Miriam Margolyes, Michael Palin and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, all of whom talk frankly about the giddy highs and terrible lows of performing at the Fringe when you’re a complete unknown. They’re the lucky ones, their self-evident talent won out, but spare a thought for all of those who tried and failed. Nothing is guaranteed in the mercurial world of showbiz. It’s a strange old gamble riddled with anxiety.
Good Grief with Reverend Richard Cole – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm
Cole’s husband, David, passed away three years ago. They’d been in love and inseparable for 12 years. Cole is still struggling to process his loss. In this ruminative and ultimately positive documentary, he challenges the commonly held perception that grief unfolds through a series of linear stages. Nothing could be further from the truth, we all deal with bereavement in different ways. Cole doesn’t offer any pat answers, but he does provide some hopefully useful guidance by trying out various forms of psychophysical therapy. He surfs, boxes, skydives, attends a laughter yoga class and embarks upon a luxury ‘grief cruise’. These things aren’t for everyone, but Cole’s point is this: embrace whatever works for you. Networks of support exist.
Cryptocurrency: Has the Bubble Burst? – Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
Well, has it? In an effort to find out, Ade Adepitan seeks counsel with people who have immersed themselves in the murky crypto world. Full disclosure: I have no idea how cryptocurrency works. I barely know what it is. Adepitan is no expert either, hence why he’s ideally qualified to host a documentary in which he tries to make sense of it all from a layperson’s perspective. His interviewees include a multimillionaire who believes cryptocurrency is the gold-plated future, a former city trader who regards it as a dangerous pyramid scheme, and a lawyer who highlights the risks of being scammed in this market. I think I’ll just stick with my bog-standard high street bank account.
Changing Rooms – Wednesday, Channel 4, 8pm
Series two of this lifestyle behemoth’s revival begins in sleepy Tunbridge Wells, where Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen and co are given free rein to dramatically transform the ‘non-functioning’ living rooms of two neighbouring couples. Lozza’s specialist guests this week are sustainable designer Micaela Sharp and retro queen Whinnie Williams. A riot of colour and chic design ensues. Changing Rooms Mark II works because it barely alters the format of the original iteration. It’s perhaps easy to forget that during its heyday, home makeover shows weren’t a ubiquitous presence in our TV schedules. It felt quite fresh and innovative. Obviously there’s no way of recapturing that novelty, but the spectacle of LLB doing his flamboyant thing is still quite entertaining.
George Clarke’s Old House, New Home – Thursday, Channel 4, 8pm
The ubiquitous Clarke returns – has he ever been away? – with a new vehicle in which he helps people to renovate ancient dwellings. As you’d expect, at the end of each episode they’re living the absolute dream in a space that was once occupied by laughing cavaliers and scrofulous land barons. The circle of life. In episode one, Clarke meets a couple who’ve splashed out on an 18th Century barn. He also spends time with a couple who just couldn’t resist purchasing a nine-bedroom Victorian pile of bricks. A fantabulous folly! Clarke is utterly harmless, a blandly benign presence. And that’s the fundamental problem: this contraption would be more entertaining if wryly sceptical Kevin McCloud was in charge.
Football Dreams: The Academy – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm
This new series follows a group of eight to eighteen-year-olds as they compete for potential glory at a prestigious South East London football academy. Talented tyros full of raw potential, some of them might end up playing in the Premier League. Most of them, alas, will not. It’s a difficult watch at times. The coaching staff are great, they’re fully aware of how sensitive they have to be when dealing with children, but there’s just no getting away from the fact that some of these hope-filled trainees won’t be invited back to the academy. And that’s an awful lot to deal with for a kid with his heart set on one prize, and one prize only.
FILM of THE WEEK
The Man Who Knew Too Much – Tuesday, Film4, 4:30pm
In 1956, Alfred Hitchcock took the unusual step of remaking one of his own films. The maestro was never fully satisfied with his original 1934 version. During a lengthy 1960s interview with fellow director Francois Truffaut, Hitchcock dryly opined: “The first version was made by an amateur and the second was made by a professional.” It boasts a classic Hitchcock set-up, so no wonder he felt the need to perfect it. While holidaying in Morocco, an American couple (James Stewart and Doris Day) witness a murder in broad daylight. Their child is kidnapped as part of the meticulously convoluted plot. Steel yourselves for a climactic sequence in which Hitchcock gleefully ekes out every single note of suspense.
LAST WEEK’S TV
The Newsreader – Sunday July 31, BBC Two
In episode two of this enjoyable Australian drama about a 1980s TV newsroom, the consummately professional news anchor Helen sank deeper into her backstage nervous breakdown. The cracks are beginning to show. One of the things I like about The Newsreader is its refusal to embrace lazy ‘LOL 1980s’ camp. The period detail is understated, it exists only to create an authentic sense of time and place. It also does a good job of subverting expectations. The newsroom is riddled with all the casual racism, sexism and homophobia you’d expect of the era, it would be disingenuous to ignore that, but the characters aren’t presented as one-dimensional emblems of different times. They’re nuanced, ambiguous. The Newsreader is Good TV.
Rico: The Richard Demarco Story – Thursday August 4, BBC Scotland
The Scottish artist, teacher, entrepreneur and occasional provocateur Richard Demarco has devoted almost his entire life to the promotion and support of abstract art from all around the world. This documentary paid due respect to a man who practically defines the true spirit of the Edinburgh Festival. Demarco, who is now in his early nineties, has been there since year one. His sprawling archive of photographs, videos and artworks is a fascinating chronicle of the world’s greatest arts fest. Demarco came across as a sharp, forthright, charismatic figure. When he spoke, you listened. If he’d been born in France, this fiercely independent anti-capitalist with an all-consuming passion for art would be honoured with a 100ft statue.
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