Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm
Africa’s Marsh Pride of lions have been closely documented over the last 40 years, most notably by the BBC’s world-renowned Natural History Unit. In this engrossing 90 minute documentary, the team reconvenes with a species facing extinction. It’s a tragedy writ large. Over half of Africa’s lions have been wiped out during the last few decades. There are only around 20,000 left in the wild. They’re desperate, depleted, a dying breed. The film features contributions from Maasai people who have to protect their livestock from these hungry predators. They have no other options, what else can they do? The epic narrative is embellished by footage culled from the BBC’s vast archive. An exceptional piece of work.
The Dark Side of Direct Sales – Tuesday, BBC Three, 8pm
Young people around the UK are being exploited and conned by direct selling firms. They’ve been enticed by entry-level riches, but in reality they’re rewarded with nothing at all. This documentary exposes what it’s really like to work for these disingenuous cowboys. The grim details, most of which are revealed by former agents, include a denial of toilet breaks and several other cruel forfeits. I take my imaginary hat off to BBC Three, a ‘youth’ channel that was once quite rightly derided for its facile content. Those days are long gone. In recent years, it’s cleaned up its act. Your friends at Three are more or less be defined by worthwhile programmes such as this. Actual public service broadcasting.
Fight at the Fort – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm
Shadab Iftikhar is Britain’s only Asian football manager. He’s in charge of Fort William F.C., a Scottish Highlands team who haven’t won a league game in over two years. At the start of the 2022 football season, the Highland League – the fifth tier of Scottish football – introduced a controversial new diktat: from now on, the bottom-placed team will face relegation. Fort William have lurked at the bottom of their league for the past five years. This documentary follows Iftikhar as he does everything in his power to reverse their fortunes. He’s a charismatic fella who was born to manage football teams. It’s his calling. You don’t need to be a football fan to enjoy this bittersweet saga.
Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard – Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm
Series two of this amiable confection begins with our host, the comedian Rosie Jones, visiting the north-eastern Scottish heartland of Moray. The gist of the show can (and will) be summed up thus: Jones embarks upon various adventures each week while accompanied by a famous pal. Her latest companion is TV presenter AJ Odudu. Together they climb Cairn Gorm, one of the highest mountains in Britain. They also enter a clay pigeon shooting competition, row across a loch, dabble in pottery, and try to find some inner peace at Moray’s idyllic environmentally-friendly retreat, Findhorn Ecovillage. And after all of that, they inevitably sample some whisky. Your narrator is fellow travelogue doyen, Dame Joanna Lumley.
The Accused: National Treasures on Trial – Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
Operation Yewtree was set up in the wake of the posthumous revelations about Jimmy Savile, one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders. Most of the celebrities who received a firm knock on the door were guilty as charged. But some of them weren’t. This programme, which wasn’t available for preview, features testimonies from three famous people who were accused but never arrested or convicted: Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini and Neil Fox. I quote now from the official synopsis: “It asks the difficult but important questions about how we balance the rights and freedoms of the famous with the need to deliver justice to victims of heinous crimes.” We can only hope that the whole thing is handled sensitively.
All That Glitters – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm
Comedian Katherine Ryan returns for another mildly diverting sojourn into the world of hand-crafted jewellery. All That Glitters is ostensibly a celebration of wildfire creativity, but the format of the show itself is utterly formulaic. Our contestants have to prove their everlasting worth in a designated ‘workshop’ overseen by judges. You’ve seen it all before, folks, and you’ll see it all again. Nevertheless, the trinkets meticulously crafted by these people are rather fetching and inventive. And that, I suppose, is why we idly settle upon programmes such as this. The participants are talented, they’re nice, bright, interesting artists who manage to rise above their bland surroundings. Plus, y’know, who doesn’t like looking at glittery stuff?
Aretha Franklin: A Tribute to the Queen of Soul at the Proms – Friday, BBC Four, 8pm
Aretha Franklin, who passed away in 2018, was one of the greatest singers to ever grace our planet. I say that without even the merest hint of hyperbole, her extraordinary voice hit you directly in the heart and solar plexus; an emotional and physical response to a human being expressing every last droplet of whatever they happened to be feeling deep down inside at the time. That uninhibited soul, the sheer magnitude of her ecstasy and anguish, was a once in a lifetime gift to us all. We were lucky to have her. This BBC Proms gala is fronted by the estimable American R&B singer and Quincy Jones protégé Shelea. Several notable special guests are guaranteed. R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
