The Suspect – Monday, STV, 9pm
Joe O’Loughlin (Aidan ‘Poldark’ Turner) is a reputable psychologist who’s recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Joe becomes a national hero when he stops a young terminal cancer patient from jumping off a high window ledge. He’s also researching a book about attitudes towards sex workers, so when a young sex worker – her identity unknown – is brutally murdered, the police call him in to profile her. A series of weird coincidences – or are they? – ensue. On the evidence of episode one, The Suspect is more intelligent and sensitive than your standard TV crime drama. It appears to have some depth. Turner is a charismatic actor, but the subtly scene-stealing star is Shaun Parkes as our weary chief investigating officer.
Blackpool’s Dance Fever – Monday, BBC One, 8pm
Blackpool, as every devoted Strictly fan knows, is the universal heartland of ballroom dancing. Why? Well, for almost 100 years, the Blackpool Dance Festival has attracted hoofing contenders from all around the world. It’s an institution, albeit one which has never quite received the widespread attention it deserves. This amiable documentary delves behind its sequined scenes. The dancers have various personal stories to tell, they’ve tangoed and strived from all walks of life. Taking part in this event means the world to them. It’s also a tribute to those beautiful Blackpool ballrooms, the Winter Gardens and the Tower. I’m not one for sentimentality (I am one for sentimentality), but they’re absolute works of art.
Fastest Finger First – Monday to Friday, STV, 4:30pm and 4pm
There are few things I enjoy more in life than utterly trivial pursuits. So this new weekday afternoon quiz show, which I’m afraid I haven’t seen, sounds like something I’ll enjoy. If you’re anything like me – and God knows, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone – you’ll probably be intrigued by the sound of it too. A spin-off from Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, it presents us with various contestants who, should they triumph in this scenario, will secure a guaranteed place on the mothership. A gangplank leading up to one actual million pounds. It’s basically a prequel expansion of the first Millionaire round we’re all so familiar with. Your host is Anita Rani.
Jamie’s One-Pan Wonders – Monday, Channel 4, 8:30pm
This week, your friendly neighbourhood millionaire chef whips up some smoky noodle soup, a pan of home-made bread, and a chicken ‘n mushroom pie. The whole point of this particular Oliver vehicle is how simple yet delicious his dishes are. These easy to follow recipes won’t take up much of your valuable time either, they can – as per the show’s simply descriptive title – be cooked in just one pan. I don’t mind Jamie Oliver, and I’m sure he’d be delighted to hear that. Yes, he’s a rather silly person, but he’s harmless. And he has at least used his magical powers to effect some positive social change, the fella’s heart is in the right place.
Animal Airlift: Escaping the Taliban – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm
Last August, during the West’s utterly chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the former Royal Marines commando Pen Farthing worked around the clock to ensure the safe evacuation of his charitable organisation’s Afghan staff and the animals they shelter. The sad images released by Farthing and his team mobilised support from the animal-loving British public. Boris Johnson officially declared his approval. But portions of the British media turned on Farthing when he left a deeply frustrated, angry voicemail for an aide to the Secretary of Defence. He was accused of prioritising pets before people. This probing documentary examines the ways in which the widespread perception of a public figure can turn on a dime when politics are weaponised.
999: On the Frontline – Trauma – Monday, Channel 4, 11:05pm
The West Midlands Ambulance Service deal with major trauma cases on an arduous daily basis. In this thematically-linked episode of the stalwart observational documentary series, we follow paramedics in the thick of it all. They come to the aid of a woman whose newly born child is experiencing severe breathing difficulties, an 87-year-old man who has fallen off a ladder and damaged his pelvis, and a teenager who was, to say the least, lucky to survive a freak horsing accident. I sometimes complain about the hollow voyeuristic nature of programmes in this ‘Oh the humanity!’ genre, and I’ll never be entirely comfortable with them, but 999 does at least boast some semblance of integrity.
Grand Designs – Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm
After all these years of dealing with sometimes ludicrously unrealistic building projects, you’d think that Kevin McCloud would be a broken man. But no, he’s still somehow managed to retain his wryly sceptical yet fundamentally sympathetic persona. He’s a hero of sorts, a better man than I. The umpteenth series of Grand Designs begins with a curved glass family home plonked into the middle of a Manchester suburb. Colin, a man possessed of undeniable ambition, wants to make his dream abode look like it’s floating. This doesn’t go down well with his rather more pragmatic Swedish architect, Italian interior designers, and Latvian building company. But – hey! – maybe Colin is a kind of maverick visionary.
