The Family Pile – Tuesday, STV, 9:30pm
The first episode of every sitcom has three imperatives: establish the premise; introduce the characters and their various dynamics; be funny. The Family Pile succeeds on every count.
It pivots around four Liverpool sisters who are struggling to sell said family pile following the recent loss of their parents. The excellent cast share a natural rapport, they convince as siblings.
Writer Brian Dooley, who created cult early ‘00s sitcom The Smoking Room, furnishes his actors with a quick-fire screenplay packed with actual gags and acerbic warmth. The Family Pile is pleasingly traditional in that it unfolds in the manner of a televised stage play.
There’s no studio audience, but it could easily thrive in that environment.
Maternal – Monday, STV, 9pm
This promising new medical drama follows three women on the post-pandemic NHS frontline.
It begins with them returning to work after maternity leave. Maryam is a Paediatric Registrar, Catherine is a General and Trauma Surgeon, and Helen is a Registrar in Acute Medicine.
As in all dramas of this nature, they’re struggling with the pressures of their job alongside various complicated personal issues. But what elevates Maternal above the norm is its sharp, witty script and sympathetic female-led focus.
Much like This is Going to Hurt, it’s an unsentimental celebration of NHS workers. My only complaint is that it’s populated by unrealistically handsome male doctors, which rather undermines the fundamental integrity of the piece. Otherwise, yes: would recommend.
The U.S. and the Holocaust – Monday, BBC Four, 10pm
Chapter two of this remarkable six-hour essay from that peerless documentarian Ken Burns continues its rigorous examination of how the American people and their leaders responded to one of the most heinous humanitarian atrocities of the twentieth century.
As World War Two begins, America is united in its opposition to Nazi brutality, but remains divided on whether to intervene. National hero Charles Lindbergh takes a controversial non-interventionist stance, while President Franklin D. Roosevelt lends a sympathetic ear to the plight of European democracies. Following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Holocaust begins in secret.
This, in typical Burns style, is a mammoth historical undertaking rich in granular, human detail. Its impact is profound.
Know Your S**t: Inside Our Guts – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm
What a charmingly titled series. Stay classy, Channel 4.
If, however, you can ignore its tiresomely twee ‘tee-hee!’ trappings – it centres around a pop-up clinic called Poo HQ – then this is a fairly worthwhile advert for the importance of checking up on our intestinal health.
The dieticians and medics we encounter are certainly more convincing and authoritative than, well, I won’t invoke her shamed name. You all know the Scottish ‘doctor’ I’m alluding to.
In episode one, various people with gut issues seek some advice. It’s basically a more palatable and well-meaning version of Embarrassing Bodies. As twin hosts Alana and Lisa announce in their intro, it won’t put you off your dinner.
India: The Modi Question – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power since 2014, during which time his premiership has come under attack for its attitudes towards India’s Muslim population. This probing two-part series investigates those allegations.
Episode one traces Modi’s rise to power and the controversy surrounding his response to the Gujurat riots of 2002. Those events were instigated by the burning of a train carrying a large number of Hindu pilgrims. 59 people lost their lives.
Three days of rioting ensued, during which more than a thousand people, mostly Muslims, were killed. Modi was accused of failing to take sufficient action to protect the Muslim community. He has continually denied any direct responsibility for that tragic death toll.
Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Tuesday, STV, 9pm
An affable tuft of fluff, this father/son travelogue is a welcome diversion at this forbidding time of year.
The key to its appeal is the palpably affectionate relationship between our genial guides; they enjoy each other’s company, and the effect is rather contagious.
Also, Walsh Sr. is nothing if not dedicated to his endearing comic role as a middle-aged man who appears to be terrified by the various stunts he’s asked to perform. It’s a winning piece of shtick.
This week, the duo arrive in Guatemala. They have a lovely time as usual, until dad is ‘surprised’ to learn that a scheduled bike ride will take place on a tightrope suspended 25 metres above ground level.
Travel Man: 48 Hours in Dublin – Friday, Channel 4, 8:30pm
Joe Lycett’s latest minibreak buddy is comedian Mawaan Rizwan. The centrepiece of their whirlwind trip to Dublin is a statue odyssey involving QR codes. Whenever they scan a code, a significant statue beckons.
So that’s why, for instance, they end up in the company of stone monuments to Oscar Wilde and Molly Malone. They also visit Dublin’s smallest restaurant, and Ireland’s answer to Abbey Road studios. Pints of Guinness are enjoyed along the way.
Travel Man, whether fronted by Lycett or original host Richard Ayoade, doesn’t really give you a rich flavour of its various destinations, but it’s always a breezy surface guide. A show with no pretensions beyond its simple, silly, harmless remit. Agreeable television.
