From an important documentary on the World’s End killers, to Japanese Sumo Wrestling and comedy, there’s a lot to keep you watching the small screen.
The Hunt for the World’s End Killers – Monday and Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm
45 years ago, the bodies of two young women, Christine Eadie and Helen Scott, were discovered six miles apart in East Lothian. They’d been brutally murdered. Close friends since childhood, they were last seen alive in the World’s End pub on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. A major investigation ensued. Sensitively handled and impressively researched, this absorbing two-part documentary recounts an utterly tragic saga with far more depth and context than one usually finds in programmes of this nature. Bolstered by insightful contributions from various journalists, authors and retired police officers, it’s a rigorous piece of social history which, among many other things, covers some landmark developments in the support for female victims of sexual violence. An exemplary essay.
Rob Burrow: Living with MND – Tuesday, BBC Two, 7pm
Rugby League legend Rob Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019. This intimate documentary follows Rob, wife Lindsey and their kids as they deal with the everyday reality of living with a degenerative condition. A very moving programme, it’s a frank, tender portrait of a loving family doing everything within their power to get by. The Burrows are abundantly nice, kind and decent people. Their love for each other is quietly inspiring. Life is awfully cruel, but if you’re lucky enough to have a devoted support network, well, that must never be taken for granted. It helps us to cope with all the other terrible things we’re sometimes forced to deal with. We endure. We have to.
Unapologetic – Wednesday, Channel 4, 11.05pm
I haven’t seen this topical talk show, but it sounds quite interesting. Hence why I’m flagging it up. Your hosts are Yinka Bokinni and Zeze Millz. Their M.O. is this: discussing nuanced subjects – in a light-hearted way – that public figures tend to avoid for fear of being ‘cancelled’. That’s an absolute minefield, obviously. I’m no fan of culture war mendacity, but do bear in mind that Bokinni and Millz are people of colour. This isn’t yet another forum for middle-aged white celebrities to drone tediously on about how “you can’t say anything anymore.” Does that mean it’s any good? I’ve no idea. But you may be intrigued by some of the socio-political issues under discussion.
Aldi’s Next Big Thing – Thursday, Channel 4, 8pm
Anita Rani and award-winning grocer Chris Bavin host this new series in which small-scale British food and drink producers get the rare opportunity to pitch their products to Britain’s fourth biggest supermarket chain, Aldi. The ultimate prize is a life-changing contract with those towering Gods of retail. So yes, it’s very much your standard competitive TV hootenanny. Dragon’s Den on a manageable budget. But that’s fine, it means no actual harm. Episode one throws a glaring spotlight upon two budding entrepreneurs who reckon that our tiny insect friends are the future of nutrition, plus some obsessive pie and sauce makers. This will never be mistaken for essential television, but it serves as a distraction.
Unreported World – Friday, Channel 4, 7.30pm
This week, investigative journalist Sahar Zand delves behind the scenes of Japan’s increasingly controversial Sumo wrestling industry. Sumo is a centuries-old tradition, an important and respected facet of Japanese culture, but in recent years it’s been criticised for failing to take care of the wrestlers who partake in it. Zand spends time with a 12-year-old boy, Kyuta, who hopes to become a grand champion. To achieve that goal, he’ll have to earn a place in the ‘Sumo stable’, an institution that’s shrouded in secrecy. Zand meets former wrestlers who describe life in the ‘stable’ as nothing more than servitude. Concerns are mounting for the physical and psychological health of these men.
Friday Night Live – Friday, Channel 4, 9pm
The Channel 4 alternative comedy showcase Saturday/Friday Night Live was a formative experience for myself and millions of other ‘80s comedy-crazed kids. We already loved The Young Ones and The Comic Strip Presents, Rik Mayall et al were our heroes, but this anarchic variety extravaganza introduced us to the brilliant likes of Jo Brand, Julian Clary, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, French & Saunders, Fry & Laurie and Paul Merton. This one-off revival, hosted by Elton of course, won’t pack such a punch, it’s an exercise in nostalgia, but I suppose it’ll be quite nice to revisit the format. The bill includes the aforementioned Brand, Clary and Enfield, plus some young, current circuit comics.
Am I Being Unreasonable? – Friday, BBC One, 9.30pm
We’ve reached the penultimate episode of this delightfully dry and eccentric comedy thriller about a village-dwelling wife and mother (co-writer Daisy May Cooper) whose already complicated life becomes even stranger when she befriends a woman (co-writer Selin Hizli) with a mysterious past. Am I Being Unreasonable? is one of those addictive shows that takes you completely by surprise. A gut-punching sleeper hit. Thanks to the excellent This Country, we already knew that Cooper was a talented writer/performer, but this is a more striking piece of work as far as I’m concerned. And I hope it’s a one-series deal, as next week’s finale is perfect. A sequel might dilute its impact.
FILM of THE WEEK
We’re No Angels – Wednesday, Film4, 11am
This darkly amusing (sort of) Christmassy farce from 1955 is, admittedly, an odd piece of scheduling for this time of year. Film4 presumably have plenty of Autumn/Halloween-appropriate films in their archive. Also, 11am is a peculiar slot. This is a film best enjoyed at night. Nevertheless, it’s always a pleasure to bask in the witty antics of Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov as a desperate trio of escaped convicts who pitch up in a French colonial town on Christmas Eve. Yes, its Broadway stage origins are apparent throughout: we’re basically watching a filmed version of the play. But so what, it’s a delightfully sardonic piece of entertainment in which everyone gives their all.
LAST WEEK’S TV
Our Dementia Choir Sings Again with Vicky McClure – Monday October 10, BBC One
Four years ago, the actor Vicky McClure formed a choir of people living with dementia. Like so many of us, she’d lost a loved one to that illness. The therapeutic power of music proved to be very effective. In this poignant sequel to her original programme, McClure reconvened with various members of the choir. Inevitably, some of them aren’t in great shape. Hats off to McClure, her choir and their family members/carers for refusing to hold back on the fundamental point of this endeavour: people with dementia require so much more support from a system that’s skewed against them. An uplifting show tempered with deep-seated despair, this is public service broadcasting at somewhere near its best.
Rise of the Nazis: The Downfall – Monday October 10, BBC Two
The final series of this estimable documentary project began in December 1944. Hitler’s regime is in freefall, they’ve clearly lost the war. Hitler, of course, refuses to accept reality. As always, the purpose of this series is to examine the psychology, not only of Hitler and his chief enablers, but also that of the German footsoldiers and everyday citizens. It’s a grimly fascinating study of what happens when fascism prevails over a nation. As strange as this may sound, it offers some hope: fascist dictatorships will always fail because they are, by their very nature, chaotic cults founded on the myopic obsessions of charismatic yet utterly insane despots. This episode, and the previous six, are available on iPlayer. Highly recommended.
