Read our TV reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews
What to watch on streaming
Critics’ choice
Will Nigel Farage Be Prime Minister?: Dispatches
Channel 4, 8pm
Since winning five seats in the general election, Reform UK has regularly topped voting intention opinion polls, won a by-election from Labour and claimed victory in the local elections and second-place for party membership, while also signing up Tory defectors. While there have been farcical ructions and resignations among Reform’s top team, that seems to have no effect on the populists’ popularity. Nigel Farage perhaps won’t be overjoyed that Dispatches is assessing his chances — last year Channel 4 News ran an undercover report on his Clacton campaign — but may be reassured by the choice of Fraser Nelson as presenter. The astute Times writer and former Spectator editor meets Reform supporters, looks at potential obstacles and pitfalls for Farage, and asks whether there’s a real prospect of a “political earthquake”. John Dugdale
• Nigel Farage: ‘Will I be the next PM? There’s a good chance’
Murder Most Puzzling
5, 8pm
Cora “The Puzzle Lady” Felton (Downton Abbey’s Phyllis Logan) is fed up. Since sending Stuart Tanner, aka the Graveyard Killer, to jail, “nobody has had the imagination to murder anyone”. However, her life as a sleuth isn’t on hold for long, when she is asked to look into the case of Darren Duggan, who is behind bars after being convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend. Duggan has an admirer who believes he is innocent and, after meeting him (despite Duggan being thoroughly unpleasant), Cora is inclined to agree — even more so when the prison governor warns her off the investigation. In common with all these so-called cosy crime dramas, a gruesome death is never too far away, as Cora uncovers a dark conspiracy in Bakerbury. Joe Clay
• The 15 best true crime drama series to watch right now
DNA Journey
ITV1, 9pm
The TV presenter Marvin Humes and Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson became friends after meeting in the jungle on I’m a Celebrity. Their bromance continues as they accompany each other on their respective DNA journeys, which take them to Jamaica and Canada. Humes has some sense of his ancestry, but everything is a surprise for Thompson, who has avoided digging into his family history for fear of uncovering something “bad” about his privileged upbringing (his full surname is De Courcy Thompson). JC
Glastonbury 2025 Live
BBC2, 10pm
The BBC’s coverage of the Glastonbury Festival begins in earnest tomorrow, but tonight Clara Amfo and Lauren Laverne get comfy in their studio overlooking the Park Stage to bring you some of the stories that have unfolded since the site opened on Wednesday. They are joined by special guests and there are a couple of live performances from the BBC Park Studio, while they also look forward to some of the anticipated acts from the festival, including the 1975, Rod Stewart and Charli XCX. JC
• Glastonbury 2025 TV Guide: How to watch the festival live from home
Streaming choice
The Bear
Disney+
At the end of series three of Christopher Storer’s drama, one fine-dining eatery opened as another closed. After belatedly launching The Bear, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) attended the “funeral” of its rival, Ever, and afterwards saw a review on his phone and missed calls from an investor. Whatever the outcome, Carmy needs to cut down on chaos and try to treat colleagues better. And he has to persuade Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) to stay. Also to be resolved is whether this run will be funnier than its predecessors: The Bear recently lost its “best comedy series” title in the Emmys and Golden Globes, perhaps because voters saw it as not comic enough. So will Storer boost the laughs? John Dugdale
• The best films to watch at home this week
Film choice
Le Mans ‘66 (12, 2019)
Film4, 6pm
This is a frequently silly romp about Ford’s attempt to beat the all-conquering Ferrari team in the 24-hour race at Le Mans in 1966. It is quite a departure for the British playwright Jez Butterworth, who co-wrote the script. But the film is a hoot, thanks in large part to another larger-than-life turn by Christian Bale. He plays Ken Miles, the eccentric British driver hired by the Texan car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to create a winning car for Ford. Among the highlights are the cockpit scenes in which Bale chunters around the circuits spewing Brummie invective. (146min) Ed Potton
Persuasion (PG, 1995)
BBC4, 10.15pm
The playwright Nick Dear received a Bafta for his first screenwriting credit — an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Amanda Root plays the protagonist Anne Elliot, with Ciarán Hinds as her romantic interest, Captain Frederick Wentworth. The story begins in early 19th-century England, eight years after Anne was persuaded by others to reject Wentworth’s proposal of marriage. Persuasion follows the two as they become reacquainted with each other while supporting characters continue to interfere. The director Roger Michell avoided the polished, artificial feel of other costume dramas, opting for a naturalistic feel by using a lot of handheld cameras. (104min) Joe Clay
• The best films of 2025 so far, as chosen by our critics
Radio choice
Radical with Amol Rajan
Radio 4, 11am
The Today Podcast is no more. The hosts Nick Robinson and Amol Rajan are going their separate ways. Robinson with more episodes of his Political Thinking podcast. Rajan with this new weekly series under the Today programme banner in which he talks to radicals, pioneers and innovators from all over the world in long-form conversations. The first programme (available on BBC Sounds) was a discussion with the feminist campaigner Laura Bates, discussing how social media is fuelling the anger of men who hate women, and asking what Big Tech can do to prevent this, and also what the consequences to society are if misogynistic behaviour continues. Clair Woodward
The best podcasts and radio shows of the week
What’s on TV this weekend
Friday
Critics’ choice
Glastonbury 2025 Live
BBC1, 7.30pm/10.30pm
Glastonbury is now a tent-pole event of the summer calendar, as English as warm cider, or so the BBC coverage makes it feel — even The One Show will have all-smiling link-ups to Worthy Farm tonight. You’ll already know Glastonbury is back because the BBC has had nostalgia programmes all week (on BBC2) and nonstop trails for its 90-plus hours of performances and live streams, but highlights tonight include student-favourites Wet Leg (during BBC4’s 7-8pm coverage), Alanis Morissette on the Pyramid Stage (BBC2, 8pm), Britpop rascals Supergrass (BBC4, 8pm), art-rockers Franz Ferdinand (BBC4, 9pm) and Pyramid headliners the 1975 (BBC1, from 10.30pm). This being Glastonbury, that’s barely scratching the surface. James Jackson
• Glastonbury 2025 TV Guide: How to watch the festival live from home
Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure
ITV1, 9pm
“I quite fancy the Bugger Inn taking on Diddly Squat. We’d wipe em out! Come on Jeremy, take the challenge!” Noel Edmonds is not short of confidence about the quality of his rural retreat in New Zealand. Unlike Jeremy Clarkson’s farm, Edmonds’s main hub is set up with “positive energy stations” — audio frequencies that stimulate plant growth and so on. Certainly, you wouldn’t get Clarkson explaining that “I think there is a spiritual freedom here.” Edmonds is in his paradise. Like Clarkson, however, his business is facing financial challenges. His vineyard is at the mercy of the weather (“four seasons in one day”), as is his pub, empty as rain lashes down. “We’re haemorrhaging money,” Edmonds admits. Lucky that he believes in the “cosmos” and that things all happen for a reason. JJ
The Last Days of Anne Boleyn
PBS America, 6.35pm
A BBC repeat from 2013 perhaps, but one that Wolf Hall fans will have no problems revisiting. In fact, Hilary Mantel turns up among the experts (also including a splenetic David Starkey). Anne Boleyn’s fall from grace was astonishing in its speed. On the same day Catherine of Aragon was laid to rest, Boleyn had a miscarriage and lost the baby boy who would have safeguarded her position. Less than six months later, she was executed. JJ
• Lutes and gold silk — inside Anne Boleyn’s sumptuous apartment
Not Going Out
BBC1, 9pm
The comic situation this week is presented by Lee and Lucy going on a surprise holiday — to a caravan in a rain-lashed field, or “an oversized wheelie-bin that stinks of mould” as she observes. A dark streak of humour arrives in the form of a chirpy fellow caravanner (Felicity Montagu). Is she just a lonely eccentric, or a complete madwoman, living alone with her unseen mum? It’s a world first — a BBC1 sitcom by way of Psycho. JJ
• Lee Mack: middle-class snobs are killing sitcoms
Streaming choice
Squid Game
Netflix
The third and final season of Netflix’s South Korean phenomenon picks up where the second left off, with Gi-hun’s (Lee Jung-jae) rebellion on the point of failure, let down by the cowardice of one miserable soul. So the games will continue but with a weakened cohort of the frightened, elderly and self-interested players who did not elect to fight the guards, which means the double-crossing Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) will require something spectacular for the VIPs. The face-off between the Front Man and Gi-hun might appear to be a simple battle between evil and good, but will Squid Game have something more subtle to teach us about human nature? Helen Stewart
Film choice
Gladiator II (12, 2024)
Sky Cinema Premiere/Now, 8pm
Ridley Scott returns to his Roman epic with events set 15 years after the original. The focus now is on Lucius (Paul Mescal), son of Russell Crowe’s Maximus, who has been living incognito and is ready to “unleash hell”. “Rage is your gift,” says Macrinus (Denzel Washington), the gladiator trainer tasked with whipping him into shape. It’s bloodier and more fiendishly stuffed with neoclassical badassery than its predecessor. We get tigers; sea battles staged in a flooded arena swimming with sharks; and Pedro Pascal as Marcus Acacius. (115min) Kevin Maher
Magnum Force (18, 1973)
ITV4, 9pm
“Dirty” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is back to deploy more of his own unique brand of justice. This sequel sets the tough-talking cop against a band of vigilantes who have taken to blowing up miscreants who have escaped sentencing due to failures in the legal system. But Harry starts to wonder if the killer he is seeking is a cop — perhaps even his own partner. The film is packed with action set pieces — a motorbike chase on an abandoned aircraft carrier is particularly enjoyable, while Eastwood’s performance is composed mainly of sneering and shooting people, but sometimes that’s all you need. (122min) Wendy Ide
Radio choice
The Food Programme
Radio 4, 11am
English wine is well known, but how about English olive oil? In today’s programme, Leyla Kazim looks at the enterprising farmers planting olive groves hoping to fill a gap in the market after drought disrupted Spanish production. She meets an Essex farmer who explains how growing conditions in England are better than we might think and visits a Cornish producer who is already pressing their own olive oil. She also learns about how to appreciate the different varieties. Dan Saladino reports from the traditional olive area of Sicily, where the increased temperatures attributed to climate change are presenting new challenges for growers. CW
Saturday
Critics’ choice
Glastonbury 2025 Live
BBC2, 10.10pm
First he was on, then he was off, and then he was on again. Now the folk legend Neil Young is finally returning to Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in a set that could be one for the ages. Lauren Laverne and Jo Whiley will be keeping us company at the end of an extremely busy day at Worthy Farm, which is getting the usual wall-to-wall coverage. Among the other highlights, the Leeds rockers Kaiser Chiefs have a noon date at the Pyramid, followed by Raye at 8pm. Perhaps surprisingly Young isn’t on the main channel in the evening — the plum BBC1 slot has been handed to Charli XCX, the British singer/songwriter of the moment, for her set at 10.30pm. Ben Dowell
Secrets of Diana’s Wedding Dress
5, 9pm
The many documentary profiles of Princess Diana have often focused on the doe-eyed Lady Diana preparing to marry her prince charming. Of course we know the sad coda to that happy occasion at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981, when an estimated 750 million people tuned in to watch her. This programme cleverly focuses on one more important detail from that day — the dress. Elaborately designed with its 25ft train and antique lace, it shaped the public’s perception of Diana as a serious fashion player, we are told. There are intriguing nuggets here too: the dress even had a code word, Debra, and a duplicate (which has now disappeared) was made in case the original one was stolen. BD
• Princess Diana’s 12 most influential looks
Jamie: What to Eat This Week
Channel 4, 4.55pm
The pukka chef is back with more selections from his favourite summer celebration meals. First he cooks plums to make a sauce to serve with crispy duck. Next he whizzes up green gazpacho from cucumbers, fresh summer herbs and greens. Then he is on barbecue detail, griddling sweet peppers for a tomato and bread salad. All finished off with a sour cherry frangipane tart, served with crème fraîche topped by sticky cherries. Tasty. BD
• Jamie Oliver: ‘They called me a stupid dunce’
Suspicion
ITV1, 11pm
It’s episode two of this pleasingly twisty if slightly confusing transatlantic thriller, first seen on AppleTV+ in 2022. Based on the Israeli series False Flag, the mystery of who kidnapped the only son of the PR tycoon Katherine Newman (Uma Thurman) from a swish Manhattan hotel deepens with the spotlight still on the British suspects, including the bride-to-be Natalie (Georgina Campbell). The clues are so thin on the ground that any armchair detectives will need to engage in a lot of guesswork. BD
Streaming choice
The Beach Boys
Disney+
With Dennis, Carl and now the great Brian Wilson gone, summer dreams of surfing and California girls feel evermore a relic of 60 years ago. But the joyous music never fades, and nor does the fascinating story of the band — one of sibling success, harmonies blessed with the divine, the crackpot genius of Brian, lawsuits, tragedy and the rest. It’s a well-told tale but it bears repeating, and this concise new rock doc is a canter through the history, full of great clips, presenting a carefully balanced view of the band. We hear briefly, for example, about how Keith Moon was the band’s tour guide in London, and how Lennon and McCartney showed up for a first listen to Pet Sounds. JJ
Film choice
Casino Royale (15, 2006)
ITV1, 8pm
Daniel Craig brings a brutally efficient physicality and thrilling undercurrent of sadistic cruelty to the role — his is a Bond that you feel gains job satisfaction from his licence to kill. The action is less reliant on the sillier gadgets favoured in the Brosnan era. Instead the film stakes its reputation on one formidable weapon: Craig’s ruthless, reckless 007, who looks as though he could do some serious damage, makes catastrophic errors of judgment and loses his cool. Mads Mikkelsen is the blood-crying baddie Le Chiffre; Eva Green is the vampish Vesper Lynd. (145min) Wendy Ide
The Monuments Men (12, 2014)
BBC4, 10pm
George Clooney directs and stars in a story based on a real-life mission. He plays Frank Stokes, charged by the US president with assembling a crack team of historians and art buffs to rescue art stolen by the Nazis and then restore it to its rightful owners. His team includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray and Hugh Bonneville. It’s a race against time — the wily Nazis have been ordered to destroy the cache of masterpieces rather than let the Allies capture them. (118min) WI
Radio choice
Debbie Harry: The Fans’ Story
Radio 2, midnight
To celebrate the Blondie icon’s 80th birthday on July 1, the programme talks to celebrity fans including Courtney Love, Beth Ditto, Jake Shears, Belinda Carlisle, Alison Goldfrapp and Holly Johnson about how Harry influenced their life and work. The show is soundtracked by music from Blondie and Harry’s solo career. CW
Sunday
Critics’ choice
24 Hours in Police Custody
Channel 4, 9pm
“Fairfield is not somewhere that you would associate with crime,” says a resident of the Bedfordshire village, but the inhabitants’ unlocked doors and sense of community was damaged on November 15, 2023, when Annette Smith went missing. The 74-year-old’s disappearance was reported by her lodger and carer Scott Paterson, who stated that she had left her house with a woman he didn’t recognise. Pieced together from police footage and new interviews, this two-part documentary follows Bedford’s Missing Persons Unit as they map Smith’s last movements, realising — thanks to a trail of suspicious emails and Christmas cards — that a dark truth lies behind her sudden vanishing. The police investigation is meticulous, but the programme also shows how easily lives can slip into chaos. Victoria Segal
• The 15 best true crime drama series to watch right now
Rod Stewart at Glastonbury 2025
BBC1, 7.15pm/10pm
Sunday at Glastonbury often has a melancholy tinge, possibly as a result of campers realising that they will probably have to endure a long wait in a car-park traffic jam before they come anywhere close to their own beds. Since it was inaugurated in 1998, however, the “legends” slot has worked hard to alleviate that sense of incipient gloom, transforming Sunday teatime into a joyful celebration on the Pyramid Stage. Following previous holders of the slot — among them Dolly Parton, Barry Gibb and Brian Wilson — this year’s pre-headliner headliner is Rod Stewart (7.15pm), who hasn’t performed at the festival since 2002. Expect to see the audience lip-syncing along to Maggie May and Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? At 10pm, meanwhile, the real headline act appears: Jo Whiley, Jack Saunders and Clara Amfo will introduce Olivia Rodrigo. Good idea, right? VS
7/7: Homegrown Terror
Sky Documentaries/Now, 9pm
How did four British men end up becoming suicide bombers in their own country? That’s the question posited by this three-part docuseries that tells the definitive story of the London terrorist attacks of July 7, 2005, in which 52 people were killed. The series includes the words of Waheed Ali (taken from court transcripts and spoken by an actor), who was friends with the bombers but didn’t take part in the atrocity, as well as interviews with survivors, their families, investigators and the father of one of the attackers. JC
• Ideology is at the heart of terrorism, says extremism tsar
Death Valley
BBC1, 8.45pm
A murder at a school reunion brings Janie (Gwyneth Keyworth) back to her old school, where her mechanic, Dean, has been found dead. And with a second series confirmed, John’s position as a consultant with Mid Wales police is finally made official, allowing Janie and John (Timothy Spall) to work together to crack the case. However, they are soon at loggerheads as they uncover links to a cold case and Janie is forced to revisit an upsetting event from her teenage years. JC
Streaming choice
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
BBC iPlayer
Webster’s Dictionary defines escapism as “the habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative entertainment as an escape from reality or routine.” That perfectly sums up this soothing, undemanding travelogue in which the actor, armed with a very decent grasp of Italian and a hearty appetite, samples the culinary delights of Tuscany, Milan and so on. The gastronomic odyssey begins in “the magnificent chaos” of Naples, where Tucci, a serious foodie, meets Enzo Coccia, one of the undisputed masters of Neapolitan pizza. Salivate, ogle, unwind. Andrew Male
• 25 new TV shows to look for in 2025 — and the best returning favourites
Film choice
Past Lives (12, 2023)
BBC2, 10pm
This Brief Encounter-style heartbreaker from the first-time director Celine Song is rooted in the honesty of her own experience. It follows Nora (Greta Lee), a Seoul-born playwright living in New York, her Jewish New Yorker husband, Arthur (John Magaro), and the Korean childhood sweetheart Hae Sung (Teo Yoo). Nora had long since left him behind, but he comes crashing adorably yet painfully back into her world. Song’s film, impeccably constructed, acted and paced, is also deceptively complex. It’s a film, in short, about putting away childish things. (106min) KM
JoJo Rabbit (12, 2019)
Film4, 11.15pm
The pint-sized protagonist of the writer-director Taika Waititi’s drama is Johannes “Jojo” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a naive Nazi enthusiast on a camping trip with the Hitler Youth in the closing days of the Second World War. Jojo is nicknamed “Rabbit” after refusing to kill one on the orders of a camp leader. The satirical swipes come thick and fast, with the Nazis depicted as devious morons. The film focuses on Jojo and his life defining relationship with a Jewish refugee called Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), hidden in the attic by Jojo’s mother (Scarlett Johansson). (108min) KM
• Read more film reviews, guides about what to watch and interviews
Radio choice
Drama on 4
Radio 4, 3pm
Muriel Spark’s novella set in post-VE Day London, The Girls of Slender Means, tells the stories of those who live in the May of Teck Club for young working women, including Jane Wright (Rose Basista), and how their lives changed between VE Day and VJ Day three months later. The “slender means” in the title refer to not only the women’s financial circumstances, but the fact that only the slimmer residents can shimmy through the window that takes them on to the roof where sunbathing and secret assignations happen. CW
Readers’ views on recent TV
Please stop inserting trailers for the following programme in the middle of the news. It’s annoying, unnecessary and interrupts the content flow.
James Pullen
We love Flog it (BBC1), but why does the BBC repeat the same programmes twice? There must be hundreds of programmes that have never been repeated. It doesn’t matter if the values are out of date.
Joan Freeland
Best edition of Countryfile ever on June 1 (BBC1) celebrating Bradford City of Culture, linking the surrounding countryside with the historic wool industry and contemporary art as well as literature and music. Fantastic.
Pamela Stenson
Malpractice series 2 (BBC) was well acted, realistic and disturbing. A good indicator of what infighting and reputation protecting can occur in the health service.
David Francis Seelig
I’m sorry that a recent YouSayer was disappointed in Death Valley (BBC1). I found it very entertaining and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Nor did I think that the dialogue was spoken too quickly. All-round great cosy crime with a quirky sense of humour.
Liz Barker
The Horne Section TV show (C4) is really well constructed. It’s witty, clever and extremely entertaining.
Barbara Mitchell
Having enjoyed another series of Race Across The World (BBC1), may I compliment the choice of teams, the in-depth research that must have been carried out in advance and most of all the camera teams. I can’t imagine how they kept up with filming the teams on their travels and experiences so discreetly.
Neil Walmsley
Will Escape To The Country presenters stop describing what are clearly houses as cottages.
Irene Noble
Just tried to watch The Gold (BBC1). Turned it off after a few minutes as I could not see what was going on. When are film-makers going to realise that producing dark films etc is a real turn-off, literally. If they want to create atmosphere, do it by letting the viewers see what is going on.
Val Roberts
Doctor Who (BBC1) — completely spoilt by Disney.
Alec James
Dept Q (Netflix). In episode 3 had 35 ‘F’ swearwords 5 ‘C’ swearwords plus minor references to bodily functions and parts. Is there no consideration for the example this sets to young people?
David Evans
Why even, or rather especially on, the BBC is “the” now pronounced “thee” and “a” now pronounced “ay”? Regional or national accents are fine but this sounds like pomposity.
John Smith
Send your comments to: telly@sunday-times.co.uk
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