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Tuesday, April 22, 2025

This week’s must-see TV – tears over The Piano and huge Doctor Who moment revealed

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With new shows making their way onto our streaming services each week, it can be hard to know where to begin, but here’s a list that’s sure to help anyone looking for their next binge.

This week, the fifteenth Doctor boards the TARDIS for a new season of Doctor Who, while The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing star Claudia Winkleman returns to front The Piano on Channel 4.

Elsewhere, BBC3 introduces a new hilarious series, Just Act Normal, with a stellar cast blending established and rising talent, while streaming platform Disney + dedicates a documentary to the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Here’s what you need to know.

Saturday, BBC1

The TARDIS is back in action as Doctor Who delivers another thrilling season of time-travelling adventures. This time, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) faces a sinister force, with episodes spanning alien worlds, lost civilisations and near-future dystopias.

With a new companion in tow, Belinda (Varada Sethu), the stakes have never been higher as old enemies resurface and shocking twists keep fans on edge.

Meanwhile, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) deals with the consequences of leaving time travel behind. Blending heart, humour, and mind-bending sci-fi, this season promises to be one of the most unforgettable yet.

Wednesday, 9pm, Sky Arts & NOW

Pauline Black, the voice of ska revival band The Selecter, takes centre stage in this electrifying documentary that charts the rise of 2-Tone music.

With never-before-seen footage and candid interviews, the film dives into her battle against racism, sexism and the industry’s expectations.

From Coventry’s gritty streets to global stardom, Pauline’s frontwoman journey is as rebellious as the genre itself. Featuring iconic tracks and a deep dive into Britain’s punk-ska revolution, this is the untold story of a trailblazer who refused to be silenced.

Monday, BBC3

Comedy and drama collide in BBC Three’s Just Act Normal, a six-part series about three siblings – Tiana, Tanika and Tionne – who hide their mother’s sudden disappearance to avoid being split up by social services.

Set in Birmingham, the show follows their desperate, often hilarious attempts to keep up appearances while dodging nosy adults and unexpected chaos, including a clueless drug dealer.

Starring rising stars Chenée Taylor, Kaydrah Walker-Wilkie and Akins Subair, and with familiar faces Sam Buchanan, Romola Garai and Jamelia, this series blends raw emotion with sharp humour. Expect tension, secrets and a fight to stay together – no matter the cost.

Tuesday, 8am, Netflix

A tense, psychological mystery unfolds in Sweden-based thriller The Glass Dome. When her friend’s daughter vanishes, criminologist Lejla (Leonie Vincent) returns to her childhood home to join the search.

But her return is overshadowed by the haunting trauma of her own childhood abduction – Lejla was once held captive in a glass dome by an unknown perpetrator.

As she investigates the disappearance, Lejla must confront her own inner darkness and a past she’s been avoiding for years. But is history repeating itself?

Friday, Disney +

Step behind the curtain of Hollywood’s most groundbreaking special effects house in the second season of Light & Magic, the special effects company launched by director George Lucas.

This six-part series continues to explore the legendary work of Industrial Light & Magic, from Star Wars to Jurassic Park, showcasing the ingenuity behind cinema’s most iconic visuals.

With rare behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with industry giants, each episode uncovers the artistry, innovation, and challenges that revolutionised film-making. It’s a love letter to the dreamers who made the impossible possible.

Saturday, C5

Royal scandal meets political intrigue in The Queen and the Traitor, a gripping documentary that takes viewers back to November 1979. When a trusted courtier, Anthony Blunt, is exposed as a Russian spy, the monarchy is in turmoil and the Queen has to fight to maintain power.

This documentary explores how Anthony spent decades by the monarch’s side as her surveyor of pictures, diligently looking after the royal family ’s art collection and operating with a terrible secret. Blunt was one of Russia ’s best-placed spies – but when did the Queen know a traitor was in the Palace?

Friday, Apple TV+

Government Cheese is a surrealist comedy with a razor-sharp edge. Set in 1969 San Fernando Valley, this series follows the Chambers, an African-American family pursuing seemingly unattainable dreams.

When convicted burglar Hampton Chambers (David Oyelowo) is released from prison, he hopes for a fresh start by inventing the “Bit Magician”, a self-sharpening power drill.

But the unconventional family structure formed in his absence by wife Astoria (Simone Missick) and sons Einstein (Evan Ellison) and Harrison (Jahi Di’Allo Winston), run-ins with dodgy characters and even moments of apparent divine intervention throw things into chaos.

Saturday, U&W

When a mysterious illness leaves her paralysed from the waist down, successful journalist Tessa Rivers (Bree Peters) is shaken to her core.

But you can’t break this go-getter’s spirit – sent to Goldfield’s Spinal Unit, she must learn to navigate the new version of herself. And with the help of her alter-ego “Walking Tessa,” she grows more determined than ever to walk again, by any means necessary.

Created by Paula Whetu Jones, this New Zealand-based series pushes comedy in a new direction, delivering a powerful message about resilience and rebirth.

Saturday, Disney +

Over a century after its tragic sinking, the Titanic is reborn in stunning digital form for an unprecedented immersive investigation. Using state-of-the-art CGI and cutting-edge forensic research, Titanic: The Digital Resurrection reconstructs the iconic ship down to its finest details.

Viewers are transported inside its grand halls, engine rooms and doomed decks as experts unravel new theories about its final moments.

Each episode re-examines the disaster, challenging long-held beliefs and revealing groundbreaking discoveries that change everything we thought we knew. How did the “unsinkable” ship sink?

Monday, C5

A simple home renovation spirals into chaos in The Feud, a gripping six-part drama starring Jill Halfpenny and Rupert Penry-Jones. When Emma and John Barnett plan a kitchen extension, their once-friendly neighbourhood turns into a battleground of simmering resentment, buried secrets and escalating confrontations.

As tensions mount, alliances shift and the past threatens to resurface, what begins as a property dispute soon becomes a full-blown neighbourhood dispute.

With an all-star cast, including Amy Nuttall, Ray Fearon and Larry Lamb, The Feud is a compelling thriller about the dark side of suburban life.

Sunday, C4

Music, passion and raw talent take centre stage in The Piano, a reality series that discovers virtuosos in the unlikeliest places. Fronted by Claudia Winkleman, each episode follows undiscovered pianists performing in public spaces – from train stations to shopping malls where they play from the heart – before Jon Batiste and Mika weigh in.

Whether it’s a young prodigy or a self-taught genius, their stories of triumph and struggle make for an emotionally powerful journey. But when the finalists take the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime performance, who will rise to the occasion?

Saturday, ITV

The stakes are sky-high as the UK’s top jockeys thunder down Ayr Racecourse in the Scottish Grand National. With millions watching, this legendary steeplechase delivers all the thrills, heartbreak and photo-finishes racing fans crave.

Every episode delves into the personal journeys of the riders, the unpredictable nature of the sport and the tactics that could mean the difference between glory and defeat. With last-minute upsets and breathtaking comebacks, it’s a pulse-pounding ride from start to finish.

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