What to watch on TV this week: 17 – 26 September

Ready for another jam-packed week of telly treats? David Tennant, Toby Jones and Robert Carlyle star in explosive fact-based drama The Hack, while the return of favourites Strictly Come Dancing, Married At First Sight UK, Waterloo Road, Brassic and Sister Boniface Mysteries means you won’t want to leave the comfort of your sofa any time soon. Happy viewing!

With all this plus our usual sport and movie picks of the week, there’s something for all tastes across the service. And don’t forget, with Virgin TV Go, you can take your TV with you on the move.

There’s so much good stuff on this week that we’ve compiled a list of the best TV shows to watch. Bookmark this page to keep up to date with the latest changes.

Pick of the day: The Body In The Suitcase: A Murder Mystery
10pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

True crime fans won’t want to miss this compelling anthology series that investigates macabre murders with victims found in unusual places. In the first episode, an unopened suitcase in a hedge in a sleepy village leads to the most complex murder investigation ever undertaken by North Yorkshire Police. Alongside first-hand accounts from the detectives involved, there’s archive footage and evidence that will chill you to the bone.

What else to watch:

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Madeleine McCann: Searching For The Prime Suspect – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• The Donald Trump Show – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Rumour – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• A Remarkable Place To Die – 9pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

Pick of the day: Juice
9pm + 9.25pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

Mawaan Rizwan is back on screens with a new series of his BAFTA-winning comedy. Jamma (Rizwan) has fallen on hard times after his clowning around led to him being jobless, single and sofa-surfing. Oops. So it’s no wonder he finds it hard to resist a mysterious offer that promises to free him of his childish ways and reunite him with ex Guy (Russell Tovey). Guest actors in series 2 include Mark Gatiss (Bookish) and Tamara Lawrance (Get Millie Black).

What else to watch:

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Newsreader – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Long Lost Family – 9pm, ITV1 HD 9CH 103)

• Taskmaster – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Rumour – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

Pick of the day: Fawlty Towers: The Play
9pm, U&GOLD HD (CH 124)

If you couldn’t get tickets to the stage production of classic farce Fawlty Towers then we have some good news for you. To mark the 50^th (!!) anniversary of the legendary sitcom, viewers can enjoy that incompetent hotel owner Basil Fawlty in all his West End glory from the comfort of their sofas. Written by Fawlty Towers co-creator John Cleese, Fawlty Towers: The Play is packed with all the chaotic comedy and sharp wit that the beloved sitcom is known for.

What else to watch:

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Gogglebox – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Paper – 9pm + 9.35pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

• The Newsreader – 9.10pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: Strictly Come Dancing
6.40pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

It’s time to shimmy into a new series of Strictly as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman welcome 15 new celebrities to the ballroom. This year’s contestants include TV personality Vicky Pattison, model Ellie Goldstein, Gladiator Nitro, actor Alex Kingston and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and we can’t wait to see which pros they’ll be paired up with before the real fun to begins. Dah-dah-dah-dah-dah!

What else to watch:

• You Bet! On Tour – 6pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Win Win – 7pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Britain’s Railway Empire In Colour – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Count Of Monte Cristo – 9pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

• One Night – 10.30pm, ITV1 HD (CH 1030

Pick of the day: Married At First Sight UK
9pm, E4 HD (CH 106)

They say that time flies when you’re, ahem, marrying someone that you’ve just met. And 10 years have simply flown by since TV’s most daring dating show made its UK debut. Now, Married At First Sight UK is back for its 10th (!) series with a new group of brides and grooms preparing to take the plunge in their search for true love. But will the couples get cold feet or live happily ever after?

What else to watch:

• M&S: Dress The Nation – 6.55pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams – 8.15pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Coldwater – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• King & Conqueror – 9.15pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Covid Contracts: Follow The Money – 10.15pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

Pick of the day: Disease X: Hunting The Next Pandemic
9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

More than five years have passed since the outbreak of Covid-19. Now, Dr Chris van Tulleken is on a one-man mission to trace the pathogen that could trigger another pandemic. The TV presenter and virologist travels around the world to discover more about the conditions under which such a virus could spread and the cutting-edge science designed to tackle the threat, as well as examining past deadly viruses from the Nipah virus to bird flu. Eye-opening viewing.

What else to watch:

• The Guest – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Coldwater – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Married At First Sight UK – 9pm, E4 HD (CH 106)

• Kevin Costner’s The West – 9pm, Sky HISTORY HD (CH 131)

• Trying – 10.40pm + 11.10pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Pick of the day: Waterloo Road
9pm + 10.40pm, BBC One HD (CH 1010

Jon Richardson is stepping into the staff room as media studies teacher Darius Donovan in the return of long-running drama Waterloo Road. The start of the new term sees headteacher Stella (Lindsey Coulson) navigate challenges both within the school and at home, following the arrival of her daughter and grandchildren. Elsewhere, there’s tragedy on the horizon as the choices of faculty and students alike have life-changing consequences. Jason Merrells, Adam Thomas and Kym Marsh all return.

What else to watch:

• Stacey & Joe – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Great British Bake Off – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Married At First Sight UK – 9pm, E4 HD (CH 106)

• The Inheritance: The Final – 9.15pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Romesh: Can’t Knock The Hustle – 10pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

Pick of the day: The Hack
9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

If you were shocked and moved by Mr Bates Vs The Post Office then you’re going to want to cancel your Wednesday evening plans pronto. From Adolescence’s Jack Thorne comes The Hack, an explosive new drama that captures the shocking true stories of the News Of The World’s phone hacking scandal and the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan. There’s an incredible cast too: David Tennant, Toby Jones, Robert Carlyle, Steve Pemberton, Rose Leslie and Katherine Kelly star.

What else to watch:

• Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators – 8pm, U&Alibi HD (CH 114)

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Donald Trump Show – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Married At First Sight UK – 9pm, E4 HD (CH 106)

• The Shadow Scholars: Fake Essay Scandal – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: Brassic
10pm, Sky Showcase HD (CH 109) + Sky Max HD (CH 111)

It’s the end of an era. After six unruly series of Joe Gilgun and Danny Brocklehurst’s award-winning comedy, the gang is back for one last adventure in Hawley. Vinnie (Gilgun) is taken aback when a new, younger gang start to make a name for themselves in the world of petty crime. But if we know anything, it’s that Vinnie and his band of loyal brothers won’t go down without a fight… Michelle Keegan, Ryan Sampson, Aaron Heffernan, Parth Thakerar, Joanna Higson, Steve Evets and Bhavna Limbachia all return.

What else to watch:

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Newsreader – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Taskmaster – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• All Creatures Great And Small – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK – 9pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

Pick of the day: Sister Boniface Mysteries
9pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

There’s never a dull moment in this jolly Father Brown spin-off series. Lorna Watson reprises her role as everyone’s favourite crime-solving nun Sister Boniface, who helps her local police department solve the never-ending murders that plague their quaint little village. In the fourth series, the body count gets even higher in Great Slaughter as a TV stunt gone wrong causes the lead actor to plummet to their untimely death. Ruh-roh!

What else to watch:

• Stranded On Honeymoon Island: The Final Flare – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Newsreader – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Gogglebox – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Paper – 9pm + 9.35pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

• Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Football: Premier League – Manchester United v Chelsea
Saturday 20 September, 5pm, Sky Sports Premier League/HD (CH 512/502)

Green shoots. Turning the corner. Signs of improvement. All these phrases have been applied to Manchester Utd this season – but with four points from four Premier League games, United have made a start that reflects their 15th-place finish last term. They need to start winning if they’re going to, at the very least, get back among the European contenders.

The good news for fans? What stats nerds like to call “the underlying numbers” are decent: United have the second highest xG (expected goals) so far at 8.46, but they’ve only scored four – which means they’re creating plenty of chances but not taking them. With new striker Benjamin Šeško getting up to speed, that could soon change. The only team with a higher xG are today’s opponents, who are doing a better job of putting chances away since replacing Nicolas Jackson with João Pedro and sit fifth in the table.

United will take heart from Chelsea’s flaws, though, such as the defensive disorder that allowed Brentford to steal a late equaliser last week. They’ve got plenty of attacking talent in the form of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and captain Bruno Fernandes, and this home game could be the ideal opportunity to show their prowess. Chelsea, naturally, will have other ideas.

The Devil Wears Prada

Saturday 20 September, 4.30pm, Film4 HD (CH 428)

With filming underway for its long-awaited sequel, it’s time to step back into the high-stakes world of haute couture in Noughties classic The Devil Wears Prada. When fresh-faced graduate Andy (Anne Hathaway) joins the ranks of Runway magazine as a junior assistant, she soon discovers that the job a million girls would kill for might not be all that it’s cracked up to be… Meryl Streep earned an Oscar nomination (her 14th) for her performance as diabolical editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. Sharp, stylish and wickedly funny viewing.

What else to watch:

Looking for more movies this week? We can help with that.

• Our monthly Sky Cinema guide featuring the best movies this month

• Looking for something on Netflix? Try our monthly guide to new releases

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