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What to watch on TV this week

What to watch on TV this week

Here’s all the very best entertainment on your TV this week, including a thrilling chase, the retelling of a classic tale and a back-to-school drama series

By Charlotte Briggs, Staff Writer

Just because the clocks are going forward this weekend doesn’t mean that you’ll be missing out on any great telly!

 

Famous fugitives are on the run and for a good cause in this year’s Celebrity Hunted. Tune in to see if the line-up can evade capture by the UK’s top military and police personnel, to help raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer.

 

Over on BBC One Olivia Colman is joining the long list of acclaimed actresses who have portrayed Miss Havisham in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations by Steven Knight, who gave us Peaky Blinders.

 

Don’t miss a brand new drama series about troubled teens in the form of Phoenix Rise, following in the footsteps of Grange Hill and Waterloo Road but with a Gen Z twist.

 

Plus, get ready to bend and snap down memory lane with Elle Woods in Legally Blonde for the ultimate movie night in this weekend.

 

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.

 

Wednesday 22 March

Pick of the day: Race Across The World

9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

The thrilling third series of this epic race kicks off tonight after a three-year hiatus. We meet the five British duos embarking on an epic race from one coast of Canada to the other, past checkpoints, bears and sinister-seeming locals and over all kinds of terrain. The catch? No phones, internet, credit cards or air travel allowed – and the teams have to pay most of their own way across the 16,000km journey.

 

What else to watch:

  • Secret Life Of The Forest – 8pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)
  • Saving Lives In Leeds – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • The Bay – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • SEAL Team – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)
  • Rise And Fall – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

 

Thursday 23 March

Pick of the day: The Apprentice

9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

They’ve been from Antigua to Dubai (via Brighton). They’ve marketed bao buns and bikes. They’ve made pies, fed dogs and, um, turned people’s skin green. It’s been another memorable season of The Apprentice, with fist-pumping highs and cringeworthy lows – and now it’s down to the final two. And with a £250,000 investment on the line, the ultimate task is always a creatively challenging one. So who’s up to the job? We’re awaiting Lord Sugar’s verdict as anxiously as the contestants… 


What else to watch:

  • Inside Taiwan: Standing Up To China – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • A Town Called Malice – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 121)
  • Rise And Fall – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • Tonight With Target – 10pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/157)
  • How The Young Ones Changed Comedy – 10.40pm, GOLD HD (CH 124)

 

Friday 24 March

Pick of the day: Phoenix Rise

7pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/157)

Class is in session in BBC Three’s new coming-of-age drama, which follows six formerly excluded students as they resume their studies at a new school in the Midlands. On the surface, they have nothing in common – but our hero misfits soon realise that they’ll have to stick together to survive. From the minds of the team behind Ackley Bridge and with plenty of excellent new talent to boot, it promises to be an utterly addictive watch. 

 

What else to watch:

  • Beyond Paradise – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • Becoming Frida Kahlo – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Redemption – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • Amazing Railway Adventures With Nick Knowles – 9pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)
  • The Cleaner – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • A League Of Their Own Road Trip: Southeast Asia – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 121)

 

Saturday 25 March  

Pick of the day: Fortress Britain With Alice Roberts

8.30pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

Anthropologist Dr Alice Roberts is joined by Professor Danielle George and Dr Onyeka Nubia as they uncover Britain’s obsession with invasion – which dates back centuries. The team’s first mission is to examine Henry VIII’s fear of a takeover from Catholic Europe, an unease that helped lay the foundations of the modern secret service. Together they inspect relics of this time including a treasure trove of Tudor coins, the cannons at Deal Castle and the warship the Mary Rose.  

 

What else to watch:

  • The MI5 Spy And The IRA: Operation Chiffon – 7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – 7pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • Big Night Of Musicals 2023 By The National Lottery – 7.50pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • Challenge Anneka – 8.30pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)
  • Starstruck – 8.30pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • Battle Of The Alphas – 8pm + 8.30pm, Sky Nature HD (CH 278)

 

Sunday 26 March

Pick of the day: Great Expectations

9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Scorned spinsters don’t come more iconic than the tortured Miss Havisham, and Olivia Colman is taking the character to dizzying new heights in the BBC’s latest adaptation of Great Expectations. Charles Dickens’ tale follows the story of Pip (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk), an orphan who has big dreams of becoming a gentleman in Victorian England – not least so he can marry Miss Havisham’s adopted daughter Estella (Shalom Brune-Franklin, The Tourist). With help from a mysterious benefactor, Pip navigates a new world filled with delightfully unsavoury characters.

 

What else to watch:

  • Wild Isles – 7pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer – 7.40pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • Grace – 8pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • World’s Most Dangerous Roads – 8pm, Dave HD (CH 127)
  • Tempting Fortune – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • Escaping Death Valley With Nick Knowles – 9pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 105)

 

Monday 27 March

Pick of the day: Skinner And Mina’s Literary Road Trip: Pope And Swift

8pm, Sky Arts/HD (CH 140/123)

If you didn’t catch last week’s episode, then be sure to join this week’s adventures as we learn more about some of literature’s greats. Stand-up comedy legend Frank Skinner and Scottish crime writer Denise Mina hit the road to uncover how Alexander Pope became one of the leading poets of his time. Plus, the duo discover the enduring legacy of Jonathan Swift’s political satire.  

 

What else to watch:

  • Great British Menu: The Finals – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Unforgotten – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • Tempting Fortune – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • The Witches Of Salem – 9pm, Sky HISTORY HD (CH 270)
  • Rise And Fall – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

 

Tuesday 28 March

Pick of the day: Celebrity Hunted

9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

Can the celeb teams escape the clutches of specialist hunters in aid of Stand Up To Cancer? Comedians James Acaster and Ed Gamble, Strictly’s Katya Jones, Olympian Aimee Fuller, actors Nicola Thorp and Nikesh Patel and more stars all make a break for freedom from Shrewsbury prison, but how long will they remain free? Our money’s on daring duo Acaster and Gamble, who head straight for a six-course tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant…

 

What else to watch:

  • Great British Menu: The Finals – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Bear Grylls Meets President Zelenskyy – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • The Flash – 8pm, Sky Max HD (CH 121)
  • Anton And Giovanni’s Adventures In Sicily – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • The Diplomat – 9pm, Alibi HD (CH 126)
  • Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled – 10pm, Dave HD (CH 127)

 

Wednesday 29 March

Pick of the day: Emergency: First Time Medics

8pm, W HD (CH 125)

It’s time to bid an emotional farewell to our group of junior doctors, as they finish training at Royal Berkshire Hospital’s Emergency department. Over 10 episodes we’ve watched them navigate the real-time drama of A&E, enduring the highs and lows of working on the NHS frontline. In the series finale Tristan’s spot-on diagnosis helps a patient get much-needed emergency surgery, while Zak and Christine face the challenges of treating two patients with an alarming combination of symptoms.

 

What else to watch:

  • Great British Menu: The Finals – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Race Across The World – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • Saving Lives In Leeds – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • The Bay – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • SEAL Team – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)
  • Rise And Fall – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

 

Thursday 30 March

Pick of the day: The Dog Academy

8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)

If you’re already missing Crufts on your telly, then don’t miss Channel 4’s new series all about some of the naughtiest pups across the nation. Across eight episodes dog behaviourists attempt to train both man and his best friend, changing their paw (wordplay!) attitudes for good. First up, ferocious cockapoo Bear is driving his owners barking mad, while Chihuahua Gina needs a lesson in making friends so she can move out of her “safety bag”.  


What else to watch:

  • Gordon Ramsey’s Future Food Stars – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)
  • Get On Up: The Triumph Of Black America – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
  • Jason & Clara: In Memory Of Maudie – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)
  • Taskmaster – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104/108)
  • Billy Connolly Does… - 9pm, GOLD HD (CH 124)
  • A Town Called Malice – 9pm, Sky Max HD (CH 121)

 


Pick of the week: Rugby Union – England v Scotland

Saturday 25 March, 4.45pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

The women’s Six Nations championship kicks off with defending champions England taking on rivals Scotland at Kingston Park in Newcastle. After some recent outstanding performances including last year’s Grand Slam win and second place at the Rugby World Cup, the Red Roses are on the hunt for a fifth consecutive Six Nations title. But the line-up for their opening match has been hit by injuries to several key players including fly-half Zoe Harrison and centre Emily Scarratt.

 

That’s welcome news for Scotland though, as Rachel Malcolm and her team look to gain any advantage after losing all their matches in last year’s campaign. With the squad now fully professional, the only way is up. Can they put in one of their all-time great performances and stop England dominating?

 

Legally Blonde

Saturday 25 March, 7.05pm, ITV2 (CH 115)

Although Reese Witherspoon spends much of her time producing these days (she’s behind the smash-hit series Daisy Jones & The Six), some of her most popular performances have come in romcoms such as Sweet Home Alabama, Just Like Heaven and as the original girl boss Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. The Beverly Hills bombshell heads to Harvard Law School against all odds, where her classmates and professors quickly learn that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Also starring are Jennifer Coolidge (Shotgun Wedding), Holland Taylor (The Wedding Date) and Selma Blair, who also starred with Witherspoon in Cruel Intentions

 

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