What to watch on TV this week: 6 – 15 August

Ready for another jam-packed week of telly treats? Don’t miss gripping new thriller series In Flight and the return of Adrian Dunbar’s musical detective in Ridley, plus famous folk looking for love in Celebs Go Dating and more extraterrestrial shenanigans in the new season of Resident Alien. 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 telly on the move with you.

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 Fortune Hotel
9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

Stephen Mangan is ready to check in a new batch of hopeful holidaymakers for a thrilling second series of The Fortune Hotel. The jet-setters’ time in their Caribbean paradise is far from relaxing, though, as they must use all their smarts to track down a briefcase that’s filled with £250,000. Expect nail-biting challenges, never-before-seen twists, impressive blagging and plenty of high-stakes case-swapping drama at The Night Cap. 

What else to watch:

• Churchill: Winning The War, Losing The Peace – 8pm, U&Yesterday HD (CH 129)

• Johnny Vegas: Art, ADHD And Me – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Soldier: For King And Country – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping – 9pm, BBC Three HD (CH 107/113)

• Air Crash India: What Went Wrong? – 10pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Pick of the day: Johnny Vegas: Art, ADHD And Me
9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

While many of us know Johnny Vegas for his larger-than-life stage persona and characters, the comedian shows his more vulnerable side in this deeply personal docuseries. It follows the actor’s life-changing diagnosis with ADHD and his unexpected journey thereafter, as he navigates life with the condition and his mental health, all while creating an art installation for his hometown of St Helens.

What else to watch:

• Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain – 8.30pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Destination X – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Fortune Hotel – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• The Secret Life Of Trees – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Mr Bigstuff – 9pm + 9.30pm, Sky Showcase HD (CH 109) + Sky Max HD (CH 111)

Pick of the day: Whitstable Pearl
8pm, U&Drama HD (CH 116)

There’s never a dull day for Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman). As her sleuthing side hustle goes from strength to strength, she leaves her mother Dolly (Frances Barber) and Ruby (Isobelle Molloy) running the Whitstable Pearl restaurant while she sinks her teeth into grisly murders. But when infamous food critic Paddy Sheedy (David Verry) visits their restaurant, he’s poisoned and dies at the scene of the crime. Has Pearl bitten off more than she can chew with this case?

What else to watch:

• Here We Go – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Gone – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• Under The Bridge – 9pm + 9.45pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Mrs Brown’s Boys – 9.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Pick of the day: The Manhattan Project In Colour
8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Film-maker Christopher Nolan explored the conflicts behind the research that developed the nuclear bomb in his Oscar-winning biopic Oppenheimer. Now, marking 80 years since two such bombs were dropped on Japan and brought about the end of the Second World War, this documentary lifts the curtain on the reality of Robert Oppenheimer’s Manhattan Project. Using cutting-edge colourisation techniques, the makers have transformed the thousands of black-and-white photographs and hundreds of reels of film that survive and brought these momentous events to vivid life.

What else to watch:

• The Ritz: The World’s Most Famous Hotel – 8pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Griff’s Great American South – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Beck – 9pm, BBC Four HD (CH 108/107)

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

• Annika – 9.10pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

Pick of the day: Ridley
8pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

Jazz-loving former detective Alex Ridley (Line Of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar) would rather be enjoying his retirement – but, as the return of this show for a second series makes clear, his expertise is still needed. In his role as a consultant, providing assistance to DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh, The Fall), he’s investigating jewellery thefts connected to a criminal gang until a key witness is killed. Suddenly, it’s a murder case.

What else to watch:

• Cooking With The Stars – 7pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Parenthood – 7.15pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Antiques Roadshow: VJ Day Special – 8.15pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes – 9pm, Sky Crime HD (CH 121)

Pick of the day: Celebs Go Dating
9pm, E4 HD (CH 106)

The celebrity dating agency is back! Experts Paul C Brunson, Anna Williamson and Dr Tara Suwinyattichaiporn are here to guide more celebs in their quest to find love. Episode 1 finds pop singers Kerry Katona and Jon Lee, Too Hot To Handle’s Louis Russell, TV personality Christine McGuinness and Love Island-er Olivia Hawkins ready to mingle with some singles as they search for that all-important chemistry. Can the romance agents help them find that special someone? The series continues tomorrow, and look out for the arrival of The Chase legend Mark “The Beast” Labbett.

What else to watch:

• Panorama: Lucy Letby – Who To Believe? – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• SHARK! Celebrity Infested Waters – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Pharaohs At War – 9pm, Sky HISTORY HD (CH 131)

• Mafia: Most Wanted – 10pm, Sky HISTORY HD (CH 131)

Pick of the day: Resident Alien
10pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

After years of supporting parts (A Knight’s Tale, Dodgeball) and memorable voice work (Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, Star Wars: Rogue One), Alan Tudyk has found the perfect starring role in the excellent sci-fi comedy Resident Alien, which is back for a fourth season on Sky Max. He’s an alien posing as a human – but his life on Earth is under threat from a shapeshifter (Tudyk again) who’s posing as the same human, Harry Vanderspeigle, and isn’t anywhere near as good at it. Now the real fake Harry (come on, keep up!) must escape from the Grey Moonbase and get his life back.

What else to watch:

• The Big Pound Swap Shop – 8pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• The Great British Sewing Bee – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

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

• Secrets Declassified With David Duchovny – 9pm, Sky HISTORY HD (CH 131)

• FBI: Most Wanted – 10pm, Sky Witness HD (CH 110)

Pick of the day: VJ Day 80: We Were There
9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Around two million British and Commonwealth troops fought in east Asia during the Second World War, but as the world marks the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, there are very few left and many are over 100 years old. In this documentary, Rachel Burden gathers first-hand accounts from the surviving veterans, from the invasion of British Malaya to Japan’s surrender in August 1945. Former prisoners of war, forced to work on the notorious Burma Railway (aka the Death Railway), speak movingly of the brutality they endured.

What else to watch:

• Destination X – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Fortune Hotel – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

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

• Soldier: For King And Country – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Amsterdam Narcos – 9pm, Sky Documentaries HD (CH 188)

Pick of the day: In Flight
9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

Katherine Kelly’s crime thriller is up to episode 3 and if you’re not gripped by now, we’ll be amazed. Flight attendant Jo (Kelly) is doing everything she can to help her teenage son, who’s in a Bulgarian prison but swears he’s innocent. When she receives shocking news, Jo drops everything and heads for Sofia – will she reach her son’s side in time? Meanwhile her boyfriend Dominic (Ashley Thomas) is investigating the mysterious Cormac and is about to get a nasty surprise of his own. Continues on Tuesday 19 August; all episodes are available in Apps > Channel 4.

What else to watch:

• Tom Kerridge Cooks Spain – 8.30pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Destination X – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Fortune Hotel – 9pm, ITV1 HD (CH 103)

• Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Dead City: The Walking Dead – 10pm, Sky Max HD (CH 111)

Pick of the day: The Boy That Never Was
10pm, U&Alibi HD (CH 114)

Harry (Colin Morgan, Merlin) and Robin (Toni O’Rourke, Calm With Horses) are the bereaved couple clinging on to a shred of hope in this Irish drama, adapted from Karen Perry’s best-selling novel. Five years after their son was presumed dead in an earthquake in Africa, Harry is convinced he sees the boy in a crowded street in Dublin. His obsession grows as he continues the search – but is there a real chance of success? Or is it just a way of dealing with his own guilt? In tonight’s fourth and final episode, neither Harry nor Robin knows what they can believe.

What else to watch:

• Here We Go – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101)

• The Gone – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

• 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown – 9pm, Channel 4 HD (CH 104)

• Lost In The Desert With Nick Knowles – 9pm, 5 HD (CH 105)

• Inspector Gerri – 9pm, More4 HD (CH 147)

Football: EFL Championship – Southampton v Wrexham
Saturday 9 August, 11am, Sky Sports Football/HD (CH 513/503)

As the Championship kicks off, it’s a huge weekend of football with all matches live on Sky Sports (for those with Sky Sports+) but there’s one that catches the eye. Every fan knows about the rise of Wrexham under their celebrity owners: after winning the National League in 2022/23, many predicted a struggle in the EFL – but here they are in the Championship after their third successive promotion.

They mean business. Having signed former England international Conor Coady, Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward and a host of players proven at this level, they’re still being linked with some big names. And as if to demonstrate their ruthless focus on success, one-time hero striker Paul Mullin – star of the Welcome To Wrexham documentary series – has been sent on loan to Wigan. That does put a little pressure on manager Phil Parkinson, who doesn’t have an impressive record above League One.

Their opponents are relegated Southampton, who endured what we’re obliged to call a torrid time in the Premier League under the ultimately sacked Russell Martin and the already forgotten Ivan Jurić. But they’ve now secured the services of one of Europe’s most highly rated young coaches in Will Still, whose achievements in Belgium and France are striking. They’ve also pulled off a transfer coup with the capture of US forward Damion Downs. Which of these sides is best prepared for life in one of football’s toughest leagues?

Reservoir Dogs

Tuesday 12 August, 10pm, ITV4 HD (CH 118)

It’s a groundbreaking thriller with a tricksy timeline and killer dialogue but for many, the indelible image from Quentin Tarantino’s debut movie is Michael Madsen’s Mr Blonde doing a little dance to “Stuck In The Middle With You” as he extracts information from a traumatised police officer. Madsen, who died in July, had a lengthy career in film (including three further Tarantino collaborations) but never quite topped that moment. And there’s never a bad time to watch this innovative, electrifying heist thriller in which we see everything but the heist, as the gang gets together and falls apart amid secrets, revelations, gunfire and blood. Lots of blood.

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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