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Mondays, 6.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999). Also available in Catch Up > Channels > Virgin TV Ultra HD

Adventurer Francesca Chiorando travels the world to find the stories behind some of its most interesting places. From energetic, colourful, sometimes volatile cities like Naples and Belfast to the awe-inspiring landscapes of Iceland, Snowdonia and the Sahara, she uncovers fascinating stories, meets remarkable people, and investigates long-standing mysteries.

Counterpart

Wednesdays, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999). Also available in Catch Up > Channels > Virgin TV Ultra HD

A career in international espionage sounds glamorous, but for Howard Silk (JK Simmons, Whiplash), it simply means dealing with seemingly nonsensical coded messages in his humdrum Berlin office… until one day he learns that his operation is a portal to a parallel world, from which an assassin has intruded with a kill list that includes Howard’s wife.

Counterpart is a dazzlingly creative, skilfully written sci-fi thriller that makes great use of its great-looking German and US locations, with a superb dual performance from Simmons and support from James Cromwell (Babe), Olivia Williams (Victoria & Abdul) and Harry Lloyd (Brave New World).

Powers

Thursdays from 6 January, 10pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

Based on a popular Marvel comic book series, this imaginative drama presents a world where superheroes (or “Powers”) live alongside regular people and are similarly flawed and unpredictable. In the first season, Detective Christian Walker (Sharlto Copley, District 9) investigated the death of a super-person and got caught up in a titanic battle between two unscrupulous Powers, Royalle (Noah Taylor, Paddington 2) and “Big Bad” Wolfe (Eddie Izzard, Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol).

In the second, new to Virgin TV Ultra HD, the conflict widens to encompass cyborgs known as Hacks, as Walker and his colleagues try to maintain social order. Bizarre, fast-moving and never less than gripping, this is an entertaining twist on the superhero drama that fans of Prime Video’s The Boys will particularly enjoy.

The Da Vinci Code

Friday 7 January, 9pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

In this blockbuster adaptation of Dan Brown’s best-seller, the search for the Holy Grail takes symbologist Robert Langton (Tom Hanks) from Paris to Midlothian via Zurich and London, as he searches for clues in the works of Leonardo da Vinci and the darkest corners of Europe’s great churches.

The movie was shot in a series of beautiful locations, including the Louvre, Winchester and Lincoln Cathedrals, the Temple Church in London, Belvoir Castle and Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, as Langdon doggedly follows the trail to its conclusion – and thanks to Ultra HD, these picturesque places have never looked more ravishing.

Snatch

Mondays from 10 January, 9.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

The first series of this spin-off from Guy Ritchie’s cult crime comedy saw a group of young hustlers thrust into a high-risk world of organised crime, shifting stolen gold bullion, fixing boxing matches, shooting the place up and generally having a right old tear-up. Good news – the second series is more of the same, but in Spain!

Moving the roguish action from grey old England to the sunny shores of the Costa del Sol makes a life of crime seem even more shiny and appealing – look, we KNOW it’s wrong, all right!? – and a cast featuring Luke Pasqualino (Our Girl), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) and Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) look like they’re having a great time too.

THRU

Mondays from 17 January, 6.30pm, Virgin TV Ultra HD (CH 228/999)

In THRU, teams of competitors from around the world must trek through tough terrain in an attempt to reach the goal first, with each episode presenting a new challenge. The contestants must move as fast as they can to beat their rivals, facing all sorts of difficulties including disgruntled locals, with the incentive of a significant cash prize for the overall winners! The ten-part first series, filmed in Greece, starts on 17 January; the second – which moves to Andalusia in southern Spain and ups the prize while adding intriguing twists – follows straight after on Thursday 27 January.
 

How to access the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel

You’ll find all the details explaining what you need here. Then simply press the up button on the EPG to easily access Virgin TV Ultra HD. Don’t have a 4K TV? Never fear, because you can also watch the Virgin TV Ultra HD channel through your HD TV. Lucky you!