This week’s best telly is bookended by some great drama, Little Boy Blue on Monday and Gabs on Sunday. In the days in between there’s some great comedy with some series continuing, some ending and some only just starting.
Here are the 7 shows you have to watch this week...
1. Little Boy Blue
Monday 1st May at 9pm on ITV
Just about recovered from last week’s episode of Little Boy Blue? Thought so. I did say you’d need the tissues.
This week’s episode sees Rhys Jones laid to rest and there’s a police raid at the home of Kevin Moody which leads to the recovery of the gun used in his murder.
Moody must choose between being labelled a “grass” and risking retribution, or speaking the truth to clear his name.
Unexpectedly, a forensic examination of the gun leaves the entire investigation hanging in the balance.
2/4
2. Peter Kay's Car Share
Tuesday 2nd May at 9pm on BBC One
This week’s final episode of the series begins with John enlisting the help of his Nan to reluctantly wait in for a parcel delivery. As John goes to pick Kayleigh up he discovers that with everybody out, she has locked herself in, unable to find her key. Eventually they come up with a way that allows her to leave the house and they head off to work.
As they make their way home, Kayleigh asks John “Is there an us?" and is less than pleased with the answer. Is this the end of John and Kayleigh?
Quite how we’ve already reached the last in the series of Peter Kay’s Car Share I’ll never know. Four episodes just isn’t enough. But... I’m hoping that what we lack in episodes this series we’ll make up for at Christmas. Surely a Christmas special is on the cards?
After all, the cliffhanger at the end of this week’s episode will leave you screaming at your screen demanding to know what happens next.
4/4
3. Murder In Successville
Wednesday 3rd May from 10am on BBC Three
She was a suspect in series two (played by Marie Lawrence), but this week Lorraine Kelly, yes the real Lorraine Kelly, joins DI Sleet as his latest rookie as they try and solve the murder of Harry Hill.
Covered with radiation burns and surrounded with weird footprints that look like they belong to a monster… DI Sleet and his new celebrity sidekick Lorraine Kelly delve into all things supernatural as they grill this week’s suspects; Ant & Dec, Madonna and David Walliams.
Ant & Dec, a couple of backwards hillbillies, run mystery tours and with Sleet getting distracted by Dec’s hip new line of craft beers, it’s up to Lorraine to lead the investigation.
Madonna is a recluse, having undergone shady medical tests many years ago at a shadowy chemical factory. Rumours of monsters and mutated creatures surround the factory, so Sleet and Lorraine try to get some intel from Madonna by posing as old high school friends.
Someone clearly thinks Sleet and Lorraine are sticking their noses where they’re not wanted, as they are captured by the owner of the mysterious factory, which turns out to be David Walliams.
Strapped to medical tables, and seconds away from being Walliam’s newest medical guinea pigs, the pair have to fight for their lives to escape Walliam’s evil clutches and come face to face with the monster that killed Harry Hill.
But after taking it out, will Lorraine have spotted enough clues to correctly name the person behind this spooky supernatural adventure?
3/6
4. Benidorm
Wednesday 3rd May at 9pm on ITV
It’s hard to believe that we’re now in May and Benidorm is still on our telly. Of course, it started later than ever this year and was its longest ever run meaning that there were a total of nine episodes.
This week’s final episode guest stars Jason Manford, Dame Joan Collins and there’s a spectacular performance by Madness. Not a tribute act, the ACTUAL real-life Madness!
As Baby Jesus contaminates the pool at the Solana, all guests have to be evacuated and whilst the chips are down, Crystal pressures Joyce to sort things out. Will a trip to the circus and a world famous band in Neptunes do the trick and what are Monty’s intentions?
9/9
5. Britain Today Tonight
Friday 5th May at 10pm & 10:30pm on Channel 4
This week sees Kayvan Novak, star of Fonejacker and Facejacker, return to Channel 4 doing what he does best in a brand new series Britain Today Tonight.
Kayvan plays all the characters, including news anchor Douglas ‘Digger’ Daley, security correspondent Jon Donovan and reporter Ken Kildoon.
In the opening episode, Jon Donovan lets his imagination run wild as he goes to an Essex shopping centre to get to grips with exactly how people are guarding against a terrorist attack. There's also 'Britain's Most Hated Cyclist'; an inside look at Britain's secret services; and a discussion on the gender pay gap between a feminist campaigner and adult entertainment industry worker.
As the series opens with a double-bill, make sure you stick around for the second episode which sees security correspondent Jon Donovan travels to Tooting to investigate the sorts of measures British shopkeepers are taking to minimise the threat of global terrorism.
Lifestyle reporter Mandi Manners tries to quit smoking and there's a debate between a licensed black cab driver and an Uber driver.
1&2/6
6. The Keith & Paddy Picture Show
Saturday 6th May at 9:15pm on ITV
Keith Lemon and Paddy McGuinness have joined forces for a brand new ITV Saturday night series which sees the duo recreate iconic Hollywood movies with the help of an all-star cast.
Over the course of the series they’ll be recreating Jaws, Ghostbusters, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Rocky.
First up is Dirty Dancing, which sees Keith play Frances "Baby" Houseman and Paddy play Johnny Castle, played in the original by Patrick Swayze of course. They’ll be joined by the first group of guest stars; Larry Lamb, Jessica Hynes, John Barrowman and Kimberly Wyatt.
This isn’t a frame by frame remake though. It’s an entire film, cut down to an ITV half hour, complete with re-enactments, behind-the-scenes clips and commentary! Quite how they get it all to make sense in less than half an hour I’ll never know, but they do.
1/5
7. Babs
Sunday 7th May at 8pm on BBC One
As she approaches her 80th birthday (6th August), this Sunday night BBC One are celebrating the life and work of Dame Barbara Windsor with a 90-minute drama written by Tony Jordan.
Across the ninety minutes, four actresses will play the part of Barbara Windsor. As a child she’ll be played by Florence Keen, as a teen she’ll be played by Honor Kneafsey and then Jaime Winstone will play Barbara throughout her twenties with Samantha Spiro playing her from the age of 30 onwards.
Her first husband Ronnie Knight is played by Luke Allen-Gale and Charlie Archer takes on the role of her current husband, a real-life Mitchell, Scott Mitchell. Other key cast members include Zoe Wanamaker as theatre director Joan Littlewood, Robin Sebastian as Kenneth Williams and Rob Compton as Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
The drama will see Barbara contemplate her lonely childhood and WWII evacuation, her decision to go from Barbara Ann Deeks to Barbara Windsor, her complicated relationship with her father, her doomed marriage to Ronnie Knight, capturing the attention of Joan Littlewood and becoming the blonde bombshell in the Carry On films.
1/1