WHAT TO WATCH 10-16 October

21 hours ago

4 min read

New dramas from David Tennant, David Oyelowo and Luke Evans!

This week's best telly includes three massive new dramas, including the third instalment of Jimmy McGovern's anthology drama, Time, the 18th television adaptation of Treasure Island and Sarah Solemani's adaptation of Elizabeth Day's The Party.

Elsewhere, current Celebrity Traitors contestants Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan return with a ninth series of Rob & Romesh Vs and The Diplomat returns to Netflix for its fourth season.

Here are 5 TV shows you can't miss this week...

1

RETURNING DRAMA

TIME

Sunday 11th and Monday 12th October at 9pm on BBC One

Stream on BBC iPlayer

Time returns this week to BBC One for its third series, as Jimmy McGovern's anthology prison drama moves to a young offender institution as Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise, played by Siobhan Finneran, arrives having lost her faith.

When tragedy strikes in the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey, played by David Tennant, a man in the midst of his own crisis. Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident, but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much?

Meanwhile, two teenage young offenders, Peter and James, played by Ollie McNulty and Louis McCartney, struggle through the terrifying first weeks and months of their incarceration.

Can James ever face his broken parents after an unforgivable act of violence, and will Peter tell the truth about the death of an innocent man, or does family loyalty mean more?

An unlikely friendship between them looks to shift the trajectory of their futures, but in an increasingly unstable environment, is change ever possible?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1O4cG0ZcHY&pp=ygUIdGltZSBiYmM%3D

2

BRAND NEW DRAMA

THE PARTY

Sunday 11th to Tuesday 13th October at 9pm on ITV1

Stream on ITVX

Launching this week on ITV1 is The Party, a gripping new five-part adaptation by Sarah Solemani of Elizabeth Day's acclaimed novel of the same.

The Party stars Luke Evans as Martin Gilmour, a journalist shaped by his lifelong friendship with the wealthy and charismatic politician Ben Fitzmaurice, played by Tom Cullen. Raised alone by his working-class mum, Sylvia, played by Joanna Scanlan, Martin wins a scholarship to an elite boarding school, where he first meets Ben.

They forge an unbreakable bond, as Ben and the Fitzmaurices give Martin the sense of belonging he has always craved. In turn, Martin remains unflinchingly loyal to Ben through even the greatest crises.

Three decades on, Martin is invited to Ben’s lavish birthday party at the Fitzmaurices’ country pile. The news of the Conservative leader’s resignation threatens to derail Ben’s party, as he considers announcing his intention to stand. Martin fears the publicity that Ben’s bid would bring, dredging up the secrets of their past with tragic consequences …

The drama moves between the shocking events of the party and the police investigation that follows, with flashbacks to Martin and Ben’s lives at school, university and London party days.

What unfolds is a gripping exploration of identity, privilege and devotion, combined with a tender ode to anyone who has fought to live authentically.

The series also stars Sarah Solemani as Martin’s pregnant wife, Lucy, Lydia Leonard as Ben’s formidable wife, Serena, with Lindsay Duncan and Douglas Hodge as Ben’s parents, Lady Katherine and Lord George Fitzmaurice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q-phi2HxPk

3

BRAND NEW DRAMA

TREASURE ISLAND

Monday 12th October on Paramount+

Launching this week on Paramount+ is Treasure Island, a new six-part adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 18th-century epic, starring David Oyelowo as Long John Silver, Hayley Atwell as Bess Hawkins, Jack Huston as Aaron Graham, Tomer Capone as Billy Bones, and Tom Sweet as Jim Hawkins.

Treasure Island promises to be a bold, high-stakes coming-of-age adventure series for a new generation, charting the transformation of teenager Jim Hawkins from sheltered boy to emboldened young pirate.

When young Jim Hawkins and his fiercely determined mother Bess come into possession of Captain Flint's legendary treasure map, they are swept into a brutal race for unimaginable riches.

Crossing the Atlantic aboard the Hispaniola, Jim enters a world of shifting loyalties, ruthless ambition and deadly secrets, where trust can be as dangerous as betrayal. At the heart of the expedition is Long John Silver, a charismatic and deeply complex survivor whose ambitions challenge every certainty Jim holds.

Through treacherous landscapes and escalating conflict, the treasure hunt becomes a battle between loyalty and ambition that will change them forever.

The series also stars Craige Els as Mr Arrow, Tristan Sturrock as Captain Smollett and Neil Pendleton as Mr Cameron.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsFVIvngwRA&pp=ygUPdHJlYXN1cmUgaXNsYW5k

4

RETURNING ENTERTAINMENT

ROB & ROMESH VS

Wednesday 14th October at 9pm on Sky One

Stream on Sky and NOW

Rob & Romesh Vs returns this week to Sky One for its ninth series, as Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan launch head-first into a new range of experiences.

From Bollywood to MMA, Heavy Metal to K-Pop, Shakespeare to Hollyoaks, there's no job too big for the pair, no learning curve too steep, as the hapless duo try their hand at something new and do their best not to fail miserably.

In the first episode, Rob & Romesh Vs Kung Fu, Rob & Romesh travel to China to explore Romesh’s childhood passion, Kung Fu. From training with Jet Li in Hong Kong to learning at the legendary Shaolin Monastery, the pair immerse themselves in the ancient martial art before performing in Shaolin’s biggest martial arts show.

5

RETURNING DRAMA

THE DIPLOMAT

Thursday 15th October on Netflix

The Diplomat returns this week to Netflix for its fourth season, as the high-stakes, contemporary political drama, starring Keri Russell, sees two marriages threaten to eat each other alive.

One catastrophic moment shatters the fragile peace Kate Wyler brokered between the US and UK, as well as the crumbling marriage she’s trying to save. While she fights to stem the bleeding, President Grace Penn and VP Hal Wyler’s conspiracy to steal Russia’s most powerful weapon hurtles the United States toward war.

Kate and Todd, an uneasy pair at best, unite to stop the Grace-Hal alliance from upending the balance of power abroad and at home.

The series also stars Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler, Allison Janney as Grace Hagen Penn, Bradley Whitford as Todd Penn and Rory Kinnear as Nicol Trowbridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=for_t1ySDvk