It's time to properly meet the new Doctor!
This week's best telly includes a double helping of Doctor Who, a new Traitors-esque reality TV show on ITV1 as well as this year's Eurovision grand final and the first part of Bridgerton's third season.
Elsewhere, Joe Tracini fronts a brilliant documentary on Channel 4 about living with Borderline Personality Disorder, Rob Rinder and Rylan head out on a Grand Tour and Channel 4 launch their newest drama, The Gathering.
Here are 7 TV shows you can't miss this week...
1. Doctor Who
Saturday 11th May at 6.20pm and 7.05pm on BBC One
RETURNING DRAMA
For the first time ever, Doctor Who is launching with two brand new episodes, Space Babies and The Devil's Chord as Ncuti Gatwa returns as The Doctor with Millie Gibson back as Ruby.
In Space Babies Ruby learns the Doctor’s amazing secrets, when he takes her to the far future. There, they find a Baby Farm being run by babies. But can they be saved from the terrifying Bogeyman?
In The Devil's Chord, The Doctor and Ruby meet the Beatles, but discover that the all-powerful Maestro is changing history and London becomes a battleground with the future of humanity at stake.
1-2/8 Continues weekly. First two episodes available from midnight on BBC iPlayer
2. Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2024
Saturday 11th May at 8pm on BBC One
RETURNING CONTEST
It's been a year since Liverpool hosted the Eurovision Song Contest and following Loreen’s victory in 2023, this year's contest is coming live from Malmö, Sweden, quite apt considering that 2024 also marks the 50 year anniversary of ABBA giving Sweden their first iconic win with Waterloo.
Once again, Graham Norton will provide his unique commentary on the night as 26 incredible acts perform in a bid for the most points including Olly Alexander who will be flying the flag for United Kingdom and hopping to do better than Mae Muller did in 2023 with his entry, Dizzy.
The Grand Final will be hosted by comedian, singer and two-time Eurovision host Petra Mede alongside Hollywood star Malin Åkerman, live from Malmö Arena.
1/1
3. Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour
Sunday 12th May at 9pm on BBC Two
BRAND NEW TRAVELOGUE
Good friends Rob Rinder and Rylan Clark are the latest famous faces to be given their own travel series and this time, they're setting off on the original package holiday, the Grand Tour.
The two are good friends but couldn’t be more different when it comes to culture. Rob is a fan of opera and poetry, but Rylan admits he’s a newcomer in this world. The Grand Tour was a cultural odyssey designed to turn young upper-class Brits into civilised, educated gentlemen. So will it have the same effect on Rob and Rylan?
The pair begin their journey in Venice – coming face-to-face with one of the largest paintings on canvas in the world, Tintoretto‘s Il Paradiso. They also discover the artistic legacy of Canaletto, before heading to Murano, an island in the Venetian lagoon, to try glassblowing.
Rob attempts to fulfil a lifelong dream, by conducting Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the church where it was first performed, while Rylan discovers the hidden side of Venice’s famous Carnival. Finally both Rob and Rylan step out of their comfort zone by donning drag and taking to the city’s Grand Canal, alongside twenty other drag queens...
1/3 Continues weekly
4. The Fortune Hotel
Monday 13th to Thursday 16th May at 9pm on ITV1
BRAND NEW REALITY TV
This week, ITV1 are opening the doors to The Fortune Hotel, a luxury Caribbean resort filled with glamour, opulence and deception.
Hosted by Stephen Mangan, 10 pairs of contestants will arrive at The Fortune Hotel, where they will be given an all-important briefcase. Inside one case is the ultimate jackpot of £250,000 in cash, eight are empty, and one contains the dreaded Early Checkout Card – whichever pair is left holding that case at the end of each show will see their stay brought to a dramatic, premature end.
Every day the contestants have the chance to try to uncover who has which case through playing compelling challenges, and as the “Whogotit” mystery ramps up for the hotel guests, viewers at home will remain deliciously in-the-know throughout, witness to all of their plans and strategies playing out.
The climax of each episode is the nerve-shredding case swap in the seductive Lady Luck bar where each pair must decide whether to keep or swap their case. Have the couple with the life-changing sum of cash managed to bluff and blag their way free of suspicion? Or will their case be ruthlessly taken off them? And who will be left holding the case containing the Early Checkout Card?
1-4/8 Continues nightly (Monday to Thursday)
5. Me and The Voice in My Head
Monday 13th May at 10pm on Channel 4
BRAND NEW DOCUMENTARY
Ten years ago, former Hollyoaks actor turned viral sensation, Joe Tracini was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a condition that around 2% of the country will live with at some point. BPD severely affects how a person thinks and feels about themselves and other people, leading to intense, unstable emotions, chronic insecurity and intrusive thoughts.
This week as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Channel 4 are airing his debut documentary, Me and The Voice in My Head in which he introduces us to Mick, the voice inside his head who wants to constantly hurt him.
Over the past decade, Joe has battled drug and alcohol addiction, tried to kill himself six times and experienced 12 panic attacks on stage, which have seen his comedy career grind to a halt. Joe hopes that by exploring his childhood, he can finally get a handle on his BPD and get through his stand-up comedy show that he hopes will reignite his career. But will Mick ruin it all?
Read my interview with Joe Tracini on Sunday
1/1
6. The Gathering
Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th May at 9pm on Channel 4
BRAND NEW DRAMA
Channel 4's new drama The Gathering, written by Helen Walsh, follows working-class student Kelly, played by newcomer Eva Morgan, who is attacked at an illicit rave on a tidal islet alongside Sadie Soverall as Jessica, a friend and elite gymnastics teammate who seemingly has it all.
Filmed and set in Liverpool and around Merseyside, The Gathering focuses on a a group of disparate teenagers and their parents, each character has a motive for attacking Kelly. An accomplished gymnast, on the National Team pathway, Kelly is committed to her strict training schedule but finds freedom and liberation in the joyous, unregulated world of free running.
Each episode details the events leading up to the attack from a fresh perspective, unpacking the rivalries and relationships of a disparate group of teens and their parents. As their secrets and lies are laid bare, the truth behind the attack emerges.
Vinette Robinson stars as Jessica’s controlling and toxic mother Natalie and Warren Brown plays Kelly’s hard working father Paul who struggles with his own impulse control. The cast also includes Richard Coyle as successful solicitor Jules, Sonny Walker as Adam, Ryan Quarmby as Charlie and newcomer Luca Kamleh-Chapman as Bazi.
1-2/6 Continues weekly. All episodes available at launch
7. Bridgerton
Thursday 16th May on Netflix
RETURNING DRAMA
As Bridgerton returns for the first part of its third season, Penelope Featherington has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton) after hearing his disparaging words about her last season.
She has however, decided it's time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope's attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.
Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he's disheartened to realise that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder.
Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.
Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise, who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope's growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.
1-4/8 Part 1 available at launch. Continues with Part 2 on 13th June
Comments