This week’s best telly includes the launch of three dramas, all brand new, and two comedies, one new, one returning as well as the continuation of Survival of the Fittest and Celebs Go Dating.
Here are the 7 shows you have to watch this week...
1. Collateral
Monday 12th February at 9pm on BBC Two
Collateral is BBC Two’s first new drama of 2018 and it features a pretty impressive cast list, including Carey Mulligan, John Simm, Nicola Walker, Billie Piper and Hayley Squires. The story begins in South London when a young man, Abdullah Asif, is shot dead delivering a pizza.
Mulligan plays the detective in charge, DI Kip Glaspie, who quickly discovers that the pizza manager Laurie Stone, played by Squires, inexplicably sent Syrian refugee Abdullah instead of regular driver Mikey Gowans.
The killing seems professional, but the only witness, a young woman strung out on drugs on the street corner, gives the police a false name and address. Local MP David Mars, played by Simm, arrives to comfort his ex-wife Karen, played by Piper, the customer of the fatal pizza delivery. Kip and Nathan track down Abdullah's home, a set of garages, and find his sisters, Fatima and Mona scared and Kip’s convinced they’re hiding something.
1/4
2. Trauma
Monday 12th - Wednesday 14th February at 9pm on ITV
I gave up on ITV’s latest drama Next of Kin after a couple of episodes but with Trauma, which I’ve already seen, I binge-watched all three episodes in one sitting. And thankfully ITV are airing gate entire series across three consecutive nights, which is just as well because it’s exactly the type of drama that will leave you wanting to return night after night.
Written by the man responsible for Doctor Foster, Mike Bartlett, the three-part psychological thriller centres on the lives of two fathers, Dan and Jon, played by John Simm and Adrian Lester. Their lives collide when Dan’s 15-year-old son Alex is stabbed and tragically dies in the trauma department attended by high-achieving consultant Jon Allerton.
Devastated, heartbroken and pushed to the edge, Dan believes Jon is responsible for Alex’s death. As he strives for what he believes is justice, Dan begins to unpick the very fabric of Jon's life as his own unravels in the wake of Alex’s killing.
1-3/3
3. Survival of the Fittest
Monday 12th - Sunday 18th February at 9pm (9:30pm on Saturday, 10pm on Sunday) on ITV2
ITV2’s latest ‘replacement’ for those still suffering from Love Island withdrawal symptoms, Survival of the Fittest began last night and we were introduced to six single men and six single women including Danny Dyer’s daughter, Dani Dyer who after one day has had to withdraw from the series.
For the next few weeks, they’ll be battling it out in the ultimate battle of the sexes as they complete a combination of physical and mental challenges, in order to win a big cash prize and determine which sex has the upper hand.
But when they’re set up on romantic dates, will the girls put sisters before misters and will the boys choose mates over dates? Or will the temptation be too much and they end up in bed with the enemy? Who stays in the competition? Who goes home? We decide and ultimately have the final say on which sex comes out on top.
2-8/20
4. Celebs Go Dating
Monday 12th - Thursday 15th and Sunday 18th February at 9pm on E4
What a first week it’s been for Celebs Go Dating, there has been plenty of dating, plenty of flirting, a few tears and in the case of Mike, a lot of mugging off! And this week, emotions run his as Tallia Storm’s ex, racing driver and model Seb Morris joins the dating agency.
London goes on a date with a wrestler in Wales, Jade and Tallia fight for the same guy and Sam gets a dressing down from the agents. How will Ollie cope when he is sent on two dates and how will Gemma act on her second date with Ben who she met in last night’s episode?
6-10/20
5. Damned
Wednesday 14th February at 10pm on Channel 4
Returning for a second series this week is Damned, the Channel 4 comedy written by Jo Brand, Morwenna Banks and Will Smith which is set in the children’s services department at Elm Heath. Jo Brand and Alan Davies both return as social workers Rose and Al.
Rose remains as irritable, chaotic and resentful as ever as she tries to juggle home, work, family and her far-too-present ex-husband, whilst newly single Al, apathetically trying to surf a mid-life crisis, considers pastures new to inject some much needed excitement, and a new challenge, into his life.
Martin (Kevin Eldon) is back full time and this time round he’s in charge, Nat (Isy Suttie) is now a permanent member of the team and turns detective when crucial files go missing and Nitin (Himesh Patel) remains his reliable and pompous self. Also back are Georgie Glen as Denise, who turns her attention to her own family issues and Morwenna Banks as Ingrid who takes on a huge challenge and becomes the bridge between the personal and the professional.
And finally, joining the cast this series is Lolly Adefope as know-it-all student Mimi who’s on work experience from her social work training.
1/6
6. Troy - Fall of a City
Saturday 17th February at 9:10pm on BBC One
Troy - Fall of a City is the highly anticipated eight-part BBC One retelling of the fall of Troy starring David Threlfall, Frances O’Connor, Jonas Armstrong, Joseph Mawle, Tom Weston-Jones, David Gyasi, Johnny Harris, and Chloe Pirrie.
Told from the perspective of the Trojan family at the heart of the siege, Troy - Fall Of A City is an epic story of love, intrigue, betrayal and belonging. Combining thrilling adventure with heart-breaking intimacy, it explores primal emotions, the psychological repercussions of human actions and life-changing decisions amid the devastation and destruction of war.
Following a fateful encounter with the gods, the life of young herdsman Paris changes forever. At the Troy city games he discovers something extraordinary about himself. Then, on a trip to Sparta as a guest of Menelaus and Helen, he falls in love, with unpredictable and far-reaching consequences, provoking a conflict that threatens to bring an empire to its knees.
1/8
7. Hold The Sunset
Sunday 18th February at 7:30pm on BBC One
Hold The Sunset is the first BBC sitcom John Cleese has starred in since Fawlty Towers and he stars alongside Alison Steadman and Jason Watkins.
For Edith (Alison Steadman), life is pretty good. She's been a widow for some years now, but her children live locally and drop by regularly, and she enjoys daily visits from Phil (John Cleese), an old boyfriend who now lives across the road.
Phil dreams of marrying Edith, and the pair of them upping sticks and moving abroad to the sunshine. But after months of turning him down, on the happy day Edith finally says YES, there's a knock on the door - and there on the step, with a large suitcase, is her 50 year-old son Roger (Jason Watkins).
He announces that he's left his wife, his kids and his good job at the bank, and come home in an attempt to find his lost happiness again. And in a blink, to Edith's dismay and Phil's fury, all dreams are on hold.
1/6