As Last Tango in Halifax and This Country continue their triumphant returns this week, there's also a lot of new telly launching including the second series of Liar, the final outing of The Trip and the highly anticipated BBC One adaptation of Malorie Blackman's Noughts + Crosses.
Here are 7 shows you can’t miss this week...
1. Last Tango in Halifax
Sunday 1st March at 9pm on BBC One
After last week's welcome return of Last Tango in Halifax to our screens, this week the series continues as Celia apologises for causing a scene at Caroline and Gillian’s joint birthday celebration.
Her marriage to Alan comes under increasing strain after he seeks excitement outside the bungalow whilst she seeks it within. And questions are raised when Ted, played by Timothy West, arrives fresh off a long-haul flight with a lifetime worth of luggage and further surprises in tow,
Elsewhere, Raff's left speechless when a giraffe turns up at Far Slack Farm bringing unwanted attention to the barn for Gillian, things take an unexpected turn for Caroline and Ruth as they get on like a house on fire and aspiring YouTube sensations Lawrence and Angus pitch a tent in Gillian’s field. And as Judith looks to the future, John begins to look the other way.
2/4
2. This Country
Monday 2nd March at 7pm on BBC Three and 10.35pm on BBC One
Whilst part of me wishes the entire third series of This Country had dropped at once, I'm actually glad that we have a new episode to look forward to each week to savour every last drop of what's sadly Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper's final series as Kerry and Kurtan.
This week, an infamous Mucklowe family member returns to the village, causing Kerry to re-evaluate her living arrangements. And the vicar and Kurtan both help Len get back on his feet.
3/6
3. Liar
Monday 2nd March at 9pm on ITV
If you enjoyed the first series of Liar, chances are you'll enjoy this (somewhat unnecessary) second series where once again Laura Nielson must fight to be believed as Andrew Earlham's body is found. But who was responsible for his death?
To quickly recap (because it did air in 2017), Joanne Froggatt plays Laura, a teacher in the middle of a breakup who is set up on a date with widowed surgeon Andrew, played by Ioan Gruffudd. The following day, Laura realises that she was raped and the subsequent fallout spirals out of control and after damning evidence was uncovered proving he sexually assaulted nineteen women, we see Andrew's body lying dead in the Kent marshes.
Series two picks up three weeks after the end of series one, when Andrew's body is found and out of town officer DI Karen Renton, played by Katherine Kelly, is put in charge of the case and together with DS Rory Maxwell, they begin to unpack the events of the three crucial weeks leading up to Andrew’s death.
Having thought Andrew was still out there over the last three weeks, Laura is relieved by the news of his death but as the search to find Andrew’s killer gains momentum, Laura is thrown deep in the mire of Andrew’s destructive path and the community are forced to face up to the secrets of their recent past, secrets many of them hope will stay buried.
1/6
4. The Trip to Greece
Tuesday 3rd March at 10pm on Sky One
Coogan. Brydon. Stunning locations. Lots of food. And celebrity impressions. That's right, The Trip is back for one final outing and this time Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's fictional alter-egos have headed to Greece to be directed once more by Michael Winterbottom.
Heading to the birthplace of democracy at a time when it seems it’s all people want to talk about, the duo head on a gastronomic, island-hopping journey of enlightenment through Greece, dining on traditional cuisine while visiting beautiful locations including Assos, Kavala, Stagira, Athens, Epidaurus, Hydra and Plyos,
All the while locking horns over tragedy, comedy, myth, history, and Michael Caine voice-offs.
1/6 All episodes will be available as a boxset On Demand
5. The Trouble with Maggie Cole
Wednesday 4th March at 9pm on ITV
With hints of Doc Martin, ITV's new comedy drama The Trouble with Maggie Cole sees Dawn French star as the self-appointed oracle of a close-knit community Maggie Cole, starring alongside Mark Heap, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Vicki Pepperdine and Patrick Robinson and many more!
Invited to do a radio interview discussing the history of Thurlbury, Maggie is flattered and in all the excitement offers gossip about some notable residents in the community and reveals much more about their personal lives than anyone was counting on.
Aided by her husband Peter, son Jamie and daughter-in-law Becka, Maggie throws a garden party for the broadcast, but when the interview is played in full and all the guarded secrets, indiscretions and gossip are broadcast for the whole county to hear, life in Thurlbury changes forever.
1/6
6. Sandylands
Wednesday 4th - Friday 6th March at 10pm on Gold
If you're missing Benidorm, Gold's new sitcom Sandylands might just be the thing to fill the gap. 27-year-old Natalie Verma, played by Natalie Dew, returns to her childhood home of Sandylands after her father and self-proclaimed ‘King of the Strip’, Les Vegas is pronounced 'lost at sea' following a pedalo incident.
When she arrives back, she’s met by a cast of colourful locals including larger-than-life tour guide Tina Taylor, played by Harriet Webb, B&B owners and next door neighbours Derek and Jeannie Swallows, played by David Walliams and Sophie Thompson, nightclub owner Terry Chino, played by Craig Parkinson and Nathan Wild, her former childhood crush, played by Simon Bird.
But unknown to Emily, there’s someone else who’s very keen to get to know her better, a
mysterious One-Eyed Man, played by Hugh Bonneville. A sinister insurance investigator, he only has one thing on his mind and that's getting to the bottom of Les’ suspicious disappearance.
1-3/3 All episodes will be available as a boxset On Demand
7. Noughts + Crosses
Thursday 5th March at 9pm on BBC One
Announced back in 2016, Levi David Addai's adaptation of Malorie Blackman's Noughts + Crosses which is set in a dystopian world where hundreds of years ago Africa (Aprica) colonised Europe and the UK (Albion) is finally coming to BBC One.
The series centres around two young people divided by their colour but united by love, Sephy and Callum, played by Masali Baduza and Jack Rowan. She's the Cross daughter of powerful Home Secretary Kamal Hadley and he's the Nought son of their housekeeper Meggie McGregor and in the opening episode a spark is ignited as they reunite after being childhood friends.
They fight for much much than the simple right to be together, in a world where strict race laws make daily existence a matter of life and death. The series also stars Helen Baxendale, Paterson Joseph, Shaun Dingwall, Josh Dylan, Jonathan Ajayi and Stormzy and all episodes will be available to watch after episode one has aired.
1/6 All episodes will be available as a boxset on iPlayer