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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Ali Catterall, Graeme Virtue, Danielle De Wolfe and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: a totally charming Norwegian drama about a cancer diagnosis

Afterglow on BBC Four.
Afterglow on BBC Four. Photograph: Production/BBC/Monster/NRK

Afterglow

9pm, BBC Four

A cervical cancer diagnosis on her 40th birthday isn’t going to stop nurse Ester Sand (Nina Ellen Ødegård) from dressing up as a bowl of fruit and partying the night away. The opening episode of this charming Norwegian drama tugs at the heartstrings but there’s also plenty of comedy as Ester’s friends and family – who are unaware of her news – ready themselves for fancy dress and forced dancing. Hollie Richardson

Pointless Celebrities

7.35pm, BBC One

More celebs, including cricketer Phil Tufnell, ripe from the South African jungle, vocal coach Cece Lightfoot and Five’s Ritchie Neville, attempt to keep their scores low. En route, we discover how the windscreen wiper was invented – and why you shouldn’t name a band after the number of members in it. Ali Catterall

Pet Shop Boys at the BBC

7.35pm, BBC Two

Very introspective behaviour, actually: an evening celebrating Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe kicks off with a rummage through the archives followed by an episode of Reel Stories where the duo reflect on notable career clips with Dermot O’Leary. The cherry on top is a hit-packed Hyde Park show from 2019. Graeme Virtue

Annika

9.15pm, BBC One

For Nicola Walker fans who missed this Scottish murder detective series when it first aired on Alibi, here’s a chance to watch it in a prime spot (arguably its rightful home, as it is based on a Radio 4 drama). After relocating to Glasgow with her teenage daughter, DI Annika Strandhed’s first case is a murdered man with a harpoon piercing his head in the Clyde. HR

The 1% Club

9.20pm, ITV1

This week, comic Lee Mack targets contestant Matt Hancock – a quizzer capable of locating the camera more nimbly than his political namesake. Among the 100 hopefuls also lies an aspiring PM who, in true political style, pledges to invest the £100k jackpot in a hot tub. Danielle De Wolfe

Later … With Jools Holland

9.50pm, BBC Two

The live sessions show is back yet again, and is kicking off the series with new songs from Hozier (his 2014 performance of Take Me to Church remains the most watched on the show ever). The lineup also boasts Arlo Parks, and music photographer Jill Furmanovsky will be talking about the retrospective exhibition of her work at the Manchester Central Library. HR

Film choice

Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me, Netflix

Anna Nicole: You Don't Know Me on Netflix.
Anna Nicole: You Don't Know Me on Netflix. Photograph: Courtesy of Netflix

A companion piece to the recent Pamela Anderson film, though this one is far darker. There’s the same troubled childhood, rise to fame via Playboy, dodgy relationships with men (in this case ageing billionaire J Howard Marshall) and precipitous fall from grace. Sadly, Smith didn’t live long enough to find the redemption Anderson has, dying at 39 of an accidental drug overdose. Ursula Macfarlane’s film is a fascinating cautionary tale, where success amplifies the worst parts of a personality (“Bad pays better,” says one interviewee) and luck can quickly run out. Simon Wardell

White Men Can’t Jump, Disney+

The 1992 comedy-drama about two street basketball hustlers gets a fun update from director Calmatic (who also recently reworked House Party), with a few tweaks to the racial politics and a more laidback approach to the pair’s comic rivalry. Sinqua Walls and rapper Jack Harlow take on the Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson roles – and while they don’t have the same star quality, they banter around the cliches and impress in the outdoor court scenes, as they aim for a big-money tournament that will cure their financial ills. SW

Live sport

Cycling: Giro d’Italia, 10.30am, Eurosport 1 Stage 14, a 193km route from Sierre to Cassano Magnago.

Challenge Cup Rugby League Leeds Rhinos v Wigan Warriors, 2pm, BBC One A sixth-round game from Headingley Stadium.

Champions Cup Rugby Union Leinster v La Rochelle, 4pm, ITV1 The final from Dublin.

Premier League Football Nottingham Forest v Arsenal, 5pm, Sky Sports Main Event From the City Ground.

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