Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Graeme Virtue, Alexi Duggins, Jack Seale and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: James Nesbitt’s dodgy detective returns in Bloodlands

Bloodlands on BBC One.
Bloodlands on BBC One. Photograph: Steffan Hill/BBC/HTM Televison

Bloodlands

9.05pm, BBC One

The Jed Mercurio-produced police procedural set in Northern Ireland returns for a second season, with James Nesbitt back as straight-faced DCI Tom Brannick. It opens with an eventful flashback to Tom in 1998 doing something naughty that requires him to wear a balaclava. The dramas of that night might just be linked to the murder case that he is trying to solve in the present day. Hollie Richardson

Ridley

8pm, ITV

Put aside all the “singing detective” headlines and Adrian Dunbar’s new cop drama has felt overfamiliar but impressively downbeat. This flashback-heavy series finale sees the widowed retiree investigating a suspicious death on a tough estate that casts alarming new light on the arson attack that killed his family. Graeme Virtue

Frozen Planet II

8.05pm, BBC One

In tonight’s hypnotising visit to the Arctic Ocean: two polar bears become best pals for a day of dancing on ice and playing hide and seek; a harp seal pup gains an impressive 2kg in a day; and a walrus goes to violent lengths to get the best sunbathing spot. HR

Stolen: Catching the Art Thieves

8.05pm, BBC Two

Who knew that art was the most lucrative crime after guns and drugs? The creators of this series profiling the terrifying heists involved, apparently. Tonight, the submachine gun-enabled theft of $30m worth of paintings from the National Museum of Stockholm. From thieves burning cars to an investigation reaching Hollywood, it’s wild. Alexi Duggins

Mind Over Murder

9pm, Sky Crime

This unusually thoughtful, unpredictable true-crime series concludes with an outrageous flourish in tonight’s double bill: the people of Beatrice, Nebraska, torn up by arguments over who is guilty of a heinous crime 40 years ago, attend a play about the tragedy that has defined their lives. Its cathartic effect is extraordinary. Jack Seale

How to With John Wilson

10pm, BBC Two

In tonight’s 25-minute offering of comedy excellence, documentarian Wilson is inspired by his troublesome cat to give viewers a lesson in how to keep things in pristine condition – using recorded observations of New York city life to cleverly illustrate his points. HR

Film choice

Finding Dory, 3.05pm, BBC One

Finding Dory on BBC One.
Finding Dory. Photograph: AP

Andrew Stanton’s 2016 sequel to Finding Nemo is as colourful and dramatic as its predecessor but its change of lead fish brings a sadness that will resonate with the grownups. Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) has short-term memory loss but a flashback to her parents sends her – along with Nemo and Marlin – off on a quest to find them. Fantastic new characters, such as Hank the octopus and Destiny the myopic whale shark, bring the comedy – as does Sigourney Weaver’s voice – while the tragedy of forgetting your identity is an undercurrent that the ageing viewer will fix upon. Simon Wardell

Live sport

Premier League Football: Brentford v Arsenal: 11.30am, Sky Sports Main Event At Gtech Community Stadium. Followed by Everton v West Ham from Goodison Park at 2.05pm.

Premiership Rugby Union: Worcester Warriors v Exeter Chiefs, 2pm, BT Sport 1 At Sixways Stadium.



Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.