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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Ali Catterall, Phil Harrison and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: Jodie Whittaker battles with Sea Devils in penultimate Doctor Who episode

Jodie Whittaker returns for an Easter adventure in Doctor Who.
Jodie Whittaker returns for an Easter adventure in Doctor Who. Photograph: James Pardon/BBC Studios

Doctor Who

7.10pm, BBC One

Man the cannons and buckle up for an Easter special at sea with the Time Lord (we have the wonderful Jodie Whittaker for one more special later in the year). With Yaz and Dan back in tow, the Doctor travels to 19th-century waters and encounters Madame Ching – the real-life Chinese pirate queen. As they embark on an adventure and hunt for treasure, they are soon drawn into battle with old fishy foes the Sea Devils. HR

Gentleman Jack

9pm, BBC One

Not a huge amount ever changes in this drama: again tonight, Anne (Suranne Jones) must coach Ann (Sophie Rundle) through their loved ones’ uptight homophobia while that secret death gets closer to discovery. But the dialogue snaps, particularly when Joanna Scanlan speaks it as the indiscreet Tib. Jack Seale

Idris Elba’s Fight School

9pm, BBC Two

“Probably the most important lesson they’ll need to learn is how to take a punch in the face without flinching.” The Hollywood star goes back to his roots in east London to recruit eight eager young people for an intensive boxing training course. But this isn’t just physical; each student is on an emotional journey and is well worth cheering on. HR

The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe

9pm, ITV

If you enjoyed Landscapers last year, here’s a frothier take on the “ordinary middle-aged folk turn criminal” genre. In this wild four-parter, which runs all week, Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan are brilliant as John and Anne Darwin – the real-life couple who faked John’s death (involving a canoe) in order to clear their large debts. HR

Muhammad Ali

10pm, BBC Two

“He doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink … if he were white, they’d be referring to him as the all-American boy.” So said Malcolm X. But when Ali refused to be conscripted as a conscientious objector, he was vilified as “un-American”, stripped of his title and forced into exile. Tonight’s fourth round charts his fall and 1970 comeback. Ali Catterall

The Hunter 2

12.05am, Channel 4

After last week’s launch on All 4, here is a taster of another stylish foreign-language drama from Walter Presents. Set in the 90s, it is based on the true story of the hunt for a Sicilian crime family. As we return, magistrate Saverio Barone’s wedding day is interrupted by a lead concerning the whereabouts of mafia don Giovanni Brusca. Phil Harrison

Film choices

The Lion King, 5.45pm, BBC One

Disney favourite The Lion King on BBC One.
Disney favourite The Lion King on BBC One. Photograph: Walt Disney/Sportsphoto/Allstar

It’s the Easter holidays, so how do you entertain the kids? Hakuna matata, folks – there’s always a Disney animation to watch, and this 1994 movie is one of their best. The story of young lion Simba and his quest to avenge his father’s murder has the ring of Greek tragedy about it (and even a touch of Hamlet), but it’s a much more light-hearted family affair. Plus, there are songs by Elton John and Tim Rice and vivid supporting animals – special mention must go to Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella as meerkat/warthog double act Timon and Pumbaa. Simon Wardell


Crossing the Line, 11.05pm, AMC

Candyman director Nia DaCosta’s debut feature is a compellingly acted, messily human drama about the hard choices poor people – and often poor women – have to make to survive. Tessa Thompson stars as the resourceful Ollie, nearing the end of her probation for smuggling prescription drugs from Canada to the US but facing eviction from the family home. Her sister Deb (Lily James) is flakier, a single mother living in a trailer whose unexpected pregnancy drags Ollie into an illegal, and increasingly dangerous, race against time to find the cash to save the house. SW

The Beguiled, 11.25pm, BBC One

Nicole Kidman is the headmistress of a girls’ school in civil war-hit Virginia who decides to nurse Colin Farrell’s injured Union soldier back to health after he is found nearby. Soon, he begins to work his charms on her charges – in particular on Kirsten Dunst’s naive teacher. Clint Eastwood’s 1971 dark melodrama is a film ripe for a less macho remake, and Sofia Coppola’s 2017 take makes her female characters more three-dimensional while retaining the original’s hazy atmosphere of sexual attraction and jealousy. SW

Live sport

The Invictus Games, 4.20pm, BBC One Highlights of day one of the games for wounded forces veterans. Coverage continues daily.

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