Tonight's television lineup offers a compelling mix of dark drama, scientific breakthroughs, and celebrity adventure, providing viewers with a wealth of viewing options.
A Grotesque Performance in a Scandalous Tale
Matt Smith delivers what is being described as his most grotesque performance yet in the unsettling new drama, The Death of Bunny Munro, airing at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. The series is based on the scandalous novel of the same name by Nick Cave, who also serves as an executive producer.
Set in Brighton in 2003, Smith plays the hedonistic sex-addict salesman Bunny Munro, a character who manages to charm many around him while simultaneously enraging others. Following the death of his wife, Libby, portrayed by Sarah Greene, Bunny is left to care for his sweet and curious nine-year-old son, Bunny Jr, played by Rafael Mathé.
The precarious situation escalates when social services visit a flat littered with drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, and discover a naked woman in the hallway. In a panic, Bunny flees with his young son, and the pair embarks on a wild road trip across southern England.
Tonight's Other Unmissable Viewing
For those interested in real-life innovation, Cancer Detectives: Finding the Cures begins a three-part series at 9pm on Channel 4. The programme ushers viewers into the golden age of cancer research, spotlighting three trailblazing scientists. It features Prof Sarah Blagden, who is developing a lung cancer prevention vaccine, Richard Mair, who researches hard-to-treat brain cancers, and Prof Caroline Dive, who is working on a blood test capable of detecting cancer before a scan can.
Meanwhile, the adventure continues on BBC One at 8pm with Celebrity Race Across the World. The competing teams have reached the midpoint of their journey in El Salvador. Due to security concerns, they must travel by day to their third checkpoint in Honduras. The episode promises drama as Molly and Tyler cope with food poisoning, while Dylan and Jackie explore a local food market and Roman opens up about his experience coming off antidepressants.
Additional Evening Highlights
Film enthusiasts are in for a treat with a deep dive into a cult classic. Classic Movies: The Story of Escape from New York airs at 8pm on Sky Arts. Presenter Ian Nathan and critics including Christina Newland and Stephen Armstrong will muse on what makes John Carpenter’s 1981 dystopian action sci-fi film so enduringly cool, with many citing Kurt Russell's iconic eye-patch performance as a key factor.
Channel 5 continues its commendable revival of the Play for Today format with Big Winners at 9pm. This second piece stars Sue Johnston and Paul Copley as a couple whose happily frugal life is thrown into turmoil by a lottery win, exploring the unspoken grievances and suppressed emotions that the sudden wealth triggers.
And for a dose of glamour and comedy, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK on BBC Three at 9pm features Alma’s Not Normal creator Sophie Willan as a guest judge. She will help RuPaul and funnyman Alan Carr coach and judge the notoriously tricky comedy roast challenge in the penultimate stage of the competition.
Finally, for the late-night film crowd, Sky Cinema Greats is broadcasting the multi-Oscar-winning masterpiece Amadeus at 11.50pm. Miloš Forman's 1984 period drama about the rivalry between court composer Antonio Salieri (F Murray Abraham) and the prodigious Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) remains a dramatic, visual, and musical joy.
