Rik Mayall: Magnificent B'stard – A Tribute to a Comedy Legend
Sky Documentaries airs a wonderfully entertaining tribute to the late, great Rik Mayall at 9pm. The film, titled Rik Mayall: Magnificent B'stard, tracks his rise from student comic to star of The Young Ones and The New Statesman, and his tragically early death. Friends and collaborators, including Adrian Edmondson and Ben Elton, pay fond, slightly awestruck tribute. Director Bob Baldwin notes, "He loved being Rik Mayall."
Cornwall: A Year by the Sea – Coastal Life and Festivities
Channel 5 offers a visit to those who live and work in Cornwall at 8pm. Anna, head guide at St Michael’s Mount, shares her love for the stunning views: "I mean, look! Where else would you want to be?" The episode also features Padstow’s May Day festival, with its ’Obby ’Oss and pursuing “Teaser,” which may appeal to fans of The Wicker Man.
24 Hours in Police Custody – A Gripping Investigation
Channel 4 presents another gripping day in the life of Bedfordshire police at 9pm. The episode begins with photos of a dead 48-year-old woman. DS Graham McMillan spots bruising on her body and follows his suspicions across Europe as the trail of clues constantly threatens to peter out. Viewers wonder if he will end up with a case too circumstantial to secure a conviction.
From – Season Four Penultimate Episode
Sky One airs the penultimate episode of season four of From at 9pm. Knackered lawman Boyd (Harold Perrineau) tries to keep order in the accursed town of Fromville, besieged by sanity-sapping horrors. He has an ambitious plan to break everyone out of their purgatory, but at what cost?
The Traitors US – Episode Five: Revenge and Statues
BBC Three shows episode five of The Traitors US at 9.10pm, entitled “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You.” Thunderstorms over breakfast precede a task: restoring a ruined fountain by tracking down eight statues, with $16,000 at stake. Someone promises revenge after their own murder: “I’m going to haunt these hallways. Mark my words.”
The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt? – A Murder Conviction Challenge
Channel 4’s series that showcases the difficulty of overturning a conviction continues at 10pm. This instalment follows Stacey Hyde, found guilty of murdering her best friend’s boyfriend in 2009. She argues that the stabbing during a drunken fight was self-defence and that she is one of many women sentenced without proper consideration of circumstances. The charity Justice for Women supports her case.
Film Choice: Escape from Pretoria – A Tense Prison Break
Film4 airs Escape from Pretoria (2020) at 9pm. Daniel Radcliffe plays Tim Jenkin, an ANC prisoner in late-1970s apartheid South Africa. Sentenced to 12 years for distributing leaflets, Jenkin is determined to escape. The film focuses on the jail-break thriller angle, with locked doors becoming temporary obstacles thanks to an unlimited supply of wood.
