After a break from my TV weekly recommendations for the festive period, I did say that in January, we would get a fresh input from new and returning TV shows and I have not been disappointed. With sadness, I have to relate some shocking TV news … “The Game of Thrones” will not be back on our screens until 2019, it was rumoured at the end of the last series but I could only hope it was some clever ruse, no it’s official now.
We should see more new programming for 2018. I am looking forward to the return of Westworld and the reboot of The Generation Game with former Bake Off hosts Mel and Sue having a mighty shoes to fill. Britannia is one of the new Sky Atlantic shows and being called the new “Game of Thrones”, we will see about that statement.
Saturday 6th Jan
Sky Cinema Premiere - Logan 8pm ***Film Premiere***
It's 2029. Mutants are gone--or very nearly so. An isolated, despondent Logan is drinking his days away in a hideout on a remote stretch of the Mexican border, picking up petty cash as a driver for hire. His companions in exile are the outcast Caliban and an ailing Professor X, whose singular mind is plagued by worsening seizures.
But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy abruptly end when a mysterious woman appears with an urgent request--that Logan shepherds an extraordinary young girl to safety. Soon, the claws come out as Logan must face off against dark forces and a villain from his own past on a live-or-die mission, one that will set the time-worn warrior on a path toward fulfilling his destiny.
Channel 4 – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 9pm ***Film Premiere***
In the conclusion of the global-phenomenon Hunger Games film series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) stakes her claim as the leader of District 13, and commands the revolution against the brutal dictatorship of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol.
Meanwhile, her brainwashed former love interest Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) joins the rebellion's perilous mission to assassinate Snow. Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Woody Harrelson, and Julianne Moore all return to reprise their roles one last time, with Francis Lawrence continuing his directorial duties.
BBC 1 – Hard Sun 9:35pm ***New Series***
New series a Sci-fi crime drama starring Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn and I can hear the shouts of mumbling which comes with all BBC drama these days. They play two detectives with an uneasy working relationship who discover a terrible secret - the world is going to end in the immediate future. The crisis presents them with additional challenges in keeping the peace, as well as keeping their families safe in the face of impending doom
Sunday 7th Jan
BBC 1 – Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 8pm ***New***
David Attenborough in a remarkable TV show about a 200-million-year-old fossil - the bones of an ichthyosaur, a giant sea dragon - has been discovered on the Jurassic coast of Britain. David Attenborough joins the hunt to bring this ancient creature's story to life.
Using state-of-the-art imaging technology and CGI, the team reconstruct the skeleton and create the most detailed animation of an ichthyosaur ever made. Along the way, the team stumble into a 200-million-year-old murder mystery - and only painstaking forensic investigation can unravel the story of this extraordinary creature's fate.
BBC 2 – Michael Palin: A Life on Screen 9pm ***New***
Looking at the career of one of the nation’s most loved writers and performers and more over the genius who gave us ‘Ripping Yearns’ one of my holy grails in terms of comedy. This celebration of the talent of Michael Palin features clips from his many TV and film appearances and interviews with people who’ve worked with him, including John Cleese and David Jason.
The 74-year-old, who carved out a new career as a travel presenter after achieving success as a comedy writer and performer, shares his own memories, too.
Palin’s comic creations, both as part of Monty Python and in the shows he made with Terry Jones, are still hilarious.
‘There’s something about the fish-slapping dance,’ he says of the classic Monty Python sketch. ‘It’s the perfect test of whether you have a sense of humour.
I would regard that as the high point of my career!’
Monday 8th Jan
BBC 1 – Silent Witness 9m ***Returning Series ***
Part one of two. Nikki struggles to come to terms with life back home and seeks out fellow pathologist Sally Vaughan for support, only to learn she is nowhere to be found. National Crime Agency investigator Guy Bernhardt asks Nikki to help him by employing pathologist David Cannon, the chief suspect in Sally's disappearance.
Jack, Clarissa and Thomas share concerns about Nikki's wellbeing, a body found in a reservoir is linked to a murder case from 16 years previously. Return of the crime drama, starring Emilia Fox, with Julian Rhind-Tutt and Alex Macqueen.
Tuesday 9th Jan
Channel 4 – Working Class White Men 10pm ***New***
In Britain today many working class white men feel demonised, forgotten, and angry. Presented by Professor Green this documentary explores what life is really like for these men, why many of them feel abandoned, and what the consequences are for Britain if we continue to look away.
Raised by his Nan on a council estate in Hackney, Professor Green is himself from a working class, low-income background. Over a period of six months, he follows six working class white men in different parts of the country to understand what life in modern Britain is like for them. He examines the challenges and barriers these men face in education, work, and family life and in the way, the rest of society regards them.
History Channel – Vikings 10pm ***Returning Series***
On the History channel the critically acclaimed original series Vikings returns with all-new episodes. Last time we were with the Vikings, Ragnar and his sons were at odds with one another, Rollo was in Paris, and there was discord among our favourite warriors. Ragnar’s sons are grown, and in his absence, they have developed into strong individuals who are mostly opposed to his return.
This season will be a season full of changes for our characters. There seems to be a shift in focus, away from Ragnar and towards his sons. We also see Lagertha’s rise to power once more, as she reclaims her role as Earl
Wednesday 10th Jan
Sky Cinema Premiere – Raw (2017) 10:20pm ***Film Premiere***
Everyone in Justine's family is a vet. And a vegetarian. At sixteen, she's a brilliant student starting out at veterinary school where she experiences a decadent, merciless, and dangerously seductive world. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her family principles and eats RAW meat for the first time. Justine will soon face the terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge... she soon develops a craving for meat...particularly human flesh.
Thursday 11th Jan
Channel 4 - George Clark’s Amazing Spaces 8pm ***Returning Series***
The architect returns with a fresh selection of ingenious and eccentric builds created by pioneering small-space designers around the UK. Throughout the series, George also travels through Japan, where ground breaking design and innovation blend seamlessly. To begin George visits a canal boat conversion in Dudley, a cattle trailer in Yorkshire being turned into a luxury holiday camper and - in Japan - a dynamic, multi-coloured open-plan space. He and right-hand man Will Hardie also get their heads together to build their own four-ton treehouse.
History Channel –Empires of Blood 9pm ***New Series***
Empires of Blood explores the greatest empires in a way that has never been fully investigated. Each episode highlights and exposes the political intrigue, personal vendettas, family mayhem, acts of vengeance and the ever-evolving tension, turmoil and chaos that shaped these civilizations and led to their destruction from within. The civilizations explored investigated are The Roman Empire, The Egyptian Empire, The Greek Empire, The Aztec Empire, Dynasties, Warlords of China, and the Celts.
Friday 12th Jan
BBC 1 - Room 101 8:30pm ***Returning Series***
Another series back for a run on the BBC. Frank Skinner returns with the light-hearted panel show in which three celebrities argue the case for having their pet hates banished forever to the fictional room. In the opening show, the big names with an even bigger axe to grind are satirist Charlie Brooker, presenter Scarlett Moffatt and actress Pearl Mackie. They are only too eager to express their anger over individuals, events, and objects that upset them, hoping to curry the host's favour and see them consigned to oblivion. Their gripes include crocodiles, mosquitoes, and having one's haircut.
Fox Channel – Bull 10pm ***Returning Series***
Michael Weatherly is back and he's cutting out the Bull. Taking on a new case every week, we follow Dr Bull and his team of fellow experts as they use a combination of data, technology, and good old-fashioned human intuition to produce a terrifyingly accurate assumption of a jury's verdict. Over the course of the series the team come together to devise defence strategies to get juries to side with a misguided teen with an attitude problem, a female pilot accused of negligence and an egomaniacal surgeon. One thing's for sure: he knows a jury better than they know themselves.
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