The Times - UK (2021-12-06)

12 Monday December 6 2021 | the times

television & radio

to change the way

people spoke about

nuclear energy. Could

nuclear power be

harnessed to solve

the world’s energy

problems and spread

what the US saw as the

benefits of atomic

power? Obviously, it

has not been that

simple with safety

concerns and spiralling

costs somewhat

tempering the dream.

The Atom

and Us

PBS America, 7.35pm

This fascinating film

tells the story of

nuclear power in the

20th century. In the

wake of the horrific

spectacle of what it

could do to Hiroshima

and Nagasaki, in the

1950s the US started

Atoms for Peace, an

initiative that aimed

perhaps lurking in

Rose’s former mental

health institution and

a Faustian pact

made by his best

friend, a paranoid

schizophrenic, this is

about as uncosy a

crime drama as you can

get. Yet the story’s

sheer outlandishness

could well suck you

in for a few nights

to come. Part two

is tomorrow.

seem implausibly

tasteless, but they are

nattily scripted. I loved

the moment before one

especially grisly reveal

when a plod remarks:

“They could make a

podcast over this one.”

The look and feel of it

has shades of Se7en,

David Fincher’s noirish

masterpiece, with a

propulsive plot that

keeps us guessing. With

the key to the mystery

bout of therapy,

working under his

friend DI Baxter

(Thalissa Teixeira)

and alongside an

opinionated American,

DC Edmunds (Lucy

Hale). A serial killer

strikes and the action

begins again. This

thriller, based on the

novel by Daniel Cole, is

actually quite good.

The wisecracks over

mutilated corpses may

delightedly from

behind. Only, what’s

this? Suddenly we find

that the killer has been

arrested then acquitted

thanks to a police

blunder. DS Rose

(Henry Lloyd-Hughes)

then savagely attacks

said killer in court and

is sent for treatment.

All in the first few

minutes. Next thing we

know, Rose is back on

the beat after a long

Viewing Guide

Ben Dowell

Ragdoll
Alibi, 9pm

This six-part
thriller opens
with some
poor person
tied to a chair and on
fire (in the bad sense of
the phrase), before the
grin of the person who
put them there flickers

Top

pick

7PM

Early

8PM

9PM

10PM

11PM

Late

BBC1 BBC2 ITV Channel 4 Channel 5

7.00 The One Show Jermaine Jenas

and Lauren Laverne present topical

stories and showbiz chat

7.30 Crisis in Care: Follow the Money

— Panorama Current affairs report

8.00 EastEnders Kim begins to question

everyone around her (AD)

8.20 Outnumbered The Brockmans plan

to spend Christmas in the sun, but

are prevented by Grandad’s illness,

a trip to the dentist and a world

record involving knives (r)

9.00 You Don’t Know Me Hero continues

to present his own truth to the jury. He

acknowledges the weight of evidence

against him, but his account of events

tells a very different story (2/4) (AD)

10.00 BBC News at Ten

10.25 BBC Regional News and Weather

10.35 The Richard Dimbleby Lecture

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert delivers

the 44th Richard Dimbleby lecture

from Oxford, talking about creating a

Covid-19 vaccine in less than a year

11.30 The Apprentice Australia Each

famous face is given a truckload of one

item, and they need to turn it into

something they can sell (11/12)

12.40am The Graham Norton Show The host is joined

by Tom Holland and Zendaya, who are starring together in

Spider-Man: No Way Home. Henry Cavill discusses

returning to Netflix series The Witcher and the actor

Gugu Mbatha-Raw talks about drama The Girl Before.

Little Mix perform Between Us (r) 1.30-6.00 BBC News

7.00 Villages by the Sea A visit to

Arnside in Cumbria (5/6) (r)

7.30 Mastermind Specialist subjects are

Ian Rankin’s John Rebus, Louis Theroux

documentaries, the musical Hamilton

and James Craig, Viscount Craigavon

8.00 Only Connect The Golfers take on the

Scrubs in the second quarter-final

8.30 University Challenge The

second-round matches continue

9.00 Forensics: The Real CSI Return of

the documentary about investigations

into serious crimes, with West

Midlands police needing forensics

to identify the killer of two men.

See Viewing Guide (AD)

10.00 Two Doors Down New series. Return

of the comedy starring Arabella Weir.

See Viewing Guide (1/6) (AD)

10.30 Newsnight With Emily Maitlis

11.15 Universe In the final episode of

the series, Brian Cox explores how

cutting-edge space missions have

revealed the origin of the universe.

Last in the series (r) (AD)

12.15am Sign Zone: Countryfile Ellie Harrison

and Joe Crowley are at the Compton Verney estate in

Warwickshire to mark 300 years since the death of the

master carver Grinling Gibbons (r) (SL) 1.15-1.40 What

We Do in the Shadows. Justice is served, both for the

vampires and also in small claims court (r) (AD, SL)

7.00 Emmerdale Aaron has a huge

decision to make (AD)

7.30 Coronation Street A jealous

Max keeps Summer and Daniel

under close surveillance (AD)

8.00 Gino’s Italian Family Adventure

Gino D’Acampo and daughter Mia head

to Gallura in Sardinia (4/7) (AD)

8.30 Coronation Street Max publicly

accuses Daniel of improper conduct

during the school’s Ice Ball (AD)

9.00 I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of

Here! The famous faces continue

to face their fears head on as they

brave everything that is thrown at

them at Gwrych Castle in Abergele

on the North Wales coast

10.20 ITV News

10.55 Regional News

11.05 The Murder of Alex Rodda: Social

Media Murders The killing of the

15-year-old, who was groomed on the

internet by Matthew Mason, who

murdered Alex as he wanted to keep

their relationship secret (2/3) (r) (AD)

12.00 Moneyball (r) 12.50am Teleshopping 3.00 FYI

Extra. Short bulletin rounding up the day’s showbusiness

stories 3.15 Loose Women. Studio discussion from a

female perspective (r) 4.05 Unwind with ITV. Daily

escape designed to calm the mind and encourage

relaxation and reflection 5.05-6.00 Tipping Point (r) (SL)

7.00 Channel 4 News

8.00 Food Unwrapped’s Christmas

Cracker Fascinating facts behind

favourite festive food. Briony May

Williams uncovers the secret to a

perfect stollen, and Matt Tebbutt finds

out how long port stays drinkable

9.00 Guy’s Garage Guy Martin transforms

a Land Rover Defender into an off-road

racer capable of reaching 100mph,

before putting it to the test on a

gruelling six-mile course in Wales

10.00 Along for the Ride with David

O’Doherty Mel Giedroyc joins David

on a two-wheeled trip along the

Northumberland coast, ending

up at the tidal Holy Island, but

crossing rivers on a bicycle proves

tougher than it looks (3/4)

11.00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

Sean Lock and Harry Hill take on Jon

Richardson and Rose Matafeo, while

Alex Horne and the Horne Section

join Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner.

Hosted by Jimmy Carr (1/6) (r)

12.05am Walter Presents: Partisan Nicole is forced

to face up to a new and frightening side of Jordnara 1.00

Gogglebox. Viewers’ opinions (r) 1.55 FILM: Farming

(18, 2018) Drama starring Damson Idris 3.45 George

Clarke’s Amazing Spaces (r) 4.40 Couples Come Dine

with Me (r) 5.35-6.00 A Place in the Sun (r)

7.00 UK’s Strongest Man 2021

Action from the final of the three-day

competition in Milton Keynes, as the

competition won by Wales’ Gavin

Bilton last year concluded (5/5)

8.00 Live: Winter on the Farm New

series. Helen Skelton and Jules

Hudson follow life at Cannon Hall

Farm with brothers Rob and Dave

Nicholson, who are preparing their

animals for a crucial season (1/4)

9.00 Casualty 24/7: Every Second

Counts A new system is introduced

at Barnsley casualty, with Sister

Benita taking on the role of team

leader for the first time, and a new

“Wobble Room” opening (9/10)

10.00 Inside the Force: 24/7 Two response

officers deal with a series of assaults,

including a racially aggravated attack in

the city centre and an incident that has

left a flat covered in blood (2/4) (r)

11.05 The Dead Pool (18, 1988)

Uncompromising detective “Dirty”

Harry Callahan hunts the ringleaders

behind a bizarre death lottery. Action

thriller starring Clint Eastwood, Liam

Neeson and Patricia Clarkson

1.00am Live NFL: Monday Night Football —

Buffalo Bills v New England Patriots (Kick-off 1.15)

4.30 Britain’s Greatest Bridges. How the Clifton

Suspension Bridge was built (r) 4.45 House Doctor.

Highlights from the series (r) (SL) 5.10-6.00 Britain’s

Greatest Bridges. The Tyne Bridge (r) (AD, SL)

6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Morning Live at Christmas.

Magazine show hosted by Kym Marsh and Gethin Jones

10.00 Claimed and Shamed. A fraudster’s attempt at

a crash-for-cash scam backfires (r) (AD) 10.45 Fraud

Squad. A council worker who spent £200,000 of public

funds on horse riding and holidays (r) 11.15 Homes

Under the Hammer. Properties in Paddock Wood, Kent,

Staffordshire and Northampton (r) (AD) 12.15pm

Bargain Hunt. Charlie Ross presents the show from Hele

near Exeter. Last in the series (AD) 1.00 BBC News at

One; Weather 1.30 BBC Regional News; Weather 1.45

Doctors. An old face makes a surprise return as protests

erupt against the Mill (AD) 2.15 The Tournament. Quiz

hosted by Alex Scott 3.00 Escape to the Country. Nicki

Chapman helps a globe-trotting couple to find a home in

the Oxfordshire countryside (AD) 3.45 Virtually Home.

Kunal Trehan comes up with a new look for a dingy

hallway in Surrey 4.30 The Repair Shop. The team

sets to work restoring a precious Indian stringed

instrument (r) 5.15 Pointless. Quiz hosted by Alexander

Armstrong, with Richard Osman (r) 6.00 BBC News at

Six; Weather 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather

6.30am The Tournament (r) 7.15 Bargain Hunt (r) (AD)

8.00 Sign Zone: Mary Berry — Love to Cook (r) (AD, SL)

8.30 Between the Covers (r) (SL) 9.00 BBC News at 9

10.00 BBC News 12.15pm Politics Live. The latest

stories from Westminster and beyond 1.00 The Best

Christmas Food Ever. Angellica Bell joins Paul Ainsworth

and Catherine Fulvio to rustle up a Christmas breakfast

(r) (AD) 1.45 Eggheads. Quiz show hosted by Jeremy

Vine (r) 2.15 Vintage Antiques Roadshow. The team

values more decorative objects and rarities (r) 3.00 Heir

Hunters. Michael Buerk and the team resort to door

knocking in their search for Dorothy Caines’ heirs (r) 3.45

Great British Menu. Andi Oliver oversees proceedings as

previous winners of the culinary contest prepare a feast

for the heroes of the pandemic (r) 4.45 The Wonder of

Animals. Chris Packham explores the capabilities of bears

(r) (AD) 5.15 Flog It! Paul Martin presents a special

edition, revisiting some of the historic venues from the

series’ history (r) 6.00 Richard Osman’s House of Games.

With former winners Rickie Haywood-Williams, Sally

Phillips, Vikki Stone and Dan Walker 6.30 Strictly: It

Takes Two. Weekday fanzine devoted to the show (AD)

6.00am Good Morning Britain. Featuring a lively mix of

news, current affairs and lifestyle features 9.00 Lorraine.

Entertainment, current affairs and fashion news, as well

as showbiz stories and gossip. Presented by Lorraine Kelly

10.00 This Morning. A mix of showbiz chat, lifestyle

features, advice and competitions. Including Local

Weather 12.30pm Loose Women. Showbiz interviews

and studio discussion from a female perspective 1.30

ITV News; Weather 2.00 Dickinson’s Real Deal. David

Dickinson and the team visit Newcastle racecourse, where

a gruesome collection makes a small fortune at auction

and a diamond ring deal sees Henry Nicholls pushed all

the way 3.00 Lingo. A Luton husband and wife, a man and

his daughter from Coventry, and two friends from London

take part in the quiz. Adil Ray hosts 4.00 Tipping Point.

Ben Shephard hosts the arcade-themed quiz in which

contestants drop tokens down a choice of four chutes in

the hope of winning a £10,000 jackpot 5.00 The Chase.

Bradley Walsh presents as four contestants answer

questions and work as a team to take on one of

the ruthless Chasers and secure a cash prize 6.00

Regional News; Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather

6.10am Countdown (r) 6.50 The Big Bang Theory (r)

7.35 The King of Queens (r) 9.00 Frasier (r) 10.30

Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4

News Summary 11.30 Find It, Fix It, Flog It (r) 12.30pm

Steph’s Packed Lunch. Weekday magazine show hosted by

Steph McGovern 2.10 Countdown. Craig Charles is in

Dictionary Corner 3.00 Moneybags. Quiz hosted by Craig

Charles 4.00 A Place in the Sun. Ben Hillman helps a

couple find a holiday home in the Spanish town of

Vera (r) 5.00 Four in a Bed. The competition kicks off

at The Bickford Arms in Holsworthy, Devon, where

self-confessed rookie Keith Reynolds hopes his charisma

can win over his more experienced rivals (r) 5.30 Bidding

Wars. Kevin Duala invites six teams to compete to win

pallets of themed goods to sell them on for profit. This

time, modern online sellers are up against some old hands

6.00 The Simpsons. Fearing Doomsday is coming, Mr

Burns gets Dr Frink to test everyone to see who is worth

saving — and the results are a major shock to the

Simpson family 6.30 Hollyoaks. Theresa worries

about Nana McQueen’s health, and Zara decides to

protest against the Christmas lights switch-on (r)

6.00am Milkshake! 9.15 Jeremy Vine. The broadcaster

and guests discuss the issues of the day, with co-host

Storm Huntley joining him for phone-ins and reading out

viewers’ correspondence 11.15 FILM: Christmas

Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (PG, TVM, 2019)

A decorator falls for a businessman while working on his

property. Romantic comedy starring Jill Wagner and

Matthew Davis 1.00pm Neighbours (AD) 1.30 FILM:

A Christmas Break (PG, TVM, 2020) Teacher Addison

Tate hopes for a festive miracle as officials decide to close

her school. Romantic drama starring Cindy Sampson and

Steve Byers 3.15 FILM: Angel Falls — A Novel

Christmas (PG, TVM, 2019) A book editor must

work with a former rival to help a budding writer find her

way, reminding all of them about the Christmas spirit and

the value of community. Festive drama starring Jen Lilley

and Carlo Marks 5.00 5 News at 5 6.00 Neighbours.

Terese allows herself one dance with Paul while at the

Police Ball. Eager to have a nice night out with Roxy, Kyle

insists that he is feeling okay (r) (AD) 6.30 Meerkat

Manor. The daily struggles and dangers faced by the

animals living on the edge of the Kalahari desert