The Times - UK (2021-12-18)

38 saturday review Saturday December 18 2021 | the times

Tuesday 21 | Primetime digital guide

BBC4

7.00pm Top of the Pops:

Christmas 1986

Featuring Billy Ocean, the

Communards, Bombalurina,

a-ha, Europe and Diana Ross

8.00 A Merry Tudor Christmas

with Lucy Worsley

The historian recreates

festive traditions from the

reign of Henry VIII

9.00 dinnerladies Twinkle

and Stan spoil Petula’s

Christmas plans (6/10)

9.35 Victoria Wood: Seen on TV

The comedienne reflects

on the highlights of her

television career, and

contributors including

Dawn French, Julie Walters

and Roger Moore discuss

her enduring appeal

11.05 Some Santas with Jokes

11.35-12.35am The Truth About

Christmas Carols

Howard Goodall

investigates the turbulent

history of Christmas hymns

ITV3

7.00pm Heartbeat New broom

Sgt Miller introduces a

rapid response car but

his big city ideas receive a

cool reception. Walker is

beaten up by hoodlums

but falls for his nurse

8.00 Midsomer Murders

Christmas is coming and

Barnaby is soon to be a

father, but the festive mood

changes when a man is

stabbed to death with an

antique sword during a

ghost-hunting party

10.00 Ladies of Letters Irene is

tipped over the edge (5/10)

10.30 Ladies of Letters Irene

inds herself living rough

in the Outback (6/10)

11.00 Hatton Garden The gang

returns for a second attempt

at the Hatton Garden safe

deposit vault (2/4)

12.00-1.00am The Durrells

Henry Miller comes to stay

with the family (7/8)

More 4

6.55pm Escape to the Château

Dick and Angel try to turn

the dilapidated coach

house into a cafe, complete

with a striking neon sign,

and try to plough up the

wild flower meadow before

winter sets in (5/7)

7.55 Grand Designs A project to

build a bespoke metal home

next to an airfield runway

9.00 24 Hours in A&E A woman

is rushed in following a

suspected stroke, and

another is sent in by her

GP with chronic back

pain, and doctors worry she

may be suffering an

underlying spinal injury

10.05-12.10am 8 Out of 10 Cats

Does Countdown Sean Lock

teams up with Andrew

Flintoff to compete against

guest captain Bill Bailey and

team-mate Roisin Conaty

11.10-12.15am Emergency

Helicopter Medics

Sky Max

6.00pm Friends: The Reunion

One-off special in which

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney

Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David

Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc

and Matthew Perry get

together to reminisce about

the the hit comedy (R)

8.00 Agatha Raisin: Kissing

Christmas Goodbye New

series. Agatha tries to plan

the perfect Christmas for

her friends, but there’s a

poisoning in the village and

it is down to her to solve it.

See Viewing Guide (1/4)

10.00 Dating No Filter: Under

the Mistletoe Festive

edition of the show (R)

11.00-12.15am We’re Here

Bob, Eureka and Shangela

are in Del Rio, Texas, to

celebrate gay mayor Bruno

Lozano’s impact on the

community, Joey’s identity

quest, and Esael’s

coming-out journey (3/8) (R)

Sky Atlantic

6.45pm Watchmen The final

episode of the alternative

history drama series

following the actions

of a group of masked

vigilantes (9/9) (R)

8.00 Game of Thrones

Cersei and Tywin plot

their next move after

Tommen’s coronation,

Daenerys hears worrying

news about Yunkai and

Astapor, and Jon and his

men attack the mutineers

at Craster’s Keep (5/10) (R)

9.00 Landscapers

Christopher opens up about

his past as the couple’s

relationship with Susan’s

parents comes under the

spotlight. Lancing and

Wilkie have a breakthrough.

See Viewing Guide (3/4)

10.00 Game of Thrones (6/10) (R)

11.05-12.10am Game of Thrones

Jon’s warnings fall on

deaf ears (7/10) (R)

Sky Documentaries

Sky Comedy

6.45pm FILM Dettori (12, 2021)

The story of arguably the

world’s greatest jockey, and

one of the most decorated

sportsmen of all time

9.00 Liverpool Narcos

Documentary looking at

how when ecstasy first

arrived in Liverpool, it

spawned a cultural

revolution — and a new

breed of criminal quickly

saw that millions of pounds

could be made (2/3) (R)

10.00 FILM Class Action Park (12,

2020) Documentary about

a New Jersey water park

that during the 1980s and

1990s became infamous for

its poor safety record

11.40-12.40am Positive

Documentary charting the

history of HIV in Britain,

beginning with a look at

how the first recorded UK

case in 1981 provoked panic

and hostility (1/3) (R)

7.00pm Breeders Ally and Paul’s

marriage is in crisis (7/10)

7.30 Breeders (8/10)

8.00 Breeders (9/10)

8.30 Breeders (10/10)

9.00 Insecure Comedy drama

starring Issa Rae (9/10)

9.40 A.P. Bio Students steal

Jack’s beloved Harvard pen

10.15 Chris Rock:

Kill the Messenger Compilation

from the comedian’s shows

12.00-1.35am Greg Davies:

The Back of My Mum’s Head

ITV2

6.45pm FILM Mamma Mia! Here

We Go Again (PG, 2018) Abba-

themed musical sequel starring

Amanda Seyfried and Lily James

9.00 FILM Love Actually (15,

2003) Interlinked tales of several

people in search of love. Richard

Curtis’s romantic comedy, with

Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon,

Emma Thompson, Colin Firth,

Bill Nighy and Liam Neeson

11.40-12.10am Family Guy

Quagmire lands free plane tickets

for a guys’ trip to San Francisco

ITV4

7.00pm The Chase Celebrity

Christmas Special With Patti Clare

8.00 River Monsters A mysterious

sea creature in Mexico

9.00 FILM Rocky II (PG, 1979)

Retired boxer Rocky Balboa is

tempted back into the ring for

another shot at Apollo Creed’s

heavyweight title. Drama sequel

starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia

Shire and Carl Weathers

11.30-2.30am FILM American

Gangster (18, 2007) Crime drama

starring Denzel Washington

E4

7.00pm Hollyoaks

7.30 12 Dates of Christmas

While Chad and Faith surprise

their families with special

newcomers, Garrett makes a

decision that shocks everyone

8.30 The Big Bang Theory

Leonard fails to get Sheldon

into the Christmas mood

9.00 The Great Christmas Bake

Off 2020 Former contestants

compete in this festive special

10.20 Naked Attraction

11.30-12.35am Naked Attraction

Dave

6.40pm Would I Lie to You?

7.20 Would I Lie to You?

8.00 Travel Man: 48 Hours in

Iceland With Richard Ayoade

8.30 Travel Man: 48 Hours in

Marrakech Richard Ayoade

and Stephen Mangan take

a tour of the Moroccan city

9.00 QI XL With Jason Manford,

Aisling Bea and Johnny Vegas

10.00 Travel Man: 96 Hours in

Jordan With Richard Ayoade

11.00 Live at the Apollo

12.00-12.40am Would I Lie to You?

Drama

6.00pm Call the Midwife

Nurse Crane deals with an

emergency during a storm

7.20 Last of the Summer Wine

The trio build their own bikes

8.00 Jonathan Creek Chinese

gangsters threaten to murder

a High Court judge, and he is

mysteriously killed despite having

round-the-clock police protection

9.05 New Tricks Jack announces

that he is quitting the team

10.25 Bad Girls

11.35-12.55am Call the Midwife

Yesterday

7.00pm Secrets of Britain

Charting the history of

subterranean London (2/6)

8.00 Secrets of the London

Underground Examining the

abandoned branch line between

Holborn and Aldwych (1/6)

9.00 Hornby: A Model World

Experienced designer

Carl attempts to recreate a

First World War biplane (2/10)

10.00 Bangers and Cash

12.00-1.00am Abandoned

Engineering Documentary

PBS America

6.35pm Attenborough’s Ant

Mountain Documentary

7.50 David Attenborough’s Light

on Earth David Attenborough

embarks on a search for the

lights of nature, on a journey

that will lead to ocean depths

and claustrophobic caves

9.00 The Edge of Existence The

threat to the survival of humans

and wildlife in the Serengeti

11.00-12.05am Born in the Wild:

Elephants The world of

animal reproduction (1/4)

Smithsonian

7.00pm Inside the Christmas

Factory With Cherry Healey

8.00 Robert Powell on the Real

Jesus of Nazareth

9.00 Robert Powell on the Real

Jesus of Nazareth

10.00 Robert Powell on the Real

Jesus of Nazareth The actor

examines Jesus’s final days

11.00 Robert Powell on the Real

Jesus of Nazareth The actor

examines Jesus’s final days

12.00-1.00am Robert Powell on

the Real Jesus of Nazareth

Sky Arts

7.00pm Voices of Ireland

Imelda May explores Ireland’s rich

history of literary talent (2/2)

8.00 Wordsworth & Coleridge:

Road Trip with Frank Skinner and

Denise Mina How the poets’

relationship descended into

bitterness and acrimony. Last in

the series. See Viewing Guide

9.00 Queen: Live in Milton Keynes

10.00 The Directors

11.00-1.00am FILM Cape Fear

(15, 1962) Thriller starring Gregory

Peck. See Film Choice

Sky Witness

7.00pm Nothing to Declare UK

The work of customs officers

in the south of England (1/12)

7.30 Nothing to Declare UK (2/12)

8.00 9-1-1 Hen’s mother arrives

with an announcement to make

9.00 Private Eyes Shade suspects

his old hockey rival may be to

blame when his prized Porsche is

stolen at a luxury car show (4/8)

10.00 Criminal Minds (8/15)

11.00 The Rookie (10/14)

12.00-1.00am Law & Order:

Special Victims Unit

Sky History

7.00pm Shipwrecks: When History

Resurfaces The Allied invasion of

southern France in August 1944

8.00 Ancient Aliens

A giant face that appears to be

carved into the Earth in Alberta

9.00 Missing 411: The Hunted

Haunting true stories of hunters

experiencing the unexplainable

11.00 The Proof Is Out There (7/4)

11.30 The Proof Is Out There (8/4)

12.00-1.00am When Big Things Go

Wrong The collapse of a high-rise

hotel in New Orleans (3/6)

Alibi

6.20pm Death in Paradise

A murder uncovers a case of

money-laundering (8/8)

7.40 Death in Paradise The owner

of a plantation is found with a

machete in his back (1/8)

9.00 Ragdoll (6/6)

10.00 Smother (6/6)

11.10-12.10am The Good Wife

Discovery

7.00pm Railroad Alaska

8.00 Bitchin’ Rides A replica

1967 Cobra with a bad engine

9.00 Gold Rush The gold miners of

the Yukon put everything on the

line in the hopes of striking it rich

10.00 Gold Rush: White Water

11.00 Gold Rush: The Dirt

12.00-1.00am Gold Rush

Nat Geographic Comedy Central

7.00pm Friends

9.00 FILM Blades of Glory (12,

2007) Ice-skating comedy starring

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder

10.45 FILM Kevin Hart: Let Me

Explain (15, 2013) The stand-up

comedian’s 2012 performance

11.45-12.45am Rhod Gilbert’s

Growing Pains With Vick Hope

Gold

6.20pm Blackadder

7.20 Only Fools and Horses

8.00 Trust Morecambe & Wise

9.00 Mrs Brown’s Boys

9.40 The Cockfields Christmas

Special Simon and Esther travel

to the Isle of Wight at Christmas

10.45 Absolutely Fabulous

11.25-12.35am The Office

W

7.00pm Simply Nigella: Christmas

Special A guide to stress-free

festive cooking and entertaining

8.00 My Family Christmas Special

2005 Festive edition

9.10 DIY SOS: The Big Build

A home in Bromsgrove

10.30 999 Rescue Squad

11.30-12.30am 999 Rescue Squad

7.00pm Air Crash Investigation

8.00 Earth’s Giant Hole

9.00 Ocean Wreck Investigation

Examining how the atom bomb

changed the world forever

10.00 Ice Road Rescue

11.00 Air Crash Investigation

12.00-1.00am Airport Security:

First Class Documentary

FV 9/24, FS 173, SKY 116, VIRGIN 107 FV 10, FS 115, SKY 119, VIRGIN 117 FV 18, FS 124, SKY 136, VIRGIN 147 SKY 113, VIRGIN 122 SKY 108 SKY 121, VIRGIN 278

SKY 114, VIRGIN 135

FV 6, FS 113, SKY 118, VIRGIN 115 FV 25, FS 117, SKY 120, VIRGIN 118 FV 13, FS 122, SKY 135, VIRGIN 106 FV 20, FS 158, SKY 143, VIRGIN 130 FV 26, FS 159, SKY 155, VIRGIN 129

SKY 132, VIRGIN 126 SKY 125, VIRGIN 250, BT 322 SKY 129, VIRGIN 266, BT 317 SKY 112, VIRGIN 181, BT 307 SKY 110, VIRGIN 124, BT 310 SKY 109, VIRGIN 125, BT 311

FV 19, FS 157, SKY 111, VIRGIN 127

FV 84, FS 155, SKY 174, VIRGIN 273 FV 56, FS 175, SKY 171, VIRGIN 276 FV 11, FS 147, SKY 130, VIRGIN 165 SKY 107, VIRGIN 112 SKY 123, VIRGIN 270

Sky Main Event

7.45am-12.15pm Live Big Bash

League: Sydney Sixers v Adelaide

Strikers All the action

12.30pm-4.30 Live World Darts

Championship Session one on day

seven at Alexandra Palace

7.00 Live EFL Cup: Arsenal v

Sunderland (Kick-off 7. 4 5).

Coverage of the quarter-final

match at Emirates Stadium

10.00 Live World Darts

Championship

11.00 Live: NFL Fantasy

12.00-1.00am Live: Total Access

Sky Premier League

7.00pm PL Review

8.00 Gary Neville’s Soccerbox

9.00 PL Review

A look back at the weekend’s

action in the Premier League

10.00 Class of ’92: Full Time

The Class of ‘92 hope

reinforcements will lead a late

charge for promotion

11.00 Soccer AM: The Best Bits

11.30 PL Retro

Manchester United v Everton

1.30am-2.00 Premier League

Icons Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Sky Cricket

7.30am-3.30pm Live Test Cricket:

South Africa v India Coverage of

day five of the first Test in the

three-match series, at Wanderers

Stadium in Johannesburg

7.00 Test Cricket South Africa v

India. Action from day five of

the first Test in the three-match

series, from Wanderers Stadium

in Johannesburg

8.00 Big Bash League Sydney

Sixers v Adelaide Strikers

12.30am-1.30 One-Day

International Cricket

BT Sport 1

7.00pm Live Vanarama National

League: Chesterfield v Notts

County (Kick-off 7. 3 0). Coverage of

the match from Technique Stadium

9.45 The Cricket’s On

10.45 BT Sport Goals Reload

We bring you the greatest goals

from around the world this week

11.00 Ref: Stories From the

Weekend An in-depth look

at the world of referees

12.00 UFC: The Walk

12.30am Ultra-Trail World Tour

1.00-3.15 Live: WWE NXT

BT Sport 2

5.30pm Live: Serie A — Udinese v

Salernitana (Kick-off 5.30).

Coverage of the Italian top-flight

clash from Dacia Arena

7.30 Live: Serie A — Juventus v

Cagliari (Kick-off 7. 4 5).

Coverage of the Italian top-flight

clash from Allianz Stadium

9.45 WWE Monday Night Raw

Watch your favourite WWE

Superstars face-off inside the ring

on WWE Monday Night Raw

12.15am BT Sport Goals Reload

12.30-2.30 Isuzu UTE A-League

SKY 401, VIRGIN 511, BT 467 SKY 402, VIRGIN 512 SKY 404, VIRGIN 514 SKY 413, BT 459 SKY 414, BT 460

Agatha Raisin

Ashley Jensen plays the

unlikely sleuth in Kissing

Christmas Goodbye

Sky Max, 8pm

FV Freeview FS Freesat

Alexandre Lacazette could play

for Arsenal against Sunderland

(Sky Main Event, 7pm)