The Times - UK (2022-05-24)

12 Tuesday May 24 2022 | the times

television & radio

nature is, well, super

enough. It’s familiar

Gervais territory,

although with a

prefaced warning

about what irony

means for any

keyboard warriors out

there. If anything, he’s

now a more assured

master of his material

than he was on his

previous Netflix special,

Humanity. And that

wasn’t bad either.

Ricky Gervais:

SuperNature

Netflix

The comedian’s love-in

with the US streamer

continues with this

filmed version of his

SuperNature tour.

It’s more packed

stadium jollity focusing

on cats, the culture

war and a general

theme that we don’t

need religion because

likeable. Rude and

controlling yes,

but resolutely

old-fashioned might

be another description

of a man who loves his

family and is devastated

that his wife wants

a divorce. Why can’t

they pursue their own

interests and meet up

in the evening to watch

television, he wonders,

not entirely

unreasonably.

the coffee shop’s name

(well, it is called

Mouthfeel) and is

prickingly querulous

when the barista

serving him won’t tell

him their gender.

He has no idea that

Ellen has become a

Quaker. Yet while he

leaves a bad first

impression, it’s a

tribute to Gleeson’s

performance that he

remains strangely

time it’s set in the US,

so inevitably our fresh

(older) pair of Scott

(Brendan Gleeson)

and Ellen (Patricia

Clarkson) meet in a

coffee shop. He’s a bit

of a Trump lookalike

(it’s not just the hair,

even his hand gestures

have a whiff of the

Donald about them)

with some of the

insensitive attitudes to

match. He objects to

inside the consulting

room but each

ten-minute bite of

dialogue cleverly

showed the modulating

dynamics of each dose

of counselling, and

ultimately whether

their relationship had

a future. The same

team of the writer

Nick Hornby and the

director Stephen Frears

have returned for

another run and this

Viewing Guide

Ben Dowell

State of the Union
BBC2, 10pm

The first
series of this
drama
featured
Rosamund Pike and
Chris O’Dowd meeting
in a pub before their
marital therapy
sessions. We never saw

Top

pick

7PM

Early

8PM

9PM

10PM

11PM

Late

BBC1 BBC2 ITV Channel 4 Channel 5

7.00 The One Show Presented by

Alex Jones and Jermaine Jonas

7.30 EastEnders Ben is in shock about the

events of the night before (AD)

8.00 DIY SOS: The Big Build The team

set to work on an adventure

playground in Southmead, Bristol,

which has fallen into disrepair and is

now unfit for purpose, transforming it

for generations to come (3/5) (AD)

9.00 Silent Witness DNA evidence linked

to the health secretary’s assassination

forces Nikki to face her past. As her

investigation progresses, Nikki realises

that its consequences will affect her,

and her profession, for ever (2/6) (AD)

10.00 BBC News at Ten

10.30 BBC Regional News and Weather

10.40 Gentleman Jack Changed My Life

The stories of six British women who

rediscovered their sexuality, came out

to their families and rekindled love

affairs after watching the television

drama Gentleman Jack (AD)

11.40 Celebrity Catchpoint Clare Nasir and

Owain Wyn Evans take on Ugo Monye

and Nina Wadia in the game show in

which contestants catch balls dropped

from the studio ceiling. Paddy

McGuinness holds court (4/8) (r)

12.15am-6.00 BBC News

7.00 Marcus Wareing’s Tales from a

Kitchen Garden The chef embraces a

slower pace of life at his Sussex

smallholding. He goes on the hunt

for the perfect chicken and heads

down to the village pub with

other local growers (2/5)

8.00 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

Emotions are running high at Chelsea

as the all-important medals are

revealed, and Monty Don and

Joe Swift bring us the highlights

of the garden awards (4/13)

9.00 The Witch Hunts: Lucy Worsley

Investigates New series. The

historian examines four chapters in

British history, beginning with the

16th-century witch hunts, when

thousands of people were tortured and

killed. See Viewing Guide (1/4) (AD)

10.00 State of the Union New comedy

starring Brendan Gleeson and Patricia

Clarkson. See Viewing Guide (AD)

10.30 Newsnight Headline analysis

11.15 The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show

The husband and wife host the comedy

entertainment show, with celebrity

couple Martin and Shirlie Kemp joining

them to poke fun at topics including

relationships and parenting (2/6) (r)

12.00 Sign Zone: Eden: Untamed Planet The secrets

of the few regions that are Isolated from the rest of the

world and have been largely protected from human

interference, beginning with Borneo’s forests (r) (AD, SL)

12.50am-1.50 The Great British Sewing Bee. Creating

sportswear, including a pair of trainers (r) (AD, SL)

7.30 Emmerdale Leyla is alarmed when

Suzy sees sense, Samson attempts to

reassure Amelia and Pollard thinks

David is misguided (AD)

8.00 The Martin Lewis Money Show:

Live The financial expert tackles the

cost of living crisis, giving tips on how

to make the most of money if

holidaying this summer — whether

home or abroad — and much more

9.00 Long Lost Family: Born Without

Trace The man who became famous as

“the Ice Baby”, after being found in a

phone box on the coldest night of the

year, searches for answers (2/3) (AD)

10.00 ITV News at Ten

10.30 Regional News

10.45 Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret

Murders Part two of two. The

pressure continues to build on West

Yorkshire Police as they step up the

hunt for the killer, now being dubbed

the Yorkshire Ripper (r) (AD)

11.45 Heathrow: Britain’s Busiest

Airport It is all systems go at

Heathrow’s in-house Covid-19 testing

centre, and inside Terminal 2, the

cleaning team are on the hunt for a

special kind of vagrant (r) (AD)

12.05am Teleshopping 3.00 Loose Women. More

celebrity interviews and topical debate from a female

perspective (r) 3.50 Unwind with ITV 5.05-6.00 Tipping

Point. Quiz show, hosted by Ben Shephard (r) (SL)

7.00 Channel 4 News

8.00 Bake Off: The Professionals

New series. Liam Charles and Stacey

Solomon present as a new batch of

pastry chefs compete, making

individual strawberry cakes and

transforming treacle tarts into

sculptures. See Viewing Guide (AD)

9.00 24 Hours in A&E An 18-year-old

motorcyclist is rushed in after

colliding with two cars, an eight-year-

old girl hurts herself falling off her

scooter and a military veteran has

an accident at the gym (AD)

10.00 Gogglebox The critics’ opinions on

shows from November 2020 including

Strictly Come Dancing, Don’t Rock the

Boat, The Undoing and BBC News

coverage of Covid-19 (r) (AD)

11.05 Gogglebox The armchair critics share

their opinions on the Eurovision Song

Contest, Beat the Chasers, The Queen’s

Platinum Jubilee Celebration and

Lovestruck High (r) (AD)

12.05am The Great Garden Revolution People

transform outdoor spaces (r) (AD) 1.05 Ramsay’s Kitchen

Nightmares USA. An Italian restaurant in Boston (r) 1.55

Chivalry (r) (AD) 2.20 Spreadsheet (r) (AD, SL) 3.20

Taskmaster (r) (AD, SL) 4.15 Come Dine with Me (r)

5.10-6.05 Location, Location, Location (r)

7.00 The Dog Rescuers with Alan

Davies An animal lover with more

pets than she is able to look after

makes the hard choice to give up one

of her dogs. A lurcher is found tied to

the fence of an animal centre (2/6) (r)

7.55 5 News Update

8.00 The Yorkshire Vet A three-legged

sheep might be given a new lease on

life with a prosthetic leg, but the rare

procedure proves to be far from

straightforward (5/12) (AD)

9.00 The Chernobyl Disaster: Meltdown

New series. Charting the events that

led up to the nuclear disaster in 1986,

hearing from those who were caught

up in the tragedy, and those who

risked their lives cleaning up

afterwards. See Viewing Guide (1/3)

10.00 HMP Belmarsh: Maximum

Security A look inside HMP Belmarsh

prison, from the gangs that have

dominated its corridors to the brave

officers who serve there, and some of

the prison’s most infamous inmates.

The documentary brings to life in

graphic detail the vicious conflicts and

unthinkable acts of violence that are

part of daily life inside Belmarsh,

offering a harrowing insight into what

life is really like in the prison (r)

12.05am Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts (r)

1.00 The LeoVegas Live Casino Show 3.00 Entertainment

News on 5 3.10 Secrets of the Fast Food Giants (r) 4.00

Cruising with Jane McDonald (r) (SL) 4.45 Wildlife SOS

(r) (SL) 5.10 House Doctor (r) (SL) 5.35 Peppa Pig (r)

5.40 Paw Patrol (r) 5.50-6.00 Milkshake! (r)

6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Morning Live. Magazine show,

hosted by Sam Quek and Gethin Jones 10.00 For Love or

Money. Featuring a woman unable to leave a man who

took thousands of pounds from her (r) 10.45 Rip Off

Britain. Consumer show (r) 11.15 Homes Under the

Hammer. Charting the progress of properties in London,

Leicestershire and Kent 12.15pm Bargain Hunt. Two

teams compete in Elsecar, South Yorkshire (r) (AD) 1.00

BBC News at One; Weather 1.30 BBC Regional News;

Weather 1.45 Doctors. Daniel takes part in an unusual

divorce settlement in which an ex-couple’s shared

belongings are the prizes in a paintball battle (AD) 2.15

Five Bedrooms. Liz returns from the UK and Harry realises

his life is at a standstill (AD) 3.00 Escape to the Country.

A couple search for a new home in either Worcestershire

or Warwickshire 3.45 RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022.

Angellica Bell and Nicki Chapman have an overview of the

winners on medals day, and Derry Girls star Siobhan

McSweeney visits the show 4.30 The Bidding Room.

Items include a fairground dodgem and a rescued

mannequin (r) 5.15 Pointless. Quiz show 6.00 BBC News

at Six; Weather 6.30 BBC Regional News; Weather

6.15am Homes Under the Hammer (r) (AD) 7.15 Bargain

Hunt (r) 8.00 Sign Zone: Antiques Roadshow (r) (SL)

9.00 BBC News 10.00 BBC News 12.15pm Politics Live

1.00 The Super League Show. Including Warrington

Wolves v St Helens. Huddersfield Giants v Toulouse and

Hull FC v Wigan Warriors 1.45 Eggheads (r) 2.15 James

Martin: Home Comforts (r) (AD) 3.00 Britain in Bloom.

Gardeners tackling a neglected stretch of river running

through Grimsby (r) 3.30 Murder, Mystery and My

Family. Jeremy Dein and Sasha Wass investigate the

poisoning of a wealthy female tenant, who was killed by

her landlord in 1911, just after signing over her assets to

him (r) 4.15 Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr. As

semi-final week kicks off, the four remaining designers

are challenged to transform two restaurants in Hebden

Bridge (r) (AD) 5.15 Flog It! Interesting finds from the

show’s travels to Cumbria, Durham, Somerset and

Norwich, with items ranging from a pair of Lalique vases

to a 9.5mm projector (r) 6.00 Richard Osman’s House of

Games. With Maisie Adam, Rory Bremner, James

Cracknell and Michelle Gayle (r) 6.30 Animal Park.

Native beavers appear to have returned to the park (AD)

6.00am Good Morning Britain 9.00 Lorraine.

Entertainment, current affairs and fashion news, as well

as showbiz stories and celebrity gossip. Presented by

Lorraine Kelly 10.00 This Morning. A mix of celebrity

chat, lifestyle features, advice and competitions. Including

Local Weather 12.30pm Loose Women. More celebrity

interviews and topical debate from a female perspective

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

David Dickinson helps people in Blackpool sort the

treasures from their trash, where items include a piece of

possessed wood, a knight on horseback, and some Lalique

(r) (AD) 3.00 Tenable. A team of family members answer

questions about top 10 lists, then try to score a perfect

10 in the final round. Quiz, hosted by Warwick Davis (r)

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 another batch of contestants answer general

knowledge questions and work as a team in the hope of

winning a potential prize pot worth thousands of pounds

6.00 Regional News; Weather 6.30 ITV News; Weather

6.05am Countdown (r) 6.45 Cheers (r) 7.40 The King of

Queens (r) (AD) 9.00 Frasier (r) (AD) 10.30 Undercover

Boss USA (r) 11.25 Channel 4 News Summary 11.30

Couples Come Dine with Me (r) 12.30pm Steph’s Packed

Lunch. Weekday magazine show, hosted by Steph

McGovern 2.10 Countdown. Linda Papadopoulos joins

Susie Dent in Dictionary Corner 3.00 A Place in the Sun.

Ben Hillman helps a couple find a holiday home on Spain’s

southern Costa Blanca on a budget of £75,000, which has

to be close to a golf course (r) 4.00 The Great House

Giveaway. A carpenter and a kitchen fitter renovate a

property in the West Midlands 5.00 Sun, Sea and Selling

Houses. In Almeria, Steve and Sharon Garner help a DIY

fanatic and his wife find a characterful property for their

budget of €118,000 (r) 6.00 The Simpsons. A collection of

Halloween tales, in which Homer is paralysed by a

venomous spider, Ned Flanders becomes a night-time

vigilante and Bart and Milhouse transform into one-eyed

aliens (r) (AD) 6.30 Hollyoaks. Ste defends a possible

reunion between him and James as Leela questions

whether his ex has really changed. At The Dog, a double

date set up by Prince breeds tension (r) (AD)

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 12.15pm Shoplifters &

Scammers: At War with the Law. Undercover private

detectives are on the trail of a thief caught on CCTV

grabbing two designer handbags (r) 1.10 5 News at

Lunchtime 1.15 Home and Away. Mia is despondent, but

keeps the wheels in motion on her departure plans (AD)

1.45 Neighbours (AD) 2.15 FILM: Friends Who Kill

(12, TVM, 2020) A teenage girl seeks solace from her

parents’ divorce by making a new friend — but does not

know she has a dark past. Thriller starring Natalie Brown

and Sarah Fisher 4.00 Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun. A

drag artist and his husband cook meals to give to the local

homeless community, and also begin work on their next

charitable project, refurbishing a womens’ refuge centre

5.00 5 News at 5 6.00 Neighbours. Freya, David and Levi

team up to find Harlow and Corey. Nicolette sees Chloe

and Kiri’s closeness, and the penny drops that she cannot

keep pining for Kiri (r) 6.30 Eggheads. Think Tank will be

looking for a winning strategy to defeat the Eggheads (r)