A documentary explores one of the most audacious alleged crimes in US history. Plus: Wynonna Earp zaps demonic outlaws. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

It’s one of the most audacious alleged crimes in the country’s history – and so astounding it is almost unbelievable: a former US president accused of attempting to overturn a state’s votes. As Trump continues his campaign to be re-elected next month, this detailed documentary gives the inside story of his refusal to concede defeat after Georgia’s result in 2020 and the criminal charges that followed. It also explores the case he has been convicted for and others that are pending. Hollie Richardson

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Beloved children’s TV series Pingu is set to be revived in a new adaptation from Barbie company Mattel and Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman.

The original Pingu launched on BBC One in 1990. A Swiss-German production, the TV series was designed by Otmar Gutmann, and followed the adventures of an impish penguin in the South Pole. The character was known for his catchphrase, “Noot noot”.

Pingu originally ran until 2000, and was briefly revived on British TV between 2003 and 2006.

The new series will be stop-motion animation, in the same vein as the original.

Mattel Television Studios, the TV arm of toy conglomerate Mattel, acquired the rights to Pingu in 2011 when it purchased HIT Entertainment.

This documentary investigates the mercenaries who have made a career out of conflict. Plus: Lucy Beaumont takes to the stage in London. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, BBC Four Up to 100,000 mercenaries are estimated to be operating in conflict zones around the world, as this aggression-filled Storyville documentary tells us, and they have been implicated in global atrocities and blamed for fuelling the illegal arms trade. The programme introduces us to Dave Tomkins, who talks about how he has been fighting other people’s wars for money for 40 years. Hollie Richardson

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Himesh Patel, Lolly Adefope and Jessica Hynes are just some of the top names in Armando Iannucci’s The Franchise. Plus: Bernardine Evaristo’s tale of forbidden love. Here’s what to watch this evening

Monday, 10pm, Sky Comedy

What happens on the set of a ridiculous, big-budget superhero movie? This new spoof comedy from Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep, I’m Alan Partridge), Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes and Succession’s Jon Brown shows us. The series follows first assistant director Daniel (Himesh Patel) and his team, Dag (Lolly Adefope) and Steph (Jessica Hynes), as they work on Tecto: Eye of the Storm. In the first episode of this week’s triple bill, they try to handle the conflicting egos of film stars Peter (Richard E Grant) and Adam (Billy Magnussen). With such cracking talent involved, you know you’re in for something hilarious. Hollie Richardson

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A mindblowing new series starts with the story of Lord Bertie Underwood. Plus: judicial thriller Showtrial gets twisty. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, Channel 4

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Florence Welch beautifully performs hits from Lungs at the Proms. Plus, who will make it through to Halloween week in Strictly? Here’s what to watch this evening

8.20pm, BBC Two

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A gobsmacking documentary about the mysterious man who bought MGM studios in 1990. Plus: is the Vinted app too good to be true? Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two

“One of the most enigmatic deals in Hollywood.” Insiders tell film-maker John Dower the scandalous story of Giancarlo Parretti, one that has all the makings of a juicy movie script. Parretti was a former waiter with a “murky past” who bought the MGM studios for $1.3bn in 1990 – but he couldn’t account for the mysterious money he handed over. He helps tell the full tale himself in a lively documentary. Hollie Richardson

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/18758803

The open-hearted paean to friendship and a quiet life has become a global hit after charming viewers the world over. As it turns 10, its stars reflect on how they made TV magic

Patsy, Eddy, Saffy, Bubble and their celebrity fans tell all. Plus: David Olusoga returns with his brilliant history series. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Gold

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The property guru takes a tour of the country’s most spectacular residences. Plus: Cush Jumbo poses for Portrait Artist of the Year. Here’s what to watch this evening

10pm, Channel 4

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The cook shows how to knock up a total treat with potato peelings. Plus, a complex look at the phenomenon of ‘penicide’. Here’s what to watch this evening

7.30pm, BBC Two

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cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/18663798

A former Countdown champion who is accused of stabbing a fellow contestant at an event for past competitors of the game show is set to stand trial. John Cowen, 30, appeared in Preston Crown Court facing charges of Section 18 wounding and possession of a bladed article, following allegations he attacked Thomas Carey at the Countdown in Blackpool 2024 event last month.

Emergency services were called to Hornby Road at 11.35am on September 14, 2024, following reports of an assault. Mr Carey was hospitalised and Cowen was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent and knife possession.

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Both men are understood to have been attending the annual event for winners of the popular Channel 4 TV show prior to the alleged attack. In 2017, Cowen featured in 12 episodes of the daytime quiz show, winning eight consecutive contests and earning the sought-after title of 'octochamp'.

He also achieved the third highest total of the entire series, identifying the nine-letter word 'spreading'. He competed in the Series 77 finals in December 2017, but lost to Bradley Horrocks in the semi-final, reports Lancs Live.

He was defeated by Horrocks again in the quarter-final of the Championship of Champions XV series in 2019.

Context, probably, at least in my head

In this nuanced adaptation, an elderly man tries to keep his gay relationship under wraps. Plus, Mark Strong guest stars in The Penguin. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC One

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The people who experienced the Enfield poltergeist retell the terrifying tale. Plus: Sophie Turner’s jewel thief drama nears the end. Here’s what to watch this evening

10.20pm, BBC Two

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Q: "Melania Trump recalled her experience of her husband's first assassination attempt. Do we know what she did?"

Paul: "Reloaded."

A gory first-look trailer for Channel 4 series Generation Z has been released.

The horror-comedy is set in a fictional town where care home residents are zombified after a chemical leak, and face off against the local teenagers.

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The show is set in the town of Dambury, which has “stark opportunities and not much to do”, and is “the last place you'd expect the apocalypse to begin”.

“When an army convoy overturns outside a care home, a chemical leak starts to have an adverse effect on the residents there,” the synopsis adds. “The OAPs, led by Cecily and Frank, escape the grasp of the army looking to contain their angry, violent, insatiable hunger for raw flesh.

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Generation Z comes from director Ben Wheatley, and also stars Masters of the Air’s Lewis Gribben, The Batman’s Jay Lycurgo, My Family’s Robert Lindsay, Johnny Vegas, Our House’s Buket Komur, EastEnders’ Anita Dobson and The Nevers’ Viola Prettejohn.

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Generation Z will premiere on Channel 4 on Sunday, October 27.

Trailer

This musical odyssey promises to be a Top of the Pops-free zone. Plus: the return of Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel. Here’s what to watch this evening

8.20pm, BBC Two

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cross-posted from: https://startrek.website/post/15317436

It's worth noting that Gatwa's statement appears to contrast somewhat with those made recently by showrunner Russell T Davies.

He wrote in the most recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine: "The decision to commission Season 3 won’t be made until after Season 2 has transmitted. And that’s always been the deal since the start. Hey, we might even have a day off!

Dispatches reveals the reality of making the world-famous doll. Plus: Gemma Whelan and Steve Pemberton turn up in The Cleaner. Here’s what to watch this evening

8pm, Channel 4

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Sweetpea is a gorefest based on CJ Skuse’s hugely popular novels. Plus: a Question Time election special from the US. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Sky Atlantic

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The 1984 movie showed Sheffield in the aftermath of a nuclear attack on South Yorkshire – including a missile blitz on the former RAF Finningley air base, now the site of Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The harrowing film, written by Barry Hines, centres on two families as a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union escalates.

The movie shows nuclear weapons raining down on South Yorkshire - including the former RAF base and Tinsley Viaduct - and Sheffield Town Hall being destroyed.

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Shot on a budget of £400,000, the film was the first of its kind to depict a nuclear winter.

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It has been called "a film which comes closest to representing the full horror of nuclear war and its aftermath, as well as the catastrophic impact that the event would have on human culture.”

It was nominated for seven BAFTA awards in 1985 and won for Best Single Drama, Best Design, Best Film Cameraman and Best Film Editor.

Dubbed “one of the most terrifying programmes ever shown on British television” it was first broadcast on 23 September 1984 and anyone who tuned in to BBC Two on that Sunday evening would experience a bleak and unforgettable depiction of a massive nuclear bomb attack on a British city.

Rarely seen on television since its first broadcast, it's being shown again on BBC Four and iPlayer tonight (9 October) from 10pm.

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/17874962

The BBC is set to revisit the world of Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' with a new spinoff based on Lizzy's sister Mary Bennet.

The scale of the horror inflicted by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023 is shown via camera footage. Plus: Portrait Artist of the Year 2024. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, Channel 4

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Film cans containing unseen footage of the Thunderbirds TV show have been found in a garden shed.

A family found the cans - light-tight containers used to enclose film - in a Buckinghamshire shed belonging to their father, who was an editor on the show and died recently.

Stephen La Rivière, from Century 21 Films which received the 22 old cans, said they mainly contained Thunderbirds material from the 1960s, including an alternative version of an episode that was never broadcast.

It is hoped the footage - filmed on the Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire - can be shown to the public as part of the series' 60th anniversary next year.

This fantastic documentary recalls what happened at the 1984 Tory party conference. Plus, more sublime stress in Industry. Here’s what to watch this evening

9pm, BBC Two“All I had to know was that it had gone off … and then I slept.” It has been 40 years since the IRA’s Patrick Magee planted a bomb in the Grand hotel, Brighton during the Conservative party conference, killing five people and seriously injuring 34 others. In this fantastic documentary (from the team behind last year’s Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland), we hear from Magee and also from those who were there at the time, along with archive footage, to tell the full story of the tensions that led to this atrocious act (“For a lot of people, it was revenge”).Hollie Richardson

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