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- Sir Cliff Richard and Gloria Hunniford (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
- The popular television presenter was killed 20 years ago this month.
- Sir Cliff Richard
- The Eurovision Song Contest remains a stalwart of the TV calendar and this year marks its 64th anniversary.But what exactly is the point of this springtime extravaganza of international kitsch and how did we get here?The idea for Eurovision was first proposed by Italian TV writer Sergio Pugliese, who worked for the country’s state broadcaster RAI in the early 1950s.Modelled on Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival – inaugurated in 1951 and held in Liguria every year since – the contest was intended to serve as a bonding exercise in the difficult post-war years, bringing European neighbours together in the spirit of harmless fun while testing the capabilities of live broadcast television to the limit.Pugliese’s suggestion was picked up and approved by Marcel Bezencon, president of the European Broadcasting Union, in January 1955, who developed the concept with the body’s international members, including the BBC, at a General Assembly gathering at Rome’s Palazzo Corsini on 19 October 1955 – a date to live in infamy.The first Eurovision Song Contest was duly staged seven months later in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24 May 1956, with Swiss entry Lys Assia winning for her song “Refrain”.The name “Eurovision” was coined by a Brit, Evening Standard journalist George Campey, who referred to the Lugano contest as the “Eurovision Grand Prix” in his coverage of the event. That first tournament consisted of just seven competing nations, compared with 43 this year. The competition’s rules have become ever-more convoluted as new entrants were added over the years, with the breakup of the USSR in the early 1990s in particular contributing to the swelling as a wealth of nations freshly-liberated from the Eastern Bloc sought their turn in the limelight.Contestants were initially expected to sing in their native languages but the stipulation was gradually relaxed, culminating in ABBA’s 1974 win for “Waterloo”, the Swedish disco titans singing entirely in English.Britain first competed in the second contest of 1957, represented by Patricia Bredin, with memorable entrants to follow including Matt Monro, Sandie Shaw, Lulu, Brotherhood of Man, Bucks Fizz, Katrina and the Waves and, of course, Sir Cliff Richard (twice).A Guardian vox pop of 1968 asked one member of the public how she felt about the UK’s prospects for the forthcoming competition and received the deliciously patriotic answer: ”Cliff Richard can always show these continentals a thing or two. He’s very sexy-looking when he jumps around, and he’s also a very good ambassador.”A chance for countries to put their best foot forward on the international stage, Eurovision may be cheesy but it has certainly succeeded in its original aim: for one night a year, a continent puts aside its political differences to enjoy the spectacle of pan-European pop preposterousness.
- Martina Navratilova sings along with Sir Cliff Richard on Centre Court this afternoon (Wednesday) as rain stopped play in the men's quarter finals. Photo by Adam Butler/PA.
- It won’t have surprised anyone that Cliff Richard chose to share his showbiz-milestone celebrations with ITV rather than the BBC. Throughout the time that Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years in Public and in Private (ITV) was being filmed, the veteran singer was living in the shadow of the invasion of privacy case he took against the BBC and South Yorkshire police – which acted as a convenient framing device for exploring the hurt and bitterness he felt over his treatment, as well as celebrating the achievement of surviving in the entertainment industry for so long. The first part of the film was shot at the 78-year-old’s lovely home in Portugal, and at a nearby winery to which he’d invited 1,400 of his famously loyal fans – most of them female, and quite a few, by now, needing walking sticks or mobility scooters to get them there. No one could say he doesn’t earn their loyalty: not only did he sing, he took the time to have a photo taken with each and every one of them. Meanwhile a small constellation of similar-vintage stars – from Barry Gibb and Brian May to Olivia Newton-John, Joan Collins and Andrew Lloyd Webber – lined up on camera to pay homage to their old pal as the archive cycled through key moments in his career. The first hit in 1958, Move It, which established him as the “British Elvis”, further hits with the Shadows, his films The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, his embracing of Christianity, his Eighties comeback. As the title suggested, a little time was devoted to his personal life. There were references to girlfriends past, and to his friendship with John McElynn, the former priest with whom he has long shared a home. Sir Cliff Richard performs in front of 1,400 fans at his Winery in Portugal Credit: ITV His private life, Richard insisted, was nobody’s business but his own. In this context it was Janet Street-Porter’s comment on the press’s long obsession with his sexuality that resonated most. “What no one wants to admit,” she said, “is that maybe Cliff was never interested in sex.” The film closed on his High Court victory over the BBC, and the recording of his latest album. “You can’t kill ambition,” said Richard, speculating on whether he might go on until he was 100. Leaving us, as ever, with a paradox: a man who values his privacy more than anything else yet yearns to linger in the glare of the spotlight for as long as he can.
- Sir Cliff Richard - 60 Years in Public and in Private: Jubilations! Cliff steps out of the shadows to delight loyal fans...and tells of his dark days
- It won’t have surprised anyone that Cliff Richard chose to share his showbiz-milestone celebrations with ITV rather than the BBC. Throughout the time that Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years in Public and in Private (ITV) was being filmed, the veteran singer was living in the shadow of the invasion of privacy case he took against the BBC and South Yorkshire police – which acted as a convenient framing device for exploring the hurt and bitterness he felt over his treatment, as well as celebrating the achievement of surviving in the entertainment industry for so long. The first part of the film was shot at the 78-year-old’s lovely home in Portugal, and at a nearby winery to which he’d invited 1,400 of his famously loyal fans – most of them female, and quite a few, by now, needing walking sticks or mobility scooters to get them there. No one could say he doesn’t earn their loyalty: not only did he sing, he took the time to have a photo taken with each and every one of them. Meanwhile a small constellation of similar-vintage stars – from Barry Gibb and Brian May to Olivia Newton-John, Joan Collins and Andrew Lloyd Webber – lined up on camera to pay homage to their old pal as the archive cycled through key moments in his career. The first hit in 1958, Move It, which established him as the “British Elvis”, further hits with the Shadows, his films The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, his embracing of Christianity, his Eighties comeback. As the title suggested, a little time was devoted to his personal life. There were references to girlfriends past, and to his friendship with John McElynn, the former priest with whom he has long shared a home. Sir Cliff Richard performs in front of 1,400 fans at his Winery in Portugal Credit: ITV His private life, Richard insisted, was nobody’s business but his own. In this context it was Janet Street-Porter’s comment on the press’s long obsession with his sexuality that resonated most. “What no one wants to admit,” she said, “is that maybe Cliff was never interested in sex.” The film closed on his High Court victory over the BBC, and the recording of his latest album. “You can’t kill ambition,” said Richard, speculating on whether he might go on until he was 100. Leaving us, as ever, with a paradox: a man who values his privacy more than anything else yet yearns to linger in the glare of the spotlight for as long as he can.
- Monday 10 December Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years in Private and in Public ITV, 9.00pm He’s not only celebrating 60 years in showbiz but also the release of his 104th (yes, 104th) album, so Cliff Richards allowed an ITV camera crew to follow him around for six months, filming him in a variety of locations, from his home in Portugal to Abbey Road Studios in London, while he was recording songs, and at Wimbledon, his favourite tennis tournament. In his first in-depth TV interview for several years, Richard talks about the dark days that followed the very public police raid on his home in 2014; the deep hurt he experienced; the long, expensive court battle to clear his name; and the people whose support helped him through these tough times. Among the contributors celebrating Richard’s popularity are the bachelor boy’s old friends Gloria Hunniford and actress Joan Collins, as well as singer Barry Gibb, Hank Marvin (the lead guitarist of Richard’s former backing band The Shadows), Andrew Lloyd Webber and Queen’s Brian May. We also see behind the scenes as Richard throws open the doors of his vineyard in Portugal to 1,400 of his biggest fans, for whom he gives a special concert. GO River Walks BBC One, 7.30pm; not NI, Scotland, Wales Eleven walks for the price of one in this documentary giving each BBC region a tailor-made celebrity-led riverside trek. These include Stuart Maconie in the North West, Kristina Krestovnikoff in the East, Rachel and Stanley Johnson in the West, and so on. All 11 walks will be available on the iPlayer once the show ends. GO Liam Bakes Channel 4, 8.00pm Great British Bake Off runner-up Liam Charles creates more sugar-rush confectionery, with a cupcake inspired by his childhood memories of rice pudding and jam, and salted caramel millionaire shortbread that can double as a set of dominoes. GO Hidden Wales with Will Millard BBC Four, 8.00pm We’re more used to seeing Millard sailing the South Seas or stalking the jungles of Papua New Guinea, so it’s odd to find the explorer fetching up in the rather less exotic location of Wales. Here, he goes in search of “natural wonders, forgotten buildings and modern marvels”. This week, he dives off the coast of Rhyl in search of the submerged wreck of one of the world’s first submarines and visits a disused quarry in Snowdonia where the National Gallery stored art treasures during the Second World War. GO Nadiya’s Asian Odyssey BBC One, 9.00pm; Scotland, 10.45pm Nepal is the destination in the concluding part of Nadiya Hussain’s journey, beginning in Kathmandu where she joins a supper club run by obsessive young foodies, and meets nuns from a Buddhist sect who teach female empowerment. GO Babies: Their Wonderful World BBC Two, 9.00pm It’s back to the Baby Lab for the final programme of the series. Paediatrician Guddi Singh explores how babies build up a sense of independence, investigating the science behind tantrums and the psychology behind taking first steps and teamwork. GO My Brilliant Friend Sky Atlantic, 9.00pm Director Saverio Costanzo’s beautiful, immersive HBO adaptation of the first book in author Elena Ferrante’s bestselling quartet of novels about the lifelong friendship of two Neapolitan girls reaches its penultimate episode. With Elena (Margherita Mazzucco) away, Lila (Gaia Girace) receives some unwanted attention. The series concludes on Tuesday at 9pm. GO Dante’s Peak (1997) ★★★☆☆ Film4, 6.55pm Part of the swathe of disaster films that came out in the Nineties, this one features Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton running away from a volcano. Brosnan stars as Harry Dalton, a geologist whose suspicions that a long-dormant volcano is about to erupt turn out to be true – prompting a race against time to save the lives of mayor Rachel Wando’s (Hamilton) townsfolk. It’s mostly average, but with decent action and effects. Rounders (1998) ★★★★☆ AMC, 11.00pm Fresh from Oscar-winning success with Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon stars in John Dahl’s mischievously entertaining poker drama, set in the seedy underworld of New York City. Damon plays Mike, an ambitious law student by day, but a hotshot professional card-player by night. Business is proving good for him – that is, of course, until the fatal moment when he loses $30,000 to a Russian card shark (John Malkovich)… American History X (1998) ★★★★★ ITV4, 11.05pm Tony Kaye directs this compelling and brutal examination of US white supremacism. Edward Norton is both mesmerising and terrifying as Derek, a student who’s drawn into a neo-Nazi movement and mercilessly kills two black youths. After a stint in prison he’s reformed, but returns home to find his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) on the same track. Fairuza Balk co-stars. Tuesday 11 December Calam Lynch and Ruth Wilson co-star in Mrs Wilson Credit: Steffan Hill/BBC Mrs Wilson BBC One, 9.00pm Ruth Wilson’s drama about her grandparents may have started off as a spy thriller, but it quickly mutated into something less conventional and ultimately much more interesting. The moving final episode sees Alison (Wilson) still trying to uncover the truth about her enigmatic husband Alec. Was he a hero or a villain? A scoundrel or a spy? A bigamist? A loving father? Anna Symon’s tender script carefully unpicks the seams holding Alec’s life together, and paints a picture of a man capable of both great deception and great devotion. In the absence (for the most part) of the outstanding Iain Glen, who brought both quicksilver charm and the hint of tightly suppressed demons to the part of Alec, it’s Ruth Wilson who really steps into the spotlight, showing us Alison’s fear and rage, and (crucially) her determination to do right by her sons. Above all, however, this is a story of true faith, both Alec’s in the stories he spun and Alison’s in Catholicism. It is here that Symon and Wilson really find Mrs Wilson’s grace notes, presenting us with something we too rarely see on TV today: a quiet and touching take on what religious devotion can actually mean. SH The Royal Variety Performance 2018 ITV, 7.30pm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are the guests of honour for the Royal Variety Performance this year, which is hosted by comedian Greg Davies and has Take That, Rick Astley and Cirque du Soleil among the performers. But expect the cast of Hamilton to steal the show. SH MasterChef: The Professionals BBC Two, 8.00pm Forget the flashy tricks of Netflix’s The Final Table, this long-running series remains the food programme to beat. Tonight sees the eight remaining chefs challenged to come up with a dish inspired by a favourite “food memory”. SH Celebrity Lego Masters at Christmas Channel 4, 8.00pm The Christmas specials continue to come thick and fast as a group of celebrities including Rob Beckett, Joel Dommett and Warwick Davis pair up with junior builders to try to win the Lego Masters Christmas Trophy. SH Our Yorkshire Farm Channel 5, 8.00pm In this week’s visit to Clive and Amanda’s remote farm in the Yorkshire Dales, the family are enduring the summer’s relentless heatwave. Despite having nine children to entertain during the summer holidays, the work doesn’t stop and they must also must gather the farm’s hay crop in the searing heat. SH Landscape Artist of the Year 2018 Sky Arts, 8.00pm The winner of this year’s painting competition has been given a special commission: to create an artwork to mark the centenary of the First World War Armistice. This edition of the Sky Arts show follows them as they seek inspiration in the work of Stanley Spencer, before heading to Greece and Macedonia and leading up to the finished works’ unveiling at the Imperial War Museum in London. SH The Motorbike Show ITV4, 9.00pm As any petrolhead will tell you, Triumph Motorbikes are the oldest motorcycle brand in Britain. The company’s current incarnation was founded in 1983 after Triumph Engineering, which had produced motorbikes since 1902, went into receivership. It continues to flourish to this day, selling over 60,000 motorcycles a year. This opening episode of the latest series of The Motorbike Show puts that fine history in the spotlight, as presenter Henry Cole charts the brand’s highs and lows. SH Suffragette (2015) ★★★★★ Film4, 6.50pm Never mind the respectable cast and period costumes – Sarah Gavron’s fiery film about the fight for women’s suffrage is very far from genteel. Carey Mulligan is on scintillating form, as she shows the transformation of Maud Watts from bystander to activist with riveting emotional precision. As Abi Morgan’s script strips away the reasons for her to fall back into line, her nerve soars through the roof, and passions begin to rise. The Holiday (2006) ★★★★☆ ITV2, 9.00pm Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jack Black get all warm and fuzzy for this festive romcom. The lovelorn pair Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet, playing, of all things, a Daily Telegraph columnist) agree to a house exchange (LA v quaint English village). In their new locations, they meet prospective partners, Graham (Law) and Miles (Black) – but when the holidays end, serious decisions must be made. Horrible Bosses (2011) ★★★☆☆ 5STAR, 9.00pm This black comedy, directed by Seth Gordon, follows the travails of three friends who conspire to murder their bosses after deciding that their employers are having an overbearing and abusive effect on them. The plot is unoriginal, and the jokes can be dire – some have been called racist, homophobic and misogynist – but the film’s redeeming feature is its cast: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey. Wednesday 12 December Jamie Dornan and Ann Skelly in the finale of Death and Nightingales Credit: Teddy Cavendish Death and Nightingales BBC Two, 9.00pm The finale of Allan Cubitt’s adaptation of Eugene McCabe’s Victorian-era novel is very much a slow burner, which is a little ironic, given that the events of the three-part drama take place over just 24 hours. Cubitt, who also directs, sacrifices pace in a bid to convey the awfulness of what’s befallen our heroine, and to give her time to ruminate on it. And in the absence of McCabe’s prose, Cubitt lets the camera study young Beth Winters (Ann Skelly) as she takes control of her own life. (Hollywood would be wise to give Skelly a call soon). This week, Beth attempts to escape her abusive stepfather, Billy (Matthew Rhys, also excellent) for the last time – she’s poisoned him at the urging of her mysterious lover Liam Ward (Jamie Dornan), with whom she plans to escape after stealing Billy’s money. The Co Fermanagh countryside is utterly captivating and it adds a poetic depth that goes a long way towards making up for the lack of dialogue. This is a coming-of-age story tinged with tragedy, and while Dornan and Rhys are the big names, it’s Skelly, in a star-making role, who carries Death and Nightingales with a subtle, nuanced performance that belies her youth. VP Jonathan Pie’s American Pie BBC Three, from 10.00am Arriving almost too late for us to care, this sideways look at last month’s US midterm elections by spoof news reporter Jonathan Pie (comedian Tom Walker) takes amusing jabs at American politics. Pie explores “all three sides” of the argument – Republican, Democrat and Russian – and tries to figure out why any Americans would support Trump. Pie’s furious-newsreader shtick remains the real reason to watch. VP Out of Many, One Netflix, from 2.00pm Immigration has become politics’ most divisive issue, especially in Trump’s America. This documentary – the title of which is a translation of the USA’s Latin motto E pluribus unum – tries to redress the current administration’s hostility toward immigrants by putting a human face to the subjects involved. The cameras are turned on newcomers who express, often in gushing terms, what the gaining of US citizenship means to them. VP Christmas Shop Well for Less BBC One, 8.00pm Alex Jones and Steph McGovern jointly try to play the Grinch in this special, upbraiding a couple of spendthrift Yorkshire dads on their Christmas splurging. But the men’s quiet heroism – they’re foster carers with disabled children – soon has Jones in tears. VP The Apprentice BBC One, 9.00pm Lord Sugar’s search for a new business partner is almost over. After 10 weeks of incompetence and back-stabbing, the final five candidates undergo a series of interviews with Sugar’s business friends who berate them at every turn. VP I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Coming Out ITV, 9.00pm The cameras follow the former campmates, who have swapped their diet of animal genitalia and bugs for room service at a luxury hotel, as they reflect on their jungle experience and hopefully dish on what they really think of the others. VP Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds: Christmas Channel 4, 9.00pm The pensioners and poppets who melted our hearts in Channel 4’s observational series are reunited for a seasonal special. Alfie Boe makes an appearance, but he’s eclipsed by the touching interactions, especially between little motherless Scarlett (aged four) and OAP Beryl. VP Clueless (1995) ★★★★☆ Sky Cinema Greats, 9.00pm Loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma, this gently amusing high-school satire launched the Hollywood careers of Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. The plot follows the travails of Cher (Silverstone), a bubbly 15-year-old shopaholic who’s the most popular girl at Beverly Hills High and wants to make the world a better place. Packed with pop-cultural gags, it’s become a cult classic. Love Actually (2003) ★★★★☆ ITV2, 9.00pm Few films divide opinion more than Richard Curtis’s romcom but, love it or loathe it, it’s become a Christmas staple. Many different stories of love intertwine, and while some of them honk to high heaven – Kris Marshalls’s sex-obsessed dimwit, Andrew Lincoln’s stalker-ish best man – others are a treat. The best are Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson’s troubled couple, Liam Neeson’s widower and Bill Nighy’s ageing rocker. The Prestige (2006) ★★★★★ Sky One, 9.00pm This deft adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel may be Christopher Nolan’s most satisfying film. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play stage magicians in Victorian London, but when a trick goes horribly wrong, they become deadly rivals, with Jackman obsessed with discovering how Bale pulls off his famous “Transported Man” illusion. The quest leads him to Colorado, with a brilliant cameo from David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. Thursday 13 December David Dimbleby chairs the debate for the last time tonight Credit: BBC/Jeff Overs Question Time BBC One, 10.45pm; N Ireland, 11.20pm It’s a wonder how, after 25 years of hosting Question Time, David Dimbleby looks as young as he does. Having seen off fellow auditionee Jeremy Paxman, he inherited the mantle from Peter Sissons, who himself followed Robin Day in 1989. Tonight’s programme, broadcast from Southwark, marks Dimbleby’s final turn in the chair he has occupied ever since – aside from a couple of guest spots from Nick Robinson in 2017 (with a general election looming) and John Humphrys in 2009 (after Dimbleby had an run-in with a bullock on his farm). Party politics and livestock aside, Dimbleby has withstood the vagaries of scheduling, gimmickry – the voting keypads of the mid-Nineties were an ill-advised innovation – and the erratic contributions of panellists including Nick Griffin, Kelvin McKenzie and George Galloway. Not least, he’s suffered accusations of bias from both those who see the show as a bastion of liberalism and those who say it kowtows to right-wing extremism. Through all of these distractions, its host has been unflappable. Whoever takes over – Emily Maitlis, Kirsty Wark and Fiona Bruce are among the favourites – will have a difficult act to follow. GT This Is My Song BBC One, 8.00pm; Wales, 9.00pm A neat if sentimental idea: professional producers help members of the public to record a song with personal meaning. In this opener, a 23-year-old and his grandfather, who’s struggling with memory loss, duet on Stand By Me, while a 13-year-old girl performs the song that helped her deal with chronic anxiety. GT Amazing Spaces Winter Wonderland Channel 4, 8.00pm George Clarke heads for the mountains to explore some of the remarkable hideaways and bolt-holes in the Alps, which range from a treehouse that resembles a giant acorn to a concrete Swiss cabin. GT Secret Life of Farm Animals BBC Four, 8.00pm Documenting the first 12 weeks in the life of a Hereford calf, this episode of Rob Neil’s amiable and quite revealing rural series explores the (perhaps unexpectedly) sociable nature of the beasts, as well as their problem-solving capabilities and – of all things – their love of music. GT The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them BBC One, 9.00pm; Scotland, Friday, 11.25pm; Wales, Friday, 11.30pm This year’s series of The Apprentice has been rife with highly questionable and sometimes idiotic decision-making – and that’s just from Lord Sugar. Here, the tycoon himself scrutinises the series’s highs and lows, before he makes the last and biggest decision in Sunday’s final. GT Billy Connolly’s Ultimate World Tour ITV, 9.00pm The “Big Yin” recalls his numerous memorable travelogues and tours his new home state of Florida in a classic convertible. Happily, his charm and approachability haven’t been affected one whit by the unfortunate onset of Parkinson’s. GT The Good Place E4, 9.00pm A US phenomenon on NBC and a global hit on Netflix, Michael Schur’s inventive and brilliantly funny sitcom arrives on Freeview with a reputation that sets it among the greats of recent US comedy series. Kristen Bell stars as the amoral, selfish and newly deceased Eleanor Shellstrop, erroneously sent to that part of the afterlife known as “The Good Place”, run by Ted Danson’s bumbling administrator-cum-architect Michael. The error puts Michael’s creation under strain as Eleanor attempts to earn her place – building to an end-of-series twist that ranks among the most unexpected on TV. GT One Day (2011) ★★★☆☆ Film4, 6.40pm It’s reassuring to know that David Nicholls himself wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his bestselling book, directed by Lone Scherfig (An Education). The story follows two students (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) whose fates gradually, engrossingly intertwine over the years. It’s a solid melodramatic plot, and Hathaway gives pep to the one-liners, but she’s not quite the self-deprecating soul of the book. The Singing Detective (2003) ★★★☆☆ AMC, 10.55pm Before his death in 1994, Dennis Potter adapted his own TV screenplays for the big screen. Keith Gordon’s film isn’t a patch on the original, but it’s at least an interesting failure. Robert Downey Jr plays a novelist whose extreme psoriasis has confined him to hospital. His hallucinations, in which he’s a character from his novel, soon merge with childhood memories. Katie Holmes and Mel Gibson co-star. Six Days Seven Nights (1998) ★★★☆☆ 5STAR, 11.00pm David Schwimmer (Ross from Friends) plays Frank, an impulsive New Yorker who whisks his glossy magazine-editing girlfriend (Anne Heche) away for six days and seven nights on a Pacific island. The journey is a disaster, and Heche and Harrison Ford’s boozy pilot find themselves stranded together. It’s a curious and pretty sappy mixture of comedy and adventure, full of predictable moments. Friday 14 December Nadiya Hussain rustles up some jalapeño shortbread Credit: BBC/Danny Rohrer Nadiya’s Party Feasts BBC Two, 8.00pm; not NI/Wales In case you didn’t get enough of everyone’s favourite globe-trotting Bake Off winner with Nadiya’s Asian Odyssey last week, BBC Two treats us to another hour in Nadiya Hussain’s company with this one-off show, in which she shares her ideas for perfect party food. To begin with, there’s an oddly summery air to the festivities, with not a hint of mince pie, sprig of holly or open fire in sight. Instead it’s all bright and sunny backgrounds, with seemingly unseasonal salads (including a “Brussels sprout slaw and pomegranate parsley tabbouleh”) vying for our taste buds’ approval. Elsewhere, there’s smoked mackerel pâté choux with green pineapple chutney, melt-in-the-mouth halloumi chips, honey and ginger sticky lamb ribs, and a “hearty dive-in dish” of beef chilli and jalapeño cornbread. The desserts, though, have a more festive feel to them: there’s a chocolate éclair roll, a spectacular spicy chocolate and orange trifle, and a sumptuous passion fruit “Bundt” cake. And there’s plenty of seasonal goodwill too, as when Hussain helps a group of schoolchildren say “thanks” to their favourite volunteer – with a tower of cupcakes. GO The Innocent Man Netflix, from today Building on Netflix’s strong track record for true-crime series (The Staircase, Making a Murderer), this is based on John Grisham’s bestseller about a failed small-town sports star accused of a shocking murder in Eighties Oklahoma. GO Sunderland 'Till I Die Netflix, from today The deep pain that football fandom can inflict is captured in this new eight-parter trailing Sunderland through their disastrous 2017–18 season as, following ejection from the Premiership, the team suffered a humiliating second consecutive relegation. GO Britain by Boat: 2 Grumpy Sailors Channel 5, 8.00pm In the final outing of the series, Michael Buerk and John Sergeant bicker their way from Falmouth to Brixham, taking in a pod of dolphins off Salcombe and concocting a unique alcohol-based tribute to their voyage while visiting a Plymouth gin distillery. GO Made in Great Britain BBC Two, 9.00pm; not NI In the final programme of the series, Steph McGovern and her team explore the history of British shoemaking, and how in the 19th century Northampton became the cobbling capital of Britain, while taking on the challenge of making their own leather brogues. GO Through the Christmas Keyhole ITV, 9.00pm Keith Lemon hosts a ribald festive rummage through the homes of three mystery stars, challenging his guest panellists Jonathan Ross, Lorraine Kelly and Jimmy Carr to piece together the clues and guess the identities of the celebrity homeowners. GO Eamonn & Ruth Do Vegas Channel 5, 9.00pm Every year, 40 million tourists flock to Las Vegas to splurge $35 billion on gambling and partying – making its residents among the wealthiest in the world. In this new two-parter, husband and wife Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford sample some of the city’s more outrageous excesses. GO The Sound of Musicals with Neil Brand BBC Four, 9.00pm This week, Neil Brand argues that no other genre has encapsulated the spirit of Hollywood with such verve as movie musicals. Here he explores films such as The Broadway Melody and La La Land, as well as others from China and Bollywood. GO Roma (2018, b/w) ★★★★★ Netflix, from today Alfonso Cuarón has made some gorgeous films – Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men – but this may be his best. In Seventies Mexico, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) is the devoted maid to Sofia (Marina de Tavira), whose husband is walking out; Cleo has her own unhappy liaison with macho Fermín (Jorge Antonio Guerrero). Roma is a beautifully stark snapshot of the era, and its intricate human drama is heart-rending as well. The Shape of Water (2017) ★★★★★ Sky Cinema Premiere, 8.00pm Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute who lives alone and works nights at the Occam Aerospace Research Centre. When she develops an odd relationship with The Asset (Doug Jones), an amphibious humanoid creature being studied by the government, she’s determined to free him. Hawkins radiates emotional intensity; it’s all strange and beautiful, even by Guillermo del Toro’s high standards. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) ★★★★☆ ITVBe, 9.00pm American actress Renée Zellweger perfects her English accent to play the Chardonnay-swigging, heavy-smoking, lovelorn Bridget in this adaptation of Helen Fielding’s novel, a perennial favourite. Love interests Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are excellent as (respectively) her roguish boss Daniel Cleaver and the stuffy-but-handsome (even in a Christmas jumper) lawyer Mark Darcy. Television previewers Toby Dantzic, Sarah Hughes, Gerard O’Donovan, Vicki Power, Gabriel Tate Newsletter promotion - Ballroom Bulletin - in article (Strictly Come Dancing)
- Cliff Richard 1960's (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
- Cliff Richard 1960's (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
- Cliff Richard with The Shadows, EMI presented Cliff with disc for reaching 1 million sales worldwide for their single ' Congratulations ' in June 1968.; (Photo by Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard congratulates Eurovision song contest winner Massiel by lifting her into the air. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard in June 1968.; (Photo by Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Getty Images)
- British singer Cliff Richard singing the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, "Congratulations", Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, 6th April 1968. (Photo by Reg Burkett/Daily Express/Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard sings for the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest finals, Albert Hall, London, 6th April 1968. (Photo by David Housden/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard gives a press conference during Eurovision Song Contest rehearsals at Albert Hall, London, 3rd April 1968. (Photo by Eric Harlow/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard singing on stage during the Eurovision Song Contest rehearsals at Albert Hall, London, 3rd April 1968. (Photo by Eric Harlow/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
- 3rd April 1968: British singer Cliff Richard with the Belgian singer Claude Lombard outside the Royal Albert Hall, London. Both singers are due to represent their respective countries in the Eurovision song contest. (Photo by George Freston/Fox Photos/Getty Images)
- Facing a mountain of postcards are pop singers Cilla Black and Cliff Richard at BBC Television office in Shepherd's Bush, London, as they helped to count votes for Britain's song for Europe. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
- British pop singer, musician and performer Cliff Richard rehearsing his Eurovision Song 'Congratulations' upon his appearance on the 'Cilla' BBC TV series, UK, 5th March 1968. (Photo by Powell/Daily Express/Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard and guitarist Hank Marvin of the Shadows take skating lessons from Leslie Norfolk at the Silver Blades Ice Rink in Streatham, 26th January 1968. They are filming for television in the nearby Bali Ha'i Club. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- LONDON - 1st JANUARY: Cliff Richard posed backstage at BBC TV's Top Of The Pops in 1968. (Photo by Ron Howard/Redferns)
- Cliff Richard 1970's (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
- Cliff Richard with Hank Marvin & Bruce Welch in the 1970's (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)
- ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 14: Cliff Richard performs on stage at De Doelen on 14th October 1979 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He plays a Fendeer Stratocaster guitar with Bigsby Vibrato unit. (Photo by Rob Verthorst/Redferns)
- ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 14: Cliff Richard receives a cake for his 39th birthday from fans while he performs on stage at De Doelen on 14th October 1979 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Rob Verthorst/Redferns)
- ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - OCTOBER 14: Cliff Richard receives a cake for his 39th birthday from fans while he performs on stage at De Doelen on 14th October 1979 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Rob Verthorst/Redferns)
- Pop singer Cliff Richard whose current single 'We Don't Talk Anymore' has hit the number one spot in the UK charts. (Photo by PA Images via Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard in May 1979.; (Photo by Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Getty Images)
- 10th October 1978: English pop singer Cliff Richard in concert for the Christian charity, Tear Fund. Original Publication: People Disc - HK0129 (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)
- UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Cliff RICHARD; Posed studio portrait of Cliff Richard, full length, profile, guitar (Photo by RB/Redferns)
- Cliff Richard performing in October 1977.; (Photo by Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Getty Images)
- Le chanteur Cliff Richard sur scène à l'Olympia le 19 septembre 1977 à Paris, France. (Photo by Laurent MAOUS/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
- Cliff Richard performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, London, December 1976. (Photo by Erica Echenberg/Redferns)
- UNSPECIFIED - NOVEMBER 01: Photo of Cliff RICHARD; Cliff Richard performing on stage (Photo by Andrew Putler/Redferns)
- UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 01: BOURNEMOUTH Photo of Cliff RICHARD, performing live onstage (Photo by Andrew Putler/Redferns)