It’s Easter again which means a four-day weekend for many of us in the UK and chances are you’ll be unwinding in front of the TV and enjoying all the lovely chocolate that the Easter Bunny is sure to bring!
So with that in mind, here is our pick of the best shows to watch over the Easter Weekend from Good Friday to Bank Holiday Monday...
GOOD FRIDAY
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, available to stream on Netflix
Mischievous bunny Peter Rabbit is back in a sequel to 2018’s hit live-action animated comedy film, and, as usual, there is chaos not far behind him!
Upset at being cast as a troublemaker by his owner Bea (played by Rose Byrne) in her newly written children’s story books, Peter (voiced by James Corden) disappears during a trip to the big city and falls in with a gang of criminal animals who are plotting a heist.
Can his old friends, Benjamin, Flopsy, Topsy and Cottontail save the day? If you fancy more adventures from Beatrix Potter’s classic bunny, then you can head to Prime Video to watch the first Peter Rabbit movie.
My Life At Easter with Sally Phillips, 11.15am, BBC1
Following Sally’s Christmas chats with celebs, the Miranda star meets two more well-known personalities to ask them what Easter means to them.
In the first episode, Sally chats to writer and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth who remembers Easter egg hunts as a child and how he celebrated it with his family after he became a father. The Celebrity Gogglebox star also talks about his stint as an MP and how he combined politics with a career in light entertainment.
Later, Gyles and Sally enjoy a spring walk and chat about the blessings in his life which leaves the usually loquacious Mr Brandreth lost for words!
The two-part series continues on Sunday, April 9 at 11.30 am when Sally meets the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who became the first Black woman to become a Church of England Bishop in 2019. In the programme, she discusses what Easter means to her and how she has spent her life fighting for acceptance and change within the church.
Dodger: The Bad Egg, 5.30pm, CBBC
Based on characters from Charles Dickens’ classic novel Oliver Twist, the award-winning kids’ drama returns with an appropriately titled Easter special.
If you haven’t seen it before, the original series and two previous specials are available to watch on BBC iPlayer and it follows the exploits of young pickpocket The Artful Dodger (Billy Jenkins) and the rest of the gang of young thieves led by ringleader Fagin (Christopher Eccleston) as they find ingenious ways to survive the grim conditions of early Victorian London in the 1830s.
This new story, The Bad Egg, begins with Dodger and fellow gang member Tom (Connor Green) trying to steal a priceless painted ostrich egg from The National Gallery. But when they are caught red-handed, Dodger receives his harshest punishment yet when he is forced to go to school!
Dodger: The Bad Egg is also available on BBC iPlayer.
Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal, 9pm, BBC Two
As the series returns, another bunch of famous faces with different faiths and beliefs don their walking boots and backpacks for a modern-day pilgrimage.
In this three-parter, our happy band of famous faces take a 364km hike from Valenca in northern Portugal to the city of Fatima in the south of the country, where three children reported several apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917.
The celebrity pilgrims are Boyzone singer Shane Lynch, Hi-De-Hi! legend Su Pollard, University Challenge brainbox Bobby Seagull, reality TV star Vicky Pattison, comedian Nabil Abdulrashid, Paralympian skier Millie Knight and actress Rita Simons, who’s best known for playing EastEnders’ Roxy Mitchell from 2007 to 2017.
Over 15 days, they will travel through the country’s stunning landscape, towns and villages, and sleep in some rough and ready places, including hostels, a basic campsite and a fire station, before reaching their destination in time to join 70,000 other pilgrims for a spectacular candlelit vigil at the site of the apparitions.
Operation Fortune, Netflix
Hugh Grant, Jason Stathan and Josh Hartnett are among the cast of Operation Fortune, an action-adventure directed by Guy Ritchie.
Best known as the handsome lead in Mel Brooks’ 1993 comedy Robin Hood: Men In Tights, Cary Elwes stars as suave intelligence agent Nathan Jasmine, who is tasked with recovering a mysterious device known only as ‘The Handle’, which has been stolen by gangsters.
To help him locate it, Nathan recruits unconventional but efficient spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) to lead the mission, along with sassy cyber expert Sarah Fidel (Aubrey Plaza) and talented rookie JJ Davies (Bugzy Malone).
However, things get a bit tricky when the team discovers that billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant) has his sights set on obtaining The Handle.
In a bid to find out who Greg is buying the device for and why, the spies blackmail his favourite movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) into helping them, but things don’t go to plan when a group of rival agents become involved.
Can Orson and Co save the day before Greg helps to unleash terror on the world?
SATURDAY, APRIL 8
John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen, 11.40am, ITV1
Cooking couple John Torode and Lisa Faulkner invite viewers back into their kitchen for John and Lisa's Weekend Kitchen season 8, bringing us quick and easy recipes for spring and summer that won’t break the bank.
The themes for this new ten-parter include Long Weekend Lunching, Brilliant Bakes and Garden Party Pleasers, while some of the simple and tasty recipes to enjoy are fish finger katsu tacos, a warm roast chicken salad with greens, a carbonara-style lasagne, roasted leeks topped with burrata, and a burnt Basque cheesecake!
"Spring and summer open up a huge box of delights!" says John. "You can grill outside and you incorporate lots of spring veg. We do a whole show about everything green because this time of year is packed full of luscious and good-for-you stuff."
John and Lisa kick off the series with a quick, easy and delicious French toast omelette, a main course of herb-crusted leg of lamb and a side dish of roasted leeks topped with creamy burrata and a parmesan crumb. Meanwhile, as the holiday weekend is all about stuffing our faces with chocolate, the couple create a chocolate fondue with a creamy fondant egg hidden in the middle. Yummy!
In With a Shout, 6pm, ITV1
Everyone has shouted at the TV at some point and that’s exactly what the contestants in this new game show are required to do in order to win £20,000!
Joel Dommett hosts In With a Shout as two families battle against each other by shouting out the answers hidden in a montage of quick-fire clips displayed on TV screens.
"The category could be hairstyles and you have to name the hairstyle as soon as you see it," explains Joel. "Sounds easy but, at four seconds per clip, it’s fast-paced, which makes it difficult, competitive and fun."
The first edition sees the Loveridges take on the Smiths for the chance to win the jackpot.
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, 7pm, ITV1
It’s the end of another series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Ant and Dec are taking more than 200 competition winners to Orlando, Florida, for an unforgettable live show to round things off.
As well as some spectacular performances, this last show will see the final Ant versus Dec of the series, huge surprises for everyone at home and the conclusion of the whodunit, Murder at Bigwig Manor.
Starstruck final, 8.30pm, ITV1
The stage is set for the glittering grand finale of Starstruck which sees music fans transformed into their icons.
After seven weeks of star-spangled performances, seven soundalikes will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner Rachael Hawnt, who performed as Cher and walk away with the £50,000 prize.
Before the winner is decided, however, it promises to be a sensational night of music with Lisanse Changwe as Sam Cooke, Abbie Edwards as Adele, Callum Butterworth as Ed Sheeran, William Boyle as Meat Loaf, Andrew Bourn as Frank Sinatra, Chris Scripps as Sam Smith and Esther-Olivia Odesanmi as Beyoncé.
As usual Olly Murs hosts, while Adam Lambert, Shania Twain, Beverley Knight and Jason Manford are on the judging panel to offer support before the audience picks the winner.
There’s a very special performance from Olly and the judges, too!
Intelligence: A Special Agent Special, 9pm, Sky Comedy
In this hour-long special which brings the spy comedy to an end, arrogant NSA agent Jerry Bernstein (David Schwimmer) and his pal Joseph Harries (Nick Mohammed) deal with a new threat to their cyber crimes unit, known as CySec…
Jennifer Saunders plays shady energy minister Joanna Telfer Fotheringham, whose sister is CySec boss Christine Cranfield (Sylvestra La Touzel).
Joanna is determined to push through a new climate bill, but data that proves the legislation would have catastrophic implications for the environment has mysteriously disappeared following a massive data breach. Did it have anything to do with her?
In a bid to scupper Joanna’s bill, Jerry and Joseph hatch a plan to recover the data and release it into the public domain so they decide to go undercover and break into the upcoming G7 summit. Failure isn’t an option, so as the bickering pair head off on their daring mission, will they be able to pull it off?
The Forgiven, 10pm Sky Premiere
Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain star as a wealthy London couple who attempt to cover up a tragic accident while holidaying in Morocco in 2021's The Forgiven which premieres on the Sky movie channel today.
As drunk British doctor and his wife Jo to a lavish party at a friend’s house in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, he runs over and kills young fossil-seller Driss (Omar Ghazaoui) on a Moroccan desert road.
Later, after arriving at the debauched weekend-long bash, the couple attempt to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police.
But when the boy’s father Abdellah (Ismael Kanater) arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences, which ultimately leads to a showdown in the desert.
The cast also includes former Doctor Who star Matt Smith as the party’s host, Richard.
EASTER SUNDAY
Easter Parade, 12noon, BBC2
If you love old films, you can’t go wrong with this joyous 1948 musical starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire!
Set in 1900s New York, the story follows Broadway star Don Hewson (Fred Astaire) who’s left in the lurch by his sweetheart and dance partner Nadine Hale (Ann Miller) when she leaves him after getting the opportunity to star in a show — solo.
In need of a partner, Don soon finds a replacement in Hannah Brown (Judy Garland), who’s a waitress and a performer at the bar where he’s drowning his sorrows.
Things get off to a bumpy start, but the pair soon find success and it’s not long before things take a romantic turn as Hannah begins to fall for Don…
This feel-good Oscar-winner features some great songs, too, including Steppin’ Out with My Baby, We’re A Couple of Swells and the title song Easter Parade.
Perfect viewing for Easter Sunday, we think!
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway: Behind the Screens, 7pm, ITV1
Another series of the TV duo’s fun-packed entertainment show may have come to an end, but there’s still this documentary that gives viewers an exclusive look at what goes on behind the scenes in the making of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.
The one-off programme has unprecedented access to everything that happens months, weeks and seconds before they go live to the nation and all of the dramas, challenges and triumphs that unfold when they are on air.
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, 7.40pm, C4
It’s back to the famous tent to see another bunch of famous faces trying to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood with their baking skills in The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2023.
This week, the celebrity bakers are Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan, Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness, comedian Ellie Taylor and The Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas.
As they tackle three tricky challenges, will anyone get a coveted Hollywood Handshake, and more importantly, who will be named this week’s Star Baker?
For the Love of Paul O’Grady, 8.00pm, ITV1
On March 29, the nation woke up to the sad and shocking news that much-loved presenter, comedian and chat-show host Paul O’Grady had died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ at his home.
Paul’s death at the age of 67 prompted a flood of tributes from fans, viewers, fellow celebrities and even royalty as Camilla, Queen Consort, expressed her sorrow at his passing.
This one-off documentary pays tribute to the former social worker who began his career in entertainment by performing as his alter ego Lily Savage at a London gay club, before making the transition to TV stardom.
As well as highlights from his incredible career, this celebratory film also includes interviews with those who knew him best.
Why Didn't They Ask Evans? 9.00pm, ITV1
Agatha Christie’s classic novel Why Didn't They Ask Evans? is brought to life in this three-part adaptation written and directed by Hugh Laurie.
Will Poulter plays vicar’s son Bobby who teams up with socialite Lady Derwent (Lucy Boynton) to investigate the murder of a man whose last words were, ‘Why didn’t they ask Evans?’
Unfortunately, their amateur sleuthing causes no end of trouble…
The starry cast includes Jim Broadbent and Emma Thompson as aristocrats Lord and Lady Marcham, while Hugh also stars a psychologist Dr James Nicholson.
This series was previously available on the subscription streaming service BritBox.
BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
Guys and Dolls, 11.15am, C4
The latest stage production of this Broadway musical is getting rave reviews in London, so here’s a chance to see the 1955 film version.
Frank Sinatra stars as Nathan Detroit who needs $1000 to hold his famous dice game, so he makes a bet with gambler Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando).
Nathan challenges Sky to convince prim and proper Salvation Army officer Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons) to go to Havana with him in just 24 hours. As far as Nathan’s concerned, it’s a safe bet, but an undeterred Sky is determined to woo Sarah before his time is up.
Songs include Luck Be a Lady Tonight and Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat.
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse, 6.00pm, BBC1
If you missed The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse at Christmas, here’s another chance to see the beautiful ink drawings from the bestselling book by author and illustrator Charlie Mackesy being brought to life.
The animated short follows a boy and his animal companions of the title, who share a series of brief but profound conversations about love, life and friendship as they journey together in the youngster's search for home.
Listen out for the voices of Tom Hollander as ‘the mole’, Idris Elba as ‘the fox’ and Gabriel Byrne as ‘the horse’. Newcomer Jude Coward Nicoll is ‘the boy’.
B&B By the Sea, 6.30pm, BBC2 (regions vary)
Nestled on a remote beach on the wild coast of Northern Ireland is a unique B&B where host Sharon ensures all her guests have a relaxing break they will never forget.
In this series, which is being shown daily on BBC Two, 15 famous faces leave their busy lives behind to check into the Victorian villa where they find out how the place is run, take part in some of the activities on offer and sample some delicious food.
Sharon doesn’t run this hidden gem on her own because she has a team to help her, including Michelin-starred chef Alex Greene, who makes sure every meal is a truly memorable experience, and gardener Mary-Anne, who ensures the fresh produce adds local flavour to every dish.
The first celebrity to get a warm welcome from Sharon and co is Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, who visits a local coffee producer, takes an early-morning horse ride and joins Alex in the kitchen to prepare the food, which is a first for Deborah because she’s never cooked a proper meal before!
This series was originally launched on BBC iPlayer where all episodes are available to watch now and it's being shown daily on BBC Two from Monday, April 10.
MasterChef, 8pm, BBC1
The hunt for this year’s MasterChef Champion begins as Gregg Wallace and John Torode return with MasterChef 2023.
Over the next eight weeks, 45 talented amateur cooks will be whittled down to find the winner, but first, they must make an impression on the judges….
This 19th series kicks off with the first batch of contestants being tasked to dish up a family favourite, with the aim of showing Gregg and John how skilled they are.
The judges then sample the dishes in a special tasting room, completely unaware who cooked what and will choose their favourites to fast-track three cooks to the next round, while the remaining contestants will be set another tricky task.
The series continues on Tuesday, April 11 and Friday, April 14, 2023.
Ross Kemp: Deep Sea Treasure Hunter, 9pm, Sky History and Now
Ross Kemp returns to dive into the seas surrounding the British Isles to explore shipwrecks of major historical importance in the second series of Deep Sea Treasure Hunter.
This four-parter kicks off with the EastEnders star-turned-fearless traveller exploring the wreck of King Henry VIII’s favourite warship Mary Rose.
Ross is hoping to uncover lost relics and clues to why the ship capsized and sank in 1545, so when he and his team of experts come across some timber, which may be from the boat’s missing bow, and some potentially Tudor pottery, they face an anxious wait to hear if they have found some important treasures.
This is Ross’s deepest dive yet, so he prepares for it by returning to train with dive master Neil Brock, and is once again joined by marine archaeologist Mallory Haas. Meanwhile, tank expert and safety diver Mark Culwick joins the team of historians and maritime experts.
For even more Easter TV see our TV Guide for full listings.
