Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Phil Harrison, Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Graeme Virtue, Simon Wardell

TV tonight: Aidan Turner is too good to be true in The Suspect

Aidan Turner in The Suspect.
Aidan Turner in The Suspect. Photograph: ITV

The Suspect

9pm, ITV

Dr Joe O’Loughlin is perfect on paper. He’s a popular psychologist with a beautiful family and a few books under his belt (his next one includes a chapter on why men kill sex workers – “They know they can get away with it”). He’s also just bravely rescued a young man from jumping off a ledge. Oh, and he’s played by Poldark’s Aidan Turner. Why, then, in this first of five episodes, does he act so shiftily when he’s called in to help solve a murder case by tapping into the mind of the killer? Hollie Richardson

Blackpool’s Dance Fever

8pm, BBC One

Never mind Strictly Come Dancing, this is the real thing: the dedicated dancers on the global Latin and ballroom scene. Blackpool is their Wimbledon, and heading there are competitors from more than 60 countries. Documentary cameras follow them as they prepare, then we’re behind the scenes of the contest itself. Jack Seale

University Challenge

8.30pm, BBC Two

Jeremy Paxman’s presentational lap of honour begins, although it is doubtful whether he’ll be any less irascible should the students of Bristol or Durham universities disappoint him tonight. As series 52 begins, the increasingly inescapable Amol Rajan will be watching on, aware that he has big shoes to fill. A University Challenge at 60 special follows. Phil Harrison

House of the Dragon

9pm, Sky Atlantic

If flesh-eating crabs aren’t disturbing enough, the second episode of this blockbuster Game of Thrones prequel also sees Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) offer King Viserys (Paddy Considine) his child daughter’s hand in marriage. Meanwhile, Daemon (Matt Smith) steals a dragon’s egg. HR

Animal Airlift: Escaping the Taliban

10pm, Channel 4

“This whole thing is total rhubarb,” said Boris Johnson when asked if he authorised evacuating pets over people during the withdrawal of western forces from Afghanistan last year. Former Royal Marines commando Pen Farthing had used images of stray cats and dogs to capture the attention of the government and public as he worked to evacuate Afghans, staff and sheltered animals. What unravelled was a rapid U-turn in public reception and a media spat that overshadowed the grim events. This documentary speaks with Farthing, those involved in the evacuation and journalists who covered the story. HR

Red Rose

10pm, BBC Three

How do you beat an invidious app that is trying to control your life? If you’re smart like coding whiz Jaya, you tell your pals to ditch their smartphones and unplug the wifi. But as this witty horror-thriller’s Scooby-Doo gang of stressed Bolton teens soon discover, a digital detox comes with its own risks. Graeme Virtue

David Kelly, James Ryland, Robert Hickey and James Bannen in Waking Ned.
Toasting times … David Kelly, James Ryland, Robert Hickey and James Bannen in Waking Ned. Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

Film choice

Waking Ned (Kirk Jones, 1998) 7.10pm, AMC
There’s a distinct flavour of Ealing films – particularly Whisky Galore! – to Kirk Jones’s affable comedy. Ian Bannen and David Kelly play two old friends in a small Irish village who discover the local recipient of a nearly £7m lottery win, the titular Ned, has died of shock at his good luck. However, all the duo need is someone to impersonate Ned and then all the residents can share in the cash bonanza. A film of gentle humour, light-touch eccentricity and zestful performances from the jolly Bannen and Kelly. Simon Wardell

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.