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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Alexi Duggins, Ali Catterall, Phil Harrison and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: Diane Morgan and Sue Johnston’s great new sitcom

An elderly woman outside her house, with an artificial-looking woman next to a person-sized cardboard delivery box
Diane Morgan (left) and Sue Johnston in Ann Droid. Photograph: Gary Moyes/BBC/Boffola Pictures

Ann Droid

9.30pm, BBC One
She has given us Philomena Cunk and Mandy, and now Diane Morgan has created another great comedy character in humanoid robot Linda. When widow Sue (Sue Johnston) has a fall, her son buys an outdated care robot, Ann Droid, to keep her company and help out around the house. But Sue is sceptical and, after spitefully renaming her Linda (the name of her sister, whom she hates), swears to return her after a 48-hour trial. Can Linda change her mind? She may be socially awkward and a hindrance more than a help, but there’s no denying she has a certain charm. It’s a sitcom with a lot of heart, tapping into themes of loneliness and grief, and Morgan’s brand of deadpan humour ensures big laughs. Hollie Richardson

The Hairdresser Mysteries

2pm, BBC One

A gloriously camp comedy drama about a northern English hairdresser obsessed with the 70s who finds herself solving mysteries in the village where she has just opened a retro salon. Sally Phillips plays our kooky protagonist, Lily Petal, who is making friends with the eccentrics of Blossom Vale when she encounters her first crime, involving a teacup and saucer. HR

First Night of the Proms

7pm, BBC Two
Let the Proms begin! With the classical spectacular celebrating American independence, it’s only right to kick off with performances of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. HR

Surgery Secrets of the Super Rich

8pm, Channel 4
The world recently saw its first trillionaire and now we have this show: serving up footage of people who spend the equivalent of a normal person’s annual salary on a new smile. Nauseating content includes a meeting with the “rock star of facelifts” and a look at a new “tweakment”. Alexi Duggins

The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

9pm, ITV1

“Amanda … I don’t like this at all.” The opening words in this stylised drama (executive produced by one A Knox) were echoed by many when it dropped on Disney+ last year, not least by Meredith Kercher’s sister who found it “difficult to understand” its purpose. The slow-burn double bill is a troubling watch, in many ways. Ali Catterall

Austin

10.40pm, BBC One
More from the unremarkable sitcom about a self-centred, cancelled children’s author who discovers he has a neurodivergent son. As Julian uses Austin’s autism to edge back into public life, there’s a hitch as their book has its title changed. Will Julian pass this test of his principles? Of course not. Phil Harrison

Film

Anaconda (Tom Gormican, 2025), 9.15am, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere

When you have secured the likes of Jack Black and Paul Rudd for your film, there isn’t much else you need to do to make it a fun watch. Writer-director Tom Gormican does add some meta trimmings to his comedy-focused reboot. Two old friends, bit-part actor Griff (Rudd) and wedding video director Doug (Black), and two mates (the rather underused Thandiwe Newton, plus Steve Zahn), enthusiastically head off to the Amazon to make a no-budget remake of Anaconda. Naturally, things immediately go pear- (or snake-) shaped. Simon Wardell

Live sport

Women’s Vitality T20 Blast cricket (9.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
The final at the Oval.

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