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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Danielle De Wolfe, Jack Seale and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: enter the twisted world of the 1989 Miss Mexico pageant

Señorita 89' on BBC Four.
Señorita 89' on BBC Four. Photograph: Amaury Barrera/BBC/Pantaya LLC

Señorita 89

9pm, BBC Four

“Ninety days in paradise in exchange for a throne sounded like a fairytale … but it turned out to be a prison for us all.” The world of beauty pageants is much darker than tiaras, tantrums and tears in this eight-part subtitled drama about the Miss Mexico pageant in 1989. We see just how grim things are from the get-go. After three months of being groomed as beauty queens, 32 women – ordered to put on their best smiles – attend a party ahead of the grand final, which is suddenly cut short by a tragic event. Hollie Richardson

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel

6.45pm, BBC One

The nausea-inducing merry-go-round that is The Wheel continues. Tonight’s celebrity rotation: Olympic boxing champion Nicola Adams regurgitating her sporting knowledge alongside 90s aficionado Denise Van Outen. And Dermot O’Leary’s chosen subject? Fish, of course. Danielle De Wolfe

Strictly Come Dancing: Blackpool Special

7.45pm, BBC One

The big week is here! No, not the final – the couples are heading to Blackpool Tower Ballroom. Alas, there will be no Tony and Katya, after they withdrew due to injury. The losing pair will be voted off in tomorrow night’s results show, where Eurovision runner-up Sam Ryder will also be performing. HR

Castle Howard: Through the Seasons

8.10pm, Channel 4

Tonight, the castle’s delightful but potentially corrosive house martin infestation is yet another reason to try to increase revenue at the North Yorkshire pile. Also, the summer heat means crop grades are in question and the annual triathlon is a tester. But one seasonal tradition abides: Christmas bookings are now open. Jack Seale

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

9.10pm, ITV1

There’s a godawful stink coming from the bush, at the time of writing, and it’s not the dunny Boy George so spiritually enjoys emptying. Perhaps by tonight’s show, the nausea induced by Matt Hancock’s inclusion – a light entertainment-style public flogging by tickling stick – will have abated after an eviction? Ali Catterall

The Jonathan Ross Show

10.10pm, ITV1

Taking a break from making love (he’s been at it since Wednesday), Craig David is in the studio with Wossy tonight. They’re joined by comedian Katherine Ryan and Mercury prize nominees Wet Leg, who will provide live music. HR

Film choice

Aisha, 12.45pm, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere

Letitia Wright in Aisha.
Letitia Wright in Aisha. Photograph: Sky UK/Bernard Walsh/Cornerstone 2021

Letitia Wright is currently the focus of attention due to her central role in Marvel’s action behemoth Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her delicate performance in Frank Berry’s social realist drama, however, finds the same gravitas in the quotidian and intimate. Aisha (Wright) is a Nigerian asylum seeker who has been in Ireland a year pending a decision on her case. The limbo she’s in has led her to bury trauma, and the strain is starting to show. A tentative connection with security guard Conor (Josh O’Connor) is a release, but the system she’s caught up in militates against commitment – or hope. A film Ken Loach would be proud of, Aisha is forceful and moving. Simon Wardell

The Ghost of Richard Harris, 9pm, Sky Arts

The Irish actor casts a long shadow, hence the title of Adrian Sibley’s insightful documentary profile. It’s obvious in the reminiscences by his three sons (all in the business: two actors and a director) as they pick through his possessions or, in Jared’s case, stay in the Savoy hotel suite Richard kept for 28 years. A fascinating character – “hellraiser” is the description most often used here by those who knew him – Harris came to fame in the angry young men crowd, made it big in Hollywood and became an unlikely pop star. A life lived to excess, but with few regrets. SW

Live sport


Women’s Rugby League World Cup: Australia v New Zealand, 12.45pm, BBC One The final. Followed by the Australia v Tonga men’s final at 3.30pm.


UK Championship Snooker, 1pm, BBC Two The opening semi-final on day eight at York Barbican.

Women’s Super League Football: Everton v Man City 2.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event At Walton Hall Park. Followed by Arsenal v Man United at 5.15pm.

Men’s International Rugby Union: England v New Zealand, 4.30pm, Prime Video Also today: Wales v Georgia at 12.30pm, Scotland v Argentina at 2.30pm and Ireland v Australia at 7pm.

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