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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Phil Harrison, Hannah Verdier, Ali Catterall, Alexi Duggins and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: Michael Palin encounters ‘recycled chicken’ in the Philippines

He looks out from a small motorboat
Michael Palin in the Philippines. Photograph: 5 Broadcasting Limited/ITN Productions/Neil Ferguson & Jaimie Gramston

Michael Palin in the Philippines

9pm, Channel 5
Michael Palin remains an adventurous traveller in the Philippines, a complex and challenging country. He explores the chaotic soap opera generated by the Marcos family, now back in government thanks to the rise of Bongbong, the president – who turns out to be a Monty Python fan. Elsewhere, Palin sees the country’s poverty, meeting a woman selling “recycled chicken”. Phil Harrison

Jamie’s 20 Minute Meals

8pm, Channel 4
Jamie Oliver is back with a new gimmick: he’s cooking his recipes in one single shot to offer proof of concept. It’s not really necessary – as ever, while the man himself may be an acquired taste, his food (camembert and onion rice and a crispy chicken dish) looks both achievable and delicious. PH

Clickbait Clinic With Stacey Dooley

8.30pm, BBC One
Is munching on a diet of only meat good for you? It sounds like a question that’s too stupid to answer, but Dooley is determined to give it a fair crack. A lovable bodybuilder states his case for the carnivore diet, then doctors Nighat Arif and Alex George give their perspectives. Hannah Verdier

Finding Britain’s Slave Traders With David Olusoga

9pm, BBC Two
The expansion of the slave trade in the 18th century spread wealth and commerce across Britain. In Bristol alone, social-climbing merchants and investors funded charities, built grand homes – and what ultimately became the Bristol Old Vic. “Institutions they knew would outlive them,” as David Olusoga points out, in the second part of this furious two-part exposé. Ali Catterall

Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake

9pm, U&W

The reality star begins his fourth series profiling the work of canine charity the Dogs Trust. It’s heartstring-tugging business as usual, as Wicks meets a traumatised jack russell cross undergoing rehab for past trauma and a labrador hoping for a new life as an assistance dog. Hankies at the ready. Alexi Duggins

Colin from Accounts

10pm, BBC Two
We all know where this sublime romcom is going – but the journey is as much fun as the arrival. This penultimate episode once again proves that much of the show’s hilarity is mined from real emotional heft. Ash attends her grandmother’s funeral and, with feelings running high, decides it’s time for her and Gordon to face facts. PH

Film choice

Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross, 2024), 11.05pm, BBC Two

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, RaMell Ross’s sublime drama is, unusually, shot from the first-person point of view. It’s a bold move that pays off, as we’re immersed in the life of Elwood (Ethan Herisse), a Black student raised by his grandma (a standout Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) in early 60s Florida. A miscarriage of justice sends him to a brutal, segregated reform school called the Nickel Academy. His only respite is a friendship with another inmate, Turner (Brandon Wilson), as he tries to work out how to live in a world intent on beating him down. Simon Wardell

Immaculate (Michael Mohan, 2024), midnight, BBC Three
This ripe piece of nunsploitation from Michael Mohan owes a lot to Rosemary’s Baby – but the evil forces at play here are entirely Christian. Controversy magnet Sydney Sweeney plays a young American who arrives at a rural Italian convent to take her vows. Soon, however, she falls mysteriously pregnant. “It’s a miracle,” proclaim the mother superior, doctor and priests (including Money Heist’s Álvaro Morte) – but how did this virgin birth occur? With creaky doors and creepy sisters, it’s classic, bloodily accomplished horror. SW

Live sport

Uefa Nations League football: Northern Ireland v Hungary 7.30pm, BBC Three. Ukraine v Northern Ireland is on Friday at 7.30pm on BBC Two.

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