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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hollie Richardson, Ali Catterall, Danielle De Wolfe, Hannah Verdier and Simon Wardell

TV tonight: you’ll be wiping away tears watching this devastating drama

Somewhere Boy on Channel 4.
Somewhere Boy on Channel 4. Photograph: PR IMAGE

Somewhere Boy

10pm, Channel 4

Danny is happy staying indoors 24/7 with his dad, Steve, whom he adores, watching old movies and dancing to Benny Goodman records together. But when it transpires that Steve has locked his son away, telling him there are monsters outside, this loving relationship is suddenly revealed to be an abusive one. In an emotionally knotty eight-part drama, writer Pete Jackson explores what happens when 18-year-old Danny is released into the world. Lewis Gribben is quietly devastating as innocent oddball Danny, learning things for the first time: the sound of rustling trees; his cousin’s porn videos; and the truth about his mum being killed by a “monster”. Hollie Richardson

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy

8.20pm, BBC Two

Vegetarians, avert your eyes (seriously). Tucci is in Umbria tonight, where the locals are known for their love of meat – particularly pork. The actor also wraps his chops round a pair of donkey testicles, then ventures down a labyrinth where he finds pigeons for dinner. He later atones by nibbling on edible flowers. HR

Frozen Planet II

8pm, BBC One

We’ve arrived at the end of the series, if not humanity just yet. Predictably, there’s some extremely concerning takeaways here: a historic and rapid loss of land ice and the knock-on effect for various types of Arctic life, from seals and bears to Inuit hunters and beyond. And yet, amazingly, there is hope. Ali Catterall

The Live Lounge Show

8pm, BBC Three

Hosted by BBC Radio 1 DJs Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom, The Live Lounge Show brings together the who’s who of chart-topping artists. Standout performances include Harry Styles’s cover of Wet Leg’s Wet Dream, and Lewis Capaldi’s hook-heavy Forget Me. There’s no shortage of vocal prowess where these bite-sized shows are concerned. Danielle De Wolfe

Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel

9pm, BBC Two

Gladiator! The Lion King! True Romance! Meet the enigmatic music man behind such memorable movie scores – Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. In this film, we meet the composer as he works on Frozen Planet II (“I need something that sounds remotely … frozen!”) and looks back on his 40-year career, which took him from postwar Germany to Hollywood heights. HR

Our Jubilee

10.45pm, ITV

This exploration of the Jubilee through the eyes of Black Britons gives a refreshing and balanced picture of life in the UK. Fond memories of the 1977 Silver Jubilee mingle with uneasy feelings about the extravagance of the 2012 Olympics alongside austerity measures. There’s also a sharp look at the racism that came with hosting Euro 2020. Hannah Verdier

Film choice

Muppets Most Wanted, 2.15pm, BBC One

Muppets Most Wanted.
Muppets Most Wanted. Photograph: Jay Maidment/AP

Not bothered that this is their seventh sequel (they even sing a song about it), the felt favourites return with a pleasurable comedy centred on the travails of Kermit. His doppelganger, master criminal Constantine, plots with Ricky Gervais’s Dominic Badguy (the clue’s in the name) to dump the frog in his Siberian gulag while he takes the Muppets on tour as cover for a series of heists. There’s the usual astounding array of celeb cameos (Usher is an usher; Christoph Waltz waltzes), Tina Fey has a blast as a prison guard, and Bret McKenzie pens more nimble tunes. Simon Wardell

Night of the Kings, 1.35am, Film4

Inspired by Scheherazade in The Arabian Nights, but with elements of Greek tragedy, Philippe Lacôte’s sweaty, immersive drama throws us into a jungle prison in the Ivory Coast where the convicts rule. Ailing boss Blackbeard (Steve Tientcheu) chooses a new Roman – a griot-style storyteller – picking a recent arrival (Bakary Koné), who soon realises that when his tale is told he will be sacrificed. Roman’s story of ancient monarchs and criminal antiheroes is a fascinating mix of oral tradition, movement, song and role-playing, in a film that borders on the mythic. SW

Live sport

Women’s Super League Football: Man United v Brighton, 11.45am, BBC Two From Leigh Sports Village.

Premier League Football: Aston Villa v Chelsea, 2pm, Sky Sports Main Event At Villa Park. Followed by Liverpool v Man City at 4pm.

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