This week, Paul Whitelaw catches up with a television landmark and laments the imminent demise of a modern sitcom classic.
NEXT WEEK’S TV
63 UP
Tuesday to Thursday, STV, 9pm
As you know, Michael Apted’s landmark social experiment, which began in 1964, has been following a disparate group of ordinary British people from the age of seven onwards. The latest chapter begins with East End cabbie Tony. Despite struggling against the rise of Uber, he’s living a fairly idyllic life in the Essex countryside. He also has conflicted views on Brexit. At the other end of the class system is Cambridge graduate Andrew, who’s about to retire from his hotshot legal career to spend more time with his wife in their Japanese garden. Sadly, scientist Nick isn’t doing so well at all: he’s seriously ill with cancer. Apted’s latest study is, as always, a uniquely bittersweet and insightful experience.
MUM
Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm
If you’ve managed to resist the temptation to watch this final series in one sitting – the whole thing is available on iPlayer – then prepare yourself for the most moving episode yet. When the family return to the holiday home after a meal, the men stay up for a nightcap. This triggers yet another painful encounter between Jason and Michael, whose forbearance when dealing with the former’s childish taunting is practically saint-like. But just when you think it’s finally time for someone to remonstrate with Jason, writer Stefan Golaszewski pulls the rug from under us. The effect is quite devastating. Mum is such a beautiful show, an honest, warm, funny and sad portrait of people living lives of quiet desperation.
A VICTORIAN SCANDAL: THE RUDEST BOOK IN BRITAIN
Wednesday, BBC Four, 10pm
When it comes to matters of the flesh, we tend to think of the Victorians as buttoned-up prudes. That, argues historian Dr Fern Riddell, is a load of arrant poppycock. Through her research she’s discovered facts about Victorian attitudes to sex that go against everything we’ve been led to believe about them. In this revealing documentary she focuses on an obscure 1887 publication titled Fruits of Philosophy, which caused a high-profile brouhaha in its day. “A practical no-nonsense guide to sex and contraception,” the pamphlet was intended as an important step towards social reform. Its authors ended up in court. Nevertheless, the mere existence of Fruits of Philosophy challenges the clichéd image of the repressed Victorian.
FOOD UNWRAPPED: IS LUNCH MAKING ME FAT?
Thursday, Channel 4, 8pm
64% of Britons are now overweight or obese. Are the things we eat for lunch part of the problem? In this special edition of the consumer show, the team launches a calorie-reducing investigation into what we should and shouldn’t be scoffing during one of the day’s most important meals. They travel to Japan, a country with one of the lowest rates of obesity on the planet, to find out if our growing love of sushi is the way forward when it comes to lunchtime snacks. It’s certainly a healthier option than fried chicken, one of the UK’s most popular lunch choices. They also provide some tips on what sort of bread to look out for when browsing the sandwich aisles.
FILM of THE WEEK
FILTH
Tuesday, Film4, 11:45pm
James McAvoy throws himself into this blackly comic adaptation of a typically frank and unflinching Irvine Welsh novel about a debauched Edinburgh policeman. DS Bruce Robinson is, to put it mildly, a difficult protagonist. He’s selfish, conniving and bigoted, a nasty streak of wanton self-destruction. Fortunately, he’s also rather compelling. Not for the faint-hearted, obviously, but Welsh fans will almost certainly enjoy it.
LAST WEEK’S TV
CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL KILLER
Monday 27th, Channel 4
Samuel Little could be the worst serial killer in American history. He claims to have murdered as many as 90 people over the space of 40 years. He evaded justice until 2014, when he was finally given a life sentence. This chilling documentary was based around police interviews with Little, whose boastful confessions revealed how he got away with it: he preyed on ‘unimportant’ black prostitutes.
A VERY BRITISH SEX SHOP
Monday 27th, Channel 4
Now how’s this for an unusual set-up? Tim Richardson runs two sex shops in Brighton with his wife, his ex-wife and his children. They’re manna from heaven for a cheeky Channel 4 documentary. Tim ran off with his current wife when he was still with his ex. However, they’ve somehow made it work. Human beings are endlessly surprising. A harmless piece of frank voyeurism.
BIG ANIMAL SURGERY
Thursday 30th, BBC Two
A chimpanzee with a worrying lump on her abdomen had a potentially life-saving operation in episode two of this fascinating wildlife series. The patient resided at a sanctuary in Sierra Leone, where dedicated keepers and vets care for chimps who’ve suffered at the hands of human hunters. They’ve experienced terrible trauma, but it’s quite comforting to know that decent people are helping them to recover.
