BBC APRIL PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS, NEW AND RETURNING TITLES REVEALED

The new and returning programming airing on the BBC this April revealed.

 HALF MAN

Niall and Ruben are brothers. Not related in blood but the closest you can get. One, fierce and loyal. The other, meek and mild-mannered. Inseparable youth. Brought into each other’s lives through death and circumstance, all they have is each other… But when Ruben turns up at Niall’s wedding three decades later, everything seems different. He is on edge. Shifty. Not acting like himself.

And soon, an explosion of violence takes place which catapults us back through their lives, from the eighties to the present day. Capturing 30 years in the lives of these broken men, Half Man explores brotherhood, violence, and the intense fragility of male relationships. After all, when things fall apart… it is sometimes the closest relationships which break the hardest.

 BEYOND PARADISE

Fact and folklore blur as they investigate the death of a novelist who predicted their demise, a magical night of Dark Morris that soon turns sour, a stolen treasure map that suddenly reappears, and the alleged sighting of a vengeful mermaid lurking out at sea. DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) launch into married life as they search for a new home, whilst Humphrey wrestles with an impossible decision that may change the lives of everyone at the station forever.

 MASTERCHEF

Grace Dent and Anna Haugh are the new judges for the forthcoming 22nd amateur series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Award-winning restaurant critic and journalist, Grace Dent, and Chef Patron of Myrtle Restaurant and TV presenter,

Anna Haugh, are both experienced MasterChef judges across various series.

Grace has been a regular guest critic on MasterChef for over a decade, and was a contestant herself competing on MasterChef: Battle of the Critics 2023. She is also a judge in the next series of Celebrity MasterChef.

 RACE ACROSS THE WORLD

On a limited budget and away from the luxuries of modern technology and conveniences, those selected will experience life in some of the world’s most beautiful and remote locations.  Navigating their way across thousands of miles, they will travel through spectacular scenery and dynamic cities, visit ancient wonders, learn local customs, and take part in time-honoured traditions. 

But the physical journey is only half of the story as they take on the challenge of travelling across the world, perhaps the greatest thing they’ll discover is about themselves and one another.   

 BLANKETY BLANK

Blankety Blank will once again be hosted by the incomparable Bradley Walsh, who will guide a panel of celebrities and contestants over multiple rounds, as they compete to win a range of…unique prizes!

The upcoming series will be hosted once again by one of the nation’s most beloved presenters, Bradley Walsh. In each episode Bradley will be joined by six big name celebrities who will be helping four contestants try to win some of telly’s most ‘unique’ prizes.

 SECRET GARDEN

Over five episodes - set in five very different gardens across the UK - David reveals the lives of the often charming, occasionally daring, always secretive animals that inhabit the hidden world right on our doorsteps. Theirs is no cosy existence - even in these beautiful and seemingly genteel surroundings the rules of the wild still operate.

From pine martens in the Western Highlands to dormice in South Wales, swallows in the Lake District to otters in Oxfordshire and blue tits in Bristol, the series reveals not just a rich and surprising diversity of life but also how each species finds its own way to live alongside us.

 HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU

Ian Hislop, Paul Merton and a who's who of hosts welcome a gaggle of guest panellists to find the funny in the week's big stories.

 EXTRAORDINARY PORTRAITS

Extraordinary Portraits sees musician, comedian and art-lover Bill Bailey matching ordinary people who have extraordinary backstories with some of the country’s most talented portrait artists, shining a light on modern Britain.

This year’s sitters have been chosen by Bill for their exceptionally inspiring stories: from the civil servant who fought off a terrorist using a narwhal tusk to the sisters who made medical history when one gave birth from the other’s womb; the grandmother still competing in Iron Man competitions in her 80s; a survivor of the Post Office scandal who was imprisoned while she was pregnant, and the young brothers with early-onset frontotemporal dementia choosing to live to the fullest.

 THE CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN SHOW

Series continues

Produced by So Television - part of ITV Studios and the production company behind the hugely successful and multi award-winning The Graham Norton Show - each episode will see Claudia, who is best known for co-presenting Strictly Come Dancing and hosting The Traitors, welcome the biggest names from the worlds of film, television, music and beyond to her sofa for lively conversation with the help of a studio audience.

 AMANDALAND

To be confirmed

The hit BBC comedy Amandaland, starring Lucy Punch, Joanna Lumley and Philippa Dunne, is officially returning to iPlayer and BBC One after a standout debut. Since launching, Amandaland has averaged 6.4 million viewers to date, making it the BBC’s second biggest comedy launch in recent years (excluding specials), behind Ludwig (9.5 million) and on par with The Outlaws (6.4 millions), according to the latest data.

Transmission details will be announced in due course.