PICKS OF THE MONTH: AUGUST 2023
What to watch this month.
Alone, Channel 4
Dropped, completely ALONE, in the remote wilderness of north-west Canada, each contestant have challenged themselves to take part in the most pure and extreme competition on TV - Alone. Each person must fend for themselves and survive for as long as possible, equipped with only a handful of basic tools, whilst filming their own adventure. The rules are simple but uncompromising: the last person standing wins £100,000.
The Tower, ITV1
The new series - The Tower II: Death Message - is based on Kate London’s brilliant second novel, and is adapted by screenwriter Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, Fearless, 24, ER) and produced by his company Windhover Films and leading production company, Mammoth Screen.
Confessions Of Frannie Langton, ITV1
Karla-Simone Spence (Blue Story, Wannabe) leads the cast in the role of Frannie Langton, the drama’s young protagonist born into a life of slavery who is fighting to tell her own story. She is joined by Sophie Cookson (The Trial of Christine Keeler, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Madame Marguerite Benham and Patrick Martins (Redemption, Blasts From The Past) as Olaudah “Laddie” Cambridge in the murder mystery drama.
Annika, Alibi
Detective Inspector Annika Strandhed (Nicola Walker) and the Marine Homicide Unit return to solve more brutal and unexplained murders that wash up in Scotland’s waters. The team are challenged as their dynamics shift, pushing them to rapidly adapt as they encounter murders more complex than ever before.
Crazy Rich Agents, BBC Two
With the opportunity of a lifetime on the line, Krish throws an open house on Billionaires' Row, Aly lands a £30 million listing and Georgie tries to find a couple's dream home.
Henpocalypse, BBC Two
On top of the usual hen do tensions, our hens must face the unknown post apocalyptic world in a battle for survival, armed with only their wits and a whole car load of hen do paraphernalia. As they emerge from weeks of hiding out, they discover the male population has been very nearly wiped out. Plus the hens soon realise they are not alone – they have serious competition from a bunch of radicalised Pilates instructors.
Alison & Larry Road Trip, Gold
Known for playing Pam and Mick Shipman in Gavin & Stacey, Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb take a trip down memory lane on a 210-mile road trip from Billericay in Essex to Barry Island in South Wales.
The Following Events Are Based On A Pack Of Lies, BBC One
This is the story of two very different women and the conman they have in common; a dark, funny, and unpredictable thriller about three remarkable characters trapped in a triangle of epic proportions. Alice is a formidable PA, a single mother, and a lifelong Madonna fan. Caroline is a bestselling fantasy author who, recently bereaved, now lives alone with her toy poodle, Goblin. Rob is an eccentric and celebrated ecopreneur… who may or may not be trying to destroy them both.
Married At First Sight UK, E4
The new series will once again follow a fresh batch of singles, whose search for love and a happy-ever-after will lead them to saying “I do” to a complete stranger, whom they’ll meet for the first time on their wedding day.
The Woman In The Wall, BBC One
Lorna Brady (Wilson) is a woman from the small, fictional town of Kilkinure, who wakes one morning to find a corpse in her house. Chillingly, Lorna has no idea who the dead woman is or if she herself might be responsible for the apparent murder That’s because Lorna has long suffered from extreme bouts of sleepwalking, understood to have manifested around the time she was ripped from her life at the age of 15 and incarcerated in the Kilkinure Convent.
Sanditon, ITVX
Familiar faces return with Kris Marshall as determined town developer Tom Parker alongside Kate Ashfield as Mary Parker. Anne Reid’s tour de force Lady Denham is back, as well Jack Fox as Edward Denham and Turlough Convery as Arthur Parker. Season three sees Colbourne’s ward Augusta Markham played by Eloise Webb return, with Kevin Eldon as Reverend Hankins and Adrian Scarborough as Dr Fuchs.
The Reunion, ITV1
The French Riviera-set series adapted from Guillaume Musso’s bestselling novel “The Reunion” aka “La Jeune Fille et la Nuit,” shot on location in the south of France with an international cast headlined by Gruffudd (Fantastic Four, Liar), Ivanna Sakhno (Pacific Rim Uprising) and Grégory Fitoussi (Peaky Blinders, Spiral).
8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Channel 4
Jimmy Carr hosts the words and numbers game show mash-up, with Countdown regulars Rachel Riley and Susie Dent.