All Creatures Great and Small and The Great Celebrity Pottery Thrown Down: TV highlights this week

Last Night of the Proms (Saturday 12/09/26, BBC Two, 7.10pm & BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

With a breezy blast of oom-pah-pah, thundering ovations and a rousing carnival atmosphere, the 2026 version of The Proms has been another rip-roaring musical triumph.

The first-ever Proms concert took place on August 10, 1895, and was the idea of impresario Robert Newman, manager of the newly built Queen’s Hall in London. He had previously organised symphony orchestra events, but his aim was to pull in the punters with a more popular selection of music and by keeping ticket prices low.

In February of that year he offered the conductorship to Henry Wood, a 26-year-old trained musician who was already making a name for himself as an organist, accompanist, vocal coach and conductor of choirs, orchestras and amateur opera companies.

“I am going to run nightly concerts to train the public in easy stages,” explained Newman to Wood. “Popular at first, gradually raising the standard until I have created a public for classical and modern music.”

Over 30 years later, the Proms were still running, but at a loss – and that’s when the BBC stepped in.

“With the whole-hearted support of the wonderful medium of broadcasting, I feel that I am at last on the threshold of realising my lifelong ambition of truly democratising the message of music, and making its beneficent effect universal,” claimed Wood.

The BBC was just five years old then, so he couldn’t have imagined that, almost 100 years later, both would still be going strong, although they have changed a little in the ensuing decades.

But what does remain the same is the BBC’s dedication to bringing those who cannot attend in person the best possible coverage, while the Proms continue to feature amazing performances.

When the Queen’s Hall was bombed during World War Two, the concerts moved to the Royal Albert Hall, where they still take place today. Wood died in 1944, but the BBC has continued to bring his and Newman’s vision to the stage. An estimated 250,000 music lovers attend the concerts, while approximately 30 million tune in via TV, the internet and radio from the comfort of their own homes.

This year there have been more than 80 concerts to enjoy since the season began back in July. Sadly, it all reaches a conclusion this evening with some now-traditional flag-waving fun. And it’s such a big event, it has to be split in two, with the first half on BBC Two, and the second over on BBC One.

Conductor Sakari Oramo takes charge of his seventh Last Night, which includes guest appearances by superstar pianist Yuja Wang and tenor Nicky Spence, who share the stage with BBC Singers, the BBC Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Orchestra. And don’t worry, the event will end in traditional fashion with renditions of Rule, Britannia!, Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 in D major (aka Land of Hope and Glory), Jerusalem, The National Anthem and Auld lang syne.

Sadly, neither Robert Newman or Henry Wood are around to witness it, but we’re sure they would approve.

The Great Celebrity Pottery Thrown Down 2026 (Sunday 13/09/26, Channel 4, 7.45pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

We do love a celebrity reality competition, don’t we?

Next weekend sees the return of Strictly Come Dancing, which will not only see a fresh batch of famous amateur dancers find out if they’re the next Fred Astaire or Ginger Rogers (or if they have two left feet), it will feature new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and Johannes Radebe make their debuts as Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly’s replacements.

Before that happens, The Great Pottery Throw Down returns in similar circumstances, but with far fewer sequins, glitter and feathers. Rather than featuring amateur potters showing off their skills, we’re being treated to a new celebrity spin-off – and it’s not a standalone programme, such as those that take place at Christmas.

What’s more, the show’s previous presenter, Siobhan McSweeney, has stepped aside, allowing the lovely Liza Tarbuck to take over. Thankfully, regular judges Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller remain in situ.

“I knew I’d enjoy Keith and Rich’s company and I did,” says Liza. “People flourish around emotionally intelligent people, and the boys’ encouragement and kindness really promoted a growth in our newbie potters that was a pleasure to witness. I absolutely loved being there.”

Ah yes, the ‘newbie potters’. Comedians Lucy Beaumont, Fatiha El-Ghorri and Richard Herring, footballer-turned-pundit Paul Merson, star of stage and screen Layton Williams and actress and presenter Denise Van Outen are the plucky famous folk who have agreed to spend the next few weeks getting their hands dirty while learning the tricks of the pottery trade.

Unlike the regular show, there will be no weekly elimination. Instead, the idea is that the six contestants will develop their skills over the course of the first five episodes, which will also see them complete a challenge for which they will be awarded points. Then, in the sixth, the grand final takes place, and whoever comes out on top will be crowned the champion of The Great Celebrity Pottery Throw Down.

No doubt there will be a few wonky edges, cracked clay and muddy ‘masterpieces’ only their creators can love, but it’s all good fun and, who knows, it may even encourage a few people watching to give it a go (or should that be throw?).

“The Great Celebrity Pottery Throw Down is a wonderfully heart-warming series,” claims Deborah Dunnett, Commissioning Editor, Channel 4. “For the first time we are able to discover pottery through the eyes of real beginners and follow their creative progression through to a deeply personal finale with some show-stopping results.

“And of course it’s absolutely thrilling to welcome Liza to the Pottery family.”

“It’s very exciting to be working on this new series,” adds executive producer Luke Byrne. “It shows there is an appetite for more pottery with the success of The Great Pottery Throw Down.

“It will be a real eye opener to see what it’s like to be a novice potter through the eyes of enthusiastic celebrities and hopefully reaching a wider audience to this incredible craft.”

We can probably expect a few tears from Keith along the way too. Well, it wouldn’t be the Throw Down without them, would it?

Forever Home (Monday 14/09/2026, 5, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Not only does Graham Norton has a knack of getting celebrities to overshare on his hit BBC chat show, he is also a pretty good author.

The Irishman has written five bestselling novels to date, and his debut story Holding, was adapted into an ITV drama in 2022, directed by Kathy Burke.

Now, the fourth of his fiction books, 2022’s Forever Home, has also been turned into six-part drama.

Upon the announcement of the 5 series, Norton said: “In writing Forever Home, I was initially inspired by the simple idea of packing up a home later in life, and the ‘what if’ scenarios and complexities that come with later-life relationships.

“The novel soon evolved into a funny, twisted, ‘dark-romp’ full of farcical scenes and it’s wonderful to see the depth and richness of Carol’s story realised as a screenplay.”

Forever Home follows Carol Crottie (Amy Nuttall), a divorced teacher who finds a second chance at love with Robert (Douglas Henshall), an older man whose deteriorating health eventually sends their carefully constructed life into a tailspin.

When Robert becomes increasingly anxious about the house they share – particularly its hidden basement – Carol begins to question what she actually knows about the man she has built a life with.

And as the mystery surrounding Robert’s first wife Joan resurfaces, that question becomes much harder to ignore.

Nuttall and Henshall are joined in the ensemble cast by other familiar faces, including Denise Welch, Lewis Cope, Jenny Walser, Shane Zaza, Kevin Whately, James Baxter and Samantha Bond.

Tonight’s first episode opens with a flashback to the Barrie family’s fractured past.

Young Sally and Kaden return home to find their mother gone, leaving their father Robert devastated and forbidding any mention of her name.

The transformation of the house marks the passage of time – especially the cellar door, which becomes increasingly concealed.

In the present, Carol wakes during a storm to find Robert acting strangely, forbidding her from entering the cellar, which is now flooded and we realise he is suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Carol’s curiosity leads her to discover boxes of Joan’s belongings in the cellar, including photos and personal items, revealing the depth of Robert’s unresolved feelings and the code to the cellar lock, Robert and Joan’s wedding day.

Meanwhile, Sally, now a social-media influencer, and Kaden, an estate agent, navigate their own complicated lives.

Sally’s relationship with married Patrick is secretive and transactional, while Kaden and his husband Dan prepare for the arrival of a surrogate baby.

Carol tries to warn Sally and Kaden about Robert’s deteriorating mental state, but her efforts are met with resistance and denial.

The family gathers for Robert’s birthday, where Dan and Kaden announce their impending parenthood.

But the celebrations take a turn when Robert lashes out and injures Carol, shocking everyone.

Carol reasserts Robert’s diagnosis to the family, prompting discussions about his care and the future of the house.

Kaden pushes to sell the family home, citing financial and legal reasons, while Sally is tempted by the prospect of newfound wealth.

As Carol’s suspicions about Robert’s past grow, she confronts him about Joan, leading to a chilling revelation and a late-night investigation of the cellar…

The series continues on Tuesday and Wednesday.

70 U p (Tuesday 15/09/26, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

According to the Jesuit saying: “Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.”

In 1964, ITV’s World in Action strand aired a documentary, Seven Up!, that was meant to explore that idea, asking whether a child’s social class meant their futures were already predetermined.

It was directed by Paul Almond with help from researcher Michael Apted, who was instrumental in choosing the 14 children – Bruce Balden, Jackie Bassett, Symon Basterfield, Andrew Brackfield, John Brisby, Peter Davies, Susan Davis, Charles Furneaux, Nicholas Hitchon, Neil Hughes, Lynn Johnson, Paul Kligerman, Suzanne Lusk and Tony Walker. (Apted would later say it was a ‘horrible error’ that only four of the 14 participants were girls.)

When the cameras returned seven years later, it was Apted who directed the update, and he continued to follow their progress at seven yearly intervals. Charles (who went on to become a documentary-maker and TV producer himself) dropped out after the 21 film, and Suzy, Symon and Peter also declined to appear in some instalments, while Lynn sadly died in 2013.

However, over the course of 60 years, the documentary series has offered viewers a frequently moving insight into the participants’ lives and become something much bigger than an examination of the British class system.

It’s won awards, and in 2024 was voted the most influential British TV series of the last 50 years. The project has also been a huge influence on other filmmakers, including Asif Kapadia, the acclaimed director of Senna and the Oscar-winning Amy.

So, when Apted (who also made the movies Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorillas in the Mist, and the Bond film The World is Not Enough) died in 2019, Aisf was honoured to be chosen to film what is being billed as the conclusion of the series, the two-part 70 Up.

Asif says: “In 2014 I named the Up Series as my favourite documentary of all time. Who knew [then that…] I would have the incredible honour and privilege to be asked to direct 70 Up, the legendary documentary series. I love the show! I have watched it all my life, first as a child with my parents and siblings, growing up in East London and then as an adult.”

He adds: “Directing 70 Up has been a dream project for me, the ultimate portrait of human life… I hope the audience feel my team and I have done the epic series justice with the closing chapter.”

The emotional finale will catch up with the participants, who are now pensioners and retirees as they reflect on both where they are now and what it was like to have their lives captured on camera and recorded forever.

It includes a contribution from Charles, returning for the first time in decades, and Neil, whose story touched viewers as he went from a child dreaming of being an astronaut to experiencing homelessness as an adult.

There will also be a tribute to Lynn and a moving final interview with Nick, the farmer’s son who fulfilled his dream to become a nuclear physicist and who sadly died in 2023.

Grand Designs (Wednesday 16/09/2026, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, and this popular property series, which follows members of the public as they attempt to create quirky homes, hasn’t changed all that much since it first aired 27 years ago.

The variants which keep the show fresh are the ideas and emotions of the homeowners and dreamers.

“I think it’s one of those big adventures we all imagine we might go on, even if we don’t,” presenter Kevin McCloud told the Press Association during the show’s 25th anniversary in 2024.

“And it seems to tease out every human emotion, every human drive, the good and the bad. And that, I think, is why people watch – it’s storytelling.

“We have villains in the form of mud and money and rain, and then there are the heroes – the craftspeople, builders, inventors and engineers – who are just trying to do good stuff, and in that sense it’s no different to listening to somebody tell a story in a tribe 3,000 years ago, sat around a campfire.”

“We all love design and making stuff and building and architecture and construction, and we all love, in a way, the mud and seeing something change for the better.”

So, what, if anything, does the 67-year-old host think has actually changed during the show’s 27 years on the box?

“Sustainability has become central to the agenda,” he says. “It wasn’t part of government policy 25 years ago, but it now is.”

“So 15 or 20 years ago, to build a decent self-build home from the slab up would cost about £3,000 per square-metre, and that was doing a nice job.

“Now it would be £4,500-£5,000 per square-metre. So in 15 years, it’s gone up by 50 per cent, but the big hikes have happened in the last 10 years.”

Despite the price rises, people aren’t cutting corners on their Grand Designs.

“They’re thinking their way out of trouble,” McCloud explains.

“Designing better buildings, making them a bit smaller, being careful and clever. But they’re taking much longer, that’s the trouble.”

The iconic property show returns for a new run tonight, with Kevin meeting up with Bryony and Matt.

They have spent five years planning the perfect north Cornish family beach house, complete with its own surfboard room.

But they’ve only given themselves a year to finish it, despite the house aiming for passive house standards and with construction of the irregular frame to be done almost entirely on site and by hand.

Alongside the build, there’s also busy family life. With two young children and Matt working two days a week in London, 250 miles away, the pressure is on.

As the intricate structure goes up, their dream of bringing a slice of California surfer chic to the Cornish coast starts to eat away at their £820k budget.

Matt, a CFO for an environmental energy company, keeps a close eye on the bottom line and the functionality of this state-of-the-art home.

Meanwhile, despite being a novice when it comes to interiors, Bryony is focused on making her mark – with disco balls and a state-of-the-art laundry delivery system high on the wish list.

It’s clear that turning their vision of a joyous high-tech home into a reality is going to take every ounce of their inner strength and togetherness.

All Creatures Great and Small (Thursday 17/09/26, 5, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

The Second World War may have temporarily driven some of the characters apart but, as the new series of All Creatures Great and Small begins, it’s 1946 in the Yorkshire Dales and the vets are safely back in Skeldale House.

However, just because it’s peacetime, it doesn’t mean life in Darrowby is going to run smoothly, especially when a rival vet Granville Bennett, played by Caolan McCarthy, turns up.

He’s set to cause quite a stir in the village, and Caolan, whose previous credits include the movie Belfast, couldn’t wait to get started. The actor says: “I was delighted to find out I was going to play him and be in the show. When you read the character description, he’s the guy who is most comfortable in a pub telling stories. So, thankfully, I’d researched that for about 20 years.

“He is the life and soul of the party. He’s the kind of guy who turns the evening around when he arrives, and that’s a fun part to play. I was really excited to enter the world of All Creatures, but also to come in as a new character with a different energy from the characters that are already established.”

However, while he may win over the locals in the pub, Granville gets a different reaction from vets James (Nicholas Ralph), Siegfried (Samuel West) and Tristan (Callum Woodhouse).

Caolan explains: “I think all three men… find something in Granville that they either feel is lacking in themselves, or that they have an insecurity about. Siegfried is suspicious that Granville has immediately ingratiated himself with the locals.

“Tristan loves that he’s able to drink like a fish and seemingly never get drunk. He’s got lovely clothes and flash cars, and that’s the kind of thing that will appeal to him. So, he’s really impressed with him as a showman, if you like.

“And James feels a little insecure around him because he thinks Granville might be a better vet than him. At first glance, he may seem all appearance and show, but then you realise he’s actually a bit of a veterinary genius as well.”

Perhaps that’s why Caolan was the natural choice for the role, as it turns out he didn’t do all his research in the pub – like Granville, he also did some serious studying. He says: “I love research, and this is the kind of stuff I really got my teeth stuck into. I went to Harrogate Library, because they’ve got some amazing old Yorkshire-based veterinary books. I enjoyed entering Granville’s world and backstory: the timeline, his beginnings, even his commute in London.”

Viewers get their own introduction to Granville in this opening episode, but the new vet isn’t the only thing on James’s mind as he struggles to work out what’s wrong with the local sweet shop owner’s ailing cat.

Meanwhile, Helen (Rachel Shenton) has big plans for the farm’s future, if she can get Richard (Tony Pitts) on board, and Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley) is enjoying having Dorothy (Maimie McCoy) around – and Siegfried seems to like it too…

Celebrity MasterChef Final (Friday 18/09/26, BBC1, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Whether you’re a trained chef, a celebrity finding out if you can cut it in a professional kitchen or a member of the public who fancies elevating your cooking, it seems there’s one vital ingredient you need to take your food to the next level – confidence.

Food critic and Celebrity MasterChef judge Grace Dent certainly believes that a lot of people are much better at rustling up a meal than they give themselves credit for. She says: “I think it’s fascinating when you have people who can really cook, and you go to their house for food, and they say, ‘I’ve made this soup, but I think it’s [rubbish]’, when it’s actually amazing, but they’ve already convinced themselves that everything they do isn’t good enough.”

She adds: “I think that women do that an awful lot. They’re really capable cooks who’ve been throwing down three meals a day for five people for 30 years, and then they’ll come on the show and say, ‘Oh, I’ve made some pie. It’s probably not very good’.

“I bet it is good. Sometimes it’s the confidence to see the gifts that you have.”

Her fellow Celebrity MasterChef judge Giorgio Locatelli, who is himself a Michelin-starred chef agrees. He says: “Some people have that capacity to open the fridge and mix things up, because they have very good talent and can predict how the dish is going to taste. So, confidence is a very important thing in the kitchen, and I think that when people are scared about cooking, you can actually taste it in the food.”

So, while the celebs on the current series may have been a bit of a mixed bag (according to Giorgio “Some celebrities were surprising in a very good way, some in not such a very good way”), the judges have hoped to give them a boost.

Grace says: “I think that we both were very surprised about how some people really gained confidence with a little bit of a push. Some people came up with some dishes that were absolutely brilliant, well-cooked, and presented very well.”

The series started with 15 celebrities – in week one Emily Campbell, Jason Mohammad, Jay McGuiness, Joe Pasquale and Shakira Khan gave it a go. Then in week two, we had Donna Preston, Emily Steel, Eric Underwood, Nitin Ganatra and Tom Simons aka TommyInnit, while the final heat saw Lauren Steadman, Max Fosh, Melvin Odoom, Sue Cleaver and Una Healy trying to impress.

Now though, just three remain in the running to claim the title. All that stands in their way is a three-course meal, which they need to cook and serve to the judges, but Grace and Giorgio are expecting perfection.

Who can rise to the challenge and follow in the footsteps of previous winner Ginger Johnson? Let’s just hope nobody lets their nerves get the better of them as Giorgio has already said he can taste fear…