All Creatures Great and Small, Strictly Come Dancing and The Hack: TV highlights this week

Strictly Come Dancing (Saturday 20/09/25, BBC One, 6.40pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

The mornings are gloomy and the nights are drawing in, so we could probably all use a little sparkle to brighten up our lives.

Thank goodness, then, that Strictly is back. Yes, it’s time to sprinkle the glitter, don your best lycra outfit and get set for Britain’s biggest and best celebrity-driven competition.

Fans were sad to learn that its biggest star (in literal terms at least) was forced to withdraw just days after his name was announced – 6ft 8in-tall Game of Thrones star Kristian Nairn dropped out due to “unexpected medical reasons”, and was quickly replaced by Lewis Cope, an actor best known for spending two years playing Nicky Milligan in Emmerdale.

“I’m so excited to be swapping the Dales for the dance floor,” claimed Cope when his name was revealed. “I’ve always been a fan of the show and cannot wait to get started!”

The others lining up alongside him are Gladiator Harry Arikines-Aryeetey, who impressed while participating in last year’s Christmas edition, TV personalities Dani Dyer, Thomas Skinner and Vicky Pattison, actors Alex Kingston, Balvinder Sopal (this year’s now customary EastEnders-related participant), Ellie Goldstein and Stefan Dennis, showbiz reporter Ross King, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, influencer George Clarke, RuPaul’s Drag Race star La Voix, Lioness-turned-pundit Karen Carney, and ex-England rugby captain Chris Robshaw.

They’re keen to follow last year’s winner, Chris McCausland, by lifting the glitterball trophy, and all issued similar statements as Cope, except for Kingston, who simply screamed: “Aaaagghhh!”

Of course, it’s not just their own appearance on the show that’s important, it’s who turns up to watch them and their reactions. Dyer’s dad, national treasure Danny, is sure to be a proud onlooker, and wouldn’t it be nice if Kingston’s former ER colleague George Clooney turned up to cheer her on? Perhaps some of her Doctor Who co-stars are a more realistic dream, however.

And we’re fully expecting Neighbours’ veteran Dennis to perform to his own hit single Don’t It Make You Feel Good, otherwise we should all be demanding our licence fee back.

Other moments to look forward to are the extraordinarily strong Arikines-Aryeetey throwing around whoever his partner may be, King dropping names left, right and centre, Hasselbaink putting the fancy footwork he displayed on the pitch to another good use and La Voix giving judge Craig Revel Horwood plenty of sass.

But before the celebrities start learning their routines, they must find out who will be putting them through their paces – which is where this show comes in. After Tess Daly introduces them to their pro partners, they’ll discuss their thoughts with Claudia Winkleman.

Usually the show’s backroom team does a good job of matching up like-minded souls, although one person who won’t have a celeb this time around is the popular Gorka Marquez – he’ll be seen in pre-filmed group dances, but is returning to Spain to be a judge on its version of the programme.

We’re sure to miss him, but once that famous theme starts, all attention turns to those taking part – good luck one and all!

Rob and Rylan’s Passage to India (Sunday 21/09/25, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Damon Smith

Rob Rinder’s favourite novelist is EM Forster, who wrote A Room with a View and Howards End, both of which were adapted into Oscar-winning films by Merchant Ivory. Forster’s celebrated 1924 book, A Passage to India, explores tensions between Indians and the British in the fictional city of Chandrapore against a backdrop of colonial rule on the subcontinent.

This powerful literary work provides the inspiration for a three-part trek around one of the world’s oldest and greatest civilisations in the company of Rob and Rylan Clark, designed to challenge the pair’s understanding of India’s ancient customs, art and culture.

The series follows last year’s Bafta-winning cultural odyssey, Rob and Rylan’s Grand Tour, which began with the good friends making a splash in Venice. Rob fulfilled a lifelong dream to wield a conductor’s baton for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the church where the piece was first performed and the travelling companions learned to blow glass on the Murano islands in the Venetian lagoon, which are famed for the craftwork.

In Florence, Rylan indulged his secret passion for architecture and was particularly impressed by the majestic dome of the city’s cathedral, the Duomo di Firenze, while Rob closely scrutinised the ancient Greek marble sculpture of the Venus de Milo, which is believed to depict the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

For the final stop in Rome, Rob’s decision to hire an authentic horse-drawn carriage for their arrival backfired when he discovered Rylan was allergic to the creatures trotting them into the capital. There have been no such missteps, so far at least, on their tour of India, which began in the capital Delhi, home to around 34 million people – almost four times the population of London.

In the second episode, Diwali, the festival of lights, casts a warm glow as Rob and Rylan board a packed train bound for Rajasthan, which is known as the Land of Kings because of its dazzling array of opulent palaces and imposing fortresses.

Crown Prince Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar welcomes the pair to the stunning 16th-century City Palace in Udaipur, which was immortalised on the big screen in the James Bond film Octopussy. Rob and Rylan reflect on their own families as they try their hands at the centuries-old art of miniature painting, which is often passed down from fathers to sons.

King Jai Singh transformed the duo’s next stop, Jaipur, known as the Pink City, into an artistic hub by inviting artisans and creatives to the bustling metropolis. A giant ornamental phallus made of silver known as The Weapon catches Rylan’s eye at the royal jewellers but the price tag could make his eyes water.

A visit to Jantar Mantar open-air astronomical observatory neatly prefaces words of wisdom from an astrologer about their futures. While Rob can look forward to fame and further travel, Rylan will have to make do with dodgy lungs, apparently. A dazzling fireworks display to mark Diwali ensures this leg of the journey ends with bang.

Disease X: Hunting the Next Pandemic (Monday 22/09/25, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Damon Smith

Five years ago, the UK was still under the first national Covid-19 lockdown and more than 1.2 million tests for the virus were being processed each week. The country ranked above Germany and Spain as the European nation responsible for conducting the most antigen tests under the banner of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s oft-repeated slogan: Stay home, protect the NHS, save lives.

As part of that battle against an invisible threat, people in England were coming to terms with the newly announced rule of six to limit the spread of the respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Indoors or outdoors, people were instructed that they must not meet socially in groups of more than six and doing so would be breaking the law. Police were empowered to disperse, fine and possibly arrest anyone ignoring the rules. The terrifying reality of a global pandemic and its devastating impact on day-to-day lives was clear and present.

Fast forward to September 2025 and we continue to see around 50 registered deaths a week in the UK where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate. By contrast, influenza or pneumonia are mentioned on more than 10 times more death certificates. With widescale vaccination and exposure to these viruses and their mutations, we have learnt to live with the threat posed by diseases.

Virologist Dr Chris van Tulleken spearheads a landmark hour-long documentary that asks the question: where should we look for the source of the next global pandemic?

The World Health Organisation has named this undiscovered virus Disease X and although the scientific community doesn’t know what the threat is or what it could look like – and how it will be spread – many experts agree that the next pandemic has the potential to be deadlier and bigger than anything we have seen before, including Covid-19.

There are millions of undiscovered viruses currently present in the world and every pandemic in modern times has originated from a Disease X or a novel strain of flu. Chris travels the globe to meet experts who believe our best and only defence is to get ahead of the next pandemic, which will inevitably come.

He speaks to leading figures in the fields of epidemiology, vaccinology, virology and public policy to examine why new viruses are emerging at an increased rate and identify any hotspots where contagions are most likely to appear. He profiles the most concerning new disease outbreaks in the hope that when the starting gun fires on the next global response to a pandemic, we can respond quickly, already armed with valuable knowledge and data that informs decisions which mean the difference between life and death.

Cutting-edge research laboratories and outbreak monitoring facilities in the UK and abroad welcome Chris to showcase their pioneering work in the science of preparedness and prevention, which is designed to keep us all safe. The hunt for the next pandemic is well underway. Stay vigilant, save lives.

Waterloo Road (Tuesday 23/09/25, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Earlier this year, Jon Richardson shocked his social media followers with the announcement that he was changing careers.

In an Instagram video, the comedian and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown regular said: “I have a little bit of news. I’ve obviously been taking a little bit of a break from stand-up and it’s really made me want to carry on taking a break from stand-up.”

He said he’d been inspired by a note he wrote as a teenager to give teaching a try instead, and that he’d already found a job.

If it hadn’t been posted on March 31, many of his fans would have assumed it was an April Fool. However, the following day Richardson and the BBC clarified that while it wasn’t an out-and-out lie, all wasn’t quite what it seemed.

Richardson had got a teaching job – on the drama Waterloo Road, which returns tonight for a 16th series.

The comedian clarified: “I would say that joining Waterloo Road is a dream come true, but in truth most of my dreams about school revolve around not having done my homework or put on my uniform.

“I wanted to be a teacher growing up so hopefully this role will put all those ambitions to bed, and I can stop telling my friends and family that I will be testing them on what I’ve been saying or telling audiences on tour that it’s their own time they’re wasting.”

Cameron Roach, founder of Rope Ladder Fiction and executive producer for Waterloo Road added: “Waterloo Road always strives to strike the right balance between big emotion and comedy, and we feel we’ve struck gold in casting Jon Richardson as a new media studies teacher at Waterloo Road. Not only does Jon have brilliant comic timing, his dramatic performance will surprise and delight his fans in equal measure. Next term promises laughter, tears and whole lot of mayhem.”

He’s not the first comedian to crop up in the Waterloo Road staff room. Jason Manford joined as the head for series 14, although his tenure proved short-lived as he was arrested for covering up for a murder.

Then the subsequent series saw Lindsey Coulson take over as Dame Stella Drake, who was doing her best to rid Waterloo Road of its reputation as the ‘murder school’.

Despite her own fearsome reputation, Dame Stella sometimes struggled to strike the balance between getting results and supporting her staff and pupils, but she definitely seemed to be making progress when she hired Waterloo Road veteran Jack Rimmer (Jason Merrells) back into the education system as a counsellor.

The head is about to faces some new challenges tonight though when Mr Donovan (Richardson) makes waves and her estranged grandchildren enrol in the school.

Meanwhile, Jack Rimmer (Jason Merrells) gets to see how much things have changed when he returns to Waterloo Road.

Speaking of returning, the second episode airs at 10.40pm as Donte is plunged into crippling debt.

The Hack (Wednesday 24/09/2025, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

In 2011, the News of the World, Britain’s most prominent Sunday tabloid, was forced to close after 168 years in business.

Evidence had come to light confirming the newspaper had hacked some of the world’s biggest celebrities – including the Royal Family and politicians, as well as members of the public.

Even the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers and victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings had been hacked.

As one of the most famous invasions of privacy in the UK, the scandal rocked the country, leading to former editor Andy Coulson being charged with conspiracy to intercept mobile voicemails. He was subsequently sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Now, 13 years after the Leveson Inquiry looked into phone hacking, police bribery and considered the wider culture and ethics of the British newspaper industry, ITV has now adapted the story into a gripping new drama.

Written by Jack Thorne (Adolescence), directed by Lewis Arnold (Time, Sherwood, The Long Shadow), and executive produced by Mr Bates vs The Post Office’s Patrick Spence and Joe Williams, it promises to be one of the most talked about shows of the year.

Set between 2002 and 2012, the drama interweaves two real-life stories – the work of journalist Nick Davies, played by David Tennant, and running parallel, the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook, played by Robert Carlyle.

In tonight’s opening episode, Davies receives an anonymous tip-off regarding Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World.

Following the trail, he discovers damning evidence that proves phone hacking at the paper was not the work of ‘one rogue reporter’, as has been claimed for years, but was endemic.

Nick and his long-time editor and friend Alan Rusbridger (Toby Jones) must decide to risk their careers and their newspaper to go up against one of the most powerful media organisations in the world.

Alongside Tennant, Jones and Carlyle, Steve Pemberton plays Murdoch, along with Dougray Scott as former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Eve Myles as TV presenter Jacqui Hames, one of the victims of phone hacking.

The rest of the impressive cast also includes Rose Leslie, Adrian Lester, Katherine Kelly, Kevin Doyle, Neil Maskell, Lara Pulver, Lee Ingleby, Pip Torrens, Lisa McGrillis, Sean Pertwee, Robert Bathurst, Richard Pepple, Nadia Albina, Phil Davis, Ace Bhatti and Charlie Brooks.

Speaking to James Acaster and Ed Gamble on their Off Menu podcast earlier this year, Tennant said that shooting the series had, unsurprisingly, been “very intense”.

“Just because there’s a lot of quite complicated information in that,” he said.

“I’m playing a journalist who sort of broke the case open, and there’s just a lot of quite technical stuff.

“Obviously you have to be very specific on that because there’s a lot of lawyers watching to make sure you don’t say the wrong thing.

“That was quite a long shoot and that was very intense. But you then do something like that and you’re very proud to be part of something like that.

“It’s one of the stories of our time that needs telling.”

All Creatures Great and Small (Thursday 25/09, 5, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

We’re back in Yorkshire for the sixth series of the much-loved drama based on the books by vet James Herriot, but you may notice that things in Darrowby aren’t quite how we left them.

There’s been a time jump, which means that it’s now May, 1945, and James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) have a baby daughter, Rosie, as well as their four-year-old son Jimmy (Thomas Riches).

However, as actor Nicholas Ralph explains, even if the Second World War is now coming to an end, the Herriots are facing some new challenges. He says: “We kick off on VE Day, and in that interim time, Tristan is away on duty in the war, and Siegfried has spiralled. He’s taken a bit of a nosedive – reverting to his old ways, or even a little bit worse. He’s clearly struggling without everyone.

“James and Helen decide to spend more time at Heston Grange. It gives them more space – a place in the countryside for the kids to grow up, but also some distance from Siegfried, while he’s in this difficult place.”

In the first episode, Tristan is certainly shocked when her returns from serving in Italy and sees the state of Skeldale House – and his brother. After speaking to James, Tristan realises the only person who can sort Siegfried out is Mrs Hall, but has her life also moved on since we last saw her?

The end of the war also stirs up mixed feelings for James, whose own service proved unexpectedly short.

Nicholas says: “I think that’s still a burden, and I don’t think it will ever fully go away, given how it all played out for him. He was in a reserved occupation and made the decision to join up, only to be medically withdrawn. So, he wanted to serve and to do his part for his country like Siegfried did in the First World War, and of course, Tristan was also away. So that’s something James still carries with him.”

The actor adds: “So, while he’s absolutely over the moon that Tristan is safe, well, and home, and that we’re finally approaching the end of the war, there are definitely mixed emotions.

Of course, while James may not have been at the frontline, he’s been keeping the home fires burning as both a vet and a father, and this episode sees him and Jimmy visiting a farm that’s dealing with a difficult lambing, only to discover a sheepdog is also in need of attention.

And for Nicholas, that’s what really at the heart of All Creatures Great and Small. He says: “One thing I was really excited about this year was getting back to basics. We’ve jumped forward a few years, the war is ending, and James is really getting stuck back into the veterinary side of things properly, jumping in with both feet.

“That’s been a total joy, and I’ve absolutely loved it. Lambing season is part of that, and getting to do those scenes, especially with little Jimmy helping, makes it even more special.”

The Graham Norton Show (Friday 26/09/2025, BBC One, 10.40pm)

Words by Richard Jones

When a showbiz star has something to plug, there’s a strong chance they’ll end up on Graham Norton’s sofa.

Since the show made its debut on BBC Two way back in February 2007, Graham has taken much of what made Michael Parkinson’s legendary chat shows work so well, and put his own twist on it.

The Graham Norton Show’s USP is that all the guests come out together – there is no hierarchy – and although the host asks individual questions to the assorted stars, he also sits back and allow them to talk to each other in a relaxed atmosphere, resulting in countless memorable moments.

Perhaps most important of all, you get the impression that the guests are having a ball on the show and that comes through week after week.

After starting his career in stand-up comedy, Norton became a regular on TV panel shows in the 1990s, appeared in three episodes of Father Ted and landed his first chat show-hosting gig with Channel 4’s So Graham Norton in 1998.

Making the move to the BBC, Norton took part in Comic Relief in 2001, before making big career moves by getting his own Friday night slot with The Graham Norton Show in 2007 and taking over from Terry Wogan as Eurovision commentator the following year.

Norton landed another chatty role in 2010, succeeding Jonathan Ross to present Radio 2’s Saturday morning slot, which he left to host a weekend show for Virgin Radio UK. He departed that in 2024.

Away from his role as Britain’s undisputed chat show king, Graham is a regular judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

He also appeared in a recent episode of Doctor Who, hosted a Wheel of Fortune reboot for ITV last year, and is a bestselling author and podcast host.

As the new 33rd series begins tonight, the host is joined by another impressive line-up of A-list Hollywood stars.

First up, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Emily Blunt discuss true-life sports drama The Smashing Machine, the powerful and gritty account of the career of MMA and UFC pioneer Mark Kerr.

Also on the sofa is Oscar-winning actor and writer Matthew McConaughey, who is starring in director Paul Greengrass’s survival thriller The Lost Bus.

Plus, the breakout British star of The White Lotus, Aimee Lou Wood, talks about her new BBC Three series Film Club in which she stars alongside Suranne Jones and Nabhaan Rizwan.

There is also live music and chat from one of the biggest artists in Britain today, singer-songwriter RAYE, who performs her new single Where Is My Husband!

As if all that wasn’t enough, there will also be Norton’s opening monologue and a few glasses of vino, before members of the public share their hilarious anecdotes in the infamous Red Chair.

It all sounds like a lot of fun to kick off the new series – no wonder publicists are so keen to get their charges on Britain’s most-famous chat-show sofa.