Bali 2002 (Saturday 09/09/23, ITV1, 10.25pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

On the night of October 12, 2002, people from all walks of life are enjoying themselves at Paddy’s Bar and the Sari Club in Kuta, Bali.

They include UK citizen newlywed Polly Miller, and Australians Nicole McClean, Jason McCartney and Jono Liddel.

Then, without warning, two suicide bombs tear through both venues. Many are killed and even more badly injured, including local Balinese and tourists from around the world.

So begins this harrowing but powerful four-part drama, which follows the work of first responders and volunteers as they race to the crime scene, desperate to help and to extinguish the huge fires that have been ignited by the bombs.

Hundreds of injured people are transported in cars, trucks and ambulances to the medical

clinics and hospitals in and around the Balinese capital, Denpasar. The majority of the most severely

injured end up in Sanglah hospital, which is soon overwhelmed by the number of patients who are desperately in need of care. Among the volunteer medics who come to offer whatever help

they can are Australian doctors Vijith Vijayasekaran (“Vij”) and his wife, Priya, who have been holidaying in Bali.

The Australian Defence Force is sent to evacuate the injured and repatriate them to Australian hospitals. A makeshift triage system is implemented to make sure the most badly injured are transported first. Nicole, Polly and Jono are among them. Jason gives up his place in favour of patients in greater need.

Meanwhile, Ni Luh Erniarti begins searching for her beloved husband, of whom no trace can be found and, on the outskirts of Kuta, a young Balinese mother, Ni Luh Erniarti, worries that her husband, Gede, has not returned from work at the Sari Club.

Rachel Griffiths and Richard Roxburgh head the cast, while Bridgerton star Claudia Jessie plays Polly, and was drawn to the drama by the possibility of telling a true story.

“It feels like a rare opportunity, for me at least,” she says. “I’ve never done it before, and with it being the 20th anniversary when the show aired in Australia, I knew how much it would mean to people.

“I would have deeply regretted not seizing on such a fantastic opportunity to play such an incredible woman.”

Claudia describes Polly as an “incredibly funny, quick-witted and very successful businesswoman” but recreating what happened to her and so many other people was a challenge. Speaking about the bombing, she explains: “It’s hard to express how awful it was. The strategy of how they intended to hurt and kill people was awful to learn: the first bomb and the second bomb and how they planned to get people out into the streets to have the van detonate another bomb.

“With any of these horrific things that happen, it’s so unthinkable that anyone would want to cause such harm to others. Coming to terms with that is always hard.”

She adds: “It’s so different to anything I’ve had to speak about before because, given the nature of the story, we all wanted it to be good.

“It was handled with so much respect across the whole project from start to finish.”

Jamie Oliver Cooks the Mediterranean (Sunday 10/09/23, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

The final episode of the survival series Alone airs at 9pm, and you imagine that after struggling to find food for weeks, those still left in the competition would love to tuck into some of the dishes Oliver serves up during his latest series.

In recent years, the ever-popular chef has concentrated on demonstrating how to prepare tasty, nutritious meals on a budget via such shows as Together, One-Pan Wonders, £1 Wonders and Easy Christmas.

Those programmes have been ratings-winners while providing inspiration for those who want something mouth-watering, but don’t have the time, energy or finances to create a dish Oliver himself might serve up in a restaurant. The accompanying books have also helped turn him into the top-selling non-fiction author in UK history with sales of up to 50 million books.

But now he’s following in the well-trodden footsteps of plenty of other chefs by heading out on his travels while exploring the culinary delights of foreign destinations.

In the week that Michael Caines shows Fred Sirieux around Bordeaux in Remarkable Places to Eat over on More4, Oliver embarks on a four-part exploration of the Mediterranean, which will take in Tunisia, Spain and France after setting sail in Greece. His aim is to give viewers a flavour from a variety of settings, including diverse urban areas and stunning coastal locations, meeting people from a range of cultures and learning a few things along the way.

His first stop is Thessaloniki, a bustling university city on the northern mainland which is widely regarded as the nation’s culinary capital. From there he samples the unique ingredients available on the island of Skopelos, where he also lends a local farmer a hand.

Feeling inspired by the modern meze plates he found in the city and by the island’s more traditional dishes, Oliver creates his own taste of Greece – a smoky aubergine flatbread and spatchcocked lemony chargrilled chicken with tzatziki and crispy-bottomed rice.

Those recipes are the first in a mouth-watering selection that will also include crispy prawn parcels drizzled with harissa dreamed up in Tunisia, a juicy pork chop with chargrilled peppers courtesy of Spain and a sublime courgette, goat’s cheese and olive tapenade tart inspired by France.

“We’re really excited to see Jamie out and about again, rolling up his sleeves along with cooks and foodies from all over the Mediterranean to explore the way each country uses ingredients differently and creatively,” says Samantha Beddoes, Executive Producer for Jamie Oliver Productions. “This series is about honouring the traditional methods and getting excited by new ones to help bring us all a taste of holiday whilst we’re at home.”

Tim Hancock, Commissioning Editor for Channel 4, adds: “Jamie’s been going from strength to strength in his series for us, and this is a really beautiful travelogue showcasing techniques and recipes even the most avid foodie might have missed, and some ingenious recipes from Jamie.”

Clearly it won’t just be the survivors of Alone who’ll be desperate to tuck in by the time the end credits roll.

My Mum, Your Dad (Monday 11/09/23, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

Way back at the start of the year, there was much talk about The Romance Retreat, dubbed a ‘Love Island for older people’. Well, it’s got a new name and a lot more class than previous reports suggest.

Created by father and daughter Haley and Greg Daniels, My Mum, Your Dad follows a group of single parents who have been nominated by their grown-up kids for a second chance at love.

Richard Cowles, managing director of Lifted Entertainment, said: “We revolutionised the dating format with Love Island, but dating isn’t just about young people.”

Speaking about the MMYD participants, he said: “they may come from a different age bracket but they share the same, simple aim, to fall in love, and for single parents the stakes are even higher.”

Over the course of 10 hour-long episodes, audiences can watch the singletons, who have come from all over the UK and all walks of life, as they cosy up together at a stunning country house retreat.

It all sounds so simple: against that gorgeous backdrop, this disparate group of people, some of whom have had their hearts well and truly smashed, all hope to find romance.

But there’s a twist, and boy-oh-boy is it ever a mother of one.

Unbeknown to the group of lovelorn parents hanging out in the posh house, their children will be watching their every move from a less glam nearby location known as ‘The Bunker’.

From this surveillance room they will witness all the action (if that’s even the right word) of their parents’ journeys to find new love, get the opportunity to play matchmaker and have a hand in deciding their mum or dad’s dating fate.

So, who is overseeing this sure-to-be-addictive slice of reality telly? The queen herself, Davina McCall. We can’t imagine anyone else doing it. She has the perfect combination of deft and daft that will keep everyone in the house on their toes and the viewing public hooked.

The veteran Big Brother host is also clearly thrilled to have landed the gig. She said: “Thank goodness the secret is finally out! I’ve been bursting to tell! I’m so so excited to host My Mum, Your Dad – this show will have you so invested in the people in it.

“Fascinating, vibrant individuals who have lived incredible lives already, with a million life lessons under their belts, as they search for their perfect life partner but also with the juiciest twist of any show I’ve ever worked on.”

From humorous moments to heartwarming confessions, the kids will see their parents in a whole new light as they are presented with opportunities to select who they’ll be matched with on one-to-one dates, and who could be joining the family celebrations for years to come.

Make sure you have a stack of clean hankies at the ready and charge up the mobile phone so we can all melt down social media, as we soak up the highs and the lows, the tears and the funny moments of finding love again.

Ultimate Wedding Planner (Tuesday 12/09/23, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

It’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of your lives, but getting married can be a stressful experience.

So, many people who have been following Ultimate Wedding Planner will have been impressed with the bravery of the couples who agreed to let the contestants loose on their big days.

There have been some hairy moments over the past few weeks, but as we reach the final tonight, it’s reassuring to know that the judges – Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Sara Davies, hospitality expert Fred Sirieix and events planner extraordinaire Raj Somaiya – were always on hand to step in.

Raj admits it has occasionally been a challenge, saying: “There were multiple mishaps but that’s to be expected and part of the experience. [I] was often anxious because at the end of the day I wanted to look after the couple, I wanted to make sure their wedding went well. Given the nature of the series, the planners were often overzealous and were overpromising but under delivering.”

He adds: “It was often quite stressful. Sometimes I could foresee things were going to go wrong but I had to back off and let them make their own mistakes, even though I knew I would have to go and fix them later. Sometimes they fixed their errors themselves or, if not, I stepped in as the priority was always the couple getting married.”

Luckily, it seems the planners did all learn from any early mistakes, and Raj has been impressed by just how far they’ve come.

He says: “My highlight really was seeing the planners developing their skills as we progressed through the series. At the start, they were new to the planning world, but by episode six they were real wedding planners. They’d really learnt, taken in our feedback and progressed in their learning and career development. Absolutely amazing!”

We’ll see how much the remaining two planners have learnt in tonight’s final as they go head-to-head to pull off a wedding completely from scratch – and they have just three days to do it. Who will deliver the perfect big day, wowing the judges and, more importantly the (hopefully) happy couple? And who will have their own reason to celebrate when they are crowned the Ultimate Wedding Planner?

If the show has inspired you to give professional planning a go, then Raj has some words of wisdom to share. He says: “I think the most important thing about wanting to become a wedding planner or a supplier in the wedding industry is that you are passionate about what you do. When things go wrong or when things are not going according to plan, you really need to have that passion and drive to get through it.

“If you are weak at the knees and if you are going to crumble at the first hurdle, then really don’t take this job on. When you are so passionate about something, you’ll be able to fight through it.”

Celebrity Race Across the World (Wednesday 13/09/23, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

When it was announced that the third series of Race Across the World was going on its own journey from BBC1 to BBC2, it was seen as evidence that it had been a surprise hit.

If you want further proof that the travel challenge show has captured the viewers’ imagination, it’s now getting a celebrity version.

For anyone who isn’t hooked yet, the format is deceptively simple – teams of two are challenged to travel thousands of miles without the use of the internet, credit cards or planes. Instead, they’ll have to rely on their skills, cunning, ingenuity and, on occasion, the kindness of strangers as they try to make it to their destination with just the cash equivalent of their air fare to pay their way.

The famous faces who have signed up for the challenge are broadcaster Alex Beresford and his dad, Noel; singer Mel Blatt and her mum, Helene; McFly drummer Harry Judd and his mum, Emma and British racing driver and pundit Billy Monger and his sister, Bonny.

While the last series featuring non-celebrities took place wholly within Canada, the stars and their loved ones really will be racing across the world. Their journey is set to start starting in Marrakech, Morocco, the most north-western country in Africa, and end in Tromsø, Norway, known as the Arctic capital, taking in 24 countries over 10,000 km along the way, as well as an incredible array of landscapes and cultures.

However, given that the celebs could presumably plan a similar itinerary that takes in more five-star hotels and wouldn’t force them to rely on public transport, what convinced them to sign up?

For some, the lack of luxury is the point. Harry Judd says: “I never travelled when I was younger. I travelled with the band, but I never properly did backpacking and I always wanted to. I think the same applies for my mum, she always wanted to but started a family when she was 22.”

His mum Emma confirms: “Yeah, I was young and one thing I think that I’ve missed in my life, not that I regret it, was actually backpacking and going off on an adventure like this. So, when Harry had the opportunity come along, I thought what could be better than going on an adventure with my son!”

Billy Monger is also up for the challenge, saying: “We’ve spoken about travelling before, but it would probably be a little bit different to what I imagine this is going to be like – in terms of doing everything on such a budget and staying in hostels and being tight on money for food.

“With this opportunity, I spoke to Bon about it, and she said it could be quite cool. So, we sat down and watched the previous series and got more and more into it and then decided why not!”

But will they still be feeling so gung-ho as their adventure begins tonight?

Screw (Thursday 14/09/23, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

For many actors, part of the appeal of their chosen career is that it’s more varied than the usual nine-to-five.

However, according to Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, going back to film the second series of the prison drama Screw, which comes to an end tonight, did feel a bit like having a normal job – although fortunately, that helped her to get into character as prison officer Rose.

The Derry Girls star says: “It’s weird in that you love going back to it, but it doesn’t take long to get cabin fever again. It feels like it’s the closest thing to like a regular job that we’ve had: we’re literally in the same uniform every morning and have breakfast at the same time, so it all feeds into our performances as well.

“They’ve added more brilliant detail to the set this time to make it even more authentic and lived in.”

Luckily although the set may be realistic, the actors didn’t feel like they were behind bars, especially as they could mix more than did when making the first series.

Jamie says: “We had a lot more time and freedom to go for dinners and socialise, which was lovely because there were fewer restrictions after Covid.”

Her co-star Nina Sosanya, who plays senior officer Leigh Henry, agrees that the fictional C Wing of Long Marsh Prison is a surprisingly friendly place to work.

She says that for her, one of the highlights of this series was “getting back with that cast and crew because they were phenomenally cool people. Everybody is very in tune with their characters and where each of them sits on the moral spectrum, so you can act between the lines because we know each other and each other’s characters.”

She adds: “It has stopped being a depressing place full of fear, because it’s also full of all the other stories, laughter and warmth.”

However, if that sounds a little too cosy for a prison drama, rest assured that there’s still plenty of tension on screen, and the show has been praised for its authenticity.

Nina says: “I read an article from a former offender who was saying, rather wonderfully, that it was the most realistic portrayal of prison he’d ever seen on TV or film. Reading that, you just go: I think we did our job. It’s good to know that we’re hitting the right notes.”

Tonight, the series comes to a suitably dramatic conclusion as the future of C Wing hangs in the balance.

The prisons minister is due to visit, which would be stressful for staff at the best of times, but this is possibly the very worst of times – the prison now a powder keg after the discovery of the undercover police officer. Leigh is trying to keep a lid on the situation, but it finally explodes when a deadly hostage situation develops.

Can Leigh and Rose manage to save themselves, and also ensure that the wing stays open? Let’s hope so as many viewers are crossing their fingers that the cast will be back for a third stretch.

Coco Chanel Unbuttoned (Friday 15/09/23, BBC Two, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”

So said Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, and many would suggest she achieved both.

She’s the subject of the latest in a long line of Arena arts documentaries on the BBC, a strand that’s been running since 1975, bringing viewers more than 600 episodes directed by a wide range of people, including Julien Temple, Alan Yentob and Martin Scorsese.

Over the years it’s won various Emmys, a Grammy, nine Baftas, six Royal Television Society gongs and numerous other awards. There may be more coming its way thanks to the programme’s recent output.

Suzy Klein, the BBC’s Head of Arts and Classical Music TV, announced a new batch of commissions in April by saying: “Arena is back with a focus on the icons, works, people and moments we think we all know, but where there are still rich and surprising stories to tell.

“I hope audiences will be as gripped by this latest series of films as we are, and I’m so proud to be working with some of the UK’s leading filmmakers at the height of their careers, championing the best of British documentary-making.”

Arena’s commissioning editor, Mark Bell, added: “Creativity is at the heart of Arena – and here we have some intriguing cultural subjects paired with a set of brilliant directors, and the resulting films are surprising, bold, and highly individual.”

So far we’ve been treated to films on the likes of Little Richard and Karl Lagerfeld, and now it’s Chanel’s turn to take centre stage – something she was used to doing right up until her death more than 50 years ago.

Among the designer’s other statements was that “fashion is always of the time in which you live. It is not something standing alone. But the grand problem, the most important problem, is to rejuvenate women. To make women look young. Then their outlook changes. They feel more joyous.”

While many would agree that Chanel was right to say that women (or men, for that matter) are happier if they feel good, she perhaps wasn’t quite so correct in her estimation of fashion.

Okay, so in today’s throwaway society, trends are here one minute and gone the next, but when it comes to her own work, it’s timeless. We’re still wearing little black dresses and tweed suits, carrying chain handbags and dabbing on her iconic perfume.

Despite such items being as instantly recognisable as her name, the real Chanel remains something of a mystery to the general public. Hopefully, this feature-length documentary will change all that.

It reveals her humble, impoverished origins, something she worked hard to conceal. It’s certainly a far cry from her eventual standing as one of the world’s wealthiest women with a string of glamorous lovers.

Sophie Marceau reads Chanel’s own words, while those who knew her, including her assistant, Lilou Grumbach Marquand and model Jackie Rogers, offer their views, alongside biographers Justine Picardie and Rhonda Garelick, and celebrity fan Jerry Hall and her daughter, Georgia May Jagger.

They paint a portrait of an extraordinary woman who, as she herself once said: “There have been several Duchesses of Westminster, but there is only one Chanel!”

Bali 2002, Jamie Oliver Cooks the Mediterranean and My Mum, Your Dad: TV highlights this week