Dear England starring Jodie Whittaker and Springwatch: TV highlights

Two Weeks in August (Saturday 23/05/26, BBC One, 9pm & 9.45pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

You might not have heard of Various Artists Limited, but you’re sure to be familiar with its work.

The London-based production company is behind a string of small screen hits, including I May Destroy You, Such Brave Girls, Juice and Spent, so when you hear its latest production is about to be broadcast, you should sit up and take notice.

Two Weeks in August is the brainchild of actress Catherine Shepherd, who has appeared in the likes of Peep Show and Sally4Ever, but is now making a bigger splash as a writer.

She claims the eight-part drama is “a story about what it’s like to try and be happy in a very anxious and confusing world and at its core, about a woman struggling to play all the roles she’s been given by life. How do you enjoy yourself for two weeks in August when the world appears to be falling apart around you?

“I hope it will be as funny and sad, as thrilling, beautiful, ridiculous and heartbreaking as real relationships between humans are.”

Heading the cast is Jessica Raine, who plays Zoe, one of a group of friends heading for a reunion on a picturesque Greek island. However, following an illicit kiss, dark desires begin to surface and what should be a dream holiday turns into a nightmare.

Matters become even more dangerous after the pals discover they are stranded on the island, and they begin to turn on each other, looking for someone to blame. Could Zoe be that person, or are the fates at play? After all, Greece is the land of ancient gods…

“Catherine’s scripts reeled me in from the first page,” says Raine. “Epic and nuanced. Funny and tragic. I’m honoured to be playing Zoe in this simply brilliant story.”

The former Call the Midwife star was so taken with the production she persuaded her real-life husband, Tom Goodman-Hill, to participate too.

They appear alongside an impressive line-up that also includes current Bergerac star Damien Molony as Zoe’s other half, the troubled Dan; Nicholas Pinnock and Antonia Thomas play their old friends Solomon and his new wife Jess, while Leila Farzad and Hugh Skinner appear as uni pals Nat and Jacob.

“Two Weeks in August is Catherine Shepherd’s painfully funny and heartbreakingly original show that focuses on a group of friends who reconnect on a summer holiday and discover more about themselves and each other than they could have imagined,” explain Roberto Troni and Kat Reynolds from Various Artists Limited.

“Catherine’s writing is both intimate and epic and we’re delighted that her exceptional scripts are gathering a supremely talented cast and creative team.

“The emotional struggles of her characters speak to how so many of us feel about trying to live life to the fullest, whilst the world around us burns. Sometimes, literally. We think audiences are in for a real treat.”

As for Shepherd, this won’t be the last you hear of her – she currently has five writing projects in production. And Various Artists Limited? They’ll be back on the Beeb too – keep an eye out for First Day on Earth on the BBC soon.

Dear England (Sunday 24/05/2026, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

How hard can it be to place a ball on a spot and kick it into a net 12 yards away?

For a professional player who earns tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds a week, it should, in theory, be a walk in the park.

But as any football fan, particularly those who support England, will tell you, it’s a funny old game, and taking a penalty can be far from straightforward.

From the Euro 1996 semi-finals to the start of the 2018 World Cup, England men’s national team’s penalty shootout record was terrible.

Five matches went to spot kicks and five were lost.

However, at the 2018 World Cup, all that changed as Gareth Southgate’s side finally put the English penalties ‘curse’ to bed, beating Colombia to reach the quarter-finals in Russia.

In 2023, James Graham’s Dear England, directed by Rupert Goold, premiered at the National Theatre, before transferring to London’s West End.

The hit play followed Southgate’s football journey, recounting his playing days, to becoming England manager and revered waistcoat-wearing role model.

Still suffering from the heartbreak of Euro 96, Southgate was determined to transform a despondent England side, both on and off the pitch.

The television adaptation of the play begins tonight, and Sherwood and Quiz writer Graham admits he always thought the fictionalised story would be suitable for TV as well as theatre.

“I always hoped there might be a screen life to Dear England, which would allow us to get inside the heads of the characters,” he says.

“It’s been incredibly exciting to translate the story and the backstage world of the England men’s football team into television.”

As well as being adapted by Graham, this four-part version is also directed by Goold.

Plus, the star of the original NT theatre production, Joseph Fiennes, is returning with his uncanny portrayal of Southgate.

The Handmaid’s Tale and Shakespeare in Love actor says: “The journey that Gareth has gone on since a young boy breaking into football and then finally making it into the England squad in itself is an amazing trajectory.

“In Dear England we get these two wonderful journeys – Gareth’s personal demons connected to the loss of a cup, and then the bigger epic picture of what we might call a gentle reformation within England.

“That second part essentially boils down to quite a few important factors, one of which was bringing on board a team of psychologists into the England team.”

One of those psychologists is Pippa Grange, who is played by Jodie Whittaker.

The former Doctor Who star says: “We first meet Pippa in episode one, when she is giving a talk to a room of people about how to get the best out of people within your workplace.

“Gareth comes to this talk and that’s how he initially meets Pippa. He approaches her to invite her to become part of the England coaching staff.”

The timing of Dear England’s TV premiere could hardly be any better, with the 2026 World Cup kicking off in just two and a half weeks’ time.

And although England’s players won’t be going into the tournament with a near three-decade penalty curse hanging over them, if Thomas Tuchel’s men (and even Steve Clarke’s Scotland) were to check out Graham’s drama beforehand, it may provide them with some inspiration should any of their games go to a dreaded shootout.

Springwatch (Monday 25/05/26, BBC2, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Summer is just around the corner which can mean only one thing – it’s time for Springwatch to return to our screens.

This year, for the first time in the show’s 21-year history, Northern Ireland will be the main live location – the National Trust Crom estate on the shores of Lough Erne in County Fermanagh to be exact.

Admittedly, it’s not the first time Michaela Strachan, Chris Packham and co have been based in Northern Ireland – they were at the Mount Stewart estate on the shores of Strangford Lough earlier this year for Winterwatch.

Chris was certainly excited ahead of that series, saying: “I’ve been visiting Northern Ireland since the early 1990s and I always saw it as a very unspoilt part of the UK, it’s magnificent in terms of its natural resources and it has some exceptional species. Obviously since that time, some things have got worse but some have got better and so we’re going to celebrate those things that have improved.

“It’s got incredible coastal regions and loughs and a wonderful range of species, some of which we don’t see frequently across the UK so very excited to be heading there.”

Gemma Carson, General Manager at National Trust Crom, gives us an additional insight into why the team are staying in Northern Ireland for Springwatch, saying: “We are absolutely delighted to… bring viewers into the heart of this remarkable landscape.

“Set on the shores of Upper Lough Erne, Crom is where ancient oak woodlands meet wildflower meadows and open water, creating a place that feels both timeless and full of life. From the drumming of woodpeckers in the trees to the flash of a kingfisher along the lough’s edge, there’s always something to discover.

“Wildlife is woven into every part of Crom, with red squirrels and pine martens in the canopy, fallow deer grazing the parkland, and otters along the water’s edge. In spring, the meadows come alive with butterflies, bees and dragonflies, making it one of the most vibrant and biodiverse places in Northern Ireland.”

So that gives viewers an idea of what to expect, but as Michaela points out, nature is full of surprises. She says: “We never quite know what species will become our stars each year or what stories will emerge, that’s what I love about Springwatch, the wildlife writes the script and every year there’s a chapter we weren’t expecting! Can’t wait to see what plots Crom has in store for us. I’m hoping it hasn’t planned for too much rain in the script!”

What we do know is that across the next three weeks, Michaela, Chris and the team will be charting life in one of the UK’s most important conservation areas, while Iolo Williams undertakes his own wildlife wanderings, and will be broadcasting live from the Knepp Estate in Sussex tonight.

And as always, audiences in Northern Ireland and across the UK will be encouraged to join the conversation and send in their own wildlife stories, films and questions.

Who Do You Think You Are? (Tuesday 26/05/26, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Who would have expected a programme about celebrities researching their ancestors would be such a massive hit with viewers?

Not even the BBC foresaw it. Although they hoped there would be some interest in Who Do You Think You Are? when it broadcast its first episode back in 2004, it was assumed it would be a rather niche project, and so was scheduled on BBC Two.

The opening run featured the likes of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves), Jeremy Clarkson, Amanda Redman and Bill Oddie, while the second focused on luminaries including Sheila Hancock, Julian Clary and, best of all, Stephen Fry, whose family had a particularly moving story to tell.

By the time of the third season in 2006, the programme had shifted to a prestigious primetime BBC One slot, where it’s remained ever since.

Now, after 22 series and 179 episodes (including two specials), you might think its makers were running out of people to approach, but not a bit of it. If anything, stars are queuing up to take part – being asked is apparently something of a badge of honour.

Whether any of the latest batch turn out to be as memorable as Danny Dyer remains to be seen. Eight years on and his appearance remains one of the most incredible editions ever made – who can forget the moment he discovered he was descended from royalty, after which he declared he would, from then on, be wearing a ruff in public?

This time around actors Adeel Akhtar, Harriet Walter, Ruth Madeley and Toby Jones, athlete Karatina Johnson-Thompson, EastEnder-turned-broadcaster Joe Swash and Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden take part, with broadcaster Zoe Ball featuring in the opening episode.

Of particular interest to her is her mother’s side of the family. Zoe’s parents divorced when she was young and she grew up with her dad, TV legend Johnny Ball, resulting in her never meeting her maternal grandmother Peg, who suffered from mental health issues.

She learns about the difficulties Peg faced, which makes her feel even closer to her own mother, who passed away in 2024.

Johnny then joins his daughter to explore his own line. To their surprise, their research takes them north of the border – neither knew they had Scottish roots. They uncover a tragic tale, but are comforted by the strength shown by those who lived to tell it.

“Who Do You Think You Are? returns with eight more of our best-loved celebrities investigating secrets and solving mysteries in their family trees,” says executive producer Colette Flight. “Travelling across the UK and the globe, we see their astonishment, delight, laughter and tears as they discover how the incredible stories of their ancestors have shaped their family, and them.

“Along the way they learn about the dramatic social forces and historical events that impacted their families, from Victorian silent prisons to the American civil rights movement, from Italian brigands to bankruptcy.”

Laughter and tears won’t come from just the participants either – viewers should make sure they have a hankie or two handy as well.

Richard Madeley: Inside the World’s Mega Prison (Wednesday 27/05/26, Channel 5, 9pm)

Damon Smith

In 2021, TV presenter Richard Madeley joined 11 other famous faces at Gwrych Castle in Wales for a special homegrown edition of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Five days into the experience, after he had completed a Castle Kitchen Nightmares trial involving fish guts and offal, he was taken to hospital as a precaution after feeling unwell.

That grim experience pales next to this visit to El Salvador to experience conditions inside the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT).

Opened in 2023 at a cost of $115 million, CECOT is 23-hectare maximum-security prison built to hold up to 40,000 prisoners. It is the centrepiece of President Nayib Bukele’s war on gangs and currently houses an estimated 15,000 inmates.

Conditions inside the facility are unlike anything in the UK. More than 80 violent prisoners spend 23 and a half hours a day inside each large concrete cell, sleeping in metal bunks stacked four beds high. Their heads are shaved and they are stripped down to boxer shorts for their stay at CECOT, where lights remain on 24 hours a day. There are no family visits, recreational spaces or rehabilitation programmes.

“It’s not every day you’re given the chance to step inside a place as extraordinary and talked about as CECOT,” explains Richard. In a journalistic career stretching back 50 years, he has met colourful characters from all walks of life but none quite like the residents of a mega prison made famous by images of hundreds of tattooed inmates sitting cross-legged on landings.

“What struck me straight away was the sheer scale of it, and the stories behind it,” he continues. “In meeting the people who run the prison and those living inside it, what unfolds is a fascinating and often surprising look at justice, security and the human realities behind the headlines. It’s been a remarkable experience.”

Richard is granted unrivalled access to the site and meets inmates and the prison governor. He witnesses punishments being handed out when detainees step out of line, observing the regime at uncomfortably close quarters.

Andy Dunn, Senior Executive Producer at ITN Productions, was involved in months of intense negotiations to make the documentary at CECOT. Building trust with authorities and prison staff was essential to ensure cameras would be granted access to the most secretive prison in the world. “It was really important for Richard to experience the extreme conditions there first hand and he takes us on a compelling and unique journey as he considers the effectiveness and ethics of such a harsh regime,” explains Andy.

During the eye-opening 90-minute film, Richard ventures outside the prison’s walls and visits the tough urban areas of El Salvador to investigate whether CECOT has had a discernible impact on crime figures. Since election, President Bukele’s government has detained thousands of suspected gang members.

Richard also wonders if such an extreme solution to violent crime could ever be acceptable in the UK.

Make That Movie (Thursday 28/05/26 Channel 4, 10pm)

Words by Damon Smith

Lights, cameras, distraction! Award-winning Australian stand-up Sam Campbell pokes fun at makeover TV shows, which promise incredible transformations against the clock and target tear ducts along the way, as creator and star of a six-part scripted comedy directed by Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared co-creator Joe Pelling.

The succinctly titled Make That Movie follows a ramshackle crew on a mission to find everyday folk with brilliant ideas for feature films, who don’t have the resources or talent to realise their visions.

Hot-shot director Sam and a crew comprising cinematographer Winnie (David Hargreaves), sound engineer Pat (Helen Bauer), intimacy coordinator Sebastian (Aaron Chen) and runner Jess (Lara Ricote) race against the clock to transform madcap suggestions into big screen magic in just three days.

The series kicks off with back-to-back episodes of mirth and mayhem, beginning with Snake Switch, in which Sam and the team make sense of Mick Hall’s incomprehensible concept featuring a tenacious detective and real serpents.

Despite their best efforts to spin straw into gold, filmmakers discover some people simply don’t make good actors and slithery co-stars have an unfortunate tendency to bite.

The second episode introduces lovable residents of Smiling Spring Care Home, who yearn to make a sci-fi epic about a group of retirees who venture inside a computer to defeat nasty online scammers.

Pat compromises the shoot by making romantic overtures to a wealthy resident, Jess discovers she doesn’t have the golden touch with old people and Winnie is challenged to a fight.

Ahead of production beginning on the show, Sam offered a typically offbeat assessment about the inspiration for Make That Movie. “It’s a bit like one of those shows where they fix up someone’s garden,” he joked, “But this is about something people genuinely care about – movie magic. Let’s be honest with ourselves, a garden has never grossed over a billion dollars at the box office.”

Channel 4’s Head of Comedy, Charlie Perkins, was effusive in her praise for the Australian comedian’s creativity and innovation. “He has an undeniable, completely unique and enormous comedy brain and is generous and tenacious in his artistry – the perfect figurehead for this new-era comedy gang-show,” she said.

The launch of Make That Movie continues a busy few years for Sam. Off the back of winning the main Edinburgh Comedy Award (formerly the Perrier), he was cast in the 16th series of Taskmaster and tormented Greg Davies and little Alex Horne with his unconventional antics. He won the show, ahead of Julian Clary.

No tale is too tall when he appears on panel game show Would I Lie To You? and most recently, he was a fearsome competitor on the second series of LOL: Last One Laughing UK, vying with David Mitchell for the crown. Who can forget his razor-sharp retort to Richard Madeley’s interview question about talking to a soulless AI robot: “I don’t feel like that at all, you’re a great guy!”

And cut!

Olly Murs: Steps into the Unknown for Soccer Aid (Friday 29/05/26, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Olly Murs has never been afraid of a challenge.

In the two years before he auditioned for The X factor in 2009, he was playing semi-professional football for Witham Town, around the same time he was a member of covers band the Small Town Blaggers, went backpacking alone along Australia’s Gold Coast, and even appeared on Deal or No Deal.

After finishing as runner-up in Simon Cowell’s aforementioned talent show, Murs enjoyed chart success and was nominated for Brit and Ivor Novello Awards.

He also co-hosted The Xtra Factor, became a coach on The Voice UK and presented another talent series, Starstruck, for ITV in 2022.

In April last year, the Troublemaker and The Dance With Me Tonight singer turned heads with his dramatic body transformation, showing off his abs and lean frame in a series of social-media posts.

And although getting in shape will have helped Murs ahead of his Into the Unknown endurance challenge, the star admits that it has pushed him out of his comfort zone.

“Doing something at this level of fitness, I’ve had to train like a pro athlete – and I’m definitely not a pro athlete,” he said in an interview with the Press Association.

“I’m petrified about it. I’m just gonna have to go with this and take each day as it comes… It’s madness, it wasn’t on my bingo card to be doing it this year.”

One of the things that has inspired the challenge and shifted Murs’ perspective was becoming a father.

The 41-year-old pop star has a daughter, Madison, and baby son, Albert, with his wife Amelia, and said: “As a parent myself, you kind of put yourself in (other people’s) shoes, don’t you?”

Murs recently travelled to Romania with Unicef, visiting the Pipera Primo Hub in northern Bucharest which supports Ukrainian children, who have been displaced by conflict.

He met mum-of-one Oksana, who escaped Ukraine after Russia invaded and is now living in a Unicef facility.

“Her baby was only seven months old,” Olly said. “Coming here in the middle of a war on her own, no family, no friends. The story was tough to listen to.

“It just puts things into perspective of how lucky we live our lives in the UK.”

Murs first laced up his boots for Soccer Aid in 2010 and has played seven times. He is set to line up for England again on Sunday May 31.

This special programme follows him as he sets off from Old Trafford in Manchester – where Soccer Aid first kicked off – to the London Stadium, the home of this year’s milestone 20th match.

Across five days, he’ll run, cycle and row a gruelling 400km, all to raise vital funds for Unicef.

He said: “This challenge was an opportunity for me to do something amazing, something different, and leave something behind with Soccer Aid.

“It’s going to be something that hopefully will be something people can look back on and go, ‘wow, Olly raised this much money, and we did something special’ – and it’s something to show my kids when they get older.”

As the footage shows, the journey across tough terrain and intimidating stretches of water is far from easy for Murs.

Not only is he carrying a knee injury, he didn’t know much about the route until moments before setting off each morning.

Every day brings a new ‘unknown’ – and could well be the courageous Murs’ biggest challenge yet.