Eurovision final, Chelsea Flower Show and The Secret Life of Bees with Steve Backshall: TV highlights this week

Eurovision Song Contest Final 2025 (Saturday 17/05/25, BBC One, 8pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Boom bang-a-bang, Eurovision is here! For the 69th time, musical talent from across the continent (and beyond) are gathering to show off their songwriting and performance skills. One nation that participates every year is the UK.

We last triumphed in 1997 when Katrina and the Waves wowed the crowds in Dublin with their performance of Love Shine a Light. Since then it’s been disappointment after disappointment, with only Jade Ewen’s It’s My Time coming a very respectable fifth in 2009 and Sam Ryder’s Space Man ending up in second place behind Ukraine in 2022.

In 2003, we even had the embarrassment of scoring nul points when Jemini’s disastrous performance of Cry Baby failed to impress anybody. It’s unlikely even their mums enjoyed it.

But hopes are high this year as Remember Monday prepare to perform their song, What the Hell Just Happened? at the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, the nation where Eurovision began back in 1956. The band is comprised of Charlotte Steele, Holly-Anne Hull and Lauren Byrne, who met while studying for A levels at a sixth form college in Farnborough before getting to the quarter-finals of The Voice UK in 2019.

“What The Hell Just Happened? is exactly how we’re feeling right now,” laughed the trio after their participation was confirmed in February. “It’s all very surreal; our friendship goes so far back, and we definitely never imagined that we’d be doing anything like this. When you’re a kid and people ask you what you want to be when you grow up, an absolute classic is ‘I wanna be a pop star’, so the fact that we’re getting the chance to live that dream as three best friends is just wild.

“We’re going to be the first girlband to represent the UK since 1999, which feels like such a crazy honour. We’re going to bring loads of fun, energy and hopefully do something that you won’t have seen before on the Eurovision stage… We honestly can’t wait to experience this with all of the other incredible artists from around the world, and hopefully make everyone back at home feel proud. This is really the music World Cup and we’ll do our best to bring it home.”

“The BBC could not be prouder to have the powerhouse that is Remember Monday representing the UK at Eurovision in Basel in 2025,” says Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC. “Charlotte, Holly and Lauren are all incredibly talented singers, songwriters and performers who have such a unique sound. The calibre of their live vocals is second to none and I am certain that their chemistry, drive and charisma will translate on an international stage with What The Hell Just Happened?”

Sweden and France were among the early frontrunners, according to the bookies, so a UK win would come as something of a shock – and would probably have the entire nation asking that titular question.

Graham Norton will, as usual, be in the commentary box, with comedian Hazel Brugger, TV presenter Michelle Hunziker and Eurovision veteran Sandra Studer presenting on stage.

Code of Silence (Sunday 18/05/25, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Some soap stars disappear without a trace after leaving the roles that made them famous, while others thrive.

Sarah Lancashire, Suranne Jones and Sally Lindsay certainly fall into the latter category, and we can add Rose Ayling-Ellis’s name to the list too.

It’s three years since she quit EastEnders and her star has risen ever since – in fact, after winning the Best Supporting Actress Olivier Award for her debut West End performance in As You Like It, she’s been popping up on TV all over the place.

This year alone, she appeared in the BBC’s excellent, groundbreaking bilingual thriller Reunion, which was shot largely in Sheffield with a mix of deaf and hearing cast and crew. She also had a guest role in the recent Doctor Who adventure The Well, playing a cook shadowed by an alien menace, and fronted the moving documentary series Old Hands, New Tricks, in which she was seen teaching sign language to the residents of a retirement home.

Now Ayling-Ellis is back on the box in Code of Silence, a six-part crime drama written by Catherine Moulton, whose previous credits include Baptiste and Then You Run; she was inspired to create it by her own experiences with lip-reading and hearing loss.

“I am so thrilled to be coming on board for Code of Silence and to get to work with the incredible team at (production company) Mammoth Screen,” claims Ayling-Ellis. “When I first read Catherine Moulton’s script it was obvious that her first-hand experiences and understanding has enabled her to write a truly authentic character and I knew I had to be a part of this project. I am so delighted ITV are as excited as we are to bring this to life.”

She plays Alison Brooks, a deaf woman only just making ends meet by juggling jobs in a police canteen and in a local bar. Her home life isn’t easy either, thanks to the fact she is her mum Julie’s carer. But Alison’s life is about to take an unexpected twist when DS Ashleigh Francis asks her to use her lip-reading skills to monitor a dangerous criminal gang as part of a high-stakes police investigation.

It’s an exciting and exhilarating task, but one that takes on a dangerous new dimension after Alison finds herself increasingly drawn to Liam, one of the chief suspects…

“Rose Ayling-Ellis is one of the UK’s most luminous stars and Catherine Moulton is one of our most exciting new writing talents so this really is a match made in heaven!” adds Mammoth Screen’s Founder and Chief Creative Officer Damien Timmer. “Code of Silence is a riveting thriller which will make you look at the world around you with new eyes.”

It certainly has the potential to be one of the year’s biggest hits, but its star isn’t resting on her laurels – she’s currently developing a London-set comedy-drama about the dating game, and is set to executive produce and appear in the crime thriller Tuva, based on Will Dean’s bestseller Dark Pines. Ayling-Ellis is certainly no flash in the pan – long may her success continue.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show (Monday 19/05/25, BBC One, 2pm & BBC Two, 8pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Get your green fingers at the ready – it’s going to be a busy day for gardening enthusiasts across the land.

As well as the start of a new series of Garden Rescue on BBC One at 3.45pm, coverage of the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show also gets under way, and this year, it’s a must for dog lovers.

Monty Don has presented programmes from the show for decades, but this is the first time he has designed a garden there – his beloved golden retriever Ned, who makes regular appearances on Gardeners’ World, has leant him a paw, too. Horticulturist Jamie Butterworth laid out the plot at his Woking nursery, before Ned was allowed to run free through the pots and plants; his route was used to create the site’s paths.

“To keep the garden as authentic as possible, Monty enlisted the help of Ned to design the paths that intersect through the planting,” explains Butterworth. “Ned followed his nose and forged the routes that we copied at the show.

“We had imagined that Ned would create sweeps and curves through the planting, or at least that is what we had designed. However, every time he ran off, he returned to Monty via the same route, and as such we have changed the designs accordingly. So Ned actually designed not just part of the garden, but possibly the most detailed and complex aspect.”

Clare Matterson, RHS Director General, adds: “We feel very lucky to have one of the nation’s best loved gardeners and one of the nation’s best loved dogs designing our garden at RHS Chelsea this year. As a nation of gardeners and nation of dog lovers we hope this garden makes people smile both when they hear about it and when they see it.

“With everything going on in the world today we wanted our garden at RHS Chelsea this year to be really uplifting and bring some much needed joy to everyone.”

The show itself doesn’t officially open until Tuesday with two Members’ Days before the general public are allowed in on Thursday; the event ends on Saturday.

Among the highlights to look out for throughout are gardens celebrating how plants, wildlife and people adapt and interact with the environment around them. Some of the heavy work involved in creating the showpieces has been carried out by a zero-emission, hydrogen-powered digger: “The excavator is powered by green hydrogen, which is produced using renewable energy, and only releases clean steam,” says Project Manager Nadine Charlton.

Following a launch programme on Sunday evening, the BBC’s coverage begins properly at 2pm on BBC One on Monday, when Nicki Chapman and Angellica Bell receive tips on creating borders, attracting birds to small gardens and using clever planting to make a space feel bigger from Carol Klein, Toby Buckland and Frances Tophill.

Later, over on BBC Two at 8pm, Monty Don, Rachel de Thame and Arit Anderson take over presenting duties, showing viewers around some of the show’s most innovative and inspirational gardens, while Sophie Haworth welcomes members of the royal family to the site.

Faking It (Tuesday 20/05/25, 5, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Remember the Channel 4 reality show Faking It? Well, it’s back for a new series and has a new home on 5.

If the format previously passed you by, the basic premise is that a brave volunteer will agree to be plunged into a very different world and asked to master a new skill in the hopes that they will be able to pass themselves off as the genuine article.

Some of the more memorable episodes from the original run included the owner of a burger van trying to become a cordon bleu chef, a former naval petty officer being trained as a drag artist, and a cellist learning to be a club DJ (although some cynics would argue it would have been more impressive to teach a DJ to be a classical musician in a month).

Now, 20 years since the final episode aired, a new set of ‘fakers’ are taking up the challenge, beginning with posh Surrey estate agent Rex. By day, he sells million-pound properties, and then unwinds at wine bars and polo matches, but now he’s finding out if he can cut it as a northern meat trader.

So, what attracted twentysomething Rex, who was a toddler when Faking It stared airing, to sign up? He says: “I was always taught never to turn down new opportunities. It sounds like a challenge, and I love a challenge.”

It is going to be tough though, as he gets his introduction to the world of bargains, banter and butchery courtesy of seasoned traders Tony and Elliot, who put Rex through his paces on their hectic meat and fish stall.

The newcomer initially struggles to keep up over the course of his gruelling 10-hours shifts.

To learn more about the stall traders’ art, Rex then heads to Essex to train under renowned wheeler-dealer Tom Skinner on his Ilford fruit and veg stall.

Tom points out that this is not a job for slackers, saying: “It’s hard what we do. You’ve got to get up at 2am in the morning in the rain, wind, shine it doesn’t matter – you’ve got to be there.”

He offers Rex pointers in everything from sales tricks to shouting out deals, and provides him with some constructive feedback.

However, while Rex is making headway when it comes to the patter, he’s still delivering it in a posh accent, and it’s also feared that his appearance will be a bit of a giveaway that he isn’t a regular on the markets.

So, he gets a makeover (complete with fake tattoos) and a dialect coach, before being asked to host a pub quiz in his new northern accent.

Then after four intense weeks, it’s time for the final test – running a meat stall solo at Barnsley Market, working alongside five experienced traders and being inspected and judged by three industry experts.

Will the panel realise that he’s a really a Surrey boy who’d never negotiated over pork ribs a month ago, or will he convince them that he’s the real deal?

Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd (Wednesday 21/05/25, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

On May 25, 2020, 46-year-old Black man George Floyd died in Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for around nine minutes.

The incident caused outrage in the USA and across the world, sparking a wave of protests calling for an end to police brutality and racial inequalities.

Now, director Kwabena Oppong’s documentary Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd looks at how the incident became one of the defining events in modern history, weaving together the reaction both in the US and the UK.

The documentary explores how the footage of the killing went viral, causing the biggest civil unrest in the US in living memory.

It draws on interviews with some of the key plays, including members of George Floyd’s family, and the Minneapolis police chief who took the bold step of testifying against one of his own officers. Samuel Kasumu, Boris Johnson’s advisor on race, and Neil Basu, assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, are also interviewed, and there are contributions from music artist Che Lingo, actor Nathalie Emmanuel, broadcasters Andi and Miquita Oliver and comedian Munya Chawawa, who all attended protests in the wake of Floyd’s death.

Like much of the world, Britain was still in the grip of covid restrictions, and the sudden impact of the Black Lives Matter movement seemed to catch the government, police and media establishment off-guard.

Not only were people taking to the streets, but celebrities, brands and institutions felt they had to take a stand. Instagram went black with people posting black squares instead of their usual pictures, an act which some critics found reductive, but also pointed to the key role played by social media in making voices heard and organising the protests.

The issue exposed the racial divides that existed on this side of the Atlantic, but when the protestors began to topple statues and ask questions about Britain’s history, it sparked a backlash and counter-protests.

As the documentary points out, Floyd’s death had seemed like a watershed moment, but how much has really changed over the past five years?

The re-elected President Trump has been rolling back diversity initiatives, and there are signs that the right are gaining ground in the UK. Meanwhile, some US conservative figures have been calling for Floyd’s killer, Derek Chauvin (who was convicted of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison) to be pardoned.

Director Kwabena Oppong says: “The shockwaves of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020 became a catalyst for change worldwide—or so it seemed. Over the past five years, we’ve seen progress and growth, but also a growing backlash. Behind everything we consume on TV, in the news, and on social media, there’s a deeper story.

“Through compelling archive footage, user-generated content, and powerful personal testimonies, we aim to bring these stories to the forefront and truly understand what happened in the summer of 2020 and whether lasting change is possible.”

The Secret Life of Bees with Steve Backshall (Thursday 22/05/2025, 5, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Not only does seeing the brightly striped, cute and fluffy insects boost our mood when we see them in our woods and gardens, they are also an integral part of our ecosystem.

However, our bees are also in serious trouble, with habitat loss, pollution and climate change pushing them into decline.

To raise awareness of their plight and suggesting ways in which we can help support them and boost their numbers, 5 has commissioned a new two-part series, hosted by Steve Backshall, looking at various aspects of the UK’s 270 bee species.

The presenter says: “Learning to keep bees might be the most wholesome enterprise I’ve ever taken on!

“I can’t wait to immerse my family in the wonderful world of the bee, and connect to the challenges they face in the modern world.”

From the industrious honeybee to the bold bumble bee, the programme looks at the history, science and habitats of these extraordinary insects and examines the impact they have on our lives and imagine what a world without bees could look like.

And, never one to shy away from a challenge, naturalist and explorer Steve becomes an apiarist for the first time.

He visits King Charles III’s bees at Highgrove and gets some tips on how to look after his own from the King’s own beekeeper, Steve Benbow.

Local beekeeper Lauren Coles then delivers Steve’s new honeybee colony in the back of her car, but it’s not long before Steve’s ‘Backshall Beetopia’ has trouble with its Queen and he has to go in search of a new one.

Meanwhile, bee scientist Professor Lars Chittka attempts to see if honeybees can work as a team and the camera crew capture the behaviour for the first time on film.

We discover how city bees are just as happy as countryside bees with visits to the rooftop of the Lancaster hotel and Blackfriars station in London.

Plus, Bristol-based veteran wildlife cameraman Martin Dohrn takes us on an incredible journey into the lives of the wild bees in his garden, as Steve introduces his wife – Olympic rower Helen Glover – and children to the pleasures of beekeeping and Martha Kearney tastes honey from around the world.

The series continues next week, as Steve reveals how swarms and stings are nothing to be afraid of as he bravely attempts to experience a ‘Bee beard’ by allowing 10,000 to crawl all over his face.

He also finds out about the importance of Britain’s wild bees and discovers exactly how the National Bee Unit are trying to eradicate the dreaded Asian hornet – a bee-eating machine – from our shores.

Then, as the beekeeping season draws to a close, the Backshall family will finally get to taste honey from their very own hive.

Hopefully, seeing them reaping these rewards and seeing the other benefits lined to the insects over the next two nights will encourage viewers to ‘bee’ inspired and take their own steps to protect the much-loved creatures.

Joanna Lumley’s Danube (Friday 23/05/2025, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Thanks to roles in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, Absolutely Fabulous, Finding Alice, Jam & Jerusalem and Motherland, Dame Joanna Lumley has well and truly secured her place as entertainment royalty.

And let’s not forget she also played Elaine Perkins in Coronation Street in 1973, and more recently dazzled the silver screen, sharing scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street and, just last year, she had a main role in hit Netflix drama Fool Me Once.

The Indian-born actress and model has also put her good name and reputation to good use, becoming an advocate and human rights activist for Survival International and the Gurkha Justice Campaign, as well as supporting charities and animal welfare groups.

Back in 1997, she first dipped her toe in the TV travel documentary pool, presenting the BBC’s Joanna Lumley in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, in which she retraced the steps of her grandfather to Bhutan.

In the years since, she has travelled the world for various broadcasters, seeing the Northern Lights, the River Nile, Greece, Japan, India, the Caribbean, the Spice Trail and the Silk Road, as well as taking a trip on the Trans-Siberian Express.

Now, for her latest adventure, the national treasure is visiting Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine – the 10 countries which the Danube flows through or borders.

From source to sea, Joanna will track the 1,770-mile-long river from its origins beneath the pines of the Black Forest all the way to the Black Sea.

Along the way, she’ll encounter Slovakia’s stunning snow-capped peaks, Hungary’s Great Plain and its distinctive cowboys, the majesty of Budapest, the raw beauty of Transylvania, and the unique wilderness that is the Danube delta.

The first leg starts in Germany’s Black Forest where this mighty river is just a trickle – she travels through some of its most beautiful scenery including the stunning Danube Gorge in Bavaria and meets many memorable characters including a beer-brewing nun and lederhosen-clad folk dancers.

In Austria, Joanna discovers the beauty of the Wachau wine valley and fulfils a lifelong dream to visit the Vienna Boys Choir, before the country’s biggest celebrity – Tom Neuwirth, aka Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst – reveals more of the city’s history.

In a recent interview with The Mirror, Joanna, who turned 79 this month, admitted she thinks a lot about her own mortality.

“All kinds of my beloved friends are beginning to leave,” she said.

“My time must be coming quite soon and I don’t want to have wasted a minute of being on this beautiful planet.”

However, she also said that getting older has made her more energetic, and that she is so determined to live life to the full that her work diary remains jam-packed.

“I always knew that good stuff would come along when I was older,” she says. “When I was 18, I longed to be 30. When I was 30, longed to be 50.

“We mustn’t be led into thinking getting old is bad. Growing old is good.”

Following the conclusion of her Danube adventure, Joanna’s next TV role will be very different again – she is appearing in season two of Netflix’s Wednesday in August, playing Grandmama, the Addams family matriarch, alongside regulars Jenna Ortega, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman, as well as other new additions like Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper and Christopher Lloyd.

Just like the mighty river that she is exploring tonight, Joanna’s career looks set to run and run for a fair while yet.