Eurovision Song Contest, Without Sin and Rebekah Vardy documentary on Jehovah’s Witnesses: TV highlights this week

Words by Sarah Morgan

Brace yourself for more bonkers acts, bizarre songs titles and eccentric performers – yes, it’s Eurovision time once again. And 2023 promises to be something very special indeed.

The UK might not have won last time out, but Sam Ryder did come second with Space Man, the nation’s best finish in donkeys years. Ukraine triumphed on the night, but due to the ongoing conflict in the country, we’ve stepped in to host on its behalf.

Graham Norton is taking charge of the proceedings at the Liverpool Arena, alongside singer/Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, Game of Thrones, Ted Lasso and musical theatre luminary Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian pop star Julia Sanina.

Norton is, of course, a veteran of the show, having taken over from Terry Wogan as the BBC’s commentator in 2009 (he’s sharing those duties this time around with Mel Giedroyc). Speaking to the broadcaster, he described Eurovision as “the greatest show on Earth” before adding: “Every year I’m involved it’s a huge honour. This year is even more special and I personally feel a big responsibility to make our Ukrainian colleagues proud.”

But it’s an even bigger night for Sanina, a former finalist in her nation’s version of Dancing with the Stars who was also a judge on the Ukrainian X factor.

“I’m so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud,” she says. “I can’t wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family.”

The Beeb went Eurovision crazy last week, broadcasting a number of programmes, including both semi-finals, in the run-up to tonight’s main event. Hopefully that will have put viewers in the mood for this evening’s epic entertainment extravaganza, which will also include performances from six iconic Eurovision acts – Israel’s Netta, Italy’s Mahmood, Iceland’s Daði Freyr, Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands, Sweden’s Cornelia Jakobs and Liverpool’s own former entrant, Sonia, who came second 30 years ago – who are set to feature during the interval as the votes are counted.

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine will be at the centre of proceedings; folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra are going to perform last year’s winning song Stefania. In the contest itself, the country will be represented by electronic music duo Tvorchi, who hail from the city of Ternopil in the west of the nation. Their song, Heart of Steel, will be performed in Ukrainian and English; rather topically it warns against the dangers of nuclear war.

At the moment, Tvorchi’s chances of scoring back-to-back victories for their country are good, according to the bookies. If they do achieve that, it seems likely another nation would have to guest host in 2024, but maybe not the UK again, as our entry, Mae Muller’s I Wrote a Song, is expected to do respectably, but without bothering the top spots.

Instead, Sweden’s Loreen with Tattoo is making waves, followed by Finland’s Kaarija with Cha Cha Cha. Even if the latter doesn’t win, at least we can add it to the long list of barmy Eurovision song titles. Ding-dong-dang to that.

Ten Pound Poms (Sunday 14/05/23, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

We have long had a soft spot for our Antipodean cousins and vice versa. The ties that bind our two countries run deep and, between 1945 and 1972, more than one million British residents chose a new life Down Under as part of the Assisted Passage Migration Scheme.

They were affectionately known as ‘ten pound poms’, and are at the heart of this new six-part drama, created by Bafta-winning Danny Brocklehurst.

It follows a group of Brits who, for just £10, were promised a better house, better job prospects and a better quality of life by the sea in sun-soaked Australia.

Among those grabbing the chance to change their lives are Annie and Terry Roberts, played by Faye Marsay and Warren Brown. They try to make the best of the situation after leaving behind dreary post-war Manchester, but the poor living conditions at the hostel and local attitudes towards immigrants test them in ways they couldn’t have imagined.

Meanwhile, young nurse Kate (Michelle Keegan) arrives without her fiance and will do whatever it takes to try and rewrite her devastating past, and Bill (Leon Ford) is so desperate to prove he’s living the Australian dream he will stop at nothing to get a lifestyle he can’t sustain.

Teenager Stevie, played by Declan Coyle, comes from a troubled background and hopes to use this new adventure to escape his oppressive father, and Ron (Rob Collins) is an indigenous Australian war veteran, struggles with feeling like an outsider in his own country.

Speaking about creating the series, Danny Brocklehurst said: “I’ve not written a period drama before, for good reason, because they’re generally quite tricky to make good. But I was drawn to the themes of escape, of no matter where we go, we take our problems with us – something which is ever present in my work – and the fact that this was a piece of our history that I didn’t know much about.

“It’s a period piece that isn’t all bonnets and frocks – and the more I looked into it, the more I thought: ‘yeah, there’s definitely a TV series here’.”

He revealed how the technicolour promo films of the time showed golden beaches, beautiful houses with picket fences and big gardens, as well as attractive, suntanned people water-skiing and playing volleyball. But in reality, many immigrants were housed in post-war steel Nissen huts with outdoor showers, no flush toilets and terrible food.

This drama reunited Danny with Ordinary Lies and Brassic star Michelle Keegan, and Warren Brown, who he worked with briefly on Shameless.

For the latter actor, who knew nothing about the ten pound poms, there was a surprise in store: it emerged his family has a link to the scheme.

He explains: “Back in the 1960s, my mother’s family were living in Manchester and were all set to move out to Australia. They’d packed up and sold everything but at the very last minute my grandmother panicked and bottled out. So, it could have been a very different story if they had gone through with that.

“The Ten Pound Poms scheme is a big part of British and Australian history that a lot of people haven’t heard about, certainly not the younger generation. The series sheds light on what could have been some of those people’s stories.”

Without Sin (Monday 15/05/23, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Vicky McClure has been involved in some of the most acclaimed TV dramas of the past few years, including This is England and Line of Duty.

However, her new series Without Sin is particularly close to heart. Not only does she play the lead role, but the drama comes from her own production company, BYO Films, and was shot and set in her native Nottingham.

She’s certainly glad to be showing her home town on screen, saying: “Every city says it’s all about the people and that’s certainly the case in Nottingham. I see the amazing talent that’s here… there’s obviously something in it. Yet we don’t tend to shout about it. I want people to see what our city looks and feels like.

“The fact that I still live here and can now bring my work home is a massive deal to me.”

As well as ensuring she had a short commute, Without Sin, which is now coming to ITV1 after previously being available on the ITVX streaming service, also offers McClure a very meaty role.

She plays Stella Tomlinson, a grieving mother whose 14-year-old daughter Maisy was found dead in the family home, with the bloodied, hooded figure of Charles Stone (Johnny Harris) standing over her.

Three years on from her devastating loss, Stella is struggling with her feelings of guilt, and leads a solitary life as a night-time Uber driver.

McClure describes Stella as: “Lost, grieving, paranoid, scared, lonely and wanting to be lonely… All those emotions that come with feeling like you’ve got nothing to live for. If ever you outlive your child, it will change you forever – that’s what has happened to Stella. Without Sin picks up her story three years on – you can see a real change in her image and lifestyle.”

She is also estranged from her husband Paul (Perry Fitzpatrick), who seems to be coping better with his loss, but they are briefly reunited when they are contacted by Restorative Justice about Maisy’s killer, Charles.

Stella agrees to go to the prison to talk to him in person, a decision McClure thinks is understandable.

The actress says: “I’ve heard it said that curiosity is the strongest human emotion, and I don’t dispute that. If someone says, ‘I’ve got something to tell you but I can’t tell you right now,’ that can stop your entire day.”

She adds: “We don’t know what questions she’s got, but she would have relived that night so many times in her head, thinking about how she could have done things differently. If ever there was an opportunity for that to be quashed so she might move forward in some way, what has she got to lose? That’s her reasoning, alongside saying ‘I’ll do what I want,’ to Paul, who doesn’t want her to meet Charles. It’s quite a human reaction.”

Stella arrives at the prison, expecting Charles to atone for his sins and apologise for killing her daughter, so when he instead insists that he was framed, how will the grieving mum react?

We won’t have to wait long to find out as the four-part series is showing on consecutive evenings.

Rebekah Vardy: Jehovah’s Witnesses & Me (Tuesday 16/05/23, Channel 4, 10pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

For almost a decade, Rebekah Vardy has generated a lot of column inches and social-media interest up and down the country. In 2001, her kiss-and-tell about a night of passion with singer Peter Andre was splashed in The News of the World, though she later apologised to him and said it was something she regretted.

Six years later, Rebekah joined the ranks of the country’s footballers’ wives and girlfriends, dubbed WAGs by the tabloids, after embarking on a romance with footballer Luke Foster, before they split in 2013.

While she was working at Sheffield nightclub Viper Rooms, Rebekah first encountered Leicester striker Jamie Vardy, whose 27th birthday party she was organising at the time.

He was smitten from the start and pursued her, but she was less enthusiastic. After two months, she eventually agreed to a date before love blossomed and the pair tied the knot in May 2016.

Rebekah raised her profile even further the following year by appearing on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!, then popped up as a guest panellist on Loose Women, and appeared on shows such as Good Morning Britain, Jeremy Vine and This Morning, and in 2019, she and Jamie featured in two episodes of Celebrity Gogglebox. So far, so good.

However, that same year, fellow WAG Coleen Rooney, wife of football icon Wayne, dropped a social media bombshell.

She revealed on Twitter that posts from her private, restricted Instagram account were being leaked to The Sun newspaper and the culprit was… Rebekah Vardy.

She immediately denied the accusation and in 2020, sued Coleen for defamation. Rebekah won a preliminary stage in the case in November 2020, but in July 2022, following the full trial, the judge ruled against her and determined that the claims made by Coleen were “substantially true”.

The trial, dubbed Wagatha Christie, was a sensation both in the tabloids and on social media, leading to vociferous opinions on both sides and endless threads as the gossip machine kicked into high gear.

Astonishingly, in the middle of it all, Rebekah was among the celebrities who took part in the 13th series of Dancing on Ice.

This documentary does not seek to rake over all those old coals. Instead, it aims to reveal a side to one of the UK’s most famous women that has not been explored before.

For the first time on television, Rebekah plans to tell the story of her earliest years. She grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness and claims the religion failed to support her through sexual abuse and shunned her as a child.

Rebekah wants answers, and cameras follow her as she goes on a personal and investigative journey to look back at what happened, talking about the profound effect this has had on her.

The star meets former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including an exclusive interview with a victim of child abuse. She also hears from a former member, who has gathered thousands of secret documents that shine a light on the inner workings of the organisation.

Whatever your opinions of Rebekah Vardy and Wagatha Christie, this should be a fascinating insight and is well worth a look.

Matt Willis: Fighting Addiction (Wednesday 17/05/23, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Musician, actor and dad of three Matt Willis appears to have it all.

He’s part of the hugely successful pop band Busted, has a flourishing acting career and has three kids with his loving wife, TV presenter Emma Willis.

But behind his success there is one thing that often dominates Matt’s thoughts: his addictions.

In this raw and honest documentary, shown to tie in with mental health awareness week, the 39-year-old looks at the potential reasons behind his addictions and speaks to other families, experts, counsellors and support groups to try and understand why some people become alcohol and drug dependent.

Looking back at some of his darkest days, Matt meets up with his brother, and together they revisit their childhood home in Molesey in Surrey, to see if the roots of his addictions can be found in their past.

He visits the rehab unit on the south coast of England that made a real difference to his recovery and where he spent four weeks in 2008 before coming out the day before his wedding, clean and sober.

He also joins in a meeting at the centre talking with current clients about their addiction and recovery experiences.

Next, Matt travels to Imperial College London, meeting a research team who are studying the differences between the brains of people in addiction and people who aren’t, and looking at treatments to help those on the long and often difficult road to recovery.

As well as his own personal journey, the film captures the unwavering support Matt has from his bandmates, friends and family – in particular his wife Emma.

Together, the couple travel to a leading charity in Glasgow which supports the relatives of addicts, and meet the children, parents and spouses of people who are struggling.

Matt’s exploration of his addictions in this film comes at a time when he and Busted are preparing for their reunion tour – it’s an environment which in the past has put him at risk of relapse.

So can he get himself to a place where he feels comfortable and confident going on tour, and remaining clean and sober?

Through looking into the various possible reasons for his addictions, as well as some of the methods available to help ease them, Matt hopes he can help himself and others find peace in their daily battle with addiction.

He says: “While I live an amazing life and I am hugely grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, when it comes to my mental health I still find myself battling with the ripple effects of my old addictions.”

“I know I’m not alone and I’m determined to discover how others, like myself, can learn to live with this.”

As well as telling Matt’s story, the documentary also aims to open up conversations on what help is available to addicts, what the latest developments in treatment are and how underfunded treatment is.

“I was speaking to a guy recently and he was on a two-and-a-half-year waiting list,” Matt said in a recent interview with The Guardian.

“When someone has a problem with addiction, the time to act is now.”

Guilt (Thursday 18/05/23, BBC2, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

All good things must come to an end – including the third and final series of the darkly comic drama Guilt.

Viewers will be sad to see it go, and so will actor Mark Bonnar, who plays Max. He’s certainly relished getting the scripts from the show’s writer Neil Forsyth, saying: “It’s been an absolute joy, a total gift to play.

“I’ve said this before, but Neil Forsyth writes the words that I love to say. He’s not only an incredible storyteller, but a wordsmith as well – they feel amazing in your mouth. He has a knack of doing all these separate fascinating strands of a story and managing to tie them all together in a really funny and dramatic way.”

Bonnar, whose credits also include Shetland and Catastrophe, adds: “When [Forsyth] first started out with the show, he said there was a lack of anything like this on British television, a ‘dramedy’ – like the Americans do so well, where the show is very serious, but has a lot of funny moments in it.

“Before, we didn’t really do that – a crime drama was a crime drama; a hospital drama was a hospital drama – there were very few jokes. I think Neil’s broken the mould.”

But while he admits he’s sad to leave the role, Bonnar does think the writer has made the right decision to bring Guilt to an end. He says: “I think what Neil has done is absolutely right. It was time and I think the mark of a class act, as Neil is, is knowing to get out while we’re on top.”

So for viewers, the big question is what will happen to brothers Max and Jake? Does Bonnar think they can still redeem themselves?

“Definitely – I think they’re capable of it. But I don’t think Jake needed to redeem himself, actually. Jake’s just caught from the word go. From the very first series, he’s caught in a situation that’s not really of his making. He’s gaslit and harried and herded into this corner that he doesn’t really want to be a part of.

“But Max has just got such a forceful and strong and quick personality that Jake goes along with it. So I think that Jake never really needed redemption. I think he’s just trapped!”

Maybe a great escape will be in the offing in the series finale as Max comes up with a plan to seize Sir Jim Strurrock’s money from Maggie Lynch.

The scheme is so top secret, he won’t even share it with Jake, which leaves his brother tempted to come up with a hush-hush plot of his own involving an alliance with Sheila.

Meanwhile, after finding herself in Leith with Skye and Danny, Aliza demands to speak to whoever is in charge – and finds herself talking to Max, who challenges her to find a way they can both win from the sale of The National Bank of Caledonia.

Maggie realises her enemies are closing in and takes desperate action, but can Max and Jake break free of their own foes – and each other?

Black Ops (Friday 19/05/23, BBC1, 9.30pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

We are three episodes into this delicious six-part comedy thriller and so far, it’s been an absolute belter of a series.

It’s co-created by Bafta award-winner Gbemisola Ikumelo, who stars alongside Hammed Animashaun as Dom and Kay, two Police Community Support Officers who join the Met in the hope of cleaning up their community. Unfortunately, they quickly find themselves unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep-cover infiltration.

The idea for the show came after fellow Bafta winner, actor and producer Akemnji Ndifornyen told Gbemisola that he was going to pitch some ideas to the BBC, and asked if she had anything in mind.

“I thought about the kinds of things I’d like to do, and one of the things I was just really excited about was the notion of putting myself in a show or scenario that I wouldn’t get cast for ordinarily,” Gbemisola said.

“You can hide a multitude of sins behind comedy, so I just went, ‘I’d love to be in a cop show. I’d love to be in a show where it’s running, guns, car chases and it’s fun and funny as well.’”

For Hammed, the show offered a great opportunity to work with Gbemisola and Akemnji on a show that had authenticity at its heart.

“I was able to play somebody who was like a version of me – you know, Kay’s Nigerian-ness, and being able to play that and be true to that part of him,” he said.

“Also, you don’t really see a buddy cop comedy thriller with two black leads on TV, that was very appealing to me as well – the idea that that was a possibility, that it could happen. I just thought, you don’t see that very often and to be in that conversation, or to be a part of that world, I was definitely intrigued by that. I think as a show, even though it’s really funny and dark at times, I think it will get people talking.”

It’s certainly gone down well with audiences, who have been gripped by Dom and Kay’s misadventures.

We catch up with the duo after they are given a large package of drugs to sell for the gang. Until his murder, Clinton had been making up any financial shortfall to make it look like they were competent drug dealers but now they have to sell for real.

While trying to shift the drugs, Dom and Kay have their package robbed and have to somehow get together £3,000 before the payment deadline. Dom manages to raise her half by selling everything she owns but Kay has nothing to sell.

However, Dom learns he does have access to the Pastor Tomi Album fund: money he has been integral in raising for his revered Youth Pastor Tomi (Lucian Msamati) to record an album of gospel rap.

Kay is adamant the cash cannot be touched, and Dom is determined to get it: she’s convinced that Pastor Tomi is a grifter anyway. It remains to be seen whether Dom can get the better of Kay and her hands on the loot or whether Kay’s unyielding faith means they’re both in line for a beating.