FA Community Shield, Olympics closing ceremony and Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams On Tour - TV highlights this week

FA Community Shield Live (Saturday 10/08/24, ITV1, 2.15pm)

Words by Richard Jones

It only seems like two minutes since the continent’s best footballers were battling out in the Euros in Germany.

And when you add the ongoing Paris Olympic Games, Wimbledon, T20 Cricket World Cup, Tour de France and the Home Nations’ rugby union tours, it has been a spectacular feast of summer sport.

Now, with the new Premier League campaign fast approaching (it kicks off this Friday), the traditional season curtain-raiser – the Community Shield – takes place at Wembley Stadium.

The 102nd edition is an all Manchester affair and a repeat of the past two FA Cup finals, as Manchester City take on their neighbours Manchester United.

The cross-town foes last met at the national stadium back in May when Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils triumphed over Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens to win the FA Cup, thanks to goals from youngsters Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

It is widely believed that the victory saved the Dutchman his job at Old Trafford after a poor season otherwise, in which they finished in eighth place in the league.

Since that famous cup final win, Ten Hag has signed a contract extension, while a few new signings have arrived – including defender Leny Yoro and striker Joshua Zirkzee – and a new leadership structure has been put in place, with Sporting Director Dan Ashworth and Technical Director Jason Wilcox, overseen by Sir Dave Brailsford, the Head of Sport for United’s co-owners INEOS.

Following this summer of change, many United fans should be going into the new season with renewed optimism, and will be excited to see how they get on this afternoon.

Meanwhile, last year’s FA Cup final defeat was a disappointing end to the season for City, who made history by winning an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, fending off strong competition from Arsenal and Liverpool.

Helping them on their way to a sixth league title in seven seasons was Phil Foden, who had his best-ever season in a City shirt, and striker Erling Haaland, who won Premier League Golden Boot for a second consecutive season.

Guardiola has been quiet in the summer transfer market, only bringing in forward Savinho from City’s sister club Troyes.

Guardiola and City haven’t had much recent success in the Community Shield, having lost the game for the last three seasons, including including a defeat at the hands of Arsenal on penalties last year.

United, in the other hand, remain the most successful side in the competition’s history, lifting the silverware on 21 occasions, and they will be looking to extend that record further.

While many think the Community Shield is nothing more than a glorified pre-season friendly, fans on the two halves of Manchester will be desperate to secure bragging rights this afternoon.

On the pitch, the players themselves will be hoping to get the season off to a strong start and cement their places in the side ahead of the new season.

After being left out of England’s Euro 2024 squad, City’s Jack Grealish and United’s Marcus Rashford in particular will both have a point a prove.

Olympics: Paris 2024 – Closing Ceremony (Sunday 11/08/24, BBC One, 7pm)

Words by Rob Lavender

Over the past 16 days, millions of us have been gripped by the latest staging of the world’s biggest sporting event.

It all began with the spectacular Opening Ceremony – the first one held outside of a sporting arena, which saw the parade of athletes held on the River Seine with boats assigned to each national delegation.

Despite the heavy rain the French capital, the four-hour spectacle, which culminated in judo great Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lighting a cauldron shaped like a hot air balloon, was deemed a resounding success.

Meanwhile, the Paris Games themselves have given us plenty of headline-grabbing moments, such as Team USA’s gold in the women’s gymnastics team final, with the incredible Simone Biles leading the way.

In the pool, French poster boy Leon Marchand was virtually unbeatable as he cemented his place as aquatics’ newest superstar.

And the home nation was also in raptures when its rugby sevens side, inspired by Antoine Dupont, secured the country’s first ever Olympic medal in the sport – and it was gold.

British interest was also rewarded with some memorable successes in the first week, including Tom Pidcock’s heart-pumping triumph on the mountain bike, and a historic gold medal in the women’s quadruple sculls, following the quartet’s nail-biting photo finish with the Netherlands.

There was also a second Olympic title for the 4x200m freestyle swimming relay team of Matt Richards, James Guy, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott at La Defense Arena, as well as golds for triathlete Alex Yee, shooter Nathan Hales and the equestrian eventing team.

Overall, although there has also been some disappointments along the way, it’s fair to say there have been considerably more highs than lows for Team GB.

As is usual, the Olympics haven’t been without their controversies, with arsonists targeting France’s high-speed rail network before the Games, concerns about the Seine’s water quality leading to the delay of the triathlon events, and a banquet sequence featuring drag artists during the Opening Ceremony receiving criticism from Christian groups.

Now, as the showcase of sporting excellence seeks to bow out with style and panache, will there be any more talking points?

Well, the organisers have promised a closing ceremony that will be “marked by audacity, fraternity and emotion”, as athletes from all over the world represent their countries one last time in the Stade de France.

Artistic director Thomas Jolly and his creative teams will transform the national stadium into a gigantic concert hall, with over 100 performers, acrobats, dancers and circus artists set to perform in a spectacular show that celebrates the athletes who have excelled this year.

That’s followed by the extinguishing of the flame and the official handover to Los Angeles, the host of the next Games in 2028.

Before Hazel Irvine and Andrew Cotter talk us through what should be a memorable ceremony in St Denis, Clare Balding revisits some of the standout stories and images from an unforgettable fortnight in the City of Light.

Emergency (Monday 12/08/24, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Rob Lavender

In the UK’s capital, a world’s-first system of hospitals, air ambulances and paramedics provides a safety net for upwards of 10 million lives. It’s a service most hope never to have to use, but for those who do need it, the London Major Trauma System has improved survival rates for patients by 50 per cent.

Emergency is Channel 4’s blue-light documentary series following the work of this system as it saves lives throughout London.

Now back for a third series, cameras follow a 38-year-old paratrooper as he arrives at the Royal London after a paragliding accident in France.

He has lost sensation in his legs and needs specialist high-risk surgery to fix his compacted spine and pelvis if he’s to have a chance of walking again.

But matters are even more complicated than that.

Lance Corporal Lee, who was on holiday when he suffered these life-threatening injuries, has had surgery to fix his dissected aorta – the main blood vessel that comes from the heart – and French surgeons inserted metalwork to keep his shattered spine together until he could return home.

Emergency Medicine Consultant Michael is concerned that Lee may have damaged his spinal cord, as he has lost sensation in his legs.

Lee’s wife Katy is with him, and brings their kids in to see their dad. “The kids think of their dad as a real-life superhero,” Katy says. “I haven’t told them their dad might not walk again.”

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Louie is at St Mary’s after putting his leg through a glass security door following a disagreement at school.

Paediatric Consultant Nick is worried that he has an arterial bleed and calls down vascular surgeons.

Paramedics have applied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from Louie’s leg, but if Nick leaves it on for too long, the tissue will start to die which could result in amputation.

In CT, Nick removes the tourniquet and immediately notices an arterial bleed – so declares Louie a ‘Code Red’ and rushes him in to surgery.

Vascular Surgeon Usman, who is operating on Louie, is concerned. “From the volume of blood loss, his life is at risk,” he says.

Louie’s poor mum is understandably bereft.

Also at St Mary’s is 33-year-old accountant, Jeymi, who has suffered serious injuries as a back-seat passenger in a taxi that crashed into a lamp post.

Advanced Paramedic Practitioner Rich, who attended Jeymi’s accident on the night shift, diagnosed a femur fracture – but was more worried about the possibility of other, internal injuries.

Jeymi’s husband, William, explains that she was on her way to meet him for his birthday drinks.

It is sobering to realise how any day, whether mundane or celebratory, can in an instant take a turn for the tragic – but it is reassuring that we have such dedicated medical professionals providing expert care should the worst happen.

Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams On Tour (Tuesday 13/08/24, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

“Sport has the power to change the world,” Nelson Mandela famously once said.

“It has the power to unite in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.”

Over the past few weeks, millions of us have been gripped by the heroics of the athletes at the Paris Olympics.

And if those Games (and the Paralympics, which are due to start in two weeks’ time) haven’t confirmed that sport can be inspirational, then cast your mind back to July 2022, when the first season of Freddie Flintoff: Field of Dreams aired on BBC One.

The programme saw the former England cricket star, former Top Gear presenter and A League Of Their Own captain embark on a mission to find untapped cricketing talent in his hometown of Preston and convince the teenagers that the sport isn’t “posh and boring”.

There were plenty of ups and downs along the way, but not only did Freddie assemble a cricket team like no other, he also helped to transform the lives of his recruits and brought together a community on the Broadfield Estate.

The transformative and authentic programme was one of the surprise hits of the year, and as well as shining a light on the problems of youth neglect and poverty in modern Britain, it also highlighted how sport can bring people together when all else is lost.

In October 2022, a four-part follow-up series was commissioned, which would see

Freddie catch up with Sean, Ben and Adnan and the other players from the team and find out how the fortunes of the cricket club have changed.

“Working with the boys was one of the most incredible experiences of my life but the work is not finished yet,” Flintoff said at the time.

“I’m really pleased we’ll be continuing the hard work we have all put in, but on a much bigger scale.”

Freddie also had ambitious plans to take the team he created to compete in India, one of the most revered cricketing nations in the world.

However, a life-changing accident threatened to put a halt to his and their dreams.

We all know now that Flintoff was lucky to emerge alive when driving a Morgan Super 3 sports car he was driving for a Top Gear feature overturned at the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome test track near Guildford, Surrey, in December 2022.

The cricketer was not wearing a helmet when the car flipped, meaning he scraped his face along the tarmac and had to be airlifted to hospital.

Following the accident, Flintoff kept a low profile during his recovery, until he joined the coaching staff of England’s cricket team in a temporary and unofficial capacity last September.

This period is documented in the new series, Field of Dreams On Tour, as Freddie visits his team one year after the accident to announce the planned trip to Kolkata is back on.

As they travel to subcontinent, each member of the team has to learn to live with each other and fend for themselves, but not everyone adapts to the challenges of their new environment.

There is no doubt that this second series is going to be just as moving as the first, perhaps for different reasons.

But as Freddie continues his own recovery and develops his cricketing coaching career, they programme will once shows how sport can be a force for good.

Celebrity Race Across the World (Wednesday 14/08/24, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Rob Lavender

Ever since it its teaser trailer at the end of the last series of the main show, speculation has been rife as to who might be taking part in this celebrity edition of the Bafta-winning adventure game show.

Almost immediately there were people claiming on social media that they recognised Scott Mills’ voice (from a single word) or silhouette from a brief image, which is impressive to say the least – because when the names were announced at the end of July he was indeed one of them.

Mills is taking part along with his fiancé (at time of filming – now husband) Sam. Since the pair tied the knot between filming and the show airing, at least we know their trip didn’t go too disastrously.

Also taking part are TV presenter and former footballer Jeff Brazier and his son Freddy.

Former glamour model Kelly Brook and her husband, model and actor Jeremy Parisi, will also be testing their map reading skills, as will Ted Lasso star Kola Bokinni (he played AFC Richmond’s captain Isaac McAdoo in the hit sitcom) and his cousin Mary Ellen.

One of the best things about the celeb version of this series is that the stars travel alongside their nearest and dearest, often people who are not used to the public eye – providing a unique insight into people we thought we knew, through the eyes of those who know them best.

And we will see them under very different pressures to those they might be used to facing.

They will have to say goodbye to lavish transport, smartphones and bank cards, and instead must rely on their skills, cunning and ingenuity as well as the kindness of strangers.

Their journey begins in Belém, Northern Brazil – considered to be the gateway to the Amazon – and will pass through five checkpoints across the length of South America, to reach the finish line in the Andes, in the picturesque city of Frutillar in Southern Chile.

Their budget is the cash equivalent of what the air fare from Belém to Frutillar would cost, no more and no less.

For that, they have to eke out enough for not only their transport, but also their food and lodgings.

It’s no easy task for even the most budget-conscious of contestants, but often the celebs seem to have a harder time paring back their excesses (a generalisation, of course – some have been downright frugal).

Along the way, they can boost their balances by opting to work at any of a series of temporary jobs.

Often this means not only a bit of cash in their pockets, but also the promise of a meal and even a bed for the night.

Sometimes it even allows them to make connections with locals who might go the extra mile and help them out with their travel.

It must also be an interesting novelty for the employers themselves, not only to meet some (in the case of Bokinni at least) globally famous people, but also to get them to clean the loos.

Who Do You Think You Are? (Thursday 15/08/24, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Who would have expected a programme about celebrities researching their ancestors could be such a hit?

Certainly not the BBC. Although its executives anticipated a little interest in Who Do You Think You Are? when the first series hit our screens in 2004, they didn’t foresee large audience figures, public acclaim and the desire for more.

That opening run featured the likes of Vic Reeves, Jeremy Clarkson, Amanda Redman and Bill Oddie, while the second focused on such luminaries as Sheila Hancock, Julian Clary and, best of all, a particularly moving insight into the family of Stephen Fry. Both seasons were scheduled on BBC Two, but their popularity led to the show moving to BBC One for its third series – where it’s stayed ever since.

As is often the case with a hit, the format has since been sold around the world, with versions popping up in Poland, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the US, France and South Africa, among others. Rival broadcasters have also attempted to launch similarly themed shows, including My Famous Family, which aired on what is now the Yesterday channel, and ITV’s DNA Journey and You Don’t Know You’re Born.

After such a long time on our screens, whenever a new series is announced, viewers wonder if the show has run out of big names to investigate. However, we’re pleased to announce that researchers have pulled out all the stops to create a wonderful 21st season to help the show celebrate its 20th year.

It promises to be a globe-trotting affair too, with trips to Ireland, Taiwan and Jamaica on the horizon. For actress, disability rights campaigner and Strictly Come Dancing superstar Rose Ayling-Ellis, matters remain more grounded – she investigates exploits in a Birmingham pub.

Presenter and comedian Paddy McGuinness also learns about a family member’s exploits during the Second World War, while pop star Olly Murs discovers that entertainment runs in his blood – he has ancestors who were circus performers.

Spice Girl Mel C explores how her relatives escaped a devastating famine, Olympian Jessica Ennis-Hill learns about an enslaved ancestor who went on to own land, and reality TV star Gemma Collins meets a family member she never knew she had while uncovering how deep her Essex roots really lie.

But first up is Line of Duty star Vicky McClure. Her personal journey takes in 6,000 miles of travel while she delves into the emotional stories of her paternal grandmother and maternal great-grandfather. She wants to know why the former was given up by her biological family, and what happened to the latter after he became a PoW.

“This year we have a stellar line-up to mark 20 years of the nation’s favourite social history series,” says Simon Young, the BBC’s Head of History. “Time and again it proves the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction, while helping us all to understand the history of Britain and the world much better.

“I’m so grateful to all the celebrities who have shared their family histories, and to the incredible production team that pulls it all together.”

Daddy Issues (Friday 16/08/24, BBC One, 9.30pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

As the saying goes, ‘better late than never’.

This new sitcom from comedian Danielle Ward – who’s previously written for The News Quiz, Horrible Histories and Harry Hill’s TV Burp, among others – actually debuts on Thursday on BBC Three, so BBC One viewers are getting a day later.

Still, it’s certainly worth waiting for.

It’s basically an update on the good old fashioned odd couple concept, this time focusing on a father and daughter. When carefree party animal Gemma discovers she is pregnant following a one-off rendezvous on a plane while travelling home from a holiday in Portugal, she’s forced to ask her dad Malcolm to move into her flat to help her cope with the impending new arrival.

His heart is in the right place, but little else is – Malcolm can’t load a washing machine, boil an egg or set up his wifi. Can he really be any use to his daughter? Maybe not, but at least she’s on hand to teach him how to microwave rice without it exploding.

“In Daddy Issues, Danielle has created a genuinely laugh out loud sitcom,” claims Jon Petrie, director of Comedy Commissioning at the BBC. “We’re delighted to be working with her on the show. Having Aimee and David cast as the co-leads was the cherry on the cake.”

The Aimee and David mentioned by Petrie are Aimee Lou Wood, who’s perhaps best known for her Bafta-winning performance as Aimee Gibbs in Sex Education, and David Morrissey, who has spent most of his career appearing in dramas, so perhaps relishes the opportunity to let his hair down a little.

“I’m delighted to be working with Aimee Lou Wood as she’s someone I’ve admired for a while now,” says the Liverpudlian actor. “She’s a truly unique and gifted talent. Danielle has crafted such a funny and heartfelt piece and I’m so excited to be part of it.”

Wood, meanwhile, seems to be on the verge of starting a David Morrissey fan club: “It had been a very long time since a script had made me laugh out loud. Danielle’s did exactly that. Then when I heard David was involved, I was even more excited. He’s someone I have admired throughout my life.

“Watching shows like Blackpool and Red Riding when I was younger fuelled my interest in acting and so it feels surreal and amazing to be working with someone I class as a legend and inspiration.”

“Aimee and David were my dream casting from the get-go and who ever gets their dream cast? It’s a total thrill to be working with such naturally funny and wildly talented actors,” adds Ward. “I cannot wait for the world to meet Gemma and Malcolm, and I’m so grateful to the BBC for finally giving me my own series, 20 years after I lost the BBC New Comedy Awards…”

Sharon Rooney, Sarah Hadland, Susannah Fielding, Cyril Nri, Sherrie Hewson and Wood’s fellow Sex Education star Susan Lynch are also among the impressive cast.