North Shore with Joanne Froggatt, Playing Nice with James Norton and York-set Patience: TV highlights this week

North Shore (Saturday 04/01/24, ITV1, 9.30pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

When it comes to tackling gritty storylines, few actors do it better than Yorkshire’s Joanne Froggatt.

She first made a mark as troubled teenager Zoe Tattersall in Coronation Street in the late 1990s. She stayed with the soap for a year, during which time she ran away from a care home, lived rough on the streets, handed her baby over to a childless couple, took it back and dealt with its death before leaving Weatherfield with a cult.

Since then she’s appeared in Bad Girls, played various real-life women who found themselves caught up in crimes, tackled the role of a woman struggling to prove she’s been raped in Liar, and lady’s maid Anna in Downton Abbey.

It was the latter that really made her name, both at home and abroad, something she’s keen to acknowledge.

“Downton Abbey has changed my life,” she once told the Radio Times. “Having opportunities to do amazing things like tour the White House came from doing that show, and I’ll always be grateful.”

Anna was somebody else who faced numerous problems, including a campaign of hate against her and the man who would eventually become her husband, valet Mr Bates. After playing such challenging roles, it’s understandable that Froggatt likes nothing better than putting her feet up at home and watching some TV – although not necessarily her own work.

“I love watching drama, but at the end of the day, if I’ve been filming, or on stage, I come home and watch a documentary,” she remarks. “That takes me out of my head as I completely empathise with what’s going on in real life.

“As we know, sometimes real life is stranger than fiction. It grounds me back into reality and makes me really appreciate where I am and what I’ve got.”

Froggatt’s latest project takes her in a new direction. For once, she isn’t a troubled soul, although getting caught up in a crime in a foreign country may cause more than a few problems.

“Australian and British culture is interesting,” claimed Froggatt’s co-star, Kim Sturgess, while speaking to Bandt website. “We Australians come from the Brits, and there’s so much that is similar, culturally. But when you are so similar, it makes the differences really stand out. And they’re quite stark.”

In North Shore, a new six-part crime thriller originally available last month via the streaming service ITVX, Froggatt plays British politician Abigail Crawford, while Game of Thrones star John Bradley takes the role of Max Drummond, a British detective sent to Australia to investigate the mysterious death of a UK teen; her body has been found in the waters of Sydney Harbour.

Unfortunately, his relationship with the local police doesn’t make life easy – they are constantly butting heads, their cultural differences threatening any progress. All involved will have to push their personal issues to one side if they’re to successfully uncover the killer’s identity, but that proves to be easier said than done.

Dan Spielman, Matt Passmore and former Neighbours resident Kristian Schmid are among the supporting cast.

Playing Nice (Sunday 05/01/25, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

James Norton stars in ITV1’s new psychological thriller Playing Nice, which may come as a surprise to some viewers. After all, if you know him best for his role as the deeply disturbed and disturbing Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley, then you won’t be used to seeing him playing nice.

However, he gets to show off his versatility here as he stars alongside Niamh Algar as Pete and Maddie, who are shocked to discover their toddler was swapped at birth with another child. Along with the other parents, Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay), they must decide whether to continue to raise the boy they have already bonded with or reclaim their biological son.

It initially seems everyone is on the same page, but when hidden agendas begin to emerge, how long can their agreement hold?

For James, it has been refreshing to play a basically straightforward man who finds himself in an incredibly complex situation.

The actor says: “I like the fact that there’s a simplicity to Pete. Often roles have lots of conflict and dilemmas and I’ve played a lot of roles which have a lot of darkness in them. I like going as far away from myself as possible because it allows you to learn a lot and it’s always an exciting journey to really push to the fringes of humanity, however Pete offered something different.”

He adds: “We all know a Pete; we all know the guy who can walk into a pub and everyone knows him so they buy him a drink, and he’ll buy them one back even if he can’t really afford it because he’s that kind of guy. He’s lovable, a bit roguish and a little bit immature but generally sees the best in people and brings out the best in people.

“I thought that’d be really nice to play; to take that man, that very normal, sympathetic warm individual and put him through this horrific experience. That for me was an interesting challenge and one that I hadn’t done before.

“It’s a complex story and there are some unexpected twists and turns.”

It’s not just playing an ordinary bloke that posed a new challenge for the actor, whose other credits include Grantchester, McMafia and War and Peace. Playing Nice was made by his production company, Rabbit Track Pictures, which means he’s not just the star, he’s also the executive producer.

James says: “Usually, as an actor, you defend your corner of the story as you have your one character and that is your focus…

“On this job I had to slightly split my attention and put as much as I could into Pete… but I also had to retain some attention to how the series was playing out as a whole. As an exec producer I had to also look at the scenes I’m not in, characters I’m not playing and the meta-narrative of the piece.”

Luckily, he’s very happy with the end result, which if he had to sum up in three words, he would call ‘tense, brooding, knotty.’ So maybe not just nice after all…

The second episode can be seen tomorrow.

Sir Alex (Monday 06/01/2024, BBC One, 10.40pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Although some younger football fans may find it hard to believe, not too long ago, Manchester United were kings of England and Europe.

And that domination was mostly down to one man – Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson.

When the son of a Scottish shipbuilder took over at Old Trafford in November 1986, the Red Devils were languishing down in 21st position (second from bottom) in the old First Division.

However, after a mixed start, results steadily improved, and following a few major signings, Sir Alex’s Manchester United would eventually go on to win their first English league title for 26 years in 1993 and their first European Cup since 1968 when they memorably lifted the trophy on a epic night in Barcelona in 1999.

During his 26 years with Manchester United, ‘Fergie’, who turned 83 on New Year’s Eve, won 38 trophies, including 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two UEFA Champions League titles, making him the most decorated football manager in British history.

He also played a pivotal role in turning United into one of the world’s most prestigious and richest clubs.

This two-part documentary, which continues tomorrow, hears from a host of Sir Alex’s former players, colleagues and adversaries.

They include Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Gordon Strachan and Sir Kenny Dalglish, who all reveal what it was like to play for his all-conquering Manchester United and Aberdeen teams, while exploring the Scot’s origins and his legendary will to win.

The programme features a wealth of incredible behind-the-scenes footage and entertaining dressing room anecdotes, as well as fascinating insight from journalists who have followed his career every step of the way.

Plus, United legends, including Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Nicky Butt, Jaap Stam and Denis Irwin, provide a fascinating insight into how Ferguson’s unwavering belief in young players enabled him to create a footballing dynasty, building a team around David Beckham, Paul Scholes and their ‘Class of 92’ cohort.

As Ferguson faced intense rivalries with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, Nemanja Vidic, Michael Carrick, Rooney and Ferdinand share their accounts of the post-1999 years and explain how their manager showed his ruthless side, re-inventing himself and his team to bring through the likes of Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo as he returned to the top of English, and then European football, for a second time in 2008.

The story begins with a look at how Ferguson’s humble upbringing in the Govan district of Glasgow would shape him.

As a player, he turned out for several Scottish clubs, including Queen’s Park, St Johnstone, Dunfermline Athletic, Rangers, Falkirk and Ayr United, before starting his managerial career with East Stirlingshire and St Mirren.

Ferguson then enjoyed a highly successful period as manager of Aberdeen in the 1970s and 80s, reaping the rewards of his youth policy, and winning three Scottish League titles, four Scottish Cups and both the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 1983.

He also briefly managed Scotland following the death of Jock Stein, taking the Tartan Army to the 1986 World Cup.

But it was his arrival at the Theatre of Dreams that autumn that changed everything.

As one of the longstanding banners in the stadium now alludes, the impossible dream was about to be made possible.

Inside the Factory (Tuesday 07/01/24, BBC1, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

For its ninth series, Inside the Factory, the show which investigates how some of the food and products we take for granted make it to the shelves, has jumped from BBC2 to BBC1.

But after so many episodes, are the team behind it ever worried they will run out of factories to visit? Thankfully, it seems that’s not something they have to worry about just yet.

Executive producer Michael Rees: “As we’re in our ninth series, [finding new products to feature] is not an easy task, but thankfully there are loads of wonderful factories all over the country with new stories to tell.

“We always like to feature well-known brands and products that most people in the UK will have bought and experienced, but might not have thought how they’re made. Products with a hint of nostalgia that we’ve all grown up with are especially great for fun-packed programmes.”

He adds: “We have regular brainstorms in the office for products that the team would like to see featured, and it certainly gives the weekend supermarket shop a whole new angle as you scour the shelves for inspiration!”

It’s not just the new products that are keeping this latest run fresh – there’s also a new presenter in the form of Paddy McGuinness, who made his debut in the recent festive special. (He takes over from former presenter Gregg Wallace, who announced he was leaving in March 2023.)

Michael’s fellow executive producer Lucy Carter believes the role is a perfect fit for him, saying: “It’s been fantastic having Paddy join the series. He’s brought an energy, warmth and of course humour to it, which has naturally allowed us to update the format. Because he worked in a few factories when he was young, he feels very authentic in his engagement with people on the factory floor, putting them at ease which is so important to the success of a series which celebrates the people who produce the foods and products we all love.”

Paddy should feel particularly at home in this episode, as he’s making a trip to the Warburtons factory. Not only is it in his hometown of Bolton, but 30 years ago, he used to have a Saturday job cleaning the machines.

He’s returning in style, driving through the factory gates in a huge tanker containing thirty tonnes of flour to be used in the production of sliced white bread.

So, as well as learning how the machines he used to clean now manage to produce 1.4million loaves every week, he also gets the chance to catch up with some old friends.

While this may be a very special episode for Paddy, Inside the Factory isn’t a one-man show.

In fact, some people may think his co-presenter Cherry Healey has got the plum job as she finds out how the waste bread is turned into beer. Plus, historian Ruth Goodman reveals why white bread was banned during the Second World War.

Patience (Wednesday 08/01/24, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

You may not have heard of Ella Maisy Purvis yet, but 2025 looks set to be a big year for her.

Having previously made fleeting appearances in Heartstopper and Malpractice, the London-born actor is set to appear in romantic comedy film CC: Emily and the reboot of classic 1980s drama Bergerac.

But before those arrive, Purvis takes the title role in Patience, a six-part crime drama inspired by the French series Astrid et Raphaelle.

Set in York, it has at its heart Patience Evans, a young autistic woman who attends a regular support group for autistic adults, and we’ll see its members discussing the ways in which they navigate a neuro-typical world. What marks the drama out is the fact that all the neurodivergent characters are being played by neuro-diverse actors.

“We are proud to be making a mainstream crime series built around an exceptional neurodivergent protagonist called Patience,” says Jo McGrath, the Chief Creative Officer at production company Eagle Eye Drama. “The character is beautifully brought to life by Ella Maisy Purvis, a compelling young actress who will captivate audiences.

“We’re delighted to be working with Channel 4, a broadcaster whose championing of diversity in all its forms has always been at the very heart of its DNA.”

“I’m incredibly honoured to bring Patience Evans to life in this ground-breaking drama,” adds Purvis. “Audiences can look forward to an authentic representation of a young autistic woman that is written with nuance and detail, but also that challenges the norms of the neuro-typical world. Patience is a character full of depth, intelligence, and an unwavering passion for justice, and I can’t wait for viewers to join her on this thrilling journey.”

Patience works in Yorkshire Police’s criminal records department, where her role cataloguing and filing evidence from major cases gives her the routine, order and solitude she craves. But due to her good instincts and a passion for problem-solving, it’s clear that she could be of even more use to her colleagues.

One person who notices that is Detective Bea Metcalf, played by Laura Fraser, the veteran star of Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Casanova and Crime.

She says of the production: “Patience is full of intriguing mysteries and unusual crimes, but also looks at Bea Metcalf’s working relationship with a young woman who experiences life in a different way to her own, and also the friendship that develops between them.”

Soon Patience is assisting Bea as she investigates the death of a man who seemingly set himself alight in a local car park; she’s already spotted a link between this grisly event and others from the past. However, her involvement will come at a huge personal cost, as the truth about her difficult past begins to come to light.

The second episode, showing on Thursday, continues the story, and reveals how Bea feels responsible for her new friend, while their investigation starts to gather pace – and may even take them to South America.

Deepak Verma, Mark Benton and Adrian Rawlins are among the supporting cast.

Sandi’s Great British Woodland Restoration (Thursday 09/01/2025, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

The UK’s ancient woodlands are under threat.

Once vast, they now cover just 2.5 per cent of the UK, and around half of what remains has been felled and replanted with non-native conifers.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 woodlands are threatened with destruction or deterioration from development and wider impacts such as overgrazing and air pollution.

Although the situation does sound grim, help is at hand, in the form of Sandi Toksvig and her wife, psychotherapist Debbie.

The couple, who married in 2007 and renewed their vows in 2014 following gay marriage being legalised in the UK, recently fulfilled their lifelong dream of buying a patch of ancient woodland in southern England.

Dating from 1600, this 40-acre site is home to trees, streams, a meadow and melting pot of species from fungi to foxes, lichens to little owls.

However, it’s also overgrown, diseased, waterlogged and in need of some serious TLC.

This series follows Sandi, armed with her trademark wit, some dangerous power tools and a pair of chainsaw-safety shoes, as she and Debbie attempt to save and restore it.

The pair, who spend some of their time on a floating home with lovely views of the Thames, are passionate about restoring their woodland.

However, they appreciate they have zero experience other than a bit of gardening, so they bring in a few experts to help.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll see Sandi, Debbie and their new-found friends fell trees, build wildlife ponds, release orphaned owls and welcome new life and the sunshine back into the once-overgrown woodland.

Along the way, they also learn more about the overall state of woodlands in the UK today and the problems trees face.

Toksvig, the 66-year-old Danish-British comedian and presenter is is best known for hosting the Great British Bake Off, QI and Extraordinary Escapes, says: “We all know about the importance of trees and their role in the fight against climate change, but I had no idea the wealth of knowledge I would uncover about the soil they stand in, the habitats they create and what needs to be done to preserve this essential landscape.

“My wonderful wife Debbie and I are only just getting started on this life-long project, but it feels like we’re already making a difference.”

In tonight’s first episode, it’s winter in Sandi and Debbie’s ancient woodland.

Faced with a dark, overgrown jungle, Sandi begins to make a plan – to create space and light in the wood, and increase biodiversity.

As she deals with her own recovery from a life-threatening dose of bronchial pneumonia that she picked up while doing a comedy tour in Australia, Sandi also nurses her woodland back to health.

She also learns way how to chop a tree without it landing on your head and what a bat roost looks like.

Finally, she finds out how easy or difficult it is to buy woodland-based gadgets – with a challenge this big, she’s going to need a few of those.

The Good Ship Murder (Friday 10/01/25, Channel 5, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Recent Strictly Come Dancing contestant Shayne Ward sets sail again for a second series of the cosy crime drama.

If you missed the first run (and last month’s Christmas special), he plays Jack Grayling, a former cop who has embarked on a new career as a cruise ship singer, but unfortunately, murder seems to follow him around.

While that may not always be good for Jack – or, presumably, the cruise company – Shayne is thoroughly enjoying the chance to play a singing detective.

The former X Factor winner explains: “Jack spent 20 years in the force so I knew my character was going to be a confident and reliable investigator.

“With his change of career, I was excited to explore this character as a performer and bring the two sides of him to life. Jack is a guy who’s figuring his new life out. But he’s never too far from a crime scene and can’t help but get involved. It’s natural for him to want to help and he’s good at it!”

The actor adds: “Overall, it was about finding that balance between his new life as a singer and his past as a cop and making that journey believable.”

Shayne has also been on his own learning curve since the first series, especially when it comes to the practicalities of acting on the high seas.

He laughs: “I remember trying to film pivotal scenes with intense wind noise or background music from the ship. It was hilarious at times but definitely challenging.

“That said, the production team learned a lot from season one, and it felt smoother this time around. The results speak for themselves—season two looks and feels amazing.”

As well as singing and solving crimes, Jack has also been navigating a will-they-won’t-they relationship with his colleague Kate (Ward’s former Coronation Street co-star Catherine Tyldesley).

So, fans will be glad to hear that in the first episode, it seems he’s ready to make his move as the ship docks in Rome, and he invites her to join him for a night at the opera.

It starts to look a lot less like a date though when Jack’s estranged 18-year-old daughter Mia (Millie Kent) makes a surprise appearance.

Mia is on a mission to reunite her parents, so when she notices the obvious connection between Kate and Jack, she does her best to sabotage it – and succeeds in sewing a few seeds of doubt in Kate’s mind.

That’s not the only potential distraction, as a member of the opera troupe is murdered. Jack launches his own investigation, but the situation becomes more personal when Mia runs off with a suspect.

As you may have guessed, it’s not especially gritty, but The Good Ship Murder is fun. As Shayne says: “It’s an amalgamation of all the greatest light-hearted crime dramas that have ever been on television. We’ve taken the best bits—Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat, The Bill, even some Agatha Christie vibes—and turned them into something fresh.

“Everyone can play amateur sleuth for the night, and who doesn’t love a murder mystery?”