Prisoner 951 and The Martin Lewis Money Show Budget Special: TV highlights

The Serpent Queen (Saturday 22/11/2025, Channel 4, 10.05pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Samantha Morton has made a career out of playing complex and strong women.

In recent years, the Nottingham-born star has appeared as an 18th-century brothel madam Margaret Wells in Harlots, and as Alpha, the leader of a group of post-zombie apocalypse survivors in The Walking Dead.

Now, for her latest TV role she plays another formidable schemer and strategist, Catherine de’Medici, the Florentine orphan-turned French Queen who has gone down in history as one of the 16th century’s most notorious villains.

Created by Justin Haythe, The Serpent Queen chronicles how, against all odds, Catherine rose from humble beginnings to become a powerful and long-serving rulers.

Her tale unfolds through flashbacks as she defends her actions and imparts the lessons she’s learned to her new servant girl.

In an interview with British Vogue, double Oscar-nominated actress Morton, 48, explains what attracted her to the role.

She says: “What makes Catherine really exciting was her interest in every aspect of knowledge: herbalism, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, human behaviour, psychology, the list goes on.

“Her uncle was the Pope and she was raised in a convent, so her relationship with her spiritual self was fascinating too.

“She’s almost vilified in history as this very dark figure, and she did do some very brutal things in her life.

“I loved the fact that she was so fiercely intelligent.

“For me, it was really interesting to play this kind of kingpin character that is often reserved for men; this incredibly powerful woman who has vulnerabilities and flaws and all these facets that made her so complex and interesting.

“That’s what always stretches you as an actor.”

Tonight sees the first UK terrestrial broadcast of the historical costume saga which debuted on American network Starz in 2022, before being made available to Prime Video subscribers. A second season then followed in 2024.

The drama begins with Catherine recounting her early days to the new servant girl Rahima (Sennia Nanua) while preparing for her son’s coronation the following week.

An orphan from a wealthy Italian family in Florence and raised in a convent since infancy, a young Catherine (shown in flashbacks and played by Liv Hill) is sent by her uncle Pope Clement VII (Charles Dance) as a potential bride for Henri (Alex Heath), the second son of King Francis I of France (Colm Meaney).

Though considered plain and undesirable by the royal family, shrewd Catherine takes the negotiations into her own hands and convinces Francis to accept her. Catherine is smitten with Henri and assumes her feelings are reciprocated.

They are married, and Catherine meets her distant cousin Diane de Poitiers (Ludivine Sagnier), who gives her advice on how to handle Henri on their wedding night.

The marriage is consummated, but afterwards, Henri is upset and yells at it new wife, sending her away.

Looking for answers, she arrives at his chambers to find him in bed with Diane.

Catherine feels betrayed and decides never to trust anyone again.

Then, back in the present, the queen conveys the lesson to Rahima, before knocking over her food tray and sending her away to the dungeon.

Is this the end of Rahima or will the notorious short-tempered Catherine give her another chance?

Prisoner 951 (Sunday 23/11/25, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

TV is, first and foremost, an entertainment medium. However, it can do so much more.

The BBC’s first Director-General, Lord Reith, actually stated the purpose of the corporation was to “inform, educate and entertain,” in that order. He also later wrote that “to have exploited so great a scientific invention for the purpose and pursuit of ‘entertainment’ alone would have been a prostitution of its powers and an insult to the character and intelligence of the people.”

He was, in fact, speaking about radio at the time, but no doubt he would have felt the same way about TV, had it been around. With those words in mind Reith may have been rather pleased by the number of hit dramas based on true stories, particularly Mr Bates vs the Post Office and The Hack, to have hit our screens in recent years, despite the fact they were on ITV rather than the Beeb.

He’d have had no conflict in praising the four-part Prisoner 951, however, which focuses on the ordeal of British-Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family after she was detained in Tehran on spying charges in 2016. She’d been visiting relatives with her young daughter, Gabriella, and was at the airport ahead of a flight to the UK at the time of her arrest.

Nazanin was also accused of running a school training local journalists, and was sentenced to five years (later extended by another 12 months) behind bars. She strenuously denied all accusations against her, with both herself and her husband Richard, then back home in London, going on hunger strikes to highlight her plight.

One of her few moments of joy came while watching Andy Murray win the Wimbledon men’s singles title in 2016; he later invited her to watch him play again, this time from the Royal Box in 2023. She also found great solace in reading: “After five months my family could bring me books. When the guard opened the door and handed over the books to me, I felt liberated, I could read books, they could transform my life and take me to another world.”

Eventually, in 2022, Nazanin returned home to Richard and Gabriella. The couple has now written a book, A Yard of Sky, from which Prisoner 951 has been adapted, with Gangs of London star Narges Rashidi and The Handmaid’s Tale actor Joseph Fiennes in the leads; coincidentally, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian tale was one of the books Nazanin read while behind bars.

Broadcasting the drama should highlight the plight of others who have gone through or are going through a similar ordeal, but at its heart is a human story, that of a family torn asunder physically, but kept together mentally by a bond of love.

As a BBC spokesperson remarked when the production was announced: “Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Richard Ratcliffe’s extraordinary experiences captured everyone’s hearts; their journey is one of despair, courage and hope, spanning two countries and six years, and ultimately, it’s a story of how this family, who were forced apart by international events, were finally reunited.”

Lord Reith would undoubtedly approve of the BBC’s involvement.

Civilisations: Rise and Fall (Monday 24/11/2025, BBC Two, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

With the news dominated by geopolitical conflicts, social unrest, economic pressures, the threat of pandemics, and technological transformations the world seems more unstable than it has been for decades.

So are we really on the brink of our civilisation collapsing?

To help us understand the risks we face today, this follow-up to the original 2018 Civilisations series, examines why four mighty civilisations found themselves on the brink of disaster, and how the art and artefacts, mainly at the British Museum, hold clues to explaining their fate.

Across four episodes, the words of experts, key academics and curators are combined with drama reconstructions to explain why each culture fell from power, and what they say about our divided modern society?

Each programme looks at the rise of a different great civilisation and explores the factors that led to its decline – whether it be war, dictatorship, climate change or pandemic.

Contributors throughout the series include Dominic Sandbrook from The Rest is History podcast, artists Antony Gormley and Edmund De Waal, co-host of The Rest is Politics podcast Alistair Campbell, Radio 4’s Making History presenter Iszi Lawrence and academics including Camilla Townsend, Mark Ravina, Shushma Malik and Salima Ikram.

Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts and Classical Music TV, says: “A new series of Civilisations is always a significant moment for BBC Arts and this incarnation feels particularly timely in our own uncertain age.

“Civilisations: Rise and Fall makes the case that museums are more relevant than ever: they are repositories of human memory, time-capsules – a crucial way for us to understand the past and how we might ensure the future of our own civilisation.”

The series begins tonight with a look at the fall of Rome.

When child emperor Honorius ascends to the throne in 395 AD, he inherits a system of government that’s built one of the most remarkable civilisations in history.

For over 400 years, the Roman Empire ruled a vast territory that crossed three continents and encompassed a multitude of peoples and languages.

But keeping this disparate whole together was a massive challenge and decisions taken by Honorius’ predecessors opened up alarming fault lines.

Guided by General Stilicho, he must control a fractured system plagued by rebellion, economic decline and elite corruption.

But Gothic peoples, having been recruited by the Roman state but subsequently mistreated, march against Rome, led by their commander Alaric.

The weakened city of Rome is about to fall to foreign invaders for the first time in 800 years.

Over the next four weeks, we will learn more about the the last days of the Ptolemies and how, in 51BC, Cleopatra became Queen of Egypt amid a crumbling dynasty plagued by infighting, betrayal and political chaos.

We’ll find out more about the end of the Samurai in Japan when giant American steamships arrived on Japan’s shores in the 19th century.

Plus, there’s the story behind the collapse of the Aztec Empire, when, in 1519, the arrival of the Spanish under Hernan Cortes, proved disastrous.

Summerwater (Tuesday 25/11/25, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Damon Smith

The truth has been malleable in this gripping six-part thriller but the residents of the remote loch-side Scottish holiday cabin park are finally forced to confront each other and resolve their differences in the concluding episode.

Until now, each instalment has chronicled events from the perspective of different holidaymakers beginning with the Tindalls. We’ve also glimpsed upheaval and betrayal through the eyes of the Zaliskevicius-Piotrowskas, the Hendersons and Annie (Shirley Henderson).

There is nowhere to hide from the repercussions of careless actions in this week’s devastating climax. Emotions boil over and residents come face to face, hoping to heal deep divisions. Just when it seems the mood might be about to lighten, tragedy strikes and unlikely bonds are forged in the name of survival.

A death in camp leaves visitors grappling with guilt and regret, searching for someone to blame – other than themselves, of course.

It’s been an exceedingly bumpy ride to this point. David (Dougray Scott) put pressure on Annie and plunged the couple into crisis as they struggled with past betrayals and an unbearable future. Marijonas (Arnas Fedaravicius) faced up to the darkest parts of himself and created a ripple effect for the other residents, while Alina’s (Anna Próchniak) worst fears were confirmed after an innocent attempt to make friends backfired.

Becky (Silvie Furneaux) pushed Gavin (James Harkness) to his limits to discover who he truly was and what he saw in the strange bothy, exposing his dangerous side in the process. And Josh (Anders Hayward) attempted to seal the bond of his relationship with Milli (Shereen Cutkelvin) but his heartfelt plan failed and he only succeeded in shining a light on their differences.

Filmed on location in Scotland, Summercamp has sustained tension by replaying events over 24 hours from markedly different points of view, directed by Robert McKillop and Fiona Walton, whose previous credits include the equally gloomy Rebus and Shetland.

The mystery is torn from the pages of the best-selling book by Sarah Moss, an addictive summer read in 2020, which has been faithfully adapted for the screen by John Donnelly. He previously worked on the trippy conspiracy thriller series Utopia and the provocative football drama The Pass starring Russell Tovey.

When Channel 4 announced Summerwater last year, Donnelly was effusive in his praise for the book. “Sarah Moss writes with perception, compassion and wit about sex, love, and the dark impulses of the human heart. She is one of our most brilliant chroniclers of modern life.” he said. “In Summerwater, Sarah has found the perfect environment to explore our secrets and desires – a rain-drenched holiday park in Scotland. Summerwater is at once an atmospheric mystery, a hilarious and heartbreaking exploration of identity and an existential thriller.”

Unlike the episodes of A Place in the Sun earlier in the day on Channel 4, this is one occasion when you’ll wish you weren’t there.

Shetland (Wednesday 26/11/25, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Every long-running drama has its stars, the characters viewers are drawn to who carry much of the action.

But in the background, out of the limelight, there are those quietly ploughing their own furrow, without fanfare. And yet their contribution to a show’s success is just as important – they add a little colour to matters and keep the story grounded.

Shetland has more than one, but the man who’s been there, seen it all, and kept his head while others have been losing theirs during the past 10 years is Sergeant Billy McCabe, played by Lewis Howden.

“The show has gone from strength to strength and has become so popular, at home and abroad,” says the veteran actor. “Imagining my small contribution might be a tiny part of the reason for its success makes me feel great, to be honest.”

The Leith-born actor has an extensive stage career, but it’s Shetland that has made him familiar to millions of TV viewers, despite the fact they know little about Billy’s life outside the police station at Lerwick. In past series, he’s mostly been a calming influence who’s drifted in and out, bringing cups of tea or batches of home baking to keep the frontline troops fed and watered while investigating terrible crimes.

But that’s now changed – Billy is front and centre this time around.

DIs Calder and Tosh are trying to find the killer of retired social worker Eadie Tulloch, a woman he and his wife Morag knew well. Eadie was the wife of a previous sergeant, as well as being a colleague of Morag. “Obviously this death affects him even more than others have before,” claims Howden.

He’s also welcomed Leigh Biagi onto the set – she plays the previously unseen Morag: “It was great exploring the personal life of Billy away from the station. They have a great wee house that is to die for, with just seals and seabirds for neighbours. They are living the good life and are very happy – but trouble is brewing.

“Having Leigh playing Morag has been incredible. We didn’t know each other before this series but we hit it off right away. I think we look like a longstanding couple!”

The storyline has also meant that he’s been able to get out of the studio and onto location – a rarity for the character.

“I filmed a scene outside the police station in Lerwick in season four, which involved Billy having a wee chat with Perez. However, apart from that, until this season, all my stuff has been filmed in a studio. So it was wonderful to spend some time up on the Shetland Isles on location this series and be part of the on location filming experience.”

Howden claims the series is full of memorable moments for him, but it would give away spoilers to mention them. However, there was an instance during shooting when “the air was slightly damp and the wind was blowing really hard, so much so, in fact, my normally curly, wiry hair was blow dried straight.”

Could this be a new look for Billy? Well, it would certainly keep him in the spotlight.

The Martin Lewis Money Show: Budget Special (Thursday 27/11/25, ITV1, 7.30pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

On Wednesday, November 26, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her Autumn Budget.

In the run up to the date, there was a lot of speculation about what it might contain, and on the day itself, Britain’s TVs channels brought us plenty of coverage and analysis of the political implications.

However, most viewers will no doubt be wondering just how it impacts them – and who better to break it down for us than Martin Lewis with a special edition of his Money Show?

Although he has said he sees himself as a journalist rather than a financial advisor, Lewis has become one of Britain’s most-trusted sources when it comes to money and consumer rights.

That’s largely down to the website moneysavingexpert.com, which he set up in 2003 and soon became hugely popular.

Lewis once said: “Some people were born to read music and play the piano; sadly, my gift was that I can look at credit cards terms and conditions and see how companies are trying to screw us over.

“It’s not as glamorous but it’s practical, and the fact that I have a big gob and happen to be a reasonable communicator means it works!”

That gift has made him hugely in demand as an expert in the media – as well as his own show, which began back in 2012, he’s also a regular contributor to This Morning. In addition, he’s led campaigns to tackle problems linked to energy bills, student finances, bank charges and the connection between debt and mental health.

For his efforts he’s picked up National Television and Royal Television Society Awards, and was given an OBE in 2014 which was upgraded to a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.

However, there may be downsides to being one of the Britain’s most-respected financial authorities. Lewis recently warned against scammers using his likeness to exploit members of the public.

Speaking on This Morning, he said: “I will do my usual caveat. I do not do adverts, I do not recommend ‘make money’ products, I do not recommend crypto trading or investment schemes – if you see those adverts on social media, they are criminals.”

He added: “It is absolutely devastating. My career has been about trying to protect consumers, protect their pockets and fight for financial justice. And for these people to use my name to rip vulnerable people off and non-vulnerable people off is absolutely disgraceful. And they know what they’re doing.”

Tonight though, viewers can rest assured that any advice they receive will be coming direct from the man himself. He’ll be talking us through the ramifications of the budget and what it means in real terms for the public and their finances.

As well as delivering his own analysis, he’ll also be taking questions from the audience to help viewers navigate the potential impact.

Return to Paradise (Friday 28/11/25, BBC1, 8pm)

Words by Damon Smith

British and Australian cultures collide in the latest visit to the heartwarming spin-off from murder mystery Death in Paradise, which completed its 14th series earlier this year. We get insights into the back story of Detective Senior Constable Colin Cartwright (Lloyd Griffith) when some of his friends visit from England to relive a fondly remembered Dolphin Cove backpacking holiday.

Unfortunately, the rosy glow of nostalgia wears off when one of the visitors wakes up in their locked motel room and discovers a stranger’s corpse as a sleeping buddy. With no sign how the killer exited the room, Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson) has her work cut out to crack the case.

Tonight’s episode is a favourite of Lloyd, who plays Colin, because the story dives deeper into his character’s former life in Lincolnshire. “I think a lot of people leave the UK searching for a sense of belonging,” he reflects. “I imagine some viewers might see Colin and long for a bit of the life he’s found.”

At the end of the first series, Colin thought Mack was leaving Dolphin Cove and he was going to lose a friend and mentor. The two are reunited and he’s more determined than ever to ensure Mack feels part of the community. “Colin and Mackenzie’s friendship becomes ridiculously joyful,” beams Anna. “They act like best friends while having no idea that they feel that way, which is really fun to play.”

While Colin stokes embers of romance with an old crush, Mack is doing her best to extinguish her feelings for Glenn (Tai Hara), who should be concentrating on his impending nuptials to Daisy (Andrea Demetriades). “Confronting matters of the heart is Mackenzie’s blind spot – anything intellectually difficult, she storms toward; emotionally, she runs,” explains Anna.

The love triangle has become even more complicated over the course of the second series, exposing cracks in the emotional walls that Mack builds to protect herself. The will they-won’t they tension with Glenn is a rich source of drama. “All I can say is it’s not simple, and it’s far from smooth sailing,” teases Anna.

Co-star Tai confesses that his favourite scenes are always the ones with Glenn and Mack and he’s very protective of the characters and their close relationship, which has proved such a hit with viewers. “I put a lot of time into those because Anna and I care so deeply about the characters,” he confirms. “They’re often the most emotional scenes, so it’s always a privilege to play them.”

Filmed at locations across Sydney and the picturesque Illawarra coastal region, Return to Paradise isn’t just a whodunit, whydunit or howdunit. It’s a heartwarming portrait of the colourful characters that contribute to a thriving community. “Sadly, some of those people do die every single week,” quips Lloyd, “but we’re on it, and we try to solve it!”

At this pace, Dolphin Cove will rival the mortality rate of Midsomer.