Springtime on the Farm, Britain's Got Talent and Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars: TV highlights this week

Words by Rachael Popow

Britain’s Got Talent is back for its 16th series, and in theory, we should all know the drill by now.

However, as this first episode gets under way, viewers may notice a couple of differences.

For a start, the auditions took place in London and Manchester for the first time since before the pandemic. We’re also promised that the calibre of the hopefuls is higher than ever (although some more cynical BGT watchers may feel like they’ve heard that one before).

The most noticeable difference though is on the judges’ panel, where David Walliams has been replaced by Bruno Tonioli.

He may be new to this show, but Bruno is of course an old hand when it comes to judging Saturday-night ratings juggernauts. The Italian-born dancer and choreographer had worked with many showbiz legends over the course of his career, including Tina Turner, the Rolling Stones and Elton John (you can spot him in the video for I’m Still Standing), but he became a celebrity in his own right when he was chosen to be a judge on Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.

He proved so popular with viewers, he was also recruited for the US version, Dancing with the Stars, when it launched the following year. Sadly, juggling both shows proved difficult when the pandemic hit, and travel restrictions meant he had to step down from the British version.

Luckily, it seems Simon Cowell thought Saturday night TV was missing something without the effusive Italian and has snapped him up.

As far as Alesha Dixon, who also made the move from Strictly to BGT is concerned, it was a good decision. Speaking on the BBC show Saturday Kitchen, she said: “Being the family that we were for 10 years, it felt strange at the beginning, it’s like a new normal, a new energy. But Bruno did fantastically well.

“I think it’s quite difficult coming in as the newbie, but he came with all his energy and pizzazz and the audience loved him.”

It won’t come as a huge surprise to Strictly fans, who know how difficult it could be for the Italian to stay in his seat, to learn that sometimes Bruno’s enthusiasm threatened to run away with him.

Alesha explains: “We had eight golden buzzers this year, which we’ve never had on any series, because the talent was that outstanding.

“Bruno pressed it within the first 10 to 15 seconds of the act. All the rules went out the window, but actually that became the theme of the series. It was great.

“We just threw the rulebook out and it was like anything goes, which made it quite fun.”

So, it seems we shouldn’t worry about Bruno having any nerves or difficulties settling in during this first episode.

But if he does need any pointers, he has Alesha and returning judges Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell for help, as well as returning presenters Ant and Dec, as they welcome more hopefuls to the stage, all competing for a place at the Royal Variety Show.

The Hunt for Raoul Moat (Sunday 16/04/23, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

On July 3, 2010, a disturbing story began to unfold which, for the next week, would grab the nation’s attention and refuse to let go.

Nobody who witnessed the media coverage of Raoul Moat’s crimes and the massive manhunt carried out after he went on the run can surely ever forget it. Certainly Kevin Sampson, whose previous work includes the screenplay for the acclaimed drama Anne, about campaigner Anne Williams’s fight for justice following her son Kevin’s death in the Hillsborough disaster, couldn’t get it out of his head.

“The hunt for Raoul Moat gripped me from the start, as it was the first such case to be covered ‘live’ by the new 24-hour news channels in the UK,” explains Sampson. “Even then, it interested me that Moat was being portrayed by some as a ‘legend’ in spite of the brutality of his crimes.

“Violence against women remains rife and is all too often accompanied by a victim-blaming agenda. I hope this drama will go some way to condemning this narrative.”

Just two days after being released from Durham prison following an 18-week sentence for assault, 37-year-old panel beater, bouncer and tree surgeon Moat headed to a house in Birtley, Tyne & Wear, to see his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, the mother of his youngest child. However, unhappy at seeing her with her new partner, Chris Brown, he began firing the shotgun he’d taken with him.

Brown was killed, while Stobbart was injured and subsequently needed surgery. Moat then went on the run, randomly targeting members of the police, having developed a hatred of the officers he held responsible for the collapse of his business. He even sent letters and made phone calls in which he claimed he had no intention of hurting the public, but would continue to fire on police officers until he himself was dead.

PC David Rathband became Moat’s next victim. He was shot and blinded while sitting in a police vehicle near East Denton; two years later, Rathband took his own life.

The drama, which is being broadcast on consecutive nights, follows the efforts of the police, led by senior officer Neil Anderson (Lee Ingleby) to find Moat, who, for inexplicable reasons, was viewed by some as an anti-hero, a victim fighting back against the authorities. That was just another twist in an extraordinary story that would end in further tragedy.

“The Hunt for Raoul Moat shines a light on the human tragedies behind the true story of Britain’s biggest ever manhunt to apprehend a violent killer,” adds Polly Hill, ITV’s head of drama.

“Following on from his success with Anne earlier this year, Kevin Sampson’s scripts are once again insightful and compelling. Equally, the production team is brilliant and they’ve set the bar extremely high for true crime drama.”

Matt Stokoe plays Moat, with Sally Messham as Stobbart. Sonya Cassidy, Vineeta Rishi and Josef Davis also appear in what promises to be an important and compelling series, one that sees the small screen at its best – as a tool for not just entertainment, but education too.

Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country (Monday 17/04/23, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

When this property renovation series first aired in 2021, it was accused of being ‘tasteless’ and ill-timed, with many people still struggling financially in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

But with recent polls suggesting 50 per cent of Brits dream of owning a smallholding, and over half of city dwellers aged 18-34 want to move to the countryside, there seems to be an appetite for shows demonstrating how people, however rich or famous, can achieve their dreams in rural areas.

Sarah Beeny’s New Life in the Country begins its third run tonight, with the TV presenter and property expert, along with husband Graham Swift and their four sons, continuing to immerse themselves in life in Somerset.

As well as renovating the semi-derelict former dairy farm, other highlights of the ambitious project included the family road-testing rural businesses such as cheesemaking, chilli growing, and cider making, and planting 1,000 young trees to improve biodiversity.

Sarah, who also worked on Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare and Help! My House Is Falling Down, has been in the news a fair bit over the last few months after revealing she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

But despite her diagnosis, she has said she will continue to work on TV and on the renovation.

Now that the main build has been completed, the couple start turning their house into a home, and the new series kicks off with Sarah and Graham transforming a bare concrete shell into a traditional country house library.

Inspired by their love of Rise Hall – a Grade II eighteenth-century building they saved and restored in the noughties – they hope to capture the essence of its 200-year-old country house library in a brand-new modern room.

It will be covered from wall-to-wall in bespoke bookcases, with sustainable timber coloured to give it a rich, aged, antique appearance.

However, the new library is half the size of the old Rise Hall library, so Sarah creates another reading area to house more books – a cosy book nook on the landing where she can curl up and escape to another world with her boys.

After eight painstaking months, Graham’s detailed designs are transformed into an historic library, echoing their beloved Rise Hall.

They showcase it to the boys, Rafferty, Laurie, Billy and Charlie, who are suitably impressed by its grandeur.

The youngsters’ opinions are clearly important to the couple.

Sarah has previously said her move to the countryside from London was motivated by her children’s education.

“Graham’s always wanted to move out of London and we’ve always harboured dreams of giving the boys that Swallows And Amazons childhood idyll,” she says.

“Children grow up too quickly in London. We just want them to be children as long as they can.

“It was the right time in their lives to make the change and we’re very fortunate that we are in a position that we could make it happen. It’s all about decluttering our lives.

“We’re making life simpler so we can concentrate on the things that really matter.”

Springtime on the Farm (Tuesday 18/04/23, Channel 5, 8pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

In 2010, the BBC’s Horizon told the remarkable story of the Nebra sky disc, an unassuming circle of green metal with gold-coloured depictions of the sun, moon and stars.

Dated to the Bronze Age, it turned out to be the oldest concrete depiction of astronomical phenomena known from anywhere in the world. In June 2013, the disc was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and dubbed “one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century”.

While people in ancient times may have relied on bits of metal and celestial events to determine the changing seasons, in this digital age, we rely on Helen Skelton, Adam Henson and Jules Hudson to let us know when spring has properly sprung.

The trio of presenters are at Cannon Hall Farm until Friday, providing local and national updates from their South Yorkshire base, as well as other family farms up and down the UK.

In this edition, the Nicholson brothers pull out all the stops to save the life of a ‘Spitti lamb’, a rare type of Swiss Valais sheep. Meanwhile, a foal from much-loved Shire horse Ruby fights to recover from a difficult birth, and cameras visit a remote farm in the Pennines, where spring tends to arrive a little later than across the rest of northern England.

Adam Henson reports from his farm in the heart of the Cotswolds, which has welcomed hundreds of newborn lambs so far this year. Plus, the team reveals how you can best support your nearest food producers and farm shops.

As the week rolls on, JB Gill joins the presenters to cover all the drama of day and night as farmers burn the candle at both ends to keep up with the hundreds of lambs being born around the country.

Adam Henson sorts out his horned rams and Cannon Hall Farm favourite, Shire horse Blossom, heads to a stud farm in search of a new mate.

Plus, JB Gill learns that you don’t have to own acres of land to be a farmer as the show’s cameras head to the wild North York Moors.

Thursday sees Adam Henson take a brief break from lambing for some urgent work with his herd of dairy cows, while farming brothers Rob and Dave Nicholson head to a right royal farm for inspiration about a rare breed of pigs.

JB Gill meets a couple who live self-sustainably in search of the good life, before we visit a South Wales farmer who cares for some stunning wild ponies.

The series concludes with a return to Cannon Hall Farm, where excitement mounts as Coco the Highland cow is about to give birth.

Meanwhile, it’s busier than ever at Adam Henson’s farm in the Cotswolds, Yorkshire Vet Julian Norton is on duty, and farmer Ruth takes her precious Shire horse Rosie to her first country show.

Over in the midlands, JB Gill heads to a farm with some unique animals, and we meet a farming family who traded the south of England for the glory of the Scottish countryside.

Race Across the World (Wednesday 19/04/23, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

Many people love to get away from it all, unwinding and unplugging from the hurly burly of the modern world to enjoy some fun in the sun.

Some go for seven days on a sun lounger, while others go in search of culture and adventure on foreign shores.

No matter where they ended up, the chances are a good number of them would probably also clutch their pearls and gasp at the mere thought of going without good internet access or a mobile phone for a week.

So you have to hand it to the participants in the third run of this breathtaking global competition series.

If you’ve not yet managed to catch it, cameras have been following the progress of five pairs of intrepid travellers, not as they enjoy a quiet holiday in a faraway place, but as they race from one side of Canada to the other.

The epic journey started at the Pacific Ocean in Vancouver and covers 16,000 kilometres across six time zones to the finish line, perched on the Atlantic coast in North America’s most easterly city: St John’s Newfoundland

At first glance it sounds like a breeze, until you read the fine print: none of the duos can use air travel to get from A to B. Nor can they avail themselves of any modern-day trappings, including smartphones and credit cards – all transactions have to be paid for in cash.

Taking on this mammoth challenge are best friends Cathie and Tricia, brothers Marc and Michael, husband and wife Mobeen and Zainib, and two father-daughter duos: Kevin and Claudia, and Ladi and Monique.

Each had their own reasons for taking part in the show, but for Mobeen it was “an amazing opportunity to switch off from life, which can sometimes seem to become a bit mundane.”

For Ladi, it was the thought of spending quality time with Monique: “This is probably going to be the last time ever that we’re going to be like this,” he says. “I need to explain to her life and everything that goes with it. It was a great opportunity to do that.”

This edition catches up with the duos at the half-way point of the journey, and it’s genuinely nail biting stuff.

The teams start the race to the fifth checkpoint, which lies more than 3,000 kilometres away on Manitoulin Island.

Unfortunately for them, there is only one way out of Churchill: an overnight train south, followed by two bus journeys that can only be described as from hell.

Following their decision to splash out on a taxi during the previous leg, the current leaders do their best to struggle on with only a quarter of their budget remaining.

Meanwhile, Zainib is racked with homesickness, leaving her and husband Mobeen facing a difficult decision, as Monique and Ladi try to make a quick break from the other teams.

However, bad news from home has Tricia fearing she may have to cut her race short. As emotions run high and the clock continues to tick, is it only a matter of time before one of the pairs cracks?

Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars (Thursday 20/04/23, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Scheenagh Harrington

It feels as though every sphere of activity has its own televised search for the Next Big Thing. For years entertainers have been propelled to fame and fortune via shows such as New Faces, The Voice or Britain’s Got Talent.

And Lord Sugar has been loudly sifting through the ranks of high-achieving entrepreneurs to hand one lucky winner the business equivalent of the Golden Ticket, so it was only a matter of time before the food industry got in on the act.

Sure enough, last year the curtain went up on this series, as renowned chef Gordon Ramsay took a leaf out of Sir Alan’s books and began looking to invest a hefty £150,000 of his own hard-earned cash in someone he believed had the chops to make it.

The participants faced a range of challenges aimed at testing everything from their business acumen to their creative ability, and all the while the series criss-crossed the country, making it as much a travelogue as a competition.

Gordon explains: “The aim really is to shine a light on some of the amazing places, people and their businesses making the UK food and drink industry so exciting right now.

“It really does showcase the UK beautifully, the places we visit, the people we meet. And of course the good, the bad and the downright ugly – sometimes – of the challenges each week really make it a good watch.”

At the end of series one, Londoner Victoria Omobuwajo and her plantain-based snack brand Sunmo was awarded the cash prize. When asked about how she had been faring since, Gordon says: “Victoria continues to be really pushing forward with her Sumno brand.

“She’s growing her UK distribution and now growing her footprint internationally and developing new lines that continue to help people eat nutritious food without having to compromise on taste.”

He’s equally as enthusiastic about anyone else who wants to launch their own food business. “If you’ve got a great idea, give it a go! Don’t be the person who 20 years later regrets not giving something a chance. Research your market, properly plan your costs, think big, start small and believe in yourself,” he says.

It’s good advice for the remaining hopefuls in series two, which is already at the half-way stage and in this episode, it’s all about innovation. The contenders hot-foot it to Oxford, where they must replicate a platter as demonstrated by a Sushi master.

Next, Gordon wants the teams to embrace the world of canned cocktails and seltzers. Not only must they create a brand that will stand out among the crowded supermarket shelves, it’s also going to be launched at the world-renowned Royal Henley Regatta.

Which team’s drink will go down a storm and whose will be a damp squib?

As always, Gordon has a raft of undercover experts constantly reporting back to him on everyone’s progress, before he gathers the hopefuls together and offers his verdict about their performance during the week.

As always, the big question is: who lives to fight another day and who is going home?

The Big Interiors Battle (Friday 21/04/23, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Watch out Alan Carr and your Interior Design Masters – AJ Odudu is here to present a new competition, in which the contestants are battling it out for a very impressive prize.

Based in Eyewitness Works, a high-end development in the heart of Sheffield, the show will see eight talented interior designers each receive the keys to a different two-bedroomed apartment where they are challenged to transform a different room each week.

Whoever wins gets to keep their apartment, which is worth £250k.

No wonder presenter AJ is raring to go. She says: “I’m so excited to be involved in a series that has the potential to genuinely change the winner’s life. I’m also looking forward to seeing everyone’s different styles – as a major interiors obsessive myself, I’ll definitely be on the look out to hopefully pick up some nifty DIY tricks from this cast of pros.”

However, the person the contestants really need to impress is judge Dara Huang, an architect and entrepreneur who has worked with billionaires and some of the world’s most famous brands, and is expecting big things from the contestants.

She says: “I’m really looking forward to seeing what this cast of competitors bring to the table in the hopes of winning this life-changing prize. I’ll be holding contestants to an extremely high standard as there’s a lot at stake here – they’ll need to employ genuinely innovative design hacks to create something original and impressive!”

It sounds like she won’t necessarily sugar coat her opinions, but that’s not the only way the contestants will find out whether they have made the grade.

Once the challenge is complete and their efforts have been judged, they will return to their apartment to try the key card – if it lights up green, they will live to design another week, but if it turns red, they are locked out and eliminated from the competition.

In the opening episode, the focus is on the bedrooms. Each space has a different layout, and so the designers can really put their own stamp on it.

Their chosen themes range from brutalist and ‘lads’ pad’ to Japandi and jungle spa, but can they pull off their ambitious ideas in just four days and on a limited budget? And who will impress Dara and survive their first lockout?

It’s going to be a tense time for the designers, but perhaps the people who should really be feeling nervous are the owners of the building, who will be also be on hand to keep an eye on their investment.

Co-founder of Capital&Centric, Adam Higgins commented says: “Eyewitness Works is the perfect setting to let designers loose to deliver dream spaces that match their personalities, with one ultimately bagging a home of their own. We’ll be following their every inspiration – they couldn’t be in better hands with AJ and Dara at the helm.”

Let’s hope he still feels the same way when he sees the rooms…