The Great British Sewing Bee and Olympics Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony - TV highlights this week

Love & Death (Saturday 20/07/24, ITV1, 10pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Sometimes fact can be stranger – and in the case of Candy Montgomery, grislier – than fiction.

Last year, her story was turned into a seven-episode mini-series by super-producer and writer David E Kelley, the man behind such previous hits as Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal and, more recently, Big Little Lies and Big Sky.

If you’re an ITVX subscriber, you may have watched it when the show debuted on the streaming service a few months ago. Now the rest of us are getting a chance to see it.

The story begins by depicting Candy as a seemingly ordinary housewife living with her husband and two children in Wylie, Texas, in 1980. The family are regular attendees of the local Methodist church, where she meets schoolteacher Betty Gore, who lives nearby with her own husband, Allan, and their offspring.

Everything seems perfect, until Candy and Allan begin an illicit affair that’s brought to an abrupt end by Betty’s violent death.

As we witness during the drama, Candy struck her 41 times with an axe in what seemed like an open-and-shut case of murder, but turned out to be anything but. It’s no secret that she was found not guilty; how and why – as well as a build up to the attack – are what make the story fascinating.

In 2022, the same case featured in the drama Candy, with Jessica Biel in the title role. Elizabeth Olsen plays her in Love & Death, with Jesse Plemons and Lily Rabe also starring.

Kelley based his scripts on Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs, Jim Atkinson and John Bloom’s book about the crime.

“I was fascinated,” says Kelley. “I was engrossed in the characters and their pathology. It all drew me in – the place, the people and, of course, the insane plot.”

He immediately approached Blossom Films, the company run by Nicole Kidman and Per Saari, which also worked with Kelley on Big Little Lies. They were thrilled to get on board.

“With David, we always trust that his writing will reflect the human condition, which is what Nicole and I are most drawn to,” says Saari, adding that a gruesome axe murder has to be entertaining. “It has to feel human. We experienced this making Big Little Lies. The characters are in challenging situations, but we presented them like a cappuccino: frothy on top, but underneath there’s a bitter taste that gives you that punch.

“We had to honour the facts and spirit of who these people were. Candy wasn’t a ‘psychopath’; she was – and is – a real person who had feelings and complexities; Betty too.”

“When I consider doing any series, the first question I ask is ‘Why?’ And if the story has a strong plot with characters that can entertain and provoke – those are good jumping-off points. And all of that was in these characters,” adds Kelley.

“I could relate to them. I’ve been to those churches, I’ve seen people singing in choirs and socialising at picnics. I felt as if I knew them. At the same time, I didn’t know what some of them, especially Candy, were capable of becoming…”

McDonald & Dodds (Sunday 21/07/24, ITV1, 8pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

Mismatched detectives DS Dodds (Jason Watkins) and DCI Lauren McDonald (Tala Gouveia) are back for a new series – and you may spot a few more familiar faces as they get to work solving cases against the picturesque backdrop of Bath.

Tala Gouveia is certainly impressed with the guest stars that have been recruited for the three feature-length episodes.

She says: “Toby Stephens and Lydia Leonard [are] both seasoned actors bringing something special episode one.

“Hugh Quarshie (Star Wars) lead our guest cast in episode two. He was incredible. Thoughtful, precise, enigmatic.

“Episode three, we had Victoria Hamilton who is just a complete pro, I absolutely loved watching her work. Richard Harrington is one of the funniest guys on set and Jason Hughes (Midsummer Murders), because we love a cheeky detective show crossover.

“And for the pop star fans we had Pixie Lott and Will Young. Both have brilliant acting chops.”

She adds: “Those are just a few examples. There are other faces audiences will recognise and some newbies as well.”

But whoever the guest stars may be, the real focus is still on the odd couple who give the series its name, although as Talia points out, their relationship has evolved since the detective drama began.

She says: “When McDonald first met Dodds in series one he seemed to her like a bumbling fool. She learns, as the audience do, that he is nothing of the sort. The two characters develop this really lovely partnership and bond and they really bounce off each other. A lot of people come up to me and say how much they love the relationship between them. It is very much at the heart of the show.”

However, their new understanding brings its own pressures.

Talia explains: “McDonald and Dodds trust each other a lot more now, but that sometimes makes the conflict more intense. It’s like if you have an argument with a friend or a partner or family member it can just feel so much worse, so actually it has heightened the stakes.

“There are moments where the trust feels broken between them. Someone goes behind the others back, or hasn’t shared something of the case perhaps. And that leads to conflict and unease between them, which has been really fun to explore.”

Hopefully, they can work together in the opening episode though as, after seemingly tying up the case of a journalist who died at a party at her own house, they are called to investigate a woman who was found shot dead in a rented flat in Bath.

The DNA evidence reveals the victim is Anne Holgate, who has been a missing person for the last 38 years after she vanished on her way home from school.

So, where has been all these years – and why did someone now want her dead?

The cops begin by questioning Anne’s only living relative Mark, who is now a wealthy financier who mixes with Bath’s elite. He’s clearly traumatised by his family’s tragedies, but is he also hiding a dark secret?

Sophie Morgan’s Fight to Fly (Monday 22/07/24, Channel 4, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

In 2023, presenter Sophie Morgan’s wheelchair was damaged beyond use on a flight from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Sadly, it wasn’t an isolated incident. Later that year, she had a similar experience when her wheelchair attachment, which had been stored in the hold of an aircraft, would not work after another flight on the same route.

Sophie spoke out to say there is “nothing more frustrating” for a disabled airline passenger than having their mobility device damaged. She added: “It’s more than just an inconvenience. It is extremely debilitating. It’s unforgivable.

“I think people perhaps don’t quite understand this severity, the damage it does to your life and your ongoing confidence when flying.”

As she told The Mirror: “It’s incredibly distressing because it’s your legs. If the headlines read, airlines break thousands of passengers legs every year, can you imagine the outcry?”

So, she has since been on a mission to make people understand the problem, including launching the Rights on Flights campaign.

Sophie says: “The campaign aims to achieve systemic change, such as increased staff competency in disability assistance, community engagement, commitments from manufacturers to implement accessible designs, and policy changes and legislation advancing disability rights.”

Now in this documentary, she’s also shows just what she has been fighting against as she sends a group of disabled travellers undercover to expose the shocking service that some people experience when flying. It reveals the issues can range from wheelchairs being broken en route to a passenger having to drag himself on the floor to use the toilet.

It’s shocking stuff, but Sophie is determined to do something about it, and cameras follow her as she takes her campaign to both the White House and Downing Street.

She also learns more about an invention that could allow passengers to stay in their wheelchairs while flying. Sophie then becomes the first British female paraplegic to take a zero-gravity flight, which raises the question of why, if aerospace is accessible, aviation isn’t too.

As a TV presenter on everything from Crufts to Loose Women, Sophie is no stranger to making her voice heard, but with this documentary, she’s got extra celebrity backing – it’s been made in collaboration with Hello Sunshine, Reese Witherspoon’s production company.

Sophie told The Mirror: “I want to do everything I can to influence change for people like me. That’s my mission, and that speaks to what Reese and Hello Sunshine are about.

“My mum says that before the car crash, I was always a rebel but without a cause. But now I have a cause and that gives me peace, even when I struggle with everything that comes with being paralysed.”

Hopefully, this documentary will also help her to bring peace to some of the people who are currently finding that jetting off on a summer holiday is anything but relaxing.

Midsomer Murders (Tuesday 23/07/24, ITV1, 8pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

In 1996, a TV institution was born when John Nettles made his debut as DCI Tom Barnaby in the very first episode of Midsomer Murders.

Adapted from Caroline Graham’s series of novels by the prolific Anthony Horowitz, it’s survived major cast changes and is still going strong, perhaps because its depiction of the English countryside is much-loved by viewers around the world. Its mix of dark humour with a dash of whimsy has also made it popular with homegrown fans.

However, it’s such a big hit in the US, they got to see the latest episode, A Grain of Truth, a whole two years ago. While some thought it was well up to standard, others claimed it reach match the high standards set by older tales. There were also viewers who, bizarrely, claimed to be upset by DS Jamie Winter’s haircut.

Now, at long last, we’re getting a chance to see what all the fuss is about, both story and coiffeur-wise.

The plot takes place within the organic baking world, an industry you don’t necessarily think of whenever crime is mentioned. However, Barnaby and Winter’s investigative skills are going to be ‘kneaded’ (sorry) after pastry chef Chrissie Larkton’s newly renovated mill proves unpopular, leading to a suspected poisoning and a couple of grisly deaths.

As has been the case since 2011, Neil Dudgeon plays the man in charge of the case, DCI John Barnaby, the nephew of original central character Tom; he believes part of the show’s enduring success is down to the chemistry between himself and Nick Hendrix, who portrays Winter.

“We’ve had times where we’ve tried to play the scene without actually making eye contact because it made us laugh too much. And that is, I think, a low point for any professional artist, to be quite honest. I’m outing us both here,” smiles the Doncaster-born actor, although he goes on to claim he reckons they’d be good detectives in real life. “I’d do the thinking and Nick can run around dragging people into lakes and stuff like that.”

Dudgeon is about to match Nettles’ tenure of 13 years as the show’s lead, something he never expected to achieve when he was asked to play the role.

“I never had any idea that it would go on this long,” he reveals. “They said, ‘come in and do a few episodes of Midsomer,’ and I thought, ‘I’ll give it a try. I hope I don’t destroy the show inside one episode because that would be very embarrassing, after John Nettles has done it so marvellously for 13 years and I bury it inside one episode’. That would have been very embarrassing.

“But we got through that first series and then they wanted to do it again and I thought ‘Hurrah!’, and sort of repaid the faith of the people who cast me in it.”

Let’s hope the star continues to fight crime in this otherwise quiet corner of the country – here’s to another 13 years!

The Great British Sewing Bee (Wednesday 24/07/24, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

As the 10th series of The Great British Sewing Bee concludes tonight, some viewers may be asking themselves if the standard has been as high as in previous runs.

Well, according to judge Patrick Grant, it definitely has. He says: “We’ve had a pretty consistent standard [over the past few years].

“Sometimes we’ve had people who are more technically capable, sometimes people who are more creatively capable. And not just creatively capable with time to prepare at home. Some people have been phenomenally good at picking up whatever pile of gubbins we throw in front of them in the transformation challenge and making something incredible.

“This year is no exception. It’s not always the technically most competent person who wins. That’s what’s made the show much more interesting over the last four or five years.”

But while the levels of talent on display may stay constant, there have been plenty of changes on Sewing Bee.

Patrick, who has been with the show since the very first episode, says: “It’s interesting to see how far the conversation around clothes has changed over a decade. And the conversation around our own abilities to make and mend and reuse both the clothes and the textiles we have in our homes. I’d be surprised if Sewing Bee hadn’t had a fairly significant impact on people’s awareness of the issues around the production and disposal of clothing.”

He adds: “In this series, for the first time, there were a significant number of sewers wearing clothes they’d made out of non-new materials. Also, on various made-to-measure challenges outside of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Week, they were voluntarily choosing to make clothes out of reclaimed or repurposed textiles. That is a fundamental change in thinking and we’ve had a lot to do with that.”

Some viewers may think they’ve noticed another change – there has been some murmuring on social media this year about whether the challenges are getting too difficult, with many contestants struggling to finish in the allotted time.

That’s clearly a matter of opinion, but this final won’t change anyone’s minds, as the three finalists are faced with what even Patrick’s fellow judge Esme Young admits is a tricky pattern challenge – opera gloves.

She says: “I was really worried about that.. I mean, I can make gloves – I’ve got a glove pattern – but it is tricky. You can only use tiny, weeny seams. And it was a stretch fabric, which makes it even trickier.

“They’d never done that before. It’s really fiddly to sew and you’ve got gussets between the fingers and they’ve got to fit well – they can’t be like webbed feet.”

Luckily, viewers won’t have to dwell on the concept of finger gussets for too long, as the sewers are then asked to transform party paraphernalia, including bunting and napkins, into something fabulous and wearable. Then it’s the all-important made-to-measure, where they create a full outfit by draping on their models.

But who will presenter Kiell Smith-Bynoe, who has been a very welcome addition to the sewing room this series, announce as the winner?

Linford (Thursday 25/07/2024, BBC One, 8.30pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods, Mike Tyson, Oscar Pistorius, Diego Maradona, Marion Jones and Ben Johnson.

The sporting world is awash of once great athletes who have experienced spectacular and painful falls from grace.

One of the most infamous examples of a British sportsperson who has suffered a similar downfall is Linford Christie.

During the late 1980s and 90s, Christie was Britain’s most fêted track and field athlete, and in 1993 he was undoubtably the fastest man on earth, having won successive golds at the Olympics, World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games.

Linford was as famous as any celebrity in the UK, with his victories uniting the country in celebration and prompting endless media coverage of his life.

After winning 24 medals in a highly decorated decade of dominance, the Jamaican-born sprinter seemed to disappear off our screens.

Then in February 1999, he briefly came out of retirement to compete at an indoor meeting in Dusseldorf and settle a bet with the athletes he was coaching.

However, during the event, Linford tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone and subsequently retired again from competing.

Although he was cleared by UK Athletics, the case was sent for arbitration by IAAF who imposed two-year ban.

The test was not the first time Linford had tested positive.

At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, he narrowly escaped suspension when a drugs test following the 200m revealed traces of the stimulant pseudoephedrine.

These days, the retrospective judgement of Christie’s glittering athletics career is still tainted by that one failed test in 1999.

But now, for the first time, he is confronting the past and considering his legacy.

In director Kwabena Oppong’s no-holds barred documentary, Linford looks back on his extraordinary career, from the highs of winning Olympic gold in Barcelona to the lows of failing a drugs test seven years later.

It’s a story told through exclusive interviews with Christie himself, as well as family, childhood friends, fellow athletes (Sally Gunnell and Jonathan Edwards), the sprinters he trained (Darren Campbell and Katherine Merry), as well as the journalists who followed his career, and even the doping authorities who were there when it ended in ignominy.

It’s fair to say, Christie’s journey was far from plain sailing and he often doubted his talent.

The now 64-year-old, who used to be known as ‘Lunchbox Linford’ for the effect his skintight running outfit had on his body parts, explains:

“I was born to run and regardless of whatever obstacles they threw in my way, it never stopped my belief.

“I was never the fastest, I just made everyone else believe that I was.

“I never focused on the last race, always on the next one, which is why this documentary has been something completely different for me as it has made me reflect on all aspects of my career.”

The film tells a story about respect and reputation in an era of unchecked racism and tabloid power.

In addition, it can be seen as an allegory about what it takes to be a winner, as well as a cautionary tale of how an illustrious career can be brought down by a single moment.

Olympics: Paris 2024 – Opening Ceremony (Friday 26/07/24, BBC One, 5.45pm)

Words by Richard Jones

While the archery, football, handball and rugby sevens competitions are already under way, the Paris Olympics begin in earnest following the opening ceremony.

The Games are all about the competition (Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together), but as is usual for a host city, the organisers of the Paris Olympics will aim to showcase the City of Lights and French culture just as much as the athletes.

Over the next 16 days we will see the marathon get under way at the Hotel de Ville, equestrian at Château de Versailles and beach volleyball on the the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

However, before the 10,000 athletes across 329 events in 32 sports head to these and other iconic venues, we will get to see the French capital showcased in what will be an opening ceremony like no other.

Tonight’s curtain raiser, masterminded by renowned stage director Thomas Jolly, is the first Olympic opening ceremony held outside a stadium.

Instead, the competitors will step onto 180 boats that will embark on a procession through the heart of Paris via the city’s main artery: the River Seine.

The flotillas will depart from the Austerlitz bridge before passing by iconic landmarks such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Place de la Concorde, before the parade reaches a crescendo at the Place du Trocadéro against the majestic backdrop of the Eiffel Tower.

As well as introducing live coverage of tonight’s unique opening ceremony, Clare Balding will also be previewing the next 16 days of incredible sporting action in France.

Along with Gabby Logan, Hazel Irvine Jeanette Kwakye and JJ Chalmers, she is heading up the BBC’s comprehensive live coverage of the Games, and like millions of sports fans across the globe, she can’t wait for the action to get under way.

She says: “The crowds will be back, friends and families will be there to share the experience and support athletes, the venues will be beautiful, and it’ll be in a friendly time zone so there is a huge amount to enjoy.

“I think we’ll have our best ever Olympics in swimming and that’s what I’ll be enjoying.

“We’ve got huge chances across the board but I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how Matt Richards, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott can do in the pool, as well as Adam Peaty of course.

“Emma Finucane is one to watch in the velodrome and Tom Pidcock, who defends his mountain bike title.

“Also, I’ll keep a close eye on the Eventing team – Ros Canter is one to watch as well as Ben Maher, who defends his title in show jumping.”

Joining the BBC Sport presenters are a stellar line up of studio guests including Beth Tweddle, Chris Hoy, Laura Kenny, Denise Lewis, Fred Sirieix, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Katherine Grainger, Mark Foster, Michael Johnson, Nicola Adams, Rebecca Adlington and Tonia Couch, who will all share their analysis and expertise.

Following the spectacular opening ceremony, the Olympic flame will be burning bright in the illuminated cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens next to the Louvre.

Let’s hope the sporting action in the stadiums, arenas, pools, tracks, courts, courses and other venues matches the beauty of the City of Light which will be there for all to see this evening.