Kevin McCloud’s Classic Car Road Trips and Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild - TV highlights this week

40 Hits of 1986 at the BBC (Saturday 17/10/26, BBC Two, 8.35pm)

Words by Damon Smith

Ten years before Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie C and Geri Halliwell zigazig-ahed to the top of the global charts, girl power wasn’t yet in full force in the UK singles chart.

Only three of the top 10 biggest selling tracks of the year were released by solo female artists – Diana Ross, Madonna and Sinitta – plus the soaring vocals of Terri Nunn helped pop band Berlin score the ninth biggest seller of 1986 with Take My Breath Away after it was used in Top Gun starring Tom Cruise.

We’re getting a chance to celebrate 40 years of those hits and more via two and a half hours of archive performances from different BBC shows. Among the highlights are A Different Corner by George Michael, Simply Red’s Holding Back the Years, Touch Me by Samantha Fox and Jermaine Stewart’s We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off. There are also appearances by the likes of Pet Shop Boys, A-ha, Eurythmics, Erasure, Falco, Nana Mouskouri and Europe.

And if you are still hungry for more nostalgic tunes, at 11.05pm, the hour-long special TOTP 1986: Big Hits looks back at some of the records that dominated the year featuring Bon Jovi, Cameo, The Cure, The Human League, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Ocean, The Pretenders and Kim Wilde. Then at 12.05am, Top Of The Pops: The Story Of 1986 delves into the real-world events that made their mark on the nation’s most popular music show, including the big bang in the money markets and political fatigue on the left.

An impressive 21 songs hit the top of the UK charts during 1986 but it was The Communards’ cover version of Don’t Leave Me This Way that ended the year as the biggest selling song, narrowly beating out EastEnders actor and singer Nick Berry. His track Every Loser Wins featured heavily on the BBC One soap opera that summer, as sung by his character Wicksy, and reigned supreme at number one for three weeks.

Cliff Richard earned his first chart-topping single in seven years thanks to the birth of Comic Relief in 1986. He joined forces with the cast of popular sitcom The Young Ones to record Living Doll and sold over 700,000 singles for a good cause. Also in the top five singles of the year, Boris Gardiner made listeners swoon with I Want To Wake Up With You and Diana Ross scored her second UK number one with Chain Reaction, written and produced by the Bee Gees.

The Eurovision Song Contest broadcast on the BBC that year from the Grieghallen in Norway, with the mercurial Terry Wogan commentating in his inimitable style, and saw 20 nations competing for the coveted prize. Sandra Kim from Belgium was the runaway victor with her song J’aime La Vie amassing 176 points. Pop band Ryder fronted by Maynard Williams represented the United Kingdom with Runner In The Night and placed seventh. It was a disappointing result at the time but what we wouldn’t give now for a top 10 UK Eurovision finish.

Kevin McCloud’s Classic Car Road Trips (Sunday 18/10/2026, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

When an employee reaches a long-service milestone in their workplace, they may be given a gift voucher, trophy or certificate, if they are lucky.

But that wasn’t the case for Kevin McCloud after he brought up a quarter of a century hosting Channel 4’s Grand Designs in autumn 2024.

The broadcaster’s ‘reward’ for the presenter the following year was commissioning Kevin McCloud’s Classic Car Road Trips, a new travelogue/motoring series in which he would indulge his passion for beautiful vehicles in some of Europe’s most picturesque places.

McCloud’s love for cars stems from his father, an electronics engineer and rocket scientist who worked on British aerospace projects (including Concorde), and spent Sunday mornings working on cars.

In an interview with The Telegraph in 2010, McCloud’ Jr said that he appreciated the “amazing ability of human beings to create and make beautiful things”.

He added: “I love looking across the history of motoring, that’s what’s great, beautiful cars like Alfas of the Thirties; the early Auto Unions, or Maseratis of the Fifties. I’m a great fan of cars.”

In this new six-part series, McCloud goes back to the golden age of motoring – an era before budget airlines and endless grey motorways.

In each episode, he is handed the keys to an iconic head-turning car – each one a feat of timeless engineering and aesthetic excellence – before driving them through the countries of their origin and learns more about the heritage, history and unique culture of the locations.

The Volvo P 1800, immortalised by The Saint, takes him across Sweden’s stunning scenery, arcane archipelagos and idyllic seaside towns.

McCloud also manoeuvres a magnificent Maserati 3500 GT through Italy’s provincial piazzas, medieval hilltop villages and ancient cities.

Further episodes see him explore England’s Peak District in a Jaguar Mk2, traverse Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coastal Route in a DeLorean MC12, and visit modernist masterpieces in Baden-Württemberg, while driving a classic Mercedes SL.

However, he begins tonight in the French Riviera in a classic 1960s Citroën DS convertible.

Considered one of the most beautiful cars ever made, the DS was given its two-letter name because it sounded like ‘Déese’, the French word for goddess.

McCloud’s journey takes him from Cannes via a wandering route to Monaco, and his first stop is an internationally renowned design school near Nice.

The 67-year-old presenter then heads into the hills to discover the story of one family’s incredible art collection, gifted to them by artists who ate at their restaurant.

His competitive streak comes out when he tries playing square boules, a game born in a village on a steep hill.

He explores a pioneering modernist house, Villa E-1027, before completing the slowest ever lap of the Monaco Grand Prix Circuit in another very different, classic Citroën.

McCloud has spent the past quarter of a century looking at the Grand Designs of new houses (although his other series Listed Britain is being shown again before this new programme). However, when it comes to cars, he definitely prefers the old ones.

“This is an exciting new venture for me,” McCloud says.

“A chance to explore how classic vehicles – themselves time-space machines that connect us to our collective past – can embody and tell the stories of a place, perhaps a year, and an exciting moment.”

“Old cars are also a joy to explore and to drive.”

Aberfan: The Village that Fought Back (Monday 19/10/26, BBC Two & BBC One Wales, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

On October 21, 1966, one of the most chilling and devastating disasters ever to hit Britain took place in a mining village near Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales.

Few people outside of the area would probably have heard of Aberfan before a colliery spoil tip slid down the mountain above it in a matter of seconds, engulfing Pantglas Junior School and a row of houses that stood in its path.

One hundred and forty-four people were killed – 116 of them were children who’d arrived in class that morning, expecting an ordinary day. What happened wiped out almost an entire generation; their graves stand like sentinels, keeping watch over the village, a constant reminder (not that anybody needs one) of what occurred. In 2022, the local cemetery was Grade II* listed on the Cadw/COMOS Register of Parks and Garden of Special Historic Interest in Wales due to it being “of great national importance and meaning”.

Much has been written and said about Aberfan in the decades since the disaster. Even an episode of smash-hit Netflix drama The Crown dedicated an episode to it, in which Queen Elizabeth II (played by Olivia Colman) was depicted weeping during a visit to the site with Prince Philip. Director Benjamin Caron said that the time: “This story in particular affected the whole of Wales, the United Kingdom and the Queen.

“Peter Morgan, the writer and showrunner, and I thought this was a story we wanted to tell. And that we wanted to do that with truth and dignity, and also to make sure that it is never forgotten.”

It did so brilliantly. But as has usually been the case, the focus was on the tragedy itself and its immediate aftermath. A new documentary being broadcast to mark the 60th anniversary takes a different viewpoint by examining what happened in the weeks and months that followed after survivors and bereaved families came together to fight for the remaining tips above Aberfan – there had been seven and six still stood – to be removed before something similar happened again.

What seems incredible and horrifying now is that a fight had to take place at all, and that common sense did not prevail. Instead, those who had already suffered such terrible loss and pain faced further trauma as they met with delay, evasion and a lack of accountability from those responsible.

Here, those who battled the National Coal Board and the government tell their stories, revealing how they channelled their overwhelming grief into potentially saving their community from further harm while securing justice for those they had loved and lost.

“The story of Aberfan is not only about unimaginable loss, but about the strength and determination of a community in the aftermath,” says Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales. “For one of the first times, this documentary gives space to those voices and reflects the courage shown in the fight for justice. Aberfan: The Village that Fought Back is an important part of how we mark this special anniversary across the BBC.”

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild (Tuesday 20/10/26, 5, 9pm)

Words by Damon Smith

It’s been over a quarter of a century since the adventurer, TV presenter and writer burst onto the nation’s screens at the dawn of a new millennium as one of the 36 participants of ambitious reality series Castaway 2000.

Filmed over the course of 12 months, the bold social experiment invited men, women and children to work together to create a thriving, self-sufficient community on the Scottish island of Taransay in the Outer Hebrides.

Travel documentary series New Lives In The Wild also celebrates people from diverse backgrounds.

The long-running show focuses on brave individuals who have turned their back on the rat race and city life to relocate to some of the most inhospitable and remote parts of the world to be closer to nature, unplugged from needless technology and modern conveniences.

Now in its 21st series, the show continues to unearth fascinating life stories based on dramatic changes of location.

This week, Ben wraps up toasty warm for an odyssey into the frozen forests of Norway to meet former radio DJ and music-industry insider Marit Karlsen.

She lives in a remote, off-grid cabin in the wilderness without running water and has taught herself to repair and build her humble dwelling as well as grow food and survive the elements.

Marit is a fiercely independent and energetic rebel with a cause – to live modestly and sustainably – who gladly traded Oslo’s bustling alternative music scene and meetings with stars including Courtney Love, Lou Reed and Björk for a simpler existence.

She is joined by her daughter and granddaughter, and Ben is on hand to help Marit collect water, battle against deluges of heavy snow and install a new stove to provide warmth.

With its proximity to the Arctic Circle and some of the lowest population densities in Europe, Scandinavia has provided rich pickings for Ben in the 13 years since he began meeting extraordinary people for New Lives In The Wild.

In the third series, 40-year-old British woman Gaynor Leeper and her husband Milos welcomed him to their hand-built cabin in northern Sweden so he could learn to drive some of the couple’s 40 Alaskan huskies by sled in temperatures as low as -30C.

Four years later, he was on a remote island off Norway’s northern coastline to experience sea kayaking and witness the northern lights with Randi Skaug, the first Norwegian woman to climb Everest, ahead of his own bid to scale the world’s highest mountain.

Ben went dumpster-diving with 24-year-old single mother Annalisa in southern Sweden to reclaim perfectly good waste to help her create a sustainable forest hideaway for her toddler Nico.

Then, earlier this year, he ventured into the forested wilderness of Norway to stay with 69-year-old artist Tronde and his 61-year-old Lebanese friend and business partner Robert, who were both facing serious health challenges after they relocated to their forest hideaway.

In the untameable wild, hope and contentment take root and blossom.

Ellie & Natasia (Wednesday 21/10/26, BBC Two, 10pm)

Words by Damon Smith

Throughout the years, female comedy double acts have blazed trails on stage and screen.

Constant collaborators Victoria Wood and Julie Walters set an impossibly high benchmark with spoof soap opera Acorn Antiques, sitcom dinnerladies and the TV film Pat And Margaret.

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders lampooned popular culture with their sketch comedy TV series beginning in the late 1980s, while Cambridge Footlights alumni Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins wiped the nations soggy bottoms as hosts of The Great British Bake Off.

More recently, multi-award-winning musical duo Flo & Joan, aka real-life sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey, graced the stage of The Royal Variety Performance.

When they were alive, drag act Hinge and Bracket aka Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket, brought vividly to life by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe, would have argued passionately for their inclusion on the list.

Long-time comedy partners Ellie White and Natasia Demetriou bid for greatness with a second series of their surreal comedy sketch show, promising the return of fan-favourite characters, who first materialised on screen back in 2022.

In this opening episode, active wear devotees and busybodies, the Mums, knead laughs with a deeply passionate food review based around bread.

Meanwhile, internet beauty mavens Donna and Nikki have a questionable plan to take their well-manicured business empire to dizzying new heights.

Ellie & Natasia welcomes more famous faces to join the controlled chaos. “We had a lot of people begging to be in the show and sadly lots of them didn’t make the cut but the ones that did were definitely the funniest and best looking and transferred the most cash into our bank accounts,” revealed Ellie and Natasia.

They seem very excited by the special guest for the opening episode, who they describe as “an up-and-coming comedian who we both have been championing for a while”. His name is Steve Coogan. “Expect big things from him!” advised the duo.

Ellie went to the University of Bristol with Natasia’s younger brother, comedian and actor Jamie, and both were members of the Bristol Revunions student sketch comedy society.

Ellie and Natasia met for the first time in Edinburgh, home of the largest arts festival in the world every August, and in 2015, the pair appeared together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing their madcap sketch show Natasia Demetriou And Ellie White Are Mother And Baby at The Banshee Labyrinth, which proudly claims to be Scotland’s most haunted pub.

The show cast Ellie and Natasia as multi-award-winning Danish teen pop duo Mother and Baby, formally known as The Chicken And The Red Rat and The Sexy American Girls Family.

The alter egos always wanted to perform comedy but got sidetracked so the month-long residency in the Scottish capital was a way to live the dream.

With their self-titled series back on our screens, Ellie and Natasia go pop.

It Gets Worse (Thursday 22/10/2026, Channel 4, 10.05pm & 10.35pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Good things come to those who wait.

And that’s certainly the case for Leo Reich who spent four years developing Generation Z sitcom It Gets Worse.

The comedian, writer and actor’s hit debut show Literally Who Cares?! was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Dave Comedy Awards 2022 and was The New York Times Critics Pick, which culminated in it being released as a HBO Special.

Meanwhile, his numerous TV appearances include Late Night with Seth Meyers, Friday Night Live, Late Night Mash and Jonathan Ross Comedy Club.

More recently, Reich has been seen in Lena Dunham’s Netflix series Too Much.

Of the new series, he says: “I’m over the Moon to be working with the amazing teams at A24 and Channel 4 on It Gets Worse.

“This is a show for everyone who is, has been or will be a delusional and irritating 24-year-old – I see you, I love you, I am you.

“I’m going to try my absolute hardest to do our community justice. I’m so excited!”

It Gets Worse follows three best friends – Ethan (Reich), Sam (Olive Gray) and Abi (Emily Fairn), who have been an unbreakable, albeit dysfunctional, trio since university.

But the ‘soulmates’ have collectively accomplished nothing and are now in their late-20s, and have been kicked out by their landlord.

As they cope with boring boyfriends, jarring exes and futile hook-ups, they try to figure out the life they want.

The trio are joined in an impressive cast by Dunham, as well as Andrew Scott, Arian Nik, Safia Oakley-Green, Blake Harrison, Nicole Sadie Sawyerr, Phil Zimmerman, Billy Rilot, Kirsty Bloom, Clayton Pettet, Luca Kamleh-Chapman, Vicki Pepperdine, Amelia Dimoldenberg and Emmeline Downie. Novelist Zadie Smith narrates the series.

When asked how he managed to get so many incredible actors and fantastic guest stars in the series, Reich said: “If I have the luck and privilege to get to make a TV show, I may as well shoot for the Moon and send a couple of embarrassing emails to my idols.

“It is still baffling and insane to me that any of them said ‘yes’.”

In tonight’s first episode, Ethan, Abi and Sam are broke, directionless and scrambling to repair the damage in their London flat before they’re thrown out for good.

Determined to escape reality with one last unforgettable night out, they hit a gay club.

But as the night spirals, long-buried tensions surface, and the trio must confront whether their friendship can survive the fallout.

Then, in the second episode, Abi has moved on and seems to have it all – a nice flat with her boyfriend, a new promotion, a more adult life.

But, beneath the surface, cracks are beginning to show.

Meanwhile, Ethan becomes infatuated with Sam’s new housemate, Aaron.

When Abi, Ethan and Sam reunite at a chaotic dinner party, Abi’s forced to look closer at her seemingly perfect life.

While good things may come to those who wait, you also should be careful what you wish for, and the grass isn’t always greener.

The Northumbria Mysteries (Friday 23/10/26, BBC One, 2pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

A crime drama set in a picturesque area with Robson Green as one of the leads… we must be talking about Grantchester, right?

Well this may surprise you, but no, we’re not. ITV’s period detective show has been a huge success for the broadcaster, with a variety of strong actors appearing as the clerical sidekicks to Green’s rough-and-ready Cambridgeshire-based police officer Geordie Keating. An 11th and final series has already been shown in the US, and will reach our shores early next year.

But with Grantchester over and done with, its star was on the lookout for something else to occupy his time – luckily for him, The Northumbria Mysteries fell into his lap. Like Grantchester it makes the most of its beautiful filming locations, and what will have particularly appealed to Green is the fact it allowed him to return to his native North East. He told the BBC when shooting commenced that he was “happy to be working” in a place he was “very proud to call home”.

The production is part of a new drive to create and make programmes in the region. “What an exciting time for the North East!” claimed Helen Munson, BBC Commissioner for Daytime and Early Peak, when the initiative was announced back in March. “I am delighted to be working with such brilliant companies across the whole region – from fantastic new drama The Northumbria Mysteries to the development opportunities across digital, the BBC is committed to working with the world class talent this region has to offer.

“And there’s more to come, so watch this space!”

The Friday 2pm slot has become a home for great crime dramas in recent months, including Sally Phillips’ The Hairdresser Mysteries and Father Brown spin-off Sister Boniface Mysteries, so this new set of ‘mysteries’ has a lot to live up to.

Green is sure the project can match its predecessors. He plays Joe Ruby, a jack-of-all-trades with underworld connections. He’s also a gambler who has spent time in prison, so appears to be the exact opposite of cerebral, Oxford-educated DI Rose O’Connell (portrayed by Liz White). Nevertheless, they form a bond, combining their talents to solve a variety of compelling cases.

“Set against this amazing backdrop, you have this really unusual, likeable and oddball pairing, who slowly realise they have a connection,” adds Green. “They’re trying to work out what that connection is and then later on through the series, what to do with that connection.”

The ‘amazing backdrop’ the actor mentions is Northumberland’s incredible landscape, which he describes as “a principle character” in itself – watch out for such iconic landmarks as Hadrian’s Wall and Bamburgh Castle to crop up from time to time.

Executive producer Lesley Douglas is just as enthused: “We could not be happier to have Robson Green lead the cast and bring Joe Ruby to life, within the magnificent backdrop of Northumberland. Working with the BBC to realise these characters has been a labour of love.”

Maybe we’ll all have forgotten Grantchester before we know it.