3 hours ago
10
Rik Mayall: Magnificent B’stard
9pm, Sky Documentaries
Star quality is often obvious in retrospect. But it’s hard to believe that anyone who saw Rik Mayall in his early days didn’t recognise the charisma explosion he was. This wonderfully entertaining documentary tracks Mayall from his time as a student comic, via The Young Ones and The New Statesman, through to his tragically early death. Adrian Edmondson and Ben Elton are among those paying fond, slightly awestruck tribute. As director Bob Baldwin puts it: “He loved being Rik Mayall.” Phil Harrison
Cornwall: A Year by the Sea
8pm, Channel 5
A visit to those who live and work in Cornwall, including Anna, head guide at St Michael’s Mount, who never tires of the stunning views from the summit: “I mean, look! Where else would you want to be?” Meanwhile, fans of The Wicker Man may especially enjoy footage of Padstow’s May Day festival, with its ’Obby ’Oss and pursuing “Teaser”. Ali Catterall
24 Hours in Police Custody
9pm, Channel 4
Another gripping day in the life of Bedfordshire police begins with photos of a dead 48-year-old woman. DS Graham McMillan spots bruising on her body and follows his suspicions across Europe as the trail of clues constantly threatens to peter out. Is he going to end up with a case that’s too circumstantial to secure a conviction? Jack Seale
From
9pm, Sky One
Knackered lawman Boyd (Lost’s Harold Perrineau) has been trying to keep order in the accursed town of Fromville, despite it being besieged by sanity-sapping physical and psychic horrors. As season four reaches its penultimate episode, he has an ambitious plan to break everyone out of their purgatory … but at what cost? Graeme Virtue
The Traitors US
9.10pm, BBC Three
Episode five is entitled “If You’re Gonna Come for Me, I’ll Finish You”. And there are certainly thunderstorms over breakfast before today’s task: restoring a ruined fountain by tracking down eight statues, with $16,000 at stake. Meanwhile, someone is promising revenge after their own murder: “I’m going to haunt these hallways. Mark my words.” AC
The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?
10pm, Channel 4
This instalment of the series that showcases the difficulty of overturning a conviction on the grounds of miscarriage of justice follows Stacey Hyde – who was found guilty of murdering her best friend’s boyfriend in 2009. Will she successfully arguethat his stabbing during a drunken fight was the result of self-defence – and that she is one of the many women sentenced without the circumstances being properly looked at? The charity Justice for Women hopes so. Alexi Duggins
Film choice
Escape from Pretoria (Francis Annan, 2020), 9pm, Film4
Although it’s still oddly difficult to accept Daniel “Potter” Radcliffe as a fully grown adult, he does make a convincing ANC prisoner in Francis Annan’s tense, fact-based drama, set in late-70s apartheid South Africa. In the absence of any major Black characters to bring wider political context, the film doubles down on its jail-break thriller angle. Sentenced to 12 years for distributing leaflets, Radcliffe’s Tim Jenkin is bent on escape. Luckily, he’s a persistent problem-solver, with locked doors just a temporary obstacle when you have an unlimited supply of wood. SW
