The Secrets She Keeps

BBC One

Monday 6^th and Tuesday 7^th July, 9pm 

Two women who seem to have nothing in common form an unlikely friendship when they bond over their pregnancies, with them both due at the same time.

When the two women meet in a supermarket in an affluent Sydney suburb, Agatha (Laura Carmichael) is a shelf stacker in the supermarket and Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is a mummy blogger with a growing following.

Agatha is living paycheck to paycheck and has few close friends, she has no family to support her and the father of her baby is a sailor, unaware that Agatha is pregnant.  

On the other hand, Meghan is happily married to her TV sports reporter husband, is comfortably middle class and has two children already.

Agatha is impressed and jealous of Meghan’s life and her envy soon leads to dark secrets from her past regarding newborn babies coming to light, but Agatha isn’t the only one hiding secrets. Meghan isn’t as perfect as she seems.

Mrs. America

BBC Two

Wednesday 8^th July, 9pm

Conservative Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett) was not a supporter of the second wave of feminism. As a political activist she was staunchly against America’s Equal Rights Amendment, believing that equal rights would endanger women. Her beliefs put her at direct odds with feminist Gloria Steinem who is played by Rose Byrne.

Schlafly is the head of the STOP campaign – known as Stop Taking Our Privileges – which believed equal rights would force women to fight in wars and deprive them of legal protection in divorce campaigns. 

Elizabeth Banks plays Equal Rights Amendment advocate Jill Ruckelshaus, John Slattery plays Schlafly’s husband Fred and Uzo Aduba plays Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to be elected to US Congress.

Stateless

Netflix

Wednesday 8^th July

Four people’s lives collide when they find themselves stuck inside an Australian detention centre; through flashbacks the circumstances that led to each of them being detained are revealed.

The four detainees include an air hostess who is on the run from a cult, a young father desperate to escape his dead-end job, an Afghan refugee looking to start a new life with his family and a bureaucrat involved in a national scandal.

The series was inspired by a real-life scenario in 2004, when a German citizen who was a permanent citizen of Australia was unlawfully detained.

Cate Blanchett, who co-created and executive produced the series, plays the captivating cult leader Pat.

The cast also includes Yvonne Strahovski, who plays lonely air hostess Sofie, Fayssal Bazzi, who plays Afghan refugee Ameer, Jai Courtney, who plays new prison guard Cam who struggles to accept what he sees, and Asher Keddie, who plays bureaucrat Claire.

Down to Earth With Zac Efron

Netflix

Friday 10^th July

Zac Efron is playing the role of himself in new Netflix series Down to Earth With Zac Efron, which sees Efron travel around the world trying different foods and learning about sustainability along with wellness expert Darin Olien.

Efron and Olien travel to France, Puerto Rico, London, Costa Rica, Sardinia, Peru and Iceland and meet eco-innovators to discover how things can be changed from the inside.

Efron is a big advocate for sustainability and looks at how our main staples food, water and energy can be consumed in a more sustainable way.

The Voice Kids

ITV

Saturday 11^th July, 7:25pm

Kids will once again be showing off their singing skills in the hope of getting a famous red chair to spin solely for their talent.

Emma Willis hosts the series and this year, the coaches are Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am, singers Pixie Lott and Paloma Faith and McFly member Danny Jones.

Compared to The Voice adults, even if the kids don’t get a turn from any of the coaches, they will offer the kids advice on what they can do to progress in their careers.

For the winning contestant, as well as one-to-one coaching with their mentor, they will win a £30,000 bursary towards their musical education and a dream family holiday.