This week's top TV: 4 - 10 June

This week's top TV: 4 - 10 June

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Monday, 4th June 2018

Once upon a time, summer was a quiet time in TV. Not any more! From Poldark to Love Island, here's what's coming your way this week.

Versailles

Monday: BBC Two, 9pm

​The Sun King Louis XIV returns to screens for the final series of this extravagant romp through the 17th Century French royal court. The king is feeling invincible following a successful military campaign and the completion of the opulent palace of Versailles. All is not quite as stable as it seems though, with the peasants revolting in the face of such a gaudy display of the king’s vanity. For a thorough refresher on the previous two series, as well as the ensemble cast, check out our guide to Who’s Who.

Love Island

Monday: ITV2, 9pm

(Credit: ITV)
(Credit: ITV)

The cheeky ITV2 flagship show, which recently scooped RTS and Bafta awards, is back. Both creators and audience will be hoping to replicate the success of last year’s series, which saw contestants gain star status and ratings go through the roof. Bubbly reality TV queen Caroline Flack leads a new group of chiselled and lively contestants to find romance, or a whopping £50,000 prize, on the island of Majorca.

Speaking at an RTS event last month, ITV Studios Entertainment MD Angela Jain said the team felt confident about the new series: “we sort of know what we’re doing. The worst thing we could do is to change it all. We want to give the viewers more of what they’re expecting, but, equally, you don’t want to deliver the same show again.

“Having a different cast will create different stories and, of course, we’ll have some tricks up our sleeves.”

Bride and Prejudice

Tuesday: Channel 4, 9pm

(Credit: Channel 4)
(Credit: Channel 4)

Imagine that you meet someone and fall in love. You take all the usual steps; you move in together and eventually, you want to get married. Only, your family has other ideas. They are against the match.

Unfortunately, this is the situation that many couples find themselves in, especially those in interracial or homosexual relationships. Despite its punny title, this series explores what six couples do when they are faced with this dilemma and the struggle to get their families to accept their partners. Expect plenty of heart wrenching stories and surprising revelations.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Wednesday: BBC One, 9pm

(Credit: BBC)
(Credit: BBC)

Now in its 15th series, the first episode of the long-running genealogical show sees Our Girl and Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan delving into the archive to uncover her family history. The journey takes her from Gibraltar, via Italy, to the slums of 19th Century Manchester, and along the way she discovers a rich seam of strong female ancestors.

Get Shorty

Wednesday: Sky Atlantic, 9pm

(Credit: Sky)
Chris O'Dowd (Left) and Ray Romano (Right) (Credit: Sky)

A long-form drama adaptation of the 1995 John Travolta film, which in turn was adapted from the 1990 Elmore Leonard novel, sees Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd) take on the titular role of low-level hitman Miles Daley. On his transition from hitman to hit movie producer he encounters Rick Moreweather (Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond), a has-been producer who guides Miles through the tricky world of Hollywood, though his crime filled past may not be as far behind him as he thinks.  

The Crystal Maze: Celebrity Special

Friday:  Channel 4, 9pm

(Credit: Channel 4)
(Credit: Channel 4)

The fourth series of rebooted classic 90s show kicks off with a brand new batch of celebrities following Richard Ayoade through charmingly retro sets. Dame Kelly Holmes, leads fellow Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford, actress Jorgie Porter, Grime artist Big Narstie and vlogger Alfie Deyes through physical and mental challenges to gain those all-important crystals. Expect a lot of screaming and for someone, inevitably, to fall in a body of water.

Poldark

Sunday: BBC One, 9pm

Be still our beating hearts, Ross Poldark is back. We find him in Westminster, where he’s using his sizable influence to take on political battles in a new environment. His rivalry is still going strong with nemesis George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), Ross having humiliated him at the close of series three by stealing his political seat. All is not entirely rosy in the Poldark household though, with Ross and his wife Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) working through the ramifications of her infidelities during the last series.

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Once upon a time, summer was a quiet time in TV. Not any more! From Poldark to Love Island, here's what's coming your way this week.