The sun may be shining but there's still plenty going on on the telly-box this week. From the Fab Five making a triumphant return in Queer Eye, to the kick-off of the world's biggest football event, as well as encounters with some of the biggest beasts on the planet, there's definitely something for everyone.
Flowers
Monday: Channel 4, 10pm
Will Sharpe’s surreal comedy about a dysfunctional British family returns for a second series and it’s stranger than ever. We pick up with Maurice and Deborah Flowers on a caravanning holiday. Former children’s author Maurice (Julian Barratt) has overcome his crippling depression and is channelling his energy into butterfly catching. Meanwhile, his wife Deborah (Olivia Colman) is set to become a published author, with a book documenting his depression. Sounds like a recipe for trouble.
The Hotel Inspector
Tuesday: Channel 5, 9pm
No-nonsense hotel queen Alex Polizzi is back and doling out much needed advice to failing establishments across Britain. This week sees her at Yeoldon House Hotel in Devon, urging owners John and IIona to inject some personality into the premises.
Big Beasts: Last of the Giants
Wednesday: Sky One, 9pm
Biologist Patrick Aryee sets out to prove why size might matter after all in this new series exploring some of the world’s biggest animals. In the first episode of the three-parter he faces close encounters in the Americas with some of the largest predators on the continent like grizzly bear. He also dives with the enormous sperm whale and examines a giant anaconda. As well as our own beasties, he takes a look at giants of the past, including the rather aptly named Titanoboa, a prehistoric snake which measured up to 50ft long. In the words of Indiana Jones, “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?!”
The World Cup: Russia v Saudi Arabia
Thursday: ITV, kick off at 4pm
Fans have been waiting for four years with bated breath for this event. Russia and Saudi Arabia go head to head in what could be one of the most tense competitions for some time. Amid reports of violence and Russian scandals sweeping both the UK and America, the world can only watch to see how the drama unfolds. England has arguably one of the best chances for years, with Harry Kane and team having 16/1 odds of lifting that coveted trophy at the end.
Queer Eye Season 2
Friday, Netflix
After a roaringly successful reboot earlier year, the show where a group of fabulously stylish gay men change the lives of drab people, is back. Having thoroughly shed its previous incarnation, it seems to have found its spiritual home (and a huge audience) on Netflix. The first episode sees the Fab Five head to the small hamlet of Gay in Georgia (pun probably intended) to help Tammye, a devout Church leader and mother of an openly gay son. The thing that the formula of this incarnation of the show has got so right is that it’s moved away from the superficial and injected a fresh perspective, which ultimately showcases the best of what reality TV can achieve.
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2018
Saturday: BBC Two, 9pm
As the Royal Academy celebrates its 250th Summer Exhibition this year, Kirsty Wark and Jayson Mansaray present a behind the scenes look at the preparations for the artistic extravaganza. Artist Grayson Perry is the chief coordinator of this endeavour and in this capacity is showcasing the democracy of the exhibition with the theme Art Made Now, with a dedicated room full of pieces that he and the Hanging Committee (not nearly as scary as they sound) find funny.
The process of curating and hanging is explored, with the team following a handful of aspiring artists including comedian Harry Hill and Vic Reeves, who have submitted their work in hope of gaining a place in the revered institution. For the first time, the art will spill out into the streets of the West End with artist Rose Wylie’s flag installation taking over Bond Street.
Managing England: The Impossible Job
Sunday: BBC Two, 9pm
It’s a job that many young boys aspire to, but undoubtedly one of the toughest in the realm of football – that of the England manager. Using archive footage as well as new interviews with present and past managers, the one-off show seeks to show first-hand the incredible toll that the job has taken on some of the most successful club managers in football history. Featuring contributions from former England managers Sven-G
oran Eriksson, Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson and Sam Allardyce, and current incumbent Gareth Southgate, there are also interviews with the players who worked with the: the England captains Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Alan Shearer.
