Renaissance: The Blood and the Beauty

Monday

BBC Two, 9.00pm

The Age of Exploration saw upheaval, violence, new worlds and new artists: Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael. These three figures surprisingly did not get on as well as the ninja turtles they lent their names to. Charles Dance holds this extraordinary tale together as Michelangelo in his later years, looking back on these intense rivalries.

A collaboration with BBC Arts, the series has contributions from artists such as Antony Gormley, Alison Lapper, David LaChapelle, and a host of art history experts. In their first major TV roles, Eddie Mann, Joshua Duffy and Jonny Glynn will play the younger Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Black Doves

Thursday

Netflix

Ben Whishaw is one versatile actor, last month starring as a marmalade-loving bear in Paddington’s third instalment, and this month as a shot-gun wielding assassin.

He stars opposite Keira Knightley as Helen, the UK Secretary for Defence’s wife and clandestine informant for a spy syndicate called Black Doves. Not only is she double-dealing in her day job, she’s also having an extramarital affair with a civil servant (Andrew Koji, Bullet Train). When her lover is assassinated, Helen sets out for revenge, with Ben Whishaw as her Black Doves-ordered minder.

The Sticky

Friday

Amazon Prime

Esteemed character actress Margo Martindale (Bojack Horseman) stars as Ruth Landry, a farmer who turns to the extremes when her maple syrup empire is threatened. As outlandish as a maple syrup heist may seem, the series is based off the real-life Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2011 – although the trailer clarified they’ve taken a little artistic licence...

Landry needs a helping hand to pull off a heist of this scale, so she turns to a shy security guard (Guillaume Cyr, Family Game) and a quick-tempered Bostonian who’s been in plenty of sticky situations (Chris Diamantopoulos, Silicon Valley). But can three people take on the entire “association”?

An Evening with Dua Lipa

Sunday

ITV1, 8.00pm

You may know Dua Lipa from her hit songs One Kiss (with Calvin Harris), Houdini, or from the Barbie soundtrack – but you’ve never seen her like this before. ITV are airing her acclaimed performance at the Royal Albert Hall, where she was backed by a 53-piece Orchestra (conducted by Ben Foster), a choir and a seven-piece band, as they reimagined her pop classics to fit the tone.

Expect songs from her new album, Radical Optimism, surprise duets and the best seats in the house (your own sofa).