In One Night, three friends discover the past is never really gone. In the present day, the pressure is on for Ronnie O’Sullivan, while hundreds of people are trying to win the real-life adaptation of Squid Game. Meanwhile, the Doctor is back and whizzing about all time.
Squid Game: The Challenge
Wednesday
Netflix
If the original 2021 dystopian drama wasn’t enough for you, good news: now it’s real. Well, sort of.
In this reality spin-off, 456 contestants vie for a cash prize of $4.6 million. Unlike the show, no-one goes home in a body bag, but don’t let that make you think the participants have it easy.
Alliance-building precedes betrayal and tears across 10 intensely watchable episodes, all of which were filmed in Britain. As one contestant remarks, “People’s true colours are starting to come out.”
Archie
Thursday
ITVX
Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin) stars as Golden Age leading man Cary Grant. Born Archibald Alec Leach, the mid-century star grew up in poverty-stricken Bristol, and rose to become one of the best-known actors of all time.
The four-part drama deals with the adultery of Grant’s father, the death of his brother and his mother’s subsequent depressive spiral. Interspersed with scenes set in 1961 LA, with Grant at the height of his stardom, the show explores how childhood follows all of us into our adult lives, no matter where we run.
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything
Thursday
Amazon Prime
Catch this one-off documentary about the world number one snooker player a day before its limited theatrical release.
None of O’Sullivan’s seven World Championship victories came easy. Both his parents have served prison sentences – his mum for tax evasion and his dad for murder – which saw O’Sullivan turn to drink and drugs.
Even after spells in rehab, he remains hard on himself, as this documentary highlights.
One Night
Friday
Paramount+
Three friends are forced to relive a traumatic night from 20 years ago, after one of them turns the fateful events into a novel. The book – which shares a name with the show – climbs the charts, forcing the trio to uncover old secrets.
No longer best buds, each have their fair share of issues, including alcoholism and elderly parents struggling with dementia. Returning to their hometown, they find themselves still reeling from that single night.
Jodie Whittaker (Time), Yael Stone (Orange Is the New Black) and Nicole da Silva (Harrow) star in the show, the brainchild of poet and playwright Emily Ballou.
Doctor Who
Saturday
6.30pm, BBC One
After over a year of build-up, the TARDIS is careening back onto screens. This weekend, David Tennant (Broadchurch) and Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show) reprise their roles as the Doctor and companion Donna for the first of three specials.
Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who’s first broadcast, this week’s episode is titled ‘The Star Beast’. The Doctor reunites with Donna as they deal with Beep the Meep, voiced by Miriam Margolyes (The Age of Innocence). The alien appears cute and cuddly, but is there more to them than meets the eye?
