This week in TV, Sheridan Smith opens up about being a first-time mum and the game is on in this year’s Soccer Aid.
Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum
Tuesday 1st September
ITV, 9pm
Actress and singer Sheridan Smith offers viewers unprecedented access to the intimate and personal journey of her becoming a mum for the first time, in a new one-off documentary.
Joined by her partner Jamie, Smith opens up about her struggles with her mental health, her fears and hopes about the pregnancy, and bringing a new life into the world.
It is estimated that one in three women suffer from mental health issues during pregnancy and in the months that follow, and Smith reveals parts of herself that she has never been open about before.
The documentary sees Smith attend her first prenatal scans and classes and have sessions with a specialist therapist, plus the conversations with Jamie about what their life will be like as new parents.
Council House Britain
Thursday 3rd September
Channel 4, 9pm
One of the country's biggest landlords, Southwark Council, is opening up their doors in a new six-part series, exploring the ever-pressing need for good housing and the struggles councils are facing to meet that demand.
The documentary looks at the people working to manage the 55,000 properties under the council and the tenants who have made homes in them.
Southwark is one of the councils hit hardest by government cuts and has over 10,000 people on the waiting list for housing, with almost 40% of Southwark residents living in properties managed by the council.
The series tells the stories of families fighting eviction, unwelcome pests, hoarders and shut-ins, and the general hardships of running a property.
Away
Friday 4th September
Netflix
Hilary Swank is a woman torn between her career as an astronaut and her life with her family in sci-fi drama series Away.
Swank plays astronaut Emma, who has been tasked with leading the first human mission to Mars.
Created by Andrew Hinderaker, Away follows Emma as she struggles to balance personal and professional obstacles during her three year mission, which will require her to draw on all her strength to support both her team and her family.
Emma has to work through the fallout of her husband falling ill, an incident which causes mutiny among the crew and technical breakdowns that could stall the whole mission.
Josh Charles plays Emma’s husband NASA engineer Matt Logan, who must single-handedly raise their daughter Lex (Talitha Bateman), who is facing her own struggles too.
Mark Ivanir, Ato Essandoh, Ray Panthaki and Vivian Wu will play the astronauts who make up the international crew joining Emma, and Monique Curnen plays Melissa Ramirez, Emma’s liaison on Earth, who develops a bond with her family while she is away.
The Boys
Friday 4th September
Amazon Prime
The unique comic book series The Boys is back for a second series and will once again show the conflicts that arise when superheroes and civilians are trying to live side by side, mixing comedy with plenty of violence.
The majority of the cast will return, with Karl Urban as Billy the Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie, Tomer Kapon as Frenchie, Laz Alonso as Mother’s Milk, and Karen Fukuhara as The Female.
New character Stormfront will be played by Aya Cash, who is set to cause some major problems, and with superhuman strength, flight and electrokinesis, she will be a formidable opponent.
Series two will be even more savage, with the introduction of super terrorists and real-world issues such as white supremacy and political controversies.
Plus, the impact of Homelander’s (Anthony Starr) revelation and Hughie, Frenchie, The Female, and Mother’s Milk being put on the FBI hit list will be explored.
Soccer Aid
Sunday 6th September
ITV, 6:30pm
Soccer Aid is back for 2020, bringing together comedians, actors, TV stars, sporting legends and more to compete for charity at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, pitting the England team against the Soccer Aid World XI FC team.
After being postponed, this year the match will take place behind closed doors and the funds raised will be for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, with Dermot O’Leary hosting alongside pitch-side reporter Kirsty Gallacher.
The England manager will be Sam Allardyce and the World XI manager will be Harry Redknapp, with big names competing such as singer Olly Murs, athlete Usain Bolt, comedian Jason Manford, rapper Santan Dave, presenter Ian Stirling, Lioness footballer Kelly Smith, radio DJ Roman Kemp, fitness coach Joe Wicks and many more.
Louis Theroux: Life On The Edge
Sunday 6th September
BBC Two, 9pm
Louis Theroux will be looking back at his 25-year career in a new four-part series which delves into over 60 hours of Theroux’s catalogue of documentaries, exploring topics such as mental health and people who have made unusual life choices.
Theroux will catch up with some of his most famous contributors and discover how their lives have taken surprising paths and the way the world has changed over the past three decades.
Looking through his own home movie footage and news archives, Theroux will tell stories of human psychology and explore how people deal with adversity.
