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First trailer released for Peaky Blinders series five

Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC)

Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is now MP for Birmingham South following the defeat of the Italian Changretta family at the end of season four.  

Series five sees the world thrown into turmoil by the 1929 financial crash and the rise of fascism in Birmingham and beyond.

Life for Shelby and his family is far from smooth sailing, as Shelby’s mental state starts to deteriorate further and he enters the murky waters of politics.

TV picks of the month: July

Stranger Things, season three

From Thursday 4th July, Netflix

With a release date set for U.S Independence Day, the return of Stranger Things for season three is going to be a big event and one fans have been waiting a long time for.

Creators The Duffer Brothers have promised a darker, funnier series that will be worth the wait.

The Stranger Things kids are growing up, but they can’t leave behind the terrors of the Upside Down as the horrifying Mind Flayer is back in Hawkins and ready to wreak havoc.

BBC announces new Agatha Christie thriller The Pale Horse

Agatha Christie (Credit: BBC)

The story – first published in 1961 – will be adapted for TV by the writer Sarah Phelps, who has previously adapted Christie’s novels, And Then There Were None and The Witness For The Prosecution.

The Pale Horse is a shivery, paranoid story about superstition, love gone wrong, guilt and grief. It’s about what we’re capable of when we’re desperate and what we believe when all the lights go out and we’re alone in the dark," says Sarah Phelps, who also serves as an executive producer.

James Norton and Emilia Fox lead all star cast of BBC’s The Trial of Christine Keeler

Emilia Fox (Credit: BBC)

Based on the notorious Profumo Affair in the 1960s, the series follows young model Christine Keeler (Sophie Cookson) who has an affair with politician John Profumo (Ben Miles)

Keeler is simultaneously accused of being involved with a Soviet naval officer and is, as a result, placed at the centre of a possible national security risk.

Also joining the cast is Ellie Bamber (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (Misfits) and Anthony Welsh (Black Mirror).

Fifth and final series of BBC One’s Poldark begins filming

(Credit: BBC)

The new series takes place after a time-jump of ten years, which fans of the books by Winston Graham (on which the series is based) have been expecting. Horsfield, who has written every episode of the four previous series has a cunning approach to seamlessly weaving in this passage of time. 

The drama will pick up in the wake of the shocking death of Ross Poldark’s long time paramour and, latterly, enemy Elizabeth Warleggan.

Doctor Who announces writers and directors for new series

(Credit: BBC)

Showrunner Chris Chibnall commented, “Hailing from a range of backgrounds, tastes and styles, here’s what unites them: they are awesome people as well as brilliant at their job. (It matters!) They love Doctor Who. And they’ve all worked above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to bring audiences something special, later this year.”

Past notable writers have included Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Richard Curtis.

BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are? returns for 15th series

(Credit: BBC)

This year’s line-up of history hungry stars includes British actress and newly minted star of The Crown Olivia Colman (Broadchurch), pop icon Boy George, comedian Lee Mack, former JLS member Marvin Humes and Our Girl actor Michelle Keegan.

Olivia Colman will journey from Norfolk to India, embarking on the discovery of a diverse heritage and Lee Mack’s investigation uncovers that comedy runs in the family.

Top TV Picks: 21st December

Quarry

Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Based on novels by Max Allan Collins (Road to Perdition), Quarry is a new eight-part drama following a veteran's return into the world, after struggling to come to terms with everyday life outside of the army.

Not striking lucky in employment, Mac Conway (Logan Marshall-Green) is visited by a crime lord with a special interest in him. He leaves him with an offer of employment, but it is one that will draw him into the world of violence that he hoped he had left behind...

Top TV Picks: 19th December

Christmas City 

BBC One, 9.15am (continues throughout the week)

Christmas City is a five-part series presented by Rav Wilding and Hayley Hassall that looks at what it takes to deliver a special Christmas.

They go behind the scenes to show all the organisation that goes into making sure everyone coming into Manchester has a safe and memorable Christmas, such as how the market stall holders keep up with festivities.