BBC One

The benefits of assembling genuinely diverse production teams are often talked about but seldom fully realised. A notable recent exception was Steve McQueen’s ground breaking Small Axe, the anthology of five feature films first shown on BBC One late last year, and the recent winner of five Bafta craft awards. 

Four of the five films depicted the troubling experiences of first-generation West Indians living in west London during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, while the fifth, Lovers Rock, was a celebration of a night out at a house party in Ladbroke Grove in 1980. 

The Casualty spin-off medical drama has aired weekly since 1999, following the lives of the fictional Holby City Hospital staff.

"We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities,” said the BBC in a statement, “and as part of the BBC's commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC's drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.”

Russell Howard Stands Up to the World

Monday

Sky One, 9.00pm

As one of the first comedians to tour the world since lockdown began, Russell Howard invites the cameras to follow along for a three-part documentary.

Jimmy McGovern directed the three-part series, filmed in Liverpool, which sees Bean play the newly imprisoned criminal Mark Cobden, overwhelmed by guilt and his new volatile surroundings.

In prison, Mark meets Eric McNally (Graham), a principled prison officer ever striving to protect those in his charge. When one of the most notorious inmates identifies his weakness, Eric must choose between his principles and his family.

Freeman stars as Chris, a crisis stricken and morally compromised urgent response officer working a series of night shifts in Liverpool.

As Chris struggles to keep both his personal and professional life in line, he is forced to take on a new rookie partner, Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo, Timewasters).

After getting off to a rocky start, the pair must learn to work together if they have any hope of surviving in the high-pressure, relentless world of Liverpool’s criminal underbelly.

Series two will dive back into the alternate history of Malorie Blackman’s bestselling novels, where black ‘Cross’ people rule over the white ‘Noughts’.

Jack Rowan and Masali Baduza will return as forbidden lovers Callum and Sephy, who are now attempting to escape Albion in search of a better, safer life together.

Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns) and Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga) star as English woman Cornelia Locke and ex-cavalry scout and Pawnee Nation member Eli Whipp.

In the year 1890, Locke arrives in the Wild West to wreak revenge on the man she blames for the death of her son.

She meets Whipp and the two team up after discovering a shared history that they must defeat if they are to survive.

The films will explore the events surrounding the New Cross Fire in January 1981, which killed 13 black teenagers, the Black People’s Day of Action in the aftermath of the fire in March, which saw more than 20,000 people join the first organised protest by black British people, and the Brixton riots that followed in April.

Steve McQueen and James Rogan will both executive produce and direct the series, revealing how these three events intertwined and defined race relations for a generation.

Former England striker turned podcaster Peter Crouch will be joined by Maya Jama and Alex Horne and The Horne section to discuss the postponed Euro 2020 tournament which will now kick off in June 2021.

Each of the ten episodes will be filmed live and the trio will follow England, Scotland and Wales as they make their way through the tournament, each giving their own unique take on the action. 

The series will include post-match reviews and predictions, top celebrity guests and live music.

The six-part series stars Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack), Rose Leslie (Downtown Abbey), Shaun Evans (Endeavour), Martin Compston (Line of Duty) and Paterson Joseph (Peep Show).

Jones and Leslie star as DCI Amy Silva and DS Kirsten Longacre, who lead an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler and a death on-board the HMS Vigil submarine.