What's on TV 1-Apr-23

NEW Magpie Murders Sat, 9.15pm, BBC1 Drama (box set, BBC iPlayer) Previously shown on BritBox in 2022, this six-part drama follows book editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville), who’s given a manuscript by bestselling crime author Alan Conway (Conleth Hill), but it’s missing the last chapter! When Alan is mysteriously found dead, Susan finds another story lying hidden between the pages that could reveal the truth behind his possible murder. Meanwhile, Tim McMullan plays clever and complex 1950s detective Atticus Pünd, who solves crimes in Alan’s fictional novels, while other stars include Daniel Mays, who portrays two detectives in different timelines. P11 Grace LAST IN SERIES! Sunday, 8pm, ITV1 Drama Gaia Lafayette is an up-and-coming music star who receives the chance of a lifetime, but the night she announces she and her band are headed to LA, a shocking…

NEW PILGRIMAGE: THE ROAD THROUGH PORTUGAL Good Friday, 9pm, BBC2 Factual (box set, BBC iPlayer) Q What made you want to take part and what did your friends and family think? A Les Dennis told me that I should do it – Les is a really good mate of mine and he’s also like Yoda! I always go to him for advice. Les had done Pilgrimage himself [in 2019] and he said, ‘Rita, do it!’ My twin daughters, who are 17 now, didn’t bat an eyelid when I told them. They were like, ‘Whatever, cool!’ Q Did you do any training beforehand to prepare for the trek? A I’m a huge walker. I take my dog out every day and I train every day in my gym at home, so I was like, ‘No problem!’ But…

Grace is great! The new series of detective drama Grace, starring John Simm (right), which returned to ITV1 on 19 March, won the battle of Sunday night, with 3.7m tuning in. It beat the final episode of BBC1 drama The Gold, which pulled in a series low of 2m. Redemption struggles ITV1 crime drama Redemption, with Paula Malcomson (right) as a Liverpool detective who moves to Dublin, struggled to get off to a good start on 17 March, with 2.3m watching. It couldn’t compete with BBC1’s Comic Relief fundraiser (3m).…

Best known for… Astrologer Mystic Meg (real name Margaret Lake) was a regular feature on BBC1’s National Lottery TV show in the 1990s, where she would appear with her crystal ball and give predictions on who might win. Other achievements… She often featured on TV shows, appearing on Harry Hill, The Lily Savage Show, Comic Relief in 1997 and Jools’ Annual Hootenanny in 1995. She pioneered the idea of phone-in horoscopes and her dedicated phone line broke British Telecom records in 1989. Meg also had a regular column in The Sun newspaper. Sad passing…. Meg died on 9 March after a bout of flu. She was 80.…

LAST IN SERIES! BEYOND PARADISE Good Friday, 8pm (NI, 8.30pm), BBC1 Drama There’s a big puzzle for Shipton Abbott’s police force to solve in the final episode of Beyond Paradise as they investigate a burglary – and their main suspect was locked up in a cell when the crime was committed! Meanwhile, Humphrey (Kris Marshall) is left reeling from last week’s events, as Esther (Zahra Ahmadi) does her best to lift his spirits – but with Humphrey wondering if he has a future in Shipton Abbott, could this be the end of their working relationship? And a further visit from Archie (Jamie Bamber) just makes matters more complicated… ‘This is about Humphrey and Martha’s “happy ever after”,’ explains Kris. ‘Just because they left London doesn’t mean they left their problems behind. I think the audience…

LAST IN SERIES! GRACE Sunday, 8pm, ITV1 Drama Det Supt Roy Grace hasn’t seen his missing wife for more than a decade, but he almost caught a glimpse of her at the end of last week’s episode. The detective was enjoying a coffee with his new girlfriend, Cleo Morey, when he thought he saw missing Sandy watching them from afar. Elsewhere, Roy and his team have a sinister case to solve when a rising music star is targeted on the night before she heads to LA, yet the ghost of his missing wife is still playing on Roy’s mind. ‘What’s happened to Sandy is a real mystery,’ says John Simm, who plays the cop. ‘We find out a little bit more each week.’ WORDS: NICK CANNON, HANNAH DAVIES, SEAN MARLAND, STEVEN PERKINS. PHOTOS: BBC, GETTY, ITV, PARAMOUNT+,…