What's on TV 1-Jan-2022

new The Masked Singer NEW YEAR’S DAY SUNDAY 1-2 January, times vary ITV Entertainment There are some seriously bizarre outfits such as Chandelier, Robobunny, Doughnuts and Firework as The Masked Singer returns. Twelve famous faces are singing in disguise, while panellists Davina McCall, Rita Ora, Jonathan Ross and Mo Gilligan turn detective to guess their identities. Joel Dommett hosts. FULL STORY P11 Doctor Who new NEW YEAR’S DAY 1 January, 7pm BBC1 Drama There is plenty of CGI, plus action scenes and sci-fi sequences, as Doctor Who kicks off 2022 with a slew of guest stars including Aisling Bea and Father Ted favourite Pauline McLynn. Sarah (played by Aisling) owns and runs ELF Storage, while Nick (Adjani Salmon) is a customer who visits every year on New Year’s Eve. But this year turns out to be a little…

new THE APPRENTICE Thursday, 9pm BBC1 Reality Q How does it feel to be joining the series as one of Lord Alan Sugar’s advisers alongside Karren Brady? A I’m so honoured. The show was such a transformational and impactful chapter in my life. To be asked back to sit next to Lord Sugar, I’ve gone full circle. I feel very lucky. Q Regular adviser Claude Littner is taking a break following a serious cycling accident. How is he doing and did he give you any tips? A He’s doing really well. I’m a huge admirer of his and what he’s done working with Lord Sugar. Everyone’s been really helpful in preparing me. I hope I can bring integrity and authenticity to the role and follow the likes of Margaret Mountford and Nick Hewer, who set the…

Castle capers! Reality show I’m a Celebrity…, back at Gwrych Castle in Wales, continued to dominate, with 5.2m tuning in on Tue 7 Dec. It easily beat BBC1’s MasterChef: The Professionals, which drew 2.7m. Court crash New BBC1 drama You Don’t Know Me, which began on Sun 5 Dec with 3m viewers, shed over a third of its audience for the second episode on Mon 6 Dec, pulling in just 1.9m. It faced competition from I’m a Celebrity…, which attracted 5.3m viewers on Mon 6 Dec.…

Best known for… The theatre actor was best known to TV fans as Howard Kirk in the 1981 four-part drama The History Man on BBC2. On the big screen, he played Benjamin Disraeli in the 1997 film Mrs Brown and Dr Moth in Shakespeare in Love in 1999. Other achievements… Sir Antony won two Laurence Olivier Awards for his theatre work and was knighted in 2000. On TV, he also had roles in Hornblower, One Foot in the Grave and Agatha Christie’s Marple: A Caribbean Mystery. Family life… Sir Antony died from cancer on 2 December, aged 72. He’s survived by his husband, the director Gregory Doran.…

new DOCTOR WHO New Year’s Day, 7pm BBC1 Drama After their epic battle against the Flux last year, the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) deserve to let their hair down – but the trio find themselves locked in a time loop with a familiar deadly enemy. The episode takes place at ELF Storage, run by Sarah (Aisling Bea), where regular customer Nick (Adjani Salmon) comes by on New Year’s Eve every year to visit his unit – but this time, the night takes a very unexpected turn… ‘What we walk into is not what we’re expecting,’ teases Jodie. ‘More than any episode I’ve been in, this one is really funny – there’s a kind of farce element! ‘The jeopardy level is at a 10 continually, because not only are we stuck…

new CALL THE MIDWIFE Sunday, 8pm BBC1 Drama Easter 1967 brings joy to Poplar as Call the Midwife returns for a new eight-part series, but trouble is brewing. As the residents of Nonnatus House enjoy a glorious Easter bonnet parade and the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest, they’re rocked by two cases. Sister Julienne and the team deal with a delivery that brings anxiety for the parents-to-be due to their past trauma. ‘She has to take care of this couple,’ says Jenny Agutter, who plays the nun. ‘It brings up old concerns.’ Meanwhile, an investigation is set in motion after builders make a discovery during demolition works. ‘It’s shocking, but touching,’ explains Jenny. ‘The whole episode is about buried secrets.’…