What's on TV 8-Jan-2022

new Vera SUNDAY 9 January, 8pm ITV Drama There’s murder, mystery and a brutal kidnapping as the crime drama returns for two new episodes. The opening case sees DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) and her colleague DS Aiden Healy (Kenny Doughty) called to a port where a heist has gone wrong. When a container lorry tears off at breakneck speed and two workers are injured, one critically, the big question is, was it an inside job? Former Emmerdale star Charlie Hardwick plays fearsome matriarch Grace Webley, who has plenty to hide, while Bill Ward (Corrie and Emmerdale) also guest stars. FULL STORY P9 Casualty SATURDAY 8 January, 9.30pm BBC1 Drama Widowed mum-of-three Faith (Kirsty Mitchell) lets her hair down on a rare night out with best friend Stevie. But will Faith pose the immortal question, ‘Your place…

new THE JOHN BISHOP SHOW Saturday, 9.30pm ITV Entertainment Q How did your new series come about? A It’s been spoken about for a while – at first it was going to be more of a straightforward chat show, but now it’s a bit closer to the American model where it’s filmed on the day it goes out. It’s topical, and the main aim is to be light-hearted. Q What sort of guests will you have on? A I don’t want to nail anyone’s name to it because, as we know, it can be out of their control – their postman tests positive [for COVID-19] and they end up not being able to appear! But I want people to come on and go, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna have a chat,’ and be up for that. Q You made…

Super Strictly! The Strictly Come Dancing final on Sat 18 Dec peaked at 12.3m viewers as deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis and partner Giovanni Pernice won the Glitterball trophy. The dance contest beat all offerings on other channels. Drawing to a close The finale of C4’s Close to Me, starring Christopher Eccleston and Connie Nielsen, pulled in just 520,000 viewers on Sun 12 Dec. It couldn’t compete with the final of ITV’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here!, which drew 6.5m.…

Best known for… The singer-songwriter shot to fame in the mid-1960s as one of the four members of The Monkees pop group. The band, who also had their own TV series The Monkees (1966-68), had worldwide hits, including Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville and I’m a Believer. Other achievements… After The Monkees broke up in 1970, Michael continued to have a successful songwriting and performing career. He was also a pioneer of music videos, which later lead to the launch of MTV. Family life… Michael died, aged 78, at his home in California on 10 December from heart failure. Divorced three times, he’s survived by his four children.…

DEATH IN PARADISE Friday, 9pm BBC1 Drama When Bradley Faircroft (Simon Lenagan), the brother of Saint Marie golf-course owner Connor (Jason Done), is found bludgeoned to death, the evidence leads DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little) right to Connor. It seems like an open-and-shut case – but Connor has a watertight alibi for the time of the murder… ‘There’s a lot of bitterness in Connor,’ says Jason. ‘His frustration turned to drugs, alcohol and anger issues.’ Tamzin Outhwaite also stars in the episode as Connor’s wife, Holly, and the guest cast had fun exploring Guadeloupe, where the series is filmed. ‘We went swimming with turtles!’ explains Jason. ‘It was simply breathtaking!’…

CALL THE MIDWIFE Sunday, 8pm BBC1 Drama An outbreak of scabies in Poplar brings chaos in Call the Midwife, but Sister Frances has other priorities as she deals with an emotional case. The clinic is carrying out smear tests to check for cervical cancer when the caring nun encounters a young woman, Janis Cowper (Abi Corbett), who’s keen to start a family. But Janis’ test results give cause for concern and, after further examinations, she receives worrying news. As Janis struggles to cope and frets about her future, can Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri) give her the support she needs? ‘To do a storyline about a woman who gets a diagnosis in time to allow her to do something about it hits home,’ says Ella. ‘The message is: get your tests done, ladies!’…