5 hours ago
7
It: Welcome to Derry
9pm, Sky Atlantic
“Do you think somebody could kidnap a kid and keep him underground … in the sewers?” For those of us who have been far too terrified of Stephen King’s Pennywise to ever watch the It franchise, this origin prequel series is best watched through fingers (or with eyes closed throughout). Developed by the team behind the more recent films, the supernatural horror is set in 60s America, following the events of a small town with missing locals, plucky kids, gruesome goings-on and suspicious new residents. Bill Skarsgård reprises his role as the evil clown, but it’s not just him doing the petrifying. You won’t want to turn your lamp on tonight … Hollie Richardson
Once Upon a Time in Space
9pm, BBC Two
As we verge on the era of a new space race, here’s a series from the team behind Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. It uses archive footage and extraordinary accounts to tell the human story of astronomical exploration – starting with Anna Lee Fisher, the first mother in space, and the brother of Ronald McNair, one of the first Black astronauts, who says his family went “from slavery to space in four generations”. HR
Panorama: The King of Jordan and the Children of Gaza
8pm, BBC One
With his country bordering both Israel and the occupied West Bank, King Abdullah II of Jordan has long lobbied for peace in the region. Is there cause for optimism? Fergal Keane shadows the monarch as he oversees the evacuation of sick children from Gaza and attends the United Nations as the recent ceasefire plans come together. Graeme Virtue
8pm, Channel 4
“We’ve got chicken tikka masala coming out of our ears,” says Wayne Kersh (thankfully, he doesn’t mean literally). His surplus food business Discount Dragon is one of the stars of this new series, which offers a nice bit of free advertising while also pointing viewers in the direction of potential bargains. Hannah J Davies
Blue Lights
9pm, BBC One
The penultimate episode is just as tense as ever. The peelers learn first-hand the full extent of the havoc the drug app is causing in the city: Grace is in danger after bringing George in for questioning and Shane has a run-in with a woman high on cocaine. Still, there are lighter moments, with questionable music being played in the coppers’ cars. HR
Behind Bars: Sex, Bribes and Murder
10pm, BBC Three
Mobeen Azhar’s two-part investigation starts with the 2024 video of a female HMP Wandsworth prison officer having sex with an inmate, then becomes an increasingly alarming exposé of how coercion, corruption and organised crime are endemic in an underfunded penal system. What Azhar finds is deeply concerning. Jack Seale
Film choice
Shabu (Shamira Raphaëla, 2021), 2.45am, Channel 4
In a world of documentary features that actively want to change the state of things, Shabu may feel a little low-stakes. The subject of Raphaëla’s film is a 14-year-old Dutch boy who lives in a notoriously problematic Rotterdam housing complex. Sharonia “Shabu” Abisoinia has crashed his grandmother’s car and has to spend his summer trying to earn enough money to pay for repairs, until he eventually finds his calling in life. That’s really all there is to it, but Raphaëla manages to fill every frame with a fizzing vibrancy. As charming as film-making gets. Stuart Heritage
