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AmandalandMotherland spin-off starring Lucy Punch and Joanna Lumley, now back for series twoYear: 2025Certificate: 12Watch now on BBC iPlayerWatch now on Disney+Watch now on NetflixThis Motherland spin-off has the same pin-sharp writing and rapid-fire laughs of the original and, even though it focuses on just one of the mums from the original series, Lucy Punch's Amanda is enough for anyone.Relocating from leafy west London to the not-so-cosmopolitan suburb of South Harlesden - up and coming, but not there yet - Amanda has to start again. Making friends, making impressions and getting herself back on top. She is most put out not to be the centre of attention and makes a beeline for the cool mums, Siobhan McSweeney's Della, chef at a local restaurant, and her wife Fi (Line Of Duty's Rochenda Sandall). Let's just say she doesn't endear herself instantly.Self-absorbed Amanda would be too much on her own but she contrasts nicely with Philippa Dunne who returns as the (mostly) sweet Anne as well as Joanna Lumley as Amanda's mother Felicity, who reintroduces herself with the line, 'Let me in before I get mugged', and continues to cut her daughter down to size at every opportunity. All in all it's a very welcome return to the delightfully chaotic world of modern parenting and it was a hit, too - a splendid 2025 Christmas special followed that reunited Lumley with her AbFab co-star Jennifer Saunders. A second series followed after that, raising the comedy bar even higher as Amanda strives to make her Senuous brand a success. Meanwhile, the arrival of Abs (Harriet Webb), Mal's unfiltered ex, on to the scene sends her into a competitive personal tailspin. (Two series)Legends (2026 series)Steve Coogan stars in the story of Britain's undercover war on drugs in the 90sYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on NetflixIn early 1990s Britain, it was decided that something needed to be done about the flow of heroin into the country - but there was no money for a big, American-style war on drugs. The solution was to drop ordinary, but promising members of the public into a training programme and deploy them as undercover agents around the country and this series, which takes its title from the name used for their undercover identities - Legends - is the based-on-truth story of that.  With a script from Neil Forsyth (The Gold), this six-part series stars Steve Coogan as Don, the veteran investigator who whittles down the candidates and sends them off to work. Don is a mix of dry, on-the-job humour and a clear-eyed view of what that job could cost his recruits. They include Guy (Tom Burke), a family man who's bored of his job inspecting suitcases at Heathrow, and Erin, a civil service secretary with an uncanny knack for detail who takes charge of crafting the 'legends'.The show follows their training and deployment, and has the uplifting feel of a good old British underdog story, as well as the tension of a crime thriller where everything could go wrong at any moment. (Six episodes) Making Life On Earth: Attenborough's Greatest AdventureThe story of how David Attenborough made the landmark seriesYear: 2026Certificate: pgWatch now on BBC iPlayerReleased to celebrate his 100th birthday, this relaxed and very entertaining film is the story of David Attenborough's career and the 'one series that changed everything' - for him, as well as for the millions of viewers who had never seen the natural world in such glorious colour and detail before. Life On Earth was first broadcast in January 1979, but was three years in the making.Joined by production assistants, camera operators and others who worked on the series, Attenborough reads from his journals, reminiscing about the most exciting, and perilous, moments from that epic shoot in the late 1970s, a time long before the internet and mobile phones, and when Saddam Hussein was still president of Iraq, where things got very hairy when the team went there to film at the site of the ancient city of Uruk.Attenborough also describes how he made the switch from deskbound TV executive to globetrotting presenter, and the great privilege of bringing the natural world to the world at large. Filled with insights and anecdotes - including his complicated relationship with donkeys and the challenges of working with frogs - this is an uplifting reminder of just how much Sir David has given us. (59 minutes)Number One FanSally Lindsay and Jill Halfpenny star in a gripping thriller Year: 2026Certificate: 12Watch now on 5 (Ch5)Jill Halfpenny is Lucy Logan, a morning-TV presenter and mum of two who paints on a smile every day and feigns sincerity with everyone she meets. When she's saved from a mugging by a stranger, Sally Lindsay's Donna, she turns on the gratitude, but there's an air of phoniness to Lucy that isn't very endearing.Sure enough, Donna gets clingy very quickly, and when Lucy tries to keep her at arm's length, the stalking and menacing begins. But what's Donna's game?The tension and peril doesn't build slowly in this four-parter, and Donna is no Baby Reindeer-style stalker. It's a show that gets to the point pretty quickly, and rather than being left to guess what Donna's motives are, we're instead left to wonder how Lucy will get out of the mess she's in. (Four episodes)This Is A Bomb: The Nevada Casino HeistStory of a daring 1980 plot and those behind itYear: 2026Certificate: 12Watch now on BBC iPlayer'I'd never seen anything so sinister in my life.'In 1980, a massive device appeared at Harvey's casino in Lake Tahoe on the Nevada Stateline, along with a note and list of demands, including a warning that the huge 1000lb TNT bomb was booby-trapped.This three-parter tells the incredible story behind the extortion plot, with stylish dramatised scenes, witness testimony from the police and bomb disposal experts on the scene, and crucially, Jim Birges, son of mastermind John Birges Sr, as our guide.If the delivery of the bomb, wheeled in during broad daylight, sounds daring enough, wait until you hear about how it was built, the plan to collect the ransom, and the reason why Birges Sr targeted the casino in the first place. (Three episodes)Twenty Twenty SixIan Fletcher fails upwards to score at the World CupYear: 2026Certificate: 12Watch now on BBC iPlayerHugh Bonneville is back as Ian Fletcher, the verbiage-afflicted pen-pusher who first came to our attention as Head of Deliverance in Olympics mockumentary Twenty Twelve. Next on his CV was Head of Values for the BBC in W1A, and now, Fletcher's career scales new heights of utter nonsense.He's in Miami to work as Director of Integrity for the team 'delivering' the football World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico this year, although any mention of the tournament and its organisers is bleeped out by a returning David Tennant's voiceover. Presumably, that's part of the joke rather than out of any fear of actual comeback from F**a.There's a lot for Ian, and us, to take on board in the first episode, including new faces and culture clashes, but it all starts coming together with the arrival of former intern turned PA Will Humphries (Hugh Skinner), for a familiar helping of hopelessness. And no, you don't have to like football to be in on the joke. (Six episodes)Remarkably Bright CreaturesSally Field stars as a cleaner who forms a bond with a mischievous octopusYear: 2026Certificate: 12Watch now on NetflixOscar-winning Sally Field (Places In The Heart) and Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick) star in this much-anticipated drama based on the phenomenal best-selling debut novel from Shelby Van Pelt. Tova Sullivan (Field), a lonely 70-year-old widow working the nightshift at a small-town aquarium, forms an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a cranky, mischievous giant Pacific octopus who helps solve a mystery from her past. Aided by wayward Cameron (Pullman), a young man who has drifted into town in search of his father, the duo are dubbed The Cleaning Lady and The Juvenile by the sardonic Marcellus - smoothly voiced by Alfred Molina - who views humans from behind the glass as totally inept creatures. 'Of all the humans, I mind the Cleaning Lady the least,' declares the curmudgeonly yet loveable, all-seeing cephalopod. Sensitively directed and adapted by Olivia Newman (Where The Crawdads Sing), it's a touching story of love and grief, so prepare to emote. (111 minutes)Downton Abbey: The Grand FinaleThe feature film swansong for the upstairs/downstairs gangYear: 2025Certificate: pgWatch now on NOWWatch now on SkyYou know what you're getting with Downton, and never has that been more true than in this feature film send-off. A sumptuous salute to the characters that also feels undeniably cinematic right from its opening scenes, Julian Fellowes' script opens by swooping us down right into the tail-end of the London season. The upstairs/downstairs gang are out for a night at the theatre, and who's that they meet backstage? Why it's none other than Noël Coward, cigarette in hand, who just so happens to be working with gay ex-Downton butler Barrow in the West End. Good for Barrow.It's a time of change more generally in London, with aristocrats retreating from running big houses in the capital. Those poor, poor families. But the Granthams? Hopefully not. The threat of change but the ultimate promise of stasis is at the core of Downton, and this film includes many moments of drama that are built on things that may now seem ridiculous - at one moment, Lady Mary is forced out of someone's house purely for being divorced. It's played for comedy, but the consequences are real, albeit relative, of course - fewer social invitations, not a terminal disease - but, in the world of the characters, they matter. Whether or not you like Downton is rather besides the point. Even without the bon mots of Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess, this is a full-course meal of costume drama, a generational story about the passing of the torch that's best enjoyed with a hearty red and a box of chocolates. And all topped off by a grand old dinner with yes, Noël Coward himself - who has a certain way with a bon mot. (123 minutes) Million Dollar SecretPeter Serafinowicz hosts a deception-based gameshow, now back for series twoYear: 2025Certificate: 12Watch now on NetflixTwelve strangers are brought to a lavish estate on the edge of a lake in Canada. The host (British actor Peter Serafinowicz) has placed a box containing $1 million in the room of one of them. Their mission? To keep the fact they have the money secret from all of the other contestants. Completing various tasks (some public, some secret) and taking part in evictions, the contestants must form alliances and using their detection skills try to work out who has the dough. Every time a millionaire is successfully booted out, the money moves to someone else and the game continues. Riding on the coat-tails of The Traitors, it's perhaps not a show drenched in originality, but that doesn't stop it from being a fabulously enjoyable chunk of telly that will keep you reaching for the next episode each time one ends. And Serafinowicz, who's clearly having the time of his life, is a wonderful choice as the plummy-voiced puppetmaster calling all the shots. Imagine a retired James Bond who's turned slightly evil and over-indulged his passions for fine food and even finer wine, and that seems to be the character he's playing, although it softens a little in series two.Both series of this addictive show are available in their entirety, and each includes at least one jaw-dropping and hugely entertaining elimination dinner. The structure is pretty much the same the second time around as the first, although there two more contestants crammed into the same episode count, so it has a slightly busier feel.The setting for it all is The Stag, a 44-acre estate in Canada's British Columbia - The Stag's real name is Château Okanagan, and it is available to guests for around £9,000 a night. (Two series) We Are JeniThe extraordinary story of Jeni Haynes, who developed more than 2,500 personalites to cope with abuseYear: 2026Certificate: 18Watch now on HBO MaxJeni Haynes was born in London in 1970 and her family relocated to Australia when she was four, a move that isolated Jeni's mother Pat from her friends and family. For this one-off documentary, Jeni talks about the physical abuse received at the hands of outwardly respectable father Richard, and of being raped 'almost every day' by him for years. Jeni's mother and father divorced in 1984. Jeni remained in Australia with Pat and Richard returned to the UK. Year later, in 1996, Jeni learned of allegations that Richard had sexually abused someone in the UK - and, at that point, decided to report him to the authorities. It's a sad and awful story, but the extraordinary element of it is that, in order to cope with the abuse, Jeni developed 2,500 separate personalities or 'alters', a condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder. When Jeni, whose preferred pronouns are we/us/our, testified in court in Australia in front of her father, that testimony came partly through six of those alters - in a case that saw Richard sentenced to 45 years in prison. We hear some of Jeni's alters speak in this documentary - including bleached blonde toughie Muscles, who Jeni calls 'the ideal brother' - represented in part by digital animation. We also hear from Jeni's mother, who said that her husband ensured she took 'loads of pills' for her depression, causing her to miss 'all the red flags' relating to how he treated their daughter. (Two episodes) The CageLiverpool-set crime drama starring Sheridan Smith and Michael SochaYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on BBC iPlayerIn this murky crime drama from Tony Schumacher, writer of the BAFTA-nominated Martin Freeman hit The Responder, Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha star as two Liverpool casino workers dipping into the till. Eventually they get so desperate that they team up for a much bigger score.They're not exactly bad people, though of the two, Socha's Matty is the more shady. He's got underground gambling debts and owes thousands in child support to his ex but you can tell he's got a good heart. For Smith's Leanne, it's the complex needs of her dementia-stricken grandmother that is making her financial situation so precarious, a crime in itself that Leanne and her daughter will be homeless when Nanna's home is sold to pay for residential care - in a matter of weeks.It's easy to sympathise with their predicaments, even if the set-up in the first episode feels a bit clunky. They are contrasted with far badder baddies, of the kind who deal drugs, launder money, torture and kill, and who the police are failing to shut down. And as Matty and Leanne make their way through this murky underworld, you're rooting for them to come out of it unscathed.There have been plenty of dramas about desperate people drawn into criminal acts, but this stands out for having such strong, watchable leads in Socha and Smith, both playing to their strengths. In fact, the lively, blackly comic banter between them is easily the best bit about the show. (Six episodes)Prisoner (2026 series)High-pressure British action thriller about a prisoner transfer gone wrongYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on NOWWatch now on SkyA high-pressure action thriller from the pen of Matt Charman, also the man behind the Sheridan Smith drama Black Work, Netflix's Treason, and with an Oscar nomination for his work on the Bridge Of Spies screenplay for Steven Spielberg. Charman's story here is straightforward and pacy, with Izuka Hoyle (Boiling Point) as Amber Todd, a new mother who, on her first day back on the job as a prisoner transfer officer, has the bad luck to be landed with a very dangerous assignment - moving the mysterious Tibor Stone ('male, IQ of 145, type 1 diabetic', and played by A Prophet's Tahar Rahim) to serve as a witness in a big trial. That, of course, doesn't go to plan, and Amber and Tibor find themselves in deep trouble. The other thread of the story is back at the HQ of the NCU (National Crime Unit) who authorised Tibor's transfer, where the staff include Eddie Marsan as a permanently stressed man who looks in desperate need of a good cup of tea and a bacon sarnie. It soon emerges that someone at the NCU is leaking information to the baddies, but who? Opening with a bang and with a quietly charismatic pair of leads grounding its lightly ridiculous premise, Prisoner is a solid action thriller with the capacity to surprise its audience. (Six episodes) The PittNoah Wyle stars as the head of a hard-pressed ER in a medical drama now on series twoYear: 2025Certificate: 15Watch now on HBO MaxIn ER, Noah Wyle played Dr John Carter, the bright-eyed trainee with the white coat that had his name embroidered onto it. In The Pitt, it's easy to see him as the jaded older version of that bushy-tailed medic. Dr Robby (Wyle) cuts a more casual, careworn figure, wears a blue hoodie as he runs the ER at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Centre, handling all that comes his way with a kind but knowing gaze. That includes the four trainee doctors that just joined his staff. Created by R Scott Gemmill (a writer on ER) and produced by John Wells (who produced ER), this medical procedural has a core that does feel very, very ER, and also shares both that show's sense of humour and its keen eye for the harsh realities of balancing budgets with humanity. It differs in two ways. Firstly, it unfolds in real time, with each episode tracking an hour on shift at the Pitt with Dr Robby and co and, as such, the pressure builds and builds across each series. Secondly, it's almost entirely just about work so there's no Dr Ross and Carol-style romantic subplots. The first series went down a storm in the US with audiences and critics, picking up five Emmy awards, and is likely to do so everywhere else. Both series run for 15 episodes/hours each and a third has been ordered. Series two is being released weekly following the launch of HBO Max in the UK on 26 March. (Two series)A Taste For MurderGrieving British detective finds delicious food - and murder - in Capri Year: 2026Certificate: 12Watch now on ITVXWarren Brown stars in this new sun-soaked mystery drama as English DCI Joe Mottram, escaping to Italy for a reset after the sudden death of his wife. Visiting his in-laws Elena (Phyllis Logan) and chef Gennaro, who run a seaside restaurant on the beautiful island of Capri, Joe also hopes to reconnect with teenage daughter Angelica (Beau Gadsdon), and where better to do that than surrounded by sunshine and delicious Italian food?As beautiful as the location is, there are dark dealings afoot and when Gennaro's nephew and sous chef is arrested for murder Joe steps in, butting heads with the Italian police, led by local inspector Lara Sarrancino (Cristiana Dell'Anna). He doesn't just bury himself in work, though, but slowly starts to heal from his loss as the microwave cook starts to learn the Italian meaning of food and family.Writer Matt Baker knows a thing or two about sun-soaked settings, having previously created Italian riviera period drama Hotel Portofino. Both shows contrast their beautiful surroundings with a dark seam of crime and corruption. (Six episodes) Widow's BayCreepy comedy horror set in small-town New England, starring Matthew Rhys as its ambitious mayorYear: 2026Certificate: 18Watch now on Apple TVWidow's Bay is a mix of small-town comedy and slow, creeping horror, and one of those series that has you wondering if horrible things are really about to happen - or if it's all in the mind of the stressed main character. Matthew Rhys stars as that main character - Mayor Tom Loftis, a tense man who is determined to turn around the fortunes of Widow's Bay, an ailing island town off the coast of New England that he wants to transform into a tourist hotspot, like Bar Harbor in Maine or, heaven forbid, Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts (where they filmed Jaws).Widow's Bay is a town full of superstitions, and when Tom begs a reporter to come and write about it, an old story resurfaces about local cannibalism that does nothing for his stress levels. There are plenty more question marks around the town. Is the local inn really haunted? Is there a mist that kills people? And are all these horrors just a metaphor for the resentment that's been building up from years of downward economic drift?These questions are what pull you into this ten-parter from Kate Dippold (Parks And Recreation), and Rhys's performance in the lead is what keeps you there, along with the smattering of shocks. Few leading men handle intensity as deftly as Rhys, and he's fascinating to watch whenever he's on screen. (Ten episodes) Send HelpExhilarating horror comedy from Sam Raimi, starring Rachel McAdams and available to rent at homeYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on Disney+Comedy, social satire, survivalist-thriller and gross-out body horror vie for prominence in Sam Raimi's film, all of it wrapped up in a parable about an underdog fighting her corner. The story begins in the US offices of a financial services company, where nervily diligent Linda (Rachel McAdams) is eager to remind new boss Bradley (Dylan O'Brien) that his late father, the company's founder, promised her a promotion. She deserves it, too, but Bradley has no time for Linda and only rewards the sycophants he plays golf with - he's not about to indulge the frumpy office nerd. McAdams, it has to be said, is not an obvious choice to play a frump but she does so impeccably, and hilariously. Her character's spare time is spent studying bushcraft and survivalism, something that comes to the fore when the company jet crashes in a storm and the only two who make it out alive, washed up on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand, are Linda and Bradley.Will Bradley put right the many errors of his ways, while Linda at last discovers what it feels like to be cool? Might they even become soulmates? Or will Raimi, working from a screenplay by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, whisk us off in a different direction altogether, as if a strong ocean current has suddenly and unexpectedly changed course? As long as you have a reasonably strong stomach, it's a surprising amount of fun finding out. (108 minutes)The Chestnut ManCreepy Danish mystery from the creator of The Killing, now back for series twoYear: 2021-Certificate: 15Watch now on NetflixThis Danish mystery opens on a grisly scene, with a police officer discovering three dead bodies at a farm in the 1980s. Then, he ventures into the cellar - never a great idea - to discover lots of creepy chestnut figures. The meat of the story, though, takes place 30 years later in Copenhagen, when one of those eerie figures is connected to the case of a politician's missing daughter. You'll want to have the doors firmly locked before sitting down to watch the creepy show that ensues, which is based on a book by Søren Sveistrup, who previously created the epitome of Scandi noir shows for TV - The Killing. The six-part Copenhagen story in series one is hinged around the pairing of local detective Naia Thulin (The Bridge's Danica Curci'c) with Europol's Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). The show's standalone sequel, Hide And Seek, follows the search for the killer behind murders connected by a nursery rhyme and features a prominent role for The Killing's Sofie Gråbøl. (Two series) Secret Service (2026 series)High-stakes modern spy thriller starring Gemma ArtertonYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on ITVXGemma Arterton stars in this thrilling spy drama, adapted from the 2019 novel by ITV news man Tom Bradby, whose political thriller Shadow Dancer was also adapted in 2012. It's got intrigue, exotic locations, action and peril, but it's also grounded in the current state of the world - the idea that a Russian spy in the British government is a realistic concern.As Kate Henderson, head of the Russia desk at MI6, Arterton is steely, capable and extremely likeable, running operations and tackling the potential threat, while also balancing her home life and the secrets she must keep. Her husband Stuart, played by Rafe Spall, is special advisor to the Home Secretary and as events unfold, the carefully maintained boundaries between the couple's personal and professional lives become increasingly strained. That's a neat track to follow, alongside the high-stakes intrigue and peril that the show also delivers.With a superb supporting cast that includes Alex Kingston and Roger Allam as veteran intelligence operatives, Mark Stanley and Amaka Okafor as the slippery politicians - plus cameos from the likes of Robert Peston and Ed Balls as themselves - Bradby's thriller captures some of the old-school energy of John le Carre, while bringing the political threats right up to date. (Five episodes)MintDreamy crime romance with echoes of Romeo & JulietYear: 2026Certificate: 15Watch now on BBC iPlayerIn this dreamlike mix of crime and romance, Shannon (Emma Laird) and Arran's eyes meet across a train track at an empty railway station and there's an instant connection. 'I felt the spark,' says Shannon to her mum Cat (Laura Fraser) when she gets home.  Shannon is the heir to a colourful Scottish crime family led by her father (Sam Riley), with the forceful presence of her gran (Lindsay Duncan) and troops of smart-suited foot soldiers. Arran (Ben Coyle-Larner), meanwhile, is the brother of one of her family's sworn enemies. Yes, it's a reworking of Romeo & Juliet with Shannon and Arran as the star-crossed lovers, but it also immerses you in a very distinctive setting, with a look and sound all of its own.The dreamlike style means lots of slow motion, soft focus and flashes of snappy editing that make it look like a music video at times - especially given that the soundtrack is a big part of the show's personality. It doesn't stand still for long, though, and is well-suited to its 30-minute format.Former model Laird had significant supporting roles in A Haunting In Venice and Oscar-winning The Brutalist. Coyle-Larner is a musician, aka Loyle Carner, who was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2017 for his jazz-infused hip-hop, which is as languid and dreamy as the feel of this show. (Eight episodes)

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