Sheridan Smith in The Cage and TFI Friday Unplugged: TV highlights

The Palace and the Presidents (Saturday 25/04/26, 5, 8.50pm)

Words by Damon Smith

It is 80 years since Winston Churcill visited Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri in the aftermath of the Second World War and delivered his rousing address about collaboration and unity, which famously referenced “a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States”.

A photograph captured shortly before the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ speech depicts Churchill flashing his famous V For Victory sign alongside President Harry S Truman as the two men stand on the rear platform of a train.

The cigar-puffing Prime Minister’s name was referenced by Donald Trump when he publicly called into question the special relationship after Keir Starmer refused to allow American forces to use UK bases for initial US-Israel strikes on Iran. “This is not Winston Churchill that we’re dealing with,” the 47th president of the United States told reporters.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will hope to strengthen the bond between the two nations when they embark on a six-day visit to America on Monday, which begins in Washington DC and includes a state dinner at the White House hosted by President Trump and first lady Melania Trump and a historic address to Congress. The King will become only the second British monarch in history to give a speech to both chambers after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991.

Ahead of this important moment for diplomatic relations between the UK and America, a one-off documentary ventures behind the scenes of the carefully choreographed photo opportunities to reveal what really happens when the world’s most famous family meets the world’s most powerful person.

Sometimes the snapshots of royalty and political might side-by-side are in perfect harmony. Who can forget the image of Princess Diana in a blue velvet gown dancing with John Travolta at the White House in November 1985 during a gala dinner hosted by President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan?

The documentary highlights King George VI and Franklin D Roosevelt sharing hot dogs in 1939 New York and Queen Elizabeth II riding horses with Ronald Reagan in 1982 Windsor as images that travelled around the world to underline the special relationship.

The programme welcomes exclusive insights from royal and White House insiders and presidential relatives including 97-year-old Selwa ‘Lucky’ Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan’s social secretary Gahl Burt and renowned journalist Kate Andersen Brower. They lift the veil of secrecy surrounding these high-profile meetings.

President Obama’s Chief of Protocol Capricia Marshall recalls the 2011 state visit to the UK and offers first-hand testimony about the unexpected drama behind a gift exchange that made headlines around the world.

Rarely seen archive footage is complemented by surprising behind-the-scenes revelations. The programme addresses rumours that President Carter allegedly kissed the Queen Mother in 1977 and the unfortunate technical glitch in 1991 that saw the Queen practically disappear during a speech. White House usher Chris Emery remembers the incident which left President George Bush visibly blushing.

Hopefully, next week’s royal visit will pass without any headline-grabbing hiccups.

The Cage (BBC One, 9pm, Sunday 26/04/2026)

Words by Richard Jones

“The entire country knows Sheridan Smith is amazing,” says Tony Schumacher the writer of this new crime drama.

“She is absolutely one of, if not the best British actress, working at the moment.”

It’s difficult to argue with him. After earning acclaim for her roles in Mrs Biggs, I Fought the Law, Cilla, The Moorside and Four Lives, the 44-year-old Lincolnshire-born star is one of the country’s most in-demand performers.

But although the BBC will have considered it a coup when the Bafta winner agreed to take the lead in The Cage, according to Schumacher, who also wrote another BBC hit The Responder, Smith was just as keen as he was to get the project off the ground.

“I met Sheridan very early on in the process of putting this thing together and it was really funny because somebody said to go for a coffee with her and I went.

“I thought I was begging her to be in the show, and she was begging me to be in the show, too.

“The pair of us were just begging each other for about an hour and then realised we wanted to work together.”

The Cage is a Liverpool-set crime story with two unforgettable characters at its heart.

When Leanne Chapel (Smith) and Matty Flynn (Michael Socha) discover they have both been robbing from the safe at the inner-city casino they work in, their lives are set on a collision course – with each other, the local gangster they’re stealing from, and the police.

Smith explains more about her character. “Leanne is a cashier at the casino and she’s a single mum,” she says.

“She cares for her Nanna who has dementia, she has a son of 17 and a daughter who’s 12. They’re losing their housing and Nanna has to go into care, so she’s in this turmoil.

“Matty is her co-worker at the casino, and they discover they’re both on the rob, which entwines their lives. It’s a bit Bonnie and Clyde-y, but in a really chaotic, bonkers way.”

Starring alongside Smith is Socha, known for his roles This Is England, Summer and the second series of the BBC drama Showtrial.

“Matty is the manager of the Envoy Casino,” the 38-year-old Derby-born actor says.

“He’s also addicted to gambling and is in quite a lot of debt from it. He’s an alcoholic. It feels like the whole world is against him, both inside and outside the casino.

“Matty’s relationship with Leanne is quite a professional one, but friendly. They catch each other robbing from the casino and understand that they both need the money for their own reasons.”

Starring alongside the pair are Barry Sloane who plays Gary Packer, the drug dealer they cross.

Geraldine James also stars as his mother Nancy, alongside Sophie Mensah as DS Fen Ning, who suspects criminal activity in the casino, Freya Jones as Matty’s daughter Emily, and Anton Bibby as Thomas, Leanne’s 17-year-old son.

Although the collaboration between Schumacher, Smith and Socha seems like somewhat of a banker, the same can’t be said for the two lead characters, who are clearly gambling with their lives by stealing from the casino.

“The whole show is like one giant poker game,” Smith adds.

“It’s high energy – full of love and laughter, but it might also break your heart.”

Secret Service (Monday 27/04/26, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

The new five-part drama Secret Service certainly has an impressive pedigree. Not only does it boast an incredible cast, including Gemma Arterton, Rafe Spall, Khalid Abdalla, Alex Kingston, Roger Allam and Mark Stanley, it’s based on a novel by News at Ten’s Tom Bradby.

The author told the Royal Television Society that his background in journalism informed the book. He said: “I met a lot of spies over the time I was UK Editor and Political Editor and generally found them impressive.

“They’re usually quiet, not showy, not flashy. They’re doing a very important job. It was really important to me that we were going to do a drama where the politics felt real and the spying felt real.”

Lead actress Gemma Arterton may not have had quite so many opportunities to meet real-life spies, but she has delved into the world of international espionage before. Although her impressive CV takes in everything from the title role in the 2008 TV adaptation of Tess of the D’Urbervilles to the Sky comedy Funny Woman, one of her breakout roles came as MI6 agent Strawberry Fields in the Bond film Quantum of Solace.

In Secret Service she’s once again employed by MI6, but the fact that this time she’s playing a character called Kate Henderson shows that the drama is going for a more grounded tone than the 007 movies.

As Gemma told the podcast Dish from Waitrose: “Sometimes you watch spy shows and they’re kind of like unattainable people. But these people that work for the Secret Service are real people that are living amongst us. And they have lives and they have kids, and families and relationships.”

But that doesn’t mean that the stakes aren’t high. She added: “It was really fascinating actually delving into that world – which is a real world.

“[My character is] a sort of maverick. Youngest head of the Russia desk. High-pressured job, obviously.

“She’s in this job and she’s worked very hard to get there and she’s passionate about it, but it’s tentative. It’s often that people leave and are fired in those positions, because it’s such a high-pressure job.”

That pressure is about to intensify when Kate arrives in Malta on a mission. She’s meeting asset Lena, who works as a nanny for Igor Borodin, head of the Russian secret service, and is going to smuggle a listening device into his villa.

The plan works, and Kate overhears an explosive conversation about a British politician who has cancer and is about to resign. It also hints that a high-ranking UK politician may be working as a Russian asset.

The series continues tomorrow as Kate worries that Lena is in danger, but as the hunt to get to the truth intensifies, the agent’s own career and more is on the line. Just how much is she willing to sacrifice to protect her country?

Half Man (Tuesday 28/04/26, BBC1, 10.40pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

The Netflix hit Baby Reindeer was one of the most talked-about shows of 2024, and one of the most critically acclaimed – it won numerous awards, including six Emmys, two Golden Globes and a Bafta.

That was a huge triumph for the show’s creator, writer and star Richard Gadd, who adapted the dark drama from his own one-man stage show, but it also raised the question of what he would do for an encore. Now we get our answer as, after the first episode premiered on iPlayer last week, his new series Half Man comes to BBC One.

Richard stars alongside Jamie Bell as Ruben and Niall, who aren’t related by blood and have very different personalities, but are as close as brothers.

As Richard explains: “Ruben is violent and volatile, whilst Niall is very sensible and self-conscious. They’re polar opposites but in a strange way they form an alliance – for better or worse – which catapults them through the ages. They both have something that the other does not and they crave what each other has.”

When Ruben turns up at Niall’s wedding, its clear something between them has changed. An explosion of violence then takes viewers back in time to chart their lives from the 1980s to the present day, and explore the nature of male relationships.

It’s a subject that Richard is naturally drawn to. He says: “With my past projects I’ve touched on masculinity in the context of my own struggles with being a man. All of my stories explore human feelings, but this time, I wanted to come up with an idea that explores what it means to be a man in this ever-changing world through these two characters.

“To me, it feels like the debate about men has reached quite a high pitch and, at the same time, become somewhat simplified.”

He adds: “’Toxic masculinity’ is a phrase we hear a lot, and while it can risk feeling overused, it’s also being discussed so widely for a reason…

“I think that much of how society has been structured can lead to men having an inability to express themselves and express love and vulnerability, so it felt interesting to posit that conversation through Niall and Ruben.”

Luckily, Richard has no problem expressing his own admiration for his co-star Jamie, as well as Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell, who play the younger versions of their characters : “Jamie is such a lovely guy. There was something about this show as I was writing it – I couldn’t get Jamie out of my head. He’d probably roll his eyes if he heard me talking about Billy Elliot, but I can’t believe that he managed to do that at the age of 13 and I just think he’s instinctively an incredible actor.”

Richard adds: “I love Mitchell Robertson and Stuart Campbell, and I want it on record that they were my favourites for Niall and Ruben from when I first saw their self-tapes. They are true professionals through and through and I never doubted them for a second.

“It is also a joy to give young, Scottish talent their moment to shine. They would be a gift to any production they work on.”

The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn: Inside The Tower of London Special (Wednesday 29/04/26, 5, 9pm)

Words by Damon Smith

According to legend, the Tower of London will fall should the six ravens ever leave. Thankfully, there are seven birds currently in residence – Harris, Jubilee, Poppy, Edgar, Georgie, Chaos, Henry and Poe. They are fed twice a day by Ravenmaster Michael “Barney” Chandler so one of the most famous castles in the world should continue to stand well beyond this one-off programme, which follows actor Jason Watkins and historian Tracy Borman as they set out to answer a tantalising mystery: who betrayed Anne Boleyn?

Henry VIII’s ill-fated second wife is inextricably linked to the Tower of London. A magnificent royal palace once stood to the south of the White Tower, and the king and his new bride feasted there the night before she processed through the City of London to Westminster Abbey.

Three years after the marital festivities, Anne returned to the Tower, accused of adultery and treason. On May 19, 1536, she was executed by sword on Tower Green and today, the site contains a memorial to Anne and other people who died on the green by order of the state, including Henry VIII’s fifth wife Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey.

Many scholars believe the charges levelled against Anne were fabricated by her enemies and political forces. In the hour-long programme, Jason and Tracy reopen the case and scrutinise revealing first-hand evidence to determine who ultimately sealed the queen’s fate.

Jason travels to Anne’s childhood home, Hever Castle, where he learns about the qualities which defined her – ambition, determination, independence – before she was cast as a pawn in the royal court. Tracy deliberates the impact of her father, Thomas Boleyn, before she reunites with Jason to consider the influence wielded by Anne’s formidable uncle, the Duke of Norfolk.

Despite her best efforts to stay on the right side of her husband and history, Anne fell foul of the king’s right-hand man, Thomas Cromwell. He watched with mounting concern as the queen failed to produce a male heir and Henry’s affections shifted to Jane Seymour. Anne’s subsequent trial is documented in detail in the remarkably well-preserved documents stored at the National Archives. Jason is granted access and he discovers the allegations which signed Anne’s death warrant were politically convenient and unjust.

Anne’s execution is part of the rich and chequered history of The Tower of London since its construction by William the Conqueror in the 1070s. The future Queen Elizabeth I was imprisoned there by her half-sister, Queen Mary. Guy Fawkes was tortured before his confession and Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in the Tower for 13 years.

Today, the fortress is guarded by the Yeomen warders, affectionately known as ‘Beefeaters’ because members of the Royal Bodyguard were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king’s table. They protect the Tower’s centuries of secrets including, perhaps, who stood to gain most from Anne’s destruction and betrayed her.

Big Mood (Thursday 30/04/26, Channel 4, 10pm)

Rachael Popow

If you’ve been watching the second series of the acclaimed comedy drama Big Mood, then you’ll know a love triangle has been playing out – just not the sort you normally get on TV.

The show focuses on the often-complex relationship between best mates Maggie (Nicola Coughlan) and Eddie (Lydia West), which has become even more fraught now that Eddie has a new bestie in the form of Whitney (Hannah Onslow).

As the show’s writer and creator Camilla Whitehill explains: “I always wanted to write about female friendship. Always. They’re definitely the most interesting relationships in my life.

Female friendships are still dismissed as a bit silly by most people — even if they pretend they don’t think that — and it’s my mission to get everyone to understand that the best and most interesting relationships are the ones that women have with other women.”

She adds: “I wanted to see what would happen if there was a love triangle — for Maggie and Eddie. You see it a lot in romantic relationships on TV, but I was really interested in seeing it play out in a friendship, because it’s so much more complicated to negotiate.”

Even without Whitney and the other issues the pair have been dealing with, there’s a chance Maggie and Eddie’s friendship would still have become more difficult to navigate.

Camilla says: “That age, in your early thirties, is such a time of change — everyone around you starts giving birth, getting married, moving across the world. Friendships you built in your twenties might not survive that, or they might. I know for sure there are friendships I had in my twenties that just didn’t make it through, for no one’s fault other than that everyone’s life changed so much.

“And then there are others that are forged in iron and nothing could undo them. For Maggie and Eddie, they have the additional challenges of Maggie’s mental illness and Eddie’s emotional restrictions, which mean they are constantly, sort of accidentally, winding each other up.”

So, will their relationship survive tonight’s concluding double bill? Maggie and the gang are certainly worried that they are running out of time to save Eddie before she leaves to start her commune in Devon.

To get her on her own, they set up a fake spiritual conference, where Whitney thinks she’s the keynote speaker. While Anya and Will work on trying to break into the guru’s bank account so they can get Eddie’s money back, Maggie concentrates on ‘deprogramming’ her mate, using the information on brainwashing she gleaned from one online post. Unfortunately, by exposing Whitney, she risks breaking Eddie’s spirit.

Then in the concluding episode, Maggie and Eddie reflect on their shared history. It shows that while Maggie brings excitement and laughter to her pal’s life, she also has an uncanny knack for ruining big moments. Meanwhile, Eddie’s more level-headed, straight-talking approach can be grounding, but she’s also guilty of minimising Maggie’s mental health struggles.

Will the pair conclude they don’t bring out the best in each other or cling on to their messy, imperfect but very real friendship?

TFI Friday Unplugged (Friday 01/05/2026, Channel 4, 11.05pm)

Words by Richard Jones

It was a time of Britpop, Cool Britannia, New Labour and the early days of the internet.

And if there was one TV show that encapsulated those exciting years during the mid-to-late 1990s, it was Chris Evans’ TFI Friday.

Broadcast on Channel 4 every Friday at 6pm from 1996 to 2000, the show featured live music, unfiltered and anarchic interviews with A-list stars of the day, spontaneous moments and regular features including Freak or Unique, Baby Left Baby Right, Fat lookalikes, Ugly Blokes, It’s Your Letters and Will: Pub Genius.

While Evans hosted the first five series, with Danny Baker as writer, guest presenters including the Spice Girls, Davina McCall, Dermot O’Leary and Elton John stepped in on the final run.

Of course, being in a pre-watershed teatime slot, the TV institution wasn’t without its controversy.

Shaun Ryder and Ewan McGregor were among those who swore while appearing on the show, and one competition which put two children head-to-head in a staring contest to win a car for their parents, ended in tears and provoked an outcry from viewers.

A one-off revival episode of the beloved show was broadcast on Channel 4 in June 2015, with Ryder – who had previously been banned by the broadcaster – leading to another full series later that year.

The programme wasn’t seen again for another decade, but in February this year, a show called TFI Unplugged appeared on Virgin Radio UK’s YouTube channel.

It quickly became a hit, with Evans noting TFI’s lasting impact 30 years after its debut.

“We’ve got plenty of road still to run here before we run out of road,” he said on his radio show.

“Thank you so much for watching it in your tens of thousands on YouTube. Dare I say here’s to the next 30.”

A few weeks ago, Channel 4 signed a deal to show six episodes of the reboot, bringing TFI back to regular telly for the first time in 10 years.

Cimran Shah, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for reality entertainment, was one of those excited by its return.

“TFI Friday was doing stripped-back, personality-led chat long before visualised podcasts were a twinkle in our eyes!

“I’m thrilled that this deal brings TFI back to Channel 4, reimagined in a way that feels fresh, immediate and perfectly suited for a new generation.”

Dennie Morris, Director of Audio, News Broadcasting at News UK added: “TFI Friday is one of those rare formats that never really left the cultural conversation, and we’re proud to see this iconic title – and the genius of Chris Evans – find its way back to Channel 4.”

The series kicked off a fortnight ago with a strong line-up including Sam Ryder, Shreya Ghoshal, Jack Savoretti, Sindhu Vee, Gemma Arterton, Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo.

It continued last week and although we don’t know the line-up for tonight’s latest edition at the time of writing, among the stars set to appear in future shows are A-listers Patrick Dempsey, Kurt Russell, Dave Franco and Noah Wyle, as well as musical acts Robbie Williams, Richard Ashcroft, Garbage and Squeeze.

While many of us miss the prosperity and optimism of the 90s – misguided or not – this new reboot of arguably the decade’s defining show is happily reminding us of those heady days.