Television
The second series of this handsomely assembled Philip Pullman adaptation arrives, and after Asriels recklessness, there is a certain amount of fallout to contain. Meanwhile, Lyra (the excellent Dafne Keen) has a new realm to explore and a new companion to explore it with in the shape of Amir Wilsons slightly baffled Will.Sunday 8 November, 8.10pm, BBC One
Ovie: Life After Reality TV
In the desert of personality that is Love Island, the easygoing Ovie was always going to provide relief. No surprise that he has been given his own series which finds him grappling with a conundrum: entertainment or pro basketball?Tuesday 10 November, BBC Three
Four-part documentary series about the athlete who represented South Africa in both the Paralympics and the Olympics before being sent to prison for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. A sad tale of paranoia and tragedy.Sunday 8 November, 9.10pm, BBC Two
The world of investment banking seems to be even bleaker and more savagely competitive than we thought. This new drama directed by Lena Dunham and starring Myhala Herrold follows a group of ambitious graduates as they attempt to claw their way to the top. Expect a few of these aspiring Masters of the Universe to fall by the wayside.Tuesday 10 November, 9.15pm, BBC Two
Twelve months of animal life beautifully captured as this epic six-parter whisks us around the globe in search of natures greatest spectacles. Tonight, polar bears handle the cold of the Arctic and birds thrive in the Australian heat.Sunday 8 November, 8pm, Sky Nature
With kids going hungry over half-term, one may wonder why it falls to telethons to pick up the states slack? Still, its not a new phenomenon, as this 40th anniversary edition of CIN shows. Expect to be moved by the kindness of regular folks, with guest presenters including Alex Scott and Stephen Mangan.Friday 13 November, 7pm, BBC One
Netflix delivers its first original Brazilian reality show in the form of this glitter-strewn drag queen talent series. Fairy godmother-style hosts Alexia Twister and Gloria Groove promise to bring out their contestants inner divas, though there doesnt seem to be a lot of coaching required.Wednesday 11 November, Netflix
In which The Grand Tour motor enthusiast May plugs his new cookbook, written supposedly for idiots, which promises to drive a blunt meat skewer through the burgeoning pseudo-intellectualism of foodie media, by bashing out pub grub and Asian fusion dishes. Sounds like an oven-ready deal.Friday 13 November, Amazon Prime Video
A nice cup of tea for the soul, this six-part docuseries on child development is narrated by Olivia Colman. It takes a gentle look at the lives of 100 babies around the globe, exploring how experiences in their first 2,000 days will shape the rest of their lives (no pressure, parents).Friday 13 November, Apple TV+
The dancer and choreographer Akram Khan has explored his own aversion to violence through his craft. But he takes his fascination a step further here, entering the arena of mixed martial arts (MMA) as an observer, immersing himself in fighters worlds in advance of three huge fights at Wembley.Sunday 8 November, 10pm, Channel 4
Podcasts
A welcome second season of Clara Amfos podcast, which finds the Radio 1 presenter in conversation with guests about their favourite lesser-known parts of London. This series features chats with the footballer and broadcaster Alex Scott, funny guy Munya Chawawa and Skin from Skunk Anansie.Widely available, weekly
The Guardians weekly football pod continues but this week theres a sombre coda as contributors pay tribute to the papers wonderful former football correspondent Kevin McCarra, who died on 24 October. McCarra brought a poetic sensibility to his writing on the sport and thats reflected in these fond reminiscences.Weekly
From his moving appearance on Desert Island Discs to his lively contributions to Match of the Days lockdown shows, Ian Wright has emerged as a smart, funny broadcaster. A podcast was the natural next step and Wrightys House is a cheery listen: football-based but wandering off in other directions, too. Co-hosts and guests include Ryan Hunn and Musa Okwonga.Weekly, The Ringer
Journalist Genevieve Hassan talks to faces from 80s and 90s TV about how their lives unfolded following their big break. Previously we have heard from director and actor Dexter Fletcher about Press Gang, and this week its Karyn Parsons: Hilary from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.Widely available, weekly
Miracle medicines, extreme diets, brutal training regimes: health fads are a fast-evolving but lucrative industry. Often, though, they are based on the flimsiest of scientific notions. In this series, Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes look at some flawed examples, from dodgy diet pills to the US presidents physical fitness test.Widely available, weekly
Film
(Roy Andersson) 76 minsThe Swedish master of deadpan humanism returns with another beauty. In a series of brief tableaux, a Scheherazade-like narrator bears witness to the failings and joys of humanity. From a priest who has lost his faith to a woman who really likes champagne, this is bonsai film-making, precision-tooled but full of heart.Curzon Home Cinema
(Zeina Durra) 86 minsIn writer-director Durras quietly seductive tale, Andrea Riseboroughs burnt-out conflict-zone doctor Hana revisits Luxor, Egypt, for a break and encounters an old flame, archaeologist Sultan (Karim Saleh). The past, ancient and recent, envelops Hana as she slowly reconnects with life amid the temples and the tombs.On digital
(Catherine Linstrum) 92 minsA tendency towards rug-pulling keeps you on edge in Linstrums debut feature, a chiller about a mother (Sienna Guillory) and daughter, Emma (Emilia Jones), hiding out from Emmas violent brother in the shadow of a former power station.On digital, out Monday 9 November
Peter Bullitt Yatess downbeat 70s gangster movie, adapted from a George V Higgins novel, boasts a great Robert Mitchum performance as small-time crook Eddie, whose sense of underworld loyalty is eroded by Treasury man Richard Jordan. A brilliantly realised, crushingly bleak picture of city crime in a brooding Boston.Sunday 8 November, 10pm, Talking Pictures TVread more
This week’s home entertainment: from His Dark Materials to Industry
