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TV preview: 'I’m a Celebrity' should be a little different as Holly Willoughby replaces Ant McPartlin

Louis Theroux’s 'Altered States' offers a fascinating and occasionally distressing alternative to the reality series

Jack Shepherd
Friday 16 November 2018 18:10 GMT
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Related video: I'm a Celebrity... who's entering the jungle this year?
Related video: I'm a Celebrity... who's entering the jungle this year?

Enjoyed David Attenborough’s remarkable look at the power struggle within a troop of chimpanzees in last week’s Dynasty? Well, settle in, as another programme about monkeying around is about to start. I am, of course, talking about ITV’s unwithering reality show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

This latest series should be a little different: not only has there been a change of presenter (Ant McPartlin out, Holly Willoughby in), but the twisted jungle gods have managed to round up some actual celebrities, namely former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp. Joining the hot-headed 71-year-old is John Barrowman, of Torchwood fame, DIY SOS’s Nick Knowles, and X Factor contestant-turned-somewhat-successful solo artist Fleur East.

As is standard, the rest of the pack’s filled out with some D-listers (a Coronation Street regular, a Chaser from The Chase, a guitarist of a now-redundant boy band), bulking out Sunday’s introductory episode – which lasts a staggering one hour and 45 minutes. Expect Monday morning’s water-cooler conversation with Jane from HR to be dominated by mundane chat about who’ll walk out first (and a word or two on how well Dec and Willoughby keep things afloat).

For those who don’t fancy watching pampered celebrities struggling in Australia, BBC 2 offers the complete antithesis with Louis Theroux’s latest documentary. The second part in the presenter’s Altered States series follows Gus, an American man who, at first, seems full of life, until you discover that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rather than wait for the disease to take hold, the grandfather decides to take his own life at home, surrounded by his closest family.

Although he questions the decision, Theroux’s disarming and empathetic nature allows him to get close to the family. The result is a fascinating and occasionally distressing insight into one man’s death that queries the practice of voluntary euthanasia. It’s documentary making at its finest.

Channel 4 also offers some must-watch Sunday television in the form of The Interrogation of Tony Martin. Based on a true story, it stars Steve Pemberton as the eponymous farmer Tony Martin, who made headlines in 1999 after killing a 16-year-old burglar. It’s a surprising role for Pemberton, who is best known for the macabre comedy League of Gentlemen, but one that will no doubt win rave reviews as he takes on this stubborn and unsympathetic man. Daniel Mays, meanwhile, plays the police interrogator, while the script comes verbatim from real transcripts.

When you’re done catching up with Sunday’s television (which also sees Dynasty, Doctor Who and The Little Drummer Girl continue on BBC 1), Monday night sees the HBO’s first ever foreign-language series debut on Sky Atlantic. Adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name, My Brilliant Friend begins with a 60-year-old woman, Lenu, discovering that her friend, Lila, has disappeared. We then flashback to her memories of 1950s Naples, when the two were children and their relationship filled with spite

Lenu narrates over their growing rivalry as she becomes jealous – though she’s a smart child, it’s Lila who’s hailed as the prodigy. Set in a violent and tense neigbourhood, the Italian series (with English subtitles) makes for a captivating watch.

Come Thursday (and hopefully you are caught up by now), the BBC are offering a look back at their once hugely popular science show, Tomorrow’s World. The one-off episode – titled Tomorrow’s World Live: for One Night Only – features former presenters Maggie Philbin and Howard Stableford as they return for a special live interactive show. Brace yourself for all the usual mishaps that the original series came to be known for over its 38-year run.

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Dynasty (BBC 1, Sunday, 8pm); I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! (ITV, Sunday, 9pm); Louis Theroux’s Altered States (BBC 2, Sunday, 9pm); Doctor Who (Sunday, BBC 1, 6.30pm); The Little Drummer Girl (Sunday, BBC 1, 9pm); The Interrogation of Tony Martin (Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm); My Brilliant Friend (Monday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm); Tomorrow’s World Live: for One Night Only (Thursday, BBC 4, 9pm)

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