The best TV shows to hit screens this autumn from The Crown to A Confession
LED by Helen Mirren as Catherine the Great, this autumn’s TV features a bosom-heaving, nail-biting, side-splitting line-up. There’s even Cockney geezer Danny Dyer hosting a hilarious game show.
TV writer Rod McPhee reveals the blockbuster dramas, new comedies and other treats that will have you glued to the box, and gives each show an anticipation rating out of five.
Catherine The Great
Sky Atlantic
Dame Helen had no qualms about heaving her bosom into the corsets involved in this period drama – despite its racy action.
The Oscar-winner is the Empress of Russia who has a passionate affair with nobleman Grigory Potemkin (played by Jason Clarke). Mirren is also executive producer of the four-part series.
ANTICIPATION: 5
A Confession
ITV, Monday
The shameful treatment of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher – the man who breached police procedure to snare a serial killer – is exposed in this harrowing six-part true crime drama.
Sherlock actor Martin Freeman stars as the dedicated detective while Imelda Staunton plays mum Karen Edward, whose life was left in limbo after the disappearance of her daughter.
ANTICIPATION: 4
Scarborough
BBC 1, Friday
Bosses at ITV might be spitting feathers when they see this six-part show from creators of Benidorm – the comedy they axed last year.
The line up of stars looks particularly promising, with a cast including comedian Jason Manford, Coronation Street star Catherine Tyldesley and former Brookside actress, Claire Sweeney.
ANTICIPATION: 3
The Capture
BBC1, Tuesday
In this six-part surveillance thriller, Holliday Grainger plays a detective investigating British soldier Shaun Emery (Callum Turner) who has a murder conviction overturned.
But damning CCTV footage from a night out emerges, forcing Shaun to fight for his freedom again.
ANTICIPATION: 2
Britannia
Sky Atlantic, November
The second series of the historical drama explores another chapter in the Roman invasion of Britain in 43AD, with David Morrissey and Mackenzie Crook leading the cast.
Steve Pemberton is brilliantly cast as Emperor Claudius – whose piles are inflamed by riding on an elephant.
ANTICIPATION: 3
Defending The Guilty
BBC2, Sept 19
Courtroom comedy starring Katherine Parkinson (AKA Jen from the IT Crowd) as a cynical lawyer who is training rookie barrister Will Packham, played by Will Sharpe.
Word is that BBC2 bosses liked it so much they ordered a full series before the pilot had even aired.
ANTICIPATION: 3
Criminal
Netflix, Sept 20
As a detective in Broadchurch, we’re used to seeing David Tennant in a police interview room – but this time he’s on the other side of the table as a suspect in the murder of his own step-daughter.
It’s just one of 12 stories drawn from four countries and told in four different languages.
ANTICIPATION: 2
Dublin Murders
BBC1, October
Based on crime author Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novels, this eight-part thriller looks at two murders investigated by detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox (played by Killian Scott and Sarah Greene).
The crime books have been adapted by Sarah Phelps who sexed up the BBC’s recent versions of Agatha Christie’s novels.
ANTICIPATION: 3
The Light
C4, October
After acclaimed drama Kiri, actress Sarah Lancashire is reunited with writer Jack Thorne for this harrowing story of a devastating explosion in a small Welsh town.
She plays Polly, the wife of a politician who championed the creation of the building project that led to the disaster – which also left her daughter disabled.
ANTICIPATION: 3
State of The Union
BBC2, Sept 8
Written by Fever Pitch author Nick Hornby, this ten-part comedy stars Bridesmaids funnyman Chris O’Dowd and Bond girl Rosamund Pike as a couple who meet in a pub before attending their marital therapy session.
The episodes, which last ten minutes each, are directed by Stephen Frears.
ANTICIPATION: 3
Giri/Haji
BBC2, Autumn
Trainspotting actress Kelly McDonald plays a Met police detective in this drama set in Britain and Japan.
A Japanese cop’s estranged brother goes missing in London, forcing him to leave Tokyo and head to the UK to find him.
The eight-part series is co-produced by the BBC and Netflix and penned by Joe Barton, who wrote sci-fi drama Humans.
ANTICIPATION: 2
World on Fire
BBC1, October
Few war dramas can genuinely claim to be epic, but this adaptation seems to justify the title based on its cast alone.
Led by Oscar-winner Helen Hunt and Sean Bean, it tells the intertwined story of ordinary people living through World War Two.
Of course there’s the inevitable love story at its heart, while the sensational special effects bring the horrors of the conflict to life.
ANTICIPATION: 3
His Dark Materials
BBC1, Autumn
Over-75s being forced to pay for their TV licences will be thrilled to hear the Beeb have blown the budget on this lavish adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy.
It is thought to be one of the most expensive dramas ever shown on BBC1 with most of the money spent on CGI.
A hefty chunk probably went on the cast too, which includes X-Men actor James McAvoy, Sherlock’s Andrew Scott and Peaky Blinders’ Helen McCrory.
ANTICIPATION: 5
Temple
Sky One, Sept 13
He’s the British actor who became Tinsletown’s baddie of choice. Now Mark Strong returns to telly playing a good guy – a talented surgeon who sets up an underground clinic after his wife develops a life-threatening illness.
Line Of Duty’s Daniel Mays is the suave star’s sidekick in this eight-episode comic thriller – which is set beneath a London Tube station.
ANTICIPATION: 3
The Crown
Netflix, Nov 17
Fans have been eagerly awaiting this third series, but the royal family may want to cover their eyes as the drama delves into a turbulent era of the Windsors’ history.
Olivia Colman takes over from Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, although the performance everyone wants to see is Helena Bonham Carter, playing the boozy black sheep of the family Princess Margaret.
ANTICIPATION: 5
Liar 2
ITV, Autumn
The highly anticipated drama returns for a second series which is more of a prequel.
It delves into the history of villainous surgeon Andrew Earlham, played by Ioan Gruffudd, and the events which led up to him raping teacher Laura Nielson, played by Joanne Froggatt, in the last series.
Acclaimed writers Jack and Harry Williams sprinkle their magic on the thriller with the added bonus of Mr Selfridge star Katherine Kelly joining the cast as a detective.
ANTICIPATION: 5
The Wall
BBC1, October
Not to be confused with Hole in the Wall, the now-defunct wacky Beeb game show, this six-episode series is more like Tipping Point on acid.
Instead of counters, contestants answer questions to win balls which are dropped from the top of a wall and win or lose cash depending on where they land.
Danny Dyer’s hosting style will leave viewers wondering if this is a genuine show or a comedy sketch. Either way, it’s totally hilarious.
ANTICIPATION: 3
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