What To Watch This Week 04.11.24

Panorama: The Chris Kaba Shooting 

In 2022, Metropolitan Police Sgt Martyn Blake fatally shot and killed an unarmed Black man, Chris Kaba, in Streatham Hill. Earlier this month, Blake was acquitted causing a re-examination of the case in the public sphere. In this Panorama investigation, journalist Greg McKenzie speaks to Met Insiders and Kaba’s parents to get their reaction to the verdict. 

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America Decides: US Presidential Election

It's crunch time for Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. As the results of the US presidential election roll in, The News Agents podcast’s Lewis Goodall will join forces with Washington correspondents from Sky and BBC News to help make sense of it.

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Shetland, BBC

Set against the brooding landscapes of the Shetland archipelago, this popular BBC drama returns for its ninth season, with Ashley Jensen (After Life, Ugly Betty) reprising her role as DI Ruth Calder. Fan-favourite Alison O'Donnell is also back as DS Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh and viewers can look forward to some new faces as well, including Ian Hart (Harry Potter, Mr Bates vs The Post Office). While the plot remains under wraps, expect more breathtaking shots of the rugged Scottish scenery – and plenty of high-stakes crime in a small-town setting.

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The Day Of The Jackal, HBO & NOW 

The Day of the Jackal is a new thriller based on the classic 1971 book by Frederick Forsyth, which follows a lone wolf and his global-scale threat. If it’s anything like the original 1973 film starring Edward Fox, we’ll be hooked. An unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer who starts to track the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake. With a fresh twist on the source material, the ten-part series promises a slick chase across the world as the hunter becomes the hunted.

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Paddington In Peru

Everyone’s favourite travelling, marmalade-loving bear is back in Paddington 3. Following on from the first two heart-warming instalments, the titular hero is still happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens. This time, with the whole family in tow, Paddington embarks on a journey back to Peru to visit his beloved Aunty Lucy at the Home For Retired Bears. Their adventure takes them through the Amazon rainforest and up into the majestic mountains of Peru. This third instalment is as charming as ever, full of delightful ‘bull in a china shop’ and life-affirming moments. It has a great cast too, including Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, Hugh Bonneville, Antonio Banderas and Jim Broadbent.

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Bird

Bird follows 12-year-old Bailey, whose life in a ramshackle squat with her devoted but unpredictable dad Bug (Barry Keoghan, Saltburn) takes a turn when she encounters a mysterious wanderer named Bird (Franz Rogowski, Passages). Played by breakout talent Nykiya Adams, Bailey has her life transformed as her bond with Bird unfolds, carrying her toward an uncertain yet wondrous future. This highly anticipated return to fictional cinema from Oscar-winning Andrea Arnold (American Honey, Fish Tank) premiered to a seven-minute standing ovation at the 2024 Cannes film festival. Expect a tender and surprising coming-of-age tale. 

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The Piano Lesson 

August Wilson, one of the defining playwrights of the 20th century, powerfully captured the African American experience in works like his Pulitzer Prize-winning Fences and The Piano Lesson. The latter has now been adapted for the screen by Malcolm Washington, with production by his father Denzel. Set in 1930s Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the story centres on the Charles family and a conflict over a prized heirloom – a piano adorned with carvings by an enslaved ancestor. One sibling wishes to sell it, while the other refuses, sparking a poignant debate over the meaning of family legacy and how we interpret the past. The film carries over much of the cast from the play’s recent Broadway revival, including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Erykah Badu.

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