Sunday 27 March
Falklands War: The Untold Story
Channel 4, 9pm
A remarkably punchy, sentiment-free, 40-years-on assessment of the war on the ground in the Falkland Islands by an impressive selection of the senior commanders and men who conducted it. Most remarkable, perhaps, is the severe criticism levelled at the British forces’ chaotic command and control structure, and the fact that one brigadier’s leadership comes under sustained attack by his fellow top brass (one contributor even goes so far as to refer to him as a “bloody idiot”). There’s bitter criticism, too, of the assault on Goose Green – characterised here as costly (in terms of casualties) and delaying side-skirmish conducted to appease the progress-demanding Thatcher government in London. The head of the SAS in the Falklands, Sir Michael Rose, speaks publicly for the first time about how – and why – the British task force came within 10 minutes of defeat, and shares recordings of the surrender negotiations. And there’s new insight into a clandestine intelligence mission supported by General Pinochet in Chile. Overall, the conclusion seems to be that, in the opinion of many of those involved, the war could have been finished sooner, and with considerably fewer casualties. GO
Formula 1: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix
Sky F1, 4.30pm (start 6pm)
Money talks, so the start of the F1 season is dominated by soulless desert tracks – this time Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Can Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc take back-to-back wins? GO
Edward VIII: Britain’s Traitor King
Channel 4, 8pm
That the former King Edward VIII was a Nazi sympathiser is hardly news, though the claims that Churchill threatened him, in veiled terms, with a court-martial does shock. Most ruinous is a letter from a German spy in Portugal claiming that the Duke recommended intensifying the Blitz as the best means of bringing Britain to its knees. This is a deeply damning documentary. GO
Peaky Blinders
BBC One, 9pm
A lesser man might take a death-sentence medical diagnosis to heart but not Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy). This penultimate episode sees him tend to unfinished business with the single-mindedness of a man on a time limit. GO
Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan
BBC Two, 9pm; Wales, 9.15pm; NI, 11pm
The comedian brings his dubious case-cracking skills to bear on the true-crime genre, setting out to clear up some mysterious deaths in suspicious circumstances. His first focus is on Jimi Hendrix, and whether there’s any truth to rumours that the troubled guitarist was murdered. An entertaining delve into rock’n’roll myth. GO
Holidaying with Jane McDonald: The Caribbean
Channel 5, 9pm
Getting back to doing what she loves best, Jane McDonald sets out on a luxurious island-hopping tour of the Caribbean. On the itinerary in this four-parter are St Lucia, Grenada and Antigua, but her first port of call is Barbados for sensational snorkeling with turtles, a flora safari and lots of rum-swigging while on a tour of the top distillery. GO
The Great Big Tiny Design Challenge
More4, 9pm
Interior design in miniature is the niche skill celebrated as crafters compete to decorate a mini-mansion dolls’ house, designing and making everything from drapery to furniture and foodstuffs. Willard Wigan and Laura Jackson are judges, Sandi Toksvig presents. GO
Oscars Live PARTY/The 94th Academy Awards
Sky Max, 11pm/Sky Showcase, 1am
There’s plenty of British interest this year with Olivia Colman, Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jessie Buckley, Ciarán Hinds and Dame Judi Dench up for acting awards. Sky subscribers can follow the red-carpet action on Max, then switch to Showcase for the ceremony; plus, there’s two hours of highlights on Monday at 10pm. GO
Monsters vs Aliens (2009) ★★★★
BBC One, 2pm
Reese Witherspoon provides the voice of Susan, heroine of DreamWorks’ smashing animated fantasy paying homage to whacky Fifties sci-fi movies such as Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. After being hit by a meteorite she grows to a gigantic size and is incarcerated by the military until aliens threaten Earth. It has all the fun that we normally associate with DreamWorks’ rivals Pixar – think The Incredibles meets Monsters, Inc.
Max Richter’s Sleep (2019) ★★★★
BBC Four, 8.25pm
As the clocks change for British Summer Time, Max Richter’s unambiguously titled eight-hour opus is designed to soothe our frantic minds. This documentary follows Richter and his creative partner Yulia Mahr, as they prepare for an ambitious performance of the work in Los Angeles. Director Natalie Johns gently weaves archive footage and interviews into the soporific story.
Molly’s Game (2017) ★★★
BBC Two, 10pm
Molly Bloom was on track to be an Olympic skiing champion, until an accident led her to running the most infamous high-stakes poker game in Hollywood. Making his directorial debut, Aaron Sorkin adapts Bloom’s tell-all memoir, pitching Jessica Chastain’s Molly as a sexy, sequined enigma. She hires Idris Elba’s smooth-talking lawyer to fend off FBI interest, but the piano-wire tension of the poker game is the main reason to settle in.
