Friday 1 April

Slow Horses
Apple TV+
Based on Mick Herron’s bestselling spy yarns, this six-part adaptation from The Thick of It actor Will Smith has attracted quite the cast. Gary Oldman is Jackson Lamb, head of Slough House – a dumping ground for MI5 cast-offs deemed damaged goods. The latest arrival is scowling, embittered River Cartwright (Jack Lowden), ditched after a disastrous misjudgment in a training exercise for which he still blames former colleague “Spider” Webb (a slimy Freddie Fox). His new peers include Saskia Reeves’s recovering alcoholic and Olivia Cooke’s troubled prodigy.

When Kristin Scott Thomas’s imperious spymaster Diana Taverner ropes in Lamb and his charges to investigate a disgraced journalist and a far-right rabble-rouser, Cartwright’s father (Jonathan Pryce) urges his son to rein in his natural tendencies and be cautious. A young man is then abducted and death threats issued – but could the trail of responsibility lead into the heart of the establishment? Just about  walking the line between dark comedy and proper thriller, its spin on The Dirty Dozen is given an extra charge by Oldman’s indulgently enjoyable take on George Smiley gone to seed, and London absolutely looks the part, by turns gleaming and rancid. GT

Hacks
Amazon Prime Video
This acclaimed HBO series finally finds a British home, with the formidable Jean Smart playing Deborah Vance, a Las Vegas stand-up whose efforts to maintain profile and relevance bring her into the orbit of an ambitious but rash young writer (Hannah Einbinder). Needless to say, a love-hate relationship is not long in forming, but the no-holds-barred wit and comic chemistry between the leads gives it real heft. GT

The Last Bus
Netflix
Cross The Goonies with Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film War of the Worlds and you have a flavour of this fun, family-friendly 10-parter from newcomer Paul Neafcy, which follows a group of children on a school trip to a science expo. Barely escaping with their lives when hi-tech “ecorobots” – the latest invention of eccentric billionaire Dalton Monkhouse (Robert Sheehan) – go haywire, they must lead the fight to save the world. GT

Great British Menu: Banquet Special
BBC Two, 7.30pm; not Wales
After nine weeks, the remaining quartet come together to create a sumptuous banquet for an array of big names across broadcasting, in celebration of the BBC’s centenary. Baroness Floella Benjamin, Alison Steadman, Steven Moffat and James Acaster are among the arbitrarily chosen figures to assemble at Alexandra Palace for the feast, before voting for the winner. GT

Have I Got News For You
BBC One, 9pm
There’s no shortage of news for Ian Hislop and Paul Merton to discuss at the outset of this 63rd series, and tonight’s guest host, Clive Myrie, has been at the forefront of the biggest story of the moment while reporting from Ukraine. Comedian Andy Hamilton and journalist Helen Lewis join the team captains. GT

Earth’s Great Rivers II
BBC Two, 9.30pm
The Yukon is home to salmon, caribou and grizzly bears; this wonderfully entrancing, leisurely journey through Canada to Alaska gives ample time to all three, along with endangered lynx, ox and dog sledders. GT

Open House: the Great Sex experiment
Channel 4, 10pm
Threesomes and group sex are on the agenda for two couples looking to liven up their relationships – both in and out of bed. This textbook late-night Channel 4 show appraises whether their dreams might be matched by reality. GT

Joe Bell (2020) ★★
Amazon Prime Video  
This formulaic ramble, based on a true story, about a father who hikes across the country to honour his son, struggles to get to grips with an intractable, tragic social reality: bullying, specifically that of gay teenagers in America. Mark Wahlberg plays the well-meaning, hyper-masculine father of Jadin Bell (Reid Miller), who took his own life in 2013. For all its keen sentimentality, it comes off as a finger-wagging anti-bullying lecture.  

Better Nate Than Ever (2022)
Disney+  
Tim Federle directs this musical comedy, adapted from his own novel, about middle-schooler Nate (Rueby Wood) who escapes to New York with best friend Libby (Aria Brooks) to pursue their dreams of performing on Broadway. But a random encounter with his aunt Heidi almost scuppers their plans. Also released on Disney+ today, The Reason I Jump is an immersive exploration of the experiences of non-speaking autistic people.

The Many Saints of Newark (2021) ★★★★
Sky Cinema Premiere, 8pm  
This riveting prequel to the acclaimed TV drama The Sopranos stars James Gandolfini’s son Michael as a young Tony Soprano, who learns his trade at the side of mentor Dickie (Alessandro Nivola), serving as the double of his adult self. Director Alan Taylor’s punchlines are reliably bang on, even if subtlety isn’t a strong suit. Sinewy and smart, it’s a rich imaginative leap into the pre-history of an iconic show.

Television previewers

Veronica Lee (VL), Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Vicki Power (VP) and Gabriel Tate (GT)