When the dystopian series the Handmaid’s Tale ended last year, it left a number of unanswered questions and fertile ground for a follow-up.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name, the show ran for six seasons and depicted a version of the United States called Gilead, where a plunging birth rate led to women being treated as state-owned reproductive vessels, forced to help repopulate society.
Lucy Halliday, left, as Daisy and Chase Infiniti as Agnes in The Testaments, a coming-of-age sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale
The series followed June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss, a thirty-something woman who gradually rebelled against her bleak life as a Handmaid for the ruling class after being torn away from her husband and daughter.
Now, less than a year after the Handmaid’s Tale ended, sequel series The Testaments picks up 15 years later and follows the life of Hannah, known as Agnes, as she grows up in Gilead.
The coming-of-age drama tells the story of teenage Agnes, played by Chase Infiniti, and Daisy, portrayed by Lucy Halliday, a new arrival and convert from beyond Gilead’s borders.
Look out for The Testaments on Disney+ this week, but there’s plenty of other good stuff coming your way. Here’s our five top shows you won’t want to miss over the next seven days…
Sir David Attenborough reveals the drama unfolding in the hidden wild world of Britain’s backyards
DOCUMENTARY
Secret Garden: BBC1, on Sunday at 6pm
David Attenborough turns 100 on Friday, May 8, and the BBC will be marking his milestone birthday with a week of special programmes, including a special live event on the big day. However, if you want to start celebrating earlier, the much-loved broadcaster’s latest series begins this evening. It finds him exploring the wildlife on our doorsteps as each of the five episodes concentrates on a different garden, beginning with a plot straddling a tributary of the River Thames in Oxfordshire. Owners Henry and Sara have chosen to let much of their land go wild, creating a haven for animals. They include a male kingfisher on the search for a mate, a vole that has to dodge everything from robotic lawnmowers to predatory grass snakes, and Doris, the garden mallard.
I’m a Celebrity- South Africa is back on your screens this week
REALITY
I’m a Celebrity South Africa: ITV1, on Monday from 9pm
Following the success of its debut series in 2023, won by Myleene Klass, the I’m a Celeb spin-off is back for a new all-star series, with more returning campmates from series past seeking another career and bank-balance boost. Ant and Dec host, and as well as promising trials that are ‘tougher than ever’ and the campmates ‘never knowing what’s coming next’, another exciting new element for this series is that the public will have the power to decide who is crowned 2026’s ultimate legend in a live grand final in London. The 12 familiar faces returning for a second stint are Scarlett Moffatt, Adam Thomas, Ashley Roberts, David Haye, Seann Walsh, Beverley Callard, Sir Mo Farah, Sinitta, Harry Redknapp, Craig Charles, Gemma Collins and Jimmy Bullard.
The Force is strong is a new 10-part series from LucasFilm Animation set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
ANIMATION
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord: Disney+, from Monday
Remember when the Star Wars franchise consisted of only three movies? It seems an awful long time ago. Their creator and director, George Lucas, was behind a couple of short-lived animated series and eventually added a trio of prequels, then sold his company to Disney, since when there’s been a veritable explosion in productions, both on the small screen and large. The latest, the 10th TV show to date (another, Visions Presents, will be out later this year), is another animation, this time set after the Clone Wars and focusing on the activities of former Sith lord Maul during the Galactic Empire. Sam Witwer, Richard Ayoade, Dennis Haysbert, Wagner Moura and Gideon Adlon are among the vocal cast. Two episodes premiere each week, culminating in a two-part finale on May the 4th.
Almost a year after dystopian drama the Handmaid’s Tale ended, we return to the totalitarian republic of Gilead this week for a 10-part coming-of-age story adapted from Margaret Atwood’s book sequel
SERIES
The Testaments: Disney+, from Wednesday
The TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel the Handmaid’s Tale was a global smash, running for six seasons between 2017 and 2025, so it came as no surprise to find her 2019 follow-up book has also been turned into a series. In fact, the only shock is that it’s taken this long to appear. The story takes place 15 years after the events of its predecessor and follows the fortunes of teenagers Agnes and Daisy. The former is dutiful and pious, while the latter comes from beyond Gilead’s confines. Both are attending Aunt Lydia’s preparatory school for future wives, where obedience is demanded at all times, and where they learn that forming alliances may be crucial in their fight for freedom. An opening salvo of three episodes is followed by weekly instalments on Wednesdays.
Greg Davies and Alex Horne are back with a new series of Taskmaster on Channel 4
COMEDY
Taskmaster: Channel 4, Thursday at 9pm
If you want proof that Taskmaster is an international hit, just look at the contestants in the 21st (yes, really) series. As well as including rising comedy star Amy Gledhill, Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci, Joanna Page of Gavin & Stacey fame, and Masked Singer host Joel Dommett, the line-up is completed by US comedian and actor Kumail Nanjiani. The star of Marvel superhero movie Eternals and the Oscar-nominated The Big Sick, he apparently discovered the show due to being a fan of season seven contestant James Acaster, and loved it so much, he’s taking a pay cut to be here. That’s unlikely to sway Greg Davies though as he hands out points in the first episode for tasks including hunting for a small creature, serving the Taskmaster his fruit and veggies and catching a golden T-shirt.