The best new shows on TV this week include a Sky mini-series on the rise and fall of a royal aide that made headlines around the world, the return of Scrubs after a 15-year hiatus, plus the dynamic duo of Danny and Dani Dyer heading to the Kent coast in an effort to save the Great British holiday.
Here’s our pick of the new shows you won’t want to miss over the next few days…
The Lady delves into the rise and fall of the former Duchess of York’s royal aide. It stars Mia McKenna-Bruce, left, as Jane Andrews and Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson
SERESI
The Lady: ITV1, Sunday at 9pm
Let’s face it, Sarah Ferguson has rarely been out of the news in the past 40 years, but she must breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of this new four-part drama because, rather than being the centre of its attention, she’s more of a peripheral figure. The story takes viewers back to 2001 when her former dresser, Jane Andrews, was found guilty of murdering her lover, wealthy businessman Thomas Cressman. Natalie Dormer plays Fergie, with Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews, whose story involves troubled teen years, suicide attempts and heartbreak, as well as a rise from working-class beginnings on the Lincolnshire coast to rubbing shoulders with royalty and A-listers ahead of her spectacular fall from grace. The drama continues on Monday.
Danny Dyer and his daughter Dani set out to save the Great British holiday on Sky this week
REAL LIFE
The Dyers’ Caravan Park: Tuesday on Sky and Now
Actor Danny Dyer has fond memories from childhood of holidaying in a caravan park. He attempts to relive those glory days in a six-part documentary series flanked by his daughter Dani. Danny invests some of his own money in the £7 billion holiday park industry by transforming a Kent caravan park into a paradise reminiscent of his rose-tinted memories. New business partners and residents test the Dyers’ resolve to breaking limit as father and daughter deal with dodgy plumbing and an outdated restaurant menu. Danny and Dani quickly discover their new venture is a far cry from the glitz and glamour of the screen and they rely heavily on each other to turn a tidy profit. Read more here
The Great British Menu is back for a landmark 20th series with Phil Wang, Lorna McNee, Andi Oliver and Tom Kerridge
FOOD
Great British Menu: Tuesday, BBC2 at 7pm
Lights, camera, action – some of the UK’s best chefs are about to battle it out for the chance to cook at least one course at a banquet celebrating British film and filmmakers. The first regional heat sees four hopefuls from north west England serve up canapes, starters and fish dishes including a spicy squash noodle broth in honour of Grow Your Own, a film set on allotments in Merseyside, as well as a Wensleydale rarebit in honour of Wallace and Gromit. At the end of the day, one chef be sent home by this week’s veteran judge, Michelin-starred chef Lisa Goodwin Allen, while the remaining three live to cook another day. However, only two of them can go on to cook for the judges’ chamber, where new recruit, comedian Phil Wang, has taken over Ed Gamble’s seat at the table with former champs Tom Kerridge and Lorna McNee. Award-winning TV chef and broadcaster Andi Oliver will begin her fourth year as host.
For the first time in 15 years, Zach Braff and Donald Faison return in Scrubs
SERIES
Scrubs: Disney+, from Thursday
During the first decade of the 21st century, Scrubs was one of the biggest sitcoms on the planet. It followed the adventures and misadventures of Dr John Michael ‘JD’ Dorian (Zach Braff), a young medic working at the fictional Sacred Heart teaching hospital alongside his friends Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke). The trio have been off our screens for a long time, but are returning in a new reboot, during which fans old and new will get to see what they have been up to during the intervening years. Joining them are John C McGinley and Judy Reyes, who reprise their roles as Dr Perry Cox and Carla Espinosa respectively. This time, the central trio are the medical veterans helping a new generation of interns deal with all manner of emergencies.
High-seas revenge tale The Bluff stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Ercell
FILM
The Bluff: Amazon Prime, from Friday
What happens when AGBO, the production company foundered by the Russo brothers of MCU fame, team up with Frank E Flowers, the writer of the acclaimed biopic Bob Marley: One Love? Well, we’re about to find out – they’ve collaborated on The Bluff, a swashbuckling adventure tale set in the late 19th-century. Priyanka Chopra stars as Ercell Bodden, a former pirate once nicknamed Bloody Mary. She gave up her violent ways years ago, and has forged a new life with her husband and son – but her past is about to catch up with her thanks to her ex-Captain (Karl Urban), whose thirst for revenge forces Ercell to pick up her sword once more, this time to protect those she loves. Temuera Morrison and Ismael Cruz Cordova also star.