Some unmissable new shows are coming to our TVs this week. Ben Shephard is heading to New Zealand for a gruelling reality challenge, Mackenzie Crook is back with a top new comedy series and the BBC unveils its haunting adaptation of a classic book set on a tropical island.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s our pick of the programmes you won\u2019t want to miss\u2026<\/p>\n
When a group of schoolboys are stranded on a desert island, what could go wrong?<\/p>\n
SERIES<\/p>\n
Lord of the Flies: Sunday, BBC1 at 9pm<\/p>\n
Writer Jack Thorne gave us one of the most talked-about and critically lauded dramas of 2025, the Netflix hit, Adolescence. Now he\u2019s tackling another story about what young boys are capable of as he brings William Golding\u2019s classic 1954 novel to the small screen. A largely unknown cast, many of whom are making their professional acting debuts, play the 1950s schoolboys who are stranded on a tropical island with no adults following a plane crash. Ralph (Winston Sawyers) tries to maintain order, supported by the group\u2019s intellectual, Piggy (David McKenna, picture above). However, it isn\u2019t long before their version of civilisation starts to break down. Each episode is named after one of the four key characters \u2013 Piggy, Simon, Jack and Ralp \u2013 offering a different perspective on the boys\u2019 plight.<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Crook is no stranger to finding the comedy in eccentricity<\/p>\n
SERIES<\/p>\n
Small Prophets: Monday on BBC2, regions vary<\/p>\n
For a while, it seemed like Mackenzie Crook was destined to always be known as Gareth from The Office. However, he\u2019s since carved out a niche as a writer, director and all-round creator of great TV in his own right with the critically acclaimed sitcom Detectorists and his charming take on the Worzel Gummidge stories. So, expectations are high for his new six-part series Small Prophets, starring Pearce Quigley as Michael, who has been stuck in a rut since his girlfriend, Clea, disappeared seven years ago. When Clea\u2019s brother turns up, it threatens to disrupt the status quo. That\u2019s not the only thing that changes though. It turns out Michael\u2019s dad Brian (Michael Palin) has an old recipe for creating Homunculi \u2013 magical prophesying spirits that can predict the future.<\/p>\n
Fourteen\u00a0strangers from all walks of life come together to face the daunting challenge of climbing one of New Zealand\u2019s most spectacular mountains whilst carrying the cash prize they hope to win<\/p>\n
REALITY<\/p>\n
The Summit: Tuesday on ITV1at 9pm<\/p>\n
Over the next four weeks, 14 Brits will face the ultimate test of strategy and resilience in the rugged Alps of New Zealand\u2019s south island. Hosted by Ben Shephard, The Summit sees the strangers travel 100km over treacherous terrain and perilous crossings in an attempt to reach the summit. Along the way, they will be set a series of extraordinary challenges by the mysterious Mountain\u2019s Keeper. Tonight, Miranda has to face her fears and prove that she is not slowing the group down. Plus, self-styled \u2018shark\u2019 Dockers singles out his competition and makes an early bid to be a leader. Finally, the Mountain\u2019s Keeper tests the group\u2019s resolve by forcing them to make a brutal decision, which leaves the team divided.<\/p>\n
In Season Two, Cross faces a ruthless vigilante targeting America’s corrupt billionaire magnates<\/p>\n
SERIES<\/p>\n
Cross: Wednesday on Amazon Prime<\/p>\n
James Patterson is a hugely prolific crime writer. He\u2019s created various characters who\u2019ve popped up in numerous series over the years, with Alex Cross the most enduring of them \u2013 he first appeared in 1993 and has now featured in 34 novels, including last year\u2019s Return of the Spider. He\u2019s also featured in three movies and in late 2024 made his TV debut in Cross, with Aldis Hodge in the title role. Now he\u2019s back for a second series in which the respected Washington DC-based detective and forensic psychologist is on the trail of a ruthless vigilante who has made it his business to bring down corrupt billionaires. Isaiah Mustafa, Alona Tal and Samantha Walkes are among the returning cast, joined by newcomers Matthew Lillard and Jeanine Mason.<\/p>\n
Sinead Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne and Roisin Gallagher star in How to Get to Heaven from Belfast<\/p>\n
SERIES<\/p>\n
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast: Netflix on Thursday<\/p>\n
Derry Girls was an international phenomenon and fans everywhere have been desperate to find out what its creator, Lisa McGee, would get up to next. The answer is another comedy set in Northern Ireland focusing on a group of female friends. This time the ladies are older \u2013 chaotic TV writer Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), stressed-out mother of three Robyn (Sinead Keenan) and dependable if inhibited carer Dana (Caoilfhionn Dunne) are in their late thirties. They\u2019ve been close since childhood, so when they discover the fourth, estranged member of their gang has died, they return home for her funeral \u2013 only to be confronted by a mystery they set out to solve, which involves a dangerous journey across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some unmissable new shows are coming to our TVs this week. Ben Shephard is heading to New Zealand…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414488,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,191,64878,15873,391,56,54,55,3520],"class_list":["post-414487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-kent","tag-native","tag-trending","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-whats-on-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}