TV Times top picks for today
What’s on telly tonight? Here the TV Times team of expert reviewers highlight the best shows on Monday 26th March
Hospital, 9pm, BBC2
The groundbreaking series returns, this time from the Nottingham University Hospital Trust. Filmed in January and February this year, when the NHS was facing unprecedented pressures, it’s a shocking, heartbreaking, frustrating but vital and brilliant piece of TV. Keilan is 12 and suffering from scoliosis, which is worsening so fast his body is crushing itself. And yet Keilan’s surgery has been cancelled twice due to a lack of intensive care beds. At the other end of the scale is 86-year-old Mavis, who has dementia but is medically fit enough to leave her hospital bed. She can’t free up that precious bed, however, because there is nowhere for her to go. A stark reality check of a system that’s broken. Rating: *****
Marcella, 9pm, ITV
Vince Whitman becomes prime suspect this week, and as the twists pile up, you sense Marcella is winding up for a climactic endgame. There are developments in the case of Debbie Canavan, who disappeared after Reg Reynolds’ concert more than 30 years ago – is it related to the child murders? Whether it’s the breakthrough Marcella needs or a red herring is anyone’s guess, but distant plotlines converge as unlikely new suspects emerge. Rating: *****
The Queen: Her Commonwealth Story, 9pm, BBC1
Newsreader George Alagiah follows in the Queen’s footsteps as he revisits some of the Commonwealth countries she’s toured. But this is not just a travelogue about the crowds that gathered or the VIPs she met – it’s a look at how important the Commonwealth is to our monarch and why she has been fundamental to its success. In 1953, the Queen left behind five-year-old Prince Charles and three-year-old Princess Anne for six months as she went on tour. With fantastic archive footage (those hats!) and interviews with people she met, this is a celebration of a strong woman who knows about bringing people together whatever their race, religion or politics. Rating: ****
More previews tomorrow
