TV Tonight: Our highlights for Monday, March 20

Edwyn Cooper (Dominic Cooper) in The Gold episode 6
(Image credit: BBC/Tannadice Pictures)

On TV tonight, get the inside story on the real investigation behind The Gold, follow another serious investigation in 24 Hours in Police Custody, Imagine... profiles British director Stephen Frears, and we're back on the case in Unforgotten. Here's what you shouldn't miss on TV Tonight.

  • Our hand-selected recommendations for what's on TV tonight include TV shows, a film, live sport and the latest trending need-to-binge-on-now box set 
  • Keep up to date with the latest soap spoiler storylines on TV tonight with our daily soap synopsis 
  • For more information about what’s on TV tonight see our TV Guide

What's on TV tonight

Our expert TV journalists have picked the best things on TV tonight... 

Best TV shows on TV tonight

The Gold: The Inside Story, 9 pm, BBC One

The Gold on BBC1.

(Image credit: BBC)

We’ve been totally addicted to The Gold and now this eye-opening documentary sees former Scotland Yard detectives who investigated the Brink’s-Mat robbery give their take on what really happened. Former Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce – played in the drama series by Hugh Bonneville – details the difficulties that he and his elite team of coppers faced in trying to track down the robbers and the 6,800 stolen gold bars, with the thieves able to exploit 1980s banking practices to launder the proceeds. Meanwhile, the tragic death of DC John Fordham at the home of robbers’ fence Kenneth Noye is also brought into the spotlight. 

★★★★ CC

Unforgotten, 9 pm, ITV1, ITVX (box set)

Unforgotten season 5.

(Image credit: ITV)

There are raised eyebrows and general confusion when addict Jay (Rhys Yates), recently arrested for GBH, is suddenly granted bail. Who is pulling the strings and paying for his slick new lawyer? Meanwhile, DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) is in Paris to question former social worker Karol Wojski (Max Rinehart) about his last interactions with murder victim Precious. And DCI Jess James (Sinéad Keenan) is reeling when she discovers exactly who her husband has been having an affair with! Another cracking episode with moving scenes in which Jess finally opens up to Sunny to explain why her mind hasn’t been on the job. 

★★★★★ TL 

24 Hours in Police Custody, 9 pm, Channel 4 

The return of the hard-hitting docuseries following detectives in the crucial stages of a serious crime investigation. A man is found stabbed to death in Luton in the entrance outside his flat, naked and lying in a pool of blood. Cameras captured two women and two men entering the building, and police believe the case may be linked to previous murders – was he the victim of a robbery that turned violent, lured with the promise of sex? And will CCTV footage provide enough clues to identify the perpetrators? Concludes tomorrow. 

★★★★ JPM 

Imagine... Stephen Frears - Director for Hire, 10.40 pm, BBC One

Stephen Frears and Alan Yentob raise a pint together

(Image credit: BBC Studios/Alex Kirkwood)

Imagine… profiles one of British cinema’s most acclaimed directors, following his career from early comedy Gumshoe to his 1985 breakthrough My Beautiful Laundrette and mainstream success. Frears reveals how his heroes such as Billy Wilder have influenced his work, and we also hear from a star-studded list of collaborators including Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan (Philomena), Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen) and John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons). Philomena follows (times vary), with two more biographical dramas on Thursday on BBC4 – Victoria & Abdul (9pm, see page 76) and Florence Foster Jenkins (10.45pm). 

★★★★ JPM 

Best box set on TV tonight

Shadow and Bone, Netflix

Archie Renaux as Malyen Oretsev, Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov on the ship in Shadow and Bone season 2

(Image credit: Netflix)

Shadow and Bone is perfect for fantasy fans waiting for their next big fix. Season 2 picks up with Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) on the run after escaping from General Kirigan's (Ben Barnes) grasp at the end of the first season. Here, she's determined to bring down the Shadow Fold, the rift of darkness that divides Ravka in half. Kirigan's got other ideas, though, as he's returned from the center of the Fold with powerful new monsters at his beck and call.  Expect more magic, more characters, and more romance.

MS

Best film on TV tonight

Boston Strangler, Disney Plus

Boston Strangler stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon as investigative journalist on the tail of a serial killer.

(Image credit: Disney Plus/Hulu)

The murders of 13 women in the early 1960s caused shockwaves in the city of Boston and became a national sensation, as American newspapers followed the hunt for the serial killer. While 1968 movie The Boston Strangler explored the murderer’s mental state, Matt Ruskin’s new film (released on 17 March) revisits the case from the perspective of Loretta McLaughlin, the journalist who broke the story. Keira Knightley stars as McLaughlin, showing her determination in the face of indifference and sexism, with Carrie Coon as fellow reporter Jean Cole and Chris Cooper as editor Jack Maclaine. 

JPM 

Soaps

If you watch just one thing on TV tonight…

Don't miss The Gold: The Inside Story on TV tonight.

Not found anything you want to watch on TV tonight? Check out our TV Guide

Happy viewing!

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin is a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produces a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. 

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.