What’s on TV this weekend: 1980s spy thriller Honey, and more

Stephen KellySat, November 14, 2026 at 6:00 AM UTC

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Ann Skelly and Rory Kinnear star in 1980s spy thriller Honey - BBCSaturday 14 November -

Jump to Sunday’s TV

HoneyBBC One, 9pmIf Deutschland 83 found an unexpected sense of fun and vivacity in an East Berlin unwittingly nearing the endgame, Honey takes things to the next level in a glorious spy caper from Extraordinary creator Emma Moran. Martha Schmitt (Ann Skelly) is a British agent sent undercover in East Berlin by her handler (Rory Kinnear) and swiftly swept up in a mystery involving leaked nuclear secrets, quick costume changes, a sausage factory and both professional and personal interest from a moustachioed CIA counterpart (Nate Mann) and oddball Stasi counterintelligence boss (Jannis Niewöhner).

While there are serious – and pertinent – points made about resisting totalitarianism and the slide towards surveillance society, Honey is above all a lot of fun: witness spy gadgetry including a dog costume and prosthetic scrotum (“it’s not like Bond, you know”, notes 007 franchise alumnus Kinnear), and the two scene-stealing Stasi dunderheads assigned to tail Martha. Almost incidentally, Honey doubles as an origin story of Killing Eve’s Carolyn Martens, the shifty MI6 spymaster played by Fiona Shaw; but no prior knowledge is required – Honey is a blast in its own right, with Moran confirming her promise and Skelly a star in waiting.

The Lord Mayor’s ShowBBC One, 10.45amThe City of London’s incoming Lord Mayor Bronek Masojada receives the customary welcome into his new job with a grand civic procession, guard of honour from the Royal Navy and, curiously, a celebration of Dad’s Army. Rob Rinder should be good value on commentary duties for what promises to be an eccentric showcase of the capital.

Strictly Come DancingBBC One, 6.25pmReaching Blackpool is usually the landmark for those dancers without realistic aspirations to win – so for Will Best, Graeme Hall and Jamie Winstone, job done. But who can reach the business end after performing at the home of ballroom?

Michael McIntyre’s The WheelBBC One, 8pmA seventh series of the thin but inexplicably entertaining game show in which members of the public call on celebrities for help with trivia questions; the grab-bag of famous faces tonight includes Michael Ball, Katherine Ryan, Isa Guha and Kate Garraway.

Wallis SimpsonChannel 5, from 8pmThe story of what happened to Wallis Simpson and her relationship with Edward VIII has been told many times, and frequently on this channel, but this intriguing two-part documentary cannily shines a light on a story less often told: her life after his death. With contributions from those who knew her, it scrutinises her problematic relationship with lawyer Suzanne Blum and a life of increasing isolation in Paris.

40 Hits of 1975 at the BBCBBC Two, 10pmA year of relative stasis at the top of the pop charts, with the Bay City Rollers, David Essex and Sailing, but a certain Queen epic on the horizon too. Expect to see all the above in action, along with Abba, Bob Marley and Kraftwerk bringing distinctive brilliance to the BBC in very different ways. GT

Sunday 15 November

ITV goes inside the controversial asylum seekers’ camp in Crowborough - ITV

Inside the Asylum CampITV1, 10.40pmAn undercover investigation by ITV’s Exposure goes inside the former military camp at Crowborough that hit the headlines earlier this year when it became a temporary home to more than 500 asylum seekers, all of them men, to the understandable consternation of locals in East Sussex. The film pivots on recordings – apparently the first from inside such a camp – made over many months by an undercover reporter working as a welfare officer.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is how little there is to show for these efforts. Certainly, failings by the camp’s welfare team to follow many of the welfare and safeguarding guidelines will raise serious concerns. Otherwise, there’s so little of note (on this evidence at least) going on inside the camp that much of the report instead focuses on what’s happening beyond its walls, in Crowborough, where locals continue to worry and protest regularly and have set up volunteer groups to patrol and monitor the area. It’s a situation no one is happy with, but the stalemate seems set to continue with the government recently announcing the camp is expected to remain operational until 2030.

The ChosenAmazon Prime VideoThe drama series based on the life of Jesus Christ is back for a sixth season, recounting his anxious days and hours in the prelude to the crucifixion (though not the event itself, which is saved for a big-screen cinema release ahead of Easter next year). Tonight’s opener portrays Jesus’ (Jonathan Roumie) trial before the high priest Caiaphas (Richard Fancy).

Live Football: Game4RickyChannel 5, 1.30pmLive from Manchester, a star-studded celebrity football match celebrating the life of former world champion boxing legend Ricky Hatton, who died last year at the age of 46. Jason Manford, Joe Hart, David James, Toni Duggan, Natasha Dowie, Big Zuu, Jeff Brazier and Russell Watson are among the stars of sport and screen expected to be lining out.

CountryfileBBC One, 5.15pmWildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin takes us to a secret location in Scotland in search of peregrine falcons – and a dedicated conservation programme established to protect them. While exploring how measures like DNA sampling are helping to reduce their persecution, he revisits some of his most memorable Countryfile wildlife encounters.

Blue Planet IIIBBC One, 8pmEach new episode proves more spectacular than the last. This week’s ocean adventure takes us through the changing seasons and round the globe, from sea lions in Chile and octopuses in Japan displaying never-before-filmed behaviours, to vast super-colonies of fish nests in the Mediterranean and those series-defining humpbacks breaching off New York.

UEFA Nations League: Spain v EnglandITV1, 7pm (kick-off 7.45pm)Live from Madrid, England take Spain in their final group match. Despite losing 3-2 to Spain at Wembley in September, England remain in pole position to go through to the knockout stage, having racked up convincing wins against Czechia and Croatia. GO

What’s on TV this week? -

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Friday

Monday 16 November

L-R: Claire Sweeney, Sharky, Joanna Page, Chloe Burrows, AJ Odudu, Mariella Frostrup, Wayne Rooney, Ade Adepitan, Jack Skipper, Ricky Wilson and Leomie Anderson - ITV

I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!ITV1, 9pmThere is a surprisingly high calibre of celebs lining up to torture themselves in the jungle this year. In fact, it knocks this year’s Strictly cast into a cocked hat. The headline signing is former England captain Wayne Rooney. The no-nonsense pundit is following the lead of his super-sleuth wife Coleen, who emerged from the jungle as a runner-up in 2024.

Among those joining Rooney are Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu, journalist Mariella Frostrup and Coronation Street’s Claire Sweeney. But the most intriguing is Paralympian Ade Adepitan, who would become I’m a Celeb’s first wheelchair user. Reports suggest that producers are working on adaptations to the camp to accommodate Adepitan. But what does that mean for the show’s physically demanding trials?

Accessibility is not the only change for the format. ITV2 post-match analysis show I’m a Celebrity... Unpacked returns tonight at 10.35pm without presenter Joel Dommett. While further afield, ITV recently announced 2027 spin-off I’m a Celebrity… The Wild Frontier, which will drop pairs of contestants into the Canadian wilderness.

I Am HelenChannel 4, 9pmDominic Savage’s female-led anthology series returns with a haunting two-part story about the titular Helen (Nicola Coughlan), whose boyfriend Steve (Joe Cole) falls into the manosphere. Stark and naturalistic, tonight’s opening episode features a horrifying scene in which Steve tries to choke Helen during sex.

Peelers: The PSNI For RealBBC Two, 10pm; already available on iPlayerMissing Blue Lights? The return of this colourful documentary will scratch the itch. It follows broadcaster Stephen Nolan as he rides along with police officers in Belfast. Packed with personality, tonight’s opening episode features a farcical moment in which a suspected drug dealer inadvertently refers to his “drug dealing phone”.

Rufus Wainwright: This Cultural LifeBBC Four, 10pmCanadian singer Rufus Wainwright sits down with John Wilson to discuss the culture that shaped his career. Touchstones include The Wizard of Oz and Verdi’s Requiem – although he also tells a story about learning to knit from Olympic diver Tom Daley.

Social Workers on the FrontlineChannel 4, 10pmFew jobs are as demanding as being a social worker. Filmed over the course of a year, this sobering documentary follows frontline child protection social workers in Birmingham dealing with some of the most vulnerable children in the UK – work that is made all the harder by financial pressures.

Young, British and TradwifeBBC One, 10.40pmOnline “tradwives” promote a return to 1950s-style domesticity. This illuminating documentary follows director Poppy Jay as she meets the British women who have embraced tradwife life. Haunted by her experience of forced marriage, Jay wants to understand the popularity of a movement in which women are expected to obey their husbands. SK

Tuesday 17 November

Peter Sichel during the Second World War - BBC

The Last Spy: StoryvilleBBC Four, 10pmWhile at the CIA, Peter Sichel was party to the destabilisation of Guatemala which resulted in calamitous civil war (“unforgivable”), the imposition of the Shah on Iran that paved the way for an Islamist uprising (“we don’t think [things] through to the end”) and redundant exercises to foment anti-communism in China. Was popularising Blue Nun in his post-intelligence career as a wine merchant a comparable crime? Sensibly, this isn’t a proposal filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein puts to the centenarian Sichel (who died in 2025 at 102 years old). After all, there is more than enough to be going on with in this tidy overview of one man’s experiences of wars hot and cold.

The most revealing sequences come during the pragmatic establishment of the US intelligence service OSS, prompted by Pearl Harbor, and Sichel’s rapid rise up the ranks, having fled Nazi Germany only to find the same beliefs thriving among certain American isolationists. But if Sichel is forthright about his superiors and the many mistakes made in the first 15 years of the Cold War, he is a little more circumspect on the personal impact of his professional life. Fascinating, nonetheless.

Surviving the London Nail BombingsAmazon Prime VideoThe work of a neo-Nazi targeting the capital’s black, Bengali and LGBT communities, 1999’s attacks on Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho’s Admiral Duncan pub killed three people and injured 140. With the Far Right a continuing menace, this film acts as a timely and deeply affecting tribute to the courage and resilience of those communities and the people who have survived, thrived and have never forgotten.

Stacey & Joe: In Too DeepBBC One, 8pmThat this daft, chaotic docusoap works at all is thanks to the unforced, telegenic dynamic between Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash. While tensions ignited during a camping trip are swiftly addressed, Swash’s antics at the lake once again require his wife’s intervention, and Solomon herself muses on the impact of negative press. Anyone curious about the concept of “goat yoga” should also be sure to tune in.

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The Great British Bake OffChannel 4, 8pmOne last hurdle to clear before the final, and patisserie week provides the high-calibre line-up with its customary opportunities for both triumph and disaster.

Sibelius: Inside the MusicSky Arts, 8pmWhile we are used to television’s deep dives into the creative process behind pop music, classical music is perhaps less frequently covered with such diligence these days. This appealing series goes some way to redressing the balance, as the London Philharmonic Orchestra rehearse five Sibelius symphonies under the batons of Edward Gardner and Karina Canellakis.

Tall Tales and MurderBBC One, 10.40pmAmbitious and uproarious, this comic Irish thriller continues to delight as Bridget (Ella Lily Hyland) and Paul (Casey Walsh) plot their next move in the face of unpredictable and violent foes. GT

Wednesday 18 November

Cameron Logan died in a house fire in 2017 - BBC

Murder Case: Fire in the SuburbsBBC Two, 9pm; both episodes are on iPlayer today The first in a two-part documentary telling the appalling real-life story of the killing of a 23-year-old university student on New Year’s Day 2017 in the affluent Glasgow suburb of Milngavie. Cameron Long had been out celebrating Hogmanay with his girlfriend Rebecca, a 24-year-old radio journalist, when someone burst into the living room of his parents’ house, where they were sleeping, doused them both with petrol, and set them alight. Rebecca survived, just, and the vivid account she gives here of the horror of the incident, her efforts to escape the flames engulfing her, and her rescue are terrifying.

Both Cameron’s parents were also home but managed to escape with minor injuries. His mother recalled seeing a masked figure throw something into the living room, and police soon realised that what seemed like a tragic house fire was far more sinister. Those who know the case and its outcome from its passage through the Scottish courts will know that the killer was closer to hand than anyone imagined at the outset. But first the police investigation had to rule out a number of other leads before eventually homing in on the killer in next week’s concluding episode.

RivalsDisney+Following the shock, triumph, tragedy and betrayal of the three previous episodes, the Rutshire Hunt Ball brings everyone together again for… well, rather delightfully, lots more of the same. As Tony (David Tennant) sinks further into monstrosity, Declan (Aidan Turner) suffers yet another major blow and Taggie (Bella Maclean) finds herself in dangerous waters.

Vienna GameDisney+An entertainingly OTT Austrian historical drama series dramatising the Congress of Vienna in 1814, and the furious politicking and philandering of the Austrian, British, French, Russian and Prussian diplomats and leaders organising the geopolitical carve-up that followed the defeat of Napoleon and established a new balance of power in Europe.

When a Witness RecantsHBO MaxBased on a 2021 New Yorker article, this documentary explores a hideous US miscarriage of justice that saw three teenage boys from Baltimore, known as the Harlem Park Three, convicted in 1983 of a murder they didn’t commit, and who spent 36 years in prison before their convictions were overturned. Director Dawn Porter’s shocking film weighs up the vast direct and collateral damage inflicted by one key witness’s lies about their involvement.

Celebrity Race Across the WorldBBC One, 8pmHalfway through the race, and there’s a 13-hour gap between the leaders (Princess and Junior Andre, and Sam Ryder and his bestie Kaz) and the others (Ella Eyre and pal Nana, plus Jeff Stelling and son Matt). This week’s challenge: to get from southern Indonesia to Australia, and make their way to the fourth checkpoint on a tropical island via the coastal city of Cairns.

BBC New Comedy Awards: FinalBBC One, 10.40pmGuz Khan hosts the final of the comedy talent search at Birmingham Town Hall, with the six winners of the regional heats performing an extended stand-up set in front of an enthusiastic audience and judges Amy Gledhill, Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Dan Tiernan. At stake: a title, a trophy, £1,000 in cash and a potentially career-making 30-minute BBC audio commission. GO

Thursday 19 November

Anthony Boyle and Julia Garner as Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison - Netflix

The AltruistsNetflixSilicon Valley has innovated a dispiriting new genre of television – the disastrous start-up scam drama. The Theranos fraud, as portrayed in The Dropout, is one of the more notorious examples. Although in terms of pure monetary scale, Elizabeth Holmes’s blood-testing deception is dwarfed by the story behind The Altruists.

The swaggering eight-part drama charts the collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX in 2022 after founder Sam Bankman-Fried secretly diverted $8 billion in customers’ money. Much like Holmes, however, what made the scandal so compelling was the eccentricity of its characters. In this case, the bizarre Bonnie-and-Clyde relationship between the dishevelled Bankman-Fried (Anthony Boyle) and his idiosyncratic on-off girlfriend Caroline Ellison (Julia Garner).

The Altruists has a lot of fun with the incongruity of awkward numbers nerds falling in love. Bankman-Fried practices hellos in the mirror before clocking in at his job on Wall Street. The frizzy-haired Ellison, who Julia Garner performs like Professor Frink from The Simpsons, writes erotic Harry Potter fan fiction. Both bond over effective altruism, a movement that advocates for using extreme wealth to do as much good for humanity as possible. Hence the eventual founding of FTX – and the tragic irony of its end.

Cunk on CinemaBBC Two, 10pmFew gags are as funny as Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) getting the names of things wrong. Tonight she explores the age of screen icons, including ‘Wayne John’ and ‘Marlo Brandon’. She also asks critic Mark Kermode if he has seen “Stanley Cupboard’s 201”. For more serious analysis, Classic Movies: Iconic Scenes airs on Sky Arts at 8pm.

The Pursuit: F1 AcademyDisney+The F1 Academy is an all-female racing championship intended to help young women progress to the higher levels of motorsport. This inspiring one-off documentary goes behind the scenes of its 2025 season, following four ambitious drivers as they navigate the hard turns of making it in a male-dominated sport.

The HotlineHBO MaxThis unsettling 36-minute documentary short explores the American overdose prevention helpline Never Use Alone (NUA), which connects people using opioids with a compassionate volunteer. The hotline gives opioid addicts a refuge and safety net, with operators ready to contact paramedics if the caller becomes unresponsive.

The Yorkshire Vet: At Home with the GreensChannel 5, 8pmThe Yorkshire Vet spin-off returns charming as ever. Tonight, fan-favourite farmers Jean and Steve Green must spend some rare time apart as Jean leaves for a gallbladder operation. The lonesome Steve decides to write a love poem for his wife’s return.

ShetlandBBC One, 9pmLast week’s opening episode ended with Tosh (Alison O’Donnell) trapped inside a water tank. Tonight, it inevitably starts filling up. As an oblivious Calder (Ashley Jensen) investigates a new lead in the death of Dr Raymond Linden (Ewan Miller), a desperate Tosh prepares herself for the end. SK

Friday 20 November

Rob Brydon stars as a new landlord in sitcom Bill’s Included - BBC

Bill’s Included BBC One, 9.30pm; all episodes are on iPlayer todayRob Brydon’s Uncle Bryn from Gavin and Stacey and a dash of Rising Damp are the comic antecedents of this very amusing new sitcom. Brydon is Bill, a recently divorced man who rents out his spare rooms to four university students – the super-woke Christian (Dylan Brady), sharp-tongued Zahra (Yasmin Al-Khudhairi), sweet Hettie (Ada Player) and geeky James (Harry Baxendale). Bill quickly becomes unstuck as he tries to ingratiate himself with the youngsters by being a “fun” landlord. Meanwhile, they just regard him as a sad old pensioner who speaks a different language; a mention of 1980s TV prankster Jeremy Beadle completely foxes them, for instance.

Written by comedy duo The Pin (Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen), it’s stuffed full of funny lines – including sight gags and slow-burners – and draws out generational differences nicely while poking fun at young and old alike.

It’s essentially a Rob Brydon vehicle and, while the younger actors expertly play straight man to his fool, they’re amusing too, the spiky interplay between Christian and Zahra being a particular delight. Samantha Spiro and Nigel Lindsay as Bill’s neighbours, plus Kevin Eldon as his friend, add great value.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Disney+ The classy US fantasy adventure – aimed at tweens but a good watch for adults too – returns for a third series with Walker Scobell as the titular teen hero, a demigod who lives in modern-day New York. Two episodes (of eight) drop today in a new quest for Percy as he sets out to rescue his friend Annabeth (Leah Sava’ Jeffries) from the clutches of Kronos.

Primetime Preacher$ Netflix Jim Berlinger’s documentary delves into the 1980s phenomenon of televangelists, who attracted huge audiences (and large donations) from their faithful. He examines the rise and fall of Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell and Jimmy Swaggart, who made evangelical Christianity into a powerful political force but were brought down by greed, infighting and sex scandals.

Yellowjackets Paramount+ Molly Ringwald joins the cast for the final season of the psychological thriller. It introduces a third timeline as it moves towards the 1998 rescue of the teenage girls after 19 months in the Canadian wilderness, their homecoming as heroes, and the dark secrets the survivors keep in the present-day storyline. Showing weekly.

Owain Wyn Evans’s Four Nations Challenge for Children in Need BBC One, 7.30pm The Radio 2 presenter’s superb money-raising effort saw him cycle nearly 400 miles in five days - from Glasgow to Cardiff via Belfast and Liverpool. This documentary follows his exhausting journey.

Gardeners’ World: Winter Specials BBC Two, 8pm Monty Don bid a typically understated farewell earlier this month when he hung up his shears as head gardener. But he’s not entirely gone yet, returning for two out of four of the Winter Specials – tonight offering tips on planting hellebores, sowing peas and propagating roses. VL

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”