WTW – what to watch this week
The Seven Deadly Sins / Mahagonny Songspiel
Royal Opera House, available on demand until Sunday 9 May
British Director, Isabelle Kettle, and artist, Jette Parker, reimagine Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s satirical operas, making contemporary comments on gender and politics. It will begin with The Seven Deadly Sins, a witty ballet chanté (sung ballet) which tells the story of Anna, a woman who reveals a new sin every day. It will then move onto Mahagonny Songspiel which focuses on the rise and fall of decadence in a fictional city that Weill and Brecht then made into a full-length opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. Tickets are available for purchase here.
The Pursuit of Love
BBC One, Sunday 9 May at 9pm
Lily James, Dominic West and Andrew Scott star in this adaption of Nancy Mitfords’s 1945 novel, The Pursuit of Love. Set in the inter-war period, it follows aristocratic heroine Linda Radlett’s quest to find love at any cost. Her mission takes her from her home in Oxfordshire to the Pyrenees, at the height of the Spanish Civil War, and then Paris, throwing caution, and ‘respectable’ choices, to the wind.
Three Families
BBC One, Monday 10 May at 9pm
From the makers of Three Girls, this new two-part mini series explores the campaign trying to relax abortion laws in Northern Ireland, from the perspective of three families who find themselves coming into conflict with the law. It follows the trials and tribulations of a newly-wed couple who discover their unborn baby will not survive, a mother risking imprisonment to help her teenage daughter get an abortion and a first-time older mother who is told there are no remedies to the complications of her pregnancy.
Inside No 9
BBC Two, Monday 10 May at 9:30pm
This BBC dark-comedy returns for its sixth season. The first episode, Wuthering Heist, sees Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith tackle a diamond robbery. For the rest of the series, they are joined by impressive guest stars including Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar and Fleabag’s Sian Clifford.
Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies
BBC Four, Tuesday 11 May at 9pm
Ben Macintyre brings his best selling book to Britain’s television screens, regaling the stories of five double agents that enabled the success of D-Day. Alongside being a victory of arms and a tactical coup, the historical event was a triumph for espionage.
The BRIT Awards 2021
ITV, Tuesday 11 May at 9pm
In the first major music event to welcome back a live audience, Jack Whitehall hosts the annual star-studded ceremony in the O2 arena, to an audience of the nation’s key workers. The evening will feature performances from some of the industry’s biggest names including Dua Lipa, Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk with the NHS Choir.
Money, Explained
Netflix, Tuesday 11 May
Americans spend, borrow and save, but can they really explain why? Narrated by Tiffany Haddish and Jane Lynch, this docu-series talks money and its minefields from, credit cards to casinos.
Caring for the Poor in the Highlands: The Role of the GP
Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Wednesday 12 May
In 1845, the Scottish Poor Law created a funded medical service for the registered poor. But by 1852, the Physicians’ Enquiry concluded that care in the remote Highlands was still inadequate. Join Dr Patrica Whatley, senior lecturer in History and Information Studies at the University of Dundee, as she explores the changing issues faced by GPs in the second half of the 19th century in the remote and isolated Highlands. This online talk will be made available to stream here.
Trevor McDonald & Charlene White: Has George Floyd Changed Britain?
ITV, Wednesday 12 May at 9pm
Approaching the one year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, Trevor McDonald and Charlene White investigate the impact Floyd’s death had on Britain. They discover the real consequences of the tragedy in communities and in conversation.
Dance of the Forty One
Netflix, Wednesday 12 May
Based on a true story of societal scandal in early 20th century Mexico, a gay congressman weds the Mexican President’s daughter, but still cavorts with a young man at a secret club. In 1901, an illegal police raid on a private residence found a group of men dressed in women’s clothing, including the president’s son-in-law. It became the first time homosexuality was reported openly by the press and left a lasting impact on Mexican culture.
Own It: Diane von Furstenberg and Jourdan Dunn
V&A Museum, Thursday 13 May at 7pm
Two icons of the fashion world, Diane von Furstenberg and Jourdun Dunn, have teamed up for an evening of inspiring discussion. The two will share their thoughts on making it in the industry and how professional growth is possible at any age, in celebration of von Furstenberg’s new book, Own It: The Secret to Life. You can book tickets for the event here.
The Underground Railroad
Amazon Prime, Friday 14 May
Moonlight director, Barry Jenkins, directs an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Underground Railroad. The story rests on the premise that, in an alternate history, the 19th century Underground Railroad was a literal passage which American slaves could use to flee and find freedom in the south.