13 September 2011 (TV Previews)

The usual telly visual fodder your telly is purveying for some of September. As ever, you can keep yourself up to date with your viewing by visiting our TV Page for our four daily highlights.

Billy Connolly's Route 66. 15th September. 9.00pm. UTV.
This brand new four part series for ITV1 sees Billy Connolly fulfil a lifelong dream of travelling the world's most famous highway. The 2488 mile long road from Chicago to Santa Monica is the embodiment of the American dream and, set to a soundtrack of some of the best American music of the 20th century, Billy will be taking in everything from the skyscrapers of Chicago and St Louis to the Wild West badlands of Oklahoma and Texas. Astride his Boom motor-trike, Billy will see the Grand Canyon, the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, the beaches of the Pacific and the excesses of LA. Along the way he’ll meet the disciples of Route 66, from seasoned 'roadies' to first-timers living the dream. He’ll also learn about key figures and events that have shaped the richly diverse culture and character of the US past and present.

The Secret Millionaire. 19th September. 9.35pm. RTE1.
Three very different Irish millionaires (there aren't that many millionaires in Ireland anymore you see, hence the length of the series...) turn their back on their day-to-day lives and go undercover in some of the most disadvantaged parts of Dublin, Cork and Dundalk. Their search, for genuine local Irish charities, brings them face-to-face with some of our most pressing social problems including suicide, poverty, drugs, disability and more. In episode one, millionaire benefactor John Concannon says goodbye to his comfortable lifestyle, spending eight days in one of the poorest areas of West Dublin, where high unemployment drug and alcohol abuse are every day facts of life. He comes face-to-face with the realities of urban poverty in Ireland and unearths a hidden emotional trauma that will change his life forever. We meet those local heroes working tirelessly in their communities to help those in need in spite of rampant social problems now made worse by the economic crisis.

Fresh Meat. 21st September. 10.00pm. Channel 4.
A brand-new comedy drama series, written by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show, Four Lions, The Thick Of It...), looks at the painful truths of being a shhtuuudint. Shipping up as freshers at their shared house are: JP (Jack Whitehall, in his first dramatic role), public school boy with good teeth and an inflated sense of entitlement; Kingsley (Joe Thomas, AKA Simon off The Inbetweeners), charming and crushingly insecure; Josie (Kimberley Nixon, from Cranford), determined to experience 'new things'; socially-awkward know-it-all Howard (Greg McHugh, Gary: Tank Commander); hard-living Vod (Zawe Ashton, from Case Histories); and Oregon (Charlotte Ritchie), desperate to be cool and terrified of being boring. One by one, the six new students destined to be housemates congregate before term begins - although second year Howard has of course already been in solitary residence for some unspecified time. There are already some surprises in store: to his considerable bemusement, Kingsley manages to pull at the pub; Oregon locks horns with her lecturer, Professor Shales, at her first English tutorial; and Josie ends up in bed with JP - a random encounter after which, to her horror, she realises he is in fact there to stay. Fresh Meat guest stars Robert Webb - 'cause David Mitchell was too busy.

Downtown Abbey. 18th September. 9.00pm. UTV.
Series two of Downton Abbey opens in November 1916 and the family and servants are busy working to get the house ready for a fund-raising concert to equip the village hospital to take more casualties from the front. New housemaid, Ethel Parks' boasting does not make her popular with the others especially O’Brien who plays a cruel trick on Ethel in front of the family. Feeling left out of the war effort, Robert is delighted when he receives a letter suggesting he is to be given the Colonelcy of the local volunteers and is excited about the prospect of finally being able to fight for his country. However, after attending a regimental dinner his appointment is not all it first seemed. Isobel informs Robert and Cora that Matthew is back from the front on leave and plans to visit Downton in time for the concert. On hearing the news of his visit Edith wastes no time in telling Mary that Matthew is not coming alone. Amy Nuttal will take the role of Ethel Parks. It's more interesting to watch than read about.



Shirley. TBC. BBC2.
Leading BBC Two's Mixed Race season, Ruth Negga (Misfits, Criminal Justice, Five Daughters, and Love is a Drug) leads an all-star cast in Shirley, an intimate and revealing drama that looks at the life of Dame Shirley Bassey - one of the world's most enduring and successful divas and a national treasure. The film charts Bassey's early career, from her humble roots in Wales in the Thirties to the start of her rise to international stardom in the Sixties. But this is no ordinary rags-to-riches story. Born in Tiger Bay in Cardiff, Shirley was one of eight children from a poor mixed-race family. An audition with struggling London agent Mike Sullivan puts Shirley firmly on the path to success, as he grooms her into a solo performer fit to take on the world. But Shirley is hiding a secret - she's an unmarried teenage mother. Persuaded to give her daughter, Sharon, to her elder sister to look after, Shirley works day and night to perfect her routine and complete the transformation from the poverty-stricken girl from Tiger Bay to the star she so desperately wants to become.

Best Of The Rest.

Grand Designs. 14th September. 9.00pm. Channel 4.
Channel 4's design series returns for a new series featuring original and diverse stories of largely crazy people pursuing their personal and highly individual architectural dreams.

Spooks. 18th September. 9.00pm. BBC1.
In the last ever series of acclaimed spy drama Spooks, the team has been left reeling by Lucas North's betrayal, and with Harry Pearce on gardening leave, Section D has a new leader.

Celebrity Bainisteoir. 18th September. 6.30pm. RTE1.
This September will see RTÉ's Celebrity Bainisteoir returning to RTÉ One on Sunday nights for its fourth series. This year's line up includes PJ Gallagher, Tony Cascarino and... Dana...

Later... With Jools Holland. 20th September. 10.00pm. BBC2.
BBC Two's flagship live music show returns for its autumn season, with a nine-week run of the hour-long version playing on Fridays at 11.50pm. Guests in this series are likely to include: Coldplay, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Peter Gabriel, Florence & The Machine...

The Fades. 21st September. 9.00pm. BBC3.
Iain De Caestecker (River City, Coronation Street, Young Herriot) stars in The Fades, a new BBC Drama Production fantasy horror series by Jack Thorne (This Is England '86, Skins, The Scouting Book For Boys, Cast Offs).

8 Out Of 10 Cats. 23rd September. 10.30pm. Channel 4.
Channel 4's ever popular comedy panel show returns for a 12th series, including its 100th episode. The first guests include British boxing sensation Amir Khan and The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade. This is followed by Jack Whitehall: My Funniest Year (11.05pm) which is bound to include a load of made up scenarios.
 

Back to Other Exclusives