Television
Clad in a hazmat suit, Greg Davies is perfectly cast as Paul “Wicky” Wickstead, a gossipy crime-scene cleaner in the Beeb’s dark new comedy, adapted by Davies from the long-running German series Der Tatortreiniger. A starry supporting cast includes Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell and Stephanie Cole.
Friday 10 September, 9.30pm, BBC One
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Ryan Murphy’s blockbuster anthology franchise gets a spin-off series in which each of its seven episodes represents a self-contained story. American Horror Story alumni Matt Bomer, Billie Lourd and Naomi Grossman all make appearances.
Wednesday 8 September, Disney+
Part of its drive to increase diversity on screen, Channel 4 presents a day of programming with majority Black talent in front of and behind the camera. Revamped shows include The Big Breakfast at 8am, Love It Or List It at 8pm, and new shows Highlife and Big Age from 10pm.
Friday 10 September, Channel 4
Facebook Twitter Cold front … Stephen Graham in The North Water. Photograph: Nick Wall
Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell and Stephen Graham head up this cinematic drama about a group of amoral 19th-century whalers heading out on a dangerous Arctic expedition. Based on Ian McGuire’s novel, it pits O’Connell’s disgraced ex-army surgeon against Farrell’s brutish killer as the boat’s crew head further into the cold wasteland and see their humanity being increasingly tested.
Friday 10 September, 9.30pm, BBC Two
“Half of the game was punch-ups,” Vinnie Jones observes of the grim state of football in the 1980s. Founded in 1992, the Premier League injected a hefty dose of glamour, drama and big money into the beautiful game – and this insider series, featuring stars such as Cantona and Beckham, charts its rise.
Monday 6 September, 9pm, BBC Two
Buckle up: Netflix’s new docuseries sees private company SpaceX launch a crew of four regular civilians into orbit in real time, as part of a $200m fundraising drive. Panic not, as the team includes a data engineer and a geoscientist.
Monday 6 September, Netflix
Podcasts
With the Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan an ongoing and increasingly fraught concern, the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet interviews Afghans on how the last 20 years of conflict and international occupation have affected their lives. We open with the story of Zalmay Khalilzad, the influential American envoy to Kabul.
Weekly, BBC Sounds
Rebecca Nagle returns with her award-winning investigative podcast on the intersections of far-right agendas in the United States and the lives of Native Americans. In this second season, Nagle examines the 40-year history of the Indian Child Welfare Act and an ongoing landmark child adoption dispute in Dallas.
Weekly, widely available
Returning from its summer break, the Guardian’s current affairs podcast sees presenters Nosheen Iqbal, Michael Safi and Rachel Humphries tackle the week’s most vital reporting. There’s also in-depth investigations, which have previously included the story of the Freshwater Five and the Pegasus Project.
Weekdays, the Guardian
Writer Linda Rodriguez McRobbie hosts this entertaining podcast delving into the lesser-known second life of Sir Isaac Newton – his role as Warden of the Mint. Part of his job included chasing down money counterfeiters, specifically the master fraudster William Chaloner. Their cat-and-mouse relationship is recounted here.
Weekly, widely available
Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson returns with the third volume of her short and sharp pod series zooming in on musicians’ career-changing songs. Guests waxing lyrical about their breakthrough moments this time round include current touring buddy Alanis Morissette, pop’s queen of reinvention Robyn and Patti Smith.
Weekly, widely available
Film
Facebook Twitter Ring master … Jayden Zhang and Tony Leung in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Photograph: Alamy
(12A) (Destin Daniel Cretton) 132 mins
Marvel’s hero clique finally get their first Asian lead. Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) is the estranged son of Tony Leung’s criminal mastermind Wenwu (AKA the Mandarin). Along with best friend Katy (an excellent Awkwafina), he is drawn back to his past life and magical destiny in a solidly spectacular, Chinese-focused, martial-arts fantasy.
In cinemas
(15) (Leos Carax) 141 mins
Adam Driver sings! As does Marion Cotillard in this flawed but wildly, terrifically ambitious rock opera, with story and songs by Ron and Russell Mael. Driver’s comedian and Cotillard’s soprano are the odd couple who have a baby, Annette, but their relationship crumbles and tragedy ensues.
In cinemas
(PG) (Kay Cannon) 113 mins
Singer Camila Cabello’s Ella is a bubbly, independent spirit in this musical, millennial take on the hoary fairytale. Nicholas Galitzine is less vivacious as the prince open to a bit of modern thinking, while Pierce Brosnan (hidebound king) and Idina Menzel (not very wicked stepmother) provide mild jeopardy.
Amazon Prime Video
(15) (Anders Ølholm & Frederik Louis Hviid) 108 mins
A partly successful attempt to bring racial sensitivity to a Warriors-style tale of two white cops trapped in a Copenhagen sink estate after the arrest of a Black youth sparks riots; thriller tropes giving way to variegated portrayals of the residents.
In cinemas
(15) (Cathy Brady) 84 mins
Unresolved childhood trauma in the wake of the Troubles is the focus for Brady’s intense sibling drama. Runaway teen Kelly (Nika McGuigan) returns to her elder sister Lauren (Nora-Jane Noone), forcing both to confront their dead mother’s actions.
In cinemas
