TV tonight: Conleth Hill is a frazzled business mogul in this new 90s sitcom - 4 minutes read




The Power of Parker 9.30pm, BBC One

Conleth Hill is a perfectly frazzled, failed businessman in this decent new six-part comedy, co-written by and co-starring Sian Gibson. Set in 90s northern England, Hill plays Martin – described as “a mix between Alan Sugar and Robert Kilroy-Silk” – whose electrical chain store is swimming in debt. It’s the least of his worries in this week’s opening episode, however, as the two women he’s in relationships with are about to meet. Rosie Cavaliero, George Costigan, and Sheila Reid also star. Hollie Richardson

Bollywood at the Proms 8pm, BBC Four

Singers Palak and Palash Muchhal, backed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Indian classical musicians, pay tribute to Lata Mangeshkar, one of Bollywood’s greatest playback singers. It’s a chance to celebrate many of the greatest songs of Indian cinema. Jack Seale

A story of talent, feminism and gaining agency … Reframed: Marilyn Monroe. Photograph: N/A/BBC/Warner Media Reframed: Marilyn Monroe 9pm, BBC Two

For too long, Marilyn Monroe has wrongly been viewed as a “vulnerable, passive woman”, according to this four-part series narrated by Jessica Chastain. Although Monroe endured tragedies and sexism, her story is also one of talent, feminism and gaining agency, starting with her arrival at 20th Century Fox. HR

Riches 9pm, ITV1

The big-money drama continues with Nina heading to Zurich to investigate her dad’s life, cashflow and death. Back at Flair and Glory HQ, the new investors oppose a move into Korean skincare. With lines such as “You stink of ambition and nobody trusts you” and not an unattractive face in sight, it’s soapy fun. Hannah Verdier

Then You Run 9pm, Sky Max

One way of skipping the festival loo queue is by announcing you need to do a pregnancy test, which Stink learns when the gang end up hiding out at a festival in Hamburg, in this addictive full-speed drugs thriller. But it’s not long until Reagan and his men track them down. HR

Der Pass 9pm, Sky Atlantic

As the season finale of this patient but compelling noirish thriller begins, the police are still nowhere near solving the case. In fact, they haven’t even managed to connect the suspects and the murders – and a disastrous property search doesn’t really help. Accordingly, Ellie and Gedeon must take some risks. Phil Harrison

Film choice Getting into product … Elizabeth Banks and Zach Galifianakis in The Beanie Bubble. Photograph: Apple/AP

The Beanie Bubble (Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash, 2023), Apple TV+What with the recent Nike/Jordan film Air, there now seems to be a strain of movies telling quirky stories about products. In this enjoyable comedy drama, directors Kristin Gore and Damian Kulash tell all about the Beanie Baby, a soft toy that became a word-of-mouth craze and a cash cow for creator Ty Warner (Zach Galifianakis). The focus is not on the petulant, Wonka-ish Ty, though, but the women who played a big part in his success: his partner Robbie (Elizabeth Banks), intern Maya (Geraldine Viswanathan) and girlfriend Sheila (Sarah Snook), whose two kids assisted in the toys’ creation. Simon Wardell

Tragic tale … Stanley Tucci and Naomi Ackie in I Wanna Dance With Somebody. Photograph: Landmark Media/Alamy

I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Kasi Lemmons, 2022), 8pm, Sky Cinema PremiereAn attempt to put Whitney Houston back on the pedestal that recent documentaries have threatened to knock her off, Kasi Lemmons’s biopic gives us a large dose of the singer’s phenomenally popular music and her standout live performances (expertly lip-synced by star Naomi Ackie). It is from a misery memoir, but touches on her secret relationship with Robyn Crawford, a troubled marriage to Bobby Brown and her drug addiction, while her tragic ending precludes any redemptive story arc. SW

Live sport

Women’s World Cup Football: England v Denmark, 9am, BBC One A Group D match in Sydney.

This article was amended on 8 August 2023. An earlier version said that Martin Parker had an eclectic store chain, rather an electrical chain store.


Source: The Guardian

Powered by NewsAPI.org