Mammals
Friday 11 November, Prime Video
James Corden returns to British TV in Jez Butterworth’s (Jerusalem, Britannia) latest creation. He plays Jamie Buckingham, a Michelin-starred chef preparing to open his first restaurant, named after his wife, Amandine (Melia Kreiling). But his life is turned upside-down when he discovers Amandine has been keeping dark secrets from him. With the help of his sister and brother-in-law, Jamie sets out to discover the truth in this comedy relationship thriller.
Jools’ 30th Birthday Bash
Saturday 12 November, 9pm, BBC Two
The first ever Later… with Jools Holland show in October 1992 featured The Neville Brothers, The Christians, Nu Colours and D’Influence. Safe to say that none of them feature in this special 30th anniversary episode filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo. Instead, we’ll be treated to performances from Robert Plant, Richard Hawley, Celeste, First Aid Kit, Michael Kiwanuka and more, who will play their own tunes as well as some of Holland’s favourites.
Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance
Saturday 12 November, 9pm, BBC One
An alternative musical affair takes place over on BBC One, with Andrea Bocelli, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and actor Luke Evans paying tribute to the British Armed Forces. King Charles will attend for the first time as monarch, and the event will pay tribute to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her dedication to her role as commander-in-chief. The soldiers who fought in the Falklands War also get a special mention, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the conflict.
The People’s Piazza: A History of Covent Garden
Sunday 13 November, 9pm, BBC Two
While it might be a tourist hot spot nowadays, packed with luxury stores such as Ladurée and Chanel, once upon a time London’s Covent Garden was a bustling marketplace, where sex work and activism thrived alongside the apple stalls. Historian David Olusoga travels through 400 years’ worth of history to reveal a rich culture of performance and protest, recreating what Covent Garden might have been like before its 70s refurb.
Tulsa King
Monday 14 November, Paramount+
It is surprising that Sylvester Stallone hasn’t delved into the world of TV before now, but Tulsa King marks his small-screen debut (as a main character, at least). He plays Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mid-level Mafioso released from prison after 25 years inside. When his old boss sends him to Tulsa, Oklahoma, Manfredi realises he has been sidelined and starts to build up his own crime gang.
DIY SOS: The Big Build for Children in Need
Wednesday 16 November, 9pm, BBC One
Young women’s charity Getaway Girls, based in Leeds, is the recipient of this year’s Children in Need makeover. Nick Knowles and his usual team have collaborated with Radio 2 for the project, with DJs Sara Cox, Scott Mills and Rylan donning their hard hats to help with making over the charity’s derelict headquarters. In the meantime, the Getaway Girls choir prepare a thank you song with the help of Emeli Sandé.
Outsiders
Wednesday 16 November, 10pm, Dave
Jessica Hynes, Phil Wang, Joe Wilkinson, Maisie Adam, Fatiha El-Ghorri and Darren Harriott are the comedians joining host David Mitchell for the second series of this outdoors survival show. If you missed it first time around, think Taskmaster meets Bear Grylls, as the comics take on a series of challenges to prove they have what it takes to forgo the luxuries of the indoors.
1899
Thursday 17 November, Netflix
As you might have worked out from the title, this series is set at the turn of the 20th century, when New York was a shiny beacon of hope across the Atlantic. A group of European migrants set sail for new lives in the US, only to come across a ship that had been missing for months, the Prometheus, on their journey. Made by the creators of German sci-fi thriller Dark, you can expect 1899 to be just as creepy and brooding.
Brian Cox: How the Other Half Live
Thursday 17 November, 9pm, Channel 5
After four years as Succession patriarch Logan Roy, Scottish actor Brian Cox has learnt a thing or two about the lives of the uber-rich. But does money make you happy? Cox meets people with varying bank balances in an attempt to answer that very question. Born into poverty in Dundee, he also interrogates his own accumulation of wealth and doesn’t hold back his anger when it comes to addressing the world’s growing pay gap.
Oti Mabuse: My South Africa
Thursday 17 November, 9pm, BBC One
As Strictly Come Dancing trundles on without her magic, dancer and TV presenter Oti Mabuse heads back to her hometown of Mabopane in South Africa to revisit the people and places that inspired her growing up. It has been 10 years since she left to pursue her dreams, and she finds the country almost unrecognisable. She meets the people who are working to build the “new” South Africa, as well as reuniting with some of her long-missed friends and family.