The best UK TV to watch this week: Maryland, Fubar, Poker Face and more
This week on UK TV acclaimed US mystery-of-the-week drama Poker Face finally makes it air on Sky, plus Suranne Jones is back on screen in new ITV1 three-parter Maryland.
Plus the RHS Chelsea Flower Show provides a riot of colour, while Phil Spencer is walking in the company of celebs and their pet pooches…
Read more: Loose Women: The ITV show's most controversial moments
Here's our guide to the best UK TV to tune into over the next seven days.
Saturday 20 May, 9.15pm: Annika | BBC One
This Nicola Walker-starring detective drama was first shown on the Alibi channel back in 2021, but is now being introduced to a potentially wider audience with a broadcast on primetime BBC1.
So if you haven’t done so already, get ready to make the acquaintance of DI Annika Strandhed of Glasgow’s Marine Homicide Unit, who investigates the puzzling crimes and unexplained murders that happen to wash up in Scottish waters. A second season is already in the works, so now is the ideal time to catch Annika’s first run.
Monday, 22 May, From 3.45pm: RHS Chelsea Flower Show | BBC One and Two
The BBC is once again in full bloom as the gardening world’s premier social event returns. Coverage does, in fact, get underway on Sunday with Countdown to Chelsea at 6.00pm on BBC1, but the analysis of the designs and show highlights can be seen each weekday on both BBC1 and BBC2.
Read more: What to expect from Chelsea Flower Show 2023
The themes in 2023 are: inclusivity, minimum effort for maximum reward, gardening in an ever-changing climate, and the value of the pastime on health. And casting their eye over what’s on offer will be Sophie Raworth, Monty Don and Joe Swift, with Nikki Chapman and Angellica Bell fronting the daytime coverage.
Monday, 22 May, 9.00pm: Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland | BBC Two
Twenty-five years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, this five-part documentary chronicle reveals the human stories of those who lived through the Troubles. Director James Bluemel has captured testimonies from all sides of the conflict, as he traces its history from the late 1960s through to the Belfast of 1998.
Reminiscences come from the likes of a son whose widowed mother was kidnapped by the IRA and the woman whose world was decimated by Bloody Sunday. Says Bluemel of the project: “The people I interviewed for this series wanted to talk about their lives this way. They wanted this history to be told and they want to be heard. And I think it’s our job to listen.”
Monday, 22 May, 9.00pm: Maryland | ITV1
Suranne Jones is usually reason enough to catch a new TV drama, but here there’s added incentive, thanks to her being joined by Eve Best (House of the Dragon, Nurse Jackie) and Stockard Channing (The West Wing, Grease) for this three-parter airing over consecutive nights.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Maryland
At the core of Maryland is the relationship between two sisters Becca and Rosaline for whom the passage of time has resulted in them growing apart. But the discovery of their mother’s body on the Isle of Man results in a reunion and the exposure of secrets and lies. Can the siblings start over when it comes to their relationship?
Thursday, 25 May, 9.00pm: Great British Dog Walks with Phil Spencer | More4
Part rural travelogue, part interview series, this new venture for property guru Phil Spencer sees him walking the Coast-to-Coast footpath in the company of celebrity pals and their four-legged friends.
Phil’s own pet, short-haired pointer puppy Luna, will be a constant companion, while those joining him for a leg of the journey will SAS: Who Dares Wins’s Mark “Billy” Billingham with his bulldog Alf, Paralympian Libby Clegg with her retired guide dog Hatti and current guide dog Bramble, plus popstar-turned-farmer JB Gill with his rescue dog Nala.
Thursday, 25 May: Fubar | Netflix
Such is the prestige of TV these days that movie stars think little of making the leap from cinema to the small screen – the latest example of this trend being Arnold Schwarzenegger, who’s the star of this action-comedy spy drama.
Arnie is playing Luke Brunner, a CIA agent counting down the days until retirement. But those plans are put on hold when a fellow agent — who also happens to be his daughter — finds herself in need of being saved. Will dad’s final undercover mission result in a daring rescue?
Friday, 26 May, 9.00pm: Poker Face | Sky Max
This stylish new detective series from Knives Out supremo Rian Johnson feels like the spiritual successor to Columbo.
As in that series, Poker Face is a mystery in which viewers see the crime being committed at the outset of each episode by the killer. The question then becomes how Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) will catch the murderer. The fact that she has an uncanny ability to spot when someone is lying certainly helps, as does her Peter Falk-style knack of disarming those who she has in her sights.
Watch: Why you need to watch Poker Face