TV guide: 12 of the best new shows to watch, beginning today

Jimmy & Shivi’s Farmhouse Breakfast

Sunday, UTV, 8.25am

It’s hungry work staying up late on Saturday night to watch Glasto, but never fear – Jimmy Doherty and Shivi Ramoutar are down at Doherty’s farm in Suffolk ready to make you a big breakfast to revive your spirits. In this new food, arts, crafts and nature series for early birds, Doherty and Ramoutar will rustle up tasty meals in the outdoor kitchen, and first up are Ramoutar’s own breakfast burritos, guaranteed to spice up your Sunday mornings. There’s a bit of everything on the menu in this show, with the pair welcoming celebrity guests, exploring the local wildlife, immersing themselves in country life and making exotic drinks such a peach sangria to kick-start the day.

Suranne Jones: Investigating Witch Trials

Sunday, Channel 4, 9pm

How did more than 200 people find themselves on trial accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts in the 17th century? And how did Donald Trump co-opt the term “witch hunt” to paint himself as a victim? In the second of this two-part series, Suranne Jones continues her explorations of witch trials through history, and looks at how the legacy of superstition and patriarchal paranoia has had a huge impact on women’s rights today. She also visits Salem, Massachusetts, the site of the most notorious witch hunt in American history, to learn how this instance of mass hysteria was driven by religious zealotry.

Skint: The Truth About Britain’s Broken Economy with Tim Harford

Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

In 2010, Ireland was in a right financial mess, and had to be bailed out by the European Commission, Europen Central Bank and IMF, known as the Troika. In 2024 the UK is now the basket case, argues Financial Times writer Tim Harford, but this time there’s no troika to give the country a dig-out. With a general election taking place on Thursday, Harford looks at how the UK economy came to this sorry pass, from post-crash austerity to Brexit to Liz Truss’s doomed budget that nearly broke the Bank of England.

Gods of Tennis

Monday, RTÉ2, 10.35pm

Today is day one at Wimbledon, as the big tennis names of today compete in one of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. It’s a chance to catch the future stars of tennis in action, but it’s also a good time to look back at the great players of the past who have shaped the modern game. This opening episode takes us back to 1975, when Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe had Wimbledon titles in their sights. But both had higher goals in mind, with King leading a campaign for women to achieve parity in prize money, and Ashe seeking to bring racial equality into the game.

Tuesday, TG4, 10.30pm

Sidse Babett Knudsen stars as former Danish prime minister and now minister for foreign affairs Birgitte Nyborg in this Danish series that is considered a masterclass in how to create compelling political drama. In series four, Nyborg is dealing with the delicate matter of an oil discovery in Greenland. Having been elected on a climate manifesto, she is under pressure to ensure the oil is not exploited to the detriment of the environment, and under fire for changing her official stance. But with the Chinese now putting their hand in the high-stakes game, Nyborg has to send her ambassador back to Greenland to negotiate with the Chinese.

Crossfire

Tuesday, RTÉ1, 10.35pm

This three-part thriller series, first aired on BBC in 2022, tells the story of a British family on holiday in Spain who become caught up in a terrorist attack on their hotel. The series got a critical panning, the Guardian mocking its endless scenes of people hiding in corridors from gunmen and phoning each other, but Keeley Hawes is compelling as former police officer Jo Cross, whose marriage to Jason is falling apart, but who has to call on all her skill and courage to save her family. In episode two, Jo and the hotel’s security manager, Mateo, are trying to evacuate as many guests as possible until police arrive, but Jo discovers the body of the man she was having an affair with, and when the police helicopters finally get here, she’s worried that the gunmen will try to kill as many guests as possible before they’re taken down.

Battle of the Bagpipes

Wednesday, Sky Arts & Now, 9pm

Inveraray and District Pipeband. Photograph: Peter Devlin

Stand well back – this could get seriously loud. This three-part documentary series bravely explores the competitive and unforgiving world of piping, revealing the military-style preparation needed by pipe bands and solo pipers as they try to blow away their rivals with their piping prowess. The series follows pipers as they compete for the chance to perform in front of the king, and follows military and civilian pipe bands as they prepare for battle in the world’s most ferocious piping contest, the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow.

Harry Wild

Wednesday, RTÉ1, 9.35pm

Jane Seymour stars as English professor turned Dublin private detective in the second series of the comedy crime drama, and in this episode she and Fergus have a real handful to deal with: a bride whose matron of honour is murdered during her hen party. There’s no shortage of suspects, as everyone in the hen party hated the victim, but the bride refuses to postpone the wedding, hiring Harry and Fergus to watch over the ceremony and make sure she gets hitched without a hitch.

George Clarke’s Remarkable Renovations

Thursday, RTÉ2, 8pm

Meet Paul the pig farmer and his wife Imogen, who have just bought themselves a bunch of run-down buildings in Framlingham in Suffolk, and are hoping to get them back up and running as going concerns. Among their acquisitions is a pub, a butcher’s, a bakery and a slaughterhouse, but they need architect George Clarke to have a butcher’s and serve up some advice on how they can modernise and maximise their commercial properties.

Britain Decides with The Rest Is Politics and Gogglebox

Thursday, Channel 4, 9.45pm

Today is election day in Britain, and that means endless hours of entertainment as we watch the Tories getting kicked out of government and Labour leader Keir Starmer sweeping triumphantly in to number 10 Downing Street. Well, that’s the expectation anyway. The team from The Rest Is Politics will be on hand to comment on the results as they come in, with news and analysis from Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Emily Maitlis, and opinion from Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart. But we really can’t wait to hear the stars of Gogglebox give their insight on the proceedings.

Brats

From Friday, Disney+

We fondly remember the Brat Pack movies of the 1980s – The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, St Elmo’s Fire – but how do the actual members of the so-called Brat Pack (including Molly Ringwald, Judd Hirsch, Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore) recall their days as Hollywood’s brightest young things? In this documentary film, directed by former Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy, members of the Brat Pack reunite to look back on those halcyon days, and to examine how the films tapped into the teenage angst of the time. We’ll hear how they handled their enormous fame, and learn that not all of the stars were happy to be labelled Brat Packers.

The Last Leg: Election Special

Friday, Channel 4, 10pm

Alex Brooker, Adam Hills and Josh Widdicombe in The Last Leg

So, it’s all over bar the shouting, and the recriminations, and the blaming and shaming. As the dust settles following yesterday’s general election, it’s time for the comedians to come out and pick at the remains in search of comedy gold. Adam Hills, Josh Widdecombe and Alex Brooker host this Last Leg special, where they’ll be joined live in the studio by a host of celebrity guests, comics and politicians.