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4 hours ago
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Bill Bailey: Thoughtifier
10pm, Channel 4
Bill Bailey’s standup specials often stick out for their musical content. But in this 2025 show at the Edinburgh Playhouse, he outdoes even himself with a laser harp performance that manages to be both funny and genuinely virtuosic. He’s also pondering AI sea shanties, the problems faced by the teaspoon industry, polar bear raves and, regrettably, Elon Musk. Phil Harrison
Inside Britain’s National Parks
7.05pm, BBC Two
To Pembrokeshire, where the water buffalo roam and the seal pups are super-cute. We meet some dedicated friends of nature including Lloyd, who’s on a mission to rid Fishguard of plastic pollution, and Lynne, who protects nesting choughs. If she learns a chough has made a new home, she’ll be, err, chuffed. Jack Seale
Celebrity Sabotage
8pm, ITV1
Another round of convoluted fakery sees the construction of a fictitious cookery show (with the collusion of Monica Galetti, no less) called The Great Kitchen Cook Off. It doesn’t seem like much of a stretch so an unsuspecting member of the public is soon hoodwinked. Former Lioness Jill Scott is this week’s guest saboteur. JS
9.35pm, BBC Four
After the death of Adama, Claire and most of the team have headed to Bilbao in search of answers and that elusive envelope. Back in Dublin, office adversaries Norah and Liam are attempting to find the financial source of the Ponzi scheme, as public scrutiny of CAB shows no sign of abating. Priya Elan
The Jonathan Ross Show
10pm, ITV1
His show may lack the sofa-bound bonhomie generated by Graham Norton – or have the novelty factor of Claudia Winkleman – but Ross continues to plough his Saturday night furrow. This time, he’s joined by Slow Horses stalwart Kristin Scott Thomas and panel show wit Katherine Ryan. There’s music from Sienna Spiro, too. PH
Saturday Night Live UK
10pm, Sky One
While it does suffer (like most sketch shows) from a certain patchiness, this topical comedy vehicle has been a pleasant surprise in terms of its hit rate. It’s also good to see fresh talent getting a break. This time, the regular gang are joined by guest host and star of fine new satire Bait, Riz Ahmed. PH
Film choices
Flavia, 7.10am, 12.45pm, 3.35am, Sky Cinema Premiere
Adapted from the first of 11 (and counting) children’s novels by Alan Bradley, this 50s-set mystery nestles comfortably between Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie. Molly Belle Wright plays Flavia De Luce, a precocious 11-year-old amateur chemist who turns sleuth when a dead body appears in her garden and her widowed father, Havilland (Martin Freeman), is accused of murder. Spies, science and stamp collecting all figure in a girls’ own Home Counties adventure that rattles along rather spiffingly. Simon Wardell
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 9pm, Comedy Central
Yeah, baby! James Bond spoofs have been tried countless times, but none have been as consistently hilarious as Jay Roach’s 1997 comedy. It has its cake and eats it by freezing its borderline sexist 60s British spy (Mike Myers, who also wrote it) and defrosting him in the present day, when women are empowered and an obsession with sexual freedom is old hat. It’s a steep learning curve for Austin but one filled with silly puns, delightful sight gags and a cracking Blofeld-like master criminal in Dr Evil. SW
The Outfit, 10.50pm, BBC One
Graham Moore’s clever crime drama may be set in 1956 Chicago but it relies on British talent for its impact. Mark Rylance stars as London-born bespoke tailor Leonard, with a hint of Michael Caine in his accent and a precision to his acting that fits his character’s trade perfectly. Johnny Flynn is local mobster Francis, who joins his boss’s hair-trigger son Richie (Dylan O’Brien) and Leonard’s secretary Mable (Zoey Deutch) at the shop after hours as a gang war develops and a rat needs to be ferreted out. Multiple satisfying twists ensue. SW
Master Gardener, 11.30pm, Great! Action
Joel Edgerton is a superb actor who often expresses little but always suggests hidden depths (see also Train Dreams). In Paul Schrader’s carefully cultivated tale he plays Narvel, the head gardener on the estate of the patrician Norma (Sigourney Weaver). He has a history of violence he’s trying to keep in the past but when Norma’s errant grand-niece Maya (Quintessa Swindell) is made his apprentice his finely balanced life begins to unravel. SW
Live sport
Men’s FA Cup Football: Man City v Liverpool, 11.30am, TNT Sports 1
The first quarter-final tie. Chelsea v Port Vale is at 5pm on BBC One, followed by Southampton v Arsenal at 7.30pm. West Ham v Leeds is on Sun at 3.30pm on TNT Sports 1.
Champions Cup Rugby Union: Bath v Saracens, 2pm, Premier Sports 2
The round-of-16 match from the Recreation Ground.
Boxing: Lauren Price v Stephanie Piñeiro, 8pm, BBC Two
Price (pictured above) defends her WBA, IBO, IBF and WBC welterweight titles in Cardiff.
