This evening's television schedule offers a compelling mix of brand-new British comedy and gripping true crime, headlined by a side-splitting new sitcom from a celebrated producer.
A Hilarious Secret on BBC One
At 9.30pm on BBC One, viewers are treated to the launch of a super-funny new series, Can You Keep a Secret?. The show is the brainchild of Simon Mayhew-Archer, the producer behind hits like This Country and Such Brave Girls, and is directed by Simon Hynd of Ghosts and Motherland fame.
The plot centres on recently widowed Debbie Fendon, played by a brilliant Dawn French. Debbie harbours an enormous secret from her grown-up son, Harry (Craig Roberts). Contrary to what he believes, his eccentric father William (Mark Heap) is not dead. In a bizarre twist, William is secretly living in the house after a £250,000 life insurance payout came through.
The comedy promises kooky hijinks and stupidly hilarious one-liners as the family navigates this deception, especially with a supportive widows' club regularly visiting. The central question remains: can they actually get away with it?
Drama, Crime, and Documentary Highlights
Elsewhere, Channel 4 continues its drama Patience at 9pm. Ella Maisy Purvis returns as the autistic archivist assisting York police. Her new boss, DI Monroe (Jessica Hynes), arrives with a bolshy attitude, setting the stage for a complex partnership, potentially forged over a mysterious vampire-coded killing.
For history enthusiasts, BBC Two presents a new series of Digging for Britain at 9pm, hosted by Prof Alice Roberts. The episode focuses on the north-west, showcasing one of the largest Roman cemeteries ever found in Britain near Penrith, and artefacts from a Somalian community compound in Bradford from the 1904 Bradford Exhibition.
ITV1's sleepy period crime drama Grantchester returns for its tenth season at 9pm. While vicar Alphy (Rishi Nair) is popular with his parishioners, a case interrupts personal lives: a protester against the commercialisation of Christianity appears to have killed himself, but Geordie (Robson Green) suspects foul play.
Channel 5 offers a sensitive look at real-life medical struggles in Surgeons: A Matter of Life Or Death at 9pm. The new series, filmed at University Hospitals Birmingham, follows army veteran and amputee Luke battling excruciating nerve pain and tongue cancer patient Julian through their critical operations.
A Notorious True Crime Case Revisited
Later, true crime fans can delve into a notorious case with The Murder of Laci Peterson at 11pm on Channel 4. This six-part documentary series examines the events that began on Christmas Eve 2002 in Modesto, California, when 27-year-old, eight-months-pregnant Laci Peterson vanished from her home, sparking a media frenzy. The film explores the police investigation that quickly focused on her husband, who maintained his innocence.
Finally, film lovers can enjoy a classic with Trafic (1971) on Talking Pictures TV at 3.30pm. The final film from Jacques Tati to feature his beloved Monsieur Hulot character is a witty satire on car culture, following a designer's chaotic journey to a motor show in Amsterdam.
