TV ON DEMAND

Robin Wiggs’s guide to the best TV and movies on iplayer, Netflix and more…

CATCH-UP TV DRAMA THIS LIFE

BBC IPLAYER ★★★★

The 1996-97 lawyering drama that launched the careers of Andrew Lincoln, Jack Davenport and Daniela Nardini.

It’s weathered well. From Tuesday.

ANGEL OF DEATH ALL4

★★★

This Polish mystery from Walter Presents has a great central sleuth in Commissioner Agnieszka Polkowska. A smart woman surrounded by men who think too little and live too rough, she is on the trail of a serial killer in this eerie seven-parter. From Friday.

COMEDY

DINNERLADIES BBC IPLAYER ★★★★ Set in a Manchester canteen, Victoria Wood’s excellent comedy is full of precisely scripted jokes and warm characters.

BRITNEY

BBC IPLAYER ★★★

More sweet than bitter, this BBC3 comedy pilot is based on the live show by sketch comedians Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson – which, in turn, they based on their lives. It’s a tale of friendship, of the promises you make as a child and of the realities that come with being an adult – and it has a lot of visual flair. From Tuesday.

DOCUMENTARY

THE GREAT ESCAPE MY5 ★★★★

A three-part mix of dramatisation and testimony from historians, this tells the story of the escape from Stalag Luft III.

VICTORIAN BRITAIN: THE LOST FILMS

MY5 ★★★★

Colourised film brings moments such as the disastrous 1898 launch of HMS Albion to life.

AN AUDIENCE WITH ADELE

ITV HUB ★★★★ The superstar singer performs tracks from her new album, 30, along with some of her older hits, in this London Palladium concert. The album is the first new music from Adele (left) since 2015.

THAMES AT NIGHT MY5 ★★★ Tony Robinson explores London’s great river by night in the first of this series.

PAUL O’GRADY: FOR THE LOVE OF DOGS

ITV HUB ★★★★

Paul returns to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home for another series of his sweet show. There, his heartstrings are pulled by the plight of shih tzu Daisy, who is bound for surgery.

ENTERTAINMENT

FLAT OUT FABULOUS BBC IPLAYER ★★★ A new series for the jolly BBC3 makeover show aimed at renters. A trio of hairdressers in Bristol are the first lucky recipients – it seems their

lounge isn’t ‘quite cutting it’. From tomorrow.

LAST CHANCE

THE AWAKENING BBC IPLAYER ★★★ Period chiller, with Rebecca Hall as a ghosthunter asked by Dominic West’s history master to investigate spooky events. Until Monday.

HOW IT WORKS

The free services BBC iplayer (bbc.co.uk/ iplayer), ITV Hub (itv.com/hub/itv), All4 (all4.com) and My5 (my5.tv) give you from seven to 30 days – and sometimes longer – to watch TV and films that have already aired. Netflix (netflix.co.uk), Amazon Prime (amazon.co.uk/piv), Now (nowtv. com), Disney+ (disneyplus.com), Apple TV+ (tv.apple.com/gb), Britbox (britbox. co.uk), Acorn TV (acorn.tv) and discovery+ (discoveryplus.co.uk) are all subscription services. There is also a selection of nonsubscription sites for the rental of TV and film, such as Rakuten TV (uk.rakuten.tv) and Google Play (play.google.com/store). All of these services can be watched through a variety of internet-connected devices.