TV: Inside Man and Make Me Prime Minister

Inside Man 1/4, Monday 26th September, 9pm, BBC One

We’re all capable of murder. That’s the conceit of this fabulously inventive new four-part drama. I think it’s meant to be something of a revelation to the viewer, but for my part, I’m aware that I’m capable of murder at least five times every day. It’s currently 8:31am, and I’ve already wanted to murder my kids today – sloping about, being hopeless and looking at their phones as we try to chivvy them out the door for school.

Nevertheless, this drama is nothing if not thought-provoking – and clever, and witty, and absolutely gripping from a superbly tense and triumphant opening scene. A journalist, Beth Davenport (Lydia West, from last year’s remarkable It’s a Sin) is being harassed on the Underground by a predatory man. Everyone stands around, doing nothing… until he receives a glorious comeuppance at the hands of Janice Fife (Dolly Wells).

In the aftermath, Beth wants to interview Janice, who demurs. She is more interested in getting to her next job – she’s a maths tutor, and is coaching the son of the local vicar, Harry, played by the always watchable David Tennant. Harry is a good man, happily married, with a job that he loves, and a son upon whom he dotes. Everything in Harry’s life is going well – which, in the context of a TV drama, means something awful is about to happen to him.

Half a world away, in America, a convicted murderer on Death Row has a visitor. Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci), a Professor of Criminology, has been convicted of murdering his wife. As he awaits his grisly fate, he spends his time helping people with their criminal cases. There is one criterion for his help – it has to be in the name of moral worth. He is aided in his endeavours by Dillon, a serial killer with a photographic memory.

Now, if that all sounds a bit far-fetched and daft – well, it is. The series comes from the pen of Steven Moffatt, whose dramas, from Doctor Who to Sherlock to Dracula, are always a bit far-fetched and daft. And utterly, compellingly brilliant. You just have to suspend a bit of disbelief.

The requirement to suspend disbelief becomes necessary fairly early on in this opening episode. What is essentially a misunderstanding evolves into something far, far worse simply because vicar Harry fails to sit down and calmly explain something. The behaviour is, one very much suspects, not what would happen in real life.

But if you want real life, there are plenty of gritty, depressing dramas and soaps out there to get bogged down in. Moffatt’s works are a different breed – escapist, fast-paced and hugely inventive – and Inside Man is no exception.

As ever, Tennant delivers a compelling performance – charismatic, desperate and with a hint of menace – while Stanley Tucci has an absolute ball as Grieff, a conflicted Sherlock-Holmes-figure who wants to make amends for his terrible crime. Atkins Estimond plays Dillon, his mass-murdering friend, with equal relish, and there is a satisfyingly dark vein of comedy in their exchanges.

But it is Dolly Wells, as the maths tutor who’s about to get a very nasty surprise, who really elevates this drama. In the past, Moffatt has been accused of writing female characters who lack depth and plausibility, but Janice Fife is a triumphant character, with strength and vigour and a solid moral core masked by a polite, demure middle class veneer.

The result is an outstandingly entertaining story, written by a scribe at the top of his game, and with a superb cast doing justice to every word. Thoroughly recommended.

Make Me Prime Minister 1/6, Tuesday 27th September, 9:15pm, Channel 4

Whatever your political colours, it’s pretty clear that politics is in something of a mess in this country right now. With Prime Ministers forced to resign, internecine leadership squabbles, divisive rhetoric, a public still fractured by the Brexit argument and the culture war, and vitriolic debate carried out over social media, it’s all a bit depressing.

As the country lurches from the catastrophes of Covid, the cost-of-living crisis, and the war in Ukraine, it seems like we are spending more time at each other’s throats than working together to make constructive progress.

This brand new, hugely original competitive format reality show is trying to look at politics differently. The concept is this: Twelve members of the public, taken from a variety of backgrounds and political viewpoints, are competing to be the next Prime Minister. Obviously, they won’t actually be made PM – though seeing as the current incumbent was elected by around 0.2% of the population, it might be just as democratic.

Instead, the winner of the show will receive a £25,000 prize – and, presumably, have the opportunity to decorate their homes with gold-leaf wallpaper.

Each week, the contestants will be split into two groups, and one of them will be appointed Prime Minister. They will then begiven a policy to formulate, and sell to the press and the public. At the end of the task, the public will vote for one of the policies, and the losing group will have one of its members eliminated.

Overseeing the whole shebang are Alastair Campbell and Sayeeda Warsi, who bring an element of gravitas and nous to proceedings as they help, advise, cajole and ultimately pass judgement on the contestants.

First up, education. The two groups have to come up with a policy to change primary school education. Neither Alastair nor Sayeeda are particularly impressed with the policies that are suggested – even less so when they are launched to the press. One group seems to think that the best way to highlight their policy is to have the Prime Minister dress up as a robot, the other by having their Prime Minister dance awkwardly around a maypole. As if the dignity of the office of PM wasn’t compromised enough already…

The would-be PMs are put through their paces by seasoned political hacks (this show has done a brilliant job of getting the right people involved) and it’s like watching confused fawns being attacked by wolves.

Finally, the PMs, aided and cheered on by their teams, have to present their policies to a public audience, and answer their questions. It’s a tense and high-spirited affair, before the dreaded public vote comes in. Then it’s time for Sayeeda and Alastair to decide whose head should go on the chopping block.

This is fascinating TV, that is genuinely trying to promote political discourse and do something different. It’s Channel 4 at its boat-rocking finest. If it sounds a bit like The Apprentice, which I loathe… well, yes, there are definite similarities, but this show has a heart where the other has only pound signs. It’s also funny, engaging, and entirely original, and gets my vote without a moment’s hesitation.

The best… and the rest

Saturday 24th September

Strictly Come Dancing, 6:45pm, BBC One: It’s the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2022. Fifteen brand new celebrities will perform live for the first time. There is no public vote but the judges still have their paddles. Their scores tonight will be carried over to next week when viewers will have their chance to vote for their favourite couple.

Ukraine's Musical Freedom Fighters with Clive Myrie, 7:35pm, BBC Two: The broadcaster travels across Ukraine to meet musicians who are prepared to leave their families in their war-torn country in order to create an orchestra and perform at the Royal Albert Hall. With only 10 days to rehearse, can they succeed in their ambition to fight the war with their music, instead of with guns? And will the concerts touch the world in the way that they hope?

Kylie at the BBC, 9:10pm, BBC Two: A selection of archive performances by Kylie Minogue, from the early days with Stock, Aitken & Waterman to the dance sounds of the 1990s, the 2000s and beyond, including her collaborations with Robbie Williams, Nick Cave and Jason Donovan.

Blankety Blank 1/10, 9:10pm, BBC One: Bradley Walsh returns with a new series of the legendary Blankety Blank. Each week a panel of six celebrities will fill in the missing blanks to help some very lucky contestants win some amazing prizes. Joining the panel this week is reality TV legend Joey Essex, former professional boxer Chris Eubank, radio presenter Vick Hope, former Paralympian swimmer Ellie Simmonds, comedian Frank Skinner and actress Denise Van Outen.

Sunday 25th September

Karen Pirie, 8pm, ITV: 1996. In St Andrews, three drunken students are discovered at the scene of a murder. Young barmaid Rosie Duff has been assaulted, stabbed and left for dead. And the only suspects are the three young men now stained with her blood, claiming to have stumbled across her on the way home from a party. Twenty-five years later, Rosie’s unsolved murder has become the subject of a provocative true crime podcast and Detective Sergeant Karen Pirie (Lauren Lyle) is put in charge of the cold case review.

Monday 26th September

Trouble at Topshop 1/2, 9pm, BBC Two: Charting the changing fortunes of the high-street store through the testimonies of Topshop insiders, and financial, investigative and fashion journalists. The programme explores how a dated teenage store was transformed by a group of young, talented and creative women into a mecca for everyone who loved fashion, and tells the story of an entrepreneur with ambitions to be King of the High Street.

Tuesday 27th September

Sensationalists: The Bad Girls and Boys of British Art 1/3, 9pm, BBC Two: Documentary made to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Sensation - the iconoclastic exhibition of Charles Saatchi's private collection, held in the heart of the establishment at the Royal Academy in September 1997. Featuring contributions from Goldie, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith of Underworld, Alex James of Blur, Janet Street Porter, Jefferson Hack of Dazed & Confused, and restaurateur Oliver Peyton. Narrated by Keith Allen.

Wednesday 28th September

Nine Perfect Strangers 1/8, 10pm, Channel 4: Drama based on The New York Times bestselling book by author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort's director, Masha (Nicole Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine 'perfect' strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.

Thursday 29th September

Taskmaster 1/10, 9pm, Channel 4: Dara Ó Briain, Fern Brady, John Kearns, Munya Chawawa and Sarah Millican are the noble knights who are hoping to win this elaborate joust to become the 14th Taskmaster champion. In the opening episode, the contestants fumble frozen peas and shout about fish, all supervised under the watchful eye of Taskmaster Greg Davies and his loyal assistant, Alex Horne.

DNA Journey 1/4, 9pm, ITV: Return of ITV’s answer to Who Do You Think You Are? Comedians and best mates, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, embark on a road trip to find out about their family history using a mix of DNA and genealogy, meeting family they never knew existed.

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