tv and radio
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Ripper Street preview: season three is bigger in every wayJulia Raeside: The Victorian detective drama, saved from the axe by Amazon Prime, is back for a third run next week. If the first two episodes are anything to go by, it’s better than ever -
Penny Dreadful box set review – a Victorian horror show that takes the macabre to new heights (or depths)Ben Hewitt: These gruesome tales of the supernatural feature a ghastly vampire, a depraved Victor Frankenstein, Eva Green’s demonic medium and many more ... -
Television isn't a bad influence on society after allToday’s audiences are less tolerant of racism and open-minded about modern dance – as a result of popular TV. Mark Lawson is reassured by a week of positive headlines
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Broadmoor; Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists in Their Own Words – TV reviewLucy Mangan: The patients’ misery seems endless in Broadmoor – but still the doctors and nurses try to put them back together -
Dapper Laughs: laddish banter banned from Cardiff UniThe ITV2 star’s brand of douchebag humour doesn’t appeal to everyone. Now, Cardiff University students have successfully petitioned for the cancellation of his show at their student union
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Can you enjoy a TV show if you can't stand the presenter?Stuart Heritage: Michael Portillo is back with more Great Continental Railway Journeys, and despite his deep reservations about the host, Stuart Heritage has it on series link
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The Missing, Intruders, Scrotal Recall and more: TV review — video
Telly addict Andrew Collins reviews House of Lies, The Missing, Scrotal Recall, Intruders and Life is Toff
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The Apprentice 2014: episode five – as it happensIn last week’s terrifying YouTube fiasco cull, Ella, Sarah and Steven were fired by the ruthless Alan. How many suffered his wrath this week? Julia Raeside cowered behind the sofa
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How recaps changed the way we think about TV – and our livesAs TV gets more complex, so do our discussions about it, allowing us to explore nothing less than reality itself, writes Lili Loofbourow
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Serial review – a riveting 10-part investigation into a Baltimore homicideNosheen Iqbal: Sarah Koenig’s year-long inquiry into the murder of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee is smart, original and utterly brilliant
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Law & Order: SVU bends the conventions of the cop showAs Wednesday’s episode, based on the Slender Man stabbing, showed, the police procedural cleverly uses topical subjects to explore its audience’s attitudes to crime and violence
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TV highlights 06/11/2014Beyond Magic With DMC | Life Story | Peaky Blinders | The Knick | Scrotal Recall | When Fred Met Rose | Detectorists | Golf World Championship
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From Fargo to Hannibal, this is a golden age for TV musicWhether sparse and tense, or lavish and operatic, TV shows now have scores as impressive as their cinematic counterparts. We talk to the composers behind some of the best
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MasterChef: The Professionals review – gloomy, boring and overdoneSam Wollaston: It says something about a show when Gregg Wallace is the best thing about it. The format needs a makeover
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TV highlights 05/11/2014Broadmoor | Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists in Their Own Words | Grayson Perry: Who Are You? | England: What Next? | Blue Bloods | Forbidden History | International T20 Cricket: Australia v South Africa
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The Roast: can G20 Brisbane handle the truth on climate change? – video
If the G20 is primarily an economic forum, what about the world it's held on?
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Strictly host Claudia Winkleman missed show after daughter’s clothes caught fireBBC TV presenter’s eight-year-old daughter expected to make a full recovery from burns after her Halloween costume caught fire
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Can uptight Marcus Wareing save MasterChef: The Professionals?Stuart Heritage: Lovely Michel Roux Jr has been replaced by a wazzock. But is he what the show needs to recover from the farce that was the last series?
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Toast of London; The Passing Bells; Gareth’s All Star Choir – TV reviewSam Wollaston: Steven Toast is a great tragi-comic character – bawdy, bold and delightfully bonkers
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Can uptight Marcus Wareing save MasterChef: The Professionals?Stuart Heritage: Lovely Michel Roux Jr has been replaced by a wazzock. But is he what the show needs to recover from the farce that was the last series?
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New TV and film to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Blinkbox in NovemberNew Lilyhammer and the latest seasons of Downton Abbey and Boardwalk Empire, plus recent releases 22 Jump Street, Under the Skin and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
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Grantchester's holy sleuths are brimming with bromance and charmGraeme Virtue: The 1950s crime series, in which Robson Green and James Norton unravel murky murders in a leafy parish, is far better than its Sunday evening image might suggest
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Isis in crisis: is Downton Abbey's dog (and best character) about to die?As the unfortunately named canine appears to be heading for the chop, Viv Groskop looks back at the her triumphs, from the infamous backside to kidnap via an illegal crepe suzette
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Downton Abbey recap: series five, episode seven – take anyone but Isis!Viv Groskop: There was a lot of action in this penultimate episode, but one storyline dominates – the dog has cancer and may not be long for this world
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Doctor Who recap: series 34, episode 11 – Dark WaterDan Martin: With Missy’s big reveal, Clara’s betrayal and the fallout from Danny’s death, the series is building to a deafening crescendo. Something huge is coming – but what?
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Is it thank you and goodnight for Good Morning Britain?Mark Lawson: The show ITV devised to replace Daybreak – and compete with the BBC’s Breakfast – has lapsed into an uneasy mix of YouTube clips, soft news and ‘comedy bits’. It may not last the winter
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How I survived being tied to a stranger in the wilderness* for 10 days**New survival show Tethered shackles two strangers together then drops them in the middle of a middle of nowhere. Nick ‘Redneck Rockstar’ Rhoades showed Stuart Heritage the ropes
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Star Wars Rebels owes as much to Joss Whedon as it does to George LucasGraeme Virtue: Disney’s animated Star Wars spin-off, set in the period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, has a lot in common with Whedon’s space western Firefly
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Breaking Bad: exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the final season
Clip: Behind the scenes of the drama's infamous "tread lightly" moment, with showrunner Vince Gilligan discussing Hank and Walter's confrontation in the garage
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What is the scariest television show of all time?For Stuart Heritage, The Walking Dead is as scary as a puppy in a tutu, but he’s still terrified by 1980s kids’ TV shows. What television gives you the chills?
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Empire: new footage of Lee Daniels' hip-hop TV drama releasedTrailer: The Butler and Precious director is moving to the small screen with his music industry saga, starring Terrence Howard as label mogul Lucious Lyon
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Downton Abbey recap: series five, episode six – grand passion for the Dowager CountessViv Groskop: This was a good – perhaps even very good – episode, with romance, relationships exposed and even some potential for plot resolution
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From Honey Boo Boo to Bristol Palin: when reality TV gets a little too realTLC have cancelled the reality show after news that its main character was dating a convicted paedophile. But for the subjects of reality TV, there is no off switch, writes Jennifer Gerson Uffalussy
reviews
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Serial review – a riveting 10-part investigation into a Baltimore homicideNosheen Iqbal: Sarah Koenig’s year-long inquiry into the murder of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee is smart, original and utterly brilliant
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MasterChef: The Professionals review – gloomy, boring and overdoneSam Wollaston: It says something about a show when Gregg Wallace is the best thing about it. The format needs a makeover
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Toast of London; The Passing Bells; Gareth’s All Star Choir – TV reviewSam Wollaston: Steven Toast is a great tragi-comic character – bawdy, bold and delightfully bonkers
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Doctor Who: Dark Water; Downton Abbey review – death is knockingSam Wollaston: For the first part of the series finale, the Doctor explores the afterlife, which seems to be a The Thick of It reunion
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The Missing; Intruders; Baby P: The Untold Story – TV reviewAn abducted child made for gripping drama in The Missing, while paranormal thriller Intruders simply baffled, writes Andrew Anthony
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The Missing Hancocks; Short Cuts: After Dark – radio reviewNeil Pearson recreates some lost Hancock classics while Josie Long brings offbeat stories of human experience, writes Miranda Sawyer
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Citizen Khan review – very traditional British sitcomWatch out for the Khans in the arrivals hall, writes Sam Wollaston, they’re the family who seems to have flown in from a 1970s sitcom
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Slednecks is set in Alaska, but it's basically Jersey Shore on IceDespite boasting that it presents life in the raw, MTV’s new reality show is a slick, seedy mash-up of its previous hits
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24 Hours in A&E review – a measured, moving series that doesn’t mess with the formulaLucy Mangan: This emergency department show is wonderful, allowing stories to unfurl naturally and letting people – even stroppy madams – keep their dignity
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The Why Factor: Embarrassment review – the truth about why we blushPriya Elan: The BBC’s excellent series discusses the nature of embarrassment: it could be a form of primal policing, while medal-winning Olympians have the ability to shrug it off
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Chiller box set review – creepy tales of phantom foetuses and ouija boardsGeorge Bass: Starring a young John Simm, Martin Clunes and Sophie Ward, ITV’s answer to The X-Files is a reminder of a time when networks weren’t afraid of giving horror writers free rein
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Home Sweet Bus review: heard the one about 13 evangelical Christians in a campervan?Days after cancelling Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, TLC debuted a seemingly far more wholesome family, spreading the Gospel in cramped conditions
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The Missing review – hauntingly brilliant televisionSam Wollaston: This eight-part thriller is not mawkish, or overly sentimental; just very human, and very very sad. James Nesbitt is so very very good at pain; he doesn’t just share it, he forces it on you
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Intruders review – ‘harsh, grungy and utterly unfathomable’Sam Wollaston: It might be intriguing, but it’s almost impossible to get a handle on this paranormal thriller’s mysterious twists and turns
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Speed with Guy Martin; Walking Through History review – a streamlined silver bubble-lozenge record breakerSam Wollaston: With his wild eyes, sideburns that are probably home to wolves, and odd Lincolnshire squawk, Guy Martin is that rare thing on telly, someone who’s different
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Kerry’s List; 52 First Impressions With David Quantick – radio reviewKerry Godliman and David Quantick’s comedies work because they are allowed to be themselves – let’s hope their new BBC minders keep it that way, writes Miranda Sawyer
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Grayson Perry: Who Are You?; Life Story; Grand Designs – TV reviewGrayson Perry’s subjects reveal all at the drop of a hat, while David Attenborough captures a different sort of life on the edge, writes Andrew Anthony
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Rome: the World’s First Superpower review – when in Rome, don’t faff aroundLarry Lamb’s breathless account of the history of the Eternal City did away with the nuances – and was all the better for it, writes Lucy Mangan
news
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Strictly host Claudia Winkleman missed show after daughter’s clothes caught fireBBC TV presenter’s eight-year-old daughter expected to make a full recovery from burns after her Halloween costume caught fire
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American TV host surprised to learn Ireland has the euro not the poundCNBC business show anchor Joe Kernen says differences between Ireland and the UK are ‘confusing’ after finding out the former uses the euro and not the pound
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Neil Patrick Harris show boycotted by Writers Guild over contract disputeWriters’ union warns scriptwriters not to work for variety show due to ongoing dispute with its owners, ITV Studios America
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Lynda Bellingham funeral: a day of sadness and celebration to say goodbyeFamous faces joined with family members at the service to celebrate the life of the ‘nation’s favourite mum’
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Rapper 360 imposter sees Melbourne radio host Tom Elliott caught out againMan claims to be Australian artist in 3AW interview on racism and brings up recent incident in which a fake Isis commander was interviewed on the show
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Taylor Kitsch confirmed for True Detective season twoThe action star, long rumoured for a part in the second season of the hardboiled crime drama, has confirmed that he’ll appear alongside Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell
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Doctor Who Experience gets Capaldi makeoverCardiff-based sci-fi attraction relaunches with new filmed sequences and guest appearance from fan favourite Lalla Ward
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Louis CK plays secret comedy gigs in New Orleans: 'Hey, Louis is here!'In the Louisana city to make a film, the comedian is using his spare time trying out new material in tiny comedy clubs
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Hairy Biker Dave Myers’ ‘todgers’ leaves Countdown with conundrumTelevision chef causes chuckles on Channel 4 contest when he offers up seven-letter word
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Will Smith hooks up with Fox for TV series spinoff of romcom HitchNews: The 2005 film starring Smith alongside Eva Mendes is the latest film-to-TV adaptation in the US, with a reboot of Marley & Me also announced
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‘Lost’ episodes of At Last the 1948 Show rediscoveredBFI announces two almost complete episodes of TV programme featuring John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and Tim Brooke-Taylor found in archive of David Frost
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Breaking Bad dolls withdrawn from saleToys R Us recalls figurines of characters from hit drama after petition by Florida mother attracts 8,000 signatures
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Lynda Bellingham dies from cancer – video report
Actor and presenter Lynda Bellingham has died from cancer aged 66. Last year she was diagnosed with colon cancer, which later spread to her lungs and liver
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Toys R Us Breaking Bad dolls: the must-have Christmas toy for your kids?News: Walter White figurine comes with tiny bag of crystal meth, as ‘shocked and appalled’ Florida woman starts petition to get them removed from shelves
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Lynda Bellingham, actor and presenter, dies aged 66Actor who played mother in long-running Oxo advertisements died in her husband’s arms after suffering from cancer
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Lynda Bellingham obituaryStar with a wide-ranging TV and stage career, best remembered as the ‘Oxo mum’ in a long-running TV ad
in pictures
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Lynda Bellingham – a life in picturesWe look back at the life of actor and presenter Lynda Bellingham, who has died after suffering from cancer
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Breaking Bad Blu-ray covers, as illustrated by Ralph Steadman – in picturesRalph Steadman has joined up with Vince Gilligan to create limited edition Blu-ray cases for all five seasons of Breaking Bad. Walter, Jesse, Gus, Mike, Hank and Saul each feature on a cover. They will go on sale from February 2015
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Oliver Postgate's Bagpuss, the Clangers and the Pogles – in picturesBagpuss, the Clangers and the Pogles – along with other fantastical creations by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin – are celebrated in a new book, writes Kathryn Bromwich
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Self-raising hell: your baking disasters – in picturesWe’ve been asking you to share your photos of baking disasters. Here are some of the best – or worst – of them. You can see all of them or contribute your own on GuardianWitness
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The Apprentice 2014: meet the contestants – in picturesGallery: The Apprentice is back for a 10th series – and with it, a new bunch of bloodthirsty exhibitionists, and maybe even a budding entrepreneur or two
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America Horror Story: Freak Show – meet the new charactersGallery: The carnival-set fourth season of Ryan Murphy’s shock drama is imminent, and new cast pics have been released, showing Kathy Bates as a bearded lady and Michael Chiklis as a moustachioed strongman
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Gogglebox: meet the telly watchers – in picturesGallery: It’s farewell to the Gilbeys, but the rest of the Gogglebox regulars are back on their sofas in time for the fourth series, which begins this Friday
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Strictly Come Dancing 2014: celebrities' ballroom makeovers – in picturesGallery: Pixie Lott, Gregg Wallace, Judy Murray and the other celebrity dancers get glammed up for the new series of the show – sequins, chiffon, fake tan and all
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Strictly Come Dancing 2014: meet the contestants – in picturesGallery: The full celebrity lineup for this year’s Strictly has been revealed and Gregg Wallace, Caroline Flack and Judy Murray are among the stars who will be competing for the glitterball trophy
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Celebrity Big Brother 2014: the lineup – in picturesA first look at Kellie Maloney, Gary Busey, White Dee and the other famous faces going inside the Celebrity Big Brother house
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Spitting Image - in pictures
We take a look at Spitting image puppets from the famous satire created by Roger Law
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Aaron Paul and Will Arnett on the set of BoJack Horseman – in picturesWe take a look at the recording of the new Netflix animation, Bojack Horseman, starring Aaron Paul and Alison Brie. Photographs: Saeed Adyani for Netflix
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The Great British Bake Off series five: meet the contestants – in picturesGallery: With the Bake Off moving to BBC1 on 6 August, we take a look at the new contestants. Who will be the master baker and who will be stuck with the wooden spoon?
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Here's One We Made Earlier: a celebration of BBC children's TV – in picturesThe Lowry in Salford is to host an exhibition focusing on children's television at the BBC
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Rik Mayall - a life in picturesThe British actor and comedian Rik Mayall has died at the age of 56. He is most famous for his roles in The Young Ones, Bottom and The New Statesman
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Behind the scenes at Springwatch – in picturesAs Springwatch celebrates 10 hugely successful years, we go behind the scenes on the set of the new series. Photographs: Graham Turner for the Guardian
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Wallace and Gromit: behind the scenes - in picturesSee images from the making of the animated series, including models, animation sets and clips
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Bafta TV portfolio 2014 - in pictures
To celebrate next Sunday's Arqiva Bafta television awards 2014, we've brought together some of the brightest and biggest names of the small screen
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Eurovision 2014 – in picturesAll the fun, spectacular stage sets and even some singing at this year's annual song fest, hosted by Denmark
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Readers suggest the 10 best ... Mad Men moments – in pictures
Last week we brought you our 10 best Mad Men moments. Here, we present your thoughts on the moments that should have made the list…
David Attenborough or World's Richest Dogs – which would you rather watch?