Friday’s TV tips
In South Africa, reporter Evan Williams meets the Black Mambas, the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit, whose members are battling to save the rhino from extinction.
The animal’s horn has become one of the most valuable commodities in the world, worth as much as gold and diamonds, and the illicit trade for the Asian market has skyrocketed.
In this programme, the Unreported World team visits a high-security secret reserve engaging the local community in wildlife conservation.
May 7 marked the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat. It was one of the major reasons why the USA entered the First World War, and this docu-drama charts the disaster and its repercussions.
The Lusitania was the first passenger ship to cross the Atlantic in under five days, and it made regular trips from the UK to the US throughout the early months of the conflict.
The plights of individual passengers from third, second and first class are charted, as are the actions of Kapitanleutnant Walter Schwieger, the commander of German submarine U-20, who gave the order to fire a torpedo at the ship, shortly before it reached the Irish coast, resulting in the loss of almost 1,200 lives.
New series. The veteran cook draws on her wealth of specialist knowledge to share a selection of her favourite recipes, each inspired by a much-loved place. In the first programme, she draws her inspiration from childhood trips to the seaside, preparing goats cheese and shallot tarts with an innovative walnut pastry, considered ideal for a picnic hamper.
She moves on to a family favourite - crab and cod fishcakes with tomato salsa, followed by a dinner party classic of sea bass with brown shrimp and caper sauce.
The Downtown singer, who shot to stardom in France in the late 1950s, explores the story of the lyric-driven French chanson.
Clark meets some of the prodigious singers and artists who propelled the art form into the spotlight, including Jane Birkin who had a global hit with the controversial Je t’aime (Moi non plus) alongside Serge Gainsbourg.
The presenter also visits the clubs and districts in Paris that helped give the art form a platform, and how this distinctive songwriting has inspired a new genre of chanson, including performers such as Camille, Zaz Benjamin Biolay, Vanessa Paradis and Etienne Daho.
The heart-wrenching reality of love during wartime comes to the fore in this week’s edition of the drama.
Elsie is forced to choose between caring for her badly injured husband, Syd, and her role in the Australian Army Nursing Service, while Alice also has a decision to make in regards to matters of the heart.
Over on the barren, windswept Greek Island of Lemnos, the situation and conditions worsen further, and Olive faces her greatest test of faith and resolve to date when a wave of dangerous dysentery sweeps in.
(2011) Bradley Cooper stars as a writer who’s simply lost the knack of writing. When he manages to get hold of an experimental drug that enables him to process information at a superhuman rate, he puts the new abilities to good use.
However, he soon attracts the attention of dark characters who want to the enhanced version of him to make them billions.
A cast containing future Silver Linings Playbook co-stars Cooper and Robert De Niro was never going to disappoint, but the twists and turns of the film outdo any preconceptions a viewer may have had.
This fast-paced thriller ensures edge-of-your-seat suspense throughout, and it’s always nice to see our own Anna Friel pop up.
(2005) In this update of HG Wells’ classic novel, Tom Cruise plays Ray, a divorced father who is spending time with his two children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) when alien invaders keen on wreaking havoc arrive on Earth.
Ray must now battle all manner of deadly foes as he makes his way – with offspring in tow - to the safety of his ex-wife’s house. At least he’ll have a brilliant excuse for dropping the kids off late.
Far from being a flippant piece, this is director Steven Spielberg back to his best. Stunning special effects and a claustrophobic third act will leave you breathless and wondering where the past couple of hours went.
(2012) Jim, Michelle, Stifler, and their friends reunite in East Great Falls, Michigan for their high school reunion. American Reunion is a 2012 ensemble comedy film written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg.
It is the fourth installment in the American Pie theatrical series and eighth installment in the American Pie franchise overall.
Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott.
