Friday's TV tips
The King of entertainment Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, take their seats on the judging panel for nations most loved talent competition. They have been stunned, entertained and moved to tears on their hunt for the best talent around.
They are joined by the nation’s favourite TV duo Ant and Dec, who are on hand to encourage the acts and to congratulate or commiserate with them following their auditions.
The lucky act who is crowned the winner in the live grand final will secure a life changing cash prize of £250,000 and the opportunity to perform at this year’s The Royal Variety Performance.
Virtually everyone who appears on The X Factor will eventually be praised for ’taking that song and making it your own’, but if there’s one person that cliche really does apply to, it’s Nina Simone.
She brought a unique feeling to an extraordinary array of songs, which continue to speak to audiences today, from the sophisticated Feeling Good to the angry Mississippi Goddam.
Now, British soul singer Laura Mvula is on a mission to trace Simone’s musical roots, travelling to New York to speak to some of the musicians who knew and worked with her, and to understand how her recordings have retained their power.
The veteran cook takes inspiration from the herb garden, demonstrating her favourite summer salad – watermelon, feta and fresh mint, and her grandchildren’s favourite comfort dish of tomato and herb meatballs.
Her pesto lemon chicken is simple to assemble and perfect for a summer lunch, as is salmon potato and prawn salad platter.
Mary visits The Dairy in south London where chef Robin Gill reveals new ways of using fresh herbs, and finishes by preparing a lemon drizzle cake, flavoured with fresh lemon verbena.
With post-General Election fall-out and fallings-out still dominating the UK press, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton are sure to have plenty to sink their satirical teeth into again tonight.
It’s always nice to see tried-and-tested panellists returning to this long-running show, and one of this evening’s participants, Andy Hamilton, is second only to Alexander Armstrong when it comes to HIGNFY guest appearances, with this being his 16th outing.
Whether he’s on Team Paul or Team Ian, Hamilton will be taking on a relative rookie in Essex-born writer, stand-up comedian and actress Sara Pascoe, who is joining in the fun for a second time after her debut in October.
Jimmy Carr hosts the comedy panel show’s version of the famous words-and-numbers quiz, with team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson joined by two celebrity guests.
Countdown regular Susie Dent is in Dictionary Corner, while Rachel Riley provides the letters and numbers.
For many people, obsessing over a band or pop star is a rite of passage, whether it involves plastering your bedroom in posters, collecting all their records, or screaming yourself hoarse at a concert.
But how do the artists themselves feel about their more fervent followers? In this documentary, Kate Mossman explores the unique relationship between artist and fan, from the days of Beatlemania to the 21st-century, where teenage girls can share their love of One Direction via social media. Along the way, she also explores her own fascination with Queen.
David (Shiloh Fernandez), his girlfriend Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) and friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) and Olivia (Jessica Lucas) are cocooned in a rundown log cabin to support David’s little sister, Mia (Jane Levy), as she goes cold turkey to kick her drug habit.
A strange smell in the basement leads the friends to a book bound in leathery human skin, which Eric studies in his room.
Ignoring various scrawled warnings of impending doom, Eric utters aloud an incantation from one of the pages, thereby unleashing dark forces that possess poor Mia.
Dismissing her portentous ranting as the hallucination of a recovering addict, the friends curb their natural instinct to escape and eventually turn on each other in a brutal battle for survival.
(1972) Adapted from James Dickey's popular novel, John Boorman's Oscar-nominated film recounts a weekend canoeing trip down a river in the Georgia back country, where four urban businessmen enter a nightmare.
The Atlanta city-slickers, alpha male Lewis (Burt Reynolds), the less adventuresome Ed (Jon Voight), Bobby (Ned Beatty), and Drew (Ronny Cox) agree to canoe down an uncharted section of the river before a dam project ruins the region.
After warnings from the impoverished locals, they embark on their trip, exulting in the beauty of nature and the initial thrill of the rapids. The next day, however, things begin to take a turn for the worse.
Starring: Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
