Saturday's TV tips

Staying in? Check out our spoiler-free guide to what to watch on tonight.

Saturday's TV tips

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ENTERTAINMENT: Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 6.30pm)

According to James Jordan, this is the worst series of Strictly there has ever been. Hmmm... we’re not sure we agree with him.

There’s an excellent mix of personalities taking to the floor each week, plenty of surprises (not least those provided by the surprisingly fleet-footed Jake Wood and Thom Evans) and some cracking dance routines.

And now that the horror of seeing Donny Osmond on the judging panel (how he came up with his bizarre, nonsensical scores remains a mystery) is subsiding, we can at least let the dancing do the talking.

There’s no theme this week – no doubt things will get spooky next Saturday, the day after Halloween – so expect Len Goodman and co to be nitpicking about the finer points of various routines, rather than being dazzled by outrageous costumes, unusual music choices and strange choreography choices.

Tess Daly and the breath of fresh air that is Claudia Winkleman host.

ENTERTAINMENT: Sitting on a Fortune (TV3, 6.55pm)

TV3’s brand new Saturday night entertainment show sees players earn money for doing absolutely nothing. Hosted by the hilarious TV presenter and former Big Brother winner, Brian Dowling, Sitting on a Fortune is a formidable and funny play-along entertainment show that is guaranteed to put bums on seats!

Players earn money for sitting on their bum so the more they are sat down the more their prize fund increases. It’s a show where you really don’t want to be the last man standing.

ENTERTAINMENT: The X Factor (TV3, 8pm)

It’s the third live studio round, which means that the remaining acts now know what to expect – and should be better able to cope with their nerves, enabling them to deliver knock-out performances.

Just one slip could mean the difference between winning a lucrative recording contract and being booted out for good, so everyone is keen to keep their good form going.

Occasionally the judges throw a spanner in the works by organising a surprise for those involved – such as the recent double elimination. Will there be such an event as that happening tonight?

Of course we can’t say – if ITV told us, it would no longer be a surprise. Instead, we’ll just have to watch with the rest of the nation, willing our favourites to do well and hoping their rivals suffer some kind of vocal malfunction.

As ever, Dermot O’Leary hosts.

DRAMA: Doctor Who (BBC1, 8.20pm)

The later time slot for this run of the series seems to have inspired showrunner Steven Moffatt to devise darker and more frightening stories – and thank goodness for that.

Okay, so we should keep in mind that Doctor Who is aimed at a family audience, but what tends to be forgotten these days that it was always scary. After all, back in the 1970s, Mary Whitehouse got her knickers in a twist about it on a semi-regular basis.

Expect plenty of chills this week too from a screenplay written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, a man perhaps best known for his collaborations with the very grown-up director Michael Winterbottom. But seeing as Boyce has seven children of his own and has written fiction for youngsters, he shouldn’t out of his comfort zone here.

The story concentrates on what happens after the human race awakes one morning to find a forest has covered the entire globe. Can the Doctor stop the vegetation in its tracks?

DRAMA: The Code (BBC4, 9pm)

Open a tinnie, throw some sangers on the barbie and settle down for the last two episodes of this Australian drama. It’s been ripper so far – so brace yourselves for a wonderful finale.

Hani’s life hangs in the balance, and only Ned and Jesse can save her. But to do so, they must hand over technology capable of wiping entire cities off the face of the Earth.

Will they opt to rescue their friend, or save the faceless millions they’ve never met? It’s the kind of dilemma nobody wants to face – but is there a way to avoid it altogether?

Then, it’s Ned and Jesse’s lives that are on the line as the net closes in. Somebody wants to silence them for good, repackage their story and avoid any of the truth coming out – prompting the boys to make a drastic decision that could alter their personal histories forever.

FILM: This Means War (Channel 4, 9pm)

(2012) Two secret agents; best friends who couldn’t be more dissimilar. However, they do share one thing in common – they’ve fallen in love with the same woman.

The smitten spies can’t resist can’t resist using their espionage skills and gadgets to sabotage each other’s chance of romance. What they seem to be distracted from is the fact that a terrorist is planning revenge against them.

While the film doesn’t seem to know what to class itself as - romantic comedy or action – the good thing about that is that there’s something here for everyone.

You can’t fault the line up – Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are quite the dream team, but they’re helped a long by a decent enough script. A pleasant surprise from McG, the director whose last effort was Terminator Salvation.

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Til Schweiger, Chelsea Handler.

RottenTomatoes.com Rating: 26%

CHAT: The Jonathan Ross Show (UTV, 10.10pm)

Being a child star can be a difficult business.

You’re thrust into the limelight at an early age, without much idea of what real life is like. Some sink once the puppy fat has melted away, while others swim – and we’ve got an example of each to look forward to during tonight’s programme.

Daniel Radcliffe became a household name when he took on the coveted role of Harry Potter, but fame has not gone to his head. Instead, he’s concentrated on building a strong and varied career and, as far as we’re aware, has kept his nose clean – he seems like a very sensible, well-rounded young man.

Lindsay Lohan, on the other hand, has landed herself in all manner of trouble. She’s now trying to piece together her once promising career by appearing in a West End production of David Mamet’s Speed the Plow.

Also dropping by will be Russell Brand and Rio Ferdinand, while music comes from The Script.

FILM: Killer Joe (Film4, 10.45pm)

(2011) Matthew McConaughey stars in this black comedy about a man who is heavily in debt to drug dealers – but he’s got a plan. He’s going to kill his mother and claim her life insurance, and so hires a cop who moonlights as a hitman. However, when he’s unable to pay upfront, the assassin claims his employer’s sister as collateral.

McConaughey has signed up to some stinkers in his time, but surprisingly, this isn’t one of them. He’s appropriately unsettling as the eponymous character, and simply makes this film. Emile Hirsch is superb and perfectly cast in his role (this being the first of two of his films this weekend), and director William Friedkin’s return will please fans no end.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church.

RottenTomatoes.com Rating: 78%

FILM: Friends with Benefits (Channel 4, 11pm)

(2011) An art director joins the staff of a magazine, and is soon sleeping with the recruiter who hired him. Both are determined to avoid a relationship and resolve to keep their feelings out of the arrangement – which proves harder than expected.

Like No Strings Attached, this is another of those romantic comedies about a couple of bright young things trying to have sex without love or romance getting in the way.

This is the better of the two, even if a heart-wrenching dramatic sub-plot does feel shoehorned in to add some gravitas. Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are the easy-on-the-eye protagonists. Patricia Clarkson and Woody Harrelson also make up the impressive cast list.

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson.

RottenTomatoes.com Rating: 70%

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