TV Weekly: From Footie Cops to Gone off Pork Chops

Telly picks for the coming week…

This brand-new series follows the challenging work of officers from the UK Football Policing Unit.

Each professional club in Britain has a Dedicated Football Officer (DFO) who works under the radar to tackle the violence, disorder and anti-social behaviour which historically has gone hand-in-hand with Britain’s most-loved game. These officers have never been shown until now and this is their story.

Filmed across the 2022-23 season, each episode takes viewers behind the scenes of the huge policing operation which goes into every game – from the England team to the Premier League right down to the bottom tiers – as specialised officers try to root out troublemakers, keep rival fans apart, and defuse tensions before they spiral out of control. In the first episode, Coventry City host Sunderland and the Coventry DFO has his hands full with a fixture that’s become a grudge match due to an incident that happened 50 years ago.

The cops have barely had breakfast when things kick off. Over at Manchester City, DFO Matt has Liverpool visiting, and is worried about ticketless fans trying to enter the Etihad. And with Ipswich Town hoping for promotion, attendance is way up and DFO Roly has the challenge of new turnstiles and some of the largest home crowds they’ve seen.

Channel 4, Monday, June 3rd at 10pm

Two programme highlights part of Sky’s D-DAY 80th anniversary programming.

D-Day: 100 Days to Beat the Third Reich

For the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, this documentary follows the 100 days it took for the Allies to liberate Normandy, to break through the German line and to pave the way towards victory. 100 critical days, both heroic and tragic, that made history. The series will retrace day by day, from D-Day up to the Liberation of Paris, through a series of moving testimonies and spectacular colourised archives.

Apocalypse D-Day

Told through personal witness testimony alongside premium colourised archive video this two-part special tells the story of the key turning point in history which started on June 6th, 1944.

A titanic fleet take on the beaches of Normandy. Their goal: liberating Europe from Hitler’s Nazis. Thanks to the lessons learned from the Dieppe raid of August 1942, and supported by the Provence landing of August 1944, the mission is a spectacular success: the Second World War Allies succeeded in moving beyond their political differences, overcoming logistical difficulties and carrying out an operation with unprecedented military stakes.

Sky History, D-Day: 100 Days to Beat the Third Reich, Thursday 6 June at 7pm. Apocalypse D-Day, Thursday 6 June at 9pm

Whether we know them as sell-by, best before or use-by, there’s a bewildering array of date labels on the food we buy – but what do they really mean? Which should we adhere to? And which can we safely ignore? In this programme, Channel 5 investigates if food date labels are in fact a con.

Demystifying the dates and the small print on food packaging, journalist Harry Wallop, restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa and other experts reveal all. They discover that use-by dates are the one food date label you should never ignore or risk getting ill. If a product has gone past its use-by date, there’s only one place for it – the bin!

But we question the use of best-before dates, which are indicators of quality and not food safety, and whether it can be safe to eat food past this date. Getting hands-on, the experts even sniff whiffy milk to guess which has gone past its best before date and which they’d happily pour on their cereal.

The programme uncovers the bizarre story behind date labels on food, and the rumoured links to American gangster Al Capone. The team also found out that sell-by dates have reached their sell-by date, and are now no longer used in the UK.

Food scientist Dr Chris Clarke puts fetid food under the microscope as he reveals the telltale signs mince and chicken have gone bad, when it’s safe to eat mouldy cheese, and gives tips on how to keep vegetables fresh for longer.

Exploring the allure and pitfalls of buying reduced-price yellow sticker products – food close to its use-by date – we challenge content creator Gavin Wren to live off nothing but yellow sticker food for five days. Plus, we reveal the secret supermarkets selling discounted food close to or past its best-before date.

Channel 5, Tuesday, 4th June, 8pm

Sell By Dates: The Surprising Truth: Dr Chris / Coming Up Roses TV for Ch5

The inside story of Theresa May’s tumultuous premiership, based on exclusive access to the former Prime Minister herself airs this week on ITV1 and STV.

With contributions from friends and critics – both from within her inner circle and her Cabinet.

Focussing on key events in those years – including the battles in Parliament and government over her Brexit negotiations, her controversial 2017 Election campaign, the Grenfell Tower disaster and the Windrush scandal – this film charts the highs and lows of the woman who led the country during a dramatic period in modern British politics.

ITV1 and STV, Wednesday, June 5th, 9pm

And now for something a little highbrow over on BBC Four

Following the work of archaeologists, divers and historians, Vasa: The Ghost Ship plunges into Stockholm harbour to make new discoveries and reveal more about the lives of those who built, sailed and died on one of the most powerfully armed warships of her time.

The Vasa, one of the most majestic galleons ever to put to sea, sank 18 minutes after leaving Stockholm harbour on her maiden voyage in 1628. The loss of the Vasa was a major setback for Sweden’s ambitions to become a power in the Baltic during a turbulent period of European history. Three centuries later, in 1961, the wreck of the Vasa was raised. Remarkably well preserved by the mud and water in the Baltic Sea, she is a 17th Century time machine. Following the work of archaeologists, divers and historians, Vasa: The Ghost Ship plunges into Stockholm harbour to make new discoveries and reveal more about the lives of those who built, sailed and died on one of the most powerfully armed warships of her time.

BBC Four, Monday, June 3rd at 9pm

Theresa May: The Accidental Prime Minister