TV Weekly: From Brett Goldstein to Holly Willoughby

Telly picks for the coming week…

Groomed: A National Scandal is a powerful new film from filmmaker Anna Hall on the explosive issue of gang grooming, which puts the experiences of five women who have survived unimaginable abuse at the heart of a story that spans more than 20 years.

Five young women – Chantelle, Steph, Jade, Scarlett and ‘Erin’ – all suffered horrific incidents of grooming, rape and abuse, and have put their trust in Anna Hall to tell their stories, which are by turns harrowing and heart-breaking.

Many discuss the abuse on camera for the first time. Their stories expose failings by police and social services across decades and show how children are still being let down to this day. Beyond the headlines and the political rhetoric, Groomed: A National Scandal reveals how authorities have not only ignored victims, repeatedly, but in some cases criminalised the very people they should be protecting.

Channel 4, April 30th from 9 pm

Emmy®-winning actor, writer, and comedian Brett Goldstein brings his irresistible charm and quick wit stateside for his first Sky Exclusive stand-up special.

Best known for the hit shows “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” Goldstein sheds his testy Roy Kent façade to share his hilarious insights on love, sex, masculinity, “Sesame Street,” and everything in between.

Filmed at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life offers up the musings of a comedy veteran in the most beautiful place on earth… New Jersey.

Sky Comedy, April 27th at 9 pm

This gripping two-part mystery unravels the incredible case of the death of wealthy Paula Leeson – found floating face down in the pool at a Danish holiday home on a weekend break with her husband Donald Mc Pherson. At first, it seems like a tragic accident, with Mc Pherson claiming he woke to find her dead, until the pathologist notices suspicious marks and calls the police.

Within months Donald is on trial for murder in a Manchester court, but the case sensationally collapses and he walks free. But questions remain – not least that he took out multiple life insurance policies in his wife’s name leading up to her death.

Then the story twists: ‘Donald McPherson’ doesn’t really exist. As investigators dig deeper into his past, a global web of deception emerges – multiple aliases, a first wife and child who died mysteriously, a multi-million-dollar fraud, time in prison, and ties to organised crime in a story starting in New Zealand and spiralling through decades of reinvention. Peeling back the layers, Paula’s family begin to piece together who Donald Mc Pherson really was in a campaign to get to the truth, and get justice for Paula.

So, who is he? And how has he escaped justice time and time again? And the ultimate question – did he get away with murder?

5, April 30th at 8 pm

Another highlight from 5 this week sees the event that saw Holly quit (daytime) television. This documentary looks at the true story of a horrific plan to kidnap and kill the saccharine television presenter.

In July 2024, 37-year-old Gavin Plumb was convicted of soliciting the kidnap, rape and murder of Holly Willoughby. Unbeknown to Holly, Plumb had spent nearly a decade developing a twisted fixation on her. He amassed tens of thousands of images, tracked her movements, researched her home and security arrangements, and had recruited other like-minded men to help turn his sick sexual fantasies into reality.

Their plan was to invade the star’s London home – subdue her husband with chloroform and use the couple’s young children as leverage. They intended to kidnap Holly, drive her to a remote location where she would be viciously sexually assaulted and ultimately, murdered.

When Holly learned of the plan, just hours before she was due to go on air, her life was changed forever. With little choice but to put her glittering career on hold, she withdrew from public life whilst the police built their case against Plumb.

Could Plumb’s disgusting plan ever have come to pass? He was housebound, morbidly obese and incapable of walking even short distances. Yet he spent years looking for an accomplice to help turn his obsession into a reality. Was Plumb a dangerous predatory stalker… or a sad and lonely fantasist, guilty of nothing more than a warped imagination?

Stalking Holly lifts the lid on the truth behind this shocking case, using Plumb’s own words to illustrate his horrific plan. Experts in criminal psychology and stalking behaviour chart his pathological obsession, enabled by the dark underbelly of the internet and fuelled by his hatred of women.

5, May 1st at 9 pm

 Adam and Ryan Thomas host the game show where 100 ordinary people from all walks of life play sillily simple games and try to avoid being last to win a cash prize.

Twenty six players remain in the game – to avoid being eliminated, they must find a baby’s dummy in a jelly whilst blindfolded, untangle themselves from a length of rope, defrost a whistle from a block of ice and more, before their number is reduced again

Adam & Ryan Thomas said:

“It’s new, it’s fresh, it’s fun and we can’t wait for people to see it! It really is the ultimate family show, and so we couldn’t be more excited to be hosting it together, as a family. It’s a dream come true for us. We can already imagine people at home playing these games with their families as it’s fun/silly/competitive & heartfelt.”

Ryan Thomas is a familiar face to many, thanks to his role as Jason Grimshaw in ITV’s Coronation Street from 2000 to 2016. Meanwhile, Adam Thomas has made a name for himself with his roles as Donte Charles in the BBC’s Waterloo Road and Adam Barton in ITV’s Emmerdale.

Both brothers have also showcased their skills as contestants on various shows, with Ryan appearing on Celebrity Masterchef and Dancing On Ice, and Adam taking up the challenge of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here and Strictly Come Dancing.

ITV1 and STV, April 26th at 6 pm