Advertisement

'Ridley Road', 'The Mating Game' and 'Unreported World': The best weekend TV, 1-3 October

Unreported World Ridley Road The Mating Game
The weekend's best TV includes drama and documentary. (Channel 4/BBC/Getty)

A new period drama series begins this Sunday on BBC One with true-story inspired Ridley Road, a must-watch for autumn.

King of the nature documentary Sir David Attenborough returns on the same night with his stunning new series, The Mating Game.

Read more: The best TV to watch this autumn

A new series of Unreported World on Channel 4 lifts the lid on a Mexican cola obsession on Friday, while Piers Morgan's fascinating docuseries Killer Women gets a new airing at Netflix.

Saturday sees the live Strictly shows continue on BBC One ahead of the first elimination on Sunday, while Sky Crime offers true crime documentary The Bambers: Murder at the Farm.

The best TV to watch this weekend, 1-3 October

Friday

Unreported World - Channel 4 - 7.30pm

Unreported world
Unreported World examines a town in love with Coca Cola. (Channel 4)

The current affairs series returns by travelling to Chiapas, chronicling the Mexican state's love of Coca Cola.

People living there drink an average of around 16 litres a week, fuelling growing numbers of diabetes patients which has in turn made COVID much more dangerous for them.

However, the attachment to cola even includes shamen using it as a diabetes treatment and the documentary also meets locals reliant on the fizzy drink for an income.

Killer Women with Piers Morgan - Netflix

Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan's killer interviews get a new home. (Getty)

It first aired in 2016, but Piers Morgan's mastery of interviewing even the most difficult of characters is now streaming on Netflix.

The first series sees Morgan travel to the US to meet Erin Caffey, who masterminded the murders of her family at 16 years old, and also meets a woman accused by her small son of drowning her own daughter, and a beauty queen said to have killed her wealthy lover.

Saturday

Strictly Come Dancing - BBC One - 6.45pm

Greg Wise and Karen Hauer will dance their couple's choice. (BBC)
Greg Wise and Karen Hauer will dance their couple's choice. (BBC)

Strictly's celebs are heading into their second week of live shows, but despite the first elimination not taking place until Sunday, they're already a man down as Tom Fletcher and Amy Dowden have tested positive for COVID.

The pair should make their return in a week, but in the meantime the competition continues with Greg Wise and Karen Hauer taking on the first couple's choice routine of the series.

Read more: When COVID hits reality TV - 7 times it all went wrong

AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington topped the leaderboard last week - will they be able to do it again for this week's combined scores and first public vote?

The Bambers: Murder at the Farm - Sky Crime - 10pm

The Bamber Killings: Jeremy Bamber in handcuffs, escorted by police. (Copyright Anglia Press Agency/Archived via SWpix.com)
The true crime documentary looks at Jeremy Bamber and his murdered family. (Anglia Press Agency/Archived via SWpix.com)

If you watched the recent ITV drama series White House Farm, the notorious case of Jeremy Bamber will still be fresh in your memory.

Louis Theroux looks at the real-life crime which saw Bamber convicted of the murders of his adoptive parents, sister and twin nephews in. 1985.

The series sees Theroux attempt to delve into the psyches of the family as a whole as he tracks the tragic incident.

Sunday

Ridley Road - BBC One - 9pm

WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 10:00:01 on 12/09/2021 - Programme Name: Ridley Road - TX: n/a - Episode: Generics (No. n/a) - Picture Shows:  Colin Jordan (RORY KINNEAR), Vivien Epstein (AGNES O'CASEY), Jack Morris (TOM VAREY) - (C) Red Productions - Photographer: Ben Blackall
Sunday night drama is back with 'Ridley Road'. (Red Productions/Ben Blackall)

Vigil may be over, but Sunday night drama continues on BBC One with the new Ridley Road, based on a true story.

In 1962, Jewish hairdresser Vivien walks out of her wedding in search of old love Jack, but is shocked to find him apparently at a neo-Nazi rally.

Read more: Martin Compston responds to criticism of Vigil finale

She discovers he and her uncle are secret agents battling far-right extremism, but when an incident at a Jewish school leaves a student dead and Jack missing, Vivien must go undercover herself.

The Mating Game - BBC One - 8pm

WARNING: Embargoed for publication until 00:00:01 on 21/09/2021 - Programme Name: The Mating Game - TX: n/a - Episode: Generic (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: Flamingos  - (C)  Getty Images - Photographer:  Getty Images
Sir David Attenborough presents 'The Mating Game'. (Getty)

King of the nature documentary world Sir David Attenborough launches his latest series, The Mating Game.

Bringing his enthusiasm for all creatures, no matter how spectacular or mundane, to the masses once again, this time he's showing us the lengths animals and birds go to in finding a mate.

Up first are ostriches, zebras, spiders and kangaroos.

Watch: The trailer for Ridley Road, inspired by true events