WITH everyone ebbing into holiday mode, the couch will be where it’s at. With that in mind, Tonight singles out the small screen gems from the BBC Worldwide’s recent catalogue.
POLITICAL PAWN
THE TV landscape welcomes another promising political thriller á la Homeland in The Honourable Woman, with Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) cast as Neesa Stein in Bafta-winner Hugo Blick’s offering.
After witnessing the assassination of her father by the armed wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation as a girl, Neesa becomes an ambassador for peace in the Middle East.
But she lives in a deceptive world and in dangerous times. This becomes more apparent when she awards a lucrative contract to a Palestinian businessman, who is then murdered. And her brother and she become Big Brother targets by Whitehall and the Secret Intelligence Service.
But her tenacious spirit doesn’t cave in and she sets out to right wrongs conducted in a past life.
This series, which airs in February, is laden with suspense, moves at a very fast pace and, for the viewer, creates a sense of paranoia by zooming into the world of espionage.
HE GOT THE X-FACTOR
Steve Jones didn’t hack it as a host on The X-Factor USA – but he proves that he does have the X-factor… if it’s a reality series about hairstyling.
And he seems to have found his rhythm on BBC Lifestyle’s Hair, which airs on January 25 at 5pm.
The competitive show has Denise McAdam, the hairdresser to the royals, and Alain Pichon, who lists David Beckham among his clients, on the judging panel to see who is utterly passionate and pioneering as a stylist.
Of course, the challenges abound to test their flair with a pair of scissors in hand.
At least Jones isn’t splitting hairs about where his expertise lies anymore.
MUSIC TO THE EARS
While Foo Fighters fans gear up for the South African leg of their upcoming tour, BBC Knowledge has secured an exclusive documentary called Sound City (January 7 at 10pm) with the legendary Dave Grohl (ex-Nirvana).
The documentary visits the legendary Los Angeles recording studio that was the birth place of some of the greatest rock albums of all time and explores the journey of musicians and producers who chose to work here.
Rick Springfield, Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and Sir Paul McCartney (The Beatles) are among them.
SHOWSTOPPER
It’s that time when those music specials make their way onto the small screen. BBC Entertainment is hosting three: Robbie Williams: One Night at the Palladium, Radio 1s Big Weekend 2014 and BBC Proms 2014: Last Night: Robbie Williams.
In the second offering, One Direction, Pharrel Williams and Kings of Leon take to the stage.
Talk about a Happy moment… and then some.
KID FRIENDLY ZONE
The little ones haven’t been ignored either. Hey Duggee, a new animation targeting preschoolers, debuts on CBeebies on January 14 at 6.50am. It is produced by Studio AKA, which has received the stamp of approval from the Baftas and the Oscars. This charming offering is set in Duggee’s Clubhouse. Duggee, by the way, is a dog and the leader of the afterschool club called The Squirrels. He is joined by a sweet-natured rhino, an imaginative octopus, a hyperactive hippo, a happy crocodile and an inquisitively clever mouse.