TV tonight: Gary Lineker makes Z-listers do silly things for his new show
Joey Essex and John Bercow are unlikely team mates in The Box. Plus, the inside story of Saturday Night Live. Here’s what to watch this evening
The Box
Gary Lineker’s latest gig involves chuckling from a tower as Z-listers stumble around a disused car park to find tokens. Graeme Souness, Shakira Khan and JB Gill are among the celebrities playing mundane games – egg-and-spoon races, rock-paper-scissors – with minor twists. The fun is in the team bonding: Joey Essex asking John Bercow if he’s feeling reem is surprisingly pleasing. Phil Harrison
Celebrating Disney at the Proms: The Music of Menken
Be Our Guest! Friend Like Me! Part of Your World! It’s a night of Disney bangers at the Royal Albert Hall, as an ode to the man behind the music, Alan Menken. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined by special guests and the National Youth Music Theatre to create the magic. Hollie Richardson
Alan Carr’s Celebrity Picture Slam
Gareth Malone may be able to spot a bum note at 50 paces, but can he spot the answers in Carr’s picture puzzles? The choirmaster pairs up with Steph McGovern to battle Will Best and Fleur East, plus standup Ellie Taylor and Derry Girls’ Jamie-Lee O’Donnell – all vying to bank £10,000 for their chosen charities. Ali Catterall
Casualty: 40th Anniversary
This hardy medical drama has surprisingly polemical roots, beginning its long life as a defence of the NHS in the face of Thatcherism. It ruffles fewer feathers in middle age but, even so, this birthday special is a furious affair as a firebombing in Holby means a frantic, eventually devastating night in A&E. PH
A church burns, artily, in a dark wood – the veteran Swedish sleuthing series is back. As the fiery death of a rock musician turned pastor disturbs a web of guilt and hidden loyalties, Alex (Jennie Silfverhjelm) conceals a personal link to the congregation that could banjax the investigation. Jack Seale
Lorne
Lorne Michaels is revered in US TV circles for creating Saturday Night Live in 1975. The producer is also fairly elusive – a fact this entertaining documentary is happy to lean into. Fortunately, there are plenty of big hitters to tell his story – Conan O’Brien, Tina Fey, Chris Rock and Andy Samberg are among those testifying to his brilliance. PH
Film choice
The Mandalorian and Grogu, out now, Disney+
With one of the best Star Wars series going feature-length, its biggest draw, “Baby Yoda”, rightly shares top billing with Pedro Pascal’s perma-helmeted bounty hunter. Otherwise, it’s business as usual for the grumpy Mando and his cute, Force-friendly ward as they get involved in a spot of Hutt family politics. Hired by the New Republic to track down a warlord still sympathetic to the old empire, they must deal with Jabba the Hutt’s siblings, who want the return of their abducted nephew Rotta (Jeremy Allen White) in exchange for information. Featuring a bizarre cameo from Martin Scorsese as a multi-limbed food truck cook, Jon Favreau’s sci-fi adventure is a light, lithe addition to the canon. Simon Wardell
Ryan Reynolds is always an easy watch, with his relatable (for a film star) charm and unforced gift for comedy. Both are leaned on heavily in John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s cold war actioner, set in 1987. Reynolds plays fighter pilot Troy “Assassin” Kelly, whose spy plane is downed over the Soviet Union. Wounded and alone in a Siberian forest, he meets Nikolai (Kenneth Branagh), a Top Gun fan of Misery-like proportions but also, handily, a very disaffected KGB covert ops agent. Trains, planes and military automobiles all feature in an undemanding buddy caper. SW
Live sport
Premier League Football: Newcastle v Bournemouth, 11am, TNT Sports 1Hull v Aston Villa is at 5pm on Sky Sports Main Event.
Women’s Super League Football: Chelsea v Aston Villa, 12.25pm, BBC OneBrighton v Arsenal is on Sun at 11.30am on Sky Sports Main Event.
Snooker: British Open, 12.45pm, Channel 5The opening semi-final.
Super League Rugby: Wakefield v Warrington, 2.45pm, BBC TwoAt the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
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