THE Traitors was a smash hit the moment it launched in the UK.
And it’s just as popular across the Pond, where it’s hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming from the same castle in the Highlands where Claudia Winkleman brings us all the action.
The second series comes to the BBC tonight, with Love Island’s Ekin-Su among the contestants.
Here are TV Mag’s six telly picks for Wednesday 12 June 2024…
The Repair Shop (8pm BBC1)
The Repair Shop bows out for another series with the added sparkle of a dress belonging to Danny La Rue – Britain’s first mainstream female impersonator.
The yellow diamante-clad creation was left to his friend Ceri, also a performer, and time has taken its toll on the frock since 1969.
Textiles conservator Rebecca Bissonnet has her work cut out – literally – in order to restore it to its former show-stopping glory.
Meanwhile, art restorer Lucia Scalisi is tasked with saving a painting that is a tribute to the bravery of firefighters, and Jay has flashbacks to his boyhood when bike restorer Tim Green starts work on a vintage BMX for Dave, who wants to pass it on to his grandchildren.
The Traitors US (7pm BBC3)
While they don’t have shiny-haired Claudia Winkleman keeping a beady eye on proceedings across the Pond, they have opted for another of our homegrown talents in the form of Scottish actor-turned-presenter Alan Cumming.
Alan is back for a second series to welcome a slew of US reality and sports stars – including boxer Deontay Wilder, and our very own Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu and former Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow– to Ardross Castle in Alness for more underhand shenanigans as the Faithfuls try to figure out who among them are Traitors before they’re banished, or worse: ‘Murdered’.
The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan (9pm BBC2)
Romesh Ranganathan admits to knowing absolutely nothing about Madagascar except for having seen the animated films of the same name, so his third and final adventure is a real education.
The comedian explores the country’s picturesque wild west, gets up-close-and-personal to lemurs and finds out about the local delicacy of, er, penis soup.
But he also discovers some of the problems Madagascar is facing, from corruption to devastating droughts.
Inside No. 9 (10pm BBC2)
Endlessly inventive, laced with dark comedy and very, very British, the brilliant anthology series Inside No. 9 has been a treat for fans of chillingly twisted tales.
Details are firmly under wraps for tonight’s final outing, Plodding On, but watching it live is highly recommended.
We can’t wait to see what Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith come up with next.
Teen Mom UK: Next Generation (8pm MTV)
Tonight we’re reintroduced to the new generation of teen mums, including Angel, who’s back with her boyfriend Matt after a break up, and Chloe, who can’t understand why her new boyfriend Jack isn’t with someone who doesn’t have a daughter or a disability.
Then there’s Isha, whose boyfriend Jamie struggles to understand her mental health issues, and Whitney, who has broken up with Khalil’s dad and is putting her heart and soul into dating as a single mum.
Painting Birds With Jim And Nancy Moir (9pm Sky Arts)
“What I’m trying to get is its excitability – it’s a little chattering, fluttering, hovering, tiny tern,” says Jim Moir of this week’s delightful feathered subject, the Little Tern.
Jim and Nancy have headed to Leinster in Ireland so they can spot the seabird, which has a distinctive yellow bill with a black tip.
The couple also catch up with Irish singer-songwriter Imelda May, who joins Jim in drawing a rural cemetery complete with ‘Rapunzel’s tower’.