1 BanishedThursday 5 March, 9pm, BBC Two
“This is not England. This is a godforsaken corner of a godforsaken country.”
Set in New South Wales, Australia, Banished retells the story of the penal colony founded after the arrival of male and female British convicts and their masters in 1788.
Starring Russell Tovey, MyAnna Buring and Julian Rhind-Tutt, the drama – written by Jimmy McGovern – delves into subjects of love, faith, justice and morality in a paradise setting that doubles as a human prison.
2 The Big Painting ChallengeSunday 1 March, 6pm, BBC One
If EastEnders stalwarts Pam St Clement and Rudolph Walker turned up and asked us to paint their portrait, we wouldn’t know where to begin. But not so for the nine budding artists competing in The Big Painting Challenge, who this week are tasked with capturing the actors’ best sides on canvas (no pressure, then).
Presented by Una Stubbs - herself an amateur artist - and art lover Richard Bacon, the contestants must complete a series of tasks that are then critiqued by judges Lachlan Goudie and Daphne Todd, OBE, as they compete to be crowned Britain’s best painter.
Easels at the ready!
3 Suffragettes Forever Wednesday 4 March, 8pm, BBC Two
Historian Amanda Vickery tells the untold stories in the battle for women’s rights, a fight which is centuries old.
In this second episode, she explores the paradox British women felt under the reign of a female queen, Victoria, who did not support the campaign, and the women who refused to accept a subservient life.
4 The Casual Vacancy Sunday 1 March, 9pm, BBC One
The drama adaptation of JK Rowling’s famous novel continues, and all is not what it seems in the idyllic parish of Pagford.
As the election to choose a new councillor nears, tensions rise – even more so when a so-called ghost continues to make their political opinions known. But who is behind the stunt?
5 The Gift Tuesday 2 March, 9pm
Warning: you’ll need a box of tissues to make it through this one.
The programme that sees normal people reunited in emotional reconciliations concludes this week. The final episode sees a former prisoner seeking to make amends with his victims, while a mother thanks the woman who drove her 50 miles every day to visit her premature baby at the hospital.
We challenge you not to get a lump in your throat.
Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.
