The best TV shows and movies to watch over Easter Weekend

There's plenty of great TV and film to feast on this weekend
Warner Bros, ITV, Paramount
George Fenwick10 April 2020

The sun might be enticing this Easter Weekend, but staying home is more important than ever.

With an array of great shows and films airing over the break, however, you won’t get bored.

From nostalgic marathons to favourite period dramas, there’s plenty to feast on as we stay inside to save lives.

Here’s our guide to the best telly over the long weekend...

Friday

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - BBC One, 6:40pm

No one’s going anywhere this Easter Weekend, so BBC One has planned the perfect marathon for escapist viewing, screening the Indiana Jones films over four consecutive evenings. Thank you, BBC overlords; a dashing Harrison Ford going on a variety of outlandishly entertaining adventures is precisely what we need right now.

Paramount/Getty Images

The screening order is as follows: Raiders of the Lost Ark on Friday at 6:40pm, The Temple of Doom on Saturday at 6:25pm, The Last Crusade on Sunday at 6:35pm, and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - which, it must be stressed, features Cate Blanchett with a wig and a Russian accent - on Monday at 6:40pm.

The Bling Ring - BBC Two, 11:05pm

Emma Watson in The Bling Ring
AP

Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring is a polarising film about a bonkers real-life story, following a group of teenagers who broke into the homes of celebrities and stole millions.

The fame-obsessed youths stole clothing, shoes and jewellery, with a value of around $3 million (£2.4m) - with much of the stolen property belonging to Paris Hilton.

Mad Max: Fury Road - ITV 2, 9pm

Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road
Warner Bros

Is pure, utter chaos your quarantine viewing vibe? Why not settle in for a cosy night watching one of the most hectic films of all time, which also happens to be a masterpiece.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron give some of their best performances in Mad Max: Fury Road, which raised the bar for action films to new heights. Listen to the score afterwards if you want to feel pure fear.

Around The World By Train With Tony Robinson - Channel 5, 9pm

Sir Tony Robinson in episode 2 of Around the World By Train S2.
Channel 5

Travel from your couch with the third episode of Around The World By Train, which finds Tony Robinson embarking on an incredible journey via rail through Mexico.

You can also read our interview with Tony about his wholesome journey (bar the time he got locked in a train bathroom in Peru).

Saturday

Victoria and Abdul - BBC Two, 9:15pm

(Universal)

Judi Dench and Ali Fazal give warm, empathetic performances in this historical drama about the friendship between Queen Victoria and the young Indian clerk Abdul Karim.

Britain’s Got Talent - ITV, 8pm

David Walliams, Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon for the 14th season of Britain's Got Talent 
ITV

Britain’s Got Talent returns to fill the gap left by Saturday Night Takeaway, which concluded for the year last week.

While the live finals of Britain’s Got Talent have obviously been jeopardised, the show will be airing the pre-recorded auditions that took place earlier this year. The judges have described this year’s batch as a return to “old-school” BGT.

Skyfall - ITV2, 8pm

Gutted about the delayed release of No Time to Die? Same.

ITV2 have scheduled some comfort viewing with a rerun of Sam Mendes’ Skyfall, arguably one of the best Bond films ever made. His follow-up, Spectre, screens the following night at 8pm.

Star Trek - Channel 4, 9pm

JJ Abrams’ modern Star Trek trilogy is surprisingly great, and the first instalment starts things off with a bang; it’s an exhilarating, beautifully shot sci-fi adventure with an admirable cast including Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto.

Sunday

The Nest - BBC One, 9pm

The cast of The Nest: L-R Dan (Martin Compston), Emily (Sophie Rundle), and Kaya (Mirren Mack)
BBC / Studio Lambert / Mark Mainz

The BBC’s new thriller-drama about a couple struggling to conceive, and the mysterious young girl who agrees to help them, concludes this weekend with its fourth and fifth episodes rolling out over consecutive nights.

You can read about how the score for the tightly wound thriller was pulled together remotely due to the lockdown here.

Belgravia - ITV, 9pm

Carnival for ITV

Julian Fellowes’ latest historical drama continues as a jealous Oliver threatens to wreak havoc after making a shocking discovery about Charles. This is the penultimate episode for the period piece, with the finale airing the Sunday following.

Wolf Hall - BBC 4, 10pm

BBC's Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance and Claire Foy
BBC/Company Productions Ltd

Have you been using your lockdown time to finally try and read Wolf Hall? Great! They’re wonderful books, and the third, The Mirror and the Light, has been rightly praised as a masterful conclusion to the series.

But - and don't feel guilty if this is you - if you’d just rather put your feet up and watch the story be told via compelling performances and intricate costumes, BBC Four are airing the television adaptation again, starting Sunday. Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis and Claire Foy star.

Sing! - 5:50pm, ITV2

For all parents who need an evening off, plonk your kids in front of this animated film about singing anthropomorphic animals for a couple hours and they'll be away laughing.

Monday

Quiz - ITV, 9pm

Matthew Macfadyen as Major Charles Ingram celebrating winning the million pounds (ITV)
ITV/Left Bank Pictures

The anticipation is high for this new series about the real-life Who Wants to be a Millionaire cheating scandal, brought to life by a to-die-for cast including Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford and Michael Sheen (as Chris Tarrant).

Catch up on everything you need to know about the show before you watch here.

Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry - BBC Two, 9pm

Getty Images

It’s Dolly Parton night on BBC Two on Monday, starting with this live celebration of the singer’s career featuring guest stars such as Lady Antebellum and Hank Williams Jr. At 11:15pm, BBC Two are screening Parton’s 2014 performance at Glastonbury.

Kingsman: The Secret Service - Channel 4, 9pm

An irresistibly slick spy caper to ease you back into the working week starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson.

Listen to The Leader: Coronavirus Daily podcast

We love Bond, but there’s a lot to love about a spy franchise that takes itself far less seriously.

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