Lockdown Culture with Mary Beard (BBC2, 7pm)
THE classical scholar continues to offer insights into the world of culture during the lockdown. Each episode sees her speak to experts on a variety of subjects from the safety of their own homes. This time she turns her attention to music. She wants to know why, at times of great stress, people have a tendency to find comfort in song. She cites the number of A-list celebrities willing to take part in fundraising concerts, singalongs across balconies and quarantine choirs as examples. Beard also ponders whether we’re seeing the start of a change in the way we care and share with others, or if we will return to being rather more insular once the lockdown is lifted.
Charlie Brooker’s Antiviral Wipe (BBC2, 9pm)
IN 2016, Brooker won a Bafta for his Wipe programme, then seemingly put the format in a box and forgot about it. Either that or he was too busy working on other projects, including the international Netflix hit Black Mirror, to produce another edition. But, four years on and not a moment too soon, he’s back with an all-new one-off episode. As you’ve probably gathered from the title, Brooker will be taking a typically satirical and acerbic look at life in lockdown, as well as reviewing what we’ve been doing to keep ourselves occupied. He’s set to be joined by guest collaborators, including the gloriously dim Philomena Clunk (played perfectly by the divinely deadpan Diane Morgan), who has some unique opinions of her own to share.
The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC1, 9pm)
THE group begin their second week, having settled into their new home on the coast of Puducherry. Henry Blofeld is keen to find a cure for an old injury, so he and Paul Chuckle visit a local hospital where western medicine is combined with yoga. Paul also braves the chaotic roads as he throws himself headlong into his first Indian driving lesson, while Britt Ekland and Zandra Rhodes explore the more spiritual side of their temporary home. Later in the week, some of the group catch the sleeper train to Madurai, where they enjoy the wild celebrations of the famous Chithirai festival.
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