TV tonight: a shocking documentary about abuse in the music industry

The mistreatment of women in the world of rock’n‘roll is laid bare in a grim film called Look Away. Plus: an instantly endearing new sitcom, Alma’s Not Normal. Here’s what to watch this evening

Look Away

9pm, Sky Documentaries

It probably won’t be a shock to anyone to learn that the rock industry in the 1970s and 80s wasn’t always a safe or healthy environment for women. But even so, there are some truly grim recollections in this documentary in which women share their stories of grooming, coercion and general mistreatment at the hands of men whose abusive behaviour was tolerated as simply a manifestation of the rock’n’roll lifestyle. How did the music industry allow this behaviour to become normalised? Phil Harrison

Jamie Oliver: Together

8pm, Channel 4

Another angle for Jamie Oliver: this time, he is walking us through meals for post-lockdown celebrations. The emphasis is on preparation and the recipes look achievable and delicious. Aspects of Oliver’s presentational style remain an acquired taste, but there’s no doubting his grip on the zeitgeist. PH

Stephen

9pm, ITV

The story of the quest for justice after the murder of Stephen Lawrence – starring Steve Coogan as the diligent DCI Clive Driscoll – ends with a trial, and all the tension and uncertainty that brings. It is soberly, carefully dramatised, striking just the right note of catharsis undercut with weary rage. Jack Seale

Alma’s Not Normal

10pm, BBC Two

Sophie Willan writes and stars in this instantly endearing sitcom about three generations of Bolton women who always have a cig on their lips and hope in their heart. Alma (Willan) is trying to get her act together, but with a heroin-addicted mum and a girl-power-preaching grandmother, it won’t be easy. Ellen E Jones

British As Folk

10pm, Dave

Brexit has prompted much television attempting to take the pulse of our divided land. In this new series, it’s the turn of Darren Harriott, Fern Brady and Ivo Graham to ponder national identity. They begin in the Midlands, with a curry binge and a visit to the Leicester car park that held the remains of Richard III. PH

The Holden Girls: Mandy & Myrtle

11pm, Channel 4

Bewildering new cringe comedy in which the real-life Amanda Holden persuades her lonely, tactless nan Myrtle (played, with his customary sledgehammer subtlety, by Leigh “Keith Lemon” Francis) to relocate from Doncaster to her house in London. PH

Film choice

The Girl on a Motorcycle (Jack Cardiff, 1968), 12.35am, Talking Pictures TV
Cinematographer Jack Cardiff gave the swinging 60s a go as director with this odd psychedelic drama. The then zeitgeisty Marianne Faithfull plays the faithless wife of the title, on a bike ride from husband to lover (Alain Delon) and drifting in and out of memories and fantasies. Simon Wardell

Live sport

Women’s ODI cricket: West Indies v South Africa 2.45pm, BT Sport 2. Live from Antigua.

Premier League football: Everton v Burnley 7pm, Sky Sports Main Event. Sean Dyche’s rugged Burnley team visit Goodison Park.

Contributors

Phil Harrison, Jack Seale, Ellen E Jones and Simon Wardell

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