TV tonight: a wild night in Grimsby’s new state-of-the-art prison

This fly-on-the-wall documentary series follows the custody officers employing a new approach to remanding people in custody. Plus, The Rap Game UK. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hotel Custody

9pm, ITV

“It’s like Loose Women this, isn’t it? Loose Retention Officers!” So says one of the “unsung heroes” at Grimsby’s state-of-the-art £14m Birchin Way custody facility. This new fly-on-the-wall series sees the custody team officers use banter to help get through shifts. Tonight, they detain a woman dressed as Harley Quinn for assaulting an officer, and a repeat offender, “Gangster Granny”, who has stolen a fountain pump from Grimsby Garden Centre. Hollie Richardson

Tonight: Who’s Polluting Our Water?

8.30pm, ITV

Water companies are currently reporting vast profits. At the same time, only 14% of rivers in Britain have good ecological status. There’s something wrong with this picture – and our current drought is only going to make it worse. Joe Crowley fronts this worrying look at ways of addressing these problems. Phil Harrison

Ambulance

9pm, BBC One

Real-life medical shows are at their most powerful when they depict the sheer pressure staff are under, and this episode, filmed in early 2022, sees the North East Ambulance crew overloaded. But their warmth and dedication never wavers as they look after elderly people sharing memories and a five-year-old who has fallen off a quad bike. Hannah Verdier

The Rap Game UK

9pm, BBC Three

As the rap boot camp continues, the artists discover their pairings for the clash challenge and there’s an energising visit from Lethal Bizzle. It’s also time to learn a bit more about what makes the contenders tick: tonight, Target, Krept and Konan are digging deeper into their personalities and, specifically, their perceptions of Britishness. PH

Romesh Ranganathan hosts A League of Their Own.
Good sport … Romesh Ranganathan hosts A League of Their Own. Photograph: Sky UK/PR

A League of Their Own

9pm, Sky Max

Romesh Ranganathan returns with the 17th season of this fun sports quiz series, with team captains Jamie Redknapp and new regular face Micah Richards. Joining their teams tonight: Jo Brand, Declan Rice, Jordan North and Josh Widdicombe. HR

First Dates

10pm, Channel 4

Horse lover Fabia struggles to date in her rural home; can Fred Sirieix stir up some romance for her in the restaurant? Meanwhile, bibliophile Ria has a good head on her shoulders as she searches for a first boyfriend (she, quite rightly, thinks Mr Darcy is “a right prick”). HR

Film choice

Kelly O’Sullivan and Ramona Edith Williams in Saint Frances.
We can work it out … Kelly O’Sullivan and Ramona Edith Williams in Saint Frances. Photograph: Easy Open Productions/Allstar

Saint Frances (Alex Thompson, 2019), 11.15pm, Film4
Kelly O’Sullivan scripts and stars in a wonderfully frank film centred around women’s health issues. She plays Bridget, 34, a waitress with little in the way of maternal instinct, who gets a job nannying cute but wilful six-year-old Frances (Ramona Edith Williams), while one of the girl’s two mothers, Maya (Charin Alvarez), struggles with her new baby. There is plenty in the relationship between Bridget and Frances to captivate, but the film is most interesting when it deals with the women and their problems – menstruation, abortion and postpartum depression: all topics getting an all-too rare airing on screen. Simon Wardell

Contributors

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Hannah Verdier and Simon Wardell

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
TV tonight: what really happens at a convicted murderer’s parole meeting?
A new documentary shows all sides of the story in the parole process. Plus: Joel and Ellie find a momentary respite in The Last of Us. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Danielle De Wolfe and Graeme Virtue

20, Feb, 2023 @6:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: the civil rights lawyer elected Philadelphia’s top lawman
Storyville’s eight-part series examines the US’s devastating incarceration rates. Plus: Bake Off: The Professionals sets the teams a carrot-shaped test. Here’s what to watch this evening

Ammar Kalia, Hannah Verdier, Phil Harrison, Ali Catterall and Paul Howlett

22, Jun, 2021 @5:10 AM

Article image
TV tonight: comic catastrophe in a country house caper
There’s a welcome return for the am-dram spoof in which everything goes wrong, plus one of football’s great rivalries is recalled. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Graeme Virtue, Jack Seale and Hannah Verdier

27, Sep, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Channel 4’s threesome obsession rolls on
The majority of people fantasise about sex with more than one person – but how does the reality stack up? Plus: a horrifying exposé of an Essex people smuggling tragedy. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Ellen E Jones, Hannah J Davies and Graeme Virtue

13, Oct, 2021 @5:00 AM

Article image
TV tonight: reopening a 54-year-old murder cold case
Emilia Fox and criminologist David Wilson investigate the killing of a teenage member of the RAF. Plus, chasing the drugs in Before We Die. Here’s what to watch this evening

Ammar Kalia, Hannah Verdier, Ali Catterall, Hannah J Davies and Paul Howlett

23, Jun, 2021 @5:10 AM

Article image
TV tonight: deja vu dating in the search for love
More matches, mis-matches and awkward moments in First Dates Hotel. Plus, Rosie Jones’ Trip Hazard. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Phil Harrison, Graeme Virtue, Ellen E Jones and Simon Wardell

05, Sep, 2022 @11:00 PM

Article image
TV tonight: a documentary about water, the basis of life on Earth
Kelly McEvers investigates H2O, the link between organic and mineral worlds. Plus: the reboot of Gossip Girl. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Graeme Virtue, Jack Seale and Paul Howlett

25, Aug, 2021 @5:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: can Gemma Whelan’s detective solve her first tricky case?
ITV’s new police drama centres on two mysterious deaths at a tower block. Plus, Ed Balls looks at the care home crisis. Here’s what to watch this evening

Hollie Richardson, Jack Seale, Henry Wong and Graeme Virtue

08, Nov, 2021 @6:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: Taiwan’s battle with China to hold on to independence
Could tensions between Taiwan and China lead to war? Plus, the last two contestants go head to head in the Apprentice final. Here’s what to watch today

Hollie Richardson, Graeme Virtue, Danielle De Wolfe, Ellen E Jones, Alexi Duggins Ali Catterall and Simon Wardell

23, Mar, 2023 @6:20 AM

Article image
TV tonight: James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan are a couple trapped in lockdown
This drama about a husband and wife weathering the pandemic is insightful and gripping. Plus: Sci-Fi on Film. Here’s what to watch this evening

Phil Harrison, Hannah J Davies, Ali Catterall, Paul Howlett

17, Jun, 2021 @5:20 AM