TV tonight: Joe Lycett's mission to visit 18 places called Birmingham

The Guardian

22-04-2025

9pm, Sky Max'It feels very profound but also completely worthless at the same time.' Only proud Brummie Joe Lycett could come up with this concept: visit all 18 places called Birmingham in the US and Canada and get them to sign an internationally recognised friendship agreement. Why? He wants to put his beloved city back on the global map – and he has the blessing of the lord mayor. First, he visits Birmingham in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, which boasts 'a disused chemical plant and a post office' and where the 'only hotel burned down 100 years ago'. Can he get the town to sign the agreement? Hopefully – there's an International Day of Birmingham party at the end of the series for all to attend. Hollie Richardson
9pm, BBC OneHollywood actor Andrew Garfield is incredibly candid as he traces his family tree to 1930s Poland, where his Jewish ancestors lived in the Kielce ghetto. He learns how he is related to Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman (portrayed by Adrien Brody in The Pianist) and later makes his way to the Getty museum in LA, where an art discovery moves him to tears. HR
8pm, Channel 4A big renovation often means making sacrifices, but potter Keith Brymer Jones and his partner Marj Hogarth are understandably fed up with sleeping in a shipping container. Thankfully, their ongoing conversion of a careworn 19th-century chapel has reached the stage where the vestry can be transformed into a very boho master bedroom. Graeme Virtue
8.30pm, BBC Two
Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill head to the River Tay to meet Sally, who explains how swimming has helped her cope with grief. Elsewhere, the all-male, primarily LGBTQ+ swimming group the Dundee Dookers bond over mental health struggles. And in Aberfeldy, they swim with women's group the Freezing Fannies. Ali Catterall
8.30pm, ITV1Like Bake Off, this adorable canine documentary has found Alison Hammond to be a safe bet as replacement presenter – here, for the late Paul O'Grady. This time, she helps fellow TV host Katie Piper pick a puppy, supervises a kennel makeover and assists a Turkish Kangal with a weight problem. All the above are achieved with irresistibly sunny charm. Jack Seale
10pm, Channel 4Next in this gripping documentary series is a chilling gang-murder case taken on by defence barrister Laurie-Anne Power and king's counsel Paul Mendelle. There's conflicting evidence and a joint enterprise doctrine, which means their client could receive a lengthy sentence despite not having delivered the fatal blow. Nicole Vassell