Bake Off, Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily and Challenge Anneka: Here's some of the TV highlights this week

Words by Richard Jones

The jumpsuit is back. After her last Challenge nearly three decades ago, Anneka Rice returns to take on more mystery tasks that will benefit local communities.

Challenge Anneka originally ran on BBC One from 1987 to 1995 for 70 episodes and was one of the UK’s most popular programmes.

The hit show was revived in 2006 for a one-off special which saw the team rebuild a maternity clinic, cricket pavilion and children’s play centre in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami.

Now, Anneka, who turns 65 in October, will be strapping on her Lycra again for four more editions, as Channel 5 revives the hit show.

Just like in the original series, Anneka will take on mystery challenges against the clock and pull in favours from big brands, well-known faces and local heroes.

She will whizz around in her lorry and buggy, with sidekick Dave the Soundman lending a hand.

As well as hosting Challenge Anneka, Rice was a huge star in the 1980s and 90s, fronting Treasure Hunt, Wish You Were Here? and the BBC’s Holiday show.

Since then, she has taken part in Celebrity Come Dine With Me, Hell’s Kitchen, House of Games, Celebrity Hunted and the 2019 series of Strictly.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she says of the Challenge Anneka reboot.

“The last few years have shown us all the power of community and how it’s good to be part of something bigger than ourselves.

“Dave the Soundman and I may have 130 years between us, but the whole team is as motivated as ever to make a difference and shine a spotlight on people and organisations who need help.”

Anneka’s first challenge is inspired by two extraordinary women: Lisa and Denise.

For 60 years, Foal Farm in Kent has rescued and rehomed thousands of abandoned dogs.

The farm has reached capacity and they now have to face the heartache of turning homeless dogs away.

Anneka’s challenge is to build a brand new mega-block of kennels, a grooming parlour and a doggie play area all in time for Foal Farm’s 60th anniversary.

And, there will also be a giant dog show as part of the celebrations.

Anneka soon learns about the power of Foal Farm when she meets Pippa the Shih Tzu, and she then comes up with an idea to update their website, but it means putting on a chaotic dog-driven photo shoot.

Meanwhile, to get the dog show started, Anneka hijacks a local radio station, while back at the farm, a huge cast of builders, tradespeople and helpers face an uphill struggle to keep the build on track.

Anneka meets more Foal Farm success stories where the team have helped mistreated dogs with physio, and this inspires the Challenge team to find and blag a big game-changing gift for the newly made-over location – a brand-new full-size hydrotherapy pool.

Then, with the Farm due to throw open the gates to hundreds of dogs and their owners, it’s touch and go whether the team will make it. Will a massive late-night push be enough?

The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer (Sunday 19/03/23 Channel 4, 7.45pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

While some shows we could mention feel like they have to really stretch the definition of celebrity to fill out their line-ups, The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer doesn’t seem to have any trouble attracting big names.

Maybe it’s because it’s for a good cause, or maybe it’s because everyone wants to set foot in that famous tent, but we’ve had some very starry bakers over the years, and this latest run is no exception.

Over the next few weeks, the famous faces putting on their aprons and trying to prove they know their way around a mixing bowl will include The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades, comedians and Taskmaster scene-stealers Judi Love and Mike Wozniak, and Dragon’s Den regular Deborah Meaden.

We’ll also see reality star Gemma Collins, comedians Tim Key and Lucy Beaumont, TV presenters AJ Odudu, and Paddy McGuinness, TV personality Coleen Nolan, actors Joe Thomas, Jessica Hynes and David Morrissey, radio presenter Adele Roberts and Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley.

We begin though with comedians Rose Matafeo and Tom Davis, as well as former Little Mix member (and now solo star) Jesy Nelson, but arguably the biggest signing is actor David Schwimmer, better known as Ross from Friends.

It’s an impressive line-up, but there is one big name who’s conspicuous by their absence – host Noel Fielding, who was ill during filming.

So, Matt Lucas is flying solo, although viewers shouldn’t get too used to him being in the tent, as he’s announced that’s stepping down as the show’s co-host.

The Little Britain star took to Instagram to say: “It’s been a delicious experience and I can’t imagine a more fun way of spending my summers.But it’s become clear to me that I can’t present both Fantasy Football League and Bake Off alongside all my other projects.

“So, after three series and 51 episodes, I am cheerfully passing the baguette on to someone else.”

He added: “I would like to give my warmest thanks and gratitude to everyone at Love Productions and Channel 4 and to Noelipops, Paul, Dame Prue, the crew and, of course, the wonderful bakers for welcoming me into the tent. I wish whoever takes over all the very best and I can’t wait to tune into the next series without already knowing who won!”

Before he goes though, he’ll be overseeing the celebrities’ attempts to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood and be named Star Baker.

First up, David, Jesy, Rose and Tom will have to make savoury pies for their signature challenge, making sure they avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. For the technical, they will be faced with a fiddly French confection, before they tackle the showstopper, which involves creating their most embarrassing celebrity fail in meringue. Let’s hope that this episode doesn’t end up being number two on their list…

And of course, there will also be some moving reminders of why they all signed up in the first place – to raise cash and awareness for Stand Up to Cancer.

Imagine: Stephen Frears – Director for Hire (Monday 20/03/23, BBC1, 10.40pm)

Words by Rob Lavender

Leicester-born director Stephen Frears is a remarkable filmmaker.

He earned widespread acclaim during the 1980s with his films including My Beautiful Laundrette, Prick Up Your Ears, and Dangerous Liaisons; received two Academy Award nominations for directing The Grifters and The Queen; and more recently directed the BBC’s excellent Jeremy Thorpe biography miniseries A Very English Scandal, for which he earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Frears is known for his works exploring class and social structures, all of them keenly observed and incisive. His style is unique, and evident in everything from period costume drama Dangerous Liaisons to contemporary romcom Tamara Drewe; from the British thriller Dirty Pretty Things to the American horror Mary Reilly.

Indeed, as a filmmaker Frears seems unpreoccupied by such things as genres – rather, he has tendencies, techniques, themes and subjects.

For example, the Frears oeuvre includes many works based on real people, from documentaries (The Program, about disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong), to the TV drama The Deal, which starred Michael Sheen as Tony Blair.

Yet as an individual, despite his great success, Frears seems to fly somewhat under the radar. He lives by the great director Billy Wilder’s maxim: “the best director is one you don’t see”.

Here, though, he invites Alan Yentob – and by extension, us – to join him in Vienna on the set of his forthcoming drama The Palace.

The city has a rich cinematic heritage, as the place where The Third Man was filmed, and the pair follow in the footsteps of Orson Welles’ character Harry Lime on the famous Ferris wheel, and down into the sewers…

We also hear from some of the people who have worked with Frears over the many years he has been making movies – a list which reads like a who’s who of Hollywood royalty.

Among them are Dames Judi Dench and Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Hugh Grant, John Malkovich, Jack Black and Steve Coogan.

His upcoming project, the aforementioned The Palace, will only serve to add to that list of names of professional admirers: as well as previous collaborator Hugh Grant, the HBO mini-series stars Kate Winslet, Andrea Riseborough and Matthias Schoenaerts.

The release of the series is eagerly anticipated, and this profile and rare extended interview from the show’s setting will only serve to heighten the excitement.

We learn Frear’s next cinematic release will be, fittingly, a film about none other than fellow director Wilder – with whom, as mentioned, he shares some similarities. It will chart the Hollywood legend as he struggled to complete his penultimate film, Fedora.

There are also contributions from the screenwriter Hanif Kureishi, who wrote the screenplays for Frears’ My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay for the former); the Oscar-winning Dangerous Liaisons writer Christopher Hampton, and the consistently engaging film critic Ellen E Jones.

Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily (Tuesday 21/03/23, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

We’re still months away from the next series of Strictly Come Dancing, and Dancing on Ice recently ended, meaning fans don’t even have that to fill the gap.

Luckily though, the BBC has found a way to break up the long, Strictly-free season by reuniting two of the show’s best loved-stars for the travel series Anton & Giovanni’s Adventures in Sicily.

If you’re not a regular viewer of the BBC’s hit pro-celebrity ballroom dancing contest, Anton Du Beke has been with the show since it began back in 2004. Although he never lifted the famed glitterball trophy with any of his partners, he quickly became one of the best-loved professional dancers.

Then in 2021, he was promoted to being a judge when Bruno Tonioli had to step back due to ongoing uncertainty around travel, and has since taken on the role on a permanent basis.

Meanwhile, Sicilian-born Giovanni Pernice joined Strictly in 2015, making him something of a new kid compared to Anton. But in eight series, he’s managed to make four finals, and won in 2021 with EastEnder Rose Ayling-Ellis, sealing his place as one of the show’s most popular pros.

Now, though Sicilian-born Giovanni is leaving the ballroom and going back to his roots – and he’s taking Anton with him.

Understandably, the Italian dancer is excited to be heading home. He says: “To say this has been a dream project is an understatement! Taking Anton to my much-loved home of Sicily was simply Bellissima! We danced, we laughed, and had the time of our lives – with great culture, food and company. I cannot wait for viewers in the UK to come on this journey with us.”

Anton shares his enthusiasm, adding: “When I first heard about this trip it was pretty irresistible. What’s not to love? It’s all my favourite things, great food, great country and spending time in the sunshine with Giovanni. Marvellous!”

In the opening episode, their adventure begins in the port town of port town of Sciacca – and they make a suitably dramatic arrival by speedboat.

Giovanni is keen to hit the road, but Anton thinks they should grab some refreshments first. It’s an opportunity for Anton to try out his Italian and give a local barista a masterclass in how to make what he considers to be the perfect cup of coffee, much to his travel companion’s embarrassment.

Then there’s the little matter of who’s going to be driving their hire car. They think that the fairest way to decide is with a race – whoever gets to the motor first in an Ape taxi, similar in appearance to a tuk-tuk, gets to be the first behind the wheel.

From there, it’s on to one of Sicily’s greatest treasures and one of the most visited tourist attractions on the whole island, The Valley of the Temples. Originally built as part of a huge Greek city, it’s considered to be one of the world’s finest examples of classical architecture, and Giovanni has a bright idea about how they can navigate the huge site in a hurry.

They need to get a move on, as the dancers have plenty more places to visit in this first episode – including a tango festival….

Race Across the World (Wednesday 22/03/23, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rob Lavender

We’re all a little more conscious of the environment these days, and ideally we’d like an alternative to the high carbon emissions of flying to far-flung destinations.

We’re not sure that this particular method is a viable solution for many, however…

That’s right, it’s the return of the popular show in which teams of ‘normal’ (ie, non-celeb – an increasingly rare cohort on reality TV) people forego smartphones, internet access and credit or debit cards as they try to make a mammoth journey using their ingenuity alone.

Well, ingenuity and the cash equivalent of the journey’s air fare – not that they can use it for that; their trip must be taken at ground level.

Previously we’ve seen how competitors have had to use every last reserve of their skill, stamina and resolve as they raced through some of the world’s most remote regions – and how, more often than not, it was the Blanche Dubois maxim of relying upon on the kindness of strangers that made all the difference as they battled elements and terrain in order to reach the finish line.

Both of those factors – the weather and the landscape – will certainly play a big part this time around, as our five pairs race one another over 16,000km across the second largest country in the world, and one with an incredibly varied climate, as well as challenging flora and fauna: Canada.

They begin in Vancouver, located on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and point themselves east.

There are seven checkpoints along the way that they must hit, but between those destinations their route – and the means by which they take it – is entirely up to them.

Their budgets will be tested, too, with questions of whether that all-important air fare will be used for food and rest, transport costs, comfort or essentials.

Expect to see a lot of haggling as they beg, borrow or steal – well, hopefully not the latter – what they need to make their way east.

The first episode finds them navigating their way north to Tlell, on the island of Haida Gwaii – which for 200 years was known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, but is now back in the hands of the indigenous Haida people.

Their journey will take them through the edges of the Arctic Circle to the shores of the Great Lakes; through terrain that is home to bears and where temperatures regularly plummet. However, it is also some of the most beautiful and spectacular – if unforgiving of mistakes – on the planet.

It is a trip of a lifetime, for sure. Bonds will be formed with strangers across cultural divides, while existing relationships will be tested as never before.

Those who succeed will ultimately end up at St John’s, Newfoundland, the easternmost town in North America – and will have endless stories to tell for generations.

The Apprentice (Thursday 23/03/23, BBC One, 9pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Animated characters shown clapping despite having any hands (or feet), candidates limiting the amount of water guests were being served in the desert, and Shrek-green slime exfoliator that stains your skin.

It’s been a vintage year for comedy on The Apprentice.

This series, the 17th for anyone who’s keeping count, kicked off in the New Year, with 18 overly keen candidates vying for £250,000 of Lord Sugar’s dosh.

They began selling and running bespoke tours on the Caribbean Island of Antigua.

However, senior account executive Emma Browne earned the dreaded Apprentice wooden spoon as she became the first person to leave the process.

Before the next task had even began, bridal boutique owner Shannon Martin dramatically quit the show, while Kevin D’Arcy was also booted out after failing to flog enough bao buns.

Gregory Ebbs and Denisha Kaur Bharj got their marching orders in weeks three and four after the cartoon and Brighton buying tasks, while Shazia Hussain followed after the electric motorbike challenge.

In week six, another candidate was forced to quit. Theatre school owner Reece Donnelly left due to ‘health reasons’, although rumour has it that he had one too many on the flight to Dubai.

Once in the UAE, safari guide Joseph Phillips failed to impress and was shown the door by Lord Sugar.

The lunchbox design challenge came the following week, with Sohail Chowdhary deemed the odd one out, and he was followed by pest control company owner Mark Moseley, who failed to impress during the immersive events in Shropshire.

Arguably the most embarrassing gaffe of the entire series arrived in week nine when the candidates designed a new men’s skincare product.

It’s safe to say that Team Affinity’s Anti-Venom won’t be on the shelves anytime soon.

When project manager Bradley Johnson asked Avi Sharma and Rochelle Anthony to create a green solution, the pair went overboard in the lab and the product turned the testers’ skin green.

Bradley was brutally sent packing before he’d even come back into the boardroom, while

Avi soon followed him in a double sacking.

The season’s 10th show saw the remaining candidates creating and branding a new pet food before pitching it to major retailers.

Of course, they made a real dog’s dinner out of it and another candidate was sent for walkies.

Then, in last week’s interviews, a few familiar faces returned, as the final five entrepreneurs were interrogated by Lord Sugar’s trusted advisers, who uncovered fictitious figures, crazy concepts and absurd ambitions.

And now, to win the tycoon’s £250,000 investment, each finalist is launching their business.

They have three days to create a brand for their company, produce a digital billboard, direct and edit a TV advert and design a metaverse, before pitching to Lord Sugar and industry experts at a black-tie event.

As is usually the case, a few of this year’s fired candidates are also back to help them out.

Bearing in mind some of their gaffes over the past 11 weeks, the two finalists may be wise to take their advice with a sackful of salt.

The Cleaner (Friday 24/03/23, BBC1, 9.30pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

A cleaner who specialises in clearing up gory crime scenes – it sounds like a great premise for a downbeat Scandi-style noir.

So, if you didn’t see the first series or last year’s Christmas special, it may come as a surprise to learn that The Cleaner is actually a comedy. In fact, star and writer Greg Davies wasn’t even the first person to see the potential for laughs – it’s based on a German series called Der Tatortreiniger.

Greg laid out the concept before the first run, saying: “The Cleaner is a comedy about a man who has made it his job to mop up the horrible aftermath of crimes and accidents. To Wicky, a bloodbath is just an obstacle between him and his next pint. Each week he attends a different ‘crime scene’ and meets a new character associated with whatever had happened.

“Each episode is totally different the only constant being a man with an everyman curiosity and a determination to leave things spotless. It’s also very silly at times and I hope funny.”

He added: “I think it’s a unique show in that the cleaner is the only constant character. The bizarre life events that have led to him being called unfold differently every week, and he finds himself in strange situations talking to people he has no frame of reference for.”

The stand-alone nature of the episodes lends itself to plenty of guest appearances, and the first series featured roles for Helena Bonham Carter, David Mitchell and Stephanie Cole among others.

Season two boasts an equally impressive roster, including Zoë Wanamaker, Asim Chaudhry, Simon Callow and, perhaps most intriguingly, Shakin’ Stevens.

Some people may think it’s the quality of the scripts or the chance to work with the Taskmaster himself that inspired them all to sign up, but Greg offers a different explanation, saying: “The cast for this series are brilliant and that there are so many distinguished actors amongst them leads me to believe that the BBC have secrets that they are using as leverage. Me, the writing and production teams are very grateful for this support.”

In the first episode, he’s joined by Harriet Walter, who is one of Britain’s most acclaimed actors and has the Damehood to prove it.

She’s playing a landlady named Lisa, which should mean that Wicky has just landed his dream job – cleaning up a pub after a lethal brawl. Unfortunately, he’s promised his new girlfriend that he’ll stay off the booze, so he’s going to have to try to resist temptation.

If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, he also must also deal with hard-bitten Lisa and the muscle-bound barman Cuddle (Charlie Rawes). As Wicky gets on with working his magic, he discovers that he’s also stumbled into a web of romantic and criminal intrigue. It’s a reminder that his job is often about so much more than mopping up blood and the occasional severed ear.