Pick of the week: I am Evel Knievel (SVT1, Mon 21:45)
What did Evel Knievel have that made everyone idolise him? Is it true he was “too busy living it” to know he was an icon?
Brought to us by the same production team that made I am Steve McQueen, with David Ray returning as director, this doc reveals a new side to the most infamous daredevil of our time.
May 29 marked the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel’s jump at Wembley Stadium where he crashed-landed after trying to jump 13 buses in front of 90,000 people.
Using incredible footage of this and many other stunts he performed, like the famous leaps at Snake River Canyon and Caesars Palace, and exclusive interviews with members of his family, you’ll be taken beyond his endeavours and underneath his skin – so deep you’ll feel every one of his 433 bone fractures (still a Guinness record).
Also new
British documentarian Nick Broomfield proved in Kurt & Courtney he enjoys asking difficult questions and likes the sound of his voice, but fortunately he lets the facts speak for themselves in Tales of the Grim Sleeper (DR2, Tue 20:45), the study of an environment in which a serial killer murdered upwards of 100 black women over 25 years.
So how did the killer evade justice for so long? And how culpable are the LAPD? With his portrayal of a community that according to Indiewire.com becomes a “microcosm for the low income struggles of black America”, Broomfield ensures it isn’t swept under the carpet.
Elsewhere we’ve got Our Girl (SVT1, Mon 21:00), a British drama series about a female medic serving in Afghanistan with a solid performance from Lacey Turner (Stacey in Eastenders); This is it (DR3, Tue 22:30), the doc that many suspect was made well in advance of Michael Jackson’s death; S2 of Psycho prequel series Bates Motel (SVT1, Tue 22:00) starring dear little Freddie from Finding Neverland (his next project reimagines children’s bedroom prowler Peter Pan as a serial killer); and travel/cookery series Italy Unpacked (DRK, Wed 20:00), which is co-hosted by Andrew Graham-Dixon, a well-informed art historian who can’t half put it away. (BH)
Coming soon: Sense8
You know you can’t go wrong when Netflix and the Wachowskis (creators of The Matrix) get together to make a new sci-fi sensation.
Eight men and women living in different cities around the world unexpectedly begin to mentally share their senses. This brings them together to join forces against those who feel threatened and want to hunt them down.
With a score of 63 on Metacritic, prepare the popcorn for a TV marathon because you will not be able to leave your house after the first episode (luckily all 12 are already available!).
Sport of the week:
Still plenty of football around, from Euro 2016 qualifying to the start of the under-21s (DR3, Wed 18:00 – Denmark take on the Czech hosts in the opener) and the Women’s World Cup (SVT4). Elsewhere, we’ve got X-Fighters motorcross (DR3, Fri 20:30), more Diamond League athletics (SVT2, Sat 20:00) and Le Mans (TV2, Sat 14:00). (BH)
Film of the week:
An air of predictability grows over the first hour of psycho-slasher film Orphan, which is then ripped mercilessly away from under your feet. Likewise Welcome to the Rileys will keep you guessing throughout, although you should be able to predict the ending of safe romcom bet Friends with Benefits from the title. (BH)
