What to watch this week

There’s a bumper bundle of must-watch telly heading your way on Virgin TV this week, with Remembrance Sunday taking place on 14 November this year. Tune in for the Festival Of Remembrance and The Cenotaph Highlights to commemorate British service members who have died in wars and other military conflicts since the First World War.

Plus, Children In Need returns for 2021 and there are loads of brand new shows, including Miriam And Alan: Lost In Scotland, Inside The Tower Of London and Grand Designs: House Of The Year 2021.

In case you missed it, Netflix released a new teaser trailer for Stranger Things 4 called “Welcome to California” on 6 November (the date Will Byers disappeared in 1983). It’s now 1986, with the Byers family settling in to their new home in California. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is writing to Mike (Finn Wolfhard) in Hawkins and is excited to see him again, but things don’t exactly look like Eleven’s “best spring break ever”.

The fourth series will air in summer 2022, three years after series 3 was released. Series 1-3 are available now in Apps & Games > Netflix.

With so much great stuff on the box, we’ve compiled a list of the best things for you to watch. Bookmark this page for fresh listings every week.

Pick of the day: Grey’s Anatomy

9pm, Sky Witness/HD (CH 112/111)

The show, which is now in its 18th series, follows on from the events of the last, with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) battling COVID-19. Several cast members also returned for guest appearances, including Patrick Dempsey (swoon), and this time, we’re promised the return of Kate Walsh as Addison Montgomery, who last starred in series 8. 

What else to watch:

• Life At 50°C – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Life & Rhymes – 9pm, Sky Arts/HD (CH 165/140)
• Rhod Gilbert’s Growing Pains – 9pm, Comedy Central/HD (CH 132)
• Kojey Radical’s Decipher – 9.40pm, Sky Arts/HD (CH 165/140)
• Live At The Apollo – 10pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Pick of the day: Dan Cruickshank’s Monuments Of Remembrance

8pm, BBC Four HD (CH 107)

Tune in on Remembrance Day as Dan Cruickshank reveals the extraordinary stories behind First World War cemeteries and memorials, including those in Somme and Gallipoli. He also explores the idea behind the creation of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

What else to watch:

• The Hairy Bikers Go North – 7pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Mary Berry – Love To Cook – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Inside The Tower of London – 8pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 154/105)
• Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Surgeons: At The Edge Of Life – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Pick of the day: COBRA: Cyberwar

9pm, Sky Max/HD (CH 122/121)

The title stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, which is a real thing, where a team of experts, contingency planners and senior politicians meet in the event of a national or regional crisis, or when events abroad have major implications for the UK. In the second series of the political drama, Conservative Prime Minister Robert Sutherland (Robert Carlyle, Trainspotting) is up against cyberattacks.

What else to watch:

• The Hidden Wilds Of The Motorway – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• The Graham Norton Show – 10.35pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Inside The Care Crisis With Ed Balls – 11.05pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Pick of the day: Royal British Legion Festival Of Remembrance 2021

9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)

Huw Edwards presents as members of the Royal Family attend The Royal British Legion’s annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Artists perform alongside The Band of HM Royal Marines, The Central Band of The Royal Air Force and the Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir. Tomos Roberts will also read his specially commissioned poem to commemorate 100 years of the poppy.

What else to watch:

• Moneyball – 6.30pm, ITV HD (CH 103/113)
• ABBA At The BBC – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• The Madame Blanc Mysteries – 8pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 154/105)
• The Chase Celebrity Special – 8.30pm, ITV HD (CH 103/113)
• Robbie Savage: Making Macclesfield FC – 11pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)

Pick of the day: Remembrance Sunday: The Cenotaph Highlights

6.50pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)

Watch footage from the morning’s service from Westminster, as members of the Royal Family, the government, the Commonwealth and the armed forces gathered with veterans marching past. David Dimbleby presents and Sophie Raworth hears some incredible stories from the individuals taking part.

What else to watch:

• Shark With Steve Backshall – 8pm, Sky Nature/HD (CH 279/280)
• Showtrial – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Angela Black – 9pm, ITV HD (CH 103/113)
• Dr Alex: Our Young Mental Health Crisis – 10.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Batwoman – 11.05pm, E4/HD (CH 106/145)

Pick of the day: The Social Media Murders

9pm, ITV2/HD (CH 115/176)

This documentary explores the role social media plays in the deaths of young people, including British backpacker Grace Millane, who went missing on a Tinder date in New Zealand in 2018. Listen to interviews with people who knew her or who were involved with the investigation, alongside police interview footage and CCTV clips.

What else to watch:

• The Outlaws – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Ancient Secrets Of Althorp With Charles Spencer – 9pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)
• Diana: Queen Of Style – 10pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – 10.35pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• The Apprentice – 11.35pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)

Pick of the day: Miriam And Alan: Lost In Scotland

9.15pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)

Miriam Margolyes and Alan Cumming return to their Scottish roots in this riotous road trip that is as fun as it is informative. Across three episodes, the pair celebrate their homeland. They begin in their once mutual home of Glasgow, where they pay a visit to the street where Miriam’s Jewish family settled.

What else to watch:

• The Voice USA – 5pm, ITV2/HD (CH 115/176)
• The Great British Bake Off – 8pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)
• The People Vs Climate Change – 8pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Special – 9pm, ITV HD (CH 103/113)
• I Like The Way U Move – 10.35pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)

Pick of the day: Grand Designs: House Of The Year 2021

8pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)

Grand Designs, a show that has been turning dream houses into very real houses for more than 20 years, returns with its annual House of the Year awards. Get ready for some serious house envy and a whole lot of inspiration as the best new houses in the UK are revealed.

What else to watch:

• MasterChef: The Professionals – 7.30pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Portrait Artist Of The Year 2021 – 8pm, Sky Arts/HD (CH 165/140)
• Life & Rhymes – 9pm, Sky Arts/HD (CH 165/140)
• Shetland – 9pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• The Love Trap – 10pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)

Pick of the day: Inside The Tower Of London

8pm, Channel 5 HD (CH 154/105)

Two baby ravens have joined the Tower’s resident colony. One of them is called Edgar after Edgar Allan Poe, but his sister needs a name. A public vote will decide on her new moniker, with Ravenmaster Chris eagerly awaiting the result. Tower Governor Brigadier Andrew Jackson and Chief Yeoman Warder Pete McGowran also feature as they are shown rehearsing a new ceremony celebrating the Tower re-opening after the pandemic.

What else to watch:

• Sort Your Life Out With Stacey Solomon – 8pm, BBC One HD (CH 101/108)
• Nadiya’s Fast Flavours – 8.30pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Surgeons: At The Edge Of Life – 9pm, BBC Two HD (CH 102)
• Complaints Welcome – 10pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)
• Unapologetic – 11.05pm, Channel 4/HD (CH 104/141)

Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor plays the-real life ceramic artist Clarice Cliff, an incredibly talented Art Deco designer. We meet her in the industrial British midlands in the 1920s as she hops from factory to factory, eventually impressing factory owner Colley Shorter (Matthew Goode, The Imitation Game). She makes waves with her “Bizarre” range of pottery and goes on to become a household name.

What else to watch:

Looking for more movies this week? We can help with that.

• Looking for something to watch on Sky Cinema? Our monthly round-up has the best on the service this month
• Looking for something on Netflix? Try our monthly guide to new releases here