Elliot and Helen are together travelling the world until they land in trouble in Ireland. Plus, a scathing drama about the Post Office scandal. Here’s what to watch this evening
The Tourist
9pm, BBC One
Jamie Dornan is back as amnesiac Elliot in this wildly fun thriller. Picking up 14 months after the first season, Elliot and Helen (Danielle Macdonald) are an item now and travelling the world. But their next stop lands them back in trouble: Ireland. When Elliot is kidnapped, it’s up to Helen and hapless garda Ruairi (Conor MacNeill) to find him. With a mighty beard, more 80s bangers and Dornan doing ballet, it continues to be a hoot. Hollie Richardson
The Great New Year Bake Off
7.40pm, Channel 4
A sweet treat for the first evening of 2024 as a few familiar faces from Bake Offs past return for a special edition. Maxy (2022), JΓΌrgen and Maggie (both 2021) and Mark (2020) will be donning their aprons. We’ll also get to judge JΓΌrgen’s trombone skills as he performs with the chamber ensemble Bone-Afide. Phil Harrison
Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster
8pm, BBC One
David Attenborough’s interest in nature was triggered by his childhood hobby of fossil collecting. Now, he is investigating an amazing discovery – a massive skull found in the cliffs of Dorset’s Jurassic coast. Here, he joins a team of palaeontologists who are trying to uncover the mysteries surrounding this fantastic beast. PH
Mr Bates Vs the Post Office
9pm, ITV1
Toby Jones and Julie Hesmondhalgh in Mr Bates vs the Post Office
Legal mountains to climb … Toby Jones and Julie Hesmondhalgh as Alan and Suzanne Bates. Photograph: ITV
The most enraging scandal in recent British legal history (the Post Office bullied employees to financial ruin, prison and even suicide because of a faulty computer system – and then tried to cover it up) gets the drama treatment. It’s enthralling, sad and eventually stirring, with Toby Jones superb as Alan Bates, who rallied an army of outraged post office operators. PH
The Big Snow of ’47
9pm, Channel 5
The snowiest winter ever recorded in the UK led to the country shutting down in 1947. What was it like living through such an extreme event, with temperatures hitting -21C? John Craven, Amanda Barrie and Neil Kinnock are among those casting their minds back. Graeme Virtue
Mrs Brown’s Boys New Year Special
10pm, BBC One
The new year sparks a desire for new beginnings: Agnes (Brendan O’Carroll) wants solar panels, and everyone’s losing weight at the pub’s Blubber Club. Meanwhile, a face from the past prompts an agonisingly basic, semi-serious subplot about the Finglas ladies’ romantic pasts. Jack Seale
Film choices
Family Business , 11.15am, BBC One
If you have young kids, especially ones who wolf down whole episodes of the Netflix cartoon series as if it’s going out of style, this is a no-brainer. Like the previous Boss Baby film, the plot doesn’t stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever, but it’s fun and it’s fast and it’s visually inventive, and Alec Baldwin gets to go full Jack Donaghy in the lead. Stuart Heritage
Paw Patrol: The Movie, 12.55pm, Channel 4
Those parents who have been forced to endure several years of the Paw Patrol animated series will find your expectations rightly in the gutter for this big-screen adaptation. But brace yourself to be pleasantly surprised; this is Paw Patrol at its most spectacular, dramatic and (thankfully) self-aware. High praise, I know – though there is already a sequel out. SH
Singin’ in the Rain, 2.10pm, Channel 5
Singin’ in the Rain on Channel 5.
Singin’ in the Rain on Channel 5. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library Limited./Alamy
Gene Kelly swinging on a lamppost. Cyd Charisse’s endless gravity-defying scarf. Donald O’Connor destroying his body in the name of entertainment. The way that Good Morning grows and grows into an all-out extravaganza. The perfect movie? Maybe. The only thing you should be doing at this point on New Year’s Day? Without a doubt. SH
The Witches, 5.55pm, BBC One
It takes guts to follow in Anjelica Huston’s footsteps, especially when her peerless performance as the Grand High Witch has been responsible for traumatising an entire generation of children. But that’s what Anne Hathaway chose to do with this 2020 Robert Zemeckis remake of the Roald Dahl novel. Not quite as chilling as the original, but maybe that’s no bad thing. SH
Arthur’s Whisky, 8pm, Sky Cinema Premiere
Patricia Hodge plays a widow who learns that her late husband invented a potion that makes the drinker appear much younger than they actually are. With the help of her friends, played by Diane Keaton and Lulu, she sets out to carve out a second chance in a world that has left her behind. This is a real film that actually exists. SH
Live sport
Horse racing 12.30pm, ITV1. Action from Cheltenham and Musselburgh.
Premier League football Liverpool v Newcastle, 7.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event. From Anfield.
Well, 2023 didn’t exactly go to plan, did it?
Here in the UK, the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had promised us a government of stability and competence – not forgetting professionalism, integrity and accountability – after the rollercoaster ride of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Remember Liz? These days she seems like a long forgotten comedy act. Instead, Sunak took us even further through the looking-glass into the Conservative psychodrama.
Elsewhere, the picture has been no better. In the US, Donald Trump is now many people’s favourite to become president again. In Ukraine, the war has dragged on with no end in sight. The danger of the rest of the world getting battle fatigue and losing interest all too apparent. Then there is the war in the Middle East and not forgetting the climate crisis …
But a new year brings new hope. There are elections in many countries, including the UK and the US. We have to believe in change. That something better is possible. The Guardian will continue to cover events from all over the world and our reporting now feels especially important. But running a news gathering organisation doesn’t come cheap.
So this year, I am asking you – if you can afford it – to give money. Well, not to me personally – though you can if you like – but to the Guardian. By supporting the Guardian from just $2 per month, we will be able to continue our mission to pursue the truth in all corners of the world.
With your help, we can make our journalism free to everyone. You won’t ever find any of our news reports or comment pieces tucked away behind a paywall. We couldn’t do this without you. Unlike our politicians, when we say we are in this together we mean it.
Happy new year!