Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Mistresses Ep 1/4

Thursday 5 August

Day and time to be confirmed Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE

Joanna Lumley joins Sarah Parish, Orla Brady, Sharon Small and Shelley Conn in Mistresses

Sarah Parish, Sharon Small, Orla Brady and Shelley Conn return for a new series of the popular drama that follows four friends supporting each other through the complexities of life.

Two years have passed and the once impenetrable bond between best friends Katie, Trudi, Jessica and Siobhan has been broken. As the girls gather together, it's clear things have changed dramatically – there's tension in the room and no happy greetings.

Six months earlier and Katie has returned from Australia after her relationship with Dan failed spectacularly. She hasn't really got her life back on track and she's lonely, although pretending she's fine. When her widowed mum, Vivienne, turns up on her doorstep after travelling abroad she's less than thrilled – the pair clearly have a frosty relationship and Vivienne's interfering doesn't make things easy.

Vivienne, meanwhile, sees Katie embarking on yet another potentially explosive and destructive relationship, but Katie refuses to listen to her mother.

Trudi's cake-making business has grown and it's taken over her life. Richard is now a stay-at-home dad and, with three teenage girls to keep in line, it's a tough job. Their relationship is struggling under Trudi's increasing workload so an offer from investor Chris Webb to buy the business is more than welcomed by Richard. However, Trudi won't even consider giving it up, causing Richard to confide in someone who could destroy everything.

Jessica, meanwhile, is desperate to have a baby. Having suffered a miscarriage 18 months ago she has had no luck since and it's made her realise what she really wants from life – a family. But, with Mark still recovering from bankruptcy, IVF looks an unlikely option – until he seeks a loan from a secret source close to Jessica.

Siobhan, on the other hand, is a happily single mum enjoying the quiet life with her daughter, Elsa. But when Elsa's father, Dominic, comes to visit from America, it's not just his daughter who's thrilled to see him. Siobhan comes across an engagement ring and is stunned at the thought that Dominic might propose. However, there's a huge shock in store that will change her plans entirely.

Katie is played by Sarah Parish, Trudi by Sharon Small, Jessica by Shelley Conn, Siobhan by Orla Brady, Vivienne by Joanna Lumley, Richard by Patrick Baladi, Chris Webb by Vincent Regan and Mark by Oliver Milburn.

PPR

Roger And Val Have Just Got In – The Guarantee Ep 1/6

Friday 6 August

Day and time to be confirmed Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ TWO and Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD

• Feature (Interview with Dawn French and Alfred Molina)

Alfred Molina and Dawn French star in a new bittersweet comedy for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two

Dawn French and Alfred Molina, two of the nation's best loved actors, star in this new six-part series focusing on the everyday, seemingly trivial trials and tribulations faced by a middle-aged married couple. The bittersweet comedy looks at how they get on in the first half an hour after walking through their front door.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ for the Stevensons, on the surface at least, is a sanctuary of warmth, security ... and what can best be described as organised chaos. Dedicated botanist Roger is a highly principled man with a strong set of values, and an even stronger hatred of injustice. His enduring love for his wife is matched only by his passion for the seeds and saplings he nurtures in his work at the Winter Gardens. Meanwhile, Val, a food technology teacher at the local comprehensive, sees bringing her work home as a perk of the job. Together they settle in for the evening without ever exerting too much physical energy, devoting their lives to the ups and downs of everyday existence – which for them includes more than a few whimsical, and often erratic, flights of fantasy.

So, with the help of copious amounts of tea, the couple concentrate on the issues of the day – whether that's re-hanging the curtains or, as in this first episode, facing the "big drawer" in their quest for the elusive vacuum cleaner guarantee.

But, despite all their solidarity, is their happy marriage and united front against the rest of the outside world quite as solid as it seems?

Developed from an original idea by Dawn French, the series is written by Emma and Beth Kilcoyne (Dogtown).

Roger And Val Have Just Got In is simulcast on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ HD channel – the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's High Definition channel, available through Freesat 108, Freeview 50, Sky 143 and Virgin 108.

PA/JD