Memorable TV

Monty Don, 71, has announced he will leave BBC Gardeners’ World at the end of the current series, ending a run that began in 2003 and has covered roughly 700 episodes. Don replaced Alan Titchmarsh as lead presenter, at Titchmarsh’s own suggestion, and with the exception of a period between 2008 and 2011 following a stroke, has been the show’s dominant presence ever since.

Comedy Central has announced that Drunk History is returning with three new short-form episodes, the series’ first original content since it was cancelled in 2019. The episodes will launch on Comedy Central’s YouTube channel beginning 15 September, with Derek Waters back as host and co-creator alongside Jeremy Konner.

Sir Tom Jones has publicly accused ITV of forcing him off The Voice UK after fourteen years on the show, posting a statement on Instagram on Tuesday that contradicted the broadcaster’s earlier briefing that the panel was simply being refreshed. Jones, 86, wrote that ITV made the decision “obviously a while ago” and told him only recently, citing “a financial difficulty with insurance” as the reason given, not a creative one.

Sky has confirmed that The Wargame launches on 21 September, running nightly across four episodes before a live studio special on 24 September. Produced by The Garden, part of ITV Studios, the series places a cross-party group of senior politicians, military figures and intelligence chiefs inside a sealed COBR-style crisis room and runs them through a simulated Russian attack on UK soil.

EastEnders has confirmed that Ash Panesar will return to Albert Square this autumn in a recast, with Sakira Vel taking on the role. Gurlaine Kaur Garcha, who played Ash from 2019 until her exit in March 2023, will not be returning. For Vel, it is her first television role. Ash left Walford three years ago for a job in Canada, and has had little contact with her family since.

BBC has confirmed a second series of Small Prophets, Mackenzie Crook‘s comedy about a Manchester man who attempts to grow tiny prophetic creatures in his shed. The renewal comes as the first series reaches 9.2 million viewers in total and Apple TV takes worldwide streaming rights outside the UK, with the show launching internationally on 7 October.

Saturday Night Live UK has confirmed its hosts and musical guests for the next two episodes of series two on Sky. Jamie Demetriou hosts on 19 September with Royal Blood as musical guest, followed by Amelia Dimoldenberg on 26 September with Rachel Chinouriri. Demetriou created and starred in Stath Lets Flats, the Channel 4 sitcom that won him four BAFTAs, and has since written and performed the Netflix special A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou.

Twelve new bakers have been confirmed for The Great British Bake Off series 17, which premieres on Channel 4 on 22 September alongside first-time judge Nigella Lawson.

Production has begun in the UK on The Inbetweeners 3, confirming Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas will return as the four leads for the first time since the 2014 sequel. Netflix is producing the feature film, marking a significant shift for a franchise that was born on E4 and made its name as a genuinely popular TV comedy rather than a prestige project.

ITV has ordered a twelve-part television series based on the YouTube channel Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh, bringing a digital-first format to linear broadcast for the first time. The show, retitled My Year In A Cottage Garden With Alan Titchmarsh, will follow the presenter over twelve months as he works on a long-established cottage garden, combining existing YouTube footage with original material. It is due to air in 2027.