Mediaboss Marketing

Pick of the day: Once Upon A Time In Iraq

9pm, BBC Two

The 2003 invasion of Iraq is given a fresh perspective in a series from James Bluemel, the director of the acclaimed Exodus: Our Journey, which put camera phones in the hands of refugees fleeing to Europe. His compelling new documentary is a mosaic of individual witnesses to the US-British conquest and its Isis-infested aftermath, but instead of the usual gamut of politicians and generals, these are normal Iraqis ranging from comedians, formerly West-obsessed teens, a farmers wife from Saddam Husseins home town, Tikrit, and a Saddam loyalist. We also hear from Americans, including a chilling ex-Marine who seems to have modelled himself on Rambo.

8.30pm, BBC Two

Who will be the new Ian Wang or Brandon Blackwell as the student quiz returns for its 27th series since its revival in 1995, with the opening match of the first round seeing the University of Glasgow take on the University of Exeter? Jeremy Paxman has their starters for 10.

9pm, BBC One

Laura Carmichaels performance as the troubled Agnes is the biggest pull in this entertaining if slightly predictable Australian stolen-baby drama her plan moving into overdrive as Meghan prepares to give birth and the hapless Haydenis granted compassionate leave from the Navy.

9pm, ITV

Two contrasting stories this week, as the unfailingly moving series continues with its catch-up episodes. In the case of reunited half-siblings Geoffrey Tonks and Barbara Jacobs, the mutual discovery appears to have been a success, and staring for the first time at a photograph of him with the mother who felt compelled to give him up for adoption, Tonks says with moving simplicity: Sitting on your mothers lap it doesnt get better than this. More complicated is the case of Robert Lindsay from Ayrshire, attempting to build a relationship with his Croatian father.

9pm, Channel 4

Not the most original idea for a documentary series (see also BBC Ones Ambulance), but actually there is a highly topical angle here. It follows West Midlands Ambulance Service at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in April, from the perspective of the crews, control room staff and managers as they struggle to get more ambulances onto the front line managers having to deploy student paramedics, to deal with patients with breathing difficulties, in care homes, and with isolation-related mental health issues.

9pm, BBC Four

A look at how the composers return to the town of Heiligenstadt led to one of the most extraordinary outpourings of creativity in the history of music, from the earth-shattering Eroica through to Symphony No 7.

10.45pm, BBC One

The penultimate episode of Michaela Coels superb drama has surprises for all three of the friends as Arabella tries to contact another novelist at her publishing house, Kwame discovers the non-sexual joys of a relationship, and Terrygoes on a most surprising date.

Link:
On TV tonight, Once Upon A Time In Iraq offers fresh perspectives on the 2003 invasion - iNews