Reality TV provocation, a tense Industry finale and fresh questions about AI headline Monday night.
Monday evening television brings confrontation in various forms, from divisive reality experiments to high finance brinkmanship and uncomfortable truths about artificial intelligence.
Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing, 9pm, Channel 4
Channel 4 leans into provocation with a new reality format hosted by Jonathan Ross. The premise is simple and deliberately combustible. Complete opposites are paired up, physically handcuffed together and sent on a road trip across the UK. A £100,000 prize awaits the last pair standing.
The first mismatches are designed to test tolerance as much as teamwork, a body inclusive feminist paired with a self styled alpha gym enthusiast, a cleaner alongside a millionaire, and a working class historian confronted with a partner who displays deeply controversial art at home.
The format flirts with the language of social experiment, yet its appeal lies squarely in friction. Whether it reveals anything meaningful about division in modern Britain remains to be seen. It will, however, generate conversation.
Industry, 10.40pm, BBC One
The fourth season of Industry concludes with reputations and careers hanging in the balance. Henry begins to grasp the scale of malpractice at Tender, and Whitney circles with a final proposal.
Earlier comparisons to glossy London dramas now feel outdated. The series has sharpened into something colder and more ruthless. Power, loyalty and self preservation sit at the centre. Expect fallout.
AI Confidential with Hannah Fry, 9pm, BBC Two
Professor Hannah Fry revisits one of the most sobering moments in recent AI history, the 2018 incident in which a self driving Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. In her first television interview, the safety driver involved speaks about the event.
Fry broadens the discussion beyond that tragedy, examining systemic weaknesses in AI systems and the corporate pressures that shape their deployment. The tone is measured rather than alarmist, focusing on accountability and the limits of automation.
Silent Witness, 9pm, BBC One
The current season closes with questions surrounding the apparent suicide of a young activist. Dr Nikki Alexander encounters obstruction that suggests a more complicated narrative. The long running forensic drama continues to explore the tension between evidence and institutional resistance.
DTF St Louis, 9pm, Sky Atlantic
A black comedy drama centred on a married man discovering a hook up app marketed to those seeking no strings encounters. The fallout within his marriage drives the tension, with Linda Cardellini and David Harbour anchoring the domestic strain.
Small Prophets, 10pm, BBC Two
Mackenzie Crook’s offbeat series edges further into its peculiar mythology, as Michael attempts to nurture his jars of homunculi. Beneath the oddity sits a thread of grief and longing that gives the comedy weight.
Film of the night
Enduring Love, 1.30am on Film4, adapts Ian McEwan’s novel into a psychological drama. A tragic balloon accident becomes the catalyst for obsession, as a stranger fixates on Daniel Craig’s academic protagonist. The film balances intellectual debate with creeping menace.
Watching UK TV from abroad
Access to BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 and subscription sports services remains geographically restricted. If you are travelling outside the UK, you may find that programmes you normally watch are unavailable due to licensing agreements.
A UK based VPN allows you to connect through domestic servers and access the services you already subscribe to, provided you are complying with the platform’s terms. Performance, stability and data handling standards vary widely between providers, so it is worth choosing carefully.
LibertyShield operates UK servers with a focus on privacy and connection reliability. For readers who want to test performance before committing, a 48 hour free trial is available. It provides a practical way to check compatibility across devices and networks without a long term commitment.
As ever, the key is to use reputable tools and understand how they work before relying on them.