Here’s our TV tonight picks for Thursday, July 31 (for more information about what’s on TV, see our TV Guide)…
The Gone, BBC2, 9 pm (box set iPlayer)
Picking up from series one (available on BBC iPlayer) this new six-parter doesn’t pause for breath as Irish detective Theo Richter (Richard Flood) returns to Mount Affinity for a new missing person’s case.
The search for journalist Aileen propels him and his Kiwi counterpart DS Diana Huia (Shortland Street’s Acushla-Tara Kupe) into a tense hunt for serial killer the Goatman. Gripping, gritty and with edge-of-your-seat twists, this brooding crime drama is populated with poignant characters and a superb supporting cast. Continues tomorrow.
Dragons’ Den, BBC1, 8 pm
Another batch of intrepid entrepreneurs steps into the arena armed with nothing but the shield of their unique selling point and the lance of their Q1 turnover. But who will be the first to choke as the Dragons use their fiery interrogation skills to reduce an unreliable growth forecast to ashes? Fairy-tale endings are rare, but the pitches keep coming, with tonight’s hopefuls including a virtual gifting app and T-shirts for neurodivergent people.
But will Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett bite? As usual, host Evan Davis is on hand to congratulate or commiserate.
Leanne, Netflix
When her husband of 33 years leaves her for another woman, Leanne is determined not to be undone by this unexpected turn of events. With the help of her loving but unfiltered family, the resilient matriarch vows to meet with grace and dignity the multiple challenges of menopause, grandchildren and going on a date ‘for the first time since George Michael left Wham!’. Leanne Morgan stars in this feel-good US comedy.
Saving Lives at Sea, BBC2, 8 pm
The clue, as they say, is in the name as the invaluable work of the RNLI comes back into the spotlight in the latest run of this dramatic docuseries. Using footage from the crews’ own cameras, viewers are transported into the heart of the action as the volunteers who sacrifice their free time to staff more than 200 lifeboat stations around the UK spring into action to extract both professionals and pleasure seekers from potentially disastrous situations at sea.
Tonight’s callouts include the Dover crew facing a desperate situation as they go to the aid of a capsized small boat crossing in the Channel, and a child being blown out to sea in a rubber dinghy off the coast of Anglesey.