TV highlights (21-27 April)

Steps: On The Road Again (Mon, 9pm, Sky Living)

‘Steps Reunion’ was something of a surprise hit last year. An awful lot more viewers than expected tuned in to watch Claire Richards, Faye Tozer, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Lee Latchford Evans and Lisa Scott-Lee get together for a magnificently passive-aggressive thawing of relations after years apart. At times, it appeared that they frankly couldn’t stand the sight of one another; and that usually equals reality TV gold. The combination of simmering animosity and the fivesome’s sheer desperate need for attention (not to say money) makes this comeback tour look like car crash heaven, and it’s superbly, bitchily produced. Sample moment: footage of band rehearsing dance routine, with Claire looking like she is carrying a bit of timber. Faye: “Claire’s had a few wobbles, especially when it comes down to the choreography.” Oh, snap!

Smash (Sat, 10pm, Sky Atlantic)

Starring Debra Messing (‘Will And Grace’), the legend that is Anjelica Huston and Britain’s own Jack Davenport, this glitzy, glam US import follows a cast and crew as they put on a Broadway musical about the aliens from the 1970s mashed potato advert. Actually, no. Their show is about the life of Marilyn Monroe; and it features a knockout turn by ‘American Idol’ runner-up Katharine McPhee as an Iowa ingénue who auditions for the big part. Davenport is typically good value as the show’s womanising director, and Houston equally good as the producer who is in the middle of a messy divorce. The series, which has been renewed for a second season by NBC, has a blend of melodrama, bitchy cracks and song-and-dance numbers that will appeal to fans of ‘Glee’, but this isn’t as arch or wilfully trashy. Blokes: worth tuning in for the Marilyn bits.

Vera (Sun, 8pm, ITV1)

The mighty Brenda Blethyn returns for a second stint as Northumberland’s Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope. This first episode of four sees her reunited with her former sergeant, albeit in tragic circumstances. He’s the victim of an arson attack, leading Vera to investigate how her colleague and friend’s life took him to this desperate point. Gritty, mature performances and great use of some wonderful Northern scenery make this a superior detective drama, with Blethyn excellent as the lonely, driven central figure. On the subject of strong, troubled female detectives, the Danes are at it again with The Bridge (Sat, 9pm, BBC4), which stars Sofia Helin as an investigator on a splendidly gruesome case. This dark drama is a joint-production between Sweden and Denmark, a duality that is reflected in a grisly early discovery…

Perspectives: David Walliams – The Genius Of Dahl (Sun, 10.15pm, ITV1)

That’s Roald, not Sophie, before you ask. Here, Walliams – who has himself written four books for children – pays tribute to the genre’s greatest talent. He travels from Cardiff, Dahl’s birthplace – where he explores the origin of Miss Trunchbull, villain of ‘Matilda’, and apparently based on the woman who ran the local sweetshop – to the Buckinghamshire home where Dahl’s widow still lives. Walliams is an enthusiastic and able guide to the enduring humour, cruelty and wonder of Dahl’s great books: ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’ being the presenter’s personal favourite. The show provides a great insight into the relationships and tragedies (Dahl’s daughter died aged seven; his father and sister both died when Dahl was three) that informed his work.

John Le Mesurier – It’s All Been Rather Lovely (Fri, 9pm, BBC2)

As Sergeant Wilson in ‘Dad’s Army’, John Le Mesurier ensured himself a place in British comedy immortality, his gentle, plummy, pleasantly hilarious delivery the perfect foil to the deranged characters around him. This affectionate portrait reveals more about a life that began in comfortable Bedford 100 years ago this month, onto drama school alongside Sir Alec Guinness and captaining a tank crew in World War II, appearances in over 1000 films and, of course, the Home Guard at Walmington-on-Sea. His marriage to Hattie Jacques broke up when she had an affair, and his third wife, Joan, left him for his best friend, Tony Hancock, later returning. Here, Michael Palin and Clive Dunn are among the friends and colleagues celebrating a delightful man: the subtitle of the programme being his alleged last words!

ALSO

Very Important People (Fri, 9.30pm, C4) is a patchy impressions show (is there any other kind of impressions show?) by Morgana Robinson that has its moments, for instance, her Russell Brand. Auditions are over on The Voice (Sat, 7pm, BBC1) (pictured) and the nitty-gritty begins. Meanwhile, bloodied in the ratings battle, Britain’s Got Talent (Sat, 8.30pm, ITV1) moves to slightly later in the evening so as not to overlap. The Plot To Bring Down Britain’s Planes (Thu, 9pm, C4) looks at the 2006 ‘liquids’ scare. Hidden Talent (Tue, 9pm, C4) sees Richard Bacon set challenges for ordinary people, including a rock-climbing granny. And Queen Victoria’s Last Love (Wed, 9pm, C4) is a documentary about the Indian table-servant who improbably rose to be Her Majesty’s rock.