TVGuide.co.uk's rundown of the best TV to watch this week includes the return of a BBC One flagship show, and a real-time thriller from the BAFTA-winning writer of Murdered for Being Different.

You wait all year for a decent TV series to show up, and then three turn up at once - or in this week's case, half a dozen.

It's a superb week of TV, so cancel any plans to go out! Here are TVGuide.co.uk's top picks for the week.

Best TV to watch this week: Strictly Come Dancing

(Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 7.20pm on BBC and BBC iPlayer)

In most houses across the UK, Strictly Come Dancing marks the beginning of the cosy (cold) season. In fact, I'd go so far to say that the shiny floor show makes the darkening days that little bit easier.

Even now, 20 years on, the celebrity announcements still provoke a flutter of excitement. Although, of course, the show has been tarnished with rumours, scandals, and sackings since 2023.

But do the fans care? Nope. Millions of viewers will still tune in on Saturday for the first show of the series. This Saturday, presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman welcome the 15 new celebrities to the Strictly ballroom to pair them with their professional partners (who will all be on their best behaviour).

The celebrities this year are Chris McCausland, JB Gill, Wynne Evans, Toyah Willcox, Punam Krishan, Tasha Ghouri, Pete Wicks, Shayne Ward, Sarah Hadland, Jamie Borthwick, Tom Dean, Montell Douglas, Nick Knowles (pictured above), Paul Merson and Sam Quek.

Nightsleeper

(Sunday, 15 September, and Monday, 16 September, 2024 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer)

Nightsleeper is exactly what we want from a Sunday night primetime thriller. It's tense, relatable, and has a great cast of respected actors - including Alexandra Roach, Joe Cole, David Threlfall, James Cosmo, Alex Fern, Sharon Small, and Sharon Rooney.

In the first of a six-parter, a sleeper train from Glasgow to London is taken over by cyber terrorists. On board, an off-duty cop teams up with a National Cyber Security employee to help stop the train.

But the hackers seem to always be one step ahead, while the passengers seems shifty to say the least.

The real-time thriller streams from 6am on Sunday morning, and we'll suspect you'll binge the lot.

Best TV to watch this week: The Wives

(Monday, September 16, to Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 9pm on Channel 5 and My5)

The Wives is another gloriously preposterous thriller from Channel 5. Like Heat, The Teacher, and The Catch before it, this is not going to win any BAFTAs. But it's fun, frivolous, and no-taxing.

Jo Joyner, Angela Griffin, and Tamzin Outhwaite play sisters-in-law who return to Malta one year after the disappearance of Annabelle - another SIL.

Jo Joyner's Beth seems to be the only person who still remembers or cares about Annabelle. And she goes on a quest to find out what happened... Suspicions immediately fall on Annabelle's widowed husband Charlie (Jamie Bamber). He's already moved on with his new girlfriend, who looks remarkably like his presumed-dead wife.

The series is being shown in two blocks - Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday - over two weeks.

My Mum, Your Dad

(Monday, September 16, to Friday, September 20, 2024 at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX)

Oh how we loved the first series of this wholesome dating show, which aired in 2023. Unsurprisingly, ITV commissioned another series, and we suspect there'll be many more to come.

For those living under a rock last September, the Davina McCall-fronted show sees eight single parents (nominated by their grown-up children) spending two weeks in a countryside retreat. Can they drop past baggage to give love a second chance?

Of course, this year, the parents know full well their children are watching. But in a change to the format, the potential love birds can now turn the cameras OFF in the snug. The children/matchmakers can also pass notes to their mum or dad DURING their dates.

Will there be another success story like last year's Roger and Janey. We love in hope!

Best TV to watch this week: Nadiya's Cook Once, Eat Twice

(Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 7.30pm on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer)

Nadiya Hussain has to be one of THE most likeable TV chefs on the planet, and her food looks pretty delish too.

The former GBBO winner returns with a new TV series aligned to her bestselling book, Cook Once, Eat Twice. In it, she aims to help families spend less and stretch the weekly shop to the max.

In episode 1, she creates a salad pasta using forgotten salad leaves, creamy yoghurt, fresh coriander, rehydrated apricots and home-made pasta. Nadiya also cooks a carrot soup and beany potato cakes.

Slow Horses

(Wednesday, September 18, 2024 on Apple TV+)

There's a reason why Slow Horses was nominated for a whooping nine Emmy Awards (including Best Drama) in 2024. It's probably one of the best spy thrillers on TV ever, as it follows the dysfunctional team of MI5 agents who would all rather be at Thames House than Slough House where the disgraced end up.

Gary Oldman is sublime as the obnoxious Jackson Lamb. His raincoat needs a bloody good wash, but his mind is the sharpest in the business.

In this third episode of series 4, River is trapped in France. And back at Slough House, the Dogs have come for Jackson Lamb.

Best TV to watch this week: Celebrity Race Across the World

(Wednesday, September 18, 2024 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer)

The brilliant celebrity edition of Race Across the World comes to a dramatic finale, with the four sets of competitors legging it to the final destination.

The pressure is on with just 39 minutes between all of the teams as they face the final leg of their journey, a 2,750km race across the Andes into Chile.

While Kola and Mary Ellen may be in the lead, they are skint - with just 10 percent of their budget left. Scott and Sam resort to selling hot dogs to boost their budget, and Kelly and Jeremy take a different route to the rest of the teams but a broken-down bus pushes them hours behind...

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

(Thursday, September 19, 2024 on Netflix)

Following the massive success of Monster: Dahmer, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan's true-crime anthology series returns.

This time, the series chronicles the case of the real-life brothers who were convicted in 1996 for the bloody murders of their parents.

In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted for the killings. However, the court case wasn't clear cut.

While the prosecution argued they were seeking to inherit their family fortune, the brothers claimed - and remain adamant to this day - that their actions came after years of abuse.

They claimed their parents had subjected them to a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse...

Many people believe Lyle and Erik were victims themselves. The Netflix true crime dramatisation asks: Who were the real monsters here?

The fascinating real life story is brought to life with performances by Javier Bardem, Nathan Lane, and Chloë Sevigny.

Best TV to watch this week: A Very Royal Scandal

(Thursday, September 19, 2024 on Amazon Prime Video)

A Very Royal Scandal, streaming on Prime Video from Thursday, September 19, 2024 dramatises THAT infamous Prince Andrew interview with Emily Maitlis.

Eagle-eyed TV fans will know that Netflix has already dramatised it in the feature-length Scoop. A Very Royal Scandal, however, is a three-part drama.

While A Very Royal Scandal covers Emily Maitlis' interview from the perspective of the former BBC journalist. Netflix's Scoop was based on Newsnight producer Sam McAlister's autobiographical book, Scoops.

This time, TV chameleon Michael Sheen plays the unsweaty Prince Andrew, while Luther's Ruth Wilson stars as Emily Maitlis.

The 2019 interview has subsequently become one of the most awkward, eye-popping, and excruciating in modern history. For that alone, A Very Royal Scandal is worth watching.

It's the third in the anthology series, following 2018's A Very English Scandal, and 2021's A Very British Scandal - both exceptional dramas dramatising momentous events in UK history.

The Penguin

(Friday, September 20, 2024 on Sky Atlantic/HBO)

Colin Farrell first played The Penguin in The Batman, in which Robert Pattinson took on one of the most famous superheroes of all time.

Now, Colin's villain gets his own series as Oswald Cobb/The Penguin. And, even if you're not a DC nerd, this is worth watching for the actor's impressive transformation alone. Gone is the rather handsome Irish actor, replaced with his jowly, waddling alter-ego.

The Penguin, an eight-part series, picks up where The Batman left off. Film fans will know that The Riddler flooded Gotham City and left crime boss Carmine Falcone dead.

The series follows Oswald aka Oz – Falcone's former lieutenant – as he attempts to become the kingpin of Gotham's underworld.

The Penguin will air exclusively on Sky Atlantic from Friday, September 20, 2024.