RED EYE
Sundays, ITV1
Rating: 
First things first: don’t under any circumstances voluntarily book yourself on a long-haul flight with North China Air – by the end there are likely to be more bodies in the hold than there are suitcases.
Also, NCA do something I didn’t think airlines were allowed to do any more, which is to have the captain popping in and out of the pointy bit up front leaving just the co-pilot in charge.
Oh, and they don’t seem to have back-up crew either, which I thought was now de rigueur on long-haul flights.
And (while we’re at it!) when the cry of, ‘Is there a doctor on board?’ goes up, obviously it’s great if most of the doctors are still alive…
Jing Lusi as DC Hana Li and Richard Armitage as Dr Matthew Nolan in ITV’s Red Eye
On NCA flight 357, Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is being returned to Beijing after an incident at the end of a medical conference sees a young woman, Shen Zhao, found dead in the back of a rental car
But I’m getting ahead of myself. First, the good news: there is no North China Air – ITV’s Red Eye is 100 per cent drama.
Though so convincing was the plane’s livery that despite the series being arguably the world’s worst airline PR, I confess I did Google North China Air.
This is a properly big-budget, glossy six-parter that feels glamorous and streamer-y in both its scope and ambition.
‘Red Eye’ is, of course, the description of an overnight long-haul flight during which comfortable sleep is at a premium.
On NCA flight 357, Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) is being returned to Beijing – from where he had just arrived at Heathrow – after an incident at the end of a medical conference sees a young woman, Shen Zhao, found dead in the back of Nolan’s rental car.
Reluctantly accompanying Nolan during the rendition is British-Chinese (though, as she’s quick to point out, Hong Kong Chinese) policewoman DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), and the pair are soon caught up in the flight from hell.
All of which reminded me of the 2005 Jodie Foster movie Flightplan. No surprise there, it turns out: more Googling reveals that both were written by British screenwriter/director Peter A Dowling, who clearly knows more about the layout of a 747 than most of us.
As it becomes clear that Dr Nolan is being framed for Shen Zhao’s murder – she has connections to the upper echelons of the Chinese Communist Party – the shady players may or may not include members of the British government and security services (the chilly head of MI5, Madeline Delaney, is played brilliantly by Lesley Sharp).
Either way, there’s clearly an international conspiracy evolving – and then the plane hits turbulence…
Red Eye is the most fun I’ve had in front of the telly this year
Never mind the jet lag, I couldn’t get enough of Red Eye – a first-class (see what I did there?), edge-of-the-seat, high-stakes thriller with fantastically watchable performances.
Could this become a regular gig for Hana/Jing? I hope so. With a plot so fiendishly constructed you’ll be second-guessing the red herrings right to the end, it’s the most fun I’ve had in front of the telly this year.
If you haven’t caught it already, you really don’t want to miss this flight.
The vets who dispense animal magic
THE YORKSHIRE VET
Tuesdays, Channel 5
Rating: 
Welcome to the 18th series of this evergreen show, in which Peter Wright, a protégé of Alf Wight aka James Herriot, and Peter’s former vet practice partner Julian Norton are still facing unexpected challenges.
If you think you’ve seen it all before, you haven’t! The first episode was stolen by pot-bellied pig Lord Pablo Porcini the 1st – though his owner Libby ran him close. ‘He was meant to be a micro-pig but kept growing – he’s about a quarter of a ton, similar to a small pony but with shorter legs.’
The first episode was stolen by pot-bellied pig Lord Pablo Porcini the 1st – though his owner Libby (centre, with Pablo) ran him close
Harris hawk Sigrid’s legs were mended and farmer Clive’s ewe was delivered of her awkwardly lying lamb.. Above: Matt Smith with Sigrid the Harris Hawk
Of course, we’re safe to enjoy all the drama in the knowledge we won’t be weeping come the credits. Beloved old dog Poppy’s tumour was removed, Harris hawk Sigrid’s legs were mended and farmer Clive’s ewe was delivered of her awkwardly lying lamb.
However, this week’s jaw-on-the-floor moment came when we met an Italian Maremma sheepdog: a breed that lives outdoors alongside the flock pretending to be a sheep, until a wolf comes along, when it defaults to ‘dog’ mode! Who knew?
That’s just one of the reasons why The Yorkshire Vet (time to make that title plural, surely?) will (with a bit of luck) probably still be on television in 2050.
Not as cute as Rudolph!
Richard Gadd in his hit Netflix show, Baby Reindeer, about stalking and mental health
Don’t do what I did while browsing Netflix: click ‘Play’ based simply on a trailer. With the algorithm allegedly all-seeing, I assumed it was showing the intriguingly titled Baby Reindeer based on my previous viewing habits.
And while I’m not saying the series developed by Richard Gadd (above) from his Edinburgh Fringe show didn’t have its moments, they wouldn’t necessarily have been ones I’d have chosen to watch.
Stalking, mental illness, drug use, sexual abuse… you’ve been warned! Standout performance by Jessica Gunning as Martha, though.
