Here are tonight’s TV selections …
The Hit List Strictly Special (BBC1, 7 p.m.)
JUST in case you haven’t already been excited about the return of Strictly Come Dancing, The Hit List puts us in the mood with a special episode featuring some of the stars of the show. Gemma Atkinson, Gorka Marquez, Aljaz Skorjanec, Janette Manrara, Clara Amfo and Johannes Radebe take part in the music quiz, with a £ 10,000 charity jackpot up for grabs. As a DJ Clara should have the edge, but will the pressure get to her? And will professional dancers be able to resist the urge to make a few movements during the show? Marvin and Rochelle Humes are the hosts.
The Isle of Wight Festival 2021 (Sky Arts, 7 p.m.)
SATURDAY at Seaclose Park in Newport sees another top crew take the stage. Among the artists is Snow Patrol, who over a two-decade career has amassed a number of critical and commercial accolades, including 15 million album sales worldwide, one billion tracks released worldwide. world and five platinum albums in the UK. French DJ, record producer and songwriter David Guetta, English singer, songwriter, musician and actor Sam Fender, and one of the most successful pop groups of the 1990s, All Saints, also perform.
Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1, 7:45 p.m.)
The celebrity lineup has already been announced, and now it’s time to find out who the stars have been paired with as Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman host the Strictly launch show. A few celebrities are poised to make history as EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis becomes the first Deaf contestant, and Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite forms the first all-male partnership. We’ll also have our first chance to assess everyone’s form as the stars take to the floor for a group dance, and find out what the judges – who this year include veteran dancer Anton Du Beke, replacing Bruno Tonioli – think. of their chances. To give the Class of 2021 a sense of what they should be aiming for, defending champion Bill Bailey returns for a special performance, and there’s music from Anne-Marie too.
Treasures of the World by Bettany Hughes (C4, 8:30 p.m.)
Its historian is in the Mediterranean, following the route of traders from Gibraltar to Malta where a recently discovered Punic tomb reveals evidence that these Phoenicians originated from North Africa. She also learns how farmers grow three citrus crops a year with an ancient Arab underground irrigation system called “the invention of summer”. Then, she receives the rare permission to stay on the sacred island of Delos under a super moon during the summer solstice. Then, on the Italian island of Ischia, Bettany tastes the Roman Baths and shares the story of Michelangelo’s muse, Vittoria Colonna, who wrote more than 13 volumes of poetry.
