Versailles
They gave their name to the most chocolatey of treats, but there is of course more to the legacy left behind by the Bourbons than mere biscuits. Greatest of all the kings of 
the French dynasty was Louis XIV, thanks to the palace of unparalleled splendour he gave the world, and now Versailles (Friday, BBC2, 9.30pm) returns to resume the tale of the 17th- century monarch. Made by French TV but in English, the first series exhibited a typically Gallic open-mindedness when it came to sex that caused eyebrows to be raised on this side of the channel. Well, be assured that the programme-makers are picking up very much where they left off, as the frenetic love lives of Louis (George Blagden) and his courtiers show no sign of slowing down.
In between conquering bed chambers, the king also has designs on half the lands of Europe too, but while war looms abroad, at court there’s one person who’s quietly pulling the strings – his mistress, the elegant Madame de Montespan. While the plot is loosely drawn from fact – including the real-life affair of the poisons on which the opening episode is based – you will, in truth, have to look elsewhere for a dependably scholastic version of events. But if you’re simply longing for a good old-fashioned bodice-ripping melodrama you will not be disappointed, and adding to the attractions of a bracingly entertaining show, we can look forward to the addition of Greta Scacchi to the cast.
BBC YOUNG DANCER 2017 (Saturday, BBC2, 8pm)
Darcey Bussell joins the judges live from London’s Sadler’s Wells as they choose their winner from the five brilliant young dancers.
ThE DURRELLS (Sun, ITV, 8pm)
The heart- warming adaptation of Gerald Durrell’s memoirs returns, starring Keeley Hawes as the family matriarch presiding over a motley menagerie.
GRANTCHESTER (Sun, ITV, 9pm)
Saintly sleuth Sidney Chambers (James Norton) is back on the case after a series of murders in which dead birds may be a crucial clue.
the French dynasty was Louis XIV, thanks to the palace of unparalleled splendour he gave the world, and now Versailles (Friday, BBC2, 9.30pm) returns to resume the tale of the 17th- century monarch. Made by French TV but in English, the first series exhibited a typically Gallic open-mindedness when it came to sex that caused eyebrows to be raised on this side of the channel. Well, be assured that the programme-makers are picking up very much where they left off, as the frenetic love lives of Louis (George Blagden) and his courtiers show no sign of slowing down. In between conquering bed chambers, the king also has designs on half the lands of Europe too, but while war looms abroad, at court there’s one person who’s quietly pulling the strings – his mistress, the elegant Madame de Montespan. While the plot is loosely drawn from fact – including the real-life affair of the poisons on which the opening episode is based – you will, in truth, have to look elsewhere for a dependably scholastic version of events. But if you’re simply longing for a good old-fashioned bodice-ripping melodrama you will not be disappointed, and adding to the attractions of a bracingly entertaining show, we can look forward to the addition of Greta Scacchi to the cast.
NOT TO BE MISSED...
BBC YOUNG DANCER 2017 (Saturday, BBC2, 8pm)
Darcey Bussell joins the judges live from London’s Sadler’s Wells as they choose their winner from the five brilliant young dancers.
ThE DURRELLS (Sun, ITV, 8pm)
The heart- warming adaptation of Gerald Durrell’s memoirs returns, starring Keeley Hawes as the family matriarch presiding over a motley menagerie.
GRANTCHESTER (Sun, ITV, 9pm)
Saintly sleuth Sidney Chambers (James Norton) is back on the case after a series of murders in which dead birds may be a crucial clue.