Trapped
Readers of The Lady are, I know, tough stuff as much as being avid fans of a good meaty murdermystery, but do be warned. The corpse dredged up from the deep off Iceland to set the mystery rolling in Trapped (Saturday, BBC Four, 9pm) is not the discreetly covered cadaver you might glance at over your TV dinner while watching Midsomer Murders. Soon stretched out on a table for forensic examination, our unfortunate soul is sans legs, sans arms, sans head… you get the picture. But then this is the brutally hostile environment of the ultimate setting for Scandicrime. The language is harsh and impenetrable, the landscape blasted volcanic rocks as far as the eye can see, the weather blizzards with intervals of whiteout, which is to say hellish yet mesmerising beauty. As for the people, the women are positively elfin, while the fellows uncannily resemble trolls in a Tolkien fantasy, most of all our hero detective Andri, a towering figure boasting a proud helping of girth, particularly formidable when hotfooting it after criminals. As the story begins there’s a ferry-load of passengers among whom is the murderer, but the clock is ticking and the corrupt sea captain won’t do what he’s told. The unfolding tale proves so gripping my wife devoured the first three episodes while offering only an irate ‘Shush!’ whenever I dared disturb her viewing. There’s been a frosty Iceland of our very own in the house ever since.
NOT TO BE MISSED...
Penelope Keith’s Hidden Villages, Sat, C4, 8pm
Margo moseys down to Devon and Cornwall in a new series uncovering secret desirable destinations (above).
British Academy Film Awards, Sun, BBC1, 9pm
Kate Winslet and Julie Walters are among the galaxy of luvvies crowded into the Royal Opera House as Stephen Fry comperes (above).
The People Vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, Mon, BBC2, 9pm
Cuba Gooding Jr stars as OJ Simpson in a gripping dramatisation of his trial.