James R | On 13, Dec 2015

What’s available on-demand on Freeview? Keep up-to-date with our weekly catch-up TV column, including reviews of shows on ITV Hub, new releases on All 4 and a guide to My5.
 

(For BBC TV reviews and round-ups, see our weekly Best of BBC iPlayer column. Or for reviews of the shows on All 4’s Walter Presents, click here.)

Prey (ITV Player)

Philip Glenister takes on the lead role from, fittingly enough, his Life on Mars co-star John Simm for ITV’s new season of Prey. The crime drama sees his prison warden, David, go all wrong-man-on-the-run when David’s daughter is kidnapped. Handcuffed to a prisoner, there are shades of Hitchcock to the set-up, although this is not as emotionally involving as one of Alfred’s tales, despite Glenister’s excellent turn. In fact, the real star of the show is DS Susan Reinhardt, chasing the officer down and trying to work out what’s behind his uncharacteristic behaviour. Rosie Cavallero reprises her turn as the copper, which means she’s the anchor for audiences to get behind. She goes through the routine script with skill, but the show needs a little more than irreverent, insubordinate sidekick to become truly arresting.

Available until: 8th December 2015

Photo: Ben Blackall / ITV

Las Vegas with Trevor McDonald (ITV Player)

“A four-mile shopping mall for the seven deadly sins.” That’s how Trevor McDonald describes Las Vegas in this documentary series. ITV’s famous newsreader in casino central? It’s the most unlikely setting for Trevor McDonald since he signed up for a Specsavers advert. The BAFTA-winning journalist encounters all kinds of people from the underbelly of vice city, from bail bondsmen to prostitutes and, most terrifying of all, Mike Tyson. He has the confidence of a broadcaster who has interviewed the Mafia and survived. “The morning after the night before, Vegas-style,” he quips, as we see one girl trying to secure bail for her partner. “What makes this so attractive for people hiding out from the law?” he asks a cab driver.

But throughout, he has the gentle demeanour of a granddad on holiday, politely probing but never in any depth. His face-to-face with the boxer is more puff piece than provocative character study, something that leaves you with mostly the bizarre spectacle of Trevor McDonald in Las Vegas to entertain. One cheerful chat with a pimp reveals that he studied criminal justice at college. “Dare I suggest that’s a bit ironic?” smiles Trevor McDonald. He doesn’t actually suggest it.

Available until: 6th December 2015

Photo: Plum Pictures / ITV

The Definitive History of Star Wars (My5)

If you’re not re-watching the original Star Wars trilogy, there’s perhaps no better way to get ready for The Force Awakens (for free) than this hour-long documentary from Channel 5. Claiming to be “The Definitive History” of the franchise is a little much, especially given the extensive documentaries on the Blu-ray and DVD box sets over the years, but this has a nice array of tidbits and trivia, combined with some genuinely interesting interviews. Insight into the low-tech practical effects that took the Millennium Falcon into light speed is great, but nothing can top the sight of Jeremy Bulloch, the actor who played Boba Fett in Episode V and VI, repeating his iconic line of dialogue over and over again. “Put Captain Solo in the cargo hold.” It doesn’t get old.

Available until: 10th December 2016

Photo: Plum Pictures / ITV

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