David Farnor | On 20, Feb 2016

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.)

The X-Files (Episodes 1 and 2) – My5

The return of The X-Files is everything you remember about the old series and more – from David Duchovny’s blank delivery to Gillian Anderson’s ability to hold pieces of paper and stare dramatically at them without telling us what’s on them. The dialogue is as ripe as ever, which grates more often than not – one cliche-filled monologue in Episode 1 is a potentially lethal round of The X-Files Bingo Drinking Game – but there’s an irresistible, nostalgic charm to a series that has no qualms in trying retcon its entire back catalogue as meaningless, just for the hell of unveiling another conspiracy. The X-Files have been reopened. And how. Read our full reviews here.

Available until: 9th March

Photo: ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Ed Araquel/FOX

Heroes Reborn

Hot on the heels of one revival comes another, with NBC’s reboot of Heroes. Set after the events of the original show, we rejoin HRG as the world prepares for a dramatic cataclysm once again – and someone is going around bumping off evos (who are now in hiding). But there’s something different: where are HRG’s glasses? What can’t he remember about his past? And what’s on the way in the future? It’s not exactly top-drawer telly, but there’s still some intrigue left in this X-Men-esque show – and we’re not just saying that because of the introduction of a Mexican vigilante called El Vengador. Yes, really.

Available until: 17th March

Photo: Christos Kalohoridis/NBC

Keeping up with the Khans

Ignore the title and Channel 4’s series following several immigrants as they try to integrate into the UK is a surprisingly sensitive exploration of a highly pertinent issue – not bad going for the makers of Benefits Street. The setting is Page Hall, where people from all over the world have come to settle, from Slovakians to Lebanese, including Omar, a Sudanese refugee, who tolerates his very white landlord while dreaming of becoming a pilot. “I didn’t think Britain was this beautiful,” he sighs, while standing outside Sheffield town hall.

Photo: Channel 4 / Richard Ansett

The Light of Dawn: The Normandy Landings – UKTV Play

Dave tends to dominate the spotlight when it comes to UKTV Play’s catch-up catalogue, but Yesterday demonstrates just how valuable it is with this two-part look at the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Outlining both the preparations and its fallout, the recap of history is informative, but it’s the images from photographer Robert Capa that really amaze – not least because some of them have never been seen before on screen.

Available until: 11th March

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