HD Heads-Up: November 20 – 26

➢➢ Duke will screen the latest season of Top Gear within a week of the BBC (8.30 Sundays from November 21). It includes the trio testing the new Toyota GR Yaris hot hatch, previewing the Lamborghini Huracán STO and Aston Victor, paying tribute to daredevil Eddie Kidd OBE and a “horrendous” challenge in which they taste extremely chilli peppers while attempting to drive the fastest laps around a course. Said Paddy McGuinness of his co-presenters competing in the chilli stakes: “It’s like watching two heavyweights go at it, you know, just sitting there enjoying the spectacle” …

➢➢ Adele One Night Only (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Monday) is another Oprah Winfrey rose garden gabfest in what’s billed as “Adele’s first televised wide-ranging conversation about her new album, the stories behind the songs, life after divorce, weight loss and raising her son.” Expect the usual hits and some tunes you haven’t heard …

➢➢ The Man Who Fell from the Sky (TVNZ 1, 9.30 Monday) uncovers how one of two stowaways in the landing gear of a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow six years ago survived an 11-hour flight in -60C conditions. The Telegraph thought it “an incredible story hampered by its attention-hogging filmmaker” …

➢➢ Shark Alarm – The Year of Swimming Dangerously (Duke, 9.30 Sunday) is an ABC Australia documentary that investigates the worst year in living memory for shark fatalities in Australia …

➢➢ George Best – All By Himself (Duke, midnight Tuesday) is a 2017 movie-length documentary about the famous footballer that critics recommended despite it being more familiar than revealing. Said Radio Times: “A beautifully balanced perspective that extols Best’s sublime skills while offering sobering analysis of how unprecedented fame (for a footballer), alcohol and his inner demons halted his progress” …

➢➢ Dame Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Salma Hayek, Tinie Tempah, Bruce Springsteen, President Barack Obama and Jesy Nelson on the The Graham Norton Show (Three, 9.00 Thursday) …

➢➢The latest late-night premiere is the contemporary reboot of Kung Fu (TVNZ 2, 11.45 Friday), which TVNZ has streamed OnDemand, while returning for its 25th season in off-peak will be The Bachelor (TVNZ 2, 1.20 Saturdays) …

➢➢ Ending their runs will be Jamie’s Easy Meals For Everyday, Gordon Ramsay’s Bank Balance, Active Shooter: America Under Fire, Gordon, Gino and Fred Go Greek, Our DNA Journey, Toi Te Ora, Big Brother VIP, The Outliers, 7 Days and Good With Wood …