From crime drama on ITV, to comedy on Sky TV and Prime, and unmissable classical music on the BBC, what to watch brings you a selection of TV treats this July.
MR BIGSTUFF (SERIES 2)
Sky TV
BAFTA-winner Danny Dyer (Rivals), series creator Ryan Sampson (Brassic, Plebs), and Harriet Webb (Big Boys, I May Destroy You) return for series two of Mr Bigstuff. Series one earned Dyer his first-ever BAFTA TV award for his performance as Lee Campbell, the estranged brother of Glen (played by Sampson). Set in suburban Essex, the series was a huge hit with audiences, becoming Sky Max’s highest-rated new original comedy in three years.
Series two picks up two weeks after the shocking news that the brothers’ dad is not actually dead, and Lee and Glen are handling it very differently. But, with chaos mounting and questions piling up, the brothers unite on a mission to track him down. Meanwhile, Kirsty’s taking charge in the bedroom and the boardroom, but one poorly timed kiss—and a mysterious blackmailer—threaten to bring it all crashing down. With secrets spilling and tempers flaring, it’s only a matter of time before the family blows up—again.
Mr Bigstuff Series two premieres on Sky and NOW on Thursday, 24 July.
What to Watch – July 2025
Karen Pirie (series 2)
ITV
After her bittersweet success in series one, Karen Pirie (Lauren Lyle) has been promoted to Detective Inspector and seemingly granted the authority she has long fought for. Just as she’s getting into the swing of her powerful new role, she is assigned an infamous unsolved case that will put her under intense scrutiny, from her boss, from the media, and ultimately, from sinister forces that would rather the past stay in the past.
The 1984 case of Catriona and Adam Grant has confounded investigators and intrigued the public like no other. Catriona (Julia Brown), the charming young heiress to a vast oil fortune, and her two-year-old son, Adam, were brutally kidnapped at gunpoint outside a fish and chip shop in Fife. The ransom notes that followed stirred up an uncontrollable press storm, but when the culprits fell silent, the police faltered, and Catriona and Adam were never seen again.
Now, a man’s body has been discovered, with indisputable links to the original kidnapping. With the first piece of evidence in decades, Karen must assemble an unbeatable team alongside her sincere and lovable sidekick, DC Jason ‘Mint’ Murray (Chris Jenks) and the brilliant–but romantically complicated– DS Phil Parhatka (Zach Wyatt). With the international renown of the kidnapping and the constant pressure from Catriona’s father, Sir Broderick Grant (James Cosmo), the team take on the biggest challenge of their careers to date. As Karen delves deeper into what happened in the autumn of 1984, political grudges and painful secrets reveal themselves, and it soon becomes clear that the past is far from dead.
Karen Pirie (series two) premieres on ITV and ITVX on Sunday, 20th July.
HEADS OF STATE
Prime Video
Like Deep Cover, Prime has released a cracking comedy-action movie straight to streaming, and also like that movie, Heads of State deserved a big-screen outing.
In Heads of State, the UK Prime Minister, Sam Clarke (Idris Elba), and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) turn a not-so-friendly special relationship on its head when they become targets of a powerful, ruthless foreign adversary. This adversary is more than a match for the two leaders’ security forces, but together, they just might stand a chance.
Allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), Clark and Derringer go on the run, attempting to constructively work with each other for long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world. Heads of State also stars Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid and Sarah Niles and is directed by Ilya Naishuller.
Streaming on Prime Video Now.
BBC Proms
BBC TV and Radio
The BBC Proms opens on Friday, 18 July, with Petroc Trelawny and Georgia Mann presenting the First Night of the Proms, broadcast that same evening on BBC Two. Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers and BBC Symphony Chorus, with tenor Caspar Singh, baritone Gerald Finley and violinist Lisa Batiashvili – including the world premiere of The Elements by Master of the King’s Music Errollyn Wallen, commissioned by the BBC.
BBC Proms 2025 features The Great American Songbook and Beyond with Samara Joy, Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, The Traitors Prom presented by Claudia Winkleman, The Planets and Star Wars, CBeebies Prom: A Magical Bedtime Story, and so much more.
BBC Proms airs across BBC TV and Radio from Friday, 18 July.
Follow Us