From hilarious comedy to gripping drama – TV Editor reveals top 7 shows to watch this week

LIKE a Monty Python parrot, the great British comedy is now deceased, gone to meet its maker, pushing up the daisies - it's now officially an ex-genre.

At least that's what the woke brigade would like to have us believe.

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But, funnily enough, reports of its death are greatly exaggerated - certainly if this week's line-up of top TV shows is anything to go by.

As The Sun's TV Editor I watch more TV than is good for me, and this week has been a joy because nestling among the magnificent seven are two new series - Big Boys and Amandaland - that might just breathe new life into sitcoms.

Both have form. Big Boys is now in its third season, after the first two developed a huge following.

Amandaland, meanwhile, is a spin-off from BBC Two series, Motherland, which has millions of devoted fans.

But what's really important about them is that they are not just bloody funny, clever and human, they're also thoroughly modern comedies.

Old school classics like Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses and Absolutely Fabulous are amazing and should still be revered and, crucially, watched over and over again.

But we can't just make the same programmes over and over again.

In the year 2025, dramas have changed, documentaries have changed and even game shows have changed.

Evidence of these evolved genres is obvious in our top seven shows this week - with celebs, fighter pilots and even dictators in my top picks for this week. Enjoy!

NUMBER ONE: Top Guns: Inside the RAF, Channel 4 (Tuesday February 4)

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Documentaries tend to fall into two camps - a great concept with a dull execution, or a mediocre concept that's ingeniously delivered.

This manages the feat of taking an exciting premise, and adding some serious G-force.

The C4 show goes behind the scenes of the RAF's busiest bases, and this second series starts with a real nail-biter as two of our top guns go on a mission and immediately find themselves in a showdown with what sounds like a Russian foe.

Plus they reveal how you can answer a call of nature when you're jetting through the clouds at hundreds of miles an hour, something I've always wondered about.

Now I just want to know: why can't all docs be as good as this?

NUMBER TWO: Mussolini: Son of the Century, Sky Atlantic (Tuesday, February 4)

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This is my wild card option, not least because this is a dubbed film - which is normally a pet hate of mine.

But this is all about the rise of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. And if, like me, you love your historical dramas with big budgets and epic storylines then this is a must-watch.

It charts his political career starting in the 1920s and how he unscrupulously climbed up the ranks to become a fascist dictator who'd eventually join forces with Hitler in World War Two.

I hope that sounds wild enough for you.

NUMBER THREE: Celebrity Bear Hunt, Netflix
(Wednesday, February 5)

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I seem to have spent most of January either talking or writing about this show, so expectations are high.

I've had a sneaky glimpse too and let's just say it's obvious that Netflix have pumped millions into the production and celebrity line-up.

But I'm not allowed to say much more than that just yet.

It does sound more than a little bit like ITV's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.

The difference is that this programme features Bear Grylls actually HUNTING the celebrities and when they're caught they're eliminated from the contest - leaving host Holly Willoughby to commiserate with them before they're flown back to Blighty.

I'm not sure I'm A Celebrity bosses have anything to worry about, but this is still worth a watch.

NUMBER FOUR: Amandaland, BBC One (Wednesday, February 5)

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Motherland spin-off starring Amanda - a complete nightmare whose snobbery is only eclipsed by that of her mother, played by national treasure Joanna Lumley.

Clips are already going viral on social media, early signs are it's a side-splitter.

NUMBER FIVE: The Kardashians, Disney+
(Thursday, February 6)

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I'm constantly being told by insiders that this is now one of Disney's biggest TV shows, with viewers signing up in droves to drink in the adventures of Kim K and her family.

Now in its sixth series, The Kardashians is packed with plenty more dramas, sibling rivalry and, hopefully, some fun along the way too.

The new season sees the sisters head to Las Vegas, Khloe turns 40 and joins Kim in India.

There's talk of revenge, spiralling mental health and, of course, phrases like "bombshell hair".

The mind truly boggles.

NUMBER SIX: Big Boys, Channel 4
(Sunday, February 9)

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This is the comedy's third outing - and I'm gutted to say it will be its last.

Big Boys caused a sensation when it debuted in 2022, telling the true story of a gay teenager who forms a deep friendship with his straight college mate.

Writer Jack Rooke, who based the story on his own youthful experiences, has decided the show has run its course.

Now in the final year of studies and central character Jack has to finally stop watching X Factor and start doing some work - the trouble is he's also distracted by his rather attractive lecturer.

Let's pray Jack is quickly signed up by lots of other shows and channels - he's a star in the making.

NUMBER SEVEN: Unforgotten, ITV1 (Sunday, February 9)

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I've been hooked on this drama series since it started almost a decade ago.

Like many fans I was sceptical when the cold case drama replaced the brilliant Nicola Walker with Sinéad Keenan as the leading lady, DCI James.

But she's settled in nicely to the role as she returns for a second series.

Together with Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunny Khan, they're back investigating another murder from decades previously, trying to piece together all the evidence that's been muddied by the passing of time.

One of the best dramas on the box - tense, human and gripping.