Sky Arts marks 40th anniversary of Quadrophenia with two specials

Best on the Box highlights for Saturday September 21st, include Liam Gallagher on Johnathan Ross, pondering his spiritual compass John Lennon, the professional dancers giving us a spectacular opening routine for the first live edition of Strictly for 2019 and the birthplace of Scottish Whisky at low tide.

One to Watch: Quadrophenia: Our Generation and Quadrophenia Reunited: 40 Years On, Sky Arts from 9pm

At 9pm the celebration kicks off with Quadrophenia: Our Generation. Sky Arts celebrates the 40th anniversary of the 1979 cult classic Quadrophenia with a series of special films. Quadrophenia: Our Generation will tell the story of the maverick filmmaking and the complex themes within the 1979 film, and the wider stories of the history of the Mod movements, the music, fashion, youth rebellion and cult of Quadrophenia.

The cast and crew including Phil Daniels and Ray Winstone, open up candidly to paint a vivid picture of their experiences of what it was like to make this film. They tell us never-been-told-before stories, the highs and the lows of production and ultimately what the film has meant for them personally and professionally.

At 10pm Quadrophenia Reunited: 40 Years On. Quadrophenia is not just one of Britain’s best-loved feature films, it is a seminal moment in British youth culture that captures a unique transitional time in our history and the film continues to inspire generations that have followed.

In July, the cast appeared together at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire to perform a table read of the original film script in front of a live audience. Returning to Shepherd’s Bush, where the much-loved classic was filmed, the likes of Leslie Ash (Steph), Garry Cooper (Peter), Phil Daniels (Jimmy) and Toyah Willcox (Monkey) joined host Lauren Laverne to talk all things mod.

Phil Davis (Chalky), Trevor Laird (Ferdy), Gary Shail(Spider) and Mark Winget (Dave) were also in attendance to discuss the key themes of the plot, as well as spilling a number of backstage antics.

The specials are followed at 11pm by a chance to see the movie.

Strictly Come Dancing, BBC One at 7pm

Tonight’s show brings us the first live episode featuring an amazing group number from our professional dancers, kicking off what promises to be a spectacular series.

Since the glamorous launch show where the pairings were revealed, our celebrities and their professional partners have had two weeks to rehearse their first routine. Tonight, the 15 couples take to the Strictly ballroom to perform live in front of our fabulous four judges: Head Judge Shirley Ballas, Bruno Tonioli, Craig Revel Horwood and Motsi Mobuse.

The judges will score each couple for the first time, but luckily there will be no farewells this week. Instead their scores will be carried over to next weekend, when the viewers get the chance to vote for their favourite couple.

The Johnathan Ross Show, ITV, STV and UTV at 10.30pm

Jonathan is joined by iconic star of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings Sean Bean, Our Girl and Corrie legend Michelle Keegan and Edinburgh award-winning comedian Rose Matafeo. Plus, legendary lead singer of Oasis and now solo star Liam Gallagher drops by for a chat and performs one of his latest tracks in the studio.

Walking out to be interviewed Liam Gallagher was met with calls of ‘Liam, Liam!’ from the crowd. He laughed: “I brought him in with me, man.” While Michelle Keegan spoke of having to work in different countries to her husband Mark Wright: “He got the job in LA while I was in Malaysia [filming Our Girl]. We were apart for about 4 months. It was really tough. People said how did you deal with it and stuff. Thank god for FaceTime and things like that. You’re on a countdown the whole time to just get home. I had six months off when I went home, so I went to America.”

Sean Bean joined the conversation to talk about his new war series and also spoke of turning 60 this year: “Yeah, it’s alright. I don’t really think much about it. I suppose got to 60.. it’s not something you want to be jumping around about. Good things… you get free prescriptions.”

Reflecting on music influences Liam Gallagher pondered John Lennon. “I do feel like he’s my spiritual compass, you know what I mean? As a person, I think he was a good person he didn’t mean any harm. He had a great voice and a great singing voice, I liked his speaking voice as well. He’s a dude man.”

Britain at Low Tide, Channel 4 at 8pm

Every day, on a sandy beach or a rocky foreshore, fascinating evidence of our island history appears and disappears as the tide rolls in and rolls back out again. In this third series, palaeobiologist Dr Tori Herridge explores the intertidal archaeology of Britain, the archaeological remains that are visible when the tide goes out.

In this episode Tori and the team visit Scotland, exploring the inner reaches of the Firth of Forth to find out what archaeological finds the tide has left behind. They investigate the story behind a long-forgotten harbour regarded as the birthplace of the Scottish whisky industry; they ask why a 16th-century entrepreneur decided to tunnel under the sea; and they discover a 19th-century pier which was key to the success of cattle farmers right across central Scotland.