What’s on Sky in the next fortnight

If you ever wondered what happens in the corridors of power during a time of national emergency then COBRA will take you right to the heart of government during a major crisis. John Malkovich joins Jude Law in the second season of The New Pope, telling the story of the fictional Pope Pius XIII. The Outsider explores the investigation into the gruesome murder of a local boy and the mysterious force surrounding the case. Avenue 5 is a space tourism comedy set 40 years in the future when the solar system is everyone’s oyster. Stephen Mangan and Joan Bakewell host the new series of Portrait Artist Of The Year.

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COBRA

Fridays at 9pm

Written by Ben Richards, (The Tunnel, Spooks), Robert Carlyle and Victoria Hamilton star in a tense thriller based in the corridors of power during a time of crisis. As a national emergency threatens to engulf Great Britain, the COBRA committee – a team of experts, contingency planners and senior politicians – convenes to steer the country through the potential catastrophe. Overseen by Prime Minister Robert Marshall (Carlyle) the pressure is on as they carry the weight of the nation’s expectations whilst also safeguarding their own position against their political enemies.

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The New Pope: Series 2

Sundays at 10pm

Rich, ravishing and gloriously enigmatic; Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino begins his second series set in the world of the modern papacy in his successor to The Young Pope. Following on from the events of that series, Pius XIII (Jude Law) is in a coma, and a new Pope must be found, with Sir John Braddox (John Malkovitch) the most likely candidate.

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The Outsider

Mondays 9pm

Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, Ben Mendelsohn and Jason Bateman star in a gripping mystery following a seemingly straightforward case of the murder of a young boy. Detective Ralph Anderson investigates the murder with all signs pointing to a popular high school teacher (Bateman) as the culprit. However, further evidence brings an unconventional private eye into the case, while an insidious supernatural force makes its presence known.

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Avenue 5

Wednesdays 10pm

From Armando Iannucci, the Emmy®-winning creator of Veep, comes a space tourism comedy set 40 years into the future when the solar system is everyone’s oyster. Hugh Laurie stars as Ryan Clark, the confident and suave captain of luxury space cruise liner Avenue 5 on an eight-week journey around Saturn. When the ship encounters technical difficulties, it’s down to him and his crew to keep everyone calm – though they may or may not be equipped for the task.

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Portrait Artist Of The Year

Tuesdays at 8pm

Stephen Mangan and Joan Bakewell are back to find the next Portrait Artist of the Year, with the help of another set of celebrity sitters. Throughout the series, 24 celebrity sitters from the world of stage, screen, sport and music will become the subject for our painters.

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