Entertainment preview – 4-8 January 2024

The Sunday night M-Net movie on 7 January is ‘Book Club: The Next Chapter’ (20:05). Four best friends take their book club to Italy for the fun girls trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure. With an all-star cast of Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda and Mary Steenburgen, and directed by Bill Holderman.

M-Net will also present a gripping drama, ‘The Sixth Commandment’ from Monday 8 January (20:00). Exploring the deaths of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire, and the events that unfolded afterwards. Featuring a distinguished cast and crew, ‘The Sixth Commandment' follows the meeting between an inspirational teacher and a charismatic student that led to one of the most complex and confounding criminal cases in recent memory, focusing on the suspicions that arise through inappropriate teacher-student relationships, unlocked through a series of chilling revelations.

For some mind-bending entertainment, catch a new season of ‘History’s Greatest Mysteries with Laurence Fishburne’, starting on History Channel from Saturday 6 January (20:15). Acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne takes a look at historically important mysteries, well-known myths, and modern legends using new evidence – with some shocking revelations brought to life.

Food Network presents a new season of ‘Baker’s Dozen’ on Friday 5 January (17:00), in which 13 bakers compete to create the next viral baking sensation, win the golden rolling pin and take home the cash prize.

‘Aliens in Alaska’ will scratch that reality television itch on Thursday 4 January on Discovery Channel (19:00), Alaska is a hotbed for UFO sightings, abductions and extraterrestrial encounters. Why are these otherworldly visitors drawn to America's last frontier? Shocking new evidence and personal testimony from local witnesses shed light on the alien activity.

For a true crime kick, check out ‘Crime Scene Confidential’ on Friday 5 January on Discovery ID (21:55) – in which CSI Alina Burroughs travels to different places in the USA to investigate and use her expertise to crack notorious crimes and unsolved murders – while National Geographic has ‘Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari’ (20:00), in which Hazen Audel, a survivalist, embarks on an adventurous excursion throughout Africa's Great Rift Valley in order to observe exotic and spectacular species in their natural habitat.