The Best TV To Watch In July (That's Not On Netflix)

The World Cup’s in full swing, and football’s (possibly, maybe) coming home! Oh, and Wimbledon’s here, too. In short, there’s far too much sport on TV this month, which is brilliant if you like that sort of thing. If you’re otherwise inclined, however, or just fancy a breather, there’s still plenty to catch on All4, iPlayer and more in July.

New BBC shows include an adaptation of Aussie mystery novel Picnic At Hanging Rock starring Game Of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer, and Age Before Beauty, 2018’s answer to classic hairdressing drama Cutting It.

Meanwhile, Sharp Objects, a miniseries from the writer of Gone Girl, lands on Sky Atlantic, and ITV’s Unforgotten is, er, unforgotten as it returns for a third run.

Plus: hapless estate agents, sex clinic art, feminist lit, and much more. Here's more of the best of July’s TV, and when to catch it...

Brother and sister comics Jamie and Natasia Demetriou star in this bonkers but brilliant new series from the producers of People Just Do Nothing. Stath (Jamie) is north London’s worst estate agent, while Natasia plays his hopeless but loveable sis, Sophie. Will they ever manage to rent a house out and make their dad proud?

From awkward beginnings on US sitcom Community, we’ve seen Donald Glover grow up (and glow up) right before our eyes. As the second run of his dramedy continues, it retains its sharp, satirical core while entering darker territory.

The latest import from foreign telly expert Walter Iuzzolino is this Barcelona-set thriller about forensic pathologist Sara, who finds herself caught up with a serial killer who has a connection to a man she cheated on her husband with (do keep up). There are two more 'Latino scorchers' (their words) on the way, too: Argentinian crime drama The Cleaning Lady, and Brazil-set gang epic The Raid.

A second run for the very weepy US drama about a family who all share the same birthday. This time around, the mystery of dad Jack’s death is finally solved, as we continue to drift backwards and forwards in time with the Pearson clan. The perfect excuse to stock up on a family pack of Kleenex, or 10.

The latest offering from Big Little Lies director Jean-Marc Vallée is another page-to-screen affair, this time an eight-episode HBO adaptation of Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn’s lesser-known debut novel. Amy Adams plays the lead role of journalist Camille, who returns to her hometown to investigate a spate of murders and, naturally, ends up revisiting her own troubled past.

It’s no picnic: Natalie 'Game Of Thrones' Dormer stars in this new small-screen adaptation of the 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay, in which she plays the headmistress of a girls’ school where a group of pupils disappear. Although fictitious, the story has woven its way into Aussie folklore, and is ripe for reimagining.

Following projects on cancer and depression, artist and filmmaker Bryony Kimmings continues to boot taboos to the kerb as she takes up residency at a sexual health clinic in Birmingham for this one-off. From pensioners to sex workers, the individuals she meets ignite her creativity, which she then channels into kickass installations and performance artistry.

Angela Carter’s feminist fairytales are instantly recognisable, appropriating the conventions of the genre to creepy, subversive ends. But what about Carter herself? Who was she, and how did time spent in Japan feed into her empowering literature? This doc explores the author’s life using visual elements, readings of her work and more.

The reliably anarchic comedy about an oddball house guest (first Andy Samberg, now Taylor 'Twilight' Lautner) returns for a fourth series. Expect more weirdness as Andie MacDowell joins the cast in a role she has described as "a mixture of a couple of my Aunts & all the crazy women are grew up with in Gaffney South Carolina on steroids [sic]". Cuckoo indeed.

Billed as "Cutting It for a new generation", this new drama was created by Debbie Horsfield, who also wrote the mid '00s hairdressing drama. Like that series, Age Before Beauty is set in a Manchester salon, but the premise has been updated to reflect society’s preoccupation with staying young. They say: "A dysfunctional family, bitter rivalries and Botox." We say: "Cancel your going out plans."

A third series for the hit crime drama starring Nicola Walker (The Split). As it returns, the discovery of the body of a missing girl on a building site threatens to tear apart a friendship group, with Cassie (Walker) and Sunny (Sanjeev Bhaskar) charged with finding out what, if anything, its four members had to do with the murder.

This new spinoff follows two of the original code-crackers from 2012 miniseries The Bletchley Circle, Millie (Rachael Stirling) and Jean (Julie Graham), as they relocate to the US. There, they enjoy a quiet life in the Bay Area, sipping cups of tea and moaning about the weather back home. Just kidding – they put their skills to work on some complicated murder cases, obviously.

This new nature doc is hosted by biologist Liz Bonnin of Galapagos and Bang Goes The Theory, whose engaging presenting style has seen her tipped to succeed David Attenborough when the 92-year-old retires. In this new series, Bonnin explores why animals deceive and hurt each other, which makes a change from seeing them looking all cute.