SATURDAY The Musketeers (BBC One, 8.30pm) It seems that this drama will be going out with a bang rather than a whimper - and thank goodness for that.

When it was announced that this, the third run of the costume drama set in 17th century France, would be its last, some fans were concerned that it would simply fizzle out and fade away, but not so - in fact, it could be argued that this has been the best of the three, and if its predecessors had been just as enthralling, it might have been saved from the BBC guillotine.

The programme has certainly had a shot in the arm thanks to the new, villainous characters played with such panache by Rupert Everett and Matthew McNulty. The latter takes on the role of Grimaud, who is up to his dastardly tricks this week.

He seems dead set on wiping out the Musketeers once and for all, and continues his reign of terror over them by co-ordinating a variety of deadly attacks while simultaneously putting Feron to the test as his thirst of power threatens to overwhelm all who stand in his way.

Unfortunately, our heroes are spread out across the country on a variety of missions - which could play into Grimaud's hands.

Santiago Cabrera, who plays Aramis, claims he knew early on that McNulty's character would go down a treat with fans: "Just from the read-through, Matthew had a great sense of the character.

"And then Rupert Everett, who bought his incredible experience to the role of Feron. You can tell he's having a great time, and is having great fun with his character, bringing humour to the show, which the Musketeers has always had and has maintained. It reminds you how much of a brilliant job this is."

However, his own character has had a torrid time. When the series began, Aramis had moved into a monastery as he attempted to sort out his life, his relationship with God, and his feelings for Queen Anne.

"You see that Aramis is still as confused as he was the day he arrived," says Cabrera. "Over time he realises he was born to be a Musketeer. It's than excitement and living life on the edge. His relationship with Porthos also finally settles down, and at its core there is a genuinely strong bond there.

"There's no romantic side to Aramis this time, but there's still a fun element to the character, and I wanted to bring that back this series."

But it's one that could be put to the test as Aramis makes an unlikely pilgrimage with King Louis, which brings back unwanted memories.

To make matters worse, Athos is distracted from the problems faced by his friends - one that leaves him exposed to Grimaud's plot.

Before the day is out, a hero falls, a traitor is on the rise, and the Musketeers could be changed forever - and, quite frankly, we can't wait to discover how all that pans out.

Sunday 10/07/16

MOTD: Euro 2016 Live (BBC1, 7pm) & Euro 2016 (ITV, 7pm)

Where has the last month gone?

Back on June 10, a total of 24 were gearing up for 51 games of football as the European Championships headed to France.

The tournament got under way in spectacular and dramatic fashion with Didier Deschamps' host nation overcoming Romania 2-1 in the opening game thanks to a wonder-strike from West Ham United's Dimitri Payet.

However, events on the pitch during the early stages were overshadowed somewhat by the unsavoury events off it - namely the trouble in some of the host cities, particularly in Marseille.

Nevertheless, the group stages did eventually come to life, football-wise.

Dark horses Croatia topped Group D by defeating defending champions Spain, even without their injured playmaker Luka Modric, while Cristiano Ronaldo finally came to the party with a stunning back-heeled equaliser against Hungary.

The home nations all made it through to the knockout stages as well.

Gareth Bale scored three goals in three games to take Chris Coleman's Welsh side through as Group B winners, just ahead of a stuttering Roy Hodgson's England.

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also made it to the last 16, with the latter producing one of the best nights in Irish football history when they beat the much-fancied Italy 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Robbie Brady.

However, once the last-16 matches got started it was a case of 'same old story' for the home nations - well, most of them.

The Republic went down bravely to the hosts, while England suffered more major tournament humiliation and heartbreak, this time at the hands of the smallest nation at the Championships - Iceland.

That left us with the shootout between Northern Ireland and Wales, with the Welsh eventually coming out on top thanks to Gareth McAuley's own goal, and making it through to the quarter-finals in what was their first major tournament appearance since 1958.

In the tie of the last-16, Italy comfortably knocked out Spain to set up a mouthwatering quarter-final showdown against World Champions Germany, while other pre-tournament favourites, Belgium, hammered Hungary to also progress.

The second round also saw the goal of tournament.

With the clock ticking down and his country needing a goal against Poland, Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri audaciously and acrobatically scored with what looked like an impossible bicycle kick from the edge of the box.

It was a rare moment of individual brilliance in a competition which, it has to be said, had been mainly dominated by teamwork and tactics.

So which of the European heavyweights or underdogs will be competing for the trophy at the Stade de France tonight?

Impartial viewers will be hoping the game is slightly less one-sided than the 2012 final when Vicente del Bosque's Spanish side swept aside a tired-looking Italy 4-0 in Kiev thanks to goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata.

However, in a tournament that has been slightly short of goals, if not drama, a goalfest will do nicely for most viewers, especially for us Brits who will be watching on, thinking what mights have been.