What a surprise this episode of The Musketeers was: I never would have guessed that an afternoon of fun with a camera obscura could be so terrifying and dangerous? King Louis and his friends – hanging out with his wife and girlfriend at the same time no less, which is more than enough danger to … >
Something changes in one’s experience of stories about young adults, as one gets older and the time between when one was that age grows further and further away. Such is the case for me with Banana, as I find myself looking on with second-hand knowing embarrassment at the attitudes and silly decisions of some of … >
‘I hate gay men,’ said Henry (Vincent Franklin) in Cucumber’s opening episode last month. ‘It’s all ‘Hi!’ and ‘Oh my God! Look at you!’’ It was the kind of comment that was all whipped cream with knives: the kind of frothy acerbity which – following on from a titillatingly phallic opening sequence – wolfishly opened … >
History hasn’t always been kind to Cromwell. Opinion shifts quite violently to considering him Henry VIII’s right hand man to a shifty planner of self-interest. As Wolf Hall shows, such changes of opinion happened within Cromwell’s time, too. When it was Henry who suddenly decided that he didn’t like you anymore, Tudor life was lived … >
I felt last week that Broadchurch would really have to start answering some questions and giving something back to its audience. The previous episode was a step in the right direction, but this episode definitely helps all the stories gain steam as we move towards next week’s finale. It’s an episode of wonderful revelations. Claire’s … >
A drama of the old days of England. An England of Brideshead Revisited and A Jewel In The Crown, the sort of dramas that the BBC has a worldwide reputation for. But, despite what your memory tells you, those two programmes never aired on the BBC (they were both, in fact, ITV gems) and this … >
Being invited in to a world conjured up by the literary superstar J.K. Rowling was always going to be an event and we’ve been anticipating Sarah Phelps’ adaptation of The Casual Vacancy with excitement and gusto. And so we delved down the rabbit hole into the quaint English town of Pagford, where not everything was … >
Mr Selfridge gains real steam this week as the drama focuses on the show’s couples and develops them in some interesting ways with dramatic consequences. For one couple, the doors of Selfridges appear to be closing for now. Relationships, both in their development and breakdown, are the key theme of tonight’s episode – especially for … >
It’s unusual for a one-hour drama to feel rushed, but this week’s Call the Midwife does juggle a little more than it can manage to. The pacing is just a little off, even if the story beats are still moving and compelling. While we remain without any sign of Chummy, and Sister Evangelina has been gone … >
Sometimes, it’s hard not to want to grab a character by the lapels and shout at them until they get a grip. This week’s Musketeers ep is one of those times, as we see Athos (Tom Burke) being a bit of a moody jerk when the peasants on his land decide that enough is enough. … >