Traditionally in This Is England, the latter half of the middle act is usually the most emotionally charged and the most challenging to watch. In ’83 it was the visit to the far right wing meeting when we realized young Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) was being force-fed a belligerent diatribe. It also showed us the unpredictability … >
You can always tell when someone has read Cider with Rosie. You mention it and they get that soft stare in their eyes and start talking in ways that mimic Laurie Lee’s lyrical style, as they recall summers as runny and green as elderflower cordial, and days spent young and easy under the apple boughs. … >
Episode 2 begins with a glimpse of Mr. Mosley ironing the morning newspaper. At least economies haven’t reached to this level. Battle lines are drawn over the ownership of the local hospital, with Cora siding with Isobel while Lord Grantham tries to remain neutral, saying he’d like to avoid “blood on the carpet” when the … >
‘Consider The Doctor’, says Missy. Pause! We’ll consider The Doctor in a (Dalek) sec. But first we need to consider a more important question, which one day may be of universal importance to the show: Does Missy always carry thirty feet of sturdy rope around on her person? Or did she make it, like her … >
So, we are now past the half way point in BBC Two’s new sitcom, Boy Meets Girl. This is reflected in the relationship between Leo and Judy in that now they have decided to take the plunge and sleep together. Pam and Tony are going away on a romantic night together and Jamie (Leo’s brother) … >
Now halfway through BBC One’s new five-part drama, this week’s episode of Doctor Foster catapults all the stories forward greatly, while providing startling revelations about life in the Foster household. With Gemma now intent on divorce, her plan to bring her husband down has its own share of setbacks. Suranne Jones continues to be excellent, … >
Fans of Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who are used to looking to his earlier work for signs of Who to come. But increasingly, it’s his 1999 Comic Relief skit, ‘The Curse of Fatal Death’, which looks less like a parody of the programme and more like a template for where it would head under his stewardship. … >
The last ever season of Downton Abbey opens with Lord Grantham in hunting pink and Lady Mary scandalously astride rather than sidesaddle, preparing for the hunt. Barrow and Mosley are handing up drinks to the riders from silver trays and everything seems in order. But talk of staff reductions at the Abbey are whispered and … >
If you found a Now That’s What I Call 1990 album in a petrol station’s bargain bin, there would be some pretty memorable music on it. From the Mondays asking you to ‘Step On’ to Sinead O’Connor’s teary-eyed stare comparing you to nothing: the year would “rock”. Music has always played a large part in … >
So this is what Doctor Who looks like when the dial gets turned all the way up to 11. Or, in this case, 12. ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’s feels like Steven Moffat’s own ‘guitar solo on a tank’ moment: a surprising, swaggering return to our Saturday nights. When the man decides to show off, he really … >