Stonemouth, the BBC’s new adaptation of Iain Banks’ crime novel bestseller, proves to be something of a mixed bag in its opening episode. It’s well-acted and features some truly beautiful cinematography, with the lovely seaside town of Macduff doubling as the fictional Stonemouth. A suicide under suspicious circumstances provides a compelling mystery at the heart … >
The term ‘Marmite viewing’ is sometimes bandied around too easily. However, it’s hard to avoid how accurate a description it is for Netflix’s new sci-fi series, Sense8. From the minds of The Matrix creators, Lana and Andy Wachowski (who most recently gave us the utterly bonkers Jupiter Ascending), this is a show that you will … >
When you lift your head from the screen for a moment and think about it, we have an odd relationship with our gadgets. We take a cold lump of circuits into our homes, bedrooms, pockets, and we train it into being our own, one swipe or tap of personal information at a time. Memories, selfies, … >
In our seventh visit to Game of Thrones this year, Jon and Tormund departed to the wildlings’ camp, Brienne continued to survey Winterfell and Daario’s marriage proposal was rejected by Daenerys. Elsewhere Diana Rigg and Jonathan Pryce continued to impress as Lady Olenna and the High Sparrow sparred over Margaery and Loras’ incarceration. Unsurprisingly, ‘The … >
When the BBC gets it right, it often gets it very right. You only need to look at the likes of Life on Mars, Spooks, Sherlock, Luther and more recently Happy Valley for evidence of that. Unfortunately, The Interceptor is not up there with those shows. It’s a shame, a real shame because the concept … >
The second episode in this new season of Kay Mellor’s BBC One drama sees the staff of Hazelwood Manor coming to terms with their new found wealth, but it also brings to the surface a lot of new issues, as well as the continued disappearance of diabetic maid Amy (Daisy Head). The Syndicate does some … >
Given that Chapter 4 of BBC One’s fantasy period drama is titled ‘All the Mirrors of the World’, let’s take a moment to reflect on mirrors. That shiny plate on your bathroom wall has always been viewed as magical, either practically – it was mirrors that brought to life the famous 1862 illusion ‘Pepper’s Ghost’ … >
Winter has Great Paxford in its icy grip. Steph has excelled at all of the new farming protocols and proudly signs her name to the required paperwork. Meanwhile, her devoted teacher receives the devastating news that German U-boats sunk the ship carrying her lover to America. Alison realises that Teresa’s grief is akin to what … >
If there’s one thing the finale of BBC Two’s The Game makes abundantly clear, it’s that Toby Whithouse should really write a DCI Jim Fenchurch spin-off. One where, each week, Shaun Dooley gets to be angry at a criminal such as a KGB agent or someone who nicked the money from the Post Office till. … >
Returning to BBC One for a third season is In the Club creator Kay Mellor’s wonderful comedy-drama, The Syndicate. However, where previous seasons have focused on how a collective lottery win has affected the lives of a supermarket staff and colleagues in a hospital, this time round it’s a sort of Upstairs, Downstairs setup, as … >