The episode opens with Mr. Barrow enjoying his turn as butler while the Carsons are on their honeymoon. In typical Barrow fashion, he manages to irritate everyone at every turn, including Lord Grantham. “I don’t care for a lack of generosity,” he reminds Barrow. We’re starting to feel that the hints that Barrow is going … >
In its third and fourth instalments, the third season of Orphan Black puts a great deal of its focus on Mark. Developing this character is important, as we already know and feel like we at least slightly understand him, and to some degree it’s going to be an uphill battle getting to know the other male clones as they … >
David O’Doherty arrives, as presumably he always has done, seemingly somewhat surprised to see us. The keyboard is at hand, although not used constantly throughout the hour, as he gets distracted by one thought process colliding into another. He warns us, in an entirely casual and low rent way, that he’s getting too big for … >
There’s a very good sketch in the series Big Train in which adoring fans won’t let Ralph McTell escape the shadow of his most famous song. The audience aren’t interested in the new, original stuff, only happy when he’s revisiting old hits. It’s a risk that Frisky & Mannish are acutely aware of – they … >
Your Only Connect style question this week, fellow Whovians, is this: What do Christmas, The Proms, BBC’s Children in Need and the short film before the cinematic showing of ‘Day of the Doctor’ all have in common? Yes, absolutely, they’re all times when it’s acceptable to wear a fez in public. But you only get … >
The Returned – that show you were persuading everyone to ‘never mind the subtitles and give a go’ back in the summer of 2013 – has finally clambered out for its long-awaited second season. Full marks if you can remember what happened in the first season’s finale. Even after being eyes-deep in the first run, … >
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, death is no longer the bar to filling the London Palladium that it once was. Equipped with a technical presentation barely dreamt of when he died in the late 1990s, Sinatra can still own the stage backed by a twenty-five piece orchestra and fourteen dancers. The show is … >
The finale begins with Judy out on a run and being overtaken by a young man who shouts back “Keep up grandma”. Despite only turning forty, Judy is feeling her age! Meanwhile, at Leo’s house, Pam and Tony are busy wrapping the valuables up in newspaper in preparation for the ‘surprise’ party. It’s obvious that … >
With Unforgotten, ITV aims to fill a Broadchurch sized slot in its autumn schedule. A six-part detective drama, the story starts with DI Cassie Hunt (Nicola Walker – Spooks, Last Tango in Halaifax) and DS Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar – The Kumars) investigating a set of bones found beneath a cellar. As they try … >
As adultery drama Doctor Foster bows out this week it ironically gives us the best episode so far. Tightly constructed and with real tension, the five-part series ends on a high. Mike Bartlett’s theatrical background is put to more solid use in the confrontation scenes between Gemma (Suranne Jones) and Simon (Bertie Carvel) but especially … >