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. … >
You’ll have heard of Avenue Q before, of course; the delinquent boozy stepchild of Sesame Street from the co-creator of Book of Mormon. Following five years in London’s West End, this supremely confident production (in Brighton all this week) absolutely nails the energetic perkiness and gawsh-darned American-ness that’s required to make Avenue Q work. One … >
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 … >
With Susan’s father, the malicious Theodore Swift, back on the scene, Ripper Street set the stage last week for a concluding confrontation between Reid and the woman who shot him, Susan. ‘The Peace of Edmund Reid’ delivered that confrontation, but, in true Ripper Street style, it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that… ‘The Peace of … >
This week’s episode marks the halfway point of BBC Two’s new comedy series and as such it is also one of the strongest so far. The basic storyline again concerns a date between Judy and Leo. This time rather than run the risk of his family gate crashing, he takes her to an art gallery. … >
The second part of BBC One’s new drama Doctor Foster continued this week, upping the emotional state of all the characters as Gemma tries to come to terms with the revelation of her husband’s adultery. Suranne Jones continues to be excellent as the titular GP, displaying a beautiful yet broken performance as the emotionally fragile … >
For those who didn’t study the text at school or haven’t seen the 1954 film with Alastair Sim, An Inspector Calls is a JB Priestly play set in 1912. First performed (in the Soviet Union) in 1945, it is a story that focusses on the death of a young woman, variously called Eva Smith or … >
It’s 1990. The UK is dancing to the Madchester sound or alternatively holding lighters in the air to power ballads by female-fronted bands and Mrs. Thatcher has been ousted from 10 Downing Street by her own party – though the Poll Tax Riots in central London may have had something to do with that. Just … >