If you are to believe Jimmy McGovern’s version of the first British colony in Australia, it truly is a miracle that a modern civilisation emerged from these unpromising beginnings given the amount of time the commanding soldiers spent with nothing on their minds but where their next sexual encounter was going to come from. It’s … >
‘Art of…’ books are often a bit something-and-nothing: pretty to look at, nice to flick through, but otherwise a shallow experience destined to be left on the shelf or under the coffee table. So it’s always nice to encounter one which exceeds expectations, and delivers you more than big glossy pictures and a sprinkling of … >
Devil’s Advocate is a full-cast Blake’s 7 story continuing the crew’s search for Dayna. This month it is the turn of Steve Lyons to move the series arc forward while also giving listeners an enjoyable story in its own right. This he does with admirable skill. At first the story is a standard Avon (Paul … >
When we started, five weeks back, nobody could progress on their journey because the train they were on was delayed. Not so much leaves on the lines, but a small boy. That boy – Adam – is now running around the forest quite unhappily, being needled by his feral mother. That’s not just a figure … >
‘We’ve found our man,’ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle announces midway through the final episode of ITV’s three-part drama Arthur and George. When the main character says something like this with an impenetrable air of confidence whilst there are still twenty five minutes of a finale left, you know there’s a plot twist yet to come. … >
Events at Selfridges pick up three weeks on from last week’s drama as the store launches its ‘Britain At Play’ theme to commemorate the signing of the post-war peace treaty. However, it’s not at all peaceful behind the doors of the famous department store. Nancy Webb (Kelly Adams) continues her deception with Harry, but it’s … >
After a galloping introductory episode, Poldark week 2 settles into the glamorous cantering pace that you sense the series will likely continue to take. And that’s great. This is Sunday night on BBC One, not a bedtime Netflix queue, and Poldark isn’t something to be binged on, it’s a glass of port: you don’t neck … >
The impossibly glamorous bounty hunter Vienna Salvatori (Chase Masterson) often sits on the wrong side of the law, so it was quite a shock to discover her in a new position for her second run. Vienna’s first season saw her revel in technological tricks, using memory boxes to disguise her motives and threatening to off … >
‘Time Tunnel’ is the third in a series of new Doctor Who short stories read by an original cast member. In this case it’s Katy Manning recreating Jo Grant and the Third Doctor’s era in a Nigel Fairs story. The setup is simple – UNIT are called to investigate a train full of corpses; all … >
Bringing the TARDIS to a costal spot in the early 1900s, ‘The Darkness of Glass’ begins with the tone of a very traditional Doctor Who tale for the Fourth Doctor and Leela. Leaving K-9 behind, the time travellers find themselves knocking on the door of an isolated castle and joining members of The Caversham Society, … >