‘The Casual Vacancy’ Episode 3 review

With the parish council election looming over Pagford, it’s too close to call between mummy’s boy Miles Mollison and wheezing Colin Wall. In the end Miles wins the coveted chair and no time is wasted on the vote on the fate of Sweetlove House. As newly elected Miles raises his hand in favour of the … >

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‘Indian Summers’ Episode 3 review

Ralph Whelan (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) clearly believes in keeping his enemies close, and those who might be useful to him even closer. Channelling the awkward charms of a young Ralph Fiennes, he politely demands that his sister Sarah and Aafrin – the man that took the assassin’s bullet seemingly meant for him – get their stories … >

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‘Call the Midwife’ Season 4 Episode 7 review

The idea of two babies being accidentally swapped and given to different mothers is a nightmare scenario for new parents and the last thing you’d expect the diligent midwives of Nonnatus House to do. But a water shortage and a fire in the maternity home lead to exactly that happening here, and the weight of the … >

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‘Arthur and George’ Episode 1 review

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle is undeniably one of the best loved figures in Britain’s literary history. ITV’s new three-part series Arthur and George has a lot to live up to. Spanning more than a century and spread across many different adaptions, the fanbase for Conan Doyle’s famous detective has arguably never been greater than … >

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‘Critical’ Episode 1 review

At the start of Critical’s first episode, an air ambulance helicopter comes in to land on the rooftop helipad of a building called General Hospital. However, any suggestion that this familiar name brings with it the comfortable ‘doctor/nurse romance’ territory of the afternoon soap is promptly expelled as the anonymous patient-of-the-week projectile vomits a spray … >

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‘Banana’ Episode 6 review: ‘Amy’

I am genuinely and continually amazed with the calibre of talent that Banana has showcased so wonderfully each week. I already admired Charlie Covell for the writing in Helen’s story earlier in the season, and am delighted to see her step in front of the camera as well for this episode. Covell plays Amy, a … >

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‘Cucumber’ Episode 6 review

Well, you can’t say we weren’t warned. In the opening sequence of this episode, the caption clearly reads, ‘Lance Edward Sullivan, 1966 – 2015’. There was the possibility that this could have been a piece of Russell T Davies misdirection, in the spirit of Rose Tyler’s ‘This is the story of how I died’. But … >

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‘Death in Paradise’ Season 4 finale review

When a man on trial is shot dead in his locked prison cell, between two other locked doors, it sets of an interesting course of events that provide the backdrop to Death in Paradise’s character-based season finale. This week’s murder mystery plot takes a back seat as we focus on the dramas of the key … >

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‘Wolf Hall’ Episode 6 review: ‘Masters of Phantoms’

It’s all over, bar the shouting. And the screaming. And the executions. There will undoubtedly be a follow-up series, just as soon as Hilary Mantel gets around to finishing off her trilogy. But for now, we’ll just have to settle for six episodes of what has been the most compelling and hypnotic drama we’ve seen … >

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