I was so ready for this episode of Banana to lift my spirits. I was so ready for Aiden (Dino Fetscher) to get over his superficialities and take a chance with Frank (Alex Frost). I was cheering for them to make it. When they didn’t, it was like one of those punches to the gut … >
In this penultimate episode of Cucumber, Russell T Davies doesn’t give us what we expect. There’s no knock at the door for Henry or Marie – no sudden, shocked bewilderment at news only half-comprehended. Instead, the action begins on the day of Lance’s funeral and we follow Henry going through the motions of thanking guests … >
Revisiting Kevin Elyot’s 1994 drama, My Night With Reg, after twenty years, it’s striking how the play both epitomises and transcends its period. Telling the story of six friends knit together by a shared history, the shadow of the AIDS epidemic and sexual encounters with the titular Reg, the play sparks with pathos, heart and … >
A charity party to raise funds for the Selfridge’s Homes for Heroes Estate is the backdrop to the aftermath of last week’s events, providing even more drama for the staff and family at Selfridges. Jeremy Piven continues to shine, with some lovely dramatic moments here that showcase how settled he is in the skin of … >
With great economy, the second episode of Critical sets about bringing the show’s wide cast of characters to life. It’s not easy task in a programme set in ‘real time’ (or “The Golden Hour” as one of the characters labels it), but it’s an impressive demonstration of the old adage of ‘show not tell’. The … >
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 … >
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 … >
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 … >
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 … >
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 … >