The fact that Mark Latimer turns out to be alive after all, after the high drama ending of last week… isn’t actually a disappointment, somewhat to my surprise. Plenty of suicide plans don’t come off, for one thing, so there is a certain bathetic realism to it in that respect, but perhaps more importantly the … >
Having been a little underwhelming in recent weeks, this week’s Prime Suspect 1973 finale thankfully gives the show a good send-off. We pick up where we left off, reprising last week’s explosive climax to the accompaniment of Tubular Bells; and where we might have anticipated drawn out scenes of bedside vigils, to the beep-beep accompaniment … >
Filming has begun this month on six new episodes of Midsomer Murders. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the UK’s longest running contemporary detective drama, Neil Dudgeon will be back as DCI John Barnaby for a seventh season, alongside Nick Hendrix as DS Jamie Winter and Fiona Dolman as Sarah Barnaby. Buy the complete Season 18 box set on Amazon … >
This week’s Broadchurch episode, the strongest so far, is all about people trying to escape the prisons they carry with them – and often finding that they can’t. While Lenny Henry’s Ed Burnett spends the majority of the episode under police custody, brooding in an actual cell or a police interrogation room, and Joe Miller … >
At the end of last week’s episode, viewers saw Laura Benson (Kelly Gough) coming forward to inform the police that she was assaulted two years ago in a similar manner to Trish. Gough does a good job over the course of her brief screen-time; her role in this story was never going to be as … >
Prime Suspect 1973 is by no means a bad show – but it has the misfortune to be airing alongside Broadchurch (and now Line of Duty on the other side) and really needs to up its game if it’s to compete. With a suspect in custody for the murder case, episode five is almost entirely … >
Based on the bestselling Inspector Stanhope books by award-winning writer Ann Cleeves, crime drama Vera returns to ITV for a seventh season. Set around Newcastle and the stunning Northumberland countryside, DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) and her team are drawn into four more compelling mysteries, including the death of a wildlife ranger, left alone overnight … >
Stefanie Martini (Doctor Thorne, Endeavour) stars as the young incarnation of Helen Mirren’s iconic character Jane Tennison in ITV’s new Prime Suspect prequel series. Prime Suspect: 1973 is adapted from Lynda La Plante’s bestselling novel, Tennison. Buy the complete original Prime Suspect series box set on Amazon here. The cast also includes Blake Harrison (Dad’s Army, The Inbetweeners), … >
There’s an early episode of The Simpsons where, with the plot seemingly resolved partway through the episode the family gathers on the sofa. “Everything really wrapped up nicely,” declares Homer with satisfaction; “And much quicker than usual” he adds, with a post-modern awareness of how TV works. I mention this only because it’s how I … >
This isn’t a particularly Trish-centric episode of Broadchurch, but she is still far and away the best thing about it; if Julie Hesmondhalgh isn’t showered with gongs come award season, it’ll be criminal. The opening quarter of this fourth instalment sees Trish returning to the scene of her assault at the Axehampton party. This detail … >