Worth Watching: 'Things You Should Have Done' and 'Perfect Pub Walks with Bill Bailey'
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Hello,
Welcome to Worth Watching. Hope you’re doing well.
This month has not really been a blockbuster when it comes to television, but there have been some shows out there worth a look at. Here they are.
(Oh, and want to watch a rather daft documentary this weekend? Look no further than Channel 5 unpacking the recent Willy Wonka chocolate factory experience scandal, which they’ve called Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain (Saturday 16th March at 7.35pm). It makes a change from them doing programmes about air-fryers.)
COMEDY OF THE WEEK
Things You Should Have Done (BBC iPlayer - all episodes) - You may be familiar with Lucia Keskin (AKA ‘Chi with a C’) through her viral videos on TikTok (or her cameo appearances on Big Boys). Her comedy — ranging from the relatably real to the wildly surreal — has now resulted in her very own BBC sitcom, where she plays a ‘stay at home daughter’ learning how to become independent after a road accident results in the death of her parents.
I know, it is a bit of a bleak premise, but the rest of the show isn’t. There’s funny dream sequences — such as appearing on Mastermind and passing when she is asked what job she has — to dark jokes, such as blending both her parents’ ashes into just one urn because it’s easier to carry.
DOCUMENTARY OF THE WEEK
Can I Tell You A Secret? (Netflix) - Based on the hit Guardian podcast of the same name, this two-part documentary looks at how hundreds of women were targeted with hundreds of messages a day by a serial stalker. It’s made by Mindhouse, the company co-founded by Louis Theroux.
You might think that the best way to stop harassment by a stranger on social media would be simple: just block them or leave them on ‘read’. But, as this series highlights, their accounts were also doxxed so friends and families received unpleasant messages pretending to be them. The onslaught of personal attacks resulted in endless paranoia, with one victim unsure whether they were receiving threats from one person or a whole gang of people.
A limitation of this two-parter is that, whilst it explores the case in-depth, it could have looked at the issue itself for a bit longer, such as why people do it. But, as this series is so short, the documentary doesn’t overstay its welcome.
That’s right! A Netflix crime two-parter. A rarity.
AN EASY BIT OF TELEVISION
Perfect Pub Walks with Bill Bailey (Channel 4 - all episodes) - Lord knows, there are a lot of recent shows consisting of a celebrity going on a nice walk, from Winter Walks, to Great British Walks with My Dog.
This new show with comedian Bill Bailey is worth a look because it’s perfected the genre with a nice range of sights, interesting pubs, and engaging interviewees.
One of the episodes features newscasting legend Sir Trevor McDonald going bell ringing at a church, just so Bill and he can recreate the bongs from ITV News at Ten. That alone is going to result in a recommendation from me.
OTHER SHOWS WORTH WATCHING
The Marlow Murder Club (UKTV Play - two episodes) - Midsomer Murders used to be a simple whodunnit thriller, but soon evolved into a never ending array of bizarre deaths — such as Martine McCutcheon being crushed to death by a giant wheel of cheese.
This new two-part drama — based on a book written by the creator of Death in Paradise — takes the format of ‘posh people being murdered in posh houses’ back to basics, with interesting characters and unpredictable twists. It hardly reinvents the (cheese) wheel but you don’t really want it to either.
Shōgun (Disney+ - new episodes every week) - A new adaptation of the 1975 novel by James Clavell, this drama set in feudal Japan goes to great lengths to ensure that the country it depicts is represented accurately and does not fall into stereotypes. And it shows.
About 70% of the drama is in Japanese, making it feel authentic (and forcing you not to look at your phone). There’s some spectacular cinematography and action sequences. The only downside is that the story is, at times, slightly confusing to follow.
POSSIBLY GOOD TELEVISION ROUND THE CORNER:
The Regime (Sky Atlantic) - Kate Winslet stars in this new satirical drama about an authoritarian leader in a fictional country, who is losing her grip on power. All six episodes will drop in early April.
Scoop (Netflix) - The Emily Maitlis / Prince Andrew interview is being adapted into a new film, starring Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell. Is there that much more to the interview than what we have already seen? Wait and see.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK:
On Must Watch (on BBC Sounds) in recent weeks we have been reviewing Mary & George, The Gentlemen, Breathtaking, The Way and The New Look.
For The Guardian, I collated some of the best LGBTQ+ television shows of all time, thanks to the help of notable people from within the community. These include Joe Lycett, Jane Hill, Alice Oseman, Asifa Lahore and Juno Dawson.
For Yahoo, I wrote about why Hollyoaks cutting the number of episodes and the end of daytime soap Doctors are both sending alarm bells through the TV industry.
Thanks so much for reading,
@scottygb on Twitter and Threads