More TV Shows To Take Your Mind Off Lockdown
Here's some recommendations, along with some recommendations from Twitter.
Hello,
Welcome to the Worth Watching newsletter.
There have been a lot of changes on television in the last few weeks, so let’s start with a quick update on the biggest new shows to look out for:
Grayson Perry has started presenting an Arts Club on Channel 4. It has such an intimacy throughout, the show mostly consisting of Perry looking at art that have been sent in by viewers, along with creations from his home studio. It’s a format that I reckon I can see running well beyond the lockdown.
Meanwhile, Richard and Judy are returning to Channel 4 for one week only. They are hosting a book club and it will air next week.
BBC Four have started airing Museums in Quarantine, walking us through closed and empty exhibitions with a museum expert.
Also on BBC Four: daily repeats of The Joy of Painting with the iconic Bob Ross.
On Channel 5: repeats of The Golden Girls are now every weekday lunchtime.
BBC One have taken the controversial decision to air their own Eurovision programme on the night the competition was due to take place, instead of airing a special show uniting Europe that have been put together by the European Broadcasting Union. The EBU show will only be available to watch on iPlayer.
Tom Hardy is reading CBeebies Bedtime stories for the channel all this week, in case you are interested. His first story contains these highly relatable line: “Sometimes, on a day like this I feel strong and I feel happy, but on other days I just want somebody to give me a hug.”
Mr Motivator has started doing workout routines again daily on BBC One. His latest one incorporates classical music and I am very much here for it.
In a special series of interviews by the Edinburgh TV Festival, it was confirmed by the BBC that popular formats such as The Apprentice, Masterchef, Dragon’s Den and Top Gear have been delayed because of the coronavirus. With social distancing expected to last a year, BBC Drama boss Piers Wenger says that he still expects productions to to go ahead at one point. He says: “Are we going to look at quarantining actors and crew in order to allow actors to interact in the same space? Who knows."
The BBC are also very keen to get EastEnders back up and running, but cannot do so whilst the lockdown is in place. Even if they do, social distancing will continue to be a problem. Neighbours in Australia have resumed filming but with social distancing, with visual tricks to make actors appear closer than they actually are. BBC bosses have kept an eye on Neighbours but aren’t doing anything yet.
And finally, Gemma Collins has got a show out at the moment called Gemma Collins: Diva on Lockdown. At the start of the first episode on ITVBe, a handy disclaimer came up on the screen: “The following episode was filmed before the government lockdown.”
There are two ways in which I think television can be helpful during the lockdown. The first is providing a sense of escapism, the other being a bit of a nonsense distraction. We have been incredibly lucky to have had three fantastic shows in the last few weeks, some of the best programmes this year so far I reckon. They are:
Race Across The World(BBC iPlayer) - The last episode of the travel competition series, which aired on BBC One on Sunday night, was some of the most ridiculous, adrenalin fuelled television I have seen in ages. It's TV that will cause you to shout at the television, but in a good way. If you only watched the second series, please do make sure that you go back and watch the first too. It is just as good. And for those needing more, there is a special re-union episode this Sunday at 8pm.
Quiz (ITV) - The three part drama written by James Graham, starring Michael Sheen as Chris Tarrant, is sheer perfection. Not only will you constantly change your mind on whether Charles Ingram actually cheated or not on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, you will be delighted by the array of early noughties nostalgia throughout.
Normal People (BBC iPlayer) - The Sally Rooney book adaptation is not only so authentic that you keep wondering whether you are eavesdropping on real relationships by accident, the fact that it airs in thirty minute episodes means that you divide up viewing like reading chapters. Watch in one big go or over twelve weeks, there is literally no wrong way that you can watch it.
I also asked Twitter for some good TV distractions too and got back a lot of great suggestions that I thought I’d share. Here are just a few of them:
Unorthodox on Netflix (recommended by Charlie): “Such a moving, stunning and beautiful show from the writer of Deutschland 83/86.”
Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ (recommended by Guy): “It makes me feel like I’m 10 and this makes me happy!”
Twin on BBC Four (recommended by Wanstead): “Sublime landscapes and engaging soundtrack.”
And finally, Money Heist on Netflix (recommended by Steph and Alex). Alex says it is: “weapon-grade bingeable distraction nonsense.”
Finally, on the Must Watch podcast this week we reviewed After Life as well as the funny police spoof Code 404 on Now TV. You can subscribe on BBC Sounds.
That’s all this week. We’re getting through this together, aren’t we?
Stay safe and speak soon,
Scotty / @scottygb